“Called forth from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth, one charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth.” 

Samuel John Stone, The Church’s One Foundation

Dear Friends,

I just looked it up and there are supposedly 45,000 Christian denominations world-wide! With that in mind it might seem naïve to talk about Christian unity, but that is what I intend to do. All the divisions within Christianity are human made. We have differing preferences – some like it loud and energetic while some prefer quiet and contemplative. We have differing interpretations of Scripture – some say miracles still happen while others think they ended with the early apostles. We have differing traditions – some stick to the chain of command while others are more democratic in decision making. I could go on. For the most part our differences are fairly superficial, and God has allowed us the freedom to disagree.

The deciding factor on Christian unity is that Jesus says it is so and so it is. Jesus says “I know my sheep and my sheep know me…there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” Jn. 10:14-16 Further, he prays “that all of them may be one” Jn. 17:21 and we know that his prayers are answered. The things we universally agree on are extensive. We hold the New Testament as authoritative, we practice baptism, share in the Lord’s Supper, believe in the Trinity, find forgiveness and grace through the cross of Jesus and hope in eternal life on account of his resurrection. We are indeed one in the Spirit.

We will celebrate World-Wide Communion on Thanksgiving Sunday, October 8^th, at all 3 churches. The main focus of all Christians is the person of Jesus the Christ, our Saviour. His great love for us and sacrificial death are the reason we gather around the table. I hope you’ll join us!

In Christ’s love,

Harry