The Comox Valley congregation of 110 members is mostly composed of retired folks with a small Sunday school. In a few words, we are a grandparent-aged congregation. But this hasn’t stopped us from serving others.
Established in Comox, B.C., (population: 14,000) in the fall of 1994 by the Presbytery of Vancouver Island, our church is nestled in a virtual paradise with the sea on the east and the brooding Comox glacier and mountains on the west. The word “Comox” originates with the Comox tribe in the valley and means bounty.
Recently, a number of our congregants embarked on a study of Joan Chittister’s book, The Gift of Years. The chapter on legacy caught our attention. She describes it in the following terms: “We are to live a legacy rather than leave a legacy. It is the immaterial legacy, the true enrichment, each of us has gained by having our lives touched by those who have gone before us. We leave behind our attitudes which inspire in others a love for life, the value system which marks everything we do, how we treat strangers, love those closest to us, and care for those we loved. We leave behind in our positions on death and life, on purpose and meaning, a model relationship with God.” In our congregation, we have attempted to live this type of legacy.
One of the laments of congregations is the loss of the younger generation in our churches. Ministers are sometimes called with the primary purpose of changing this statistic. But Comox Valley has decided to accept who we are and use the incredible gifts and wisdom that God gives us with age to reach out to the community. We recognize that most of us are of grandparent age and while we may not have grandchildren close by, we believe that we have a wondrous opportunity to live a legacy and make this world a better place for the children of this community, thus fulfilling our destiny as a people of God. We can safely leave the future in God’s hands but, in the meantime, we need to get on with the mission God has given us in Christ.
The primary purpose of our programs is not to increase our numbers, but to fulfil our call to minister to the community in which we live. We do so in a consumer society, which often is not particularly concerned with the world we are bequeathing to our grandchildren. The few children we do have are known by name, and are invited to participate by dancing, singing and being who they are.
Our mission to the children of the community is reflected in many ways. We provide a creative church school program for those who do attend. We also financially support a local school program that provides meals, glasses, and other needs to the less affluent children in the school system. During a professional development day (or PD day), tutoring was offered to students by our retired teachers. Musical theatre was offered to the children in the community during their summer holidays. And last summer we employed a student to assist us in developing inter-generational leadership and programs for the community. Our community garden also benefits local children. Some of the men of the congregation who have administrative, building and gardening gifts established some 30 garden plots in raised boxes. Two of these are set aside for the local primary school, and two raised boxes are for those in wheelchairs. The motto on the sign reads: Where Neighbours Meet. There are a good number of apartments in the area occupied by seniors as well as families who use the plots. The garden is an exercise in stewardship and mission.
Our Lenten project last year supported a local organization called Dawn to Dawn. Its purpose is to provide housing for the homeless, some of whom have children. Pictures of a number of the homeless with their particular stories were provided to introduce this project to the congregation. These pictures were placed on the walls of the sanctuary and on some of the seats. It was a way of indicating that these folks are part of our community. The financial response has been gratifying. The congregation also oversubscribes its Presbyterians Sharing allocation, while generously supporting Presbyterian World Service and Development and the local food bank. Many of our people are involved in luncheon programs for the homeless. We are not a large congregation but we have a big heart and many resources.
God has blessed our congregation with the time, the energy, and resources to fulfil the ministries to which God has called us, and to be the persons and community of Christ God intended us to be. We have been guided by the Spirit to choose this legacy rather than lament what has often been considered a loss.
