Elders Update

Hello Highlanders:
 
With what was hopefully a restful summer fading in the rear view mirror, it’s again time to pass along some information related to our life as a church.
 
Savouring Summer Growth
Our scattered community has experienced growth over the last months. The Giesbrechts welcomed a baby boy, Cale Stanage got married, and 9 people have indicated a desire to belong to Highland! Meanwhile, we’ve heard some nifty stories of people in Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota, Kansas, California, and various places in BC joining us in Scattered Prayers.
 
There has also been much learning on the part of Highland staff in July and August. The VBS and Gathered Prayers meetings on Zoom, the Practice of the Month and Household Feast and Sabbath liturgies provided online, as well as the Green Grass Gathering and St. Peter’s Fireside in-person get-togethers have helped us develop a sense of what works as we plan for the coming autumn and winter months.
 
For all of these “gains,” we’re grateful.
 
Falling Forward
Based on our experience of the last 6 months, and what we see emerging in the coming weeks, the Highland staff, Elders and Board of Management see a number of challenges and opportunities for our community.

• Staffing
• Caring for One Another
• Online & In-Person Gatherings
• Equipping One Another

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With COVID-19 cases rising in BC, public health directives to faith communities remain the same: it will be well into 2021 before we can meet together as we did before. Current data also indicates that this season has proven to be an “off ramp” for many Christians, so that the majority of churches have seen a significant drop in participation and giving. 
 
Because we won’t be holding our traditional worship gatherings for the foreseeable future, the Board of Management, with input from the Elders, has made the difficult decision to lay off the part-time worship coordinator role at Highland with no set return date. We’re grateful to Katherine Wight for filling that role so ably—she has blessed Highland with her gifts of music, creativity, and administration. We hope you’ll join us in praying for Katherine and her family during this season of transition, and in thanking her for her ministry to us as worship coordinator.
 
As the fall unfolds, J, Jennifer and Matthew continue to operate with the understanding that adjustments in their hours may also be required at some point. We are grateful that Highland’s income from rentals and offerings has been close to meeting our expenses (which paid staff have been careful to limit and reduce), so that—unlike many congregations—we’ve managed to avoid further cuts to staff hours and salaries. Thanks to Highlanders, for their ongoing generosity!

While the current season has brought with it pleasant surprises, it’s also brought it’s share of trials. Some of us have lost loved ones. There are adults, youth and children in our community struggling to recover or maintain mental, physical, and relational health. There are others who are bruised from past church experiences or the simple wear and tear of life.
 
Our congregation now consists of approximately 230 people who are spread out between Langley and Harrison Lake on both sides of the Fraser River and the 49th parallel. That’s more ground than one pastoral elder is able to cover on his/her own. In addition, up to 30% of us have joined the community in the last 3 years. That newness, combined with our even-more-physically-distanced circumstances, means that it’s easier for people to “slip through the cracks.”
 
With that in mind, the following steps are being pursued:
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• In the first weeks of September the Elders have divided up the work of calling every Highland household to check in, and to see what sorts of adjustments we ought to consider making in our life together as a community.  In an effort to discern how we might best be ministers to one another, one of the questions we’re asking is, “Do you see this season as an ‘off ramp’?” Or to put it differently “How would you gauge your interest and capacity to engage?” In particular, we are wondering if there are Highlanders who would be willing to host/facilitate small group gatherings. All of our current care groups are full, so we would be looking to create some new spaces that would enable more Highlanders to provide care for more people.​ ​

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• For those who are less-inclined (for whatever reason) to participate in a small group, Jennifer Rempel will be coordinating our Kuhnekt Initiative, an opportunity for 1-on-1 connections 1x/month with a different person each month, from October to April. For more information or to sign up simply point and click here: 

Small Groups

• J continues to be available for meetings (one-on-one, with couples/small groups) by phone, Zoom or FaceTime, or outdoors (e.g. at a coffee shop patio), or in the church sanctuary. You can book a coffee with J on our website. Simply point and click here:

Coffee with J

• For those who would appreciate a space for rest & reflection, prayer, etc., Highland’s sanctuary and quiet room are available for use throughout the week. To reserve space, simply point and click here:

Reserve Space

​A portion of our community has signalled a strong desire to meet for worship in person. With an eye towards caring for and equipping one another, our paid staff will be taking the lead in facilitating the following:

• Approximately two Sundays per month we will host a Bonnie-Henry-approved in-person gathering (IPG) for up to 40 people on the Highland property. Highlanders who attend will need to register ahead of time, complete a health assessment form, have their temperature taken upon arrival, and follow physical distancing protocols (among other requirements, such as no singing). These gatherings will essentially be a “live” experience of Scattered Prayers, with a pre-recorded Scattered Prayers available online for those who do not attend.​
  
• Once per month we will host an online gathering via Zoom. While we have yet to determine the format, we hope that this will be become a place for us as a larger community to hear each other’s stories and pray together.
  
• We will continue with a rhythm of Sabbath once per month.

• The children’s ministry team will be exploring ways of resourcing and equipping parents to facilitate the faith formation of their children. For the foreseeable future Learning for Life classes will not be held during IPGs. To foster relational connections and support families, the children’s ministry team will plan a handful of IPGs for L4L families throughout the school year (e.g. 1x/month).  For more information contact the  Children's Ministry Team at [email protected].

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• Matthew, together with the youth leadership team, has planned a variety of Bonnie-Henry-approved small and large group IPGs for middle and high school-aged youth. Again, there will be COVID-required protocols in place. Details will be circulated to families with youth. For more information, Matthew can be contacted at [email protected].

​The physical distancing requirements of our pandemic-shaped circumstances offers the opportunity for Highlanders to live our stated value that we are all ministers—people who join God in the redemption of all things by stewarding what we have for the sake of others. With that in mind, our paid staff will be looking to equip and support Highlanders in our shared life. You are invited to engage in one or more of the following ways should you have the capacity:
 

• Larger-sized IPGs ~ In order to host Sunday public gatherings in a Bonnie-Henry-approved manner, we need contributions in these areas…
  • Greeter/Usher
  • Clean before/after event
  • Operate the sound/Power Point system

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• Small Group IPGs ~ As noted in previous updates, small group gatherings are permitted, and as mentioned above, there are Highlanders who would be interested in being part of a care group. Please contact the office if you are willing to…
  • …host a small group, or “pod,” for Scattered Prayers (or some other purpose)
  • …facilitate a small group
  • …take part in a small group

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• Online ~ In an effort to increase the number and diversity of voices in our digital spaces, consider participating in one of the following ways, and contact J or Jennifer if interested.
  • Craft/lead a gathering on Zoom
  • Craft/contribute to a Scattered Prayers
  • Provide a sermon/homily for Scattered Prayers or a gathering on Zoom
  • Be interviewed/share your story on Scattered Prayers or on Zoom
  • Write a blog post

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• Care Team ~ Abe & Janet Buhler have stepped away from the 4-person team that organizes the making and delivery of food and checks in on Highlanders who are ill, isolated, grieving, etc. If you’re drawn to that form of service, please contact the office.

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• Focus Series: The Bible for (Ab)Normal People ~ Beginning in October, J will facilitate a 6-session learning group that explores approaches to understanding scripture. The group will meet the 3rd Tuesday of the month (except December). The Focus Series will include readings from books such as The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns, Inspired by Rachel Held Evans, and Reading the Bible with the Damned by Bob Ekblad. Conversations will be shaped by our hands-on engagement with practices that include Lectio Divina, imaginative contemplation, and simple study techniques such as identifying a text unit. The goal is that we might read the Word of God in print, so that we’ll know more deeply the Word of God in Person. For more info, contact J.

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• Is there anything that you would like to initiate for/offer to the community? Please contact one of the Elders or the office and let’s explore together!

​As always, we look forward to discovering more Truth, and experiencing more Life, as we follow the Way in your company—even in physically-distanced circumstances—in the days to come.

​-- The Elders

​Abe Buhler, Audrey Hoehn, Lorraine Isaak,
​Stephanie Jantzen, J Janzen, Jim Van Meer