whatever you do.

In my dreams about our future local church community I continually return to the vision of a multi-cultural church. When in Grand Rapids a few weeks ago I was conversing with a local pastor, boasting about the wonders of living on the doorstep of a place like Toronto, where the world is present in a very real sense. While I expressed to him the incredible beauty inherent in such a rich tapestry I also had to confess the deep sadness I have for the place. I passionately love the diversity of Toronto and its surrounding communities, but my heart aches for the deep divisions between cultural communities. It isn’t so much a division of animosity or dislike – although I’m sure there does exist a certain mistrust and fear – but they are more-so divisions of convenience. Folks tend to stick to their own and remain disconnected and unconcerned with what goes on in the communities surrounding them. This apathy and tolerance breaks my heart.

Cultural tolerance is a huge step up from racial cleansing and war, but I am so tired of being content to trade an evil for a lesser one. I believe Jesus when he says that the Kingdom is here. Every day I long for a larger bit of the “not yet” to appear before us. In Toronto that bit of the “not yet” includes a truly Mosaic community.

So, to my friends that are engaged in this church-planting with me and to all that find themselves in these diverse yet self-segregating places, I pray we can grab hold of this dream together. It needs to be intentional. DJ Chuang said it well: “It doesn’t happen by accident. If it just “naturally” happens (i.e. without intentionality), we’d see a lot more diversified church, wouldn’t we.”

Finding Connections

Reading Tom Sine’s fantastic book, The New Conspirators, I was greatly encouraged by the pictures of Mosaic church communities around the US and elsewhere. I’m wondering if anyone knows of an example of such places in the Greater Toronto Area? I would love to connect, learn and dream with folks that are moving in a similar direction.

Tags: mosaic, multicultural, toronto, church, kingdom,

A fantastic quote from my reading during lunch. This is a future worth anticipating. Not the image of a world destroyed, abandoned or left behind; but an image of a world restored in the love and purpose of God, as fully imaged in the life and death of Jesus. Put more simply, this is why I am a Christian.

There is really no reason that we, as followers of Jesus, should allow the global mall, our class or income to define for us what constitutes the good life and better future. Remember the imagery of the better future that Jesus, “who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2), looked forward to. What was the “joy that was set before him”? It was to see “God’s kingdom come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It meant looking forward to that homecoming day when he returns to a world in which healing comes to the broken, justice to the poor and shalom to the nations – all made possible because he endured the cross and because he rose as the first member of a new humanity.

Tom Sine, The New Conspirators (p. 228)

Tags: gospel, future, jesus, tom sine, new conspirators, joy

Canada Day Rawdon St. Block Party 2008, originally uploaded by senor diecast.

I love my church.

Every year we block off a section of the street in front of the church (legally) and throw a block party on the Canada Day weekend. This year there were easily over a couple hundred people from the church and neighborhood filling the street where we had a barbecue, great conversation, a wee bit of frisbee, a multitude of sparklers for the kids, and a great fireworks display. We never advertise ahead of time – just block off the street, fire up the grill and welcome anyone who might happen by.

Rawdon Street Baptist Church has been a light in this corner of the city for a long, long time. Sometime soon I’m going to write out a bit of our history here for you. It’s never been that large of a family and it may never be, but it is far from anemic. I hope this little missional family continues to infect its neighborhood with the Kingdom of God for a long time to come.