Like the life of the desert flower, we need very little rain to bloom—just a drop of love, a drop of welcoming, a drop of giving, and a drop of time can start an incredible chain reaction in the life of Como Lake United Church.

It is one year since we received the “keys” to our new space, and so much has happened in that year! There is growth all around us! We walked into an empty building, a barren desert waiting for the rain. The CRT made short work of pulling in all the pieces stored away in basements and storage units. Chairs were unloaded, unwrapped, and laid out ready for eager bottoms to return to church gatherings! Music graced our new space with the arrival of our grand piano and the chancel was installed, but not before our first service! August 7, 2022, all present encircled our Sanctuary space with Rev. Jan, who shared a Blessing, calling our new space Home.

A new home is not without challenges. On the positive side we started to see members of our congregation return, being welcomed in hugs and recounting memories of times in the old building. We also welcomed and baptized new members to our congregation, our family is growing. As the old comforted us, the new marvelled us: stained glass in the Atrium, our beautiful crest in the entry, and our Memorial Wall panels placed carefully in the Reflection room.

We celebrated our new neighbours in Mountain View Suites at our first Thanksgiving Potluck together, and the Official Opening of the building. We joined again for our Christmas dinner, and we are blessed each day have many residents of the Suites be an important part of our life and growth at Como Lake United! We look forward to gathering again for our first summer BBQ soon!

We experienced intimate and comforting events like our first (I say first, because he has to come back and visit again),...our first Steve Bell concert, our Advent Light nights, and Christmas Eve services. We opened our hearts to an Ecumenical Prayer evening, as well as a Special Prayer service for Indigenous children and their families who suffered at the hands of the residential school system. 

We continue to grow these small seedlings with our ongoing drops of love and care: Walking our Labyrinth, Prayer Circle Time, Tea Tuesday, Wednesday Night Study and current Summer Walks feed our soul. In the community, we have met and embraced neighbours through our new programs, like the Art Retreat. We have much more room to grow, learn and engage. People say we are an engaging community whether you have just dropped in, last week or been part of this church family for 50 years.

We slowly opened up our space to rentals towards the end of 2022, which afforded us the opportunity to meet new friends and supporters of what Como Lake United has been, and will be, for our community! We have had several birthday parties, an anniversary, a Christmas Open House for Honourable Selina Robinson, a and a number of deeply moving memorial services. Next year we have two wedding receptions booked! The same family is celebrating a baby shower here at Como Lake United on Saturday. Can you feel the new lineage connecting with our strong foundation of before? All of that community support of rentals helps us build our resources, while allowing a launchpad for additional programs for our congregation and community .

You are the key to us growing this year and the next. Everyone of you who attend, care, support, volunteer, and more, at Como Lake United. You are the rain drops bringing the flowers forth. We are grateful for your drops of love, care, contribution and time! We have much to look forward to as we watch the desert flowers bloom, and Como Lake United Church grow in our new space.

Isaiah 35: God Will Comfort His People. The desert and dry land will become happy; the desert will be glad and will produce flowers. Like a flower, it will have many blooms. It will show its happiness, as if it were shouting with joy. It will be beautiful like the forest of Lebanon, as beautiful as the hill of Carmel and the Plain of Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord and the splendor of our God.

As I write this, I am aware, as I have been each day this week, that this is my final week of ministry with you here at Como Lake and your final week in this ministry relationship with me. I will be stepping across a new threshold after this Sunday, as will you as a congregation. We are each in a time of change that requires care-filled attention to the new turning Season that is before us and a care-filled remembering and honouring of Who and what has led us to this point. There will be the celebrating and the reminiscing, and there will be the joy and the grief - and all that comes when something matters deeply. You and your loving, kind, creative, faithful work matter to God, to me, and to the world around. As people of deep faith in Christ, you are part of how God is working in this world and I hope you know that deep in your heart and soul.

Though I will be stepping away from any formal or informal ministry with you for the required two years, I will be with you in spirit. Know that I will be remembering, celebrating, thinking of you and praying for you as I take time and space to look through the 16 years of papers, notes, photos, and memories that are now in the middle of our living room! I will be honouring the work we have done together and trusting in the Holy Spirit’s continued work. You are the conscious circle of Jesus’ living community of faith, here and now, surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses, who have gone before us, and are cheering us on in faith!

I’m reminded of how, like the first disciples, we are always flummoxed when Jesus tries to tell us that things are going to be different...that he will be with us in a new way, and we can do this next thing within a new provision of God’s grace. Remember when Jesus told the first disciples he would be leaving? He said I will be leaving, I’m sending a friend, the comforter, the advocate, the walking-alongside Holy Spirit to be with you and in you to remind you of all I have taught. They could not believe it. Could not fathom it. Though he tried to get it across to them, they did not understand until later that though he was physically gone, he was indeed with them in a new way. He was able to companion them because of the Holy Spirit. So it is today, when any one of Jesus’ disciple leaders leaves, Jesus is still with us...the Holy Spirit continues to work. We are entrusted to carry on with the faith and practices we have been taught. To try out our wings in the new situation.

There is a Season, turn, turn, turn...and a time to every purpose under heaven. The inspiration for the work of faith is never totally ours, but/and it matters that we show up as our spiritual self and do our part. It is God, the Trinity, who calls each of us to participate in our unique way. When we have completed the work that is ours to do, it’s time to let go and trust in the Spirit for the next steps for each and all of us. As Gerhard and I enter the next Season, we do so with great love, gratitude, and appreciation for you.

The Peace of Christ be with you.

Rev. Jan