Last week I spent several days in Vancouver, recording some podcasts at Regent College and attending a conference. I also had the wonderful opportunity to have coffee with several Faith Today subscribers and readers in that beautiful city.
by Karen Stiller
Last week I spent several days in Vancouver, recording some podcasts at Regent College and attending a conference. I also had the wonderful opportunity to have coffee with several Faith Todaysubscribers and readers in that beautiful city.
We met in the cafe of a hotel lobby. I set up at a table for four with a small pile of copies of the latest Faith Today in plain sight, so that my guests would know it was me, and they could take the latest home with them.
It was wonderful to meet up with Faith Today subscribers in Vancouver recently. Remember, we love to hear from readers across Canada and the world.
It was such an enjoyable day, meeting readers face to face, some of whom we have interacted with before by email. One reader drove over an hour through a busy morning commute and brought some of her own beautiful writing to share with me. I enjoyed hearing about her journey as an academic and I was inspired by what I would describe as a kind of holy adjustment to her life as a widow, without her life companion. She is now ministering to others who are lonely or suffering. She is a hopeful inspiration.
I met with two seasoned journalists as well, still readers of Faith Today but also writers who care deeply about the state of Christian journalism in Canada. We swapped notes and stories and it was wonderful to meet with West Coast colleagues.
Another reader was a busy mom who ended up calling me instead and we had a wonderful conversation about her life in ministry as a woman leader, her vocation as a mother and how that all intertwines. We chatted how Faith Today and Christianity Todaymagazine work together for her in her reading life. I suspect that is true of a lot of readers, and it was interesting to hear her thoughts on both publications and how they almost unintentionally work together in her life, with Faith Today bringing the distinctly Canadian perspective of course. I ended the day having a coffee with a retired professor who had just returned to the pastorate, and hearing about that transition. That was intriguing to me from just the perspective of an interesting story, but also because a good number of our readers would fall into both those categories; faculty in theological colleges, as well as church leaders. Here was someone playing active roles in both those communities and it was good to connect.
We don’t often have the opportunity to meet face to face with Faith Today readers, but we love it when it happens! We are always eager and grateful to hear from readers about your own stories but also about your suggestions for Canada’s Christian magazine. Even if we can’t have a cup of coffee, let’s stay connected. You can email us anytime at editor@faithtoday.ca
Karen Stiller is a senior editor of Faith Today magazine, along with Bill Fledderus. Karen lives in Ottawa and Bill lives in Hamilton, Ont., if you ever do want to have a cup of coffee!