WCF was founded in 1976 to focus on the community’s faith journey. God is going to save us by his grace, but it’s our faith that in his eyes counts us as righteous and pleases God, so faith became the centerpiece. WCF works to help grow the faith of individual ecclesias and the broader community through its White Fields program where people spend a varying number of months abroad sharing God’s love and gospel through a variety of ways. A second thrust, over the last few years, was a whole host of initiatives aimed at providing better tools to help people grow their faith here in North America. 

Then the pandemic hit and suddenly Christadelphians all over the world were looking for more resources to help grow their faith. The faith community was looking to connect on a wider scale during this unprecedented period of isolation. Faithful lives in the Bible reveal that faith grows fastest and strongest when put through trial and uncertainty. The pandemic suspended normal with the uncertainty of when it would ever resume. 

We quickly found that singing hymns together on Zoom was not easy and losing our musical worship would create a hole in our faith fabric, so WCF had to meet that need. The suggestion for recorded hymns came in on a Sunday evening and by that Friday there was a team put together with the first hymns. It demonstrates the effort and energy of the team and the passion they bring. We now have over 160 hymns in the directory for Hymns for Sunday and it keeps on growing. During extraordinary times we need new kinds of things to connect and inspire us. We make a difference in people’s faith by understanding their needs and responding. 

Even before the pandemic, there has been a growing hunger in the community for deeper faith connections that transcend the usual. When traditional Bible schools were all being canceled due to the pandemic we had to act. Bible schools are a sort of faith compass for people, a place to reset their faith and create a new network of brothers, sisters and activities that give them a sense of purpose and belonging beyond that one week a year. With a joint effort, the Online Christadelphian Bible School was born. With nearly 2,000 registrations, the outpouring of participation says a lot about how important connection is with other people in growing faith. I sense there were a lot of people who made connections they never expected but were happy to discover. 

Another important focal point of WCF is equipping young adults for a faith journey that lasts a lifetime. To meet this need, a program called FaithLaunch was started in October 2020. This initiative focuses on the four different aspects of faith life: living faith day-by-day, using faith to make major life decisions, managing relationships in a faithful way, and managing crisis with faith. One of the innovations of FaithLaunch is that mentors share their faith lifeline. They present their life journey showing the events where their faith was strong and the events where their faith sank, but also what they did to get through it on their faith journey. It’s a space where people feel welcome and open to share their faith, drawing people together and connecting over life experiences. By people making themselves vulnerable they show they are not perfect, but by God’s grace their faith has grown.

The Garden is another product of WCF’s faith innovation laboratory. This “touch to teach” program is in the model Jesus established by healing the multitudes and in the process showing them the love of God and beckoning them to hear the good news. The Garden initiative is designed to help us “touch to teach” those in the communities that surround our North American ecclesias. So far sleeping bags and care packs have been arranged and donated to homeless shelters and there’s more to come.

WCF’s strategic plan for cultivating faith in 2021 can be summarized in five words: teach, grow, courage, connect, and serve. Faith is like a tree that grows but needs deep roots. These roots need to be from scripture so WCF has a need and opportunity to teach these faith fundamentals. Our knowledge of God and His son helps grow our faith over a lifetime. Tools like prayer and a network of believers help build us up. Another aspect of growing faith takes courage and similarly inspiration. In 2020 the virtual choir and Hymns for Sunday provided upliftment to our hearts and souls and we must continue this spirit in 2021 as we encourage one another all the more as we see the day approaching. As mentioned already, the word connect has taken on richer meaning during the pandemic and is something we continue to explore and develop as we imagine how to make faith connections that go beyond traditional methods. The WCF thinking at its most foundational level is summed up by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2. We are saved by grace through faith. Grace is what God does for us. Faith is what we do for him, but once we fully comprehend His grace, we want to give back. So one of the many things WCF wants to do is help people find more meaningful ways to serve because that mature tree of faith needs to bear fruit. 

For those wondering how they can get involved: if you have a faith story to tell please share it for the podcast. Faith stories for children are another focus in the coming year. Those who are musically inclined are encouraged to continue sharing their talents on the online platform. Once travel restrictions are lifted there will be opportunities to serve abroad. Those that are organizers can help curate our digital material. Any other ideas for resources or initiatives are also encouraged. There are many ways to get involved for those that wish to volunteer and reach out. 

As a final note, WCF strongly believes that faith is a matter of head, heart, and hands. It takes all three to implement the new and existing initiatives. Many thanks are given to all the team members, who by the grace of God, are making a difference on the front lines of faith. 

Mark Drabenstott is chairman of the Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation

To listen to the full podcast with Mark and Helen please check out A Little Faith