Right Rev. Gary Paterson To Visit Bermuda
The 41st Moderator of the United Church of Canada, The Right Rev. Gary Paterson, will visit Bermuda from March 5th to 9th and will be the guest of the Synod of The Wesleyan Methodist Church of Bermuda.
The Synod consists of Ebenezer Methodist Church, York St., St. George’s; Emmanuel Methodist Church, Whale Bay, Southampton; and Wesley Methodist Church, Church St. Hamilton.
A spokesperson said, “The Synod is in union with the United Church of Canada which was formed in 1925 when a significant number of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational Churches voted to join. The Synod continues its affiliation as a long time member of the Maritime conference of the United church.
“Rev. Paterson was elected Moderator of the largest Protestant denomination in Canada at the 41st General Council in Ottawa on August 16, 2012. Ordained in 1977, he has served in all kinds of ministry in rural and urban congregations including the following: as British Columbia conference staff; as a member of the Permanent Committee on Programs for Mission and Ministry; at First United in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Mission; and most recently at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United in downtown Vancouver. He completes his term as Moderator at the General Council meeting in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland August 8-15 this year.
“He believes that the church must discover once again what “being church” really means. What are the practices that sustain and shape our faith? How can “church” model a different kind of community, so that people want to be a part of that? How do we share our faith with visitors, strangers, and the community? “If we aren’t excited about our faith, then why would anyone want to come and see”?
“How do we speak to the spiritual hunger of a younger generation, people who are more interested in following Jesus than becoming church members? How do we reshape our ‘outreach ministry’ so that people will also say, “See how much they love the world- I want to be part of that!”
“He is a dynamic and challenging preacher who, during his term, has also been a pastor to the church at large. The Synod invites all who would like to join us for a combined service of worship at Wesley Methodist Churchon Sunday, March 8th at 11 am. There will be a social time afterwards to meet the Moderator.”
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