Report on 'Conversations in the Spirit.'

Here is the short report shared with Bishop Andrew following on our 'Conversations in the Spirit' from May this year. Thanks to all those who took part.

What seems here to be quite simple, is also quite profound, and Canon Tom invites everyone to read this and reflect upon it.

Fruits of the ‘Conversations in the Spirit’

Report from the Parish of St Fillan and St Margaret, Crieff and Comrie

1.      What is the Holy Spirit asking of the Church in our Diocese?

The overwhelming feeling in this our first session, and indeed all three of our sessions, was that the Holy Spirit was calling us to unity, to work and pray together. We are being urged to recognise the Spirit in our own lives and have the courage to witness to his presence, our faith, and our gifts. We must also recognise that the Spirit is at work elsewhere and is not given simply to us. Our communities are made up of people from all over the world who bring all sorts of perspectives to our parishes. If we are to achieve peace, we must work together.

So, the overall themes from our first session were unity, courage, openness.

2.      What word or phrase stands out from the quote on synodality and what possibilities does it open up for our Diocese?

In the second session, we were all drawn to two of the verses in the lectio from Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 7 & 13, focusing on the different gifts and how we might be brought to maturity.

In some ways, this was an inconclusive session with more questions than answers. We pondered on what these verses meant for us as individuals and as a community. We recognised that we all had something to offer, but asked ourselves if we were just repeating the same thing over and over? Were we being called to recognise others’ gifts more and perhaps change in some way, mature?

From this session, the themes were:  a need to change, uncertainty about where this may lead us, and the need to think again about our roles.

3.      As we journey together in communion towards a synodal spirituality what changes does it require and who might provide accompaniment/support for us?

In this third session we returned to the theme of unity and the recognition of the work of the Spirit in others. We concluded that, if the Spirit does work in others, then they bring the gift of unity with them, even if they seem to introduce disunity because they are proposing a new way of doing things. We have no suggestions about who might help us in this but recognised that we can be very much ‘stuck in the mud’. When new people come, we want them to integrate fully into the way that we have always done things, instead of appreciating that there are possibilities for renewal and greater unity in what others may bring.

A very useful metaphor for this was suggested by one of the group, and we thought it worth mentioning:

“When I go into Perth on the bus, I always sit in the same seat. But what does it matter which seat I sit in; the bus is still going to Perth and I still get there.”

Also, we underlined the need for more outreach and to explore new ways of integrating young people into the community. We needed help with this but our children’s Mass and encouraging involvement in the music ministry have been fruitful avenues for us here.