All Saints Whitby

All Saints Whitby has been on my radar for a while now. Just a few years ago, the entire sanctuary went up in flames, bringing pain and heartache to the entire church community. As they went through their process of rebuilding, I met several parishioners when I led worship for the Peterborough AWARE weekend. This year, thanks to Facebook, I connected with a friend from that weekend who connected Gerald and me with their new priest, and this morning, we visited All Saints to lead music for their Pentecost worship.

Pentecost is one of my favourite Sundays for music. Between the images of wind, flame, Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues, the day is overflowing with powerful and creative musical choices. The music team at All Saints had today off, so we led the congregation in our signature blend of contemporary praise music and revamped classic hymns. A few months ago, Gerald wrote a new song called Light Me, which was perfect for today's message of letting the Holy Spirit ignite the fire of Jesus's love in you, and bringing that light into the dark places of this world.

Gerald at soundcheck. Hard to believe this sanctuary was once destroyed by fire.

We were humbled by the response to the music. My favourite was the very-senior woman who told me that she's not a fan of contemporary music, but she "could feel God glorified in the music" and because of that, the music and worship were powerful for her. Mission accomplished.

After the service, we were blessed by the beautiful hospitality of a parishioner. A small gathering, beautiful food, and a glowing spring garden set us up for a relaxing afternoon.

It's strange not having the Gathering today, but having such a rich day is getting us through. Tonight, a barbecue with the family, and then, two glorious days off!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend!