October 11th

God is at Work!

Being a pastor in a new place is a gift. As the new pastor at First Mennonite Church Edmonton (FMC), I spend my days absorbing information like a sponge. I watch, I listen, and I ask. I keep myself open to hearing from God in new ways, and I try to see how God works in my new community. It is a joy to discover who the people that make up my new church family are, and it is great fun to find my place in that family.
 
As the new pastor, I get to spend time getting to know people rapid-fire, and because of this the important things tend to rise to the surface. When you're eager to get to know each other, you can set aside the semi-awkward ice-breaker moments and dig right into important topics: Who is God to you? How does God show up for you? What is the church to you? These questions get right to the soul, and I find myself blessed by the vulnerability people show when answering them.
 
One question that I don't perhaps say out loud but am always watching for the answer is: How is God working in this church? I pay attention, listening as people share about their role in the church, watching as they prepare to carry out the work of Jesus in the world, and noticing when tasks are completed with no fanfare. What I have seen has blessed me. God is at work at FMC.
 
God is at work through the women who gather each week to lovingly labor over quilts and school kits for MCC. God is at work through the group of people who care about the impact our church has on our wounded planet as they worked hard to raise money for and install a large bank of solar panels on the roof. God is at work in the hands of the community garden coordinators, as they turn the compost and drain the rain barrels and prepare the garden for winter; of those who patch drywall and replace lightbulbs; of those who ensure that zoom worship happens well so that those who are unable to attend in person can feel included; and in the hands of those who serve gluten-free communion in assisted-living spaces.
 
God is at work in the passionate conversations around LGBTQ+ inclusion, around the importance of harm-reduction spaces in our city, and around ways that we can support the vulnerable indigenous folks in our communities. God is at work in the way that cis-gender people write their pronouns on their nametags to confidently indicate to gender-diverse folks that they are free to share their pronouns. God is at work in the way that church folks lovingly and strongly affirm and defend me, their first openly Queer pastor, and in the way that people seek to live into our dedication to welcome everyone with the love of Jesus.
 
God is at work in First Mennonite Church Edmonton, and I'm delighted and eager to join in!