Forty people from five of the six Atlantic presbyteries gathered in October to grapple with the changing context of ministry and mission in the 21st century. Beginning with a presentation from the Halifax and Lunenburg Emmaus project team and concluding with resource people who attended the church’s Congregations in Transition event about a year ago, participants engaged in a whirlwind of conversations ranging from what ministry was in the second half of the 20th century with Dr. John Cameron, to what ministry might be in the future, with Brad Blaikie.
With an understanding that much of the answer lies within individual churches and presbyteries, participants took part in panel discussions, workshops with Dr. Ellen MacLean (who spoke on rural life and ministry, with a focus on women) and Steven Webb (who also spoke on rural ministry but with a focus on the church engaged in development issues), and group discussions on creating a climate for hospital and home visiting, being part of your church and community, and creating a future vision for rural ministry. The various parts of the program were brought together with the wonderful insights of the event storyteller, Barb Fotheringham. The conference was held in Nova Scotia, at both Thorburn Union Church and Camp Geddie. – Kenn Stright
