Bishop Melissa Skelton spent a good long day at her cathedral church on February 1st, 2015, St. Brigid’s Day. She arrived to preach and preside at 7:30am for the 8am Book of Common Prayer celebration of Holy Communion, preach and preside at the 10:30am Choral Eucharist, greet Christ Church Cathedral (CCC) members at a luncheon, facilitate a two hour workshop regarding the imminent relocation of the parish during the roof replacement and celebrate Eucharist with the folks of St. Brigids, an emerging Christian community where faith is nurtured, discipleship pursued, and questions are honoured.
Although St. Brigids is a ministry of CCC, the majority of the people who now call St. Brigids home were not previous members of CCC. The St Brigids community began worshipping together on Sunday, May 4th, 2014, meeting at 5:30pm in the Park Room lounge/meeting room on the CCC’s lower level. The worship has now moved into the chancel where they continue to meet weekly.
When asked about the current St Brigids community, Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Assistant to the Rector for Evangelism and Christian Formation at CCC with principal responsibility for development of St. Brigids said, “Our average Sunday attendance is just over 20 people, and this has grown steadily from the 5 people with whom we initially started. Over time, we have been joined by those who have been de-churched (i.e. haven’t been to church for a long time, and are now re-investigating Christian faith) as well as those who find themselves on the fringes of other congregations, and are looking for a place to get to know one another and to be known.
On Tuesday I had lunch with someone who visited St. Brigids for the first time on Sunday evening. He described the service as warm, inviting, beautiful and humble. Those were wonderful things to hear.”
During visitations, Bishop Skelton regularly preaches and presides and the St Brigids Eucharist was no exception. During her homily, Bishop Skelton called those gathered to pay attention to the seeds of hope and new life within us. She called attention to the budding promise we find within our lives, and the life of the St Brigids community. At St Brigids the sermon is shared, the leader begins, presents the outline, the theme and those assembled are asked to respond. Andrew shared his thoughts about the communities response to Bishop Skelton’s message, “The community’s reflections came from deep, honest, and sometimes vulnerable places. One member of the community voiced their appreciation for being able to participate in the shared homily - that this was a place where one voice was not privileged over all others. St. Brigids is becoming a place where we listen to the way in which God’s spirit speaks in and through different members of the community. Another shared their gratitude that as a community, we are finding ways to see and be seen one another. Through that, we create space to be our authentic selves. These were just two reflections, of many, that were shared.”
With Easter Sunday on the horizon and the imminent reality of exile from the upper level of CCC for up to six months while the roof project is in progress as of this writing in early February the St Brigids community is currently in the process of finalizing a location to meet.
In response to questions about St Brigids role in the Diocese of New Westminster and vision for the future Andrew had this to say, “folks who are new to St. Brigids are being welcomed as members of the Diocese of New Westminster. St. Brigids is a congregation of the Cathedral, and is, as such, a ministry of our diocese. I should hope that this emerging community be seen as a resource in our diocese for connecting with those who are on the fringes of church, and who are seeking a particular way of connecting with God, one another, and the world God loves…From my perspective, I hope that St. Brigids can be a community that is welcoming of all, but especially of those who no longer feel at home in their evangelical church. I’m excited about the way in which this community is already becoming home for evangelicals on the Canterbury trail. I think that the St. Brigids community provides an accessible, compelling, and at the same time challenging way in to the liturgical and spiritual traditions of the Anglican church that makes particular sense for folks who find themselves on the fringes of other traditions. St. Brigids seems to be a community where new folks are welcomed whole-heartedly, and where it is easy to find ways to get involved. I hope that this becomes more true in the coming years, and that new ministry opportunities will grow and flourish out of our upcoming discernment gatherings.