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When many people think of a church, they think of people on a Sunday morning and a full-time priest leading worship. Yet for over 60 percent of the congregations in Rupert’s Land, that isn’t the reality. I asked some people from some of these churches what difference it makes in

April’s issue on Creative Disruptions has four articles that offer their own takes on breaking away from the norm. Heather McCance writes about how parishes that don’t have a full-time incumbent worship. Heather Birtles shares the story of a parishioner from St. Mary Magdalene whose life has seen many upheavals. Beverley Eert

This piece concludes Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer’s explorations of the monastic traditions. Her first piece, “Reading the Great Spiritual Writers of the Past,” appeared in January 2019’s issue, and her second, “Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience: Re-learning How to Give,” appeared in February 2019. No matter what the conditions of our life,

When I moved to Winnipeg in the summer of 2017, my furniture took quite a few days to catch up with me. A friend had accompanied me on the road trip here from southern Ontario, but she flew back before the moving truck arrived. Since I didn’t start working at

There’s an old cartoon that shows a minister walking into the church office. He is on crutches with bandages, bruises, and braces all over his body. In the foreground the parish administrator is asking him: “So how did the singles group take your suggestion that they start calling themselves The

Though this letter is published with permission, the author has requested to remain anonymous. One Sunday, my priest gave a sermon on Job. He focused on being lonely and being alone, and kept referring to words from an old song by that title. I tried to find the message, but

March’s issue on Alone-ness explores being alone and being lonely. We’ll hear from a parishioner (who’s asked to remain anonymous), who talks about the loneliness she’s dealt with since the passing of her husband. Michelle Owens writes about being alone versus being lonely. And Donald McKenzie shares his thoughts on being single in the Church.

You might think Living with Less lines up well with Stewardship – if you reduce your consumption, you can give more money to the Church. But that flows from a hopelessly narrow concept of stewardship, one that completely misses the mark. Stewardship is an expansive concept, and its larger meaning is living

Last month, Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer put together a primer on “Reading the Great Spiritual Writers of the Past.” She will be continuing her exploration of the monastic traditions in via media this month and next. During the season of Advent in 2018, I overheard a wise woman complain that there

When I was invited to add stewardship ministry to the roles I had while on staff in the Diocese of Toronto, I realized I didn’t really know what that meant. Was it about parish fundraising to meet the budget? Was it about living as a faithful disciple? At that point, I

For over 30 years, I have been engaged in a personal, political, and perhaps even holy war against consumerism. I’m probably not winning, but I’m still fighting it. I live communally with five other women, I share a car, I darn my socks, I buy my clothes second hand. I

February’s issue on Living with Less explores consumer privilege and being able to choose to living minimally. In this issue, Lynda Trono talks with guests from West Broadway Community Ministry, where she works, about how they spend their money; Susan Graham Walker reflects on what her daily practice of giving

Someone has said, “Life is a not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.” I sense that most of us find ourselves experiencing “problems” in our lives rather than “mystery.” We are able to confront, attack, resolve, or decry problems, and in this way, feel we

This past year was very challenging personally, as I moved from Toronto with my husband and settled into our new home in Winnipeg. Our road trip took us five days, driving in the treacherous weather around the mountains, passing through a long stretch near the border. One might ask why

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. – Julian of Norwich, “Long Text 27,” Reflections of Divine Love Many of us come to know spiritual writers and mystics through a quote that resonates, challenges, comforts, or inspires. We are so

“One often gets the impression today that the liturgy is perceived more as a problem to be solved than as a source of life.” This is the opening line of the 2014 English translation of Goffredo Boselli’s The Spiritual Meaning of the Liturgy. Whether one thinks of the liturgy as

January’s issue is on Mysticism. Andrew Rampton explores the mystery of our liturgy and the Eucharist; Diane Lee-Olenic talks about how the Gospels can shed some light on God’s will; and Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer offers some helpful tips for those who are interested in reading spiritual work. Also included is a

The main worship space of a typical Anglican church comprises a nave, a chancel, and a sanctuary. The nave is the largest part of the worship space, and contains all the pews, the pulpit, and the lectern. The chancel is the front part of the worship space and often contains