Authors: Alydia Smith


March 18, 2022

Welcome! It can be a challenge figuring out something new. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
March 24, 2023

Lenten Greetings and Happy Birthday GatheringWorship.ca! We have been online for about a year now, and with your feedback, support, and patience, we continue to grow our beloved online worship-planning tool. Thank you! For our first birthday, we would like to extend our deep gratitude to all of the amazing...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
February 25, 2023

I do not believe that dismantling racism within the church is possible in my lifetime; like extracting flour from a cake already baked and ingested, it would literally tear us apart. Even though I will never experience a fully anti-racist church, I know that having one is possible and necessary...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
January 31, 2023

Happy New Year! What are your plans for Lent and Easter this year? In Lent, I always plan to say no to something (fast) so that I can say yes to something else (feast). What do you hope to feast on? What are you thinking of fasting from? Here is...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
December 14, 2022

“As the people were filled with expectation...” —Luke 3:15 I was 18, wearing a grey baby-doll sweater dress that belonged to my sister’s best friend. All my life, I had performed dance recitals and concerts and spoken publicly before many crowds, but I knew none of those crowds really expected...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
November 15, 2022

I had a professor in seminary who always said that we had to train physically, emotionally, and spiritually for the Season of Advent and Christmas, otherwise the multiple demands might overwhelm us entirely. I wish you all the best as we begin to prepare and train for the season! And...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
November 04, 2022

While in his nineties, the Rev. T., a preacher I admired, told me that he only had one sermon in him, which he developed about 40 variations on each year, depending on the liturgical season, biblical text, and the pastoral needs of his community. His sermon was one of assurance...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
September 10, 2022

What's New: Pentecost 2, 2022 Thank you, Gathering community, for your support and feedback as we work to make GatheringWorship.ca your go-to online worship-planning resource. We are over 1,200 members strong and still growing, thanks to your contributions! I know that many of you are having some difficulty finding your...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog
July 06, 2022

“Fake it till you make it” was a mantra of my youth that I retired some years ago. It was a law of attraction and a survival thing: I faked dance moves until I got them; I faked confidence until it appeared; I faked understanding dominant White culture until I...

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Blog

Each space we make home deserves a blessing that creates a safe, welcoming and refreshing place for our bodies, minds and spirits. This ritual, available for download below, is for the blessing of a dorm room. It could be adapted for blessing other spaces in which we live.

Author(s)
Alydia Smith
Theme(s)
Blessing
Celebration
Challenge
God's Presence
Home and Family
Learning
Nurture
Rest and Quiet
Restoration
Complete Service