by Jonn Lavinnder
You will see in this edition a new diocesan crest. Actually, this crest is a stained glass window from St. Saviour's Pro-Cathedral, Nelson. The crest is also used on the Home page of the Diocesan Website.
You will also notice that the type fonts, as well as the pictures, are crisper. And there is a good reason for this. The Anglican Journal, through whom all the diocesan supplements are published, is using a new company for presswork. You might have noticed a steady improvement over the last two issues in the quality of photographs. In the past, some issues have been printed badly. Another factor in this equation is the way the photographs have been colour balanced. In addition, the fonts are no longer blurry; rather than being made up of dots, they are produced by mathematical equations. I won’t bore you further with the technical side of press production.
This is not the result of inexperience on my part, but rather I made choices that I would not have made in the corporate world. I would have questioned the process a lot sooner than I did. However, I followed the instructions I was given using the software that was available and didn’t question the procedure because I didn't want to rock the boat. That being said, I’m not the only one guilty of doing this sort of thing.
Peter Davison quotes from a new controversial book this month, "The Moral Fool, A Comparative Case of Amorality." Consequently, parishioners in denominational churches are less likely to take risks or think outside the box when working for their church.
Why is this? Are we doing our church a disservice by not giving it the best we have to offer? It would seem that we are afraid of being disruptive or uncooperative, and for the sake of not making waves, we often back down when meeting with resistance.
Many people have skills that could be useful to their church. And I encourage you to use them. Whatever your ministry might be, bring your expertise forward. Make a proposal: This is what I know; these are my qualifications; and this is what I can do.
That having been said, the hard part is yet to come, when your offer is either not accepted or ignored. You must be courageous. Here is another piece of corporate knowledge: Anyone worth their salary should not be afraid of putting their job on the line. In other words, "those who want to save their life will lose it."
I am not encouraging you to be contentious. I'm encouraging you to help your church in whatever way you can, and not to park your expertise in the Narthex.
