“I cannot do it all, and you cannot do it all, but if we each do some, then together we have a whole”
– Twyla Glassford, Windsor, Ontario
My name is Twyla Glassford from Windsor, Ontario. I have attended this church all my life. My great-grandfather donated land on his farm for the first RLDS church building in the Amherstburg area. Growing up, I never questioned my beliefs or the number of times I attended church functions each week. It was just part of my life and defined who I was and who I would become.
Even though my journey of belief and acceptance has always been strong through the years, there have been many times when I came kicking and screaming into a new understanding and acceptance of how the church has matured in its fulfilling of Gods’ direction for us. Sometimes my belief and my ability to put those beliefs into action are at odds. I know, I understand, I accept, I feel in my heart, but fear, selfishness and insecurity cause me to hesitate. I ask where is my place in the direction the church is taking? I can’t do what others feel called to do. Am I still a good disciple?
While considering what “my voice” had to say, I was going through some old journals and found this entry from many years ago. I was attending a workshop and the assignment was to write our dreams for the church. This is what I wrote:
“I have a dream that one day the pews of our congregations will be overflowing with people who want to be together to share in God’s Spirit. I have a dream that the words we speak will be the actions we live. That we will be guided by love for one another not by judgment. That we will accept others the way God made them and not the way we think they should be. I have a dream that we will give ourselves the freedom to allow God to tap into His Spirit within us and not be tied to man made rules and laws that discriminate, reject, and dismiss people. I have a dream that we will learn to embrace ‘different’ and not be afraid of what we don’t know or understand. I would hope the desire would be there to learn from and about each other so that everyone can grow, and the peaceable kingdom would be attainable. I have a dream that we could truly see each other as God’s children and that when we look into the face of another, whatever their colour, culture, life situation, we would see the face of Christ.”
As I reflected on these dream statements, it occurred to me that they are addressed in both the Mission Initiatives and the Enduring Principles. The church has a plan and God is directing his people. I cannot do it all, and you cannot do it all, but if we each do some, then together we have a whole. We help and support each other in the maturing and understanding of our faith journey. That is community.
It is so much easier to say the words than to put them into action. I still have a long way to go to be “all” that I think God wants me to be. But I know that He is pleased to see my growth thus far and continues to support me in my struggles. My prayer for this Church is that our hearts and minds will be open to see each other with new eyes and new understanding so that we become for the world, the Peaceable Kingdom to which we aspire.
Even though my journey of belief and acceptance has always been strong through the years, there have been many times when I came kicking and screaming into a new understanding and acceptance of how the church has matured in its fulfilling of Gods’ direction for us. Sometimes my belief and my ability to put those beliefs into action are at odds. I know, I understand, I accept, I feel in my heart, but fear, selfishness and insecurity cause me to hesitate. I ask where is my place in the direction the church is taking? I can’t do what others feel called to do. Am I still a good disciple?
While considering what “my voice” had to say, I was going through some old journals and found this entry from many years ago. I was attending a workshop and the assignment was to write our dreams for the church. This is what I wrote:
“I have a dream that one day the pews of our congregations will be overflowing with people who want to be together to share in God’s Spirit. I have a dream that the words we speak will be the actions we live. That we will be guided by love for one another not by judgment. That we will accept others the way God made them and not the way we think they should be. I have a dream that we will give ourselves the freedom to allow God to tap into His Spirit within us and not be tied to man made rules and laws that discriminate, reject, and dismiss people. I have a dream that we will learn to embrace ‘different’ and not be afraid of what we don’t know or understand. I would hope the desire would be there to learn from and about each other so that everyone can grow, and the peaceable kingdom would be attainable. I have a dream that we could truly see each other as God’s children and that when we look into the face of another, whatever their colour, culture, life situation, we would see the face of Christ.”
As I reflected on these dream statements, it occurred to me that they are addressed in both the Mission Initiatives and the Enduring Principles. The church has a plan and God is directing his people. I cannot do it all, and you cannot do it all, but if we each do some, then together we have a whole. We help and support each other in the maturing and understanding of our faith journey. That is community.
It is so much easier to say the words than to put them into action. I still have a long way to go to be “all” that I think God wants me to be. But I know that He is pleased to see my growth thus far and continues to support me in my struggles. My prayer for this Church is that our hearts and minds will be open to see each other with new eyes and new understanding so that we become for the world, the Peaceable Kingdom to which we aspire.