Those of you who're here for the first time may be rather puzzled about the references to our Canvass Campaign and to the All-Fellowship Event which took place last night as the "kick-off" to that campaign. You may also be thinking that you chose the wrong service to come to for the first time, with a theme that's directed at long-time members and their giving to a congregation that you're just visiting or experimenting with. I'd like to ask for your patience, especially on the grounds that if you want to know what we're all about, this really is as good an opportunity as any! Today is not concerned with anything abstract and "out there", but with who we truly are, why we're grateful to be part of this beloved community, how we contribute our gifts to the life of the congregation and, today especially, what's our vision of the future for our congregation.

A few years ago I had a rather strange and interesting experience which you may perhaps be able to relate to. Someone asked me if I could help them find a poem in which these words occurred: "He was my north, my east, my south, my west." That's all. Now, a few of you might immediately know the poem, as I do now, but at the time, all I knew was that the words were faintly familiar. I looked in all my books of quotations without success; then I decided to just "sit with it" for a while. I closed my eyes and tried to free-associate. Obviously, it was someone talking about a close relationship which was now lost, but that didn't narrow the field very much! I stayed with it and tried to see in my mind's eye what kind of a person it was who was grieving for a lost man -- yes, there was that little clue in the words, "He was my north ... etc."

I thought I began to see a middle-aged woman with a tartan shawl wrapped round her -- they'd been together a long time, I thought, and her life would be totally empty without him. It didn't give me any lead to the poem, though, and something about it didn't quite look right. The tartan in the shawl, though -- that was right. I stayed with it, and gradually, just like a polaroid picture developing before my eyes, the tartan shawl metamorphosed, oh so slowly into a kilt, and the person wearing it into a burly Scotsman! Then I recognized him as the kilted character in Four Weddings and a Funeral, who speaks the poem so movingly at the funeral of his lover, and then I remembered the first line of the poem, "Stop All the Clocks" and that it was by W.H.Auden. It was a fascinating process of envisioning, in the most literal sense. I don't think I'll ever forget that mental picture slowly developing.

A few weeks ago I spoke to you about our dreams and visions for our congregation, and in November's newsletter I promised that I'd get more specific this week, narrow the focus as it were and concentrate on visualizing our future together, our Vision 2000, as literally as possible. Let's begin that visualizing now. Be as comfortable as you can, and come with me on a kind of guided meditation.

When I think about the most memorable times I've spent in the congregations with which I've been associated, I realize that most of them involve food and drink in some way. I'm thankful, as you probably are, for the Sunday social hour and the custom of Thursday "lunch with the minister", and the finger foods and desserts and donated wine at last night's event and at the Dream Auction, and for so many other occasions which have left a good taste in my mouth. Here, we are companions -- literally, people who eat bread together -- and I'm grateful for that companioning. Now, close your eyes if you wish, or keep them open if you're good at shutting out your surroundings: visualize with me, if you will, a feast of some kind here at this Unitarian House sometime in the year 2000.

Like the few words that I had as a start to identifying that poem, start just with that idea -- a feast of some kind, here -- and let the picture develop in your mind's eye. Is it a Christmas party? A birthday bash for yourself or another member? A pot-luck Easter dinner, or a "Harvest Home" celebration? Or are you thinking already about next year's Congregational Appreciation Night? Whatever the occasion, even if it's not quite clear, let the picture develop until you can see how many people are there ..... where you're sitting ..... who's at the same table with you ..... what you're eating and drinking..... the things you're talking about ..... and most important of all, the atmosphere, how it feels to you. Once you've got the picture, and the feeling, if it's a good feeling, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

In this congregation we have much to be proud of in the way we collectively support the work of our religious community: just last year we moved from half-time to three-quarter-time ministry, and starting paying a Religious Education Director. You've probably noticed the effects of both those things, especially the way that they've led to increases in the numbers of adults coming to our services and children coming to our Religious Education classes. You've noticed the colourful labels on the various classrooms and seen that those rooms are pretty full most Sundays; you've observed that there are fewer and fewer empty seats in our meeting hall. You might have heard Nancy Oldford say, or more likely someone on the R.E. Committee, that it would be fantastic if we could financially support more hours of her work; you might have heard me mention that I wish I could find the time for more community presence and outreach, and you may have visualized what it would be like to have, sometime in the future, a full-time minister and a half-time Religious Education professional.

Let yourself visualize that: see your minister involved in Kitchener-Waterloo events, publicizing UU values in the local media, influencing in some small way the conduct of local affairs; see your hopes for your children's life in this congregation come true because there's more planning time and more resources of all kinds supported by the budget. Let yourself imagine, even, a part-time administrator being added to our staff to co-ordinate and make easier and more fulfilling the many hours of volunteer work that go into preparation of service material, newsletters, membership lists, record-keeping and more. Let the picture develop in your mind until you can see what difference that might make, and how it feels to you. Once you've got the picture, and the feeling, if it's a good feeling, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

Last year in the Canvass service, I suggested some of the things that we could be doing as a congregation if we had enough resources to support more than just our continued existence at our current level of activity. This year, instead of just naming those possible new projects, I'm going to ask you to visualize them. Your ideas won't be identical to mine, so see if you can see what form my suggestions take in your mind's eye.

First, I said we could be getting out to more people (on billboards and radio and T.V. and in print media) our message of religious freedom, faith in human potential, trust that this world can be good. Visualize a billboard now, one which you pass often in your car or while you're walking in your neighbourhood. What might it say about who we are and what we have to offer to people who come through our doors? Imagine yourself waking up in the morning to a message on your radio about an event that's taking place at Unitarian House that night, or watching a T.V. spot asking parents what kind of religious education they want for their child and if they know that Unitarians have a superb wideranging curriculum. Let the picture develop in your mind until you can see that billboard or that T.V. commercial, what the message is, how it's conveyed, and how it feels to you. Once you've got the picture just the way you'd like it, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

Second, I suggested we could enter a partnership with a Unitarian church in Transylvania which doesn't receive help from any other source that our members might already be contributing to. Did you know that many of our Canadian congregations, and by no means just the wealthy ones, are partnered with Unitarian churches in Hungary or Romania, where the flame of religious freedom is still being kept bright in the midst of great financial and political difficulty? Did you know that the small congregation of Olinda this summer invited the pastor of their partner church in Fujesgyarmat, Hungary, with his family, to come and spend a month with them, entirely at Olinda's expense, using money raised at their Dream Auctions for the past few years, and that the pastor said it was one of the most significant events of his life? What can you see us possibly being able to do for our fellow Unitarians struggling to keep the faith alive in eastern Europe? Let the picture develop in your mind until you can see an actual activity -- the packing of a Christmas parcel to send to Transylvania, perhaps, or the reading from the pulpit of the latest letter from our partner congregation -- and know how it feels to you. Once you've got the picture just the way you'd like it, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

Third, I said, we could be providing a scholarship for a K-W Unitarian entering theological studies. Last April, Lee and Carol Dickey and I travelled to the Ordination in Belleville of Wendy Luella Perkins, now a UU Minister whose first experience of Unitarian Universalism was in this congregation. The people she knew here, and the congregation itself , will always have a special place in Wendy's heart, because it was here she saw faith in action. Through the encouragement she was given here, she was inspired to dedicate her working life to Unitarian Universalist ministry, and she's now working part-time with a congregation, part-time with the Canadian Unitarian Council on the project called "HUUGS" -- "helping Unitarian Universalists grow". What a far-reaching influence the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Waterloo has had through welcoming Wendy, and how much we could increase that influence. There are people in our congregation today who are thinking about the possibility of professional Ministry; wouldn't it be wonderful to assist them. I received in the mail this week the calendar of one of our UU theological schools, Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. As well as a mouth-watering list of courses, the calendar has some reflections on Ministry itself, including these words:

In the midst of a world marked by tragedy and beauty, there must be those who bear witness against unnecessary destruction and who, with faith, stand and lead in freedom, with grace and power. There must be those who speak honestly and do not avoidseeing what must be seen of sorrow and outrage, or tenderness and wonder...... There must be those who are restless for respectful and loving companionship among human beings, whose presence invites people to be themselves without fear. ..... On the eve of a new millennium, we are engaging people in preparation for religious leadership in congregations and the wider community. ..... It's a labour of love and hope to maintain a school for liberal, progressive ministry. Your support is deeply appreciated.

It doesn't have to be at that particular school of course. Preparation for Ministry can take place right here in Waterloo -- did you know that? Have you ever considered the influence we could have on the future by helping a Ministerial student with our financial resources in addition to our moral encouragement? Let the picture develop in your mind until you can see the person you might be supporting as she or he begins a programme of theological studies, and know how it feels to you to be helping make that possible. Once you've got the picture just the way you'd like it, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

Fourth, we could open up this room on a week-night and have (for example) someone like Svend Robinson speak to a public meeting about how to be a politician with deep moral convictions, and gay as well! (And please feel free to substitute your favourite Conservative name and topic, if that's where your loyalty lies.) We're doing something a little like that in January, when an event called "Clergy for Choice" will take place here. If neither of those fits with your ethics, you can probably think of another controversial, crowd-attracting topic you'd like to see aired here, bringing people in who'd otherwise never cross our threshhold, acquainting them with who we are and what we stand for.

Imagine you're one of the greeters that evening, and that you have to drag up chairs from downstairs to seat the overflow crowd, and that you have considerable anxiety about whether the T.V. reporter present is going to do justice to the event. Let the picture develop in your mind until you can see the speaker or the panel participants and know how it feels to be there, helping make it possible and even taking part. Once you've got the picture just the way you'd like it, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment."

I've mentioned four things which would qualify as largely new projects. As you've listened and tried to visualize, you may have been thinking to yourself that we've got quite enough to do without thinking up new ideas. How are we going to find the money and person-power to carry on our current activities in an even more faithful way, you may be asking. And I would agree with you that there's plenty of need and scope for increased support in our current activities. I'd like to ask you to complete your visualization by thinking about what it is in the life of our congregation which means most to you. Is it the music, including perhaps the choir? Is it the social hour, when you get to catch up on all the news and talk with people who're interested in your happenings? Is it the children's religious education, or a mid-week programme that has informed or inspired you? Is it the friends you make here, or the discussion time after a Sunday service which stimulates you to more thought and action during the week?

All these things, and many more, are part of the big picture of life in this congregation -- a life which, even without any additional expenses next year, costs in the region of $800 per member to continue. I'm going to pledge my $800 share this year, though a quarter of that will go to the congregation in Fergus for which I have quarter-time responsibility. You may be able to give much more, or much less than that. But keep that picture in your mind of the most meaningful activity for you, and know that if you can commit a little more to the congregation that picture will be more colourful, more beautiful, more animated.

Let the picture develop in your mind's eye until you can see your favourite aspect of this congregation as it might be at its very best and know how it feels to be there. Once you've got the picture just the way you'd like it, tell yourself: "This can happen. All it takes is my commitment." And so may it be. As the hymn"Forward Through the Ages" says,

"Wider grows our vision, realm of love and light; for it we must labour, till our faith is sight."

Vision 2000; and so may it be; it CAN be; so may it be, indeed.