1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,300
It's my pleasure today to have Bishop Kevin Robertson with us here today for Trinity Talks.

2
00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:11,900
And it certainly is an honor to have the bishop join us.

3
00:00:11,900 --> 00:00:16,860
And what a blessing it was to have you receive some new Anglicans and to confirm many of

4
00:00:16,860 --> 00:00:19,440
our congregants into the church today.

5
00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:20,440
So how are you doing?

6
00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:21,440
I'm great, Elizabeth.

7
00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,760
Really very, very happy and privileged to be here today.

8
00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:25,920
Yeah, well, thank you.

9
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,200
It's a busy morning for you.

10
00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,340
You've got a full itinerary.

11
00:00:29,340 --> 00:00:32,680
And so I do have some questions because when we have the bishop with us, we want to make

12
00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:33,680
the most of our time together.

13
00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,480
So I've got some kind of tough questions, exciting questions.

14
00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:40,040
But I always like to start off with some fun questions.

15
00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:41,040
Okay.

16
00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:42,040
All right.

17
00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,400
So I've got my first question for you so that we get to know you a little bit better is

18
00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,520
could you share with us maybe one of your secret talents?

19
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:49,520
Yeah.

20
00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:50,520
All right.

21
00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:51,520
Just one.

22
00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:52,520
I'm sure there's a few.

23
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:53,520
Oh my gosh, I have so many to choose from.

24
00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:54,520
I don't know where to start.

25
00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:55,520
No, I'm just kidding.

26
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,760
Well, one of my things that I love to do that people might be surprised about since I'm

27
00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,400
now in my 50s is I love to ride a BMX bike.

28
00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:04,400
Okay.

29
00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:09,460
And my son who's 11 about to turn 12, he I used to take him to the indoor skate park

30
00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:10,580
in Markham.

31
00:01:10,580 --> 00:01:13,780
And then he said, Dad, why don't you why don't you ride sometimes?

32
00:01:13,780 --> 00:01:15,760
So I ride with him.

33
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:16,760
Okay.

34
00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:17,960
People are like, you ride a BMX bike?

35
00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:18,960
I sure do.

36
00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:19,960
All right.

37
00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:23,080
So for those of us, myself included, what is a BMX bike?

38
00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:24,080
Oh, okay.

39
00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:25,580
So a BMX is a kind of bike.

40
00:01:25,580 --> 00:01:29,520
It's a small bike that you I had one when I was a kid that I used outside.

41
00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:30,740
But this is an indoor skate park.

42
00:01:30,740 --> 00:01:32,200
It's just it's like a sport bike.

43
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:33,200
Right.

44
00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,640
It's used for tricks, jumps, all right, and all that kind of thing.

45
00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:36,640
So all right.

46
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,280
At this place in Markham, there's a foam pit that you can ride your bike into off a ramp.

47
00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:41,960
Like it's really that's a lot of fun.

48
00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:42,960
I wear a helmet.

49
00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:43,960
Okay.

50
00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:44,960
Safety first.

51
00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:45,960
All right.

52
00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:46,960
So another question is movies.

53
00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:47,960
Do you like movies?

54
00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:48,960
I do.

55
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:49,960
Yeah.

56
00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,720
So what's the one movie that you've gone back to time and time again and would watch

57
00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,280
multiple times over?

58
00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,280
What movie can you just never get enough of?

59
00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:58,280
Oh, wow.

60
00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:59,280
That's a tough question.

61
00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:00,280
Yeah.

62
00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,320
Because we have twins and they're about to turn 12 and they're both big fans of like

63
00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:05,320
Spider-Man.

64
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:07,840
I saw the new Aquaman movie last week with my son.

65
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:08,840
Okay.

66
00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:09,840
I would say Marvel.

67
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:10,840
The Marvel comic movies.

68
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:11,840
I just love them.

69
00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:12,840
Yeah, I can't get enough of them.

70
00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:13,840
Amazing.

71
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:14,840
All right.

72
00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:15,840
Well, there certainly are a lot of those movies out there.

73
00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:16,840
I can't keep track.

74
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,360
But anyway, that's great.

75
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:23,320
And then my last question is, what is your favorite thing to do to relax on a Sunday afternoon

76
00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:24,840
after church is done?

77
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,900
Well, this afternoon I'm actually in another church in the West End.

78
00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:34,040
So I often find that on Sunday afternoons, I'm busy doing ordinations or a celebration

79
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,560
of new ministry or an anniversary service.

80
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:37,800
And that's what's happening today.

81
00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,320
So Sunday afternoons are not usually quiet for me.

82
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,720
But when I get home at the end of the day, and sometimes that's not until seven or eight

83
00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,840
o'clock, I just love to chill in front of the TV.

84
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:48,840
That's great.

85
00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,240
Yes, I suppose Sunday afternoons are few and far between for you.

86
00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,800
When I was in parish ministry, I loved Sunday afternoons because we rarely had anything.

87
00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,920
And then I became a bishop and my Sundays are like chock-a-block.

88
00:02:58,920 --> 00:02:59,920
All right.

89
00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:05,200
Well, that's actually a great segue into maybe some more serious questions for you.

90
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,160
But you are a bishop and many of the people here at Trinity have not come from an Anglican

91
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,160
background.

92
00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,760
Actually, and some people who have come from an Anglican background may still not know

93
00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:20,280
exactly about the role of what a bishop does and what a bishop is exactly.

94
00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,900
So could you take a moment just to tell us a little bit about your role here in the diocese

95
00:03:24,900 --> 00:03:25,900
of Toronto here?

96
00:03:25,900 --> 00:03:26,900
Sure.

97
00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:27,900
I'd be happy to do that.

98
00:03:27,900 --> 00:03:31,360
Well, I think the most important place to start is that the ministry of a bishop and

99
00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,120
bishops are biblical.

100
00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,800
It's not something that we kind of just made up along the way.

101
00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:42,080
The ministry of oversight, episcopae from the Greek word episcopae, from which we get

102
00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:49,000
the word episcopal, bishop, is something that we discover in the pages of the New Testament,

103
00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,100
specifically in First Timothy.

104
00:03:51,100 --> 00:03:58,120
And in the Bible, the role of the bishop is to be just that, to oversee the church.

105
00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:03,480
You may know that in some cases, I didn't bring mine with me today, but a bishop carries

106
00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:04,480
a staff.

107
00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:05,480
Right.

108
00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,200
And it looks a lot like a shepherd staff.

109
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:14,360
And the bishops are supposed to be, I mean, our calling is to be shepherds of the people.

110
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,600
Now, of course, our good shepherd, our great shepherd is Jesus.

111
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:24,500
And he's the one that we look to to guide us in our daily journey of life.

112
00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:30,080
But the bishops are entrusted with that special responsibility of leading the people of God.

113
00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:37,400
And what that means for me in the Diocese of Toronto is that I oversee about 80, 85

114
00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:38,400
churches.

115
00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,360
And I'm in a different one every Sunday.

116
00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:46,400
I also oversee the eight Anglican independent schools that are in our diocese as well.

117
00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:50,880
I also have a special relationship with them and with the Anglican chaplains in those schools.

118
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:58,180
So it really is one of oversight of kind of getting the big picture.

119
00:04:58,180 --> 00:05:02,120
One of the things that I really love about being a bishop, and maybe I'm jumping ahead,

120
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:08,000
that's all right, is being able to bring together needs and resources.

121
00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,520
So this space in which we're sitting is a great example.

122
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,120
This studio is relatively new, right?

123
00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:15,120
It is.

124
00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,880
It's still ever evolving as well.

125
00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:22,200
And your church, Trinity, asked the Diocese of Toronto if there was some money to be able

126
00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:27,000
to help with the technology that is needed for this kind of ministry.

127
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,720
And I was delighted to be a part in bringing together the need that you had with the resources

128
00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:32,720
at the diocese.

129
00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:34,320
That's one of my favourite things to do.

130
00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:35,320
That's great.

131
00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:36,320
Thank you very much.

132
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:37,320
All right.

133
00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,900
So actually, that's a great segue into one of my other questions that I have here.

134
00:05:39,900 --> 00:05:41,760
Is the role of technology?

135
00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:46,600
As you see here, we're in a studio, we've got cameras, we're live streaming.

136
00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,560
What sort of your ideas are on the role of technology within spreading the greater gospel

137
00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:52,560
message?

138
00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,240
I'm not sure if you have experience using technology in the church.

139
00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,080
I'm sure you do.

140
00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:01,320
But what you think the role of technology is right now and maybe even going forward

141
00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:02,860
in the future?

142
00:06:02,860 --> 00:06:05,160
I think it is absolutely essential.

143
00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:09,000
And I think I would have said that before the pandemic, but I really say that after

144
00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:10,000
the pandemic.

145
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:16,260
I think churches that were not able to embrace technology during the pandemic and continue

146
00:06:16,260 --> 00:06:21,080
on using it after the pandemic as you are, have really suffered.

147
00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:28,400
And I think to embrace technology is to embrace one of the ways in which God is allowing us

148
00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,840
to be involved in gospel ministry.

149
00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:37,240
If we didn't embrace technology, the gospel would not be proclaimed in some places.

150
00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,160
I mean, that's how deep this is, right?

151
00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,960
And we're all about the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, right?

152
00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,040
So any way we can do that, I think we should.

153
00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:55,700
I think one of my concerns about technology is that in some places, it replaces this kind

154
00:06:55,700 --> 00:06:59,760
of conversation that you and I are having that we're sitting six feet away from each

155
00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,880
other that we are in real relationship.

156
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:04,920
I'm meeting you for the first time, Elizabeth, today.

157
00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:06,920
I'm delighting in your presence.

158
00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,200
I'm enjoying being with people.

159
00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:11,920
It's hard to replicate that.

160
00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:14,240
It's hard to replace that in technology.

161
00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,840
So I think the church needs a blend.

162
00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:22,900
I think we need to continue to gather together in person, in community.

163
00:07:22,900 --> 00:07:28,520
For those who are not able to be in person, technology is something that I think really

164
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,880
needs to be embraced for the sake of the gospel.

165
00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:32,880
Thank you.

166
00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:33,880
That's great.

167
00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:36,800
And that is something that we're trying to do and explore and learn about here at Trinity.

168
00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:37,800
I can tell.

169
00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:38,800
Yeah.

170
00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:39,800
The studio is amazing.

171
00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,440
And it's wonderful to know that we have people out there who are watching that will actually

172
00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,560
they'll check in, we'll say hello to each other, we'll connect during the week over

173
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:48,560
email.

174
00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:51,040
So we are able to grow in relationship.

175
00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,480
At least that's the goal with everyone who is out there watching online or listening

176
00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:56,480
into our podcast.

177
00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:57,480
Yeah.

178
00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:58,800
So it's very exciting.

179
00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,720
And you talked about some of the great things that are going on in your role as bishop,

180
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,040
but I know that the church right now is also facing some challenges.

181
00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:11,480
So I'm wondering what challenges and this is I hope this doesn't sound like a negative

182
00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:16,400
question, but I know that some churches or the church in general is facing some challenges

183
00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,760
these days, but then maybe what your hope is for the greater church as well.

184
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:26,520
Yeah, I think churches and I would say that even broader than that, Elizabeth, would be

185
00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:37,240
like the faith communities generally are I think are struggling to be relevant and meaningful

186
00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:40,760
in a world where there's so much else going on.

187
00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,640
And I think that's especially true for young people and for young families that there's

188
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:49,840
just there's in the marketplace, including the spiritual marketplace, there's so much

189
00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:54,220
happening that people don't necessarily need to show up in church in order to get their

190
00:08:54,220 --> 00:08:56,440
spiritual fix on a Sunday morning.

191
00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,560
They there are books, there are podcasts, there are all kinds of opportunities for people

192
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:05,960
to be nurtured in their spiritual lives without necessarily coming to church in a traditional

193
00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:12,640
way like our parents generation and our grandparents generation did.

194
00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:14,200
I'm not discouraged by that.

195
00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,680
I mean, I think we need to be open to change.

196
00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:23,720
And I think the Holy Spirit is leading us in some ways of change that are uncomfortable.

197
00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:29,820
Some of our churches that are really struggling with viability, their congregations are small,

198
00:09:29,820 --> 00:09:33,400
the needs of their building are great and expensive.

199
00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,160
That's not a that's not a nice place to be right when when you've been a part of a church

200
00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:42,600
community for decades and you see that it may be coming to the end of its life.

201
00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:43,600
Right.

202
00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:44,600
That's hard.

203
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,240
But we are people of death and resurrection like that.

204
00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:52,120
We stake our whole lives on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

205
00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,120
Right.

206
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:57,440
And if God is faithful, and I believe God is faithful, even those communities that may

207
00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:02,400
be shutting their doors a year from now, two years, five years from now, there's life for

208
00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:03,600
them still.

209
00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,680
Maybe that's in a new community of faith.

210
00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:06,880
Maybe that's in a house church.

211
00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,000
Maybe that's in a small group.

212
00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:14,680
I think that the Holy Spirit's inviting us to reimagine what it means to be the people

213
00:10:14,680 --> 00:10:16,480
of God in church.

214
00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,560
And as I say, those aren't I don't I don't mean to suggest those are easy decisions or

215
00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:21,560
comfortable ones.

216
00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,440
They don't they're not.

217
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:25,280
But it doesn't mean that God is not faithful.

218
00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,760
I think God is just calling us into new things.

219
00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:29,320
I think you said that very beautifully.

220
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:30,320
Oh, thanks.

221
00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:31,320
Yeah.

222
00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:32,320
So there is so much hope in that.

223
00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:33,800
And that is what we found our faith in.

224
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:35,600
Yeah, thank you for that inspiring message.

225
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,600
That was great.

226
00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:40,480
And then you did allude to the fact that there's lots of churches out there that you oversee.

227
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,480
How many was that that you said about 80 85, something like that?

228
00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:44,480
85.

229
00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:45,480
That's no small task.

230
00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:50,120
But you know, Trinity and I'm wondering where you see Trinity's role sort of in the greater

231
00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:51,360
kingdom.

232
00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:56,560
Where do you see Trinity and what sort of unique spiritual gifts or presence does Trinity

233
00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:58,560
have to you?

234
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:01,480
Oh, my gosh, that's that is such a great question.

235
00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,520
And I think it's fairly easy for me to answer, even though I don't know this community all

236
00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:12,000
that well, just because I think Trinity occupies this really unique role in the life of the

237
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,560
Anglican Church in our diocese and within the kingdom of God.

238
00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:18,560
I think, you know, no community is perfect.

239
00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:19,800
We know that.

240
00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:26,160
But for a community of faith that is able to worship the way we did this morning, freely,

241
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:32,200
joyfully, spontaneously, I just I looked around the church this morning around the sanctuary

242
00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,420
and it was just so inspiring.

243
00:11:34,420 --> 00:11:38,560
And that's not true in every church community in our diocese.

244
00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:44,960
You know, some churches don't have good music and good coffee.

245
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,320
Some churches don't have the resources to be able to do what we're doing right here

246
00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:49,520
in this studio.

247
00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:54,200
I think one of the gifts that Trinity can give to other churches, other Anglican churches

248
00:11:54,200 --> 00:12:00,900
in our diocese, but other churches of other traditions and denominations is to rediscover

249
00:12:00,900 --> 00:12:03,560
what real community looks like.

250
00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:09,280
I, you know, there's a freedom about talking about the gospel in this place.

251
00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:15,640
There is an owning of the faith of Jesus Christ in an unapologetic way.

252
00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,240
And I think I think lots of communities could learn from that.

253
00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:24,440
I also know something about this community's reclaiming of testimony.

254
00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:29,760
I had a conversation just before the service today where a woman who I never met before

255
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:31,640
was just kind of testifying.

256
00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,560
She was I said, why do you come to Trinity?

257
00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:34,760
How long have you been here?

258
00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,760
And she began to speak about her faith in Jesus Christ.

259
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:38,760
What a gift.

260
00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,640
Like, what a gift that she gave me.

261
00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:41,640
Right.

262
00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,200
But what a gift that she can give to other people by saying, it's OK to talk about our

263
00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:46,200
faith.

264
00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:47,760
It's important to talk about our faith.

265
00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,760
And I get the sense there's lots of that happening around here.

266
00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:56,120
There's a lot of encouragement within each other here in the church to do that.

267
00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:02,480
So I before I say thank you, because I know you have some photos to take with confirmation

268
00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:05,280
are people who were confirmed earlier today.

269
00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:10,000
Do you have any final words or a prayer for Trinity that you could leave us with?

270
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,460
Oh, I would be happy to say a prayer.

271
00:13:12,460 --> 00:13:18,760
And before before we pray together, I do I do want to be part of my ministry, I think,

272
00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:20,560
is to be an encourager.

273
00:13:20,560 --> 00:13:24,400
And that's more difficult in some places than others.

274
00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:29,280
It's this is an easy place to be an encourager because there's so much going on here.

275
00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:36,160
There's so many signs that the spirit of God is active and moving in the life of this community.

276
00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,800
And look at those young people who are being confirmed today.

277
00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:40,800
Right.

278
00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,760
And confirmations happen in other churches, too.

279
00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,700
But whenever it happens, I think that's a bold and courageous thing to do to publicly

280
00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:52,560
proclaim your faith in front of a whole bunch of other people.

281
00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:54,560
And it's a sign of great encouragement for me.

282
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:55,560
I sure is.

283
00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:56,560
Yeah.

284
00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:57,560
Yeah.

285
00:13:57,560 --> 00:13:58,560
Let us pray.

286
00:13:58,560 --> 00:13:59,560
Thank you.

287
00:13:59,560 --> 00:14:10,400
Gracious God, we give you so much thanks for the gift of this community here at Trinity.

288
00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:15,240
I give you thanks for the generations of people who have built up this community of faith

289
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,360
over many years.

290
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:23,560
And for those who continue to give leadership in so many different ways.

291
00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:29,720
Lord, you are blessing this community in amazing and wonderful ways.

292
00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:36,380
And the signs of that blessing are in so many places today.

293
00:14:36,380 --> 00:14:40,040
The fruits of the spirit are here.

294
00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:44,480
The love of Jesus is being shared.

295
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:49,640
And in the faith formation that we see in this place, we know that your gospel is being

296
00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:51,080
engaged and lived out.

297
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,840
And we give you so much thanks for all of that.

298
00:14:54,840 --> 00:15:01,240
And so we would ask, oh, God, that you just continue to build up this place.

299
00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:08,680
Equip and empower each person to go out from these four walls to be an instrument of your

300
00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,000
reign.

301
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:17,320
That others may catch a glimpse of your coming kingdom in the lives of those who have been

302
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,480
blessed in this place.

303
00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:27,560
And send us out to love and serve the Lord, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in

304
00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,560
word and action.

305
00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,000
All this we ask in Jesus name.

306
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,000
Amen.

307
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,000
Amen.

308
00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,200
Thank you very much.

309
00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:38,200
You're welcome.

310
00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,640
Thank you for your wisdom and your insight and your time.

311
00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,800
Again, it really was a real blessing to have you with us here today.

312
00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:44,800
The blessing is mine.

313
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:45,800
It's been really wonderful to be here.

314
00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,920
And I'm going to send you back for your photos.

315
00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:48,920
Okay.

316
00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,800
Blessings to all of you who are listening either now or in the future.

317
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:52,800
Exactly.

318
00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:53,800
All right.

319
00:15:53,800 --> 00:16:08,800
Bishop Kevin Robertson joining us today for Trinity Talks.