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Faithful Presence in the New Commons

Faithful Presence in the New Commons

 

The Inhabit Conference in Seattle is a continuing conversation that seeks to answer this compelling question:

 

                    What does it look like for you to join in God’s Shalomic dream for your place?

 

“Shalomic” comes from that beautiful biblical word, shalom.  It means wholeness, well-being, peace, reconciliation—both inside a person and within a community.  Christ revealed this shalomic dream in his teaching and parables about the Kingdom of God

 

On April 17 & 18, I joined with about 300 others from all over North America and beyond for an inspiring two days of stories, art, and teaching about joining in God’s Shalomic dream for our places.  Community activists, church planters, pastors, musicians, theologians, poets, and artists all came looking to be equipped to live even more deeply in our neighbourhoods.   Presenters shared their wisdom, desires, resources and practices.  We heard stories about cleaning up forests and urban wastelands.  We heard about a church community that repurposed an old bar that had been the scene of a small-town murder and now serves as a hub of reconciliation and neighbourhood connectedness.  We heard about a pastor who helped a guy named Charlie move into his new apartment and developed an unlikely relationship of care and grace.  We heard about how one woman, believing that one’s zip code should not determine education quality, organized communities to better public education.  And so much more.

 

I came away with a new appreciation for two words:  faithful presence.  God is going ahead of us and is up to something in our streets.  Our task is to discover what he’s up to and be Christ’s faithful presence among our neighbours. 

 

About a year ago, Fleetwood CRC set as a priority to become more connected to our community.  We want to be engaged and involved more deeply in the life of Fleetwood.  We’re not sure how, but we have a sense that we need to be.  We’ve begun a Community Opportunity Scan, we’ve initiated a Prayer Walk, and we are trying to listen to what God is calling us to do in this place.  I think the two words that I picked up will be a guide for us.  We are called to be a faithful presence in Fleetwood.  I trust that over the next months and years we will find out what that looks like.  In five years we will be a Christian community that is deeply engaged in its community, joining in God’s Shalomic dream for Fleetwood. 

 

Rev. Tom Bomhof, pastor