We are all human beings.
Let us walk the road together.
While Flo and I were away this summer, Archdeacon Eric Partridge visited our parish, to lead worship one Sunday. He spoke about the “changing church"—how the church will look different, going forward.
The September–October issue of Legion Magazine carried an article titled “Tough Talk” which immediately piqued my interest. The article described how Marion Fryday-Cook, a past president of Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command, addressed “the elephant in the room.” I quote from her address:
“We’re moving into a new world,” Friday-Cook told an all-white convention audience in Sydney, N.S.
“Somebody once said, we’re all volunteers and the Legion, sometimes, tends to eat its own, and go after its own.
It’s time, as members of The Royal Canadian Legion, we soften our thoughts; we are kind to each other; we look out for each other; and we look out for our veterans, and their families in our communities, regardless of our biases—time to throw those out the window.
We are all Canadians.
We all deserve the dignity and the respect that we want from others.”
Fryday-Cook was referring to ‘Operation Harmony,’ the focus to promote a welcoming environment for all Legions, addressing issues surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
This focus was response to declining membership in The Royal Canadian Legion, down in 2022 by 1/3 the numbers of 1984.
I found myself thinking about the decline in ‘membership’ of the Anglican Church of Canada, from when I entered seminary in 1986.
Bishop Anna stated to the 2023 Synod gathering, “The future is not going to look like the past, and the future is bright.”
She reflects further on that topic in the September issue of Faith Tides. (A copy of her article will be available on the back table on Sunday.)
Do I have answers, or a magic wand, to address these challenges?
No. What I do have is a heart open to discussion, about how that road ahead might look.
Like Bishop Anna, I believe the future will be bright—if we are prepared to make, and accept, the challenge.
We are all human beings. Let us walk the road together.
Blessings,
Archdeacon Brian Evans+
