Meeting One Another Craig Wiggins Lenker for the North American Christian Community by Susan Koppersmith  

13 Jun Meeting One Another Craig Wiggins Lenker for the North American Christian Community by Susan Koppersmith  

Susan: Craig, you were ordained into the Christian Community in 1992. In 2019 you stepped into the role of Lenker (co-ordinator) of the Canadian and US congregations. In early June this Whitsun, you visited Vancouver to induct our new priest, Erica Maclennan, into the congregation. How many congregations do you work with? Is there any difference between the ones in the east and those in the west? 

Craig: We have 14 buildings where the altar stays put and the Act of Consecration is celebrated several times a week. We have many more affiliates that welcome visiting priests and where the service is celebrated less frequently. I live in Chicago and so I have more experience with the US congregations. I would say that in the east there is more a sense for decorum, form and tradition. In the west, where the spirit lets loose over the great Pacific Ocean, the congregations are more free-floating and open to change.

Susan: You have celebrated or taken part in many, many Christian Community services. How has this changed you? 

Craig: I would say that participating in the Act of Consecration has made me more open to impressions of a “finer” nature. It’s made me sensitive to overtones and undertones. I consider myself to have been a very naive person thirty years ago. Now my hearing is more acute and I am more attuned to what is living behind the words. 

Susan: How can we as a community of Christians connect more with the earth? 

Craig: Well, we are gearing up for the 100th year celebrations of the Christian Community. There will be a world-wide festival this year in Dortmund, Germany from October 7-11th. Also, all the North American congregations will be having their own celebrations. I would say that we spent the last 100 years “getting our act together” in learning how to celebrate the sacraments. Now is the time for them to be a better catalyst for the energy from the cosmos to get to our earth. I frequently wonder if a possible direction into our second century could lead our friends, members and priests to get more involved in the ecological movement. Reading the book ‘Eco-Alchemy’ by Dan McKennan has led me to this train of thought. I’m just at the beginning with this question and would welcome dialogue! 

Susan: Where are you traveling to next? 

Craig: I am headed to Calgary for 3 days of Whitsun festivities. Besides celebrating the service there three days in a row, I will give talks and be available for sacramental consultations. Calgary is one of our affiliates. There is a lot of interest there for establishing a new congregation. 

Susan: Craig, good luck with that and thank you for your time!