The Rev. Vosper Again

Welcome to Wondercafe2!

A community where we discuss, share, and have some fun together. Join today and become a part of it!

Register Log in
Guessing that most of the current congregation would leave with Gretta, especially if she becomes active elsewhere. Oasis, for example, where she already has a degree of involvement.

A small remnant would likely be left. Possibly they would vote to disband but it is hard to say.
 
paradox3 said:
Oasis, for example, where she already has a degree of involvement.
Click to expand...

I didn't think Oasis was an actual denomination, though, just an alliance of like-minded churches and people. So they would be an independent church affiliated with Oasis, I guess. I suppose they could try to join the CUC but I'm not sure she's interested.
 
paradox3 said:
Mike Milne in the Observer is clearly missing something when he claims that Gretta has always had the support of her congregation. Maybe this doesn't much matter now but his comment is misleading.
Click to expand...

It may be misleading but it isn't necessarily inaccurate. Many obviously left the congregation at some point, but as you yourself indicate they didn't do anything to force the issue. So you could argue that "the congregation" as an official entity always supported her. That's not the same as saying that every member (and not even necessarily the majority of congregational members) supported her. Just that the official voice of the congregation was supportive and no formal voice from the congregation was raised in opposition. People voted with their feet, but did nothing official.

As you note WHUC rebuilt, but I have to confess that I find it surprising that they haven't exactly "thrived." By their own figures in the Yearbook they have an average attendance of about 80, which is a small-mid sized congregation. Given the publicity surrounding Gretta, though, and the fact that she has a virtual monopoly on the - what would you call it - spiritually minded atheist/humanist demographic, I would have thought they'd have grown more. That they haven't suggests that this may not be a growth demographic that could be tapped.

Paradox3 said:
Personally I will be pleased to see this resolved one way or another.
Click to expand...

Amen!
 
Mendalla said:
I didn't think Oasis was an actual denomination, though, just an alliance of like-minded churches and people. So they would be an independent church affiliated with Oasis, I guess. I suppose they could try to join the CUC but I'm not sure she's interested.
Click to expand...
As I understand it, West Hill did explore some sort of affiliation with the UU's at one point but it went nowhere. I don't know the details.

No, I don't think Gretta would be interested in joining with the CUC.

She is interested in the reform of mainstream Christianity.

Oasis is a network of local groups and it does not define itself as a church. Gretta was instrumental in the creation of an Oasis group in downtown Toronto. I don't know the nature of her involvement with the network now.
 
revsdd said:
Given the publicity surrounding Gretta, though, and the fact that she has a virtual monopoly on the - what would you call it - spiritually minded atheist/humanist demographic, I would have thought they'd have grown more. That they haven't suggests that this may not be a growth demographic that could be tapped.Amen!
Click to expand...
The UU's (which would be a good fit for this demographic) aren't exactly growing by leaps and bounds either.
 
GordW said:
While the presenting question may have been about theology the review has also become about practice of ministry. Things like not offering the sacraments are about practice of ministry even when, as in this case, they grow out of a theological choice.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

Not that easy a distinction for many to grasp.
 
paradox3 said:
The UU's (which would be a good fit for this demographic) aren't exactly growing by leaps and bounds either.
Click to expand...

Though some of the Toronto churches and fellowships, with whom she is competing for that demographic, are doing fairly well from what I hear. There was even a new plant in the Beaches when I was still an active UU. Though I think it was a more "spiritual" congregation, at least from what I know of the minister who did the planting. So part of the reason they aren't growing may, in fact, be that a good chunk of the spiritual humanist/atheists in TO are, in fact, mostly already in UU pews. Whereas in a place like London, where there is only small and rather shaky UU fellowship, a "post-Christian" United Church might do well, though none of the progressive congregations here have gone that far. They are more in the Marcus Borg school, embracing things like panentheism that still have a theistic tilt to them.
 
Then there is the concept of absence and the heart growth to the point where one becomes mindless in a dark trance about love and light knowledge about such losses of that awareness ...

Some would compare to the effect of love allowing one to live in a small hollo shack ... and not worrying about possessions and afflictions that could affect appearances ... myths of sleepy hollo and horseman without head!

Approximates a MU -elle ... perhaps a train of them! Once into the rhythm ... it is all about the ups and downs of life and love ... the later a trance-like state ... hype nautical when entering the dark meer! Shadowy pools where old sensitivities are buried by the insensitive to the small parts ...

Envision Ho Bo's ... in an arid land ... Allah b' ABBA ... grand father connections ... all through the genes whether RNA, DNA, GNA, or mDNA ... mighty condrial stuff that encloses the entangled parts ... mostly surface active proteinaceous! Some refer to them as allies ... if you can peer into them ... some imagination may be required!

Could be OBI-Ken ... don't be a Knob, learn about aliens!
 
Lots of comments piling up on the UCCAN Facebook page and the Observer website.

As @chansen pointed out upthread, much of the conversation is quite polarized. Repetitive also. My word, FB conversations are hard to follow!
 
Comments on the Observer website are easier to follow because the place is less chatty than FB. Old friend SB has made an appearance recently with several posts.
 
Not you, CH. The suggestion that Facebook could replace WonderCafe came from Aaron and Dan Benson.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top