Rev. Dr. Lisa Waites is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada, and she holds a doctoral degree in Christian Worship Studies. A prolific composer, liturgist, and publisher, Lisa has composed thousands of contemporary worship pieces, hymns, choral anthems, and liturgical “service music” for the global church, to date. As a teenager, Lisa heard a sermon that described healthy Christian faith as a bird with two wings; one “wing” was right belief, through good theological teaching and knowledge of the Scriptures, and the second “wing” was right practice, the application of that theology and biblical teaching through social justice initiatives, volunteering, and “making a difference” in whatever circle or circumstances we encountered. Neglect either wing, that minister warned the congregation, and the “bird” of faith would end up flapping around in circles, off-balance and ineffective.
That minister never knew how profoundly his analogy impacted me, but it has guided my faith, personally and professionally, for more than thirty years, now, and it has shaped my involvement with “World Day of Prayer” services, too. I’ve deeply enjoyed providing musical and liturgical worship leadership, preaching, and hosting WDP events in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, and I have particularly appreciated the international, intercultural focus of these prayer services.
I am now on long-term disability leave from the United Church due to chronic illness. I live in Calgary, AB with my husband and our young adult children. When I prayed about how to continue serving the church in this next season of life and ministry, WICC sprang to mind. I later learned that the WICC board had been praying for God to send them a new team member from Western Canada while I was simultaneously praying about how and where to volunteer, which reminds me of 1 Cor 12, and of how God invites and appoints each of us, as members of his body, to the global Church. No one is excluded. Everyone belongs, through all of our days. Here’s a link to a hymn I wrote on that topic, titled “Through All of Our Days” (which you are free to share with your Community of Faith). https://youtu.be/Iccyj0ddXVI