The Neighbouring Workshop
Dear Renewal Church:
In recent years, anxiety, languishing, isolation, and despair appear to be on the rise and plague our society. The news cycle often leaves us feeling helpless. War, violence and injustice seems relentless and we feel limited in what we can do to help. Negative assumptions are commonly formed on people we are unfamiliar with, people of a different ethnicity or orientation than us. The unknown often leads to greater fear and barriers of friendship.
In the midst of divisiveness, we look to the resurrected and living Jesus Christ who through his life and by his words exclaims: “…the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14, NIV).
We glimpse this first-hand in the gospels, where a lawyer asks Jesus:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40, ESV)
The in-person Neighouring Workshop, on Saturday April 29 from 9AM to 3PM, is a time where we as a community will listen to Christ’s call together and help us, like the Good Samaritan, see who is “my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29, ESV). This workshop will be facilitated by Glenn and Sandy Smith, who have a long history of community development and missional presence through the non-profit organization “Christian Direction” in Montreal. Glenn in particular is a friend to our community, who regularly travels from Montreal to mentor a group of Ottawa pastors including ours truly Pastor Josh.
We will begin with a time in Scripture that will launch us into a practical conversation on cultivating lifelong habits of being a good neighbour and being a rooted presence in our neighbourhoods. This workshop will be collaborative and will be heavily discussion based. Participants are encouraged to invite friends and family from the communities they belong to as they will be invited to imagine what these practices would look like in our own unique contexts. Lunch will be provided!
In this cultural climate, as followers of God-with-Us, Jesus, how can we follow him faithfully in our everyday life to love our neighbours — not the least our literal next door neighbours? Perhaps it is as simple as opening up our home. Perhaps we can expand our dinner table. Perhaps this is the place where the work of healing and restoration begins? Perhaps when we intentionally cultivate meaningful relationships around us, even (or especially) with people whom we may have friction; reconciliation can happen.
Each week, in our worship, we are reminded that we are a sent-out, loved-by-God, people. We end every service with a benediction and are reminded we gather as a church so that we can scatter to where God has us, we live our lives in different homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods. What are the lifelong habits that we can begin to adopt in order to be God’s hands, feet and mouthpieces? How do the people of God develop tangible practices that help us love and build relationships where we live? Let us listen to together!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Josh and the Elders
Registration for our community is free. To register, visit www.renewalchurch.ca/goodneighbour/register