Communities of Prayer: Shawville, QC
"The benefit outweighs the bumps in the road."
This piece is part of a series highlighting some of the diverse expressions of the WPCU in communities across Canada. If you feel inspired to share with us about your own community’s experience of the WPCU, please contact Amelia Pahl at pahl@councilofchurches.ca.
When Rev. Stuart Marples returned to Shawville, QC, after many years away, he was quick to suggest reviving the town’s old tradition of celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
To the surprise of the ministerial, the 2020 event was even better attended than they had hoped, and the community’s interest in the WPCU has continued through 2021 despite the pandemic. “I sincerely believe that... there’s a genuine desire to be unified,” says Rev. Marples, “to demonstrate that we are not in opposition to each other or in competition with each other.”
Of course, ecumenical work is not without its challenges. Rev. Marples has found that it is important to “focus on Christ, and the cross, which we can all agree on,” and not to be sidetracked by debates that are not central to the Christian faith. We have to ask ourselves, “Is this bump in the road big enough that we can’t do this anymore?” Rev. Marples answers his own question: “I think that the benefit outweighs the bumps in the road.”
“I sincerely believe that... there’s a genuine desire to be unified, to demonstrate that we are not in opposition to each other or in competition with each other.”
For Rev. Marples, the benefits of ecumenical efforts like the WPCU include the opportunity to experience the richness of the Christian traditions and to grow our ability to “worship God everywhere.” He distinguishes between “unity” and “uniformity,” emphasizing that the WPCU should be about “respecting each other’s differences” and modeling a determination not to be divided over nonessential issues.
As he considers the future of the WPCU in Shawville, Rev. Marples hopes “that the Church will not allow secondary issues to divide it... that it truly would be a week of prayer for Christian unity.”
*Rev. Marples’ comments have been lightly edited for clarity.