Season 13 at Commons
Who We Are
You know what coming to church feels like.
To walk into a shared space.
To see familiar faces.
To meet someone new while waiting for a coffee.
To be invited into ancient liturgy.
To learn together with others.
To lend your effort to meaningful causes.
To grow in your trust that God has always looked like Jesus.
These are just some of the experiences we have in common from participating in this community over the years. And as we launch into a thirteenth season together, we celebrate that we are now a church in two parishes — which means that there’s even more room now for our friends and neighbours to share in the things that matter most.
That said, launching a new parish together is no small thing.
It is the product of planning and preparation. It’s also a product of the serendipity and surprise that spiritual life always brings us.
And we love that so many of you have stepped up to get involved in this work! We’re excited to see still more of you choose to actively support this initiative. Your intentional, thoughtful involvement serves as a helpful reminder — that we are experiencing this change collectively.
As we do, there’s so much that stays the same.
We’re still a community committed to being intellectually honest, spiritually passionate, and centred on Jesus.
We remain dedicated to shaping the imaginations of kids and youth, giving them space to find and grow in a faith of their own.
We’ll continue to be a place where you can get involved in local partnerships that make a tangible difference. We’ll maintain the global partnerships that stretch our hearts toward more justice and equity.
We’re going to keep working to form the bonds of connection through Groups and Dinners and Events that make this city less lonely.
How We Change...Together
And at the same time, it’s important to acknowledge that as this work takes place in two locations, in two communities, in two unique local expressions, there are some things that will shift.
First, the Commons staff team will operate in specific parishes. Practically, this means that Bobbi, Jarrod, and Rachel will be leading in Marda Loop most of the time, and the rest of our staff will be present in Kensington most of the time. Our teaching team will move between parish sites periodically to provide the multi-vocal approach we all appreciate, but for the most part each staff person will operate out of one parish. You can follow along with the teaching in both parishes here:
Marda Loop
Kensington
Second, you’re going to see some changes on our Events page. We will continue to plan and schedule Events to help you connect with others — such as Courses, Volunteer opportunities, Dinners, Short-term Groups, and much more. What’s shifting is that these things will now be organized and happening across two facilities. All of these are open to you to engage as part of your spiritual practice — we just remind you to note the specific location included in your registration moving forward.
Check out upcoming fall Events here!
And third, our newsletter is moving to a quarterly cycle with special issues planned in-between. This will continue to be a place designed for you to engage big ideas around Commons, even as it now serves as a way for us to connect participants to everything we share across two parishes. You can expect issues to arrive in your inbox around the high points of our fall Launch, Advent, Lent, and the beginning of summer.
All in all, we are thrilled to start Season 13 with hearts wide open to what we love most about Commons AND to how God’s faithfulness leads us into all the newness ahead. Here’s to another year of growth, learning, and change — for you personally, and for us as a community — with Jesus at the centre.
