Good morning,
” Do not conform to the pattern of this world…” Romans 12:2 —- the Apostle Paul
We live in a secular society. In Canada, we have been moving in this direction since after WW II. I grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and I do not remember many of my classmates going to church. I attended a secular university, Trent in Peterborough, and very few students went to church on a Sunday.
We would like it to be different. We might like to have more religious language in politics or on T.V. or through the Internet. But, we are at a place in the history of the church in society. More and more people, know less and less about the Christian faith. This has nothing to do with immigration of people of other faiths.
Many of the people who have left the church, say that they want to remain spiritual but not religious. They do not want to be tied to any church or program, but they are aware of their spiritual needs. They still want their own spiritual needs met by a higher being or are aware of their need to be in silence and meditation.
As people of Floradale Mennonite, we have experienced the love of God through the life/death/resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. How do we engage in conversation and life with others, who do not share this understanding, or even have the stories or language of our faith. It is like we are speaking German and Spanish to each other.
This is the challenge of going forward here at Floradale. I do not think we can go back to the the 1960’s. We live in a secular society. How does our faith journey intersect with the world that we live in? How do we relate to those who do not share our story of faith? How do we invite them to belong to Floradale?
” We have different gifts, according to the grace given to all of us. ” Romans 12:6
Shalom and strength for the journey of life and faith,
Fred