Unity in Diversity: how the Spirit is transforming the church today

What happens when people from different cultures who speak different languages sit together to create resources for worship, devotion, and learning? Chad Godfrey from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, reflects on his experience at the Community of Christ International Resource Summit in the Philippines, highlighting the connection between the transformation described in Acts 2 and what is taking shape in the church today. Chad shared his reflection on Beyond the Walls on May 3. 

You could see it everywhere: shared meals, small-group conversations, worship that moved between stillness and celebration. Music spilling out into the streets. Singing in markets. Dancing, laughing…creating. It honestly felt like a real-life “We Are the World” unfolding in real time. And I had the privilege of capturing it through photography and film—documenting not just what was happening, but what was being formed between people. Because this summit wasn’t just about creating new resources. It was about becoming a new kind of community.

One of the most meaningful ideas we encountered was a Filipino word: damayan. It’s often translated as “mutual help,” but it means so much more than that. “Damayan” is about showing up for one another—not to fix, not to solve, but to stand alongside. To say, “you don’t carry this alone.” And that spirit shaped everything.

People listened deeply across language barriers and cultures. Stories that might have been overlooked were honoured. Voices that hadn’t always been centred were lifted. There was a kind of courage in the room—the courage to decentre ourselves, to make space, to trust that something better could emerge when everyone belongs. And it did.

I saw people offering their stories, their music, their prayers, their art—not as performances, but as gifts. I saw friendships form that crossed continents. I experienced what it means to be a global church—not in theory, but in practice. And while filming interviews, we heard story after story of how meaningful this gathering was.

Here’s a short reflection from one of the participants I had the privilege of interviewing, Bishop Chizaso Chunga in Malawi:

“As an international church, I can see that connection through the resources that are there. And I saw talent. I saw God inspiring the group, inspiring us to write poems, songs. The material that will come out of these, the resources which will come out of this event will be wonderful and a turning point for the church.

We are really creating a new community for Community of Christ internationally because the resources that are coming up—the songs that are coming up from the group, the poems, the prayers—they are very much inspiring. You look at how, from nowhere, a group can sing a song, a chorus together without any problems. This is really amazing, and our church really will be inspired internationally.

And they are contextually relevant because from Malawi I can see either a poem or a prayer from there… I can see from Kenya, from Honduras, from Canada—as a church united and together singing songs. I see God working throughout this week.”

What he describes—that’s exactly what it felt like. A new kind of community taking shape. Not built on sameness, but on shared purpose. Not led by one voice, but carried by many.

Outside of our sessions, that same spirit continued—in the rice fields, in the barangays, in the marketplaces full of life and colour. In the quiet beauty of early morning dew. In the overwhelming generosity of the Filipino people. Everywhere, there was this reminder: we belong to each other.

And maybe that’s what I’ll carry forward the most. Not just the images. Not just the stories. But the way people leaned toward one another—with curiosity, with humility, with love.

Damayan. A way of being that feels like justice. Like kindness. Like the Spirit made visible.

I left the Philippines with new friendships I know will last a lifetime. But more than that, I left with hope—hope that the church can be more global, more inclusive, more connected. Hope that we don’t do this work alone.

Because in the end, this is Christ’s mission: one we were always meant to live together

Watch Chad’s reflection on Beyond the Walls

Watch Chad’s reflection on YouTube