Out here in the Eastern Townships (where I have started my ministry as a newly pandemic-ordained priest) a radical, new, experimental form of team ministry is being born.
Prior to the pandemic, our region was comprised of 16 small rural churches spread out across over 80km, most of which rarely received more than a dozen people on any Sunday. In response to COVID19, many of our parishes opted to worship together online, as a single, united regional service using Zoom — even now, only a few of our church buildings have decided to re-open for “in person” worship.
Despite being closed, Zoom truly flung open the doors of what it means to be a Christian community in a rural context. At the height of the pandemic we were hosting over 80 people each Sunday, with regulars joining in from as far away as Ottawa, the Laurentians, British Columbia, Vermont, and Europe.
Worshipping online allowed for the birth of a genuine regional spirit in this area: we got to know one another from across a large geography, made new friends, shared our stories, laughed and prayed together.
This past summer, we also held two outdoor regional services, which allowed people to come together in person for worship and a COVID-style bring-your-own-socially-distanced picnic — another opportunity for building community.
People who attended the services really appreciated being part of “something larger” than their usual little neighbourhood churches. During these gatherings, there is a sense of life, joy, and vitality, in spite of all the uncertainty and fear of living through a global pandemic.
Now the task at hand is to further this sense of community and vitality, as we strive to create a new model of shared, regional ministry in the Eastern Townships. And, the importance of building community here cannot be over stated — otherwise a regional ministry is nothing more than a business agreement.
Encompassing 13 parishes, the Regional Ministry aims to provide its member congregations with worship, pastoral care, discipleship, and other ministry resources; through the sharing of leadership support (priests, deacons, lay readers, worship leaders, and retired honorary clergy) and financial stewardship.
The Regional Ministry offers Eucharistic services throughout the region, based on a regional schedule; in addition to a regular midweek online service via Zoom. We are equipped to provide services in English, French, and Spanish (with the new curate to the area Fresia Saborio working towards launching a Hispanic church-plant at St. George’s/San-Jorge’s Church in Granby).
Each parish in the Regional Ministry exists independently (with its own parish structure), but also as a part of the larger shared ministries. All of the member congregations contribute toward the costs of ministry through a central fund: each parish contracts according to its needs and financial abilities. Stephen Tam (the Financial Controller for the Diocese) will act as central treasurer for the new Regional Ministry.
Grace Church (located in Sutton) has recently invested in high-end video and microphone equipment, and installed it into the very infrastructure of the church, including the necessary electrical upgrades for bringing this new technology into an old building; the parish will act as the “digital hub” of the Regional Ministry, live-streaming its services over Zoom. Moreover, a dedicated and tech-savvy team of Zoom volunteers (namely André Gagné, Wendy Gardner, and Terry O’Regan) make this ministry possible!
Parishes in the Regional Ministry without a priest on any given Sunday have choices. They can hold Morning Prayer worship (with a deacon, lay reader, or worship leader) on their own, they can commute to another parish with a Sunday Eucharist, or they can tune into the live-stream from Sutton.
Grace Church also recently installed a new, digital Ecclesia T-170 organ by Johannus in the Netherlands, paid for entirely by generous parish and community contributions: this instrument ushers in a new era of music possibilities for Grace Church, and will add support to the streaming of services for the region at large.
While the financial relationship of the Regional Ministry is still being discerned, it is clear that alone, each of our small, rural parishes has a very tenuous and uncertain future; yet working and praying together, this region is more securely equipped to face the future and lean into the calling that God has for this place. Something like this new ministry has never been tried here, and it is full of exciting possibilities. The Eastern Townships is home to a Christian community that is very much alive and moving forward with God.
A Prayer for Regional Ministry:
O God, you have called us together in this Regional Ministry to bear witness to your loving presence here in the Eastern Townships. Scripture teaches us that while we are many, we all make up one body — the Body of Christ. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we may fulfil the work you have given us to do in this place; for the sake of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom.
Amen.
