Archbishop Anne Germond Cultivating Good Soil: Day One at the Provincial Youth Gathering

There is something deeply joyful about seeing a dream become a reality.

Yesterday, I arrived at Jericho House in Port Colborne, in the Diocese of Niagara, where young people from across the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario have gathered for our Provincial Youth Gathering. We are also delighted to have two young people from the Church of England, Pip and Sophie, sharing in this weekend with us.

As Metropolitan, this gathering is especially meaningful to me because its beginnings reach back to Provincial Synod in 2024.

At that Synod, young people spoke courageously about being present at the gathering, but not always feeling fully part of it. They asked to be included in the councils of the Church in a fresh way, and Provincial Synod responded by committing funding and inviting our youth to imagine what might grow from it.

They did.

The vision that emerged was to bring together three youth representatives from every diocese in Ontario for worship, fellowship, learning and discernment, with the hope of beginning to imagine what a Provincial Youth Council might look like.

And now, two years later, we are here.

This gathering has been shaped by youth, for youth, with the support of event organizer Su McLeod and others who have helped bring that vision to life. As I said this morning, that is no small accomplishment. Young people are balancing studies, work, family life, church commitments and so much more, and yet they have given generously of themselves to create this space.

Thursday afternoon began simply: arrivals, registration, welcome and orientation, followed by dinner. From there, the young people moved into introductions, icebreakers and an activity called “Tilling of the Soil,” an early opportunity to begin building the relationships that will carry us through the weekend. We then gathered for Evening Prayer before ending the day with optional games and social time. Our theme is “Cultivating Good Soil,” and already it feels like a fitting image.

Friday morning, we gathered for a Votive Eucharist of the Holy Spirit, and I had the opportunity to preach on words we hear often in our worship: “Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.”

There is urgency in that invitation. To hear is more than simply to listen. It is to receive God’s Word with both the mind and the heart, and then to ask what faithful action might follow.

This gathering itself is, I believe, one expression of the Church trying to listen.

There will always be voices that question new ideas or doubt what God can do through young people. But the Holy Spirit is not easily contained. Here, at Jericho House, we have gathered for a reason, and perhaps what looks small or uncertain to some may become the beginning of something far greater in the hands of God.

Please continue to pray for the young people gathered here, for Su and the leadership team, and for all of us who have the privilege of accompanying them.

+Anne

Archbishop Anne Germond

Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario