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2 FALL 2025
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MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR
Calling of Christ’s Disciples Continues
By the Rev. Jeffrey Murray
This year, the General Assem-
bly of The Presbyterian Church
in Canada gathered around two
primary readings from scripture
that resonated with commission-
ers at this moment in the life of
the church in Canada. Many of
the commissioners felt this was a
threshold moment for the church,
and while existential anxieties
were articulated so too were sen-
timents of hope and possibility
about the future.
Jeremiah 29:11 was the source
of the Assembly’s theme, “a future
and a hope.” Jeremiah’s promise
of a hopeful future was presented
when the identity and viability of
God’s people in exile were threat-
ened. God’s people were dis-
placed from their land and their
temple that helped reinforce who
they were and how they were to
be. It was very tempting for God’s
people in captivity to swoon before
false prophets, who promised a
quick return to what felt familiar, to
the point that their lives would be
on hold. How easy it is for us to
hold off or decline opportunities as
we place our bets on a vision that
turns out to be a mirage. Instead
of doling out false hope, Jeremiah
reminded the people that they can
still be God’s people in unfamiliar
and even threatening circumstanc-
es. Their identity didn’t depend
on land and buildings but was
revealed through their action and
character. Jeremiah encouraged
them not to hold out for return but
to live, build, plant, marry, multi-
ply where they are and to “seek
the welfare of the city where [they
are], and pray to the Lord on its
behalf, for in its welfare [they] will
find [their] welfare.” That was a
threshold moment for the people
of God, choosing between hold-
ing out for a possible return to
what was, or to live in the present
and build a future based on what
it means to be God’s people in a
different landscape.
The second formative reading
that guided commissioners and
the young adult and student rep-
resentatives as they discerned the
way ahead came from John 20.
The report of Assembly Council
based its proposal for the church
on John’s post-resurrection sto-
ries, which were helpful remind-
ers of the presence of Christ in
the church and the church’s call-
ing to discipleship. The Assembly
spent a significant amount of time
At St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Black River Bridge, N.B. Pictured (left to right) are Alex Newton (clerk of Session), Roberta MacDonald, Loisanne Gregan,
Doreen Nicol (elder), the Rev. Jeffrey Murray, the Rev. Ross Wiseman (UCC minister who regularly provided worship leadership and pastoral care for the con-
gregation), Brian Neilson (moderator of Presbytery of New Brunswick), Eileen Glendenning and Alton Glendenning (elder).
in prayerful discernment, discus-
sion and debate around the “Nar-
ratives of Hope and Possibility”
report. And while there was some
disagreement and concern about
how best to implement this work,
it was clear that there is a rec-
ognition of the times we are liv-
ing in. The reality of our situation
was obvious to us all, given the
shrinking number of members in
congregations and how stretched
elders and clergy are within pres-
byteries. Yet, the report and the
Assembly’s discussions remind-
ed us that while we recognize the
reality of our situation, faith and
discipleship—not the times—de-
fine us. The watch words, based
on the resurrection appearances
in John’s gospel, “Jesus shows
up” and “Jesus sends us,” hold
true today just as they did in the
difficult days of the early church.
The post-resurrection appear-
ance of Christ among frightened
disciples in John’s gospel was
also a threshold moment, when
the call to ministry came amid an
existential crisis, given that the
disciples’ leader had just been
executed, along with their hopes
and dreams of Jesus ushering
in a new kingdom. They locked
themselves in a room out of fear.
James Alison, in his book Know-
ing Jesus, describes the relation-
ship of Jesus to the disciples as
bringing them through scandals,
or overcoming stumbling blocks,
“even if only by the skin of their
teeth.” Jesus’ strange teach-
ings, his interactions with sin-
ners, outsiders and the unclean,
are examples of scandal. But
the major stumbling block the
disciples faced in their fear after
Jesus’ death was how to follow
someone who died and when the
mission appeared to have ended
in failure? The resurrection, the
words of peace, and Jesus’ call-
ing to send his disciples out to
serve and proclaim the good
news is what helped pull them be-
yond the locked door and to cross
the threshold into their continued
witness and service as Christ’s
disciples with the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.
While stories of desperation,
dissolution of congregations and
burnout were shared at Assem-
bly, no one seemed to be doling
out false promises of a return to
a previous time of prosperity and
growth, and there were no solu-
tions or programs peddled to help
us be successful in the religious
market. Instead, the Assembly
wanted to take actions that would
support our calling as disciples
and to discern how best to live,
build, plant and be the people of
God in what is now a very differ-
ent landscape. To move across
the threshold from fear into joyful
service.
One of the first services I at-
tended as the Moderator of the
2025 General Assembly was at
a service for dissolving St. Paul’s
Presbyterian Church in Black
River Bridge, N.B., where I serve
as the interim moderator. These
are sad occasions, yet it was a
joyful celebration of the ministry
and witness of the congrega-
tion that had begun its worship
in their church building in July of
1930. During the service of dis-
solution, the scripture readings
touched on the story of Abram
who was called to go from the fa-
miliar country to a different land.
Congregants were assured of the
message from Romans that noth-
ing can separate us from the Love
of God in Jesus and reminded us
of our calling as servants. While
this was a period of transition,
where the building was closed
and congregation dissolved, the
calling of Christ’s disciples con-
tinues, just in a different way.
It reminded me of another con-
gregation’s decision to sell its
building in the Presbytery of New
Brunswick, because the expens-
es of upkeep were impeding the
congregation’s ability to support
ministry and mission. Neverthe-
less, the people still felt called
to continue as a congregation.
During that time of discernment,
one of the elders frequently said,
“God isn’t finished with us yet.”
After worshipping in a different
location for a time, that congrega-
tion eventually amalgamated with
another congregation in the area.
The place of worship changed,
but God’s call to serve remained
steadfast.
During Assembly, we dis-
cussed and identified where
we are, but what gave me hope
is how scripture connected us
with threshold moments—where
God’s people were reminded of
who they were called to be, re-
gardless of whether the territory
is familiar or unfamiliar. God is
faithful, Christ is among us, and
the Spirit guides us to serve the
world God loves.