Sometimes, one thing informs another. Have you ever found this? You start doing one thing and it leads to something else that leads you back to the first thing but more deeply. That might seem a bit ambiguous but that's what I feel has happened in church life over the past few weeks. Let me explain.

We launched Sunday Night Conversations (SNC) with a discussion on the sanctity of life, primarily focusing on the issues surrounding abortion. While our conversation was appropriately heavy, it was also beautiful, encouraging, challenging and helpful. As part of my research for the night, I had a chance to Zoom with the Executive Director of The Pregnancy Centre in Kitchener (thanks for taking the time, Jenn!). It was enlightening and I left that conversation more informed and also inspired by the good work that they are doing at TPC.

From that, Pastor Erin and I were talking about how we can help the community this Christmas season. The heart of our church is to find the places where needs can be met and the love of Christ can be shown in practical ways. So, we are doing Christmas hampers for five families whom House of Friendship has identified as being in need but don't qualify for other programs. And then, in the month of December, we're going to collect stroller covers for TPC (and make a Christmas tree out of them in the lobby!) because we asked what they really needed and that's what they said. We can do that.

I was shown in new ways how meeting the needs around us can show people who are hopeless or simply feel like they have no options that they are loved and not alone, that they do have options and there is someone to help them. Simple and profound. What a sobering (and inspiring!) reminder.

So our SNC informed our Christmas collections in November and December and those things started to stir another conversation and settled my heart on what our next SNC should be.

Why do we do these things and think this way? It's because we believe what the Bible says and trust it to guide our lives. That is the basis of every SNC. That's our worldview, the lens that we look at everything through. So... how do we know that we can trust the Bible? It is actually trustworthy after all of these years and all the translations and all that we know now in modern society?

So, our next Sunday Night Conversation, coming up on November 20th, will be about precisely that. We'll lay the foundation of why we believe in the authority of scripture and also leave lots of space for you to ask any "yeah, buts" that you might have. I know that you face this in your families and workplaces and I'd like for us to talk about it. Join me if you can.

From this to that and back again. I love when that happens. So let's start at the beginning on November 20th... it's a very good place to start. :)

Looking forward to it,
Pastor Tracy