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Christmas at St. George's of the Blue Mountains: It was a very welcoming surprise with attendees in numbers that we hadn't seen since prior to the pandemic.
GROWING BEYOND THE DOORS
By Rev. Canon Grayhame Bowcott
YEARS AGO, when I was learning what it means to be a priest, and being mentored by an aging pastor (The Venerable D. Ian Grant) who was gifted in his ability to connect with others, by being a good listener, and by dedicating so much of his personal life to the attention of his parishioners and those whom he ministered to in life, I remember asking him: “Of all the things that I can do before Christmastime, among all the busy routines and schedules, what is most important?”
I will never forget his sage wisdom. His response for me was this: “However you can, in whatever time you have to offer in the weeks leading up to Christmas, try to spend time with as many people as you can visit, especially shut-ins, and when you do, ask them this question: 'What can I pray for, for you, this Christmas?'”
At the same time, my mentor shared that the greatest response that any priest could have to these prayer requests, was to share the Christmas Gospel, for the story of the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, into the world, was the answer to generations of prayer – and the hope for generations to come.
In advance of hosting our Christmas Eve services this year, I was reflecting on my personal desire to get to know some of the many guests who flock to the Blue Mountains for the opening of ski season, many of whom make an appearance at our annual Christmas services. Of all the services throughout the year, Christmas services tend to be somewhat of a rotating door in our Parish. Over two days we had more than 325 people join us for worship, but the majority of these are not likely to visit again on the following Sunday. In my pre-Christmas reflection, I wondered if there might be a way to foster a deeper connection with some of them?
My wonderings also led me to recall the sage advice from Archdeacon Ian: ask to pray for them! And so, this is exactly what I tried differently this year. At our final Christmas Eve service, a traditional candlelight Choral Eucharist, I did something I hadn’t done before: I asked each of our guests “What can I pray for, for you, this Christmas?”
To allow each to respond in their own way, our greeters handed out strips of paper that could allow each guest to take a moment following the homily and to write down what their deepest desire for prayer was in that moment. My promise to each of these guests was to get up with the sun, on Christmas morning, and, in the silence of the church, to offer each of their prayers up to God before our Christmas Day service would begin.
At our final Christmas Eve service, a traditional candlelight Choral Eucharist, I did something I hadn’t done before: I asked each of our guests “What can I pray for, for you, this Christmas?”
I was somewhat surprised when just about every person in our church took a good amount of time to reflect and then write down their prayer request. As guests left the church, many commented that this was the first time anyone had asked to pray for them in such a personal way.
The following morning, as promised, I got up before the sun and made my way to the church. As the light began to shine through the stained-glass windows, I opened up each prayer request and read it, out loud, to God, praying: “Lord, in your love, hear this prayer.”
As I worked my way through the sizeable pile, I was tugged through a series of emotions. Some of the prayer requests considered the needs of others: prayers for peace, prayers for reconciliation, prayers for healing. Some were incredibly personal and painful to read, begging for God’s intervention in their life – prayers for the miraculous to happen. Within that hour I shed more tears than I have in a very long time. What I wasn’t expecting to read, and noted as one of the most common types of prayers that had been entrusted to me, was the many prayers asking for ways to “know God in my life” or to “share my faith in God” with loved ones.
There was such a deep longing for God in so many of the prayer requests that I found myself inspired by the many intended, or perhaps unintended, professions of faith seeking a closer relationship with God. I wondered if a way of furthering these conversations (like a pastoral email address or phone number) might have allowed for some of these passersby to continue their prayerful conversations with me, or another member of my Church. So many seemed to be reaching out for something, grasping for something more certain in their faith lives.
Here, I’d like to share a confession with you. Before Christmas this year, I had an ominous feeling that, despite all our congregation’s efforts to prepare for a series of different types of Christmas Eve and Day services, our attendance numbers were going to be modest at best.
I don’t know why I thought this. I’m sure the postal strike, and our lack of traditional ways of sharing word of our services, did not help. Despite my pessimism, St. George’s, The Blue Mountains experienced guest attendees in numbers that we hadn’t seen since prior to the pandemic. It was a very welcome surprise.
Looking forward into this 2025 year, I intend to continue to explore the various ways that prayer can be a connection point between non-members of our church (guests, residents in the neighbourhood, and extended family members and friends) and our congregation.
This year’s Christmas demonstrated that there remains a deep longing for many people to know God in more tangible ways. How might our Church see this as an invitation to reach out to others, both through prayer, and through loving service?
My hope in sharing this anecdote with you, is that others might be inspired to do the same! Where might God be calling you to pray for others? And, how might these efforts be the answer to prayer for someone who is longing to take a step closer in relationship to God and perhaps even the Church?
The Rev’d Canon Dr. Grayhame Bowcott is passionate about fostering congregational relationships and sharing our Anglican vocation with others. He serves as Rector of St. George’s, The Parish of The Blue Mountains, and as Program Director for the Licentiate in Theology program at Huron University.