This is the second week of the Thriving Churches series; this week we are focusing on Joy and Contemplation; the scripture passage is Philippians 4: 4-9 and I will also weave Earth Day into there somehow! What are the spiritual practices that support those? How can we ‘rejoice in the Lord, always’ when there is so much trouble in the world?
Last week, I attended two events sponsored by the United Church on Flourishing. On Thursday evening, there was a presentation from Andre Picard about health care in Canada and on Saturday, the Moderator, the Right Rev. Carmen Lansdowne led approximately 100 of us in a workshop on What Does it Mean to Be Flourishing in Congregations? I am thankful for the opportunity to attend and it did reenergize me!
Last Sunday morning I woke up with a cold, I tested for Covid before I headed to the church, you may have noticed that I was not my usual self and didn’t stick around for coffee. I felt even worse on Monday, and cancelled all my in person obligations for Tuesday, as well as testing for Covid again. Thankfully, I seem to be on the mend! Although my reenergizing has gone by the wayside!
On Sunday, we dedicated this beautiful banner made by Marilyn Harrison and Bonnie Hudson. I look forward to getting it hung in the front entryway, I had planned this week, but perhaps next week.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) has become more and more a part of our on-line experience, even if we aren’t aware of it, and so it seems to be a good idea to learn how to use it responsibly in ministry. I’ve signed up for monthly sessions on AI for Church Leaders. For those of you on Facebook, I’ve been using ChatGPT to help generate/create/adapt social media posts for the past few weeks. Like all tools, it is only as good and effective as its user.
St. James United Church Dartmouth 