"All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate.
They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses
which the Lord had given to Israel ....
He read from it from early morning to midday,
in the presence of the men and women and those who could understand;
and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.
So they read from the book, from the law of God,
with interpretation.
They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading."
                                                                                Nehemiah 8

Perhaps this line "They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading" articulates the collective wisdom from the coming together of the former Christian Development, Communication, Sexism, and Worship and Liturgy Conference Committees. We reaffirm our task to keep before us the questions and issues raised by and in dialogue with the faith community of the Maritime Conference through the Christian Life and Growth Committee and its units. This need for discernment and understanding of God's yearning for our lives and our response to God's purpose for us gives credence to the following statements:

• We affirm the centrality of worship in our life and in the life of the whole church.

• We recognize that to be a vibrant, passionate, faithful community we need to take seriously our own spiritual growth and support the faith development of all age groups.

• We affirm the need to help people to discern their spiritual gifts and to enable them to share these gifts in ways that are realistic and life-giving.

• We affirm that our communities of faith are to be welcoming and inclusive and this will challenge our commitment to acquire the skills needed to nurture and sustain both the community and the leadership in each local setting.

• We acknowledge the need for personal Sabbath time and will be intentional in encouraging both individuals and groups to explore and engage this practice.