Two Profiles

The reflection and regeneration process reached an interesting milestone recently with the development of the "personal profile" of each of the two congregations in the LaPêche pastoral charge. This self identity exercise - characterizing the congregation as a person - seems to have been a useful tool in helping create and verbalize common identity. Here are those profiles as published in the Sunday Bulletin insert for 21Mar10 ...



Rupert: “Eb’nFlo” is a person nearing old age, with the warm likeable qualities of a favourite Uncle “Eb” and the stateliness of “Flo” who by the way is “well-preserved”! Combining a laid back kind of way with a vital and active energy, Eb’nFlo enjoys farming, seeding, harvesting, canning and appreciates that living by the seasons has developed a keen awareness for the environment. Resilient, resourceful and confident, Eb’nFlo also has an active funny bone and loves to sing.



St. Andrew’s in Wakefield: “Andrea-Sophia” is a woman approaching middle age and in transition with an empty nest. She is wise, humble and while open to moving forward, wonders about the risk. She is reflective and seeks direction in transition. She is strong, with a big heart and has a good work ethic. Right now she is a bit overwhelmed and needs to care for herself, but has found it exciting to contemplate the rewards of bee-keeping!

A lengthy multisession process facilitated by Gisèle over the course of a couple of weeks shaped these two profiles. A number of things strike me as important:

1. The Andrew’s profile is that of a woman while Rupert is a person of undefined gender. Part of me prefers the inclusiveness of the undefined gender. Another part appreciates the reflection, caring and frankness of the female profile.

2. The two profiles are quite distinct beyond their gender. Or at least what has been written creates quite different images for me. One rather acute difference seems to be that Rupert is about what the person does while Wakefield is more about what the person thinks.

3. The does vs. thinks observation above has me wondering if a next step is planned to critique each other’s profiles. That is to question and learn from and perhaps ultimately to reshape. I am sure the process is intended to be an evolving one.

4. We are one church with two profiles ... there is some risk in continuing to feed some of the divisions which have challenged us over the years. Do we have the courage to use this process ... and these identities ... in the context of trying to resolve some of those divisions?

Seed sowing and bee keeping ... those images make me proud to be a member of the United Church of Canada at LaPêche.

Practice

It is Lent and we are exploring ourselves, our relationship to the world and our faith in God. Last Sunday at the Basilica de St Sernin in downtown Toulouse I heard the minister talk about examining our choices – specifically with respect to upcoming municipal elections in France.

It is an important invitation from God. And an important call to be responsible and active in our faith. I identified very strongly with Gisèle’s reflection last week (07March2010) in which she highlighted the need to practice our faith – to act out the things we believe in ... She said ...

“The more we actually practice the teachings of Jesus - forgiveness or non-judgment in our own behavior, generosity or compassion, trust, thankfulness - the more we experience God ... In this way we are responding to the welcome of God, the holy invitation to come, see, seek, forsake and return.

God will always be beyond our naming or understanding... and we won’t ever get to the bottom of God. (However) in our willingness and our practice - in the suffering and the joy and in the grit of our lives and in our practice of the virtues - we reveal that God has indeed been tending and growing us…we experience it as real … God, here right under our noses, in our thinking, in our beating hearts."

I have always come at “practice” from a social responsibility point of view – believing that it is our responsibility as Christians to exercise leadership in working for social justice. I now appreciate even more the importance of practice – it is an important medium for strengthening our faith.

And essential for us to experience God.