Over the last month or so, two people, in different parts of Canada have told me they miss my blog. I regret my long silence. I’ve wanted to write, but some of what has transpired since my last posting was hard work. Thought consuming work. Amalgamation work. In the midst of the planning, thinking, and doing I often felt like I had no brain energy left. There was also the question of what I could say and when, so I admit to taking the easy way out and staying silent.
On March 20, 2014 a new congregation was established by the Presbytery of Winnipeg. The congregations formerly known as “St. Andrew’s” and “Trinity” are now one congregation called Prairie Presbyterian Church. You can read how it all came about by going here. As Prairie’s minister, Matt Brough, wrote: No one planned this from the onset. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be the music director at this newly amalgamated congregation, I might not have believed you. The unexpected has come. May I paraphrase an old hymn? God moves in unexpected ways – in amazing ways – in exciting ways, His wonders to perform.
The work continues of course. There are financial and legal name changes to finalize. We are currently sharing worship space with a Lutheran congregation in southeast Winnipeg, but plan to return to the rental space Trinity was using before April 6th (the date Prairie began worshipping together on a permanent basis). The Session and various committees do their work and we move forward as we discern the path God has for this new incarnation of the Body.
I certainly don’t have all the answers about how our previous worship styles will blend into one, new style. But maybe some thing that we have tried here at Prairie will be helpful to another congregation, and so I will begin to write again.
