Reclaiming
the Present: Releasing the Potential
Community and Congregational
Analysis
Report -- September 2007
Central Presbyterian
Church
Reclaiming the Present: Releasing the Potential
INDEX
Page
INTRODUCTION 2
SECTION 1 – AN
ANALYSIS OF CENTRAL’S COMMUNITY 3
Context 3
Our Neighbourhood 5
Who Are The People? 7
Neighbourhood Development 9
Appendix
A – Area churches and outreach programs 15
Appendix
B – Area businesses and institutions 16
Appendix
C –
Appendix
D – Selected statistical data 19
SECTION 2 – OUR
IDENTITY: AN ANALYSIS OF
CENTRAL’S CONGREGATION 21
Reflections on our History 21
Reflections on our Worship 23
Reflections on our Space 27
Reflections on our Size 30
Reflections on the Congregational Survey 34
SECTION 3 – THE
ESSENTIAL IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH 42
New Testament Identity of the Church 43
The Church as a Covenant People 45
The Church as a Community People 46
The Church as a Commissioned People 48
CONCLUSION: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 52
Reclaiming
the Present: Releasing the Potential
INTRODUCTION
In this Report, we will try to
answer three questions:
1. Our Context – What is the
nature of the city and community in which the congregation of Central is placed?
2. Our Identity - What is the nature of the current
congregation of Central?
3. Our Purpose – What ought the church to be as God
sees it?
The
Congregational and Community Analysis Group (CCAG) looked at these questions
and this Report outlines our research
and findings. It describes our immediate
community, which we have defined as the Durand and Kirkendall neighbourhoods,
and its relationship to our City and our province (Section 1). Next, it draws a picture of our Central
congregation and how it presents itself to visitors to Worship and to the
community through its mission (Section 2).
Finally, it looks at what the Bible says a church should be (Section
3).
Our future
ministry can emerge from these three perspectives with discernment, confirming present
initiatives and developing others which will extend our presence in the
community and nurture discipleship within our congregation.
Let us look first
at our Central Neighbourhood and Community.
SECTION 1 – AN ANALYSIS OF CENTRAL’S COMMUNITY
1 – CONTEXT
It is vital for any congregation to examine the context in which it is
situated. Why? Because context always helps
determine the nature of a congregation and its ministry.
As mentioned
above, we defined Central’s neighbourhood as being the combined Durand and
Kirkendall neighbourhoods. This comprises the area west
fromJames Street
to the residential area bordering on Chatham Street CPR Yards and
Since, we are
situated in the City of
Context is important -- it shapes who we are as citizens and thus as a
congregation. If we live
downtown, we may, for example, have concern for the quality of life downtown
and its economic revival. If we live in
a part of the city that is remote from the downtown, we may well be less
concerned with the downtown or almost never go there – perhaps afraid to go
because of perceived poverty and drugs or we may not have a need to go as
outside communities become self-sufficient.
Our attitudes to context, whether negative or positive, contribute to
how we understand the nature and mission of this congregation. Those living at a geographical distance from
the church buildings may think of the congregation as being more regional in
its identity; those living downtown may understand Central as being called to a
more local mission.
With the predominance of a car
culture in
In theological
terms, we recall that in the New Testament the Apostle Paul begins almost all
his letters by reminding his readers that they live at two addresses at the
same time. They live “in Christ” their
spiritual home, but they also live “in
Sometimes we only
realize the power of context in extreme circumstances. Think of a town in
Another reason why a congregation needs to take context seriously is our
conviction that God has placed us in a particular geography for a reason. We are called to be witnesses for Christ, not
in some generic way, but in and to a specific place, not just any place. So Central is called to be the body of Christ
within the neighbourhoods of Durand and Kirkendall, called to be a church in
the City of Hamilton, and regionally, to be a congregation of God’s people
within a particular section of the Golden Horseshoe. That means that we must engage the particular
realities that we face in our context. And just as we are impacted by context, so we
are called as Christians to impact our context.
The Congregational
and Community Analysis Group (CCAG), formed last October, has been addressing
the question of context -- “where are we?”
We walked the neighbourhood to observe what was going on. We interviewed city
councilors,
school principals, clergy and neighbourhood associations. Finally, we gathered pertinent statistics about
the population in the neighbourhood, the city and the province.
In the sections immediately following, we will present a picture of
Central’s context by looking at our neighbourhood from five perspectives – how
it is today, how it has changed in the last five years, the plans for the next
five years, community issues and the religious climate. We will describe the people who live in this
neighbourhood – their age, numbers, education, family income, ethnic
background, religious affiliation, whether they rent or own their home or
whether they are part of a family or live alone.
MapQuest.com
Our
Central Neighbourhood
2 – OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD
a)
How it looks -- Overall,
residential housing defines most of the area.
This consists of
single and multiple dwellings, dating from the 1860s forward to the present
day. There are many apartments, with a
good number of 18 and 25 storey towers built in the 1960s to 1980s in the north-eastern
section of our defined district, as well as low-rise apartments of 3 or 4
stories dating to the 1920s. New condos
and townhouses have been recently built and are planned.
There are many
businesses and institutions in and bordering our area, the largest being
b) Profile -- We see several distinct
areas in Central’s neighbourhood.
·
The high-rise apartments concentrated around
Robinson, Bold, Duke, Hunter and Jackson Streets in Durand;
·
More expensive single-family homes at the south end
of both the Durand and Kirkendall neighbourhoods;
·
·
Industrial sections along the western edge of our
area.
High-rise section -- Included in the northerly section of high-rise
apartments in Durand are several used for social housing in the
Single and low residential -- From about
West of Queen,
the housing is more modest, but very pleasant, mostly single dwellings, but
with homes along
Quite a number of
houses are being renovated and properties are reasonably well kept up with a
few exceptions. The housing is varied, presenting
diverse opportunities for residents with houses of varying prices, the most
expensive homes being south of
Industrial sections -- Along the western edge of our area are industrial
properties comprised of
3 – WHO ARE THE PEOPLE?
The 2001 Canadian
Census (latest available) provides us with an interesting profile of the people
in our neighbourhood area. Compared to
Our neighbourhood
family’s average income of $76,500 is slightly lower (about 2.5%) than the
average family income of
71% of those in our neighbourhood identify themselves as “Canadian” or
“British”, compared with the City (62%) or
Religious affiliation varied for our area as well, with 25% stating that
they had no religious affiliation, compared to 18% and 16% for the City and
of Protestants
than Catholics in our area (57%) compared with the City (51%) and Province
(50%).
There are 4,800 singles living alone in our neighbourhood population of
16,900 or 28% -- much higher than in
Finally, there are proportionally more people over 65 resident here (17%
of our people, versus 14% of
As for Hamilton
as a whole, the demographic statistics indicate that it mirrors many of the
statistical characteristics of Ontario, such as its ethnic mix, income, number
of people owning and renting, and educational levels.
In many ways, then, our congregation is situated in a typically Canadian
urban context and is challenged with typical issues. That said, our more immediate
neighbourhood has some specific differences.
For example, our neighbourhood presents itself as inner city, older
neighbourhood rather than suburban. This
is indicated by the number of families who live in high-rise rental
accommodation in the north-east quadrant of our area, and also by the number of
those who live here who do not own a car.
One of the features of the neighbourhood that makes it attractive to
many is the possibility of being able to live here and walk or take public
transportation to work. Though it is
hard to measure from the statistics available to us, there may be a significant
number of students living in this neighbourhood as well.
We feel two statistics are particularly significant. One
is the number in the neighbourhood who declare themselves as having no
religious affiliation. For
We are called to
be a missionary presence here, and we may need to think of particular ways to
build bridges of meaning to specific populations. Might we, for example, have an annual lecture
series that relates the Christian faith to different areas of social and
academic interest? Combining what we
have just written above with the significant presence on the eastern flank of
our neighbourhood of
The second statistic that draws our attention is the number of people
who live singly in our neighbourhood. Mainstream congregational life in
How does this
impact our congregation? It will be
important to set the above statistics against those available from within the
congregation to see if the same living patterns exist within the congregation
as around it. At the very least, it will be important for Central to signal that this
is a place of welcome and comfort for those who live in an array of family
shapes, including those who live alone, whether the latter have never married,
been divorced or widowed. The
initiation of a Sunday Lunch Bunch by
the Fellowship Committee, which encourages groups from church to go and have
lunch together once a month after worship, particularly “those who would
otherwise eat alone” is a step in the right direction.
4 – NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT
This section on Neighbourhood Development looks back at the main events
which have taken place in the last five years in our area and then looks
forward with the City’s plans for the coming five years.
a)
Changes
in the last five years
Improvement of housing -- Many
residential properties in the area have been gradually upgraded over recent
years through renovation. This is due to
the general popularity of the Old Southwest and
Property
values are considerably lower than
One of
the themes that we perceive in neighbourhood housing, is the recycling of older
buildings, and thus the attraction to this neighbourhood of those who choose
not to find a new or newer home in the suburbs, but who desire older properties
nearer to downtown. This in itself might
be suggestive as to those who might find Central an attractive place in which
to worship. Our 1908 building is classical in style and proportions, as is the
Sunday morning worship, and likely to be attractive to those for whom ‘old’ is
good, and ‘new’ is less so.
The
reference to “old is good” refers to a trend that church watchers are beginning
to see -- where younger people are now looking for stability in worship and are
more appreciative of tradition than has been true in the last generation. This trend is seen as well, as they seek out
older neighbourhoods which represent the past and may be in part be the reason
for the renovation of older buildings in our area.
St.Joseph’s Hospital -- This is a large 600 bed, multi-site hospital,
spending $500 million annually at the main site. Most recently they added a large addition.
Schools -- After closure was averted in the 1970s,
This year, Ryerson
is planning to promote the school as a healthy environment for students, a good
culture and a safe place. Through this improved
image, they hope to bring more French Immersion students to Ryerson, rather
than having parents opt for other schools that are seen as more affluent.
Character
Education is to begin this year throughout Hamilton Board schools – the Board
defines ten key criteria relating to character which this program will teach to
students.
The
ethnic diversity of the students in the area’s public schools has broadened in
recent years, particularly at Central Public.
Other changes -– We have seen the building of the Chateau Royale
condominiums on James St. South, new businesses on the west side of James
South, and new traffic calming initiatives returning one-way streets to two-way,
including our own Caroline Street. Increasing
use of the neighbourhood for movie shoots has generated economic spin-off to
area businesses, but also created tie-ups in street parking and traffic flow.
b) City plans for our neighbourhood in the next
five years
Thistle Property -– Plans are now firm for development of this
property, with the go-ahead received from the City and the Durand Neighbourhood
Association. Approximately 40 townhouses
are to be completed on this site in the next two years.
Hotel Construction -– There are plans to build a hotel at
Frid Street -– The Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association has expressed
their concerns to the City about the industrial businesses in the Frid Street
area -- Republic Steel (former Union Drawn), Cooper Construction, an asphalt
plant and a recycling plant. In
response, the City will encourage more commercial-type businesses to locate
there in the future, replacing the present industrial ones as they move or
close.
Traffic initiative -– Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association’s study of
area traffic patterns has gone to the City and will be implemented next year. This will include new signage and traffic
lights, conversion of some one–way streets to two-way and bicycle paths. Residents also have concerns about traffic and
speeding along
McMaster Innovation Park -– Future development on this site could
generate jobs in the area and affect existing housing. Some residential development could occur at
the
Downtown Improvements -- Although not directly related,
we were told that exploratory discussions were underway with the City and
developers to begin development in the area around
GO Train Service -– This station will eventually have four trains to
and from Hamilton to Toronto, providing better commuter service to those living
in our neighbourhood.
c) Community
Issues -- “
A concern that we heard that resonates is the sense that being a newly
amalgamated city,
As a result, the
renewal of the city’s downtown still remains tentative in our opinion. Although a number of plans are proposed,
little seems to get done,
and
d) Religious
Climate --
The process of suburbanization that gathered speed in the 1960s has also
had significant impact on our religious context. A former manager of the Thistle Club, one of
our institutional neighbours until its closing a few years ago, noted that the
Club flourished when this neighbourhood flourished as the home of a
professional and business class. These
groups, however, started to exit from the city centre from the 1960s onwards. And, once home in the suburbs, the impetus to
travel back downtown to go to a club disappeared. This same flight from the centre has
negatively affected attendance at downtown churches.
Some congregations are no more; others have considered moving or
amalgamating; all are in the process of coming to terms with what it means to
be a Christian congregation in the twenty-first century. Centenary United has been in the process of
reinventing itself as a congregation that very visibly welcomes those who follow
an alternative lifestyle. The actual
space has been radically changed, as have the programs. Melrose United is likewise in flux as it seeks
to move from traditionalist understandings of faith and worship to finding a
new way of being church. This
congregation also allows other agencies to use surplus space in their facilities. To the west of Central,
Our next door
neighbour, First Christian Reformed, had a unique role in the 50s and 60s as a
centre for new Dutch immigrants. With
time, the original purpose for this congregation disappeared, as over the years
many Dutch moved to the country or the suburbs and built local
congregations. Ten years ago, the
congregation was struggling to know what its mission was as their numbers
dwindled, causing First Christian Reformed to enter a time of discernment. It is now in the process of reinventing
itself as a missional, city centre congregation. While the transition has left some regretting
the loss of their traditional Dutch and Reformed patterns and identity, the
congregation has attracted more and more non-Dutch members as it pursues a new
identity as a congregation serving a wider urban context. This missional, evangelical community works
ecumenically with other congregations, especially in ministries to the
marginalized. For example, First Reformed
works with thirteen half-way houses in the neighbourhood, and is part of the
West End Wrap-Around program (Appendix A).
In reflecting on these changes, it seems appropriate for Central, which
understands itself to be a Reformed, evangelical and ecumenical community, to
develop closer links with a next door neighbour that would describe itself in
very similar terms. Our ethnic
backgrounds and our style of worship may vary, but friendships and partnerships
should be explored.
What the above commentary indicates is that the congregations in our
neighbourhood are deeply involved in reinventing themselves. In fact reinvention and recycling seem to be
common threads in our study of context so far.
As far as the Durand-Kirkendall neighbourhood is concerned, our view is
that it functions well. While there
are, as in any urban environment, known drug-dealers and some pockets of
poverty, this is relative. Similarly,
half-way houses do exist in the neighbourhood and this reflects another reality
of the urban community.
Appendix
A – Area churches
and outreach programs
Centenary
United Church --
First
Christian Reformed Church --
The
Church of
Church
of the Ascension (Anglican) --
St.
Boniface German Roman Catholic Church -–
Other
Beth
Jacob Synagogue –
Outreach Programs -- Neighbourhood churches offer many programs which connect them
to the surrounding community:
-- Programs for youth, such as
-- Film nights and music concerts
-- ALPHA courses
-- Fellowship through drop-in groups, a tea
room, evening BBQs, spaghetti suppers, coffee groups,
as well as a friendship group for the mentally and physically challenged
-- Fitness and strength training classes
-- English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
-- Out of the Cold Program (HOOTC)
-- Twelve step programs -- Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine
Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
-- West
Appendix
B – Area businesses and institutions
[This is a snapshot of businesses
and institutions in the area at January 2007 – the
list includes institutions which border on our area where significant]
Along James Street [west side unless otherwise noted]
TD Canada Trust –
Clinics and doctors’ offices – on James at
Robinson
Chateau Royale Apartments (east of James)
GO Rail and Bus Terminal (east of James)
Gowlings Law Firm (former Bank of Montreal
Main Branch)
Along
25 Main West –
Superior Court of
Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (north
side)
Bank of
Arrival Inn Motel
“
Royal Bank – corner Locke
Schools
Hamilton Conservatory of the Arts --
Retirement/Nursing Homes
Durand Nursing Home and Seniors Residence -
Parkview Nursing Centre – King West at
Margaret
St. Olga’s Lifecare Centre – King West at
Strathcona (north side of King)
St Andrew's Lodge & Rest Home -
Residences on
Appendix B – Area businesses and institutions (con’t)
Parks and Recreation
HAAA Grounds –
Chedoke Civic Golf Course
Victoria Park – Main West (north side)
Central YMCA (Jackson east of James) - also
residential accommodation
Central YWCA – Jackson at MacNab – also
residential accommodation
YWCA Seniors Centre –
Other
Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum -
off
St Mark’s Anglican Church - Hunter and Bay
(closed, city-owned)
CHCH TV Studios - Hunter at Bay
Grace Haven Home – Young Parent Resource
Centre - Herkimer at Caroline
The Italian Consulate - Queen at
Hamilton Theater Guild - Queen at
Walk-in Medical Clinic –
Cable 14 TV Studios –
Appendix
C -
The town of
In recent years, the education, services and technology sectors have
developed, particularly the health and sciences sector. Health care has now outstripped heavy
industry as the largest employer. This is led by employers such as Hamilton
Health Sciences which employs over 10,000 staff to serve approximately 2.2
million people in our region. Other
economic highlights include the development of a large research campus,
Canadian Business magazine,
The
arts in
One-quarter of
In 2005,
Appendix D – Selected statistical data (2001
Census)
Population
Increase
1996 Census 16,533 624,360 10,753,573
2001 Census 16,899 662,405 11,410,045
Increase 366 38,045
656,472
2.2% 6.1% 6.1%
Age
0 - 4 705
4.2% 38,435 5.8% 671,250 5.9%
5-14 1,225
7.3% 89,045 13.4% 1,561,500
13.7%
15-24 2,110
12.5% 85,495 12.9% 1.487.835
13.0%
25-44 6,130
36.4% 197,840
29.9% 3,518,015
30.8%
45-64 3,845
22.8% 157,060
23.7% 2,699,275 23.7%
65 and over 2,845 16.8% 94,530 14.3% 1.472,170 12.9%
Total 16,860 662,405 11,410,045
Education
Less than Grade 9 1,000
6.5%
42,160
8.0% 737,380 8.1%
Gr. 9-13 – no cert. 3,105
20.1% 119,665 22.7% 1,945,960 21.5%
Gr. 9-13 – with cert. 1,650
10.7% 76,955 14.6% 1,303,960 14.4%
Post secondary* 9,695
62.7% 288,765 54.7% 5,060,735 56.0%
Total 15,450 527,545 9,048,035
*Bachelors
degree plus [3,330] 21.5% [ 78,215] 14.8% [1,587,330] 17.5%
Religious
Affiliation
Catholic
4,515 28.1 % 232,435 35.5% 3,911.760 34.7%
Protestant
5,890 36.8% 242,935 37.1% 3,935,750 34.9%
None 3,955
24.6% 115,515 17.6%
1,841,290
16.3%
Other 1,690 10.5%
64,175 9.8% 1,596,745 14.1%
Total 16,050 655,060
11,285,545
Ethnic Origin
Canadian 17.4% 19.5% 22.4%
English 23.1% 19.9% 18.2%
Scottish 16.0% 12.6% 12.3%
Irish 14.1% 10.4% 11.8%
Subtotal 70.6% 62.4% 64.7%
German 6.7% 5.5%
6.5%
French 6.5% 5.3% 5.2%
Italian 4.2% 6.8% 5.2%
All other 12.0% 20.0%
18.4%
Total 100.0% 100.0%
100.0%
Appendix D – Selected statistical data (con’t)
Income Levels
Average Family Income
$76,494 $79,397 $79,794
Low Income Families
No. Economic Families 4,050
182,845 3,117,820
Low Income (2000) 665
24,630 364,320
Incidence 16.4% 13.4% 11.7%
Singles Living Alone
Over 65 1,225
25.6% 25,270 39.6% 369,550 27.2%
Other ages 3,555 73.4% 38,530 60.4% 990,160 72.8%
Total
4,780 63,800
1,359,710
Total population 16,899 662,401 11.410,045
Percent of total 28.3%
9.6% 11.9%
Home Ownership
Number Owning 3,000
32.5% 172,895
68.3% 2,862,295
67.9%
Number Renting 6,220
67.5% 80,190
31.7%
1,351,365 32.1%
Total 9,220
253,085 4,213,660
Housing
Single/ Semi/ Row 2,640
28.6% 84,510 55.4% 3,040,715 72.3%
Total 9,230 152,650 4,207,190
Notes on Data: The statistics above
are drawn from the 2001 Profile of Census Tracts in
017 area above
038 area bounded by
039 area bounded by
040 area bounded by
Tracts 038, 039 and 040
have
This 2001 census data was published in 2004 and
assuming a three year interval, comparable data from the 2006 Census would not be
available until 2009.
SECTION 2 – OUR IDENTITY:
AN ANALYSIS OF CENTRAL’S CONGREGATION
In this section we will look at our Central congregation through its history
from its beginnings in 1841, to how a member or visitor would see our Worship
Service upon entering Central on a Sunday morning, our use of space within our
church building, the size of our congregation and whether we are “acting our
size” and finally, what our congregation sees as important in our
ministry.
Let us look back
on our history for a moment to find how we arrived in this particular part of
our neighbourhood and learn about the leaders and decisions which brought us to
where we are.
1 - REFLECTIONS ON OUR HISTORY
Presbyterianism
in
By 1837, the
Hamiltonians in the West Flamborough congregation, including Thomas Thornton,
sought to form their own congregation in
From 1856 to
1870, the congregation was led by the Rev. (later Dr.) William Ormiston. In that period and as the congregation grew, Rev
Ormiston was a leading advocate for the union of the various factions of Presbyterianism
in
the United Secessionist
Church of Scotland to form the Canada Presbyterian Church in 1861 and he can be
credited as well, for beginning the process which culminated in the creation of
the Presbyterian Church in
Central was an
influential congregation in Victorian Hamilton.
The congregation organized a mission
When a Call was
extended to the Irishman, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Lyle in 1878, Central had over
800 members. Under his leadership,
Central established a Sunday Morning Free Breakfast for the needy in downtown
When the
The
decision to move from
Another likely consideration was the fact
that by remaining on Jackson Street, Central would continue its ministry with
two Presbyterian congregations only blocks away, St. Paul’s and MacNab. The three congregations had started as
separate Presbyterian denominations, but with amalgamation in 1875, all had
become members of the Presbyterian Church in
When the size of the new church building
was being planned, the 1906 membership had fallen somewhat to 706 from its high
of 810 in 1877. Considering additional
capacity to accommodate visitors, plans to seat 950 in the new Sanctuary was a
very reasonable decision. In 1925
however, Central Presbyterian Church, by a margin of only 17 votes, decided to
remain Presbyterian rather than enter the new
In the years since, Central’s members and ministers have continued to
play an important role as leaders in
(Dr. McPherson).
There have been eleven senior ministers in the life of
During
the course of the twentieth century, Central reestablished its place as a
strong congregation in the city, developing a particular role as a centre
for church music. As Canadian
Protestantism in general has experienced sharp membership decline over the last
forty years, Central too has shrunk in size, though less so proportionately
than the denomination as a whole. Our present membership stands at
408 (August 2007). Currently the
congregation’s leadership seeks to discern the shape of our future ministry and
feels positive about the role that God has for us in this community and city.
Let us now look at a typical Worship Service
and what one would see and experience.
2 – REFLECTIONS ON OUR WORSHIP
The following in summary form, are the observations
made at one of our regular Sunday Worship services on March 25, 2007. These comments present a picture of what our
congregation would see and experience on a given Sunday morning – an important
picture too, of what a visitor to Central might see.
a) Demographics -- The
social composition of the Central congregation could be described as: mostly
over 60, primarily middle class, more female than male, primarily white, about
20% families with children and approximately 15 children eligible for “Faith
Finders”.
Some
congregations can be divided into sub-groups along ethnic or social lines. However,
with a large number of Central members of British heritage and most of average
incomes, there are no significant visible minority groups within the
congregation.
Overall, the
congregation dresses in “Sunday Best”, this perhaps in response to the robed
choir and the gowns and academic hoods worn by clergy. On special occasions, as in some communion
services, the elders are formally dressed – the ladies in dark suits and white
blouses and the men in morning coats.
The dressed-up look lends an air of reverence to the services.
b) Before the service -- As worshippers step into the large vestibule of the
church, they are met by several greeters (often a family) wearing name tags. As they are welcomed, visitors are encouraged
to sign the guest book. In the narthex at
the door of the Sanctuary, Elders greet worshippers, give out the Sunday
Bulletin and direct visitors and members if need be.
Inside, congregants
tend to sit with friends and people can be seen encouraging visitors to join
them. Some pews have cushions (paid for
privately) indicating a feeling of “private space - do not enter”.
c) The Worship Service
Our approach to God -- The organ prelude is in a tradition of reverent
music to prepare one for worship. During
this time most settle into their pews, exchange a few pleasantries with their
neighbours, and peruse the bulletin and announcements.
The entrance of
the Scriptures indicates that it is time for silent reflection and preparation
for worship. Many people seem to ignore
this and continue “socializing”. The
organ starts into the processional hymn and the approximately forty member
choir makes its entry. At this point the
congregation rises and the service begins. The choir is dressed in formal vestments,
leading the congregation in the opening hymn and setting a tone of formality by
the slow pace and dignified demeanor.
The choir is followed by the clergy dressed in robes and academic hoods.
The service
proceeds largely unannounced, with the congregation following the printed
“Order of Service” for direction. The
assumption being that most present are familiar with the worship and
comfortable with the books and the bulletin. After the opening hymn and the
call to worship the congregation is invited to sit for the prayers of adoration
and confession. After the assurance of
pardon there is relaxed and informal welcome by the minister and announcements of
significance are spoken to. Occasionally
at this time, information on stewardship, mission or youth activities is
presented by those directly involved.
God speaks to us
-- The second hymn,
chosen for its direct connection with the children, is sung while standing, but
the first few stanzas only. At this
time, the children are invited to the chancel steps for “story time”. The children thoroughly enjoy this time with
the minister -- they cannot wait to follow the faith finder who has been chosen
to lead them up the aisle by a shepherd’s staff.
Following
the story time the congregation stands to sing the remaining stanzas of the
“children’s hymn” while the children and leaders exit to the Sunday School for Faith
Finders.
At this point the
congregation sits to listen to the lector as he or she reads the Bible passages
appropriate to the Sermon topic. The
readings are preceded by a prayer of illumination. The lector may be a lay member, chorister,
junior member or clergy. The two Scripture
passages may be interspersed by an Anthem sung by the choir.
Following the
second reading, a hymn in preparation for the Sermon is sung. The congregation rises and sings all stanzas
and traditionally the last stanza of each hymn is sung in unison.
Central to the
service is the Sermon. It is of about
twenty minutes in length, is biblical and exegetical, but also includes lessons
for a faith-centered life. One can see the
congregation is engaged from their reaction to points of humor and stories of
life experiences. The minister uses the
words of Scripture as well as notable authors to engage the listeners, to have
them examine their lives. Rather than a
comfortable social gospel, the Sermon challenges worshippers to examine their
role in the world and evaluate their lifestyles and practices in light of
Christ’s teachings.
Our response to God -- The
offering is taken up by four people, often members of the family who were
greeters at the door. During this
interval, a solo is sung by one of the choir’s section leaders. The congregation then sings the doxology and
the four members come up the aisle and present the collection plates to
minister. The congregation is then invited
to sit for the prayers of thanksgiving and intercession, offered by either
senior or associate minister. These
prayers are concluded as the congregation recites the Lord’s Prayer (King
James’ version).
At the close of the
Worship Service, the congregation stands and sings the final hymn and this is
followed by the benediction given by one of the clergy. The clergy leave the chancel to greet the
congregation – one at the entrance going through to the fellowship area and one
at the front of the church in the vestibule.
d)
Patterns of interaction -- Interactional
patterns among the congregation are a tribute to the equality that is practiced
at Central; no subtle segregation is evident in these gatherings. Many parishioners, especially those who are
senior, come early to the Worship Service and the buzz of their casual
conversations about weekly events lends an air of informality to the
pre-service time. Other members gather
in the narthex or in the kitchen or hallway to interact with fellow
members. Various study and prayer groups
also meet regularly prior to the service.
During the
service the congregation is focused and engaged. They participate with vigor when
congregational response is called for, such as the responsive reading or the Lord’s
Prayer. Hymnals are used by most and a
few use the pew Bibles to follow the Scripture readings.
Though the
ministers are highly involved in the worship service, many others contribute at
different levels. The greeters, Sunday
custodian, choir members, Sunday School “shepherd”, the lector, and those
taking the offering -- all contribute to a feeling of participation. As a result, congregational authority is
diffused rather than being concentrated in the clergy.
Following the
service, members have the opportunity for a brief word and handshake with the
minister as they exit. Many choose to
stay in the pews and talk or listen to the organ postlude. The tone is light as they exchange
pleasantries or comment on the content of the morning’s message. After the service many go to socialize in the
Church Hall where refreshments are provided and the atmosphere is casual and
welcoming. Other events that build
community on Sundays include the Sunday Lunch Bunch and Sundays at Three
concerts.
e)
Publications -- Scattered
about the church building are tables and displays containing information on
upcoming events and causes of interest to the membership and visitors. Pamphlets available include: Today, The Family Altar (a devotional published by the Back to God Hour), Beacon Magazine (an inter-denominational
magazine examining news, issues, and events in the Christian community of
Greater Hamilton). As well there are
copies of past sermons, Contact
Newsletter and jars collecting “Loonies & Toonies” to support the Canadian Food Grains Bank.
Presbyterian World Service and
Development activities are highlighted on bulletin boards as are some of the
activities of “Faith Finders”. The pews display an information pamphlet about
Central, copies of “Living Faith” and envelopes for visitors’ donations. Envelopes for specific donations are also placed
there throughout the year -- Benevolent Fund or Easter and Christmas Flower
funds.
The Order of
Worship contains notices of importance to the congregation telling them about meetings
and activities within the church and in the community. The bulletin is informative, naming the
people involved in the Worship Service and there is contact information for the
chairs of Session Committees, Board of Trustees and the ministers and staff.
The words of the
hymns are selected to support the theme of the Sermon. Members sing with conviction, especially if
the hymn is a favourite. The prayers are
heartfelt, well crafted and convey a familiar relationship with God.
At this service,
there is a strong sense of the Trinity both in the structure and language of
worship. It was noticeable that the
opening hymn and prayers and their focus on the character of God, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
The next section
looks at how the congregation uses the space inside and around our church
building.
3
- REFLECTIONS ON OUR SPACE
How space is used indicates a good deal about the priority and
importance given to the different activities of our ministry. All these things tell us indirectly about our
congregation -- how we see ourselves, our values and commitments. Our approach was to tour the building and its
grounds – room by room and garden by garden and to record our observations as
we went.
a) Space outside –-
Our impressive church building, one hundred years later, still gives a strong
message of stability and tradition through its unique beaux-arts
architecture. The beautifully-kept
gardens and landscaping indicate a congregation who cares about its presence in
the community and would like to be a valued part of the neighbourhood. A similar message is received by our
neighbourhood with the new easy-to-read sign which tells passing motorists and
pedestrians who we are, when we meet and current activities. Central has a strong physical presence in the
evening hours as well, with its flood-lit spire shining out over the
community.
Those observing
the church over the last year have seen the extensive work on the building’s
exterior – cornices and foundation repairs – carried out through the Central
Restoration Project. This shows clearly
that the congregation sees a responsibility to keep up its building yet still
maintain its historic integrity. It also
tells the community that change is happening within the church and that the
church is committed to investing in its future.
Perhaps the large
cement forecourt, steps and massive oak doors may send an intimidating message
to strangers to Central. The overall
look is austere and without a way of seeing inside, the visitor does not know what
awaits within.
Handicap parking
was completed a few years ago for five cars, reflecting the congregation’s
responsibility to members’ needs.
General parking
for the congregation however still remains a challenge, with on-street parking
in the immediate area being the principal option for those coming to Central by
car. While most of the congregation
lived in the immediate neighbourhood when the church located here in 1908 and
probably most walked to church, now two-thirds of our congregation reside
outside the Durand-Kirkendall neighbourhood (280 of our present congregation of
408).
As an aside, it
should be noted that consideration has been given at different times to
acquiring adjacent properties for parking use.
The most recent was a plan developed through the Ad Hoc Parking Committee
to acquire five nearby properties. The
2001 Annual Meeting saw the majority of the congregation supporting the idea, while
at the same time, expressing concerns about the financing of such an
initiative. As this constraint remains,
it may be somewhat mitigated as we connect more with the community in our
neighbourhood and draw new members from there.
b) Space inside -- Central
presents an image of a strong sense of tradition and permanence with the dark
oak pews and panelling throughout the Sanctuary. The large pulpit is impressive and emphasizes
the importance of preaching to the congregation. Many plaques honour and thank past members
for dedication to Central, conveying a sense of history and gratitude. The retired regimental colours of the Argylls
show our long connection with the regiment. The stained-glass windows, most donated with
the opening of the church, bring colour, history and beauty to the Sanctuary. The large pipe organ is also a prominent
feature of the Sanctuary space, again indicating that worship through music has
been a priority in the life of the congregation for a long time. It is
obvious that Central is not a small corner congregation, but has been and seeks
to remain, a significant Christian community in the city.
The general
absence of signs throughout the main floor might be a cause of difficulty for
visitors in getting about the church -- to find fellowship areas or
washroom
facilities. This may indicate that the
congregation sees itself primarily as a settled community of ‘insiders’ and not
geared particularly for ‘outsiders’.
Other areas of
the main floor – the Vestry, Board Room, Guild Room and their connecting hall
-- again show our history through pictures of past ministers, our second church
building and a “history display cabinet”.
These rooms are well finished and well used. The up-to-date and functional kitchen
connects us with our focus on both congregational fellowship and service to the
community through the Out-of the-Cold Program, although the stranger could only
learn of this through inquiry.
The office areas
and nursery have been recently repainted and carpeted and convey a message we
are keeping up the care of these areas. The
1950s gymnasium/auditorium, though very functional, gives a dated impression. The
basement and second floor, used primarily by children, are in need of
refurbishing and would not send a welcome signal to outsiders. Sunday School rooms are functional but dated
and several areas of the basement cannot be used as repairs to the north
foundation wall have just been completed after flooding last year. It may be that the neglected nature of these
spaces indicates a relative lack of priority in the congregation for ministry with
children and young people, or at least that these areas are not often seen or
used by an aging congregation.
Some work is
being planned to improve and update these areas as money as available. (As of the September production of this Report, significant renewal of the
upstairs Sunday School rooms and main floor nursery, seminar room, washrooms
and hallway has been completed. Work on
the basement remains to be done.)
c) Data on
area and seating capacity -- The estimated area of the Church building is 19,600
sq ft, comprising 8,750 sq ft for the Sanctuary, chancel, balconies, narthex and
vestibule areas and 10,950 sq ft for the remaining areas – gymnasium, Sunday School
and offices. The land area is 34,660 sq
ft net of City allowances, with137 ft along
The Sanctuary was
designed to seat 950, but in the years since its construction, changes have
provided space for the handicapped, more open space in the front and a chapel
in the south transept. Currently the
Sanctuary would comfortably seat 750.
Maximum seating
capacity in the gymnasium is 293.
4
- REFLECTIONS ON OUR SIZE
In looking at how
a congregation understands itself and how it functions, researchers have shown
that the issue of a congregation’s size is a very important factor -- see Arlin
Rothauge’s booklet, Sizing Up a Congregation for New Member Ministry.
In the literature
on this subject, congregations are normally classified into five groups based
on average Sunday attendance:
Family sized congregations – attendance
under 50
Pastoral sized congregations –
attendance between 50 and 150
Program sized congregations –
attendance between 150 and 350
Corporate sized congregation
–
attendance above 400 and less than a 1000
Mega sized congregations –
attendance is above 1000
What both
congregational theorists and ministry leaders have discovered is that size
affects every aspect of the congregation’s culture and life. While congregations are so much more than
human organizations, they are not less than that. Therefore, congregations function according
to well-known human group behaviours.
a) Some Characteristics
Family Sized -- In the family
sized congregation, normally one or two lay leaders act as patriarchs or
matriarchs, and two or three families give the congregation its
stability, while ministers come and go.
Leadership tends to be informal, though generally deferential to the key
individuals and families. Everyone knows
everyone else; and so tight is the family feeling that it is sometimes difficult
for newcomers to join this size of congregation. On the other hand, there is a great sense of
belonging for those who are members. Relationships are key.
Pastoral Sized -- In the pastoral
sized congregation, the key leader tends to be the pastor. He or she is understood to be the provider of
both nurture and pastoral care for the whole congregation. This reflects a very hands-on leadership and
allows for a warm fellowship in which most people still know most people. By far the majority of congregations in the
Presbyterian Church in
Program Sized --
b) What should a healthy program-sized congregation
look like?
Clergy Role -- For a start, the program-sized congregation has
clear implications for clergy leadership. In this size of congregation it would be
inappropriate for one minister to try to act as the primary nurturer and
spiritual care-giver for 450 members.
Not only would that mean ministerial burnout, it just doesn’t work. When it is attempted, one most often finds a
congregation that not only is not growing, but that has a tendency to decline
in attendance.
In a program
sized congregation, the key to ministerial leadership is delegation. A minister who is not able to delegate
significant ministry to others in such a congregation, or a congregation of
this size that insists that its minister do everything, and be at everything,
to bless everything, is unlikely to fulfill its potential.
Staffing -- For
many years, Central has had a second minister working part-time in pastoral
care ministry. This seems like a good program
size strategy. So does the work of a
part-time Director of Music and Director of Programmes. In other words, the staffing at
Central currently reflects its size.
What will be
needed is a Senior Minister who not only encourages this, but builds confidence
and competence in a staff team that understands itself as involved in and responsible
for significant ministry. Indeed,
if Central is to grow beyond the 450 membership base, and if Central desires to
stretch beyond a 250 worship attendance, it will need to keep an eye on
staffing, particularly in the areas of discipleship and youth.
The Senior
Minister in the program-sized congregation will have some key areas in which he
contributes to the body; currently those include, preaching, teaching and
overall visionary leadership. His other
necessary strength will need to be in motivating staff and key lay leaders so
that their ministries emerge with excellence.
Decision-making
-- In our size of
congregation, as opposed to a family sized congregation, decision-making is
necessarily more formal. In a small
congregation, it is not unheard of for two or three key players to meet after
worship for fifteen minutes out in the parking lot and make significant
decisions. That would spell trouble in
our size of congregation.
In order for a
larger congregation to have both input and ownership of multiple programs,
there must be a more sophisticated governance structure. The 2006 changes in Central’s governance,
initiated during a pastoral vacancy, deliver this very thing in principle. Session has been clearly named as the central
governing body, but with major responsibilities delegated to five program
committees. These
committees will need to act diligently and creatively in their own fields. If Session or the Senior Minister attempts to
police their work too closely, such micro-management will lead to reduced
ministry and a frustrated membership. On
the other hand, if there is not sufficient coordination, chaos can result.
In decision-making, thoughtful creativity will need to be combined with
clear lines of accountability and transparency. As power is dispersed from the centre, so the
need for excellent communication and accountability increases.
Programs -- There is a need in a program-sized congregation to have multiple and
significant ministry programs in place. Some programming in the congregation declined
over the last few years, and this may be reflected in decreased
attendance. Some of the women’s groups disappeared,
as did a youth group, while bible study groups came and went. Programming is therefore an area that needs
attention.
Currently, there
are key programs in place that include the Choir, the Out of the Cold Program,
Faith Finders, and the Women’s Missionary Society. It is exciting to see new programs begin
to emerge, especially in adult nurture, including Faith Basics, Sunday Seminars
and Bible Studies. The expanded
opportunities for congregational interaction through Wednesday Worship, the Sunday
Lunch Bunch, the Men’s Breakfast Club are all appropriate program initiatives
for this size of congregation. If we do not have a range of opportunities
both for Christian discipleship and Christian ministry appropriate to our size,
the congregation will tend to shrink.
One other healthy
feature of the new organizational structure at Central is the emphasis on
teams. New ministry teams include a
Prayer Team, a Pastoral Care Team and a Communications Team. These allow for program expansion, and for
meaningful involvement from many. Their
hands-on, flexible structure suits the program sized congregation
Assimilation -- The larger the congregation, the more intentional
the assimilation of newcomers needs to be. In a family
sized congregation, everyone is immediately aware of a newcomer in the
midst. In Central, this is not as
obvious. Admittedly, we are blessed by
having a number of people who see hospitality to newcomers as a priority and
try to make them welcome. This
relatively informal structure works well in a pastoral sized congregation.
But when
attendance grows beyond 200, and certainly when it grows beyond 250, that
approach, while welcome in itself, is not adequate. As Central currently stretches its weekly
attendance towards 250, we will need to think about this. Otherwise, the congregational leadership
becomes more and more remote from those who are newly arrived and the newly
arrived remain unassimilated and disappear again.
A good assimilation system involves the following – welcome of
strangers through formal and informal greeters on Sundays;
appropriate language used in worship; visitor cards; an expanded Coffee
Hour; the follow-up of newcomers by the
Follow-Up Team; an invitation into faith inquiry or faith renewal through Faith
Basics; and opportunities for further discipleship through Sunday Seminars,
Bible Studies and Home Groups; the deployment of new members in ministry (the
expansion of ministry teams); and sufficient movement of new members into the
leadership of the congregation (rotating committee
membership). Some of these pieces are
currently in place at Central, but not all.
c) Conclusion
Our overall sense is that Central in most
aspects, acts its size. But some
areas of ministry and ways of operating that are more appropriate in a pastoral
size congregation, will need modification.
We now look at
what the congregation sees as important in Central’s ministry based on their
answers to a survey asking their views on worship, their faith, our leadership
and mission.
5 - REFLECTIONS ON THE CONGREGATIONAL SURVEY
On Sunday, April
29th copies of a Congregational Survey were distributed to the
congregation immediately following worship. Almost the entire congregation remained and
for that the Community and Congregational Analysis Group is very grateful.
As a result, we received 215
completed surveys. What follows is a
narrative analysis based on the data those surveys provided. This analysis is based therefore not on a
response from the whole congregation
whose membership currently stands at 408
(August 2007), but on the congregation present in worship on April 29th.
Of those
attending on
Overall, this attendance pattern gives an average Sunday attendance of
233, based on attendance during the first four months of 2007.
If we look at
percentages, we note that the ratio between attendance and membership is
57%. In that sense Central’s attendance
ratio is just above the Presbyterian average, which is widely reckoned to be
50%. That is, in a typical Presbyterian
congregation, the number of people present on Sunday morning will be half that
of the congregation’s membership. At
Central we are doing just a little better than that. This attendance to membership ratio is a
significant statistic that tells a great deal about the culture of a
congregation. Chedoke Presbyterian, for
example, the largest Presbyterian congregation in
Attendance to
membership ratio is not just about age demographics but also about attitudes to
faith and church attendance. For
example, the Survey asked
people to comment
on the statement: ‘I don’t think you need to go to church to be a good
Christian’. The responses show a fair
degree of ambivalence, and that from those who were attending church --
79 people basically agreed with the statement, 89 disagreed, and 38 were not
sure. Admittedly, this question may have
been interpreted in different ways but the statement essentially asks, ‘How
important is church attendance?’ Is it
crucial to faith development and expression or optional? A section of Central’s membership considers
church attendance as optional and that undoubtedly translates into a lower
attendance/membership ratio than in a congregation which sees weekly worship
attendance as vital for faith and commitment.
To further look
at this issue, the CCAG examined the attendance patterns of the 35 new members
received into the congregation in the last year. Of those, approximately 26 attend weekly, 7
attend once or twice a month and 2 less than that. Of these new members, almost 75% are weekly
attenders. That seems healthy and
suggests a goal we might set for an attendance-membership ratio. It may seem ideal to go for 100%. But given long-established attendance
patterns at Central and our current age structure, a more realistic goal is
probably 75%. That would mean that with
a current membership of 408 we should be aiming to move to an average Sunday
attendance of 300, and then moving upwards from that point as membership
increases. This is not so much a matter of numbers as it is about encouraging a
congregational culture of higher commitment.
The surveys
indicated that one third of those present at worship on April 29th
were raised as Presbyterian, another third were raised as either Anglican or
United, and the final third were raised in other branches of the Christian
church, the largest of which was Reformed.
Very few had no religious
background. This information is important, for it makes clear that this
congregation is not one that is attracting folk from a non-Christian
background. Those who make Central
their church home have done so having grown up in the church. It may be that many of our members once
drifted away from church and it may be that Central is the sort of place where
church dropouts and church drifters have renewed their faith. We hope that this is so. But it is also true that by and large we are
not penetrating non-churched society with the Christian faith.
With only one
third of our membership being cradle Presbyterians, we find that denominational
labels are not as important as they once were.
If our Survey had been taken in 1957, undoubtedly the number of those
who had been brought up as Presbyterian would have been much larger. In earlier generations, people tended to stay
with the denomination in which they were raised. That has changed. Today people choose a congregation based on
other criteria. Some raised in other
denominations are at Central because they married a Presbyterian. But some are Presbyterian because they chose
to
leave other
denominations behind. This is borne out
by looking at those who
have been
received as members into Central’s membership over the last decade. Some people from Reformed churches have
chosen Central either to find an expression of Christianity that is less
theologically restrictive, or to move beyond the single ethnic composition of
most Reformed congregations in
The Survey data confirms that Central has been for a number of years, a
destination for a range of ecclesiastical ‘refugees’, a welcoming place for the
theologically orthodox and liturgically conservative. Membership growth in the last decade
has been sustained by those transferring from other denominations. It appears that Central has been less
successful at passing on the Christian faith as embodied in church membership
to our own young people. Therein lies a
significant challenge. We attract adults into membership
but not youth and young adults. The
age structure of the congregation and the small number of children confirm this
trend, as does the age of those 35 new members added over the last year only five
of whom are aged under 40.
Is this reality
about Central a good thing? On the positive side, it suggests that we
attract Christians who are looking for a community of faith that is welcoming,
theologically orthodox, and liturgically traditional, attractive for those with
a Christian memory who are seeking to renew their faith commitment.
We would be wise to cherish this capacity. To have a congregation that combines a
non-judgmental welcome, classical theological convictions, a stable liturgical
tradition, and teaching that does not sacrifice intellect for the sake of
faith, is worth nurturing.
That said, we do
not want to succumb simply to the pragmatism of ‘what works for us’, or be
content with our ‘market share’. We need
to ask far more profound questions of the congregation such as: Do we
faithfully and relevantly present the gospel of Jesus Christ? Do we welcome, equip and mobilize members to
be disciples who are active in mission?
On the negative side, we are not attracting significant numbers of
younger families and we have not been retaining into adulthood, the young
people who have been nurtured within the congregation as children. Admittedly not every congregation can do
everything well. But we cannot evade the
issue of how we can offer substantial Christian formation for children and
young people.
As earlier
indicated, we have been attracting members transferring from other
denominations, and we have also been able to welcome back to church those with
a Christian memory who had dropped out of church. However, this last source for growth is
almost certainly going to decrease. Up
until the 1960s, the vast majority of Protestant Canadians had some exposure to
the Christian faith, at home, at school and at church. As a result, there are millions of Canadians
over 50 who do not associate with a church but have a Christian memory. It is from the return of some from these
ranks that Central and many other mainline congregations have received new
members in the last twenty years. However, far fewer of those under 50 have
that same background. We now have a
generation of young people and young families in
One key issue is this: Do we consider the Christian faith important
enough to want to share it with non-Christian younger Canadians? Here the answers in the Survey are
ambivalent. To the statement, ‘I believe
it is very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians’ 40% of
respondents agreed. But fully one third
disagreed. It may be that sensing behind
this statement the word ‘evangelism’, many reacted negatively. That may be understandable, since sometimes
the fine word evangelism has been abused and misused and we have been scared
off.
But the response
to another statement seems to make it clear that many in the congregation are
less than sure that the church is really in the business of evangelism at
all. To the statement, ‘All the great
religions of the world are equally good and true’, 35% agreed and 38%
disagreed. Now this is undoubtedly a
very complex issue. As Christians and as
Canadians we have learnt to be respectful of other faiths and not to be
coercive proselytizers. That said, the
question still remains: Are we committed, as the New Testament seems to demand,
to the task of offering Jesus Christ to our world as the source of its true
life, meaning and salvation? In fact,
are our faith convictions deep enough to give us momentum to pass on that faith
to our own children? The Survey
responses seem to indicate that we are unclear about the need to pass on the
Christian faith. We live in a
pluralistic society in which Christianity is one of multiple options. It is tempting therefore for Christians to
retract into a private faith. We will
need to sort out a path that respects the pluralism in which we live and at the
very same time presents Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Perhaps Living
Faith can help us here --it says:
We should not address others in a spirit of
arrogance implying that we are better than they. But rather, in the spirit of humility, as
beggars telling others where food is to be found, we point to life in Christ.
The Survey asked
a series of questions about church life.
Overwhelmingly, respondents indicated that the congregation should offer
opportunities for most members to be involved.
This may seem like a ‘motherhood’ statement. But it indicates that the congregation is not
passive and sees itself as wanting to be active. Again the responses indicate that issues such
as domestic violence, abuse, alcoholism and racism should be addressed from the
pulpit. Central, in other words, is
neither immune from these issues nor ready to bury its head in the sand on
these issues. This is supported by the
answers to another statement, ‘A church is not worth attending unless it
provides practical guidance for expressing one’s faith in the world during the
week’. This was strongly endorsed.
On the often divisive issue of worship, the results show enormous
consensus within Central. As to the
preference for traditional worship over against contemporary and more
experimental worship, the congregation overwhelmingly prefers traditional and
prefers having Sunday worship led by clergy. Admittedly some placed themselves in the ‘In
between’ category, indicating that they are open to some change. That
said, the CCAG feels that the congregation’s commitment to its current worship
practices is so strong and so fundamental to our identity that it would be foolhardy
to contemplate profound change in this area. This is confirmed by the response to the
reasons people might have for recommending Central to others. There was massive support for recommending
Central on the basis of the preaching and the music life of the congregation,
and almost as much enthusiasm for recommending Central on the style of its
worship. This is all very telling and
indicates widespread satisfaction with Central’s worship. That said, we will need to be careful not to
become immovably frozen in current worship forms and keep asking not just ‘what
works for us’, but what is pleasing to God and what helps us encounter God.
We were pleased
by the response to this statement, ‘I usually experience God’s presence at a
worship service’. Two-thirds of
respondents affirmed this; the rest were mostly ‘not sure’. We encourage the Worship Committee to keep
looking at our worship practices, noting the responses to another question,
namely whether the congregation prefers expressive or contemplative
worship. There was a wide response
range. Most were ‘in between’ with the
rest evenly divided between preferring expressive and preferring
contemplative. This indicates a range of
worship needs within the congregation, and encourages us
to consider opportunities
for worship that are both expressive and contemplative. This is a good place to add the response to
the question, ‘How interested would you be in attending a monthly evening
worship service that was different in style from morning worship at
Central?’ One third was interested, one
third might consider this and one third was not interested.
The answers to
the questions dealing with pastoral leadership were revealing. First, the congregation wants its clergy to
be ‘venturesome’ and ready to take risks and to lead using the strength of
their personalities. But the
congregation also wants its clergy to be consensus builders, gaining consensus
before acting. This stance is enforced
by the overwhelming conviction that clergy leadership should encourage ‘church
members to serve and lead’. What does
this tell us?
We offer this: That
Central Church is a congregation that has had a long tradition of trusting its
ministers. The people trust the
leadership and that trust seems to be carrying on from one pastoral leader to
another. The congregation appears to
trust its clergy to lead in healthy ways and to use their personality and
authority, not autocratically, but to serve the needs of the congregation and
help them be what they ought to be. Our
sense is that the responses to leadership questions reveal a congregation that
does not have significant conflict, that is relaxed with its leaders, and that
allows and expects clergy to lead. The people want vision and direction, but also
to be part of that vision and direction, not passive bystanders.
We have already
commented on some of the reasons people might recommend Central to others. Interestingly, the fact that it is
Presbyterian was ‘important’ for just a third and was ‘unimportant’ another
third, with the remainder considering it ‘somewhat important’. This may reflect the fact that only a third
of the congregation is made up of cradle Presbyterians. It may also reflect a disconnect with the
denomination. Two other key reasons why
respondents might commend
The series of questions
in the Survey having to do with personal beliefs reflects a diverse range of
responses. While 75% of respondents consider the Bible as the Word of God, a
traditional and classical Christian conviction, it is also true that personal
reading of the Bible is a decidedly minority activity. For one third of respondents, personal Bible
reading was a daily or weekly practice.
For the rest, it was very occasional or a non-starter. At the risk of exaggerating, 75% of the
congregation holds that the Bible is the Word of God, but the majority does not
often open their Bibles outside of church.
Is this a bit strange? Not
necessarily. There are lots of good and
helpful practices, physical and spiritual which we never get around to
practicing. Reading the Bible is one of
them.
While the CCAG
makes no claim to be theologians, we note that the Bible has been given to the
Church for our instruction and for the church’s mission to the world. Its relative neglect will therefore weaken
the church. Accordingly we trust that a
congregational culture will be encouraged in which the Bible is read with
confidence both individually, as families at home, and studied in small groups
throughout the congregation. Currently,
less than 25% of respondents were participants in any type of Christian study
group. The practice of prayer, according
to our responses, is much more common than reading the Bible. Almost 75% of respondents pray daily or
weekly outside of worship services.
Seven honest souls admit that they never pray.
There is one
major thread in the responses concerning personal beliefs that needs
commentary. Respondents gave a wide range of responses to statements such as, ‘All
religions are equally good’. Almost
a third of the replies agreed with that statement, just over a third disagreed,
with the rest in the ‘Not sure’ category. And almost identical numbers were given in
response to the related statement, ‘I believe it is very important to encourage
non-Christians to become Christians’.
About 40% agreed with this conviction.
Obviously Central is not of one mind on these issues. We live in an age and country in which
increasingly, it is expected that Christians will remain private about their
faith. Many of us are afraid to say
anything publicly about our faith in case we come across as religious
crusaders.
Presbyterians tend to struggle with the issue of evangelism, and Central
is no different. We will need to take a
good look at what evangelism is and what it isn’t, for that is the word hidden
behind these statements in the Survey. Evangelism
in 2007 comes with baggage, much of which we resist. Interestingly, in response to the question of
how important it ought to be that Central people witness to others with words,
the data showed that almost 50% thought this important and a quarter ‘somewhat’
important. Maybe what that tells us is
that Central, though suspicious of evangelism, recognizes, at least in theory,
that we ought to evangelize.
Priorities -- This
brings us to what respondents thought were the most important priorities for
Central. The highest scores (the
combination of
‘Important’ and
‘Very Important’) were given to:
1. Building congregational life
2. Congregational growth
3. Helping Canadians living in poverty
4. Development of personal faith
Reflecting on the
first and second priorities, they create a strong impression that our
respondents are committed to the life, ministry and future of
Survey statements
having to do with political and social issues revealed a strong consensus that
the gap between rich and poor in Canada is a real problem, and that governments
ought to spend more on fighting poverty, even if it means higher taxes. Central also believes that we should be
involved in caring for others, and that Christians should be politically
involved. Oddly, however, there was less
consensus in answer to the statement, ‘Christians should get involved in
politics to use their influence to advance their values’. This may reflect a typical Canadian shyness
about going into the public arena as self-identified Christians. But on the larger issue, we note that the
congregation reflects an active social conscience and is not afraid of tackling
tough social issues.
The CCAG believes that the Survey data give us fascinating insight into
our congregational identity. After
reading and thinking through this data, our impression is of a congregation
with significant commitment and energy, not afraid of the future, willing to
invest in it, and ready for new adventure while retaining much of its
tradition.
SECTION 3 -- THE
ESSENTIAL IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH
So far in this Report, we have looked at the community context in which
We can now answer the questions “where are
we” and “who are we” with greater confidence. But now we turn to another critical component.
In
this part of the Report, we want to
stand back from the details of our actual congregation, and ask the
crucial question, what ought the church to be, as God sees it. What has God designed the Church to be and
to do? It is never enough to describe what is,
but to discover what ought to be, and to allow the latter to critique
the former.
What we are after is a Report that not only describes, but then goes on to prescribe what
God wants us to be and do as a congregation in Hamilton in 2007. Having
looked at our identity and our context, we need to go on to articulate our
mission.
The Report
assumes that God has a purpose for us in being here and intends us to be part
of God’s mission in this city. To that end, we must bring who we are at
Central into a dialogue with what God thinks of the church according to the New
Testament and allow what we discover from the Word of God to challenge and
change who we currently are and what we currently do.
Thousands of arguments have taken place and
thousands of books have been published on the nature of the church. In the past, debate about the nature of the
church sometimes led to violence, so strong were competing sets of convictions. Catholics and Protestants fought with each other;
churches with bishops said that churches without bishops were illegitimate, and
churches with elders sometimes said that if they were not the only true church,
at least they were the best of all options! Today, most Christians are less belligerent. While some Christians are dubious about the
necessity of any visible, institutional church at all, interest in
examining the identity of the church has been increasing.
Fifty years ago, discussion on the doctrine
of the church was minimal; today, everyone talks about the church, its faults
and its future. Why? One reason for increased attention on the
nature of the church is the fact that the church in
away, and as the old diarist Dr. Johnston
once said; ‘The prospect of one’s demise, powerfully concentrates the mind’. We can
no longer take the church’s existence in Canada for granted since we live in a
society that has become distant from church and is increasingly suspicious of
it. This in turn makes church people
unsettled, uncertain, and confused about what church is and what church should
be doing. That is why this Report is being written.
Instead of just asking questions about what
we are currently doing as a congregation and either adding to, subtracting
from, or improving what we are doing, we want to ask the more fundamental
questions. What is the essential purpose
of the church that is valid whether we live in the first century or the twenty-first
century? Only when we have clarified God’s purpose for the church will we be in
a position to consider what it is that God wants us as a congregation to do.
1
– NEW TESTAMENT IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH
The New Testament
word for church is ecclesia. This
word was widely used in the Greek language to describe a public meeting of
people who had been called together, for example a political gathering. In the New Testament, the word ecclesia
refers to a meeting of people called together by God. The church is God’s people, God’s
gathering, made up of people who have responded to God’s call to leave
other things behind and come together. From
its very inception, the church therefore understood itself as a people under
God’s ownership and under God’s control.
In the Gospels, we find Jesus beginning the
process of building God’s church by calling James and John and Andrew and Peter
to leave their nets and follow him. God
has been calling men and women to follow Jesus ever since and enter into the
body of people called church. The sense
that the church is under God’s ownership and is called together by God, appears
in a variety of New Testament metaphors -- the church as God’s building, God’s
family, God’s field, God’s household, God’s bride, or God’s temple. [See I Corinthians 3 verses 5 to 17.]
Notice too, something important about the
church that occurs at the beginning of most of the Apostle Paul’s letters. In 1 Corinthians 1 verse 2, Paul writes ‘to
the
There is the closest possible connection
between Christ and the church, such
that Paul famously describes the church as
‘the body of Christ’ [I Corinthians 12 verses 12 to 27]. But we note also that the people of God is a
people who live in a particular place. The church may belong to God, and live in
Christ, but at the same time the church is a people who live a very earthly
life as people and live in
Two addresses
As noted in Section 1 on Context, the church
always lives in two addresses. It lives
its life in Christ, the church’s head and source; it also lives in a particular
place in space and time. Whatever else
this means, it means that God’s people are not removed from the challenges of
living in a city called
Meaning of Ecclesia
As mentioned, the word ecclesia is generally used in the New Testament to describe a local
assembly of Christians. But occasionally
the word ecclesia describes all
Christians everywhere. In Ephesians 1
verses 22, the word ‘church’ refers to all Christian believers, wherever
they exist. No matter where we live or
how different from one another we may be, the church is one and universal. Paul says in I Corinthians: ‘For in the one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body -Jews or Greeks, slaves or free’.
The implications of this insight into the
identity of the church are enormous. It means that although Central is a church or
ecclesia, and understands itself as a
people called by God and belonging to God living locally in Hamilton, we are
also one part of the global church or ecclesia.
We do not stand alone but are part of an
ecumenical, international community that exists throughout time and throughout
the world.
In order to get at
the New Testament purpose of the church, about which volumes could and have
been written, we will use three key words, covenant, community
and commission. [These words are highlighted in the Doctor of
Ministry Thesis submitted to
2 – THE CHURCH AS A
COVENANT PEOPLE
We begin with some words from the American
Presbyterian scholar, John Leith:
The
church is God’s creation; it has its origin in God’s love and in God’s call. God chooses a people and covenants that he
will be their God and they will be his people... Nowhere in the New Testament
is there the slightest indication that the church is a human organization that
came into being according to human plans.
Everywhere in the New Testament the actions of the Christian community
indicate that the believers suddenly found themselves to be a community without
ever planning to be....However the origin of the church may be described, there
is always the emphasis on the prior activity of God. The first Christians were those who had
experienced the impact of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and
received the Holy Spirit. The life of Jesus,
his resurrection from the dead, and the gift of the Spirit had created the New
Testament church.
The people of God then, is a chosen people,
called out by God. This is what the word
ecclesia means, a called out people. This idea of God calling out a distinctive
people goes back to the Old Testament, beginning with the calling of Abram in
Genesis 12. God’s intention with Abram
is to make him the father of a great family, to bless him and through him to
bless the world. In other words,
For
you are people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out
of all the people of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was not because you were more numerous than
any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you...It was
because the Lord loved you and kept oath that he swore to your ancestors.
This covenantal language in which God binds
himself to his people carries over to the New Testament’s understanding of the
church. On the Day of Pentecost,
the Apostle Peter preaches Jesus as the
fulfillment of the promises God had made in the Old Testament to bring
blessing, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit. And he added, ‘the promise is for you, for
your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God
calls to him’ [Acts 2 verse 39]. Peter
himself didn’t yet grasp just what he was saying, for the ‘everyone’, to
Peter’s surprise, was to include Gentiles as well as Jews. Near the end of his life, however, Peter wrote
these words to scattered communities of Gentile Christians in
What this language does is to place the
emphasis on the God of the church, the creator and owner of the church. Far too often the church has acted as if it
was not accountable to anyone beyond itself or its own hierarchy. But no church and no congregation is self-made
or self-contained. The church belongs to
God and must take its character from its creator.
At least two
important things flow from this. The church needs above
all things to know God and to be open to God’s Word and Spirit. We need to be disciples, learning and
immersing ourselves in who God is and what God desires for the church. Without that, the church may be an
organization doing good things, but it will not be a covenant partner doing
what God wants the church to do. Secondly,
if God has made Christ the head of the church, then Christ is our source of our
confidence. We are tempted to think that
the church is ours and that it all depends on us! But surely that is wrong. The church is God’s creation, and it is
because of God’s commitment to us that we can continue. That means that leadership needs to be humble
and expectant. It also means that the
crucial question is this... what God wants of God’s church, rather than what we
want, or what we like or even what we need. This does not mean that we should not plan; we
should. But human planning and human
resourcefulness will be barren without a proper emphasis on the church as God’s
covenant people who remain prayerfully dependant on God.
3 – THE CHURCH AS A
COMMUNITY PEOPLE
When we read the word ‘you’ in the New
Testament, and the address ‘you’ is frequent, we are tempted to read ‘you’ as
singular, referring to me, myself as an individual. But almost always the reference is plural and
is addressed not so much to an individual but to the church collectively. Our history of making this mistake has created
a distorting individualism among Christians and a loss of the church understood
as a community. For example, if I read Ephesians
4 verse 1, I read; ‘I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a
life
worthy of the calling to which you have been
called’. Understood individualistically,
with ‘you’ referring to me, I hear this as a call for me to be a better
Christian and to try and live up to the status which God has given me as a
child of God. Fair enough. But if I read that verse understanding that
the word ‘you’ refers collectively to the church, then the message is much
bigger. It means that God expects the
church to have a certain character; that the church needs to be such a
community that it lives up to the calling God has for the church. What the text implies is that God’s purpose
for the church is mission in the world, but that the mission will be
compromised unless the world can see within the church community a way of life
that reflects the life of the God to whom the church claims to belong. Quite a difference in meaning!
What we need to grasp is that the church in
the New Testament is God’s primary concern. Of course God cares about individuals and
loves us individually. But we as
individuals are meant to be branches who are attached to the vine, [John 15] or
meant to be useful parts of the body of Christ [I Cor12]. Everyone has a part to play and every
individual has a place. But what
concerns Paul in I Corinthians 12 is the overall health of the body, the church
community. What any individual has to
contribute must be given for the sake of the edification of the community and
not for the sake of the individual. ‘To
each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good’, writes Paul
[I Corinthians 12 verse 7]. To be a Christian according to the New
Testament is not just an individual experience; it is about being immersed in a
new community. And the powerful bond
of fellowship in this community is love. ‘Love one another’, ‘pray for one another’, ‘carry
one another’s burdens’, ‘encourage one another’ and so the New Testament list
goes on. What a good number of recent
theologians have been emphasizing is that this community of love that the
church is meant to be is actually a reflection of God’s character, for the God
we have come to know in Jesus is not an individual, but a community, made up of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Within the
mysterious Godhead is a community of reciprocal love. That is what the church is meant to reflect to
the world.
Presbyterianism has taken up this community
aspect of the church’s identity and tried to express it in a particular
leadership style. Presbyterian
leadership is corporate, that is, we are wary as Presbyterians of investing
individuals with significant personal authority; thus no popes or bishops. Our leadership is community-based; that is,
leaders (elders) are chosen by the community and are responsible to the
community. Likewise, while clergy are
assumed to have been called to leadership by God, that call must be endorsed
and tested by the church community. And
when clergy are appointed to a congregation, that is done by a presbytery only
after the people of a congregation has discerned in any given leader, his or
her suitableness to them. All of this leads
to a more dispersed authority in Presbyterian congregations rather than a
concentrated
one, and a concern for consensual rather
than authoritarian leadership styles.
A major implication of focusing on the
church as community is the involvement of each individual in the
community. In modern terms, this is
expressed in what is now widely called every member ministry. Based on the New Testament teaching on the
church as the body of Christ, each member of the church is assumed to be a
person of genuine Christian faith who has been given spiritual gifts by God to
share within and beyond the community. The
classic text is Ephesians 4 verse 11: ‘The gifts [Christ] gave were that some
would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry’. Here various leaders are identified as having
a ministry of equipping all the other members of the community for their
ministries. While each local church is
linked with the wider church, yet each church community is unique, has its own
collection of people with their gifts, ministering in a specific place and
time.
Ministry is therefore not confined to
clergy. What clergy are called to do is equip and encourage all congregational
members to see themselves as having a part in ministry. This idea has not always been prominent in Presbyterianism.
But this is changing and needs to change
further. The current committee structure
at Central and the encouragement of various ministry teams is an outworking of
this emphasis. Always the focus is on
people rather than programs, on the body rather than on a building. Eugene Peterson puts it like this:
In
order to develop a community in Christ, we have to deal with people the way
Jesus deals with them. The corollary to
this is that we have to make sure we don’t treat them the way the culture deals
with them. The culture thinks
organizationally, functionally; the gospel thinks relationally, personally.
4 – THE CHURCH AS A
COMMISSIONED PEOPLE
If we go back again to Genesis 12, and God’s
call to Abram, it is clear in this ancient text that God’s desire to enter a
covenant with Abram and to form a community from the seed of Abram has an even
larger purpose. Genesis 12 verse 3 says:
‘I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and
in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’. Obviously, the covenant community that God is
establishing in Abram is not meant to be an end in itself, but a means of
blessing for the world. God has a global
concern away back in Genesis 12. Abram
was called or elected,
end, God through
The point of the church is not that some get
to be saved or forgiven, and others are left to their own ends. On the contrary, the purpose of the church is
to be a prototype of the kingdom that God wants to establish on a global,
universal basis. The church in God’s
saving plan is commissioned to be a witness to the world of what
reconciliation, peace, justice and mercy look like, and the church community is
meant to be a prototype of the new reconciled, restored world that God is
planning.
The church is a commissioned people, sent
into the world to further God’s mission, for God is a missionary God, who
desires to heal and bless a world broken by sin and evil. To that end, God the Father sends a missionary
Son to confront evil, and in an atoning death, to defeat evil. That missionary Son then sends a missionary
Spirit to be active in the world moving in mysterious ways to convict the world
of sin, and to shine light on Jesus. Though
the Holy Spirit is sovereign and blows where he wills, yet the New Testament
makes clear that the Spirit is sent to the church to help the church be a
missionary church. “As the Father sent
me, so I send you”, said Jesus to his disciples. God is thus in relentless pursuit of a world
which God loves, but which so frequently resents and resists the overtures God
makes.
What is the church
meant to be and do as a commissioned people? It
is, like Jesus, to be a place where people can discover God at work. In fact the church’s life is meant to be a
foretaste of the kingdom, a community where the world sees sinful people living
a forgiven life and ready to forgive one another, where the world sees worshipping
people who have found one greater than themselves to whom all authority and
glory belongs, where the world sees a people whose thinking is being
transformed such that they act not from greed or self-centredness, but from
what will please God and edify God’s people.
This means that mission is not a special program
which a congregation undertakes. Rather,
the congregation is mission. Its own
life, worship, fellowship and outreach to others all together make a witness in
the world to God. Mission is simply an
explosion outwards of the life of God within the congregation. Lesslie Newbigin writes:
The
mission of the church in the pages of the New Testament is more like the
fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but
life-giving.
What the church takes into the world then as
a commissioned people is a new reality, the life and love of God which has
overcome sin and death in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The mission is not ours, but God’s. We are to give witness to God in all sorts of
creative ways as the salt and light of the world.
The implications of
the church as a commissioned people are many. For
a start it means that the church itself must be transformed by the gospel it
seeks to present to the world. If we are
to be God’s good news people, then the character and life of the local
congregation are vital; we will need to be authentically Christian ourselves if
we are to witness for Christ to the world. The world is not going to be captivated or
convinced of the good news of Jesus if it is not able to see that good
news embodied in the church.
This link between congregational quality and
mission is well illustrated in Acts chapter 2. The early congregation formed in
First, believers
need to know the faith that they espouse through apostolic teaching. That is why we must establish life-long
learning as the norm for Jesus’ disciples, creating opportunities for others to
be introduced to the Christian faith, to grow in faith, and to have our minds
transformed so that we approach any and all issues with the mind of Christ. In all of this the Bible is foundational. Making disciples through exposure to apostolic
teaching is thus a key element of congregational purpose in the mind of God.
Secondly, believers
need to enter into profound apostolic fellowship. It is a congregation’s purpose to provide a community of mutual
caring and sharing such as that practiced by the New Testament church, and such
that the world around us sits up and takes notice. We are meant to be brothers and sisters to one
another, living as a family which will invite and attract others. This is certainly what happened in
Thirdly, believers
need to meet together in apostolic worship for our life together as
Christians is not just horizontal; it is also vertical. The church is
called to voice its praise of God on behalf
of all creation, and in worship to so encounter God that we are transformed in
the process. Praise, prayer, Word and
Sacraments are the life-blood of our relationship with God.
Summary
Discipleship, fellowship and worship; these
three words sum up the internal purposes of a congregation. They all have to do with the internal quality
of the congregation’s life. But they are
never meant to be ends in themselves. As
has been said already, the discipleship, fellowship and worshiping habits we
live are meant to equip the church for its penetrating mission to the world so
that the blessing we have received from God is shared with a world in great
need.
As God sent Christ to us,
so Christ sends us into the world.
We are here to proclaim Christ in word
and deed.
CONCLUSION: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
We have tried to
answer three questions in this Report, namely what is the nature of the
city and community in which the congregation of Central is placed -- our context-- what is the nature of
the current congregation of Central – our
identity -- and finally, what is the calling of the congregation in God’s
mind -- our purpose. We hope that what you have read has been both
informative and stimulating.
But the really big question remains, where do we go from here? We will need to carefully and prayerfully try
to discern what it is that God is calling Central to be and do in this first
decade of the 21st century -- our
mission, vision and values.
In the first
instance, this Report was written by the CCAG, operating under the
authority of the Session, and so the Report belongs primarily to the
Session. As the body ordained to provide
overall leadership for the congregation, we hope that the Session will give the
Report very serious consideration.
Though we have made some suggestions in the body of the Report
about several possible new initiatives in ministry, we believe that it is the
Session that needs to arrive at a mission and vision statement for Central
through discernment and spiritual conviction.
Having said that, we are convinced that a good deal of what we currently
do in ministry will remain. We are not
starting from scratch, and our Report at many points provides strong
endorsement for much of what currently exists at Central. But we hope that the Report will also
prove to be a stimulus to new ministries within and without the congregation
that honour God and help build up this congregation.
To that end, we
hope the Report will be disseminated widely throughout the congregation
and that there will be opportunities for discussion and the input of many. We thank all who have provided help and
encouragement, and pray that God will lead us with wisdom and a holy
imagination.
Special thanks to
the members of the Community and Congregational Analysis Group – Tom Allen,
Valery and Jim Dunlop, Clyde Ervine, David Hamber, Sonja and Al Horzelenberg,
Melodie Pritchard, Jim Reilly, Frances Searle, Ann Hayes and Mark Stupple. Also a thank you to others who served on the
committee or helped with our work and this Report
-- Chris Allen, Marilyn Craven, Pat Ingraham, Tabitha Marshall, Errol McCluskey
and Ralph Pritchard.