It is a damp Friday morning as I write this. I am about to go to ACPO to speak to the people who will be assessing potential clergy for the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada. It is a difficult task because we live in such changing times, where it is hard to know the skills and abilities which people will need in future ministry. There is a baseline and without that, we might as well not even begin. Those who minister need to love Jesus and love people. That much I know.

One of the reasons I undertake these annual pilgrimages is to meet people from all walks of life. People are a fascination to me. We are all so different with different joys and sorrows. Our life experiences have shaped us and made us who we are. The image of God shines through, but often for many of us, it has become clouded by the events of our lives.

These life-shaping inputs, both positive and negative, can affect the way we respond to God’s call for us to come home to him. He is constantly working through his Holy Spirit to draw people to him. The role of the Church is to listen to God, to notice where he is active and then to join in his ministry. A major part of this pilgrimage will be about trying to do this.

I hope that many of you will be able to join Trevor and me as we walk through the Moncton Archdeaconry during the next two weeks. I am coming to this pilgrimage rushed by the ministry God has called me to in our Diocese. It is my hope that we all can find pools of God’s peace amongst the waves of life.

Blessings,

David

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