"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" -- Matthew 28:18-20 [NIV]

The use of stones to represent burdens and brokenness and to have the congregation either come up to put them in the "river of grace" or just drop them to the ground as a sign of the desire to allow Christ's grace to come into our hearts was very effective. Also today the congregation really got involved in the singing - which made for a great service.

There are a lot of changes taking place with the churches of Esquimalt. All of them are searching for relevance in this new century/millennium. Most of the churches seem to be realizing that it is by joining together to develop a tangible presence in the community that we can accomplish the task that has been given to us.

One of the ways this can be accomplished is by having some churches share facilities. Esquimalt United church is in the enviable position of having some of the largest facilities of the churches in Esquimalt. I could be possible then for some of the other churches to share our facilities. And it is in fact what is being suggested. Three of the churches in the area have made proposals that the Official Board of the church will begin to consider tomorrow. As our Vision and Mission start to crystallize, these proposals will be the first tests of what we believe the church stands for and what it needs to do.

God Bless You!