Sutherland is a sparsely populated part of northwest Scotland. As you travel there the roads get increasingly narrow and twisty, with only a single lane in many places. To allow vehicles to move in both directions, there are “passing places” carved into the landscape wherever possible. The passing ritual is very methodical and social: if you see a vehicle coming your way, whoever can pull over first does so, and hearty waves of thanks are exchanged as the vehicles pass by. Humans are generally observant of these courtesies, but sheep largely ignore them and wait until collision is imminent before frantically bolting out of the way.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, more than 5,000 families in Sutherland were summarily evicted from their homes and farmland by wealthy landowners who wanted to use the land for sheep farming, which was much more profitable than having tenants. This brutal practice became known as the “Highland Clearances” and led to emigrations to Canada, America and Australia. Many other people were resettled along the craggy coast, in tiny crofts (subsistence farms), or to work in the fishing industry. Sudden, rapid, unwelcome change, in any event.
At General Synod last June, years of careful consultation culminated in the adoption of Creating Pathways, signalling the start of work to achieve significant changes in the culture, structure, and operations of our national church. Unlike the poor, vulnerable tenants of Sutherland who were at the mercy of overlords, we, as the people, clergy, and bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada, guided by the primate’s commission set up by Archbishop Linda Nicholls, worked hard together to listen to, respond to, revise and propose what we feel God is calling us to do at this time.
We were attentive to one another and to the Holy Spirit as we each played our part in drafting six pathways intended to address the long-standing challenges and opportunities we face at this time. Our members of General Synod gave overwhelming support and resources to systematically reshape our national church—so we can share the gospel of love from a place of strength and hope.
I took the photograph accompanying this column in Sutherland on Faraid Head, by the Kyle of Durness, facing due north. To the left is the foreboding headland of Cape Wrath, and on the far side of the channel is the wide, open North Sea. The tide has just gone out, leaving the bright sand untrammeled, inviting you, the viewer, to make your own path into the vista ahead of you. It is a place that breathes possibilities and opens your spirit of hope and adventure. We are in such a place as we look to the future of our beloved church. God has opened a new vista for us, and we are utterly free to follow new pathways into the possibilities we see before us.
