Sunday, May 24, 2026 - Watershed Moment
May 24, 2026
Deborah Laforet
“A Watershed Moment”
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your
Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
Back in November of 2018, this congregation had a vote and it was a vote that would be the
beginning of many changes ahead. I remember being in the small gym downstairs with the children. As
I was a major subject of the meeting, it was deemed wise for me to not be a part of the meeting and to
mind the children while their families took part.
Many of you were here, but for those who weren’t, a committee had brought forth a proposal to
the congregation that would bring a new model of ministry, a lead minister who would focus mainly on
worship and outreach, and a halftime pastoral care minister, with smaller staff positions focusing on
children’s and youth ministry. Up to this point, the practice at St. Paul’s had been to hire two full time
ministers, with the lead, ordained minister focusing on worship and pastoral care, and the other minister
focusing on Christian Education, which was more of a traditional model.
There was a lot of debate around this proposal and many were not happy with it The decision
was far from unanimous but there was a large majority who decided they would vote in favour, and the
following year, I became the Lead Minister and later that same year, a half time pastoral care minister
was hired. There were many unhappy with the decision that was made and didn’t believe it was the best
direction for St. Paul’s. Some of those people voted with their feet and eventually left St. Paul’s.
Now, I would describe this moment as a ‘watershed moment.” A watershed moment is a pivotal
point, one that changes the course of a situation. Now, many of you might describe other watershed
moments in the 70 years St. Paul’s has been a congregation, but this is one at which I was present. It
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wasn’t seen as a watershed moment at the time, but, looking back, I think the decision did change the
course for St. Paul’s, and a lot has changed in the past 8 and a half years.
Now, the United Church of Canada is professing this present moment as a watershed moment.
Although a watershed moment can only ever be seen in hindsight, the church is proposing that we might
think of this moment as a watershed moment, when thinking of our future as a church. Society has
changed and the church is feeling the effects of these changes. The United Church has created some
projections that show what might happen if the church continues the way it is with no intervention.
These projections are designed to give us a picture of a possible future, to allow us to consider the cost
of inaction, and to focus the choices we make in the present to imagine a preferred future.
Now, remember, as I show you these slides, that they are a projection of a future with no
intervention. (Show slides. First column shows statistics from 1992, the second is from 2023, just three
years ago, and the last column is the estimated projection.)
Now, you can see the reality from 1992 to 2023. The last column is a projection. If we don’t
make any changes, if we keep to the status quo, if we close our eyes and cross our fingers, the numbers
continue to decline and many see the future as bleak.
The United Church though wants to make changes. This project, “Towards 2035,” is meant to
rally the church, to encourage conversation, to share ideas, to stop closing our eyes and just crossing our
fingers. We need much more than hope and prayers if we are to change the trajectory of the church, and
for the next few weeks, we’re going to explore this project and think about how it applies to us here in
Oakville and more specifically, here at St. Paul’s.
So, let’s take a look at this moment from 2000 years ago that Doug read for us, describing THE
watershed moment in the Christian church. It begins with a description of the Holy Spirit coming
amidst the disciples. “When the day of Pentecost had come,” Pentecost is actually a Jewish holiday that
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celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the disciples “were all together in one
place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the
entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue
rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” (2-4)
Throughout our Hebrew Scriptures, and throughout the stories of the Hebrew people, its
significant when God shows up as fire. We have the bush on fire but not burning where Moses
encounters God. We have the fire atop of Mount Sinai, as a sign to the Israelites, just after they left
slavery in Egypt. Later, when the tabernacle is built on that same mountain, God shows up in a huge
column of fire. When Israel builds a permanent temple, the same fire shows up.
The fire above the heads of the disciples signals that God dwells in each of these people, and, of
course, it was signalling a significant moment for these people of faith. Jesus was gone. Sure, he had
risen, but he was not physically in their midst anymore. What was next? Jesus had attracted crowds of
people to hear him speak and experience his healing actions. Jesus had encouraged his disciples to do
the same, but could they? Could they really follow in the footsteps of this man who had been filled with
such wisdom and who had actually risen from the dead. There was also the threat of the Romans, who
had crucified Jesus. What were they to do?
Now, whether or not you believe that there were actually tongues of fire above the heads of the
disciples and that people from all over were able to hear the disciples in their own languages, there was
something profound that happened that day, that sparked the disciples into a new way of going forward.
They traveled, they spread the word about Jesus, they offered healing and words of wisdom, and some
risked and lost their lives. We can only look back now and know that that day of Pentecost was the
birthday of the Christian church.
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Now, there have been many moments since that time that have brought the church to where we
are today, both good and bad, maybe not as celebrated as this story in our bible, and many might wonder
if the church is in another significant moment in its history. How we react and adapt to this moment is
what will determine our future.
The United Church of Canada believes this is a watershed moment. This is a time when we need
to be open to the Spirit, letting go of assumptions, being open to a new direction, and listening to what
the world needs of us. What will be our fire, our spark, as a United Church, but also as a community of
faith, here in Oakville? What will drive us forward, inspired and impassioned to spread the word of
God’s justice and peace?
I kind of wonder whether there is already a spark. As we talk about a new space in the fall, as we
explore amalgamation, as we discuss and imagine our way forward, I hear excitement, of course, grief
and nervousness and fear, but also excitement and wonder and even anticipation. As a congregation,
we’ve already taken some leaps of faith. We put up rainbow flags and prayed the community would find
this a safe space. We’ve opened this space to folks like Grandmother’s Voice, Oakville for Palestine,
and Halton Black Voices, and we have endeavoured to create a space for those who don’t have one.
We’ve sold our building and asked the Spirit to lead on our next steps. There will be more leaps of faith
ahead of us.
Knowing this, we pray. We gather. We discern. We open our minds and hearts. It’s not easy,
but you, this faith community, are doing it together, in prayer and in hope. That’s all you can really ask.
For the next few Sundays, we’re going to pray together, a prayer written for this Towards 2035
project. I invite you to join with me.