In these time of crisis and change in the institutional church, it is good for us to gather together. Recently Corpus members and their guests gathered in Victoria for an afternoon of hospitality and sharing. Several new people attended this gathering and as we gathered and talked, we once again offered hope to one another in our ongoing struggle. Many of us felt that it was good just to get together with no meeting or agenda, simply to enjoy being community. Corpus members also gathered recently in Sidney to share a meal and a community gathering.

We  (Grant. Colleen and Neil) are finding ourselves very much on the cutting edge of change in the church at this time.  Since we came to Victoria, we have chosen to invest ourselves in small communities rather than an institutional parish.  Why do we find ourselves making this choice over and over again ?  because we need to belong in a community where members are genuinely involved in each others lives and because we have a need to help shape and form the community that we are part of.  Recent experiences of this include the celebration of the Easter Vigil with our community in our home and the baptism of the newest member of our community in the home of another community member.  Both experiences involved the members choosing to participate, aware that they were swimming against the tide and both experiences were a catechetical moment for the participants.  As trust erodes and long-established structures crumble in the institutional church, the creation of small communities and the careful investment of self in the building of these communities is essential to the church's future.  The small foundation stones of trust and caring that we are carefully laying now are the seeds of hope for the new church that is already emerging from the institutional ashes.