reVision – Be Open, Be Bold, Be Humble

Trinity United Church has embarked on a spiritual journey called reVision — a program of renewal divided into 3 major stages.

Stage #1 – Be Open –  will take approximately 90 days and conclude with a “convergence summit” in June.

What is stage #1 reVision?  An opportunity to…

• Build community through participation in small group ministry
• Deepen friendships
• Grow in faith through study, scripture and spiritual practices
• Experience Christ in our midst

Small groups (consisting of 8-10 people) will meet 7 times within stage #1.
Our 7 guided sessions are structured around the following topics:

Week 1) Getting to know our small group members
Week 2) Discerning our gifts
Week 3) Who are our neighbours
Week 4) Discerning local community needs
Week 5) Sharing my story (testimony)
Week 6) Evaluating congregational gifts
Week 7) Looking forward (letting go)

We will conclude these conversations with a convergence summit. This will be a congregational gathering providing a time to share the life, passion, and longing of this church and our community.  Insight and wisdom gleaned from our small group time will help us discover our gifts and passions for today. What are we inspired to do?  What needs are we being called to meet in this moment of our life at Trinity? With a fresh vision/understanding of our current context, who knows what actions/directions we will be prompted to pursue into our future together!

Questions for reVision

• Who are we meant to be?
• What are we here for?
• What do we want to create together?

As you see by the questions central to reVision, there is no quick fix to the challenges that face the modern church.  The program of reVision is intended to deepen friendships and grow in our awareness of who God is calling us to be in this moment and place, believing that a fresh engagement of faith can help us see the direction God would have us walk together.

What is expected from those who have joined a small group?

• 7 meetings with a small group over 90 days
• They will receive a brief daily devotion, including scripture and reflection, to guide their thoughts through these 90 days
• They will participate in reflecting on the book “Christianity for the Rest of Us” by sharing in small group guided discussions
• They will be invited to consider an extra spiritual practice as found in traditional/historical church practises
• Between each meeting, they will participate in a simple exercise which will deepen their awareness of the small group, our church community, and our surrounding neighbourhood (e.g. guided interview questions of another church member)
• They will participate in a convergence summit at the end of the 90 days. This will bring together our small groups into one space to share our experience of the 90 days and look to future possibilities for our church.
• Their commitment to the small group will be completed following the convergence summit.