Edmonton pastors intercede at Inter-Seed
An ecumenical event begins to bridge the gap between evangelical and mainline churches
DEBRA
FIEGUTH
CW Senior Writer
– Edmonton –
When United Church minister David MacKenzie sent a plea to evangelical ministers in Edmonton last November, he had no idea how they might respond to his heart-felt cry for encouragement.
But dozens did, and the result was a day of worship and prayer bringing evangelical and mainline pastors together April 1. “Inter-Seed,” held at Castle Downs Community (Pentecostal) Church, was “very much an event that was Holy Spirit-driven,” MacKenzie says. “It was very much appreciated by everyone in terms of its ecumenical value.”
MacKenzie, who pastors just outside Edmonton at Devon-Calmar United Church, was feeling lonely and alienated in his denomination. He sent a letter to pastors whom he thought might be sympathetic. He wrote that he is “engaged in a rather formidable task–that of being an evangelical Christian (and a pastor) within the United Church of Canada.”
MacKenzie is concerned about a number of trends in the UCC, from the acceptance of goddess worship through hymns in Voices United to increasing religious pluralism to doubts by moderator Bill Phipps that Jesus rose from the dead.
And this year, the 75th anniversary of the denomination, MacKenzie notes, marks the 35th consecutive year of statistical decline in the UCC.
Desperate act
MacKenzie admits his emotional appeal was a desperate act. “I consider desperation to be a divine gift,” he says. “What some of the mainline churches need is more desperation.”
Pastors from Alliance, Baptist, Pentecostal, Vineyard and other denominations said they would be willing to join MacKenzie and other beleaguered mainline ministers in a day of prayer. Phil Marshall offered to host the event at Castle Downs church.
Allen Churchill, minister at Dominion Chalmers United Church in Ottawa, agreed to come for the day. Anglican minister Lynnette Kent and Lutheran minister Terry Downie also participated. About 100 people attended Inter-Seed.
Churchill put the decline of the UCC in context by explaining the history of some of the liberalizing trends in the church. He pointed out that they didn’t just appear as a product of the 1960s or 70s but have affected mainline churches for many years. Through considering the past he helped those present to understand how to pray for the church in its present state.
The day concluded with a celebration of communion and prayer for one another.
Gail Reid, editor of Toronto-based Fellowship magazine, was also present for the day. The gathering was “small but it was extremely powerful,” she says. Reid was impressed with how the evangelicals were “so sensitive to the mainline people. By the end it was really clear that people wanted to continue this.”
MacKenzie sees the day as the start of some new, positive relationships. “I’m sensing there’s a real desire to tap into the talent of others and into the encouragement of others,” he says.