Autumn St. Paul s on-the-hill Anglican Church 882 Kingston Rd Pickering, ON L1V 1A8 StPaulsontheHill.com Tel: Fax:

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1 1 Autumn 2014 Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for each other. John 13:34-35 (the Message Bible) Dear Friends, These are some of Jesus last words to his disciples before his arrest and execution. He reminds them that the world will watch how they live, how they love, what they say, and then decide who Jesus is. To love others is one of the most difficult challenges in life, especially if they have caused you suffering. I was reflecting on this truth while standing outside of St. Luke s Anglican Church in Gambella, and listening to the stories of Christians who were forced to flee the civil war in South Sudan and had found refuge in Ethiopia. In South Sudan, fighting has taken place along tribal and political lines and has resulted in the total destruction of villages and the deaths of many innocent people. It has also resulted in over 250,000 refugees crossing the border into Ethiopia to find safety. The challenge for the church in Gambella was how to help heal these deep wounds and to witness to the forgiveness and unity found in knowing and following Jesus. The Anglican Church here decided that they would worship together instead of dividing along tribal lines. Their witness would be that following Jesus calls us to forgive and to love, even those who sin against us. In a world that experiences so much violence this is a powerful witness: to say no to hate, to say no to killing, and instead to cry out yes to love and forgiveness. I would like to thank each of you for your support of St. Paul s on-the-hill through your gracious offerings of time, talent and treasure. Your prayers, ministry, and financial support have allowed our community to reach out with the love of Christ in Pickering, the GTA, across Canada and around the world. Our largest outreach is that of the St. Paul s on-the-hill food bank. I would like to thank each of the many volunteers and donors who help provide food to support over 8,000 client visits per year, half of whom are children. Many would go hungry without your continued support. Thank you. Outside of Pickering we had four mission teams serving in Africa this summer. One team was visiting Bungoma, Kenya and supporting the construction of Mama Karen school. Five classrooms have now been built to serve a number of orphans in the local community and the wider population of children. The next part of the project is the construction of a dormitory for children at the school. A fund raiser is being held on Thursday September 25 at the Scarborough Golf and Country Club. Please see Pat Tyrwhitt at the 11 a.m. service or speak to me if you would like to order tickets for this event. A second mission team was working this summer in the Diocese of Tarime in Tanzania. Jim and Patti Charbonneau will be sharing about their mission experience here at the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services on Sunday September 14th. Their team (Julie Ball, Caroline Honsberger and Hugh Sandiford) were involved is supporting children s education. A third mission experience took place in Addis Ababa and Gambella Ethiopia where I was visiting Bishop Grant LeMarquand and his wife Wendy in July. I will be leading a mission team to undertake construction, library, computer and educational projects here in July Please speak to me if you would like more information or join us for the next mission team meeting at St. Paul s on-the-hill on Saturday September 27th at 10 a.m. Finally, Judy Carpino was serving in Costa Rica with Samaritan s Purse helping to support the Christmas Shoe Box programme. Please ask Judy to speak about her experiences here. You will be blessed. This summer was also a busy one around the parish. An exciting Vacation Bible Camp took place in July, a new stain glass window was installed in the upper classroom by Catherine Amell, the church had many bricks on the east side of the church repointed with cement, new fire safety locks were installed on the exit doors from the church, and a new

2 safety fence was approved for installation on the west side of the church. Alyssa Amell has been an outstanding member of our Christian education team for the past two years. Alyssa will be leaving this position at the end of August. She will be completing her studies at Tyndale and preparing for her upcoming wedding. Thank you, Alyssa for your faithful love and ministry to the children of St. Paul s. It is greatly appreciated. On September 14th I will be commissioning Mr. Edward White to serve on the Christian education team. Edward has been involved with the children s ministry at St. Paul s for several years, including the role of Charlie Brown, in our musical It s Christmas Charlie Brown. He will join Dee and Jacquie in coordinating the children s ministry programmes at St. Paul s. I am delighted to announce that a member of our parish has started theological studies at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. Ken Johnstone (Jr.) We wish Ken every blessing as he begins a three year programme of ministry study. I would also like to welcome Ms. Salome Persaud as our theological student in training this year. Salome is a student at Wycliffe College and will be serving and learning at St. Paul s for the next eight months....canon Kim Beard What s Happening on-the-hill... Sunday September 7th- Backpacks for the Homeless programme begins. September Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham in Toronto at Air Canada Centre Thursday September 18th- 6:30-8 p.m. Annual Corn Roast and Barbecue Free to all. 6:30-8 p.m. Saturday September 20th- Annual Caribbean Dinner and Dance- 6:30 p.m. pick up your tickets at St. Paul s. Also on this day Ivy Sinclair will celebrate her 100th birthday. We wish her every blessing on this special day. Sunday September 21st- Power, Praise and Healing- 7 p.m. at St. Paul s. Saturday September 27th- 10 a.m. Ethiopia Mission Trip meeting. All are welcome. 12 noon- Camino Pilgrimage Meeting for a group walking115 km. on the Camino Pilgrimage route in Northern Spain from April 24- May 4th, Saturday October 4th- Bus Trip to St. Jacob s, organized by St. Paul s Women s Fellowship. All are welcome- sign up at St. Paul s and invite friends. Sunday October 5th- The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and the Blessing of Animals Service 4 p.m. in the parish hall of St. Paul s on-the- Hill. All animals are welcome to this brief service of blessing. Sunday October 19th- Power, Praise and Healing- 7 p.m. Sunday November 2nd- 7 p.m. All Saints Evensong with the Remembrance of Loved Ones. Saturday November 22nd- Christmas Bazaar at St. Paul s on-the-hill Weekend Getaway & Marriage Conference Nov 7th to 9th Blue Mountain Back in March four couples from St. Paul s put their marriages as first priority one during the Niagara-on-the-Lake FamilyLife Weekend Getaway Marriage Conference. The couples all say that they had a wonderful time and learned what it means to give each other oxygen in their marriages. The next Weekend Getaway is being held November 7-9th in Blue Mountain. Scott and I have personally attended five of these conferences. We ve met couples at all stages of their marriage, from those who were engaged to those who have been married 50+ years, and we ve learned and grown ourselves. The materials for this next event have all been updated and look even better than ever! Remember: Your marriage is your most important relationship here on earth, only God is more important! So. plan for this wonderful weekend in your fall calendar and budget. Early bird registration expires October 27th. We would love to help you make this weekend possible. There are many ways to make this weekend affordable for everyone. Please ask us how!! Speak to: Scott James ( ) or Jacquie James ( ) or visit dates-and-locations We pray that even more couples will make this very special weekend a priority! 2

3 SMALL GROUP NEWS One September 7th the Fall Edition of the Are You Part of a Small Group? brochure was published with up-to-date information about our small group network. I have three comments. First, it s with mixed feelings that Go Forth! - Ken Johnstone Jr, s group for Young Adults is not continuing. Ken has been accepted as a full-time student at Wycliffe College as the next step towards ordination. We ll miss you Ken. And we ll be praying for you as you test your vocation. Everyone, please pray about how we can effectively work with our existing awesome programs to reach out and support Young Adults in the church and community. Second, as we enter the third year of our expanded small group network we are experiencing what normally happens as groups grow and mature. Most of our groups have reached their optimal size of people, and as their fellowship and friendships grow and deepen, it becomes harder for newcomers to join. That s a healthy sign of discipleship, but it s the reason I am constantly searching for willing leaders and hosts people who love God and love people. We need Hosts with the gift of Hospitality to lovingly open their homes, usually bi-weekly, for a group of people who are making new friends and want to learn more about Christianity. We also need Leaders to guide discussions and coordinate group activities. It doesn t need to be intimidating. We offer training. There is a wide range of topics that I can help you with. And every group is unique, formed by the personalities and interests of its members. Third, Soon, I hope to announce a group for those new to Christianity made up of people who have been referred to St. Paul's by the Festival of Hope (See the separate article) and anyone who wants to discover a personal relationship with Jesus. A UNIQUE PROGRAM IDEA FOR EXISTING GROUPS. This summer I acquired three copies of Dorothy Sayers book, The Man Born to be King. It s a compilation of 12 radio plays on the life of Jesus originally broadcast on the BBC in the 1940 s. There are several ways to use it. Read a portion and discuss her insights and interpretation. Have each member take on one or more characters and read it. Compare the script with the Bible passages. It will be novel and interesting....canon Phil Bristow WHO ARE YOU BRINGING TO THE FESTIVAL OF HOPE? There s little value to an outreach event with a world-class leader like Franklin Graham if it s just a gathering of the saints...instead this is an opportunity to invite someone who hasn t met Jesus in a personal way yet. Pray daily and specifically for those God has laid on your heart. It may be a family member, a colleague at work or school, a neighbour, a mutual friend. There s plenty of material to share in the pockets of the poster in the narthex of the church OR you can go to this link: FESTIVAL OF HOPE OUTREACH WEEKEND - TORONTO These events are non-ticketed with free admission, and will be taking place at the Air Canada Centre. Friday, September 12 at 7:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM) Featured Artists: Newsboys, The City Harmonic, Toronto Mass Choir, Tommy Coomes Band, Dennis Agajanian Saturday, September 13 at 7:00 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM) - STUDENT NIGHT Featured Artists: Lecrae, Lacey, Thousand Foot Krutch, Nate "NF" Feuerstein, Manic Drive Sunday, September 14 at 6:00 PM (Doors open at 4:30 PM) Featured Artists: Michael W. Smith, Kari Jobe, Tommy Coomes Band, Dennis Agajanian THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP TO ATTEND TOGETHER SPEAK TO CANON PHIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CAR POOL 3

4 JOURNEY A Baptism Preparation Pilot Project Over the summer, Canon Phil drew together a small group to design a pilot project to build a stronger connection between parents, children and anyone seeking baptism. We re calling it JOURNEY, because becoming a follower of Jesus and a member of the Church is a key part of the journey of life. The baptism of infants really begins with the parents and continues through the cycle of growing until children become parents themselves. JOURNEY will begin with three Sunday morning sessions for parents and continue as each member of the family takes advantage of the programs St. Paul's can offer every age group. We will begin by inviting parents to celebrate the gift of their child with a simple, but moving 5-minute ceremony during a Sunday service, called Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child. Not to be confused with baptism, it is an opportunity for parents to give thanks for the birth or adoption of a child and to offer prayer for the life of their family. We will continue by introducing the family to our many age-specific programs. For adults there are small groups and courses, and Alpha. The very young are cared for in the Nursery until, the join the Sunday School and mid-week programs, are prepared for 1st Communion, Youth Group, Confirmation, and new this year, B.A.S.I.C. Training. Next we will discuss the meaning of Baptism using a simple Bible Study and reviewing the roles of parents and sponsors (Godparents) as we prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism at a Sunday Morning service. Since we expect each group to consist of several families it s our hope that friendships will develop. So the third session will be an informal sharing of ways we can foster the spiritual growth of our families. The whole process with be geared towards answering questions and meeting needs so we think every group will be unique. We ve decided to call it a pilot project because the process will be refined with the experience of each new group of families. We re looking forward to being part of your JOURNEY of a lifetime....canon Phil Bristow Senior s Ministry Fall is upon us which means it s time for our annual Communion and Pot Luck Lunch gathering. Thursday September 18th is the date to remember. We will gather in the church at 11:30 for a short Communion service followed by lunch upstairs in the Boardroom. Come and feed your body, mind and spirit as we gather around the table and partake of the food God has provided so abundantly. Perhaps you are in the habit of providing a Christmas Shoe Box through the program run by Samaritan s Purse. This is something I always enjoy doing and I have already started to store away a few items for the shoe boxes I will be preparing. On Thursday October 23rd. Judy Carpino will be joining us to share her photos and stories of her recent trip to Costa Rica with the Samaritan s Purse Organization; where she got to personally deliver shoe boxes to some of the needy children. Come and join us for coffee, tea and muffins at 10 a.m. in the Boardroom on Thursday October 23rd. Any Questions? Call Jan Couto

5 Pastoral Assistant s Report Power, Praise and Healing Last January we began a series on the Holy Spirit based on the Nicene Creed. For six months we had an in depth look at The Holy Spirit and his works. From the feedback I received, the services were most welcome and beneficial. On September the 21st at 7:00 pm we begin our fall session for Power, Praise and Healing. We will continue with a series based on the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed where we confess weekly that we believe He will come again. These three services October 19th and November 23rd will have my brother-in-law the Reverend George Atkinson preaching a series of sermons on End Times and the Return of Jesus Christ. George has pastored churches in Ontario, Quebec and Indiana; he also served as President of Eastern Pentecostal Bible College and Assistant Superintendent of the PAOC. George is an excellent preacher and communicator of his knowledge of Scripture. If you wond what in the world is going on with all the events worldwide, I m sure you will find answers in these three services. I have had several people talk with me about Power, Praise and Healing. We all remember things in the past and this service is no exception in our memory. I have to remind myself that nothing ever stays the same, with the exception that Jesus Christ the same, yesterday and forever (Hebrews 11:8). At times we all tend to want what we remember; with this in mind I am suggesting for all or any who are interested that we have a Visioning session for PP&H on October the 18th from 10am to 1pm. Please have you vision or suggestions ready when you come to this session. HIV/AIDS The summer tends to be a much slower paced time for every church or organization. As Co-Chair of the Diocesan HIV/AIDS working group I have been busy with meetings concerning two initiatives that we are in the process of trying to put in place. We will also be meeting on September the 8th to plan the Diocesan World AIDS Day Service ON Monday December 1st at St. Peter s Anglican Church on Carleton Street just east of Sherbourne. I have decided that this year we will join with the Diocese in this service. I would be more than happy to try to arrange transportation for anyone who wishes to go, or for those downtown and want to go to the service, I would be happy to give a ride back to Pickering. I have had the privilege of speaking at UOIT as well as a Slice of Life for the Rotary. There are a couple of high school dates coming up in the near future as well. By the time you read this I will have submitted my application to Our Faith Our Hope for a multiyear funding, I would invite you to pray that I would be successful in this. It is indeed a privilege to serve here at St. Paul s. Over the past 11 years as I have served in this role you have all been so supportive in all I have set out to do. Canon Kim has been extremely supportive to me from the time he arrived at St. Paul s. Thank you all for your love and support....doug Willoughby What do YOU see? A student brought in a piece of her artwork. Before others had found the way to their seats, she brought it to me, placed it in front of me, and with a little flush in her face said, I thought you might like to see this. Well, of course, I did, and because the artist was standing next to me and because I wanted to be sensitive to her personal creation, I took a good, long look at it and said, I really like this. Then I asked her the question art students don t want to answer: What are you trying to say in this? Again, a little more flush in the face, and her response: What do you see? Two things were going on here. First, she cared deeply what I saw in that piece and wasn t about to tell me what she was trying to say. Second, and even more important, this piece of art was deeply personal to her. It said something from the depth of her soul. It was a revelation of her heart. She put her soul on display in her piece of work in order to evoke a response from others. The Bible is like this. It is the creation of God, who is the Artist, and the Artist stands next to us as we read the Bible. I sometimes think we forget what we are reading. The Bible is God s story. When I say this, I am making a claim so extraordinary we may be tempted to skip over it. God is a person, the Bible is paper. God gave us this papered Bible to lead us to love his person, but the person and the paper are not the same. The Bible is relational. Take Psalm 19: there are forty-two occurences of you and I. That s a relationship. Imagine...the God who created the universe, reaching out to YOU for a personal relationship. And He is standing beside you now...waiting desperately to hear your response to His masterpiece......adapted from The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight 5

6 6 Fall brings a b o u t changes, this September we say goodbye to Alyssa Amell as the Sunday School Coordinator as she pursues her studies and makes plans for her upcoming wedding. We wish Alyssa and her fiancé Tim all the best for their future life together. Edward White will be joining the team as the Sunday School Coordinator. Kids Church runs at both the 9 am and 11 am services and is available for age newborn to grade 12! There is programing provided for every age group and we have a wonderful staff of 21 volunteer teachers that help us bring the program to life. Our first official day of Kids Church will be September 21st. New this fall is our point system that the children & youth can earn up to 4 points each week through attendance, memory verse, offertory and bringing their Bible. Each week they may use 1 point if they wish to by a lollipop or they can save them to purchase items such as silly bands, bible tabs, devotional books, Christian DVDs, bible covers or a bible. Are hope is to reinforce their Christian education while allowing each child to receive their rewards for the points they have earned. They will be given the items they choose to spend their points on once they have accumulated the required amount of points. The nursery/preschool class will also operate on the point system on a smaller scale. Thank you to everyone who donated their time to make Kingdom Rock VBC a success!! We had an awesome Teen Leadership Team who worked really hard with our 87 CAMPERS!! We pray that our leaders get some much deserved rest and enjoy the rest of the summer. Thank you also to Fred Fleming who hosted our Leader Appreciation Pool Party we really enjoyed your pool! Canadian Tire Money We will be continuing to collect Canadian Tire Money again this year to help offset the cost of supplies for VBC So please bring any Canadian Tire Money you have lying around we will take it off your hands!! Summer Events Over the summer we hosted a pot luck dinner & games night in which there were about 25 in attendance, 2 movie nights with an attendance of 30, a craft afternoon with an attendance of 16 junior youth, as well as a pot luck dessert with an attendance of 12. It was wonderful to stay connected with the St. Paul s Family over the summer. B.A.S.IC. TRAINING Grade 6 & up Becoming A Servant In Christ Final deadline September 14, 2014

7 7 Sunday School & Youth Groups are are busily gearing up for an exciting fall with lots of things planned so mark your calendars! September 14th Kids Church Registration at 9 & 11 am - Ages Newborn to Grade 12 Sr. Youth Group (Grade 9 & up) - Begins 7-9 pm September 18th Family BBQ & Registration - 6:30 pm Foundations (JK to Grade 2), Middlers (Grade 3-5), Bedlam (Grade 6-8) All programs run Thursday Evening from 6:45 to 8 pm Registration: $25 for first child, then $10/child from same family. September 21st Kids Church Begins at 9 & 11 am Sr. Youth Group (Grade 9 & up) 7-9 pm September 25th Foundations/Middlers/Bedlam Begins - 6:45 to 8 pm October 1st Auditions for A Seussified Christmas Carol Christmas Play - 7 pm October 8th Christmas Play Rehearsals Begin - 6:30 to 8:00 pm November 15th -16th Bedlam Retreat Musoka Wood Jr. Youth Retreat November 21st November 22nd Christmas Bazaar - Setup Jr. & Sr. Youth needed Christmas Bazaar Jr. & Sr. Youth Needed November 28th November 29th Float Decorating Sr. Youth Santa Claus Parade ALL AGES WELCOME December 6th Jr. & Sr. Youth Christmas Semi-Formal December 13th December 14th Christmas Play-Outreach Dinner & Show Adult & Teen Volunteers needed Christmas Play December 21st Birthday Party for Jesus

8 Update from the Wardens As we start into another season on-the-hill we thought it would be a good idea to go back to the basics. Just like at the start of the school year, it s good to remind everyone of where we stand so we know where we re headed in the coming months! Your church wardens are elected or appointed at St Paul s vestry meeting in February each year. If you think of the vestry meeting as the equivalent of the church s annual general meeting, then wardens are the equivalent of the church s board of directors and management team, helping put policies and procedures in place so that daily operations run smoothly and meet the needs of our congregation. The most high profile area of church warden oversight is undoubtedly Property, which is ably overseen by Ivan Hunte and Mike Persaud with many of the day-to-day tasks being done by the incredibly talented and VERY hardworking Ron Harris. Leaky roofs, wiring challenges, security alarms, installs and upgrades, Ron gamely tackles them all and makes our church the comfortable and safe meeting place it is today. As you know, the new safety exit bars are now installed on the main entrance and tower doors to bring St. Paul s into compliance with current fire codes. If you are the last person exiting the church, please ensure that the door locks securely. Masonry repairs have been completed on the tower and missing shingles have been replaced on both the church and rectory roofs to ensure we remain impervious to whatever the weather throws at us next. The next upgrades you see will be the strengthening of the railing on the stairs leading from the lower to upper parking lots, and the installation of a low security fence and gate near the lower entrance. The security gates will not be locked so congregants will still have full access to the lower doors, but the this fencing will ensure St. Paul s Daycare meets code for daycare establishments and will increase the children s safety in the vicinity of the parking lots. We continue to struggle with how to upgrade our elevator as we have received conflicting advice on multiple quotes. A final decision will be made shortly. Please take a short trip upstairs to view the beautiful stained glass window that has been installed in the upstairs boardroom. This beautiful creation from Catherine Amell is truly one of a kind and a joy to behold! Initiatives we are launching this fall include NCD, Natural Church Development (more details to follow), as well as a review of St. Paul s investment strategy and the creation of new guidelines for how to use our website and social media to better communicate with new and prospective congregation members. As always, we welcome your input. We are YOUR church wardens, taking care of YOUR church-on-the-hill. Please come to us at any time with questions, concerns and suggestions. May you have a blessed autumn with many things to be thankful for! Your wardens, Mike Persaud, Pam Johnstone, Richard Rainford, Bruce Hampson, Ivan Hunte, Mike Everitt, Elaine Phipps, Melanie Foord The Road Ahead My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end... But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust You always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me. And You will never leave me to face my perils alone....thomas Merton I m a little pencil in the hands of a loving God who is writing a love letter to the world....mother Teresa 8