Feeling Welcome in Shelburne: South Shore Presbytery

I know this is late, but I'm trying to tell myself that sometimes late is better than never.  Over the past few days, I've been thinking a lot about my visit to South Shore Presbytery on November 24th.  In many ways, my journey to Shelburne was a lot like my experience of Advent so far.

I began the day early in the morning, making my way across the bridge, greeted by the sunrise across the Northumberland Strait.  I knew that Shelburne would be a bit of a drive from Bedeque, so I decided that during my drive, I was going to try and notice small things that I might not have noticed before  when driving through familiar places.  I've also been trying to do this with Advent, taking time to notice things in the scripture and spiritual practices, such as lighting candles, that I might not have noticed before.  The first thing I noticed is that it took a lot longer to get to Shelburne than I had anticipated, mostly because construction was still happening! I think this is similar to my experience of Advent so far as well--some things seem to be taking longer to get to Christmas, but like children, I try to keep my excitement in check and wait for it to come!

After arriving in Shelburne, I was greeted by The Rev. Joanne McFadden at Trinity United Church, where she brought me in to have a lovely soup lunch provided by the women there.  The hospitality was amazing, and by the welcome I received, you'd never know that I was a stranger! I think one of the most humbling parts of being President so far has been the feeling that wherever I go, people have always been ready to welcome me...and through Advent, I've tried to notice how both hospitality and welcome are part of our practice as church.

Heading into the meeting, I was invited to address the court, and had a lovely question and answer time.  it was a gift to be asked questions about my time as president that enabled me to recall and remember all that has happened since May...and that's quite a bit! I also observed the rest of the their meeting, including some discussion of and voting on remits.

Barbara Rafuse addressing the court!

As with some of the other places I've visited, South Shore has it's share of challenges, but I've been deeply encouraged by the fact that people feel called to keep facing them, rather than giving up. Faith is strong and deeply held within their churches, and is a gift that I've seen in various ways as I've journeyed through this Advent season.

After the meeting ended, I experienced more hospitality, as some of us did the very Canadian thing of going to Tim Horton's for coffee, donuts, and of course, wonderful conversation! It was fantastic to hear of all of the wonderful things happening across the presbytery, and all that they celebrate in being church together.

My journey home was mostly in the dark, but my time on the South Shore reminded me that there are a whole lot of lights in this Conference that are working hard to keep shining, even though it might seem like a lot of things are trying to put them out. This journey through Advent has given me time to reflect on the courage it takes to be a light that shines, and so I am deeply grateful for my time in Shelburne and to South Shore's Chairperson, The Rev. Sharon Lohnes, for the welcome I received.

Love and Blessings!