The Word of God is referred to in the Book of Hebrews (4:12) to be a living force itself, a sacred practice which brings the divine light of Christ consciousness into our lives. The Word of God is the Living Word—the act of bringing the Word from the Bible page to life through the embodiment of good Christian character. Associated with the concept of the Living Word, the hymn “Break Thou the Bread of Life” eloquently states in the first stanza, “Beyond the sacred page, I seek Thee Lord”. Herein is this writing’s focus—examples of the sacred page to actions of living faith found in the Parish of Upper Island Cove.
On September 27th, more than 250 guests arrived at the Upper Island Cove Community Centre to support the St. Peter’s Church, Goods, Services, and Talents (GST) Mission Work project by attending the third GST Dinner Theatre. The Dinner Theatre entails a hot turkey dinner, a collaboration of music from musicians of all ages within the parish and by friends of the parish, and of course, a vibrant comedic play centred on life in the town of Upper Island Cove from days gone by, performed by parishioners of the parish. The GST involves an online auction followed by the Dinner Theatre and is truly a celebration of goods, services, and talents local to our town and region with all hands coming together to use their gifts to support our parish. It takes many months of preparation and so many volunteers working together to make the GST online auction and Dinner Theatre a success. Only time will tell if the crew aboard the S.S. Medda (i.e., Meadow, a name place of the town of Upper Island Cove in true phonological form) sets sail to the coast of Labrador once more.
In response to the devastating North Shore wildfires this past summer, the Parish of Upper Island Cove was moved to love thy neighbour and is currently sponsoring a family who lost their home and all their belongings during the fires. This outreach mission work project was named, the “North Shore Wildfire Faith in Action” project. The project began in October and will continue until early November. The response to this project—while inexhaustive at this writing—has been remarkable. Resources shared thus far include generous donations from both churches from the Parish of Upper Island Cove and many faithful parishioners within the parish. A strong intention was to include the children of our faith community in this mission work. The J.A., C.L.B., and Sunday School programs are currently running a “Toonie Drive” where all donations collected will go towards the purchase of replacing favourite books, art, and baking supplies—activities the children identified as ones they enjoy doing with their family. It is our hope to bring a smile to these children during a difficult time in their lives, to give to them the spirit of God’s love, and to provide the children of our faith community an opportunity to live the Word, do God’s work, love their neighbour, and be the good they wish to see in the world. Support for this project has extended beyond a parish level and heartwarmingly includes a generous donation on behalf of the Upper Island Cove Volunteer Fire Department at the fifty-third Annual Upper Island Cove Fireman’s Ball. Our local volunteer firefighters were part of the emergency response effort to protect the communities along the North Shore during the wildfires. To receive such generous support to the parish in this mission work from a team of brave people who sacrificed so much during this unprecedented natural disaster is a clear example of deep divinity that comes from engaging partnerships in our community.
In 2022, the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador launched a strategic planning project led by Bishop Sam Rose called, “Set Sail: Charting the Course for Christ’s Church.” It is my hope reviewing the past couple of month’s parish activity captured in this article demonstrates strong examples of the Word “Setting Sail” in the Parish of Upper Island Cove: Strategic action of gifts of stewardship within our communities; dedication to serving the church community by bringing the church out of the church and into community-centric practice; deepening relationships with volunteerism and mission work, parishioners, and friends of the parish; and engaging community partnerships with community organizations, local businesses, and people collaborating to support our mission and outreach work. By embracing the core truth of the Living Word in big or small ways, whether that is smiling at a stranger, cooking the turkey for a dinner theatre, or organizing a call-to-action mission project, living the Faith of the Living Word is an everyday choice that transforms our relationship with the divine, and our perception of the world to one of the peace of Christ Consciousness. I conclude with the final verse of “Break Thou the Bread of Life” which sums up the healing power of practicing the Living Word, “Bless Thou the truth dear Lord, to me, to me. As Thou didst bless the bread in Galilee. Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall. And I shall find my peace, my all in all.”
