June 27, 2008  I have lived in Southampton for about three and a half years and have a growing sense that the history and present reality of this community has hospitality as one of its essential tenets

The Reverend Bruce MacDougall is a man of many facets.  For the past ten years, he has been Chaplain to the elderly in the Southampton Care Centre and Hampton Court and, finally, in his 80s, he is retiring

Southampton United Church held a special celebration on Sunday in honour of the Canadian Girls in Training

Easter at a Glance.... update schedule

What we celebrate as Easter, is also celebrated in almost every culture in some form.

Composer John Stainer's Crucifixion was performed before a large audience at Southampton's United Church.  Something new is happening in Southampton.  Learn more

Harmonies in the Midst of Madness and Miracles

One week from today, on Good Friday March 21st, many singers from throughout Bruce County will come together at Southampton's United Church, in a mass choir presentation of Sir John Stainer's masterpiece, The Crucifixion.

 Rev. Keith Reynolds (L) and Father Peter Meyer

There was a time, and in many communities there still is, when the different churches within Christianity did not co-mingle...

Living in Bruce County, we are often isolated from the differences that can create vast rifts between various faiths and religions.

Faith, beliefs, religion and spirituality, they are all intertwined, or can be.

Keith Reynolds

During the past two years, Reverend Keith Reynolds of Southampton United Church introduced the community to the non-denominational Taize service that focuses on simplicity, solitude, silence and music.

The history of Taize originated with Brother Roger, during World War II in the village of Taize in France. Brother Roger was a Swiss who left his own country at the age of 25, to live in the country where his mother was born. Although Brother Roger was from a Protestant background, he entered into the faith of the Catholic Church, without a conversion, a step that was without precedent.

Even though this extraordinary acceptance was not understood by many, it has been celebrated over the years by leaders of various churches, including Protestant and Orthodox, Catholic bishops and theologians. With a small loan, Brother Roger purchased a derelict house and buildings in the village of Taize, located on the demarcation line that divided France in two. It was here that he proceeded to shape a community where 'simplicity and kind-heartedness would be lived as essential realities'.

Since the village was well situated, it became a place of welcome and refuge for people fleeing the war, many of whom were Jews escaping the atrocities of Hitler. Here people lived a simple and quiet life. Reverend Reynolds explains the impact that Taize has today. "Many people today are on a spiritual quest or simply searching for quiet and solitude from the pressures of everyday living. Where do people go to pause and reflect, or do they make the time to do it at all? My hope is that the Taize service offers the community that space."

As Reynolds points out, "You absolutely do not have to belong to any specific church to attend. This is not about 'going to church'. This is meant for anyone who simply wants quiet time, solitude and a rest from the busyness of life through communion with others who want the same thing." Thousands of people from around the world each year make the "pilgrimage of trust on earth" to the actual village of Taize, located an hour outside of Paris.

Each is in search of something different, but all with the common goal of finding a way of life that embraces everyone regardless of faith, nation or race. "In this post-modern age, and some might say post-Christian age, the annual pilgrimages say to me that the experience is striking a chord with people," says Reynolds. "Closer to home, when we began the Taize services two years ago, each one resulted in a greater response.

This year, the experience answered even more of a need in this multi-generational community. This is a time for everyone, from teenage years and on, to come together and reflect on what really matters in life. Each individual takes away something different. For some it's a greater awareness of an inner life, for others it may be the understanding of tolerance and their connection to others in the world."

From Westminster Abbey in England, to the Salzburg Methodist Church in Austria working with the Catholic Youth Ministry, Taize services have been held throughout the world. Held in candlelight and accompanied only with music, the Taize service is a time for reflection. A new service time will be announced.