The Church, the Body of Christ, continues the work of Christ, making His Kingdom come on earth. The “particular Church”, our diocese is tasked with building that Kingdom here in this nation; “a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace .” This ongoing process was given an added impetus at the First Diocesan Congress in July last year and it was reviewed and evaluated on Saturday, February 13, 2021.

The Second Diocesan Congress (Congress 2) faced setbacks from the outset. Because of the dangers of the spread of the new variants of Covid 19 it was decided that there would be only one representative from each parish physically present at the venue and that the other representatives would participate via Zoom. The widespread power outage however, meant that those of us at home could not join the proceedings in the first hour and a half of the process. Slow internet connections caused further interruptions in some parishes and there did not seem to be much input by those participating from their homes or parish centres. 

In spite of the setbacks, it is clear from the five parish presentations that parishioners are committed to the themes set by our bishop (live church, build community and serve country) and to the present priorities (education, food security and mental health). Obviously, much work has been done and much has been achieved. Great praise is due to all, not just to the parishes asked to make presentations.  

As we continue to “live church” it is necessary to make adjustments to grapple with this period of Covid 19.  To this end, Lent 2021 which has already begun, will be one with a difference.   Instead of parish Lenten missions, we will have one diocesan retreat. The “preaching with power” by renowned preachers will be replaced by presentations of a different kind.   Hopefully these presentations will help all of us to reach a clear, shared vision of what it means to “Live Church” in Grenada today. If we can get clear in our minds and hearts what the ideal Church would look like, then the direction of our efforts to build community and serve country will be clear.

With a vision of the kind of Church we want to become, the planning and implementation of the steps we need to take to get there will be easier. Having evaluated our progress at Diocesan ‘Congress 2’ we now should not ‘rest on our laurels.’  Reflecting on the word of God every day in Lent we should be planning how to make God’s Kingdom come now, first in our own personal lives, then in our homes and in the wider community.  

Hopefully there will be a ‘Congress 3’ at which we will again evaluate our actions, reflect on our progress and plan for the next phase. 

Share the Good News: