December 2016 Winter 2016/17 Life & Work Inside this issue Clerk of Session.......2 Doors/Signage Update....2 Discipleship Team.........3 Church School...........3 Friendship Club.....4 Community Team........4 Worship Team........5 Church Library......5 Minister s Note....... 8 At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving the others with God's own love and concern. Mother Teresa, Love: A Fruit Always in Season Special items of interest Upcoming Events........3 Special Anniversaries......4 Photographs......6 & 7 Vision Statement....8 Online Edition
From Clerk of Session Rita Dean A Special Congregational Meeting was held on September 18, 2016 to consider and approve a withdrawal from the Living Trust. The proposed projects focused on enhancing St. Giles Kingsway s presence in the neighbourhood and renewing and transforming the church building into one that appears welcoming and up-todate. Specifically: Design, supply and installation of new interior and exterior doors for the sanctuary ($60,000) Design, supply and installation of two new exterior signs ($30,000) Renewing the exterior light fixtures ($2,500) Architectural drawings, design and project management fees ($12,000) Contingency ($5,500) Our hope is to have these projects completed by Easter. To better reflect Christian wording and our church s vision for the congregation and community, Session was in agreement to rename the Fellowship Team to Community Team and the Nurture Team to Discipleship Team. Community Team: Chaz Sullivan (convener) Discipleship Team: Sheila Loughrey-O Brien (convener) Management Team: Tom Oldfield (convener) Mission Team: Sandra Hamlyn (convener) Worship Team: Curtis Sullivan (convener) Iona Group: Elizabeth Campbell (convener) Trustees/Living Trust: Simonne Nord (chair) Coordinating Team: Susan Billington and Joanne Campbell (co-chairs) Prime Time: Mary-Lou Brown (coordinator) Friendship Club: Don & Lois Taylor (coordinators) My prayer for all of you this Advent season is that, as you wait with joyful anticipation, carrying in your heart the reality of life s bitter-sweet mixture of joy and sadness, you might welcome into your life the wonder of the Christ Child who brings hope and the promise of new life. In His Service, Rita What is happening with the Doors/Signage/Lighting project? Catherine McCulloch, Joanne Campbell, Garry Melville, Shelly McGown, Ted Scott, Sheila Loughrey-O Brien, & Chaz Sullivan are the team of SGK volunteers working on this project. They wish to provide the following update: After meeting with different Architects and obtaining quotes for the projects, the team made a unanimous decision in selecting Antonio Cunha as our Architect/Designer. Preliminary meetings with Tony and his associate were held, during which we shared our vision and hopes for these projects. The design team listened well and translated those visions into design renderings that capture what we d like to see done with the doors and signage. Proposals with price quotes for all of the work necessary and design ideas have been vetted for both the doors and signage. The team has agreed on the design plans and we are moving ahead based on the present designs. We expect to be making final detail decisions regarding door details in January and then the order for the doors can placed. The doors should be ready in a couple of months from the order, therefore work will be happening when the weather is not so cold (hopefully!). Further updates will come in the future, stay tuned. 2
Discipleship Team Sheila Loughrey O Brien Hurray! The Nurture Team is growing. We welcomed Winsom Graham, Dorothy Craig, and Pastor Esther Park to the team, with representatives from Church School (Carol Rivait) and the Library (Simonne Nord) joining the group on an ad hoc basis. Some Important Dates Dec. 17th Monthly Seminar: Ancient Egypt & our Christmas Tradition, led by Dr. Nirmal Dass 10:30-11:30am Dec. 18 Christmas Through Art 10:30am Dec. 18 Carols & Cider in the Sports Hall 4:00-5:00pm Dec. 24th Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 7:00pm Our wonderful library is going to be receiving some younger patrons. Pastor Esther and the church school children will be visiting the library during some Fun Sundays to see what books and resources might interest them. (If you don t know what a Fun Sunday is, ask one of the church school teaching team or children) Our library is going to get even more accessible in the coming months, as a donation of a library book cart has been made, and there will be a monthly rotation of books in the Cloak Room for people to peruse before or after Sunday morning worship. The Women s Christian Book Club took a brief summer hiatus, but is back running; their next meeting will be in the New Year. A Bible Study meets on Sunday morning at 9:15 and another will be starting in January on a weekday evening. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, please speak to Derek Chisholm, Winsom Graham or Jim Billington. Dec. 25th Christmas Day Communion 10:30am Dec. 28-30 Youth Snow Camp Church School Pastor Esther Park & Carol Rivait Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year! The children practiced for the entire month of November, and our annual Christmas pageant was held on Sunday December 4th. In September, we started something new. After children s time in the main worship, we gather as large group (from kindergarten to grade 8) in the Sports Hall for about 20 minutes. Pastor Esther gives a short sermon and kids experience the Bible in a large group setting. During this time, we also sing songs, play Bible trivia and celebrate monthly birthdays! Then the final 20 minutes of Church school is spent in the classroom discussing the Bible lesson in greater detail. During our small group, we want to emphasize Christian community by building relationship with leaders and children and help the children build relationships between each other. Our vision for the New Year is to teach, model and encourage a Christ like character to our kids so that they will grow in Christ likeness to serve the body of Christ. We will accomplish this through worship, prayer and by supporting parents to help train their children to love and follow God. Pastor Esther is passionate about children s ministry as they are our hope and future leaders of the church. She has brought many new and fun ideas to the Church school for the children to enhance their spiritual growth and learning. We invite you to partner with us in this exciting journey! 3
Friendship Club Don & Lois Taylor We had an exciting fall at Friendship Club. Two of our friends were married - Anthony and Julie - on Saturday, October 22nd. It was such a joyous event. We also had six new young ladies join us this fall. In November 2016 three couples in our congregation celebrated very special wedding anniversaries! Roy & Donalda 60th Sam & Yunice 55th Murray & Kay 60th Some other fall highlights included; Learning about the first North American Thanksgiving Our fun Halloween party Having special guests, Barry Peacock and his very friendly dog, Graydon We prepared for our Christmas pageant on December 5th, where all our friends had a part in the play. Thanks to all Friendship Club leaders for their dedication to our friends. If you would like to know more about Friendship Club, please contact Lois Taylor via the church office. Community Team Chaz Sullivan Many of you were contacted by Heather to allocate you to a Sunday Coffee Hour for prep and tidy up. Thank you to all who will be contributing to this vital ministry in our church. I am usually around at coffee hour if any questions arise you can reach out to me there. You may also ask me at any time if you think of something that you wish to know. SGK s Fall Pot Luck dinner was a success by any definition of the word. Lots of fun, food and fellowship was had on the evening of Saturday October 29th. Approximately 60 people were in attendance and the feedback was very positive. A very good time was had by all in attendance. Community team extends a huge thank you to all of the church folk who donated Christmas treats for our special Advent Kick Off Refreshments on Sunday November 27th. There was an abundance (which we were hoping for!) and all of the leftovers have been safely stored away in a chest freezer to be enjoyed on Sunday December 18th after the Carols and Cider at 4pm in the Sports Hall. Any further donations brought to the event will also be served. Plans for a Family Movie night in February are beginning to take shape, an announcement will be going out in the church bulletin about date and time. Also, a St. Patrick s Day Pot Luck Dinner is being planned mark your calendars for Friday March 17th, 2017 at 6:30pm! 4
5 Worship Team Joan Dea The sermon series from Advent to Easter will be focused on the Gospel of John. Interestingly, there is no Christmas Story in this gospel. Special services during the Advent and Christmas Seasons: Advent 1 HOPE on Nov. 27 th at 10:30am we celebrated Holy Communion. Advent 2 PEACE on Dec. 4 th at 10:30am the children and youth presented The Backward Christmas Pageant during the worship service. Advent 3 JOY on Dec. 11 th at 10:30am was the Festival of Carols & Worship. The chancel choir presented What Sweeter Music accompanied by trumpet, flute, cello and double bass. Advent 4 LOVE on Dec. 18 th at 10:30am will focus on Christmas Through Art. Dec. 18 th at 4:00pm. There will be Carol Singing with cider and seasonal refreshments in the sports hall. Dec. 24 th at 7:00pm is the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Dec. 25 th at 10:30am will be the Christmas Day Communion Service. Looking ahead to the Winter Season, we will be celebrating Communion on Sunday, Feb. 5 th, 2017 at 10:30am. Lent will begin on March 1 st, 2017. Church Library Simonne Nord THE FIRST CHRISTMAS, By Paul L. Maier For many centuries, Christmas has been the most celebrated occasion the world. The events surrounding the birth of Jesus are told with remarkable simplicity in the Bible. But they have too often been obscured by myths, mistletoe, and tinsel. Best-selling author and historian Paul. L. Maier separates fact from fiction, stripping away Yuletide folklore and questionable traditions to tell how it really was in the world of the Nativity. Delving into Jewish, Greek, Roman and early Christian sources, he uncovers fresh and fascinating insights into the true, yet unfamiliar, story of the first Christmas. A captivating combination of sacred and secular history, this informative and entertaining book answers many compelling questions, such as Why did the Roman emperor Augustus order his famous census? What marriage customs applied to Mary and Joseph? When and where was Jesus born? Who were the Wise Men? What was the Star of Bethlehem? The library has a gathering of Christmas memories that will wrap you in the spirit of the season the spirit of giving and receiving, of loving and being loved, of dreaming and seeing dreams come true. As you and your family read stories from the hearts of people who have experienced the miracle of Christmas, you will be reminded of the precious gifts in your own lives. Add this book, and the following to your Christmas celebration: Alabaster s Song, by Max Lucado Reflections on the Christmas Story, by Janette Oke The PineTree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs Christmas Cross by Max Lucado Celebrate the Gift, a Christmas Treasury from Focus on the Family The First Christmas Tree by Helen Haidle The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski Miracle in a Shoe Box by Franklin Graham The Glory of Christmas Inspirational Writings from Charles Swindoll, Max Lucado and Charles Colson
Anthony & Julie s Commitment Ceremony 6 Autumn Pot Luck Dinner 10/29/2016
A fresh face for Ye Olde Cloak Room! 7 7
The Last Word Pastor Tim Bruneau He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:11-12 On Sunday November 27 the season of Advent began. We may think Advent means getting ready for Christmas season; sort of like the NHL pre-season. We progressively sing more Christmas carols each week, one more Advent candle is lit each Sunday, we have the Christmas pageant, and finally the Celebratory Christmas Eve candlelight service. Advent is a time to prepare for the celebration of Christmas, but historically Advent was a season of preparing to meet Jesus when He returns again. th Vision Statement To be an engaged, passionate and vital Church that transforms our community for Jesus Christ. On Christmas Sunday we focus on Jesus return by celebrating Holy Communion. This focus on the suffering & death of Jesus in the Christmas season may seem out of place, but in John s Gospel, our book of focus from Advent to Easter this year, there is no nativity scene a gathering around the manger of the Christ child. Jesus first appearance is as an adult looking for baptism at the Jordan River. He is described by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This unique Gospel account helps us focus on what God was up to in sending Jesus to us. The season of Advent helps us focus on what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Also, we have the promise that he will come again to take those: who have received him, those who have believed in his name to become children of God. Let us pray that we grasp the depth and beauty of God coming among us as this profoundly meaningful season begins. - Pastor Tim 15 Lambeth Road, Toronto, ON M9A 2Y6 416.233.8591 sgk@bellnet.ca www.stgileskingsway.com CONNECT people through genuine Christian relationships in the Church family Offer people a spiritually deep environment to GROW in their relationship with God through Christ Positively IMPACT our community through a humble and joyful sharing of the whole good news of Jesus Christ