The In-Between TIMES October 2014

Transcription

1 The In-Between TIMES October 2014 It s a Sign! St. John s Church York Mills 19 Don Ridge Drive, Toronto, ON M2P 1H3 Phone: (416) Fax: (416) welcome@sjym.ca Website: Facebook: As our renovation project draws to a close, we are beginning to see the little touches that will make this renewal very special. The sign pictured above, while not part of the actual renovation project, has appeared in time for re-opening on October 19. The signage project has been in progress for several years. Thanks to the diligent efforts of Brian Hull, Faye Roberts and Drew MacDonald, more people will be able to find our church on the hill and know who we are! In addition to the name on our building (it is located above the ramp next to the north entrance) we will soon have beautiful new directional signs at the corner of Don Ridge Drive and Old Yonge Street, as well as the intersection of Lord Seaton Road and Upper Canada Drive. These signs will feature our logo and will replace the generic Anglican Church of Canada signs that were there before. You may have noticed the new posts that were installed at the end of September. Most significantly, we will have a new illuminated sign by the Lychgate on Old Yonge Street and another one by the Kaye Gate on Yonge Street. This last sign will have an electronic message feature that can be updated to reflect current events at SJYM. Once people find us with the help of these new signs, we hope that our beautiful new space and welcoming community will encourage them to come back often!

2 Renewal 2014: Commemorative Book Coming soon! The above title is now the official title of the book that we are putting together to commemorate the work of renewal that was done in 2014 at St. John's York Mills. The committee putting together this book is comprised of Venetia Cowie, Ellen-Jean Dewberry, Linda Grasley, Liz Keddie and Sylvia McConnell. If you donated specific funds to the renovation, either through OFOH or through our recent campaign, you are invited to have a page in the Commemorative Book. You may already have been contacted by one of the committee members, or will be very shortly, with the guidelines for your page. This person will be your rep and will guide you through the very easy process. If you haven't heard from your rep by mid-october, please contact Sylvia McConnell at sbmc@bell.net. The deadline for the receipt of your information is November 15. Our plan is to have the finished book displayed in the foyer by December of this year. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask one of the members of the committee. Funding Challenge: Our Children's and Youth Ministry Beginning in September, your wardens made the decision that it was crucial for our growing children's and youth ministry to have new leadership. We have chosen Chantal Sathi, who has worked tirelessly in the past year to further our goals for our children and teens, and has now accepted the paid position of director for these programs. The wardens have made the decision to add this position despite our revenue challenges during the renovation, challenges which have been explained in services and also at the August vestry. The costs of running the children and youth ministry are in the neighbourhood of $22,000 to $24,000. A parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous has donated $11,000 to the funding for our youth ministry and is challenging the rest of the congregation to match these funds by Vestry on October 19. The response has been wonderful and we are confident that we will reach and perhaps even surpass our goal. An accounting will be given each Sunday. Continued on next page Be a Christmas Angel In addition to their clothing bank which helps provide items to meet the needs of many newcomer and refugee families, New Circles wonderful Holiday Angel Adopt-a- Family program matches donor families with families in need and is now in its 11 th year. They interview qualified clients to identify what they really need. The client then provides a prioritized wish list (e.g. dishes, towels, food vouchers, toys, etc.) so that donors can then shop for items. Clients understand that this is just a wish list and are grateful for any generosity. Some targeting of donors and clients is possible. For example, families with children of a similar age could be matched or a single person could buy gifts for another single person. Please contact Virginia Trotter at #210 or holidayangel@newcircles.ca before this year s November 1 st deadline for a registration form which along with additional information can be found under What we do at

3 Making It Easier To Serve Children s Ministry Conference For all who care about shaping children s faith Saturday November 1st, :30 am 4 pm St John s York Mills Anglican Church Keynote Session: Making Faith Stick! Practices that Shape a Child s Faith Janie Robertson s experience as an educator and M.Div. studies at Tyndale Seminary have shaped her thinking about children and faith. She has a practical, real-life bent in her seminars and workshops. You are promised something that will make a difference in your ministry and your care of children the very next time you're together. Free childcare available upon request Registration begins September 20 th To register visit our blog at thecece.org Presented by CECE: the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education supporting those who minister to children & youth Continued from previous page Please consider prayerfully if you can help support our youth ministry in this very positive way by a special donation or by raising your monthly PAG by a few dollars a month. Mark your donation by writing CHALLENGE on the envelope, or Catherine Bryant in the office to enroll in our pre-authorized giving program or raise your PAG monthly givings. We will give you a full reporting of the results of the CHALLENGE at Vestry. The Wardens Welcome Ministry Do you see the people with purple name tags today? They are part of our Welcome Ministry Team. Responding to your feedback and supported by Parish Council we ve redesigned our Sunday greeting hoping to create a Ministry of First Impressions that will welcome everyone to our services. But it takes more than a team with badges to be a welcoming community. Have you said Hello to someone you don t know today? Give it a try! An Exploration of Women s Spirituality How do we experience Christ as we juggle multiple and sometimes conflicting demands in our modern lives? Lychgate Group is sponsoring an evening this fall with Reverend Anne Crosthwait to explore this question. We will be using the book Focus in a Whirlwind World, written by Jean Fleming as a basis for the discussion. The date is Thursday October 9 and if we need a second evening, that date will be Thursday November 13. All women of the parish are invited, as well as any women you know whom you feel would benefit from this spiritual exploration. For more information please contact Gillian Gillespie at gillgillespie@rogers.com or Sharon Barney at sharon.sunny@hotmail.com.

4 Annual Vestry Meeting Our Annual Vestry Meeting takes place in the Auditorium on Sunday, October 19, 2014 following the 10:00 a.m. service. The Vestry will receive reports, consider the budget, and make plans for the fiscal year. Lunch will be provided and a free will offering will be taken to help cover expenses. We encourage young families to bring their children - there will be a special children s program including a pizza lunch. All people meeting the Diocesan requirements at St. John s York Mills are encouraged to attend. Canon 14 of the Diocese of The Anglican Church of Toronto outlines the requirements for persons to vote at a parish s annual vestry. In essence, each individual should be prepared to declare that they have been a member of the Anglican Church of Canada and the St. John s congregation for at least three (3) months; have attended worship services on a regular basis; are over the age of sixteen (16) years; and, have not voted nor intend to vote at any other vestry during The vestry report is now available. You can pick up a copy at the door on Sunday morning, in the office during the week and online at (look for the news item about the vestry). We have also sent a copy to everyone on our list. A Sign-In Sheet has been posted in near the East entrance. Parishioners, who plan to attend and vote at Vestry, are asked to sign in between now and vestry. Your Wardens Services in the Sanctuary Our major renovation project is in its last days. We will have our first service in the rejuvenated sanctuary on October 19. The official dedication will be November 2. October 19 will be a grand day because we will be, God and project willing, holding our first service in the newly renovated sanctuary. It s the first opportunity to see the fruits of dreams, contributions, and efforts. Following this, we will be having the annual Vestry meeting in the auditorium, to review last year s results and make plans next year s operations and budget. On November 2, Archbishop Colin Johnson will be joining us at the 10 a.m. service to officially dedicate the renovated sanctuary and facilities. We will be celebrating the official completion of our renewal project, phases 1 and 2. The Bishop s Committee on Prayer invites you to the biannual Diocesan Prayer Conference on October. 25 at St. John s York Mills. Emma Marsh, an experienced conference leader and spiritual director, will be the theme speaker on the topic of Abiding in the Word of God. This year, in addition to our regular conference format, we introduce programmes for children (age 5+) and youth (age 11+). Emma comes to us from Central Newfoundland, where she is active in Anglican Renewal Ministries, AWARE, the Order of St. Luke, and the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer. Contact Sharon Laird, Registrar, for information brochure and registration form. Phone: (416) ; sharon.e.laird@gmail.com

5 Real Faith in a Real World Christian Education at SJYM continues with Compass Groups, Good and Beautiful groups, Lychgate, Men s Supper Club and Sunday morning preaching series on Acts of the Apostles. Something for everyone. For more information contact Anne+ St. John's Youth Group Youth group is every Sunday from 1:30 pm- 3:30 pm. We will be off on October 12th for the Thanksgiving weekend. We look forward to starting our monthly food fundraisers. We will be studying sermons from various notable preachers including Carl Lentz from Hillsong New York, and Joyce Meyers. This year the group focus will be on mission work within the city of Toronto, understanding why it s important to have a deeper relationship with Jesus, and organizing events with other Anglican youth groups Handbell and Handchime programs are up and running and we look forward to being part of the November 2nd celebration in our renovated church. Our new chimers Alicia, Nicolas, Neil and Zack would welcome any other young people from grade three up who would like to learn a new skill and be part of our ringing family! They rehearse on Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m. Please give me a call if you would like more information. Carolyn Contemplative Fire Creating a community of Christ at the edge Our experiential worship times, Gatherings are on the last Sunday of the month at 4.00pm at St Leonard s. Join us on October 26 th. On a Sunday with Morning Praise in the morning, come for a quiet communion service in the late afternoon. Not sure what we re about? Find us at Add your name to our mailing list to receive monthly reflections from Anne+ and news of our events. Follow us on and Facebook at Contemplative Fire Canada You ll find our blog, event info and leads to many contemplative resources. Voices of Silence - Saturday Nov 15 at St John s pm. This is an opportunity for those with a contemplative interest or practice to gather together. Contemplative Fire, along with Sisters of St John the Divine and Contemplative Outreach, is hosting a special day at St John s a time to discover contemplative prayer and to meet other individuals and communities. To register see The Men s Supper Club returning on October 14th at 6:30 p.m. This month s selection from Eric Metaxas edited volume Life, God, and Other Small Topics, is: The Language of God: A Believer Looks at the Human Genome by Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board by the east door. Please sign-up early so we know how many to expect for dinner. A fee will be collected. If you would like a pdf of the chapter we will be discussing or if you have any questions please contact Max Dionisio.

6 ATTENTION ALUMNI CHOIR MEMBERS! In preparation for our grand re-opening service on Sunday, November 2nd, all alumni, retired, or former members of the choir are invited to attend our Thursday night choir rehearsal on Thursday, October 30th. (New members are always welcome, too!) Rehearsals begin at 7:30pm in the Children s Chapel. For more information, please contact your Music Director, Patrick, at patrick.dewell@gmail.com or Looking forward to seeing you there! Compass Groups At the core of our community life and spiritual growth are our Compass Groups. They are open to anyone who would like to discuss scripture and share the ups and downs of life. They are supportive and spiritually educational. This year we are offering four groups. Monday afternoon: Gospel of Luke Tuesday morning: A study of the Holy Spirit Wednesday evening: Nehemiah (bi-weekly) Thursday morning: Gospel of John For info about location and time please speak with Anne+ acrosthwaith@sjym.ca You are wanted in a Compass Group! All of our groups are open to new members but there is a special invitation as the Thursday group expands their focus. Thursday afternoon group - 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Yonge and Shepard area is looking for women, who like children and who want some friendship and study. Are you home during the day? Michele and Janet would welcome you joining them on Thursday afternoons. For more information contact Anne+ or Michele McDonald micheleandglen@sympatico.ca Children & Youth Ministry "Operation Christmas Child" Approximately 70 boxes were distributed on Sunday September 21st. Boxes need to be brought back to St. John's by November 16th. Items do not have to be placed in a branded shoe box, you can put items in other boxes, Tupperware containers or tote bags. Adults who do not have children CAN participate in this project. They can give Chantal Sathi their items and she will put together the boxes. Cash donations also help with the shipping cost of each box which is $7 Collecting Empty Jars! St. John s youth group is collecting empty jars for a project in November. We will be collecting jars until November 1st. The jars will be used on November 22nd at a big youth event that St. John's will be hosting. If you have any extra jars, please leave them in the Marsh room (2nd floor). Jars must be bigger than a baby food jar. If you have any questions please contact Chantal Sathi: chantal@sjym.ca Halloween Night On October 31st any youth between grades 7-12 are invited to come to an outdoor scavenger hunt & movie night. St. John's Youth Group will be collaborating with Evangel Temple's youth group for an action packed night! Bring a friend and please meet at St. John's York Mills at 6:30 pm and we will walk over to Evangel Temple. There will be LOTS of candy, food and activities. Please e- mail chantal@sjym.ca if plan on attending.