The moments not in the minutes
Members of Diocesan Council gathered Sept. 26 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Fredericton for the final meeting of the current council term. The meeting was chaired by Archbishop David Edwards and included a visit from the Most Rev. Shane Parker, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.
A detailed summary of the business portion of the meeting will be available in the upcoming November issue of the New Brunswick Anglican, which can be found on our website.
But there’s another story worth telling.
Having attended many business meetings in my lifetime I can say that this Diocesan Council meeting moved along with remarkable efficiency. But that wasn’t what made the day remarkable to me.
It was the moments never made it into the minutes. The conversations, the shared meals, and the laughter that told a vibrant story of life in the Diocese of Fredericton.
I watched volunteers serve a lovingly prepared (and might I add delicious) meal, with smiles on their faces, ready to make sure everyone had what they needed. They served with genuine joy, and it showed.
I watched Jim Knight and Connor DeMerchant sharing a conversation, a simple but meaningful example of intergenerational connection that is so important to the continuing life of the church.
I witnessed the Archbishop David Edwards and the Most Rev. Shane Parker folding and packing up tables, alongside several others, demonstrating through a simple act what it means to serve.
And I saw smiles and laughter that brought warmth and life to the spaces between the serious business of the day.
The story behind the story one of community. Of sharing life, work, and laughter together. Of gathering around a table, enjoying a meal, and experiencing the goodness of being together.
The business of Diocesan Council is necessary and important to our shared calling and mission. But on this particular day, the time shared was the fellowship surrounding that work that stayed with me.
As someone who had been invited to share in this community on Sept. 26, I came away with something I hadn’t anticipated. I may not remember every motion or report, but I will remember the moments of connection, the acts of service, and the genuine joy of people sharing life together.
And perhaps that’s a story just as worthy of being told.