Ask 100 people why they love this place and I promise you that you that you will find 150 reasons why. It’s true. There are many reasons why people come to Carleton Memorial.

But what about you? Why would you want to come to Carleton Memorial and fall in love with this place? Or, from the other side of that coin, why wouldn’t you want to come?
I suppose that depends on what you think it means to become a better version of yourself. And what it means to be active in making the world a better place – one person at a time.

My pledge to you is that no matter where you come from, no matter your social status or sexual orientation, no matter who you are really – you will first find love here – you will get to know that better version of yourself – you will leave here feeling slightly better than when you came in. Your life will be more manageable, more understandable. And, you will want to come back.

At Carleton Memorial, no one really cares where you came from. People care more about where you are going. They believe that in each journey there is a lesson.
Why? How could this be true? What’s the catch?

The answer is that there isn’t one.

At the heart of a Christian life is compassion, respect and forgiveness. It takes practice to learn to do these things. This is what we do at Carleton Memorial. We think it makes a difference – in our personal lives and in the world.

At the core of our spiritual DNA, we believe in making the world a better place by inviting people to choose on their own that they want to be part of that – to live their faith in a meaningful way that makes a difference. The veterans and their families who founded this place not so long ago wanted to build a place that stands for peace, for decency and for the respect of all people.

So how do we do this?

We don’t preach so much as we teach – teach each other – because we are equals in this place. We don’t push each other out of the way. Instead, we trust in that higher power that is God. We trust that a common Spirit of Peace, Courage and Confidence will mold us and fashion us into a family. We believe that each of us has a personal of understanding of who or what God is – trusting also that we are stronger because of this diversity.

And mostly, we do this every week, and not just on Sunday and not just out of habit, but because we know that the best things in life take practice and effort. We are on a journey.

And so, if no one really cares where we came from, where is it exactly that we are headed?

Where some see chaos, we find peace.
Where some see despair, we find courage.
Where some see fear, we find confidence.

Come…. Come to CMUC
And find the difference.

Rev. Eric Lukacs
www.cmuc.ca