One of the persistent questions I receive from interactions with people on both secular and spiritual levels is: “What does it mean to be a person formed by the Gospel?”

It’s a question that bears answering. First, because people ask it out of a judgment of the Church and its members; second, many of us really want to deepen our relationship with the Creator, Son, and Spirit.

Here then is a summary of some thinking around what it means to be “formed by the Gospel.”

Being formed by the Gospel is a narrative about lives that have been personally changed—transformed, actually—by the power of the Gospel message of sacrifice, death, and life. This Gospel of grace, received through faith in Jesus, is central to transformation in the Christian life because it affirms that true righteousness and relationship with God are grounded in faith in Christ’s work of redemption, not in human works. It removes any justification for judging others by rules and doctrinal regulations, leaving room only for love.

This formation by the Gospel is a lifelong process that requires much humility, for that alone is the pathway to spiritual growth. It is that humility and faith that give Jesus permission to dwell in the believer’s life. (The Word became flesh and dwelt among us—as indeed he does—but we remember he only dwells within those who would receive him: those who are being formed by the Gospel.)

So we remember that the Gospel provides the means for personal change, guiding believers to become more like Christ in their thoughts, actions, and character.

So we remember, our witness to the world is evident in what we say and do.

If you wish to spend a little more time reflecting on this, I offer these additional thoughts:

Think of three stories in relation to being formed by the Gospel:

God’s Story

The Gospel is the story of God’s work and sacrifice to dwell among us and to prove the power of love. We are invited to know and share this story, and to grow in our understanding and participation in it.

Your Story

You reflect on how your faith has been discovered and formed. In that process, you are glad to ask yourself regularly:

• Is my faith in Jesus transforming me, or am I merely a participant in a diminishing traditional Christian culture?

• Am I growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

• Do my actions reflect trust in God, or am I insisting on walking in my own strength?

The Church’s Story

Listening to others’ journey stories and fellowship along the way are at the heart of the Church’s mission. Ours is a history—obscured and damaged as it is—of God walking with us and sharing our road. People formed by the Gospel stay together because love guides us through the ages.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

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The parish marked this joyful and sacred occasion with warm hospitality, offering a wonderful lunch for the visiting clergy, followed by a congregational meal so the whole community could celebrate together.

Bishop Watton, serving as homilist, shared a timely and meaningful message centred on the love and support which is so essential to ministry today. He reminded those who were present that, as pastors, we are granted the profound privilege of entering into people’s lives at their most intimate moments—birth, marriage, sickness, and death—bringing Christ’s ministry of presence through listening, compassion, and care.

As a diocese, we rejoice with Rev’d Carol and commit to upholding her in prayer and support as she begins this new chapter in her ministry.

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The Alongside Hope Indigenous Partnership Program promotes partnerships based on recognition, respect, and support for the rights and wellbeing of the Indigenous partners.

Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions are invaluable and contribute to the rich tapestry of Canadian society. Supporting Indigenous programs helps preserve and revitalize these cultural assets, ensuring they are passed on to future generations.

Mapping the Ground We Stand On

In 2015, following the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Alongside Hope developed a narrative and a process called “Mapping the Ground We Stand On.” The resulting workshop explored Indigenous presence and Settler arrival on the map of Turtle Island/Canada.

Piloted at Alongside Hope’s National Gathering in the fall of 2015, this “education for reconciliation” resource was further developed and delivered in parishes and other venues. In 2019, Alongside Hope launched a new five-year strategic plan. The fifth goal is “Mutual Reconciliation: We will accompany and support First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, guided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the priorities of Indigenous communities and organizations in Canada.” In 2019, a decision was taken by Alongside Hope to train a national network of Mapping Exercise facilitators.

Bring a Mapping Exercise to your community

The map of truth and reconciliation in Canada is still very much incomplete. Alongside Hope remains committed to being part of the journey towards finding a more complete map.

Each ecclesiastical province group has been equipped with a large floor map of Canada and is ready to bring this education for reconciliation resource to you. It is ideal for a synod, clergy retreat day, youth gathering, or Indigenous awareness event in your parish or community.

Archdeacon Terry Caines wrote that “during the annual clergy Lenten retreat, under the guidance of Canon Tom Mugford, an Alongside Hope representative, clergy of Central NL took part in a meaningful Mapping exercise designed to create reflection, awareness, and shared learning. Through visual storytelling and guided discussion, clergy looked at key moments and stories that have shaped our nation’s history, including lesser-known and often overlooked experiences.

The exercise encouraged clergy to engage more deeply with the historical truths of our country, including the lasting impacts of colonization and the experiences of Indigenous communities across regions such as Newfoundland and Labrador. By visually tracing these histories, clergy gained new insight into how past events continue to influence present-day communities.

Beyond education, the Mapping exercise created sacred space for dialogue, mutual understanding, and collective growth. It offered an opportunity not only to learn, but also to listen—strengthening relationships and deepening commitment to reconciliation, compassion, and informed ministry within our communities.”

If you would like to host a Mapping Exercise for an Anglican entity, Alongside Hope will cover any travel costs for our volunteer facilitators. Local hosts are asked to cover any costs associated with the venue or refreshments and provide tech support. Non-Anglican entities are asked to cover both travel and hosting costs. For more information on the Mapping Exercise cost structure, please contact Abdi Ali aali@alongsidehope.org.

Information taken from the Alongside Hope website (alongsidehope.org)

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I always write my Easter message with a sense of joy, expressing thanksgiving for our shared faith in the story of new life, resurrection, reconciliation, and our hope for peace throughout the world.

With faith unwavering, I write this to you with a heart joining our beloved siblings in deep pain. As you would know, in the early hours of February 28, at the dawn of Shabbat, a large-scale coordinated military attack by the United States and Israel on a number of cities and facilities within Iran began.

Those in Iran, and throughout Cyprus and the Gulf, across Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, are forced to face unprecedented threats of military violence.

As more and more innocents suffer, lose all hope, and die, I find my heart resting outside Jesus’ tomb, thinking of how Jesus himself longed for peace when he gazed upon Jerusalem, weeping from the Mount of Olives.

On Easter Day, in my own devotion, reflection, and prayer, I must intentionally enter a time of quiet, going about the day in prayer. On Palm Sunday, we cried “Hosanna”… Save us, Lord. Let us pray for a greater understanding of what it means to ask God to be faithful and rescue us all.

His answer is, and forever will be, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s look to the tomb, wait for the stone to be rolled away, and cry with hope and joy… “He is risen!”

I wish you, one and all, a blessed, happy Easter.

+John, Central Newfoundland

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At St. Martin’s Cathedral in Gander on the 10th of December 2025, The Rt. Rev’d John E. Watton, ordained The Rev’d Carol Budgell Manning to the diaconate. Rev’d Carol will be going to the Parish of Lewisporte in January of 2026.

Also, Bishop Watton ordained The Rev’d Steward May and The Rev’d Don Brett to the priesthood. Rev’d Steward will continue his ministry in the Parishes of Twillingate and Gander Bay. Rev’d Don will continue his ministry as Hospital Chaplain in Grand Falls. Thank you to all who came supported these three individuals as they continue their ministries.

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As you read this, you might well imagine that the course around the Eucharist had many levels. It did. Now, rather than provide a précis of the course, I am going to choose here briefly to offer one theme that provided us with a foundation for some deeper understandings and an appreciation of who we might be as a Church today:
Unity.

Unity was essential in the early Christian Church for demonstrating Christ’s message to the world. During times of persecution, unity was seen as vital and non-negotiable, as Christians shared their lives and faced death together. Early Christians relied on one another, even across class divisions, wealth, and diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. They held a sincere belief in the Gospel message, which was first spread through oral tradition (word), and they found that gathering for the Eucharist brought Christ’s real presence into their midst.

Early Christians understood this, and they succeeded in creating a powerful testimony of one heart and soul in the Gospel. This was clear in their shared practices: radical generosity and common devotion to Jesus’ teachings, despite their different backgrounds. This unity wasn’t a forced conformity but a deep, Spirit-led bond rooted in shared purpose and love, which was crucial for fulfilling their mission.

The breaking and sharing of bread at the early Eucharist connected people to each other, to the Lord, to the community, and to God’s will for a mission of reconciliation with all people and all creation.

Let me leave you with these few features of the early Church for your reflection. May they bless you in your personal journey and in the vocation to which you are called within your local parish community.

Key Aspects of Early Church Unity:

1. There is no party spirit. All supposed “human strengths” or gifts, such as knowledge, spiritual power, and heavenly wisdom, are humbled before grace and love.

2. Christians identify with the suffering Lord and will suffer and sacrifice personally and for the sake of others out of love for him.

3. There is hope in the face of adversity and death because Christians believe that God has prepared a way and conquered death.

4. Christians will strive for unity in the Body of Christ. Ecclesia (or gathering with a common mind) is the highest value.

5. Christians love. The love of God is reflected in the ways they love others.

Let me leave you now with John 17:21, in which Jesus prays for future believers, asking that they “may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

May Jesus’ prayer be fulfilled in us, this year and beyond.

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Our fellowship day began with a Communion service followed by a cold-plate luncheon. The afternoon sessions included a “get-to-know-you game”, which was a lot of fun. A few other games were played, giving all women a chance to receive small gifts.

Our focus was “Shine Your Light”, and being so close to Thanksgiving, we were given the opportunity to acknowledge our blessings. The shining light of blessings, fun, and friendships — new and old — made it truly a fellowship day.

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