St. James’ monthly Gathering is a hit in Manotick

On the second Monday of each month, St. James Manotick invites members of the surrounding community into its parish hall for a hearty lunch, live music, some fun and fellowship.

Sharing the story of The Gathering, as it has come to be known, with members of Synod last fall, the Rev. John Holgate, incumbent of St. James, said that contextual mission involves asking the question: “How is God calling us to proclaim the good news in a way that is shaped by the realities and concerns of our current context, our time and our place?” He described Manotick as a former village that has become a sort of far suburb of Ottawa. In 2023, in the wake of the pandemic, people were still nervous about public gatherings, sometimes still wearing masks.

The idea for encouraging people to start getting together again began with the Rev. Bill Byers, a retired priest of the diocese, who is the honorary assistant at St. James. “It really struck me about how many people felt isolated and were not coming out to things… We had been a community that got together, often several times in the week, and we weren’t doing that anymore. I was also widowed, and as a result I was feeling the same sort of thing,” he told Perspective. “I thought if we could get together for the whole purpose of just being together for food and fun and fellowship … and have no other ulterior motive than just simply to be hospitable and enjoy each other’s presence.”

Byers suggested it and the parish liked the idea. He led the way to create a monthly gathering with a meal, entertainment and fellowship.  The parish agreed to underwrite the costs and to treat the event as an outreach effort. They spread the word primarily through the church’s channels and hoped for 40 people to attend. Seventy-five registered.

The Gathering is now in its third year with steady attendance of 85 to 100 people, about 35% of whom are non-parishioners. It not only draws the neighbours, but some people drive from Barrhaven and Bells Corners. “Apparently some sort of need is being met,” Holgate said. “We have a lot of fun themes… We celebrate fall, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. We have a summer picnic. Interestingly, I sometimes hear that our themed events are the only opportunity that some attendees have to observe those holidays or those seasons.”

The Gathering continues to grow. Holgate said that the Christmas event in December was their largest attendance yet, and the parish hall was filled to capacity.

It’s a simple formula, Holgate said. “You get a hearty lunch, you get entertainment, which is usually musical, Eastern Ontario talent. We pay the talent. It’s free to attend. We do accept free will donations. And it happens every month on a consistent day.

“During the meal, I eat on the fly, wandering around the tables, just saying hello to people. We don’t do any sort of overt evangelization. The only church-related things we ever do are saying grace before the meal and occasionally pushing baked goods from the ACW. But at nearly every event, … at least one person brings up some kind of pastoral ministry-related concern. As I wander, I hear … about the people who come for respite care away from looking after their spouse at home, or the people who bring their unwell spouse with them for what is sometimes a once-monthly outing for that person. People who are lonely while living alone, even those who are living in a retirement home. They’re alone in a community of 150 people in the same building, people who are fresh out of hospital or who are about to go in….Some become new parishioners,” he said.

It’s a self-sustaining ministry, Holgate added. Byers organized three teams do the cooking, as well as set up and tear down teams. “We have the entertainment finding person or the impresario… who actually … belongs to the Catholic church in town. Only one event ever has lost money … and that was during an ice storm….We have the rarest of programs, an outreach ministry that makes money, even though that isn’t the goal,” Holgate said.

“How can we tell that we’re building community? …The noise level is incredible. The feeling is great. People moving from table to table to say hello to people they haven’t seen in a month, sometimes in a year. We surveyed people a year ago to ask what they would like to change about the gathering. The overwhelming response was to change nothing, leave it alone, because it’s so simple — food, fun, fellowship.”

Building new worshipping communities: the challenge

At diocesan Synod last fall, Archdeacon Mark Whittall reminded everyone of “the vision that we set out for ourselves at Synod 2023: We will be a spirit-led church equipped for contextual mission. And at that time, we gave ourselves two goals. First, that by 2028, every parish in our diocese will be engaged in a new or renewed contextual mission initiative. And second, that by the 135th anniversary of our Diocese, which is in 2032, we will have created 35 new worshipping communities.”

The Contextual Mission Subcommittee, which Whittall co-chairs, provides parishes with resources to support contextual mission. “We offer you resources for prayer, courses for both leaders, individuals, and for parishes, parish groups, facilitation and coaching, a guide to help you with your discernment, and even cold, hard cash — Future Fund grants to fund your initiatives.”

Although the goals might seem challenging or even daunting, Anglicans have a deep history of serving their communities, and Whittall noted that the diocesan church was well on its way to meeting those goals. “We have initiated intentional communities, innovative worship services, forest church, meal programs, jazz vespers, playgroups, wish lists, milk bag mats, and the list goes on.”