More Conference Memories!

Written by Kat Goheen
Canada West Mission Centre Co-President

On the Sunday evening of Conference, we had an “Experience the Temple” event combining visual and musical arts all around the Temple complex. Shannon used her fabric art to stitch and visit with people passing by in Shalom Place upstairs by the World Plaza, surrounded by painters, quilters, and a synthesizer. I played my violin with the European delegation singing Taize music in the Meditation Chapel while a potter threw pots and vases.

​I love this image of the potter’s work-in-progress, watched over by portraits of our sacraments because it’s a good metaphor of our work that week. We got our hands right into creating our future, discerning its form and appearance while also sharing together the sacraments that connect us to God and feed us spiritually. Our potter, Stephanie, had some pieces she had to rework. In legislation, we also had some moments when we needed to amend the business before us, striking out and adding words in our attempts to get it right. Still, we were always framed by moments of blessing just as the pottery was held in that sacred space by sacramental images.  
 
It was striking to see messy things happening in our sacred Temple space, like the bucket of water here that kept the clay flexible. We also had messy moments in legislation, gingerly discussing the need for articulating white supremacy in the motion on racism, lifting up the reality of sex in our conversation on marriage, confronting assumptions left and right in our conversations on environment and the meaning of baptism. Through it all, I felt a strong pastoral sense from everyone who spoke, so different from the combative tone of political discourse on television.
 
Stephanie created fifteen pots and vases that evening in the Temple. We made strong statements in our legislative sessions. I pray that we live into the gifts that have come from our Unity in Diversity and Common Consent. I pray that we are strong, beautiful vessels for God in the world, as individuals, congregations, and altogether!

You can see the legislative work that we did at Conference by clicking on the button below.

Official Actions 2023 world conference