Our Mission
There are many who are seeking, reflecting persons looking upon the current offering of your typical Christian Church and looking for something more...It has something to do with experiencing a deeper reality of life in a world in transition and crisis. A faith perspective in essence is something beyond party politics, or religious denominations in themselves, or a simple one hour worship service. Religion and in particular the Christian expression is meant to be a reality of lived experience based on the best of the Christian spiritual traditions--a reality of those whose lives are a reflection of the gospel message of 'Good News' integrated into everyday life and lived in the interior presence of the Risen Christ.
A LifeStyle for Today
So it is meant to be lived in every facet of our daily lifestyle as an integral reality that develops human authenticity. Being real means not hiding our struggles but living out of them but in the empowering and transfiguring presence of the sacred energy we call 'The Christ' reality. And this reality is a natural byproduct of something lived in a committed community--or more accurately an intentional or covenantal communal ethic. That is to say, a mission inspired perspective lived out of the interior power of prayer and the social manifestation of God's Kingdom as heralded on earth in Jesus message of love and servant leadership. This is genuine community--touching each other and flowing out to others from a committed core group touched by Jesus Sermon on the Mount and highlighted by the Eucharistic Banquet Feast.
If you find that you cannot continue to live a lifestyle that is over-consumptive and captive of the consumer ideology; if you cannot continue to accept the discrepancy between the rich and the poor promoted by the power interests of society; if you are searching for more than the individual and often tribal Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox status quo; or want to get away from the kind of divisive ideologies fostered today in the media (of whether you are liberal or conservative that often seem more concerned about the outward trappings of power and influence alone). And if you prefer rather, a longing for a genuine spirituality that is wholistic and committed to being human through the divine growth in the Christ paradigm and that you prefer to be enriched by this compliment (or complimentarity) of Christian traditions--then join those of us who are seeking more.
A Supportive Community
The StrongTower Community both its virtual web and geographical local friends--is an attempt to seek to pursue intentionally together--a biblical notion of God as a Tower that is a strong and safe place to be together in times of crisis. It is inspired in our case, by the major tenants of the new monastic movement that seeks to be a balanced and integral sacred space for those seeking a deeper spirituality of life and caring--especially for those on the margins of our urban city centers (see Proverbs 18:10) and yet renewed by experiencing God's creation in the rural setting of a Prayer-Retreat House in the Gatineau Hills named after St. Irenaeus, an early Church leader who valued pastoral care in sacred community.
-Rev. Rick Gariepy
A LifeStyle for Today
So it is meant to be lived in every facet of our daily lifestyle as an integral reality that develops human authenticity. Being real means not hiding our struggles but living out of them but in the empowering and transfiguring presence of the sacred energy we call 'The Christ' reality. And this reality is a natural byproduct of something lived in a committed community--or more accurately an intentional or covenantal communal ethic. That is to say, a mission inspired perspective lived out of the interior power of prayer and the social manifestation of God's Kingdom as heralded on earth in Jesus message of love and servant leadership. This is genuine community--touching each other and flowing out to others from a committed core group touched by Jesus Sermon on the Mount and highlighted by the Eucharistic Banquet Feast.
If you find that you cannot continue to live a lifestyle that is over-consumptive and captive of the consumer ideology; if you cannot continue to accept the discrepancy between the rich and the poor promoted by the power interests of society; if you are searching for more than the individual and often tribal Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox status quo; or want to get away from the kind of divisive ideologies fostered today in the media (of whether you are liberal or conservative that often seem more concerned about the outward trappings of power and influence alone). And if you prefer rather, a longing for a genuine spirituality that is wholistic and committed to being human through the divine growth in the Christ paradigm and that you prefer to be enriched by this compliment (or complimentarity) of Christian traditions--then join those of us who are seeking more.
A Supportive Community
The StrongTower Community both its virtual web and geographical local friends--is an attempt to seek to pursue intentionally together--a biblical notion of God as a Tower that is a strong and safe place to be together in times of crisis. It is inspired in our case, by the major tenants of the new monastic movement that seeks to be a balanced and integral sacred space for those seeking a deeper spirituality of life and caring--especially for those on the margins of our urban city centers (see Proverbs 18:10) and yet renewed by experiencing God's creation in the rural setting of a Prayer-Retreat House in the Gatineau Hills named after St. Irenaeus, an early Church leader who valued pastoral care in sacred community.
-Rev. Rick Gariepy