Searching for Clues, and Projecting Hope

My full-time job is as pastor of a United Church congregation in rural Southwestern Ontario. The church is in a town called Harrow, in Essex County. I recently learned the original name of the settlement was Hope. It’s a little humbling to learn this only after working there for five years!

I want to dig into that story. Why did they name it Hope? Why did they change it to Harrow? It is an agricultural community, which might explain the implement reference. It’s in an area where there are a lot of places named after towns and villages in England, and United Empire Loyalists were settled here.

Maybe there’s a small mystery there.

My newest attempt at a mystery novel includes a character, who, unsurprisingly, is a pastor in Harrow. He’s not a major character, but even so, it’s tempting to use the original name of the town, in the name of the church they serve.

Hope. It’s a good word.

Yesterday, after the Palm Sunday service, I chatted with a young woman who’s one of the newest attenders at the church. In a short time, she’s become very active and looks for ways to be helpful.

Her latest project is a decorated cardboard box, which she brings with her to another group in which she’s involved. The box is where she invites people to place food donations, for those in need.

She decorated the box with the logo for our local community food pantry- a “give what you can, and receive what you need” operation founded by some folks connected to our church. They call their charity “Project Hope”.

I am pretty sure they meant to use the word “Project” as a noun, synonymous with “Effort” or “Mission”. But it struck me yesterday, as I looked at the grocery donation box, that perhaps, “Project” is meant also to be a verb. They are about “projecting” hope into the world, sending out something that is much needed.

I don’t think I am the only person still trying to sort out the mystery of life, and actively gathering clues. I suspect that many of us form, and re-form our “world-view” on a contingency basis. In our most recent search for signs, are we finding clues that indicate there is reason for hope?