CInside T H E L U T H E R A N ONNECTION

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1 C T H E L U T H E R A N ONNECTION NEWS OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCHES OF THE TORONTO CONFERENCE OCTOBER 2013 CInside Our Congregations at Work 2 Restructuring 2 Our Pastors Comment 3 Synod-Congregation Covenant 4 Community Service 5 Ecumenical Events 5 The New World 5 Girl Rising 6 Youth 6 Please check the Toronto Conference website for the Toronto Conference Prayer Rotation. easternsynod.org Thanksgiving and Praise Give thanks to the Lord, Proclaim His greatness among the people, He gives seed to the sower, And crowns the fields with blessings. Give thanks to the Lord, Cause He is good; He satisfies those who are thirsty, And fills the hungry with good things; Tell all the world the wonderful things He has done for us. Sing to the Lord, all the world! Proclaim every day the Good News, That He has saved us from our sins. Now count your blessings, And name them one by one; Twill indeed surprise you, What He has done for us; We don t need more to be thankful, Just need to be more thankful. John Muttiah Christ the King, Whitby Toronto Conference Second Annual Reformation Worship Inspired by last year s success, The Toronto Conference Council decided to make this an annual event. Lutherans seem to enjoy worship, fellowship, and good food. This year, The Swedish Lutheran Church is our host congregation. Once again we will have a mass choir. This year s selection is an arrangement of a piece from Haydn s Creation. Please bring some refreshments to share following worship. Toronto Conference Reformation Worship Sunday, October 27, at 3:00 p.m. Toronto Swedish Lutheran Church 25 Old York Mills Road

2 Page 2 The Lutheran Connection, October 2013 Our Congregations at Work n Members of St. David s, Orillia, are holding a fundraising roast beef dinner on October 26. n St. David s, Orillia, has raised nearly $4,000 to be given to the Water Project in Pikangikum, through the Anglican relief agency, PWRDF. n Members of St. David s, Orillia, will again support Operation Christmas Child through the shoe box gifts. n Bishop Pryse and the Mission Committee are visiting the Rhenish Church, Markham, the weekend of October n The Rhenish Church, Markham, offers a variety of children s programs each Sunday. n The women at Christ the King, Whitby, are hosting the showing of Girl Rising in November. n The women at Christ the King, Whitby, have invited the women from Faith, Oshawa, to their annual Advent Service/program on November 27 beginning with a potluck supper. n Christ the King, Whitby, is holding a yard sale on October 19. n Members of Epiphany, Toronto, will celebrate their 50th anniversary on Reformation Sunday followed by an Oktoberfest lunch. n Members of Epiphany, Toronto, will hold their Applefest on October 19. n St. George s, Toronto, celebrated Golden Confirmations and Confirmation Anniversaries on September 29. n Members of St. George s, Toronto, are collecting food for the food bank during October. n Zion, Maple, is holding its ninth annual Concert in Support of The Olive Branch on November 30 at Zion. Then they will hold a second concert at St. Andrew s Latvian, Toronto around World Aids Day. n Zion, Maple, is holding its sixth annual Bowling Night and Fundraiser for The Olive Branch for children on October 26. n Members of St. Philip s, Toronto, welcomed Marisa Jefkins as Parish Nurse on September 8. n The Parish Nurse program at St. Philip s, Toronto, started a Fall Prevention exercise program on October 15. n The 50+ group at St. Philip s, Toronto, toured the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum on October 10. n Members of St. Ansgar, Toronto, will hold its annual Fall Fellowship Dinner on November 22. n St. Ansgar, Toronto, will hold an adult education series on the book of Matthew this fall. n Faith, Oshawa s, morning Bible Study this fall will focus on the book of Acts. n Faith, Oshawa, will hold a charity auction on November 10. FaithLife will support this event with a matching grant. n Peace, Pickering, has designated its Thanksgiving offering for the Pickering Food Bank. n Members of Peace, Pickering, will focus on the Gospel of Mark at its Bible studies this fall. n Westside, Barrie, had a blessing of the animals on October 5. n The book club at Westside, Barrie, will discuss two books on near death experience this fall. n Westside, Barrie, will hold its Octoberfest on October 25. Thornhill, will hold its annual Lantern Walk on November 8. Thornhill, will hold its annual Advent Bazaar on November 30. Thornhill, is designating its special Thanksgiving donation to the Daily Bread Foodbank. Thornhill, is holding a movie and discussion night on October 19 to see Fireproof. n Bishop Pryse was a guest at Advent, Toronto, on October 6. He met with the English Circle a group of new Canadians learning English as a second language; dedicated the new baptismal font; preached the sermon; received Advent s contribution of over $865 for the ELCIC s Praise Appeal; presented Pastor Lisinski with his 25th anniversary of ordination certificate and gift; facilitated the table talk discussion following the service; and then had lunch and a private meeting with the Congregational Council a very busy day for everyone. n Advent, Toronto, will host an evening of choir music and organ on November 2 to celebrate its 49th anniversary. Advent s choir as well as the choirs of three other congregations who use Advent s worship facilities will sing as well as hearing a recital on the refurbished organ. u Restructuring Conference or Areas? In addition to the pastors meeting held in June, two meetings were held on September 28 for clergy and lay members to discuss the pros and cons of breaking our Conference into the new areas. In total, 19 congregations were represented by both clergy and lay. After much discussion there were really no positive reasons for breaking into the areas. It seems that once faced with restructuring and facing the reality of losing our Conference, it was decided that we would revitalize and rebuild the Conference into a GTA Area. We have a lot more to offer as an area. Pastor Linda Douglas Dean

3 The Lutheran Connection, October 2013 Page 3 Our Pastors Comment Note: If you wish to read the full text of the Pastors comments, please go to the respective congregation s website and open the newsletter. You will find most of them posted. Pastor Rasma Caune Epiphany, Toronto With all of these questions running through my mind, I need to listen not to that angel with the pitchfork sitting on my shoulder, but rather listen to the message of the messenger in this case Jesus himself. I need to remember that whatever worries or burdens I may actually place upon myself, they can be handed over to Jesus who willingly picks up the other side of the yoke and helps me carry the load. I need to remember not to worry about my busyness or about what I eat or wear, but be reminded that if God takes care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, then surely whatever may come, God is always present, taking care of me his child. Now that is worth a celebration and rejoicing. Pastor Katharina Moeller St. George s, Toronto Give us this day our daily bread. We have more than enough to eat and we also have food for tomorrow and the following days. We have a completely different lifestyle compared to the generations before us. Never forget that our daily bread comes from God who provides everything for us. Thanksgiving reminds us to be thankful towards God. It is a sign of thankfulness to take care of those people who cannot meet their daily needs. Many of them live in poverty in areas of war and destruction or in areas of natural disaster. Some of those people live among us in our city. Pastor Linda Douglas Zion, Maple First, biblical thanksgiving is innocent. In giving thanks to God, there should be no motive other than pure gratitude. Thanksgiving is giving thanks and that alone. Of all the different types of prayer, this is least likely to be contaminated by our own conscious or subconscious desire to manipulate God. Second, biblical thanksgiving is intelligent. It involves looking back over the past whether the last week or an entire life and identifying things for which we are grateful. Thanksgiving is neglected today partly because modern Western culture is so obsessed with the future. But to give thanks to God is to look backward, not forward, and to express gratitude for the good things that have come our way. Third, thanksgiving should be inclusive. It s easy just to say, Thank you, God for the health and wealth we have. But do we also give God thanks for friends, family, housing, holidays, or a hundred other lesser things? Let s give God thanks for all the little things in life, too. Giving God thanks should be a theme running through our lives. Pastor Tuula Van Gaasbeek St. Philip s, Toronto On Thanksgiving Day I encourage you to step back from your normal stance in the world, to let go of the typical responses we all are conditioned to having. Be amazed. Be simply thankful. Take stock of all that you have. We have been led by a way that we did not know through another year. We have been given another year by our Creator and Sustainer, who invites us to look at the reality of our lives and to know that despite the tensions, the disappointments, and the struggles, we can be thankful and we can feel loved. Think of all of the people you have been with this year: friends at work, family, fellow members of St. Philip s Lutheran Church loved ones. Pastor Brian Wilker-Frey St. Ansgar, Toronto But then I realized, of course we have exactly the same kind of spiritual freedom that Pastor Bolz-Weber and House For All Sinners and Saints has embraced. Respectability isn t mandated by our constitution or bylaws, but the Gospel is. And we are called by that Gospel to daily renewal based on the circumstances and the people that God has placed among us. If the building is keeping us from experiencing God s grace, then we let go of the building, even though the cost may seem high. If respectability is keeping us from reaching out and loving the unlovely, then we toss respectability. This kind of freedom is not only offered by God for us to choose if it seems to suit us, but Jesus shows us that this kind of freedom is mandated by the Gospel to embrace and celebrate. Pastor Dennis Becker Faith, Oshawa It seems to me, that a godly life is a life in love with creation, such that we love and care for all that God has made, treasuring it, sharing, protecting it for future generations. It means being in love with the people God has created, in all their diversity of colour, language, culture, and religion, such that we want to learn from them, share with them, protect them. Contentment goes without saying. When we love the world God has made and the people God has put in it, who isn t content? We have everything we need, from majestic mountains to crashing seas, from learned scholars to sword swallowers. Pastor Mark Van House Peace, Pickering It s an orientation that can become all consuming, if we let it The fact of the matter is there is plenty and an abundance of spiritual, human and financial resources in our church. Collectively we have been blessed with gifts and resources beyond our imagination and no matter what we define as lacking in our common life and ministry, we can Continued on Page 4

4 Page 4 The Lutheran Connection, October 2013 Our Pastors Comment Continued from Page 3 be sure that God has provided it. Some spiritual writers have diagnosed humans as suffering from a psychology of scarcity, when in fact we ought to be functioning from a psychology of abundance. We have enough financial resources in our congregation right now to meet all of our congregational expenses, focus on the biblical education of our church children, to reach out into the community and give generously to the least among us, to fully fund the Peace Home Build at Olive Branch, to pay off our mortgage and still have enough for each of our households. Pastor Ann Krueger Westside, Barrie You see I have a dream where we are all, young and old, excited about learning where curiosity is alive and well, and we re having fun digging into the books of the Bible and other books, sharing our thoughts and questions, learning from each other. We re having fun because we want to learn more about the God who loves us; we want to learn more about Jesus whose mission was this: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free. (Luke 4:18) Just what is that good news? What's he really talking about? You see, in my dream it is safe to do this because we have the freedom to express our opinions. No one will judge; no question is stupid. When I teach, that is my promise to you. So what are you curious about? What would you like to learn? Please let me know. This fall I d like to dig into something I m very curious about near death experiences. We'll look at The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey and Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, M.D. Two very different experiences what is God up to? Come join me and together we'll explore one of the mysteries of life (after life) and see what the Bible has to say about this. Pastor Sebastian Meadows- Helmer, Christ the King- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Thornhill Yet, there is something to be said about the criticism of the Christian way being too easy, especially in the 21st century West. When was the last time you felt following Christ to be a burden? Perhaps some of us could stand to take on a slightly larger and heavier cross, by telling our friends, families and enemies about Jesus, by reading the Bible daily, by coming to worship more often, and by giving more generously for the work of the church in the world. Being a child of a loving God has its privileges, to be sure, but Jesus reminds us that there is a cost as well: he paid the ultimate one. Rev. Martha Tatarnic St. David s, Orillia Last Sunday, our choir sang the anthem Church Without Walls. It s a wonderful reminder of the truth of church whether we worship in a building, or in a home, or in the outdoor beauty of God s creation, the CHURCH DOES NOT HAVE WALLS. Church is who we are, it is not where we are. Furthermore, when we do gather for worship, it is always with the mind that what we do here together is not about one hour of the week, but about our whole lives. You know the saying, What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That is the OPPOSITE of our attitude here. The Sending, the final words and songs of our worship, are actually the most important in what we do. Each week, we are commissioned to take the blessings, the peace, the prayer, the nourishment, the forgiveness and good news and joy that we experience here out into our world. It is particularly fitting that we discuss this today, Thanksgiving weekend. Eucharist (the worship in which we share which includes the blessing and sharing of Christ s life through bread and wine) literally means Thanksgiving. One of the most important things that we can do to increase our capacity for joy and to nourish our spiritual and emotional well-being is to practice gratitude. But this can be easier said than done. If you are in the throes of depression, if you are struggling to make ends meet, if you simply find yourself locked in patterns of dissatisfaction (and let s face it, our consumer culture thrives on dissatisfaction) then becoming more grateful can seem impossible.u Synod-Congregation Covenant Congregations are reminded that this agreement is to be taken to Congregational Councils and congregations for discussion and feedback before it is brought back to the 2014 Synod Assembly for acceptance. Copies of the draft are available on the Synod s website at The Toronto Conference website is on the Eastern Synod website. Come and visit us at toronto.easternsynod.org The other Eastern Synod Conferences have sites that share the new design and a similar easternsynod.org address. Does your congregation s website have a link to us? Please add a link to the website. If your congregation s website or facebook pages have links to the old Toronto Conference website, please edit them to use the new site.

5 The Lutheran Connection, October 2013 Page 5 Community Service n The Rhenish Church, Markham, is planning a Christmas Caroling event on November 23 and 30 at various locations and is asking for donations for the Markham Food Bank and York Regional Food Bank. Their goal is 1,000 pounds. n The Rhenish Church, Markham, is collecting items for Operation Christmas Child. n Members of Christ the King, Whitby, are beginning to fill show boxes for the Samaritan s Purse Christmas Shoe program. n Members of Christ the King, Whitby, donated food items for the Deacon s Cupboard at All Saint s Anglican Church s Thanksgiving food drive. n Members of Epiphany, Toronto, participate in the Yummy Tummies program at a nearby high rise. n Members of St. Philip s, Toronto, are supporting the Thanksgiving Food Drive in their area. n Members of Westside, Barrie, donated over 600 pounds of produce from its Garden for the Community to the Barrie Food Bank and estimates another pounds to food will be harvested. n Westside, Barrie, will again participate in the Out of the Cold program in Barrie. n Members of Christ the King-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Thornhill, will collect nonperishables for the Thornhill Christmas Assistance Program. Thornhill, is holding a Benefit Thanksgiving Dinner on October 26 with the proceeds going to Hospice Thornhill.u Ecumenical Events n St. Andrew s Latvian and St. Peter s Anglican, Toronto, held a joint pet blessing on October 12. n Members of Epiphany, Toronto, were invited to attend the 20th Annual Interfaith Celebration at St. Joseph s Church in Highland Creek on October 11. n St. Philip s, Toronto, will host Kairos West for a morning event focused on the Women of Courage program on November 3. n Members of Faith, Oshawa s, choir have been invited to sing in the Harvest Home Hymn Festival with choirs of other churches in the Oshawa area. u Please join me on Saturday, November 23, at 7:00 p.m. for the world premiere of my original musical at Advent. Since December 2002 I ve been working on this largescale project, and I am thrilled that it will finally make the jump from page to stage and honored that this will happen at Advent Lutheran Church, Toronto. The New World began as a large ensemble musical production, but after my own voice began to take the shape that it has today I decided to rewrite it as my own foray in the theater world that I love so much. I couldn t be more proud of the result, but of course, the opinion of the composer doesn t hold weight to that of the audience. It s impossible for any composer to see their work from the point of view of the audience. And that is the one of most important things that will come out of this production feedback. After this production, I hope to take The New World to the Toronto International Fringe Festival; and I can t do that without the opinions and suggestions of a live audience. If you ve ever wanted to be a theater critic, this is your golden opportunity to take on that role. Not only am I the only performer in addition to the creator of The New World, but I am also ambitiously taking care of all the other requirements to creating a theatrical production sets, props, costumes, lighting, sound and anything else you can think of. Yes, it s a lot of work, but it most certainly is a labor of love that I cannot wait to present. Tickets are $20 and are available for reservation via , phone or in person. Feel free to invite other aficionados of the performing arts to what I hope will be a wonderful night of theater. I look forward to welcoming you and entertaining you on November 23 at 7:00 p.m. Get caught in the magic that is live theater. Trevor Hicks, Advent, Toronto

6 Page 6 The Lutheran Connection, October 2013 Youth n Youth at St. David s, Orillia, are holding a Let s Talk about Sex forum on October 16. n Senior Youth at St. Philip s, Toronto, served lunch at the Nurturing Generous Giving workshop on October 5 to raise funds to attend the youth gathering next summer. u Toronto Conference Contacts Dean: The Rev. Linda Douglas or lkdouglas@sympatico.ca Secretary/Treasurer: Judy Baribeau judybaribeau@rogers.com Please send your parish newsletters, articles and other announcements you would like included in The Lutheran Connection to: Judy Baribeau 23 Toynbee Trail West Hill, Ontario M1E 1E8 or judybaribeau@rogers.com Please indicate any items you particularly would like to have covered in the newsletter. If you have any questions, please call me at or to judybaribeau@rogers.com Congregational Life Stories If your congregation has a special program or event, please encourage a lay member to write a paragraph or two and submit it for the newsletter. Photographs are also welcome. If photographs are of people, please confirm their permission to publish them. jb Note to Congregations Please remember to forward news about your congregational events and programs even if you do not regularly produce a newsletter. We would like to share as much information as possible about and to our congregations. Toronto Conference Website Updates Please check that your congregational listings on the Toronto Conference website are current. Please forward any updates to me. Also, if your congregation has its own website, please forward the link information so we can include it on our website. Please link your congregational websites to the Toronto Conference website ( Please check our Conference website frequently as updates are added between newsletters when required. jb