Together We are Finding a Way Through the Wilderness

Today, we celebrate the roll-out of A Way Through the Wilderness, the Diocesan Workplan.

The artwork, designed by the Rev. Stephanie London, and theme are drawn from Isaiah 43:18–19, which references biblical Israel’s exile journey and the promises of God to meet them in that time of transition and change.

In our day, we face our own kinds of disruption and uncertainty, but also with genuine signs of hope and renewal. This theme reminds us that we are not alone, that our story is not over, and that God is calling us forward on a transformative path.

"Our hope is that this plan will be a roadmap to help our family of churches, we call the Diocese of Edmonton, navigate a transformative journey of being and becoming the kind of church that God is calling us to for this place and this time in history," says the Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman, Executive Officer and Diocesan Workplan Animator.

There are many ways to participate in this transformative journey. These include praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, joining conversations in your parish about how this plan might influence your ministry locally, contributing your time and talents to various events and action teams and sharing feedback and ideas as the work unfolds. 

You can download the Diocesan Workplan and find resources, such as an FAQ document and brochure, to engage your parish communities in conversations about our plan to continue to navigate our church's challenges together at edmonton.anglican.ca/pages/strategic-planning. These pages will continue to be populated over the coming weeks.

Members of the Executive Council will also be leading deeper discussions of the Diocesan Workplan this month. All are invited to join one of these sessions on Zoom:

• Thursday, May 22, 7 pm. Join with Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87297688658
• Saturday, May 24, 10 am. Join with Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/9398831523
• Monday, May 26, 7 pm. Join with Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89268082958
  

We encourage you to share info about the upcoming online engagement sessions in your church newsletters, service bulletins and announcements. 

"The preparation of this plan came from an unprecedented amount of consultation with parishes and diocesan groups about their prayers and hopes for the future of the church," adds Bishop Stephen London.

"We are in challenging times as a church, but we are also in exciting times. There are significant challenges ahead for the Anglican Church of Canada, but we are meeting them with a solid plan. We are finding a way in the wilderness, unafraid to forge new paths. We are responding faithfully to God’s call."