A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article, with pictures from the Renewal Day, appears below. Ian Shaw is the minister at Westwood Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg. Linda, his wife, is a member of the Board of the Renewal Fellowship.
Mix together grass roots enthusiasm, established Presbytery traditions, provocative preaching, powerful contemporary music, workshops rich in variety and quality, responsive worship, and careful, detailed planning and you have the ingredients for a great conference. Add in 95 Presbyterians from Thunder Bay to Thompson (a mere 1450 km – When he said, “Go West Young Man”, the emphasis was on GO) to Brandon and now it is a great conference – called Renewable Resources.
Seeking to assist and stimulate us to engage our fast-changing world, the Congregational Life Committee of the Presbytery of Winnipeg and an ad hoc group of Renewal Fellowship members co-operatively developed a May 1st Renewal Day in Selkirk, Manitoba. The focal point was, “What key, ongoing resources are available to us as we prepare to proclaim Christ and live faithfully in the next century?”
Personal spiritual development, the emerging generation, worship and music renewal, meaningful interaction with children, and several other possibilities were introduced. But the theme speaker, Dr. George Shillington, pushed even such tremendous initiatives from the centre of our focus. The sole key renewal resources for us now and into the century to come is the Jesus who came to reveal the Father and his will to us. “Hear again the stories of Jesus. Observe him engage his contemporaries. Let his life shape and re-shape your life, your understanding of the good news, your attitude to our world, your priorities regarding ethics, economics, and especially everyday concerns.”
The day was Exhilarating, Exciting, Exhausting. The results? Hopefully long term. One concrete results is a planned series of Fall workshops with Dr. Shillington to investigate further the impact of the Jesus of History on the lives of Presbyterians today and tomorrow.