The Anglican, February 2016

TheAnglicanChurch welcomesSyrian refugees

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Church honoursunsung heroes

College assistsOrthodox Church

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PHOTOS OF NEW CANONS - SEE PAGE 10

BY STUART MANN

WHEN Stan Squires spoke to hisparish priest about the possibilityof sponsoring a refugee family, hehad no idea the number of peoplewho would be attracted to hiscause.

Since that first conversationback in September, Mr. Squiresand a small group of parishionersat St. Saviour, Orono have beenjoined by Anglicans from nearbytowns and villages, Christians ofdifferent denominations, Mus-lims, social service agencies andcommunity groups.

Supporters include the ownersof the local café, dentists, clergy,migrant workers, an imam, re-tirees, a banker, a hedge fundmanager, university students –more than 80 people from all overTrent-Durham. Even the localnewspaper editors have chippedin.

“It really is a multi-faith initia-tive,” says Mr. Squires. “The An-glican church started it, but wenow call it the Orono CommunitySyrian Refugee Sponsorship.”

The goal, he says, is to bring arefugee family to Orono, a villagejust north of the town of Newcas-tle off Highway 35. The group iswell on its way to doing that, hav-ing raised $23,000 by the middle ofDecember.

Mr. Squires says he has beenamazed by the number of peoplewho have offered to help. “Manyof them I’ve never met before.Just last night the Rotary Club ofBowmanville phoned and saidwe’d like to give you $2,500. It’sbeen incredible.”

Mr. Squires, who has neverbeen involved in a refugee spon-sorship before, says the planninggroup started small. “We didn’tcast our net wide. People just kepton volunteering, so we addedthem to the list.”

(His parish priest, the Rev.Kevin Wong, has since moved toAll Saints, Markham, where he isthe interim priest-in-charge. TheRev. Canon Susan Sheen is the

new interim priest-in-charge ofSt. Saviour, Orono. Both priestssupport the effort, as does the lo-cal deanery clericus.)

The initiative gained momen-tum in early September, when anarticle about it was published inthe Orono Weekly Times. Thegroup also set up a Facebookpage and an online portal for do-nations. The rest was done byword-of-mouth.

Two of the people who readabout the initiative were Dr.Nosheen Zaidi and Dr. AleemLalani, a husband-and-wife cou-ple who operate a dental practicein Newcastle. “Our main reasonfor wanting to support this causefrom the beginning was knowingfirst-hand what families ofrefugees go through and the bar-riers they face,” says Dr. Lalani.

Both of his parents migrated to

Canada from East Africa duringIdi Amin’s dictatorship in Ugandain the 1970s. “Their home, busi-ness and savings were suddenlyseized by the government andthey were facing persecution,” hesays. At that time, the federal gov-ernment made arrangements forseveral thousands of refugees tocome to Canada.

“My parents were one of thelucky ones that were accepted in-to this amazing country withopen arms – a land of true oppor-tunity,” says Dr. Lalani. “If it was-n’t for this opportunity, I wouldhave never known what it wouldhave been like to live a life ofpeace and security, nor would Ihave had the opportunity to studyand obtain the opportunity to goto university and pursue my ulti-mate passion – dentistry. When Ilook at the images of what is go-

ing on in Syria, it is truly heart-breaking. I cannot imagine livingeach day of my life with such fearand uncertainty. We just knew wehad to help out in whatever ca-pacity we could.”

Like many people supportingthe Orono sponsorship, Dr. Lalaniand Dr. Zaidi have pledged practi-cal support as well as financialhelp. They will be providing free

dental care to the refugee family.Others have offered to translateand to give English lessons.

Mr. Squires says he has beeninspired by a quote from Arch-bishop Colin Johnson, who wrotein The Anglican that bringingrefugees to Canada was all aboutbuilding communities. Archbish-op Johnson was writing about his

THE NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF TORONTO A SECTION OF THE ANGLICAN JOURNAL www.toronto.anglican.ca FEBRUARY 2016

Sponsorship creates community

Dr. Nosheen Zaidi and Stan Squires attend a meeting of the Orono andCommunity Syrian Refugee Sponsorship at Orono Town Hall on Jan. 13.At right, supporters listen to a panel of experts on sponsoring refugees.PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HUDSON

Dozenssupportrefugee effort

Continued on Page 3

2 TheAnglican February 2016NEWS

BY RYAN WESTON

AS many parishes across the dio-cese prepare for their 2016 vestrymeetings, they are being askedonce again to endorse the dio-cese’s annual social justice vestrymotion as a way of enacting aChristian commitment to workingtowards a more just society. Thisyear’s motion responds to thework of the Truth and Reconcilia-tion Commission of Canada (TRC)by calling for government actionon key recommendations of thecommission and committingparishes to undertaking studyand reflection on issues of indige-nous rights and reconciliation.

“Social justice issues do not on-ly have a political dimension,”says Archbishop Colin Johnson.“The church also needs to speakabout the biblical dimensions thatimpact or arise out of these is-sues. This opportunity for a dis-cussion at an official body such asa parish vestry is important, re-gardless of the results of the deci-sion.”

The formal work of the TRCwrapped up in June 2015 after aseven-year process. The commis-sion held public hearings acrossthe country for survivors of theIndian Residential School systemand collected more than 6,200statements from survivors andtheir families. These events doc-umented decades of physical,sexual and emotional abuse suf-fered by thousands of indigenousyouth in more than 130 schoolsacross the country, many run byChristian churches. In order toshare these stories and insights,the TRC released a final reportalong with 94 calls to action di-rected to Canadians in all walksof life.

Although the formal processhas come to an end, the work ofreconciliation between indige-nous and non-indigenous Canadi-ans requires ongoing commit-ment and effort to address a prob-lematic history and move togeth-er towards a better future. Intheir summary report, the com-missioners of the TRC wrote that

for churches, “demonstratinglong-term commitment requiresatoning for actions within the res-idential schools, respecting in-digenous spirituality and sup-porting indigenous peoples’struggles for justice and equity.”

Archbishop Johnson echoesthese priorities, noting that ac-tion on this issue is particularlyimportant “because of the rolethe church had in residentialschools, the number of indige-nous people who continue to bemembers of our church and thebiblical call to be agents of truthand reconciliation. How we en-gage in that, not whether we en-gage in that, is the matter for dis-cussion.”

This year’s vestry motion pur-sues this discussion by encourag-ing parishes to learn more aboutthe TRC and the history of indige-nous peoples in Canada and callsfor strong government action ontwo key recommendations con-tained in the calls to action. Themotion affirms the federal gov-ernment’s efforts to initiate an in-quiry into missing and murderedindigenous women and girls and

encourages ongoing commitmentto this work. The motion alsocalls on the provincial govern-ment to develop an educationalcurriculum for all grade levelsthat addresses the history of theresidential school system andhighlights the contributions of in-digenous people to the historyand culture of Canada.

Workshops were held in Janu-ary in each episcopal area tobuild the capacity of interestedparishioners and clergy to facili-tate engagement in their parisheson the issues addressed in themotion.

The advocacy work of this mo-tion carries on from earlier workthat has been done, both locallyand nationally, to heal the rela-tionship between indigenous peo-ples and the Anglican Church.The results of the motion will becollected by diocesan staff andused in the diocese’s advocacywork with both the federal andprovincial governments.

Ryan Weston is the diocese’sSocial Justice and Advocacyconsultant.

Vestry motionresponds toTRC’s findings

Toronto’s Walk for Reconciliation, held last May, marks the release of theTruth and Reconciliation’s final report. PHOTO BY MICHAEL HUDSON

BRIEFLYQuiet Day forchurch musiciansThe Toronto chapter of the RoyalSchool of Church Music is holdinga Quiet Day for church musicianson Feb. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.at St. John’s Convent, 233 CummerAve., Toronto. The day will be ledby Bishop Michael Bedford-Jones.For more information and to regis-ter, contact Joy at [email protected] or 416-694-1260.

Service celebratesblack heritageThe diocese’s 21st annual BlackHeritage Service will be held onFeb. 28 at St. Paul, Bloor Street.There will be a sing-along at 4p.m. followed by the service at 4:30p.m. All are invited.

Threshold Ministriesmeets in TorontoThreshold Ministries, formerly theChurch Army, is having its annualgeneral meeting on March 5, be-ginning at 10 a.m., at Christ ChurchSt. James Anglican Church, 194Park Lawn Rd., Toronto. All are in-vited to hear about the organiza-tion’s work for 2016. ThresholdMinistries is an organization thattrains, equips and releases evan-gelists to assist churches in com-municating the Gospel. RSVP [email protected] or506-642-2210 by March 1.

Time to updatesubscription listChurches in the diocese will havereceived their subscription list forThe Anglican and Anglican Jour-nal. Please take the time to up-date it and send the changes backto the office of the Anglican Jour-nal, 80 Hayden St., Toronto, Ont.,M4Y 3G2 or email the changes [email protected].

February 2016 TheAnglican 3NEWS

own experience of sponsoring afamily from Vietnam in the late1970s.

“I cut that out and put it on mycomputer because he is right on,”says Mr. Squires. “One of themost incredible parts of this hasbeen the friendships we’ve madewith complete strangers.”

He says he has been moved totears by some of the fundraisingefforts. Desley White, a migrantfarm worker from Jamaica, gavea dozen cedar and pine wreathshe had made to St. John, Bow-manville, to raise funds forrefugee sponsorship. From thesale of the wreaths, the churchdonated $100 to Orono’s efforts.“It's been a blessing to see the rip-ple effect of giving,” says the Rev.Christopher Greaves, the incum-bent of St. John’s.

Mr. Squires says a nine-year-old boy makes woolen “hopedolls” and sells them for 50 centsapiece, giving the money to thecause. “The stories are amazing,”says Mr. Squires. “It’s missionalwork.”

He adds: “I believe that if onesmall congregation in a rural On-tario church can achieve this,then every church in Canada can

do the same, and many are indeeddoing it. Archbishop Johnson isright. Any community can do it –it’s possible.”

Fundraising efforts move organizer to tearsContinued from Page 1

New degree helps Orthodox Church

BY STUART MANN

A new Master of Divinity programat Trinity College is helping toprepare students for ordained orlay ministry in the OrthodoxChurch.

The post-graduate degree – theonly one of its kind in Canada – isoften a requirement for thoseseeking ordination in the Ortho-dox Church. Previously, studentswho wanted the degree had totravel to seminaries in the UnitedStates, usually a prohibitively ex-pensive undertaking.

“It was really quite a barrier, sothe opportunity we’ve been givenhere at Trinity College is amaz-ing,” says the Rev. Fr. GeoffreyReady, an Orthodox priest and di-rector of the program. “It’s a greatbenefit to the Orthodox Churchacross Canada.”

Trinity College’s faculty of di-vinity has been offering coursesin Orthodox Christianity for thepast 10 years and the new degree,established last year, is an exten-sion of that, says Fr. Ready. “Wedecided to take it to the next lev-el,” he says.

Three students were enrolled inthe program in its first year andFr. Ready is hoping for up to 12when the next school year beginsin September. The degree in-cludes courses in biblical studiesfrom an Orthodox perspective,liturgics and pastoral ministry.

The Rev. Canon David Nee-lands, dean of divinity, says theenhanced Orthodox curriculumand the new students it will at-tract will benefit the college. “Ithink it’s a great development,” hesays. “It will benefit us and a newpopulation.”

Anglican students enrolled inthe Master of Divinity or Masterof Theological Education pro-grams at the college can take theOrthodox courses towards theirdegrees. “Orthodox historiansand theologians have a lot to offerin terms of early church writersand history, and Anglicans have along tradition of interest in East-

ern Christianity – its icons, itsspirituality and its authentic char-acter,” says Canon Neelands.

The Anglican and Orthodoxchurches have a long history ofmutual hospitality and learning.The late Bishop Henry Hill of theDiocese of Ontario devoted yearsto dialogue between the twochurches. More recently, the Rev.Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan andthe Rev. Canon Philip Hobsonhave been involved in Anglican-Orthodox discussions.

Canon Neelands says that whilethe Anglican-Orthodox collabora-tion at Trinity College is unique inCanada, there are many other

places of cross-denominationallearning. The Vancouver School ofTheology and the MontrealSchool of Theology, for example,provide courses for Anglicans,United Church members andPresbyterians, while the AtlanticSchool of Theology in Halifax of-fers courses for Anglicans, UnitedChurch members and RomanCatholics.

Fr. Ready is hoping the Ortho-dox curriculum and scholarship at

Trinity College will raise the pro-file of the Orthodox Church, whichhe calls a well-kept secret. “It’spartly our fault because wehaven’t been engaging the worldas we ought to have. One of themain benefits of having our semi-nary at a university is that it givesus the opportunity to engage withthe world and really tackle mod-ern questions.”

The Orthodox Church, alsoknown as the Eastern OrthodoxChurch, has between 225 and 300million adherents worldwide, mak-ing it the second-largest singleChristian denomination. It com-prises 14 self-governing churchesthat are in communion with eachother. There are about one millionOrthodox Christians in Canada,mainly belonging to the Greek,Russian and Ukrainian traditions.

Fr. Ready is hoping the Ortho-dox programs at Trinity will actas a bridge between the OrthodoxChurch and the Oriental Ortho-dox Church, which includes theCoptic, Armenian and Ethiopiantraditions. The two churches arenot in communion with each oth-er. “We have both Eastern Ortho-dox and Oriental Orthodox lectur-ers on faculty, so we’re trying tobridge both families, which is an-other unique aspect of our pro-gram,” he says.

To celebrate the Week of Prayerfor Christian Unity, the Orthodoxand Anglican traditions at the col-lege will be holding an “EasternChristian Service of Supplicationfor Christian Unity” in the col-lege’s chapel on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.The chapel is located at 6 HoskinAve., Toronto. All are welcome.

Fr. Geoffrey Ready (left) and the Rev. Canon David Neelands outside Trinity College, Toronto. PHOTO BY MICHAELHUDSON

Desley White with some of the cedar and pine wreaths he donated forrefugee sponsorship.

Churcheshave longhistory ofhospitality

4 TheAnglican February 2016

TheAnglicanThe Anglican is published under the authority of the Bishop of Toronto and the Incorporated Synod of theDiocese of Toronto. Opinions expressed inThe Anglican are not necessarily those ofthe editor or the publisher.

Canon Stuart Mann: Editor

Address all editorial material to:The Anglican 135 Adelaide Street EastToronto, Ontario M5C 1L8Tel: (416) 363-6021, ext. 247Toll free: 1-800-668-8932Fax: (416) 363-7678E-mail: [email protected]

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Address all advertising material to:Fenn Company Inc. P.O. Box 1060King City, Ontario L7B 1B1Tel: 905-833-6200, ext. 22Toll free: 1-800-209-4810Fax: (905) 833-2116E-mail: [email protected]

The Anglican ChurchIn the Anglican Communion:A global community of 70million Anglicans in 64,000congregations in 164 countries.

Archbishop of Canterbury:The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Justin Welby,Lambeth Palace, London, England SE1 7JU.

In Canada:A community of about 600,000 membersin 30 dioceses, stretching from VancouverIsland to Newfoundland and north to theArctic Ocean.

Primate:The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Church House, 80 Hayden St. Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2

In the Diocese of Toronto:A community of 254 congregations in 210parishes covering 26,000 square kilometers.Of the nearly 5 million people who livewithin the diocesan boundaries, 376,000claim to be affiliated with the AnglicanChurch, with about 80,000 peopleidentified on the parish rolls. The dioceseis home to many ethnic and language-based congregations, including African,Caribbean, Chinese, Filipino, French,Hispanic, Japanese, and Tamil. The City ofToronto has the largest population ofaboriginal peoples in the country.

The Archbishop of Toronto:The Most Rev. Colin Johnson

York-Credit Valley:The Rt. Rev. Philip Poole

Trent-Durham:The Rt. Rev. Linda Nicholls

York-Scarborough:The Rt. Rev. Patrick Yu

York-Simcoe:The Rt. Rev. Peter Fenty

The Diocese of Toronto:135 Adelaide St. E., Toronto, Ont., M5C 1L81-800-668-8932/416-363-6021Web site: http://www.toronto.anglican.ca

COMMENT

My wife and I recent-ly took a mid-win-ter break and trav-elled to the Galapa-

gos Islands. It was fascinatingto see the islands and theirunique animal species thatprompted for an earlier visi-

tor, Charles Darwin, a string of questionsthat led to an exploration of origins. This lat-er developed into the theory of evolution, it-self one of the causes leading to the rise ofChristian fundamentalism in the early 20thcentury. That's for another column, though!

Near the end of our trip, I took some timeto offer a prayer of gratitude for all whomade the trip possible. It was our decision togo. We thought through the plan. We joinedsome cousins who came along. We saved upthe money. We ordered the tickets. We went.It was “our” trip, “our” holiday.

But as I thought about it, I began to real-ize how many other people made it possiblefor us to take “our” holiday. The travelagent. The airport staff. The flight atten-dants. The pilots. The traffic controllers.The restaurant cooks and servers. The hotelstaff. The drivers. The guides. The bordercontrol agents. The shop venders. The listgoes on and on and on, both the obviousfront-line people who provide the directservice as well as all the people you neversee (or think of) who provide the food, fuel,documents, currency exchanges and infra-structure that make it all possible to travel.“My” trip became “our” trip. I literally de-pended on thousands of unnamed people toenjoy the trip I thought of as “mine.”

My prayer of thanksgiving became muchlonger than I had planned!

We live in a web of relationships thatmake living possible. In an age that has in-creasingly become focused on the individ-ual, it is so easy to forget how interconnect-ed we are. My decisions, actions, well- beingand happiness are not anywhere nearly asautonomous as I might like to think theyare.

There is a night prayer in the AmericanBook of Common Prayer’s office of Compline(p. 134): “O God, your unfailing providencesustains the world we live in and the life welive: Watch over those, both night and day,who work while others sleep, and grant thatwe may never forget that our common lifedepends upon each other’s toil; through Je-sus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

This time of year brings this interconnect-edness into particular focus. It is the time ofannual meetings, where new officers of theparish are elected or appointed. On any par-ticular Sunday – or weekday, perhaps – wemight “decide” to “go to church” or not. Wecan frame it as, “It is between me and God,”but the parish church is there because of thecountless hours of dedication of churchwar-dens and clergy, chancel guilds and servers,treasurers and diocesan officials, Sundayschool teachers and catechists, pastoral carevisitors and financial contributors. I thankGod for all who contribute their time and

talent, wisdom and money, prayers and pres-ence to the mission of Christ in our parishesand communities. It makes a difference.“Our common life (as a church) depends oneach other’s toil.”

We are also entering an unusually earlyseason of Lent. Lent is a time for reflection,prayer, giving and confession. The AshWednesday liturgy in the Book of Alterna-tive Services includes a Litany of Penitence,pp 283-285. One parishioner objected to pray-ing it because “I haven’t done most of thosethings!” That’s hopefully true of most of usas individuals, but we all participate in a so-ciety where someone else has, whether onour behalf, in our name, or by our indiffer-ence. My sin, as well as my virtue, has im-pact and influence on those around me.“My” actions or inactions affect not only mebut “us.” And so my repentance is importantnot only for confessing a sin and establish-ing a right relationship between me andGod, but equally importantly between meand my neighbour, even those I might notknow very well or even at all. This corporatedimension of our faith – its “political” aspect– is also why prayer (including thanksgivingand intercession) and almsgiving are alsocentral to a good Lenten discipline.

May you have a gracious Lent. As St. Paulwrites in Philippians, “I thank my God everytime I remember you. In all my prayers forall of you, I always pray with joy because ofyour partnership in the Gospel from the firstday until now, being confident of this, thathe who began a good work in you will carryit on to completion until the day of Christ Je-sus.”

Can I be buried frommy church?” It’s asensitive question andone that is difficult to

raise in the emotional turmoilfollowing the death of a lovedone or when contemplatingone’s own death.

My comments here are the result of a re-cent clash between a priest and a funeralhome. They are prefaced by my understand-ing that funeral arrangements are in thehands of the family, and the church may ormay not be invited to have a part in it.

Death is a universal human reality. If Ihave learned nothing else in the 38 yearssince I have been ordained, I know this: noone gets out of this life alive! We all die.Throughout human history, death has beenmarked in some way or another – simply orelaborately, with accompanying religiousrites or not. There are almost as many prac-tices around the reverent disposition of a hu-man body as there are cultures: some bodiesare interred almost immediately while oth-ers wait for weeks; some are buried whileothers are burned; some burial practices areon land and some are on water; some washthe body in preparation while some will nottouch the dead; some have religious rites,others civil celebrations. Still others have asimple family gathering.

(While you did not hear it from me, nexttime your mind wanders from the liturgy inchurch, take a look at an article concerningfunerals on page 565 in the Book of Alterna-tive Services. It is most interesting!)

The Christian attitude toward death, whilechanging over the centuries, has been inex-tricably linked to the biblical accounts of ourbelief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thesaving power found in Christ and the hope ofeternal life. It is entirely fitting that the

church be the place from which a Christianlife is celebrated and that the ordainedleader of the church be the minister of theservice. The church is the one place that canmark all of life’s passages – birth, baptism,confirmation, marriage (and, yes, divorceand remarriage), joyful times, sorrowfultimes, and death.

That’s the theory, but what happens inpractice? It is sad to say, but there is some-times an uneasy professional relationshipbetween the clergy and the funeral industry.Like most of life, it pays to be proactive inthis area as well. Here are a couple ofthoughts you might consider, rememberingthat all of us will die:

Tell your family what your wishes are. Inmy family, we were very fortunate that bothour father and our mother were very openwith us about their wishes regarding their“funerals.” They spoke to us about it andthey wrote it down. And, God bless them,they gave us the wiggle room to decide at thetime of their deaths what was best and whatwas practical so that we did not live with theguilt of knowing we missed something.

Get a will. If you don’t write down yourwishes, then by default someone else will de-cide it for you.

Pre-plan your funeral with a funeral direc-tor. Every funeral home offers a wide varietyof services, from very inexpensive to veryelaborate. Tell the funeral director that youare a member of a church and that you wantthe involvement of the church and your localminister. If you wish the church to be the lo-cation of your funeral service, tell them that.There is no reason they cannot accommo-

date your wishes. Pre-plan your funeral with your priest so

that he or she is aware of your wishes. Writeit down and have it put in the parish files.Clergy move!

In my personal experience, both as a con-sumer of their services and as a priest, I haveenjoyed a good relationship with very profes-sional and sensitive people in the funeral in-dustry. But these are not always the reports Ireceive from clergy. There seems to be an in-creasing tension between the church and thefuneral industry in some places.

When a death occurs, call your priest firstand your funeral home second. That way, youcan ensure that both professionals work to-gether to help you and support you throughthis difficult time. Make sure that the clericis consulted immediately about the time andplace of the service. The funeral industry nolonger assumes it is dealing with people offaith, so if you wish to have the church in-volved, contact it early on. Clergy will bene-fit from establishing a good, open relation-ship with all the funeral service providers inthe community and sharing with them thekinds of expectations they have.

It is not surprising that more funeral serv-ices are being led by “civil celebrants” or“rent-a-Revs” than by parish clergy. Whyshould that be? Certainly, there is an in-crease in those who have no religious faithand who, for the sake of their own integrity,do not wish a religious presence. However, Isuspect that is not the full reason. Here iswhat I have heard from funeral directors andpeople who don’t think they can be buriedfrom the church. It is not complimentary:clergy do not always answer their phonesand they take a day or two to get back to afamily requesting their presence at a funeral;clergy are unwilling to lead the funeral serv-

We are interconnectedBY ARCHBISHOP COLIN JOHNSON

ARCHBISHOP’S DIARY

BY BISHOP PHILIP POOLE

BISHOP’S OPINION

Can I be buried from my church?

Continued on Page 9

“

February 2016 TheAnglican 5INTERVIEW

Enloe Wilson is the manager of Faith andCommunity Development for Habitat forHumanity Greater Toronto Area.

I am the relationship manager of ourorganization’s interfaith partnerships.Those partners that fall within my portfo-lio – including the Diocese of Toronto andits parishes – offer critical support to ouraffordable home-building work throughvolunteering and financial support, aswell as advocacy around the need for af-fordable housing in our region.

We are thrilled to have completed anddedicated 23 homes for our partnerfamilies in 2015, one of those being thefirst-ever Diocese of Toronto-sponsoredhome at our 960 Brimley Rd. site inToronto’s east end. This year will see usworking on 46 homes in Toronto, Bramp-ton, Caledon, Stouffville and Newmarket.We invite parishes and other faith com-munities in these areas to support ourwork.

Easily the best part of my work is theprivilege of serving alongside a richlyvaried community of families and sup-porters. In a region as diverse as theGreater Toronto Area, “Habitaters” arriveby way of countless ethnic, faith, socio-economic and other backgrounds. The op-portunity to make these acquaintances, tolearn from their perspectives and to effecta measurable social impact in concertwith them is hugely rewarding.

Perhaps the toughest part of my work ischallenging myself and others to trulylive out our contempt for poverty. I’vefound that most people will declare withcomplete sincerity that they are deeplymoved by the plight of those who live insubstandard housing, but fewer are pre-pared to avail their own time, resources orproverbial backyards to develop afford-able housing. Fewer still are prepared toassume a lifestyle of solidarity with thepoor, not merely supporting our work – orthat of any charity – on a project basis, butexisting in opposition to those policies,market activities and social assumptions

that facilitate systemic poverty as a matterof course. This latter disposition is deeplyimportant, not to mention exquisitelyChrist-like. My hope is that I might growin my ability to exemplify and inspiremovement in this direction.

I was born and raised in ClevelandHeights, Ohio, and did undergraduateand graduate studies in journalism atnearby Kent State University. I workedprimarily in news and community rela-tions until 2006, when I relocated toToronto to take up a call to seminary. In2010, I graduated from the University ofToronto, Emmanuel College, with a Mas-ter of Theological Studies degree.

On graduating from seminary, my ini-tial intent had been to continue in doc-toral-level study. During my discernmentof whether I was best suited for a career

in the academy, the opportunity arose tovolunteer with Habitat GTA in a numberof capacities. I began as a volunteer onbuild sites, then progressed to crewleader. Simultaneously, I was invited toserve as a writer and editor for HabitatGTA’s marketing and communications de-partment and as a member of the organi-zation’s Interfaith Outreach Committee.When the prospect came up to join Habi-tat GTA as its manager of faith engage-ment, I jumped at the chance.

Habitat appealed to me as a wonderful-ly unique vocational environmentwherein I might see my faith put intomeasurable action. I was very much in-spired by a notion coined by our founder,Millard Fuller. In his “Theology of theHammer,” he suggested that despite dif-ferences in belief or social orientation,most people – and particularly people of

faith – can do God’s work by coming to-gether under the impetus to serve thosein need in the most menial of ways. It’sthrough this unifying notion that Habi-tat’s presence around the planet hasthrived over the past 40 years.

I was raised in the African AmericanBaptist tradition and grew up in anarea of suburban Cleveland that boast-ed what was then the densest OrthodoxJewish community between New Yorkand Chicago. At the same time, my publicschool district was probably the most di-verse in the Greater Cleveland Area. I en-joyed the friendship of classmates fromany number of faith traditions – Islam,Sikhi, Buddhism, etc. From very early, myspiritual imagination was roused by themosaic of traditions around me. I believeit was in university, though, around thetime of the Gulf War, when my apprecia-tion of faith began to evolve from some-thing chiefly aesthetic to something utter-ly transformative where issues of socialdysfunction and restoration are con-cerned.

Habitat for Humanity is a global federa-tion from which I would be honoured toretire. Its vision, its mission and values,its history of radical inclusivity, its Abra-hamic foundation of caring for those inthe margins – they all resonate deeplywith me. In coming years, I would love toextend my personal ministry with Habi-tat, working with our affiliates in nearly100 countries to maximize regional inter-faith partnerships in service to families inneed.

Having lived, studied, and workedamong such a diversity of peoplethroughout my life, I’ve come to reallyappreciate the extent to which well-con-sidered communication – or the meas-ured restraint therefrom – sets the tonefor the lives we build with each anoth-er. Proverbs 25:11 offers, “[Like] goldenapples in silver settings, [so] is a wordspoken at the right time.” There’s suchbeauty and practical wisdom in that, Ifind.

Enloe Wilson (left) with Bishop Patrick Yu at the opening of the new Habitat for Humanitysite on Brimley Road in Scarborough. PHOTO BY MICHAEL HUDSON

I jumped at the chance

God calls us by name, into his storyQ

ueer” language cancertainly seem a bitstrange to thosewho are unfamiliar

with it. The lengthyacronym “LGBTQQ2SIA,”often used to describethese communities, is a

stumbling block for some. Many inLGBTQ+ communities have reclaimed theformerly offensive word “queer,” turningit into a word that celebrates LGBTQ+perspectives and ways of being. To com-plicate matters further, many gender-non-conforming people have pronouns thatseem tricky, like “they” or “ze.” Some peo-ple outside of these communities may feelthat this language is daunting, perhapseven too complicated to understand. In re-sponse, I would like to take this opportu-nity to clear up some questions about“queer” language.

So, what does “LGBTQQ2SIA” mean,anyway? It means “value and cherishyour neighbour.”

While I could go into a lengthy exposi-tion of the meanings of “lesbian,” “gay,”“bisexual,” “queer,” “transgender,” “gen-

der-fluid,” “Two-Spirit” and the myriad ofother identities that make up LGBTQ+communities, I think it is more valuableto talk about what a beautiful act of loveand recognition it is to use the terms peo-ple use for themselves. The identities, ori-entations, communities and cultures in-cluded in that long acronym are complexand beautiful. There are many helpful re-sources online designed to give new initi-ates to the world of queer-language a bet-ter understanding of who queer peopleare and why they use those identifyingterms. We should use these resources tolearn more, but as Christians we havemore to offer LGBTQ people than just ournewfound knowledge. The LGBTQ com-munity is accustomed to being hurt bywords, but what if we used our words forhealing?

One of the things I’ve recently beenstruck by in the Gospels is Jesus’ teachingon being a “neighbour.” When Jesus

taught his followers that they should lovetheir neighbours, a clever scholar askedhim, “And who is my neighbour?”

Jesus’ followers knew they were sup-posed to love their neighbour; it’s just thatthey had a pretty narrow view of whotheir neighbour was. Maybe, theythought, neighbours were people whoshared their language and culture. Maybeneighbours were people who looked likethem. But neighbours were not foreign-ers and certainly not Samaritans. Jesus’followers were quite confident that theydid not need to be neighbourly with thosepeople. But our Redeemer Jesus teachessomething different.

The people you meet? They are all yourneighbours; the outcast is your neigh-bour; the Samaritan is your neighbour.And being a neighbour is a serious call.

When we encounter someone who isquite different from ourselves, we are en-countering a new neighbour. LGBTQ peo-ple are our neighbours, in every sense ofthe word. When we take the time to learnvalidating language, to use the pronounsthat each person prefers, to meet peopleand listen to who they are with love and

gentleness of heart, we are loving ourLGBTQ neighbours.

The Gospel of Luke tells the story of Za-cchaeus, the tax-collector. When Zaccha-eus is on the outskirts of a fervent crowd,up in the branches of a tree, Jesus callsZacchaeus down from the tree and intohis story. Jesus brings Zacchaeus in, bycalling him by name. When we see ourLGBTQ neighbours for who they are, andcall out to our neighbours by name, werecognize that God is calling them into hisstory, just as he called Zacchaeus the tax-collector down from the tree.

Not everyone has an identity that fallsinto the rainbow of LGBTQ+, but each ofus is fearfully and wonderfully made,with complex, faceted identities. Howwonderful then, that God sees each of usin our myriad identities, calls us by nameand brings us into his story. Whereveryou are in your journey of meeting andloving your LGBTQ+ neighbours, God hasblessed you with the capacity to heal andlove through your words.

Meagh Culkeen is the youth minister atSt. John, West Toronto.

BY MEAGH CULKEEN

COMMENT“

6 TheAnglican February 2016NEWS February 2016 TheAnglican 7NEWS

The Order of the Diocese of Toronto, anaward created in 2013, honours membersof the laity in the diocese who have givenoutstanding service over a significant pe-riod of time in their volunteer ministry.We give thanks to God for the work andwitness of these faithful people who, in theexercise of their baptismal ministry, havedemonstrated that “their light shines,their works glorify.” In 2015, the recipientscame from the following deaneries: Victo-ria/Haliburton, North Peel, St. James &East Toronto and Nottawasaga. They werepresented with their medallions at St.James Cathedral, Toronto, on Jan. 1.

Karen Anderson, ODTSt. Monica, TorontoMs. Anderson has given love, compassionand advocacy to the people of her parish.She has taken as a way of life Christ’schallenge: “what you do to these the leastof my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”In Ms. Anderson, Christ’s siblings havefound a proud champion.

Lois Brennan, ODTParish of Bobcaygeon, Dunsford andBurnt RiverMrs. Brennan has a lifetime of devotion toserving Jesus Christ. Her love for thechurch has been exemplified by leader-ship in liturgy, prayer, preaching, studyand healing ministries. She has served formore than nine decades in all aspects ofparish life in many parishes. She is an in-spiration to her fellow parishioners, asshe continued her role of lay anointinguntil fall 2015.

Shirley Cook, ODTSt. David, OrilliaMrs. Cook was nominated for her exten-sive service to the church. She has servedwith her parish’s advisory board, altarguild and children’s choir, organized andcooked countless parish meals, baked com-munion bread and sung in the choir. Mrs.Cook has faithfully visited the sick andshut-ins, as well as retirement and nursinghomes, in a manner that exemplifies hercompassionate and Christ-like heart.

Brother Reginald-Martin Crenshaw,ODTOrder of the Holy Cross Priory, TorontoBrother Reginald-Martin is an integraldiocesan resource. He has served as an as-sociate at St. Paul, Rexdale and as a Natu-ral Church Development coach, parish se-lection committee facilitator and parishadministrator. He brings deep experienceand practical skill to conflict managementsituations and diversity education and isgrateful to work and live in parish min-istry, where he finds his true joy.

Gwen Dimon, ODTChurch of the Resurrection, TorontoMrs. Dimon has shown faithful, joyfulservice since her baptism in 1937. She is afaithful and dedicated source of wisdomand has loyally served her church familyin many ways. Her knowledge of thechurch, the scriptures and the Lord havecontributed significantly to the work Godhas done in her parish, and she remainsan active blessing to her fellow parish-ioners.

Charlotte Empringham, ODTSt. Paul, BeavertonMs. Empringham was nominated for herfaithful service in her parish. She hasvolunteered as a churchwarden, layreader and parish leader. Her ability tolive out her vocation, both in the churchand in the community, is an outwardsign of her faithfulness.

Keith Forde, ODTChurch of the Nativity, MalvernMr. Forde has worked tirelessly in thewider Toronto community. A retireddeputy chief of the Toronto Police Serv-ice, he is a member of the AnglicanDiocesan Response Team, Sickle CellsCamp Jumoke and the TELUS TorontoCommunity Board, and a former boardmember of the Scarborough Hospitalsand United Way Youth Challenge Fund.Mr. Forde has an outstanding reputationfor fairness and quality, and a strongcommitment to race relations.

Bill Gliddon, ODTParish of HaliburtonMr. Gliddon has provided extraordinaryservice as organist and choirmaster formore than 50 years at St. George, Hal-iburton. He supports and encourages thearts both within the parish and in thewider community. He has directed manymusicals for the local high school, wherehe taught for 35 years.

William Goodyer, ODTSt. Margaret, BarrieMr. Goodyer was nominated for his workin children’s and youth ministry. Hispassion, dedication and love for childrenhave made a difference in their lives, aswell as in the wider ministry at St. Mar-garet, Barrie, while never seeking recog-nition or acknowledgement.

Gertrude Gowan, ODTSt. Luke, CreemoreMrs. Gowan has shown quiet evangel-ism, courage and faith through her workin her parish, the diocese and her com-munity. She is community-minded, faith-fully providing food for the ill, bereavedor less fortunate and sending cards onall occasions to many of the people inher village – an example of true disciple-ship.

Susan Graham Walker, ODTChurch of the Redeemer, Bloor StreetMrs. Graham Walker has been an inte-gral part of the church through her serv-ice in children’s ministry, LOGOS andlay ministry training. She was a staffmember of the diocesan Ministry Re-sources department, and was later onthe staff of General Synod. She was in-strumental in setting up the diocese’sSupporting Congregations VolunteerCorps. She wrote much of the originalparish selection committee manual andpiloted the facilitated parish selectioncommittee process the diocese uses to-day. Mrs. Graham Walker still finds timeto volunteer as a facilitator and offer herleadership within her parish, even asshe serves as the manager of Congrega-tional Giving and Stewardship with theUnited Church of Canada.

John Hall, ODTChrist Church, BramptonMr. Hall was nominated for his consistentand sacrificial servant leadership throughhospitality, administration, stewardship,mission and outreach. As an active singledad, his ministry has been rooted in theparish, where he has raised his daugh-ters. Mr. Hall supports the weak, journeyswith those who mourn and offers leader-ship, all for the betterment of the churchand those who are not yet members.

Elizabeth Hill, ODTSt. Cuthbert, LeasideMs. Hill has served with the diocesan Vol-unteer Corps since its inception in the1990s. She was one of the original NaturalChurch Development coaches when theprogram was introduced in 2005, and wasalso a member of the first FaithWorkssteering committee. Ms. Hill has facilitat-ed dozens of parish selection committees,worked as a Synod Animator and on theSynod planning and agenda committees,chaired the Bishop’s Company Dinner,and is a long-serving and highly valuedmember of the diocese’s Postulancy Com-mittee.

Robert Horne, ODTSt. Luke, East YorkMr. Horne has shown outstanding andfaithful commitment and service to hisparish, his episcopal area and the diocese.

He lives out his faith in positive andmeaningful ways that show Christ at workin our world. Using his talents and expert-ise, he has served in numerous capacitiesin the parish and on various committeesand boards of management in the churchand in the community. As a tireless work-er for the church, Mr. Horne’s lifetimecommitment and contribution over theyears cannot be measured.

Alfred Jenkins, ODTHoly Spirit, Dixie North, MississaugaMr. Jenkins was nominated for faithfulservice to God and the church throughouthis life. His leadership roles in his parishhave included churchwarden, treasurerand chair of the Forward in Faith cam-paign. He has shown great care and con-cern for fellow parishioners, often visitingsick and shut-in members and befriend-ing those who need support, all the whileremaining steadfast in faith, love and de-voted service.

John Kean, ODTChrist Church, WoodbridgeMr. Kean has provided faithful service onkey management boards and committees.As a founding member of FaithWorks, healso served as chair of his local parishcampaign for seven years. He has sinceheld various volunteer roles in the dio-cese, serving on York-Simcoe Area Coun-cil, Canon 25 Board of Management, the

Award honours outstandingservice over the years

Laity receive Order of the Diocese of Toronto

Our Faith-Our Hope Feasibility StudyCommittee and the Bishop’s Company. Mr.Kean is constantly engaged in his churchand community, generously giving of histime and talents.

Frank Little, ODTSt. Paul, InnisfilMr. Little has held almost every office pos-sible within the life of his parish over 48years of ministry. A churchwarden to fiveincumbents and chair of the propertycommittee, Mr. Little also coordinates hisparish’s annual spring flea market, organ-izes the monthly men’s dinner club andweekly seniors’ darts group, and is a lec-tor and a founding member of the weeklyBible study. Mr. Little currently repre-sents St. Paul’s in the Barrie reconfigura-tion process.

Joe Menard, ODTHoly Family, Heart Lake, BramptonMr. Menard was nominated for his un-selfish work in his parish, where his ad-mirable demeanor is an example foryounger members. He is always willing tohelp, no matter what the situation.

Sandy Richmond, ODTSt. George, AllandaleMr. Richmond has served for 20 years onthe diocese’s Chaplaincy Committee. Hetirelessly advocates for chaplains in hos-pitals and schools, ensuring that when

families and individuals need spiritualand religious care, there are competentand committed Anglican chaplains readyto meet their needs. Mr. Richmond’s spe-cialized ministry to the chaplains of thediocese is greatly valued.

Annie Robertson, ODTParish of Fenelon FallsMrs. Robertson is described as a mentorwho has taught others how to be goodmembers of the church and the commu-nity. She has provided faithful service onthe ACW executive and as hospitality co-ordinator, historian, lector and story-teller to children at Vacation BibleSchool. As she approaches her 95th birth-day, Mrs. Robertson continues to be anexample of Christian faithfulness livedout in kindness, faithful prayer and cre-ative leadership in her church and com-munity.

Stephen Rodaway, ODTSt. Margaret, BarrieMr. Rodaway began his volunteer servicewith the diocese as a youth member ofSynod in 2000. He has served the diocesein many capacities, particularly on theArrears Committee since 2005 and nowas chair of the Anglican Diocese ofToronto Foundation. Mr. Rodaway has agift for working alongside parishes thatare struggling to faithfully and gracious-ly help them find their financial feet.

Robert Saunders, ODTSt. Timothy, AgincourtMr. Saunders was nominated for his coach-ing and administrative work in the diocese.He has served as a Bishop’s Envoy since2007, a parish selection committee coachsince 2011 and recently as a parish admin-istrator on the board of St. Peter, CarletonStreet and at St. Columba and All Hallows,Toronto. Mr. Saunders is a passionate ad-vocate of preserving our churches, notablythrough his extensive photography, andsees them not as museums but as places ofmission and living proclamations of faith.

Malcolm Savage, ODTHoly Trinity, Trinity SquareMr. Savage has provided extraordinaryservice to his parish for more than 25years. In addition to improving various ad-ministrative measures, his generosity ofspirit has shone clearly in visiting the dy-ing, building innovative networks for vul-nerable people, offering support to peoplefrom all walks of life whom he encoun-tered in the church during the week, andespecially in his tireless work to help HolyTrinity settle some 130 refugees fromaround the world. Mr. Savage lives outChristian values in his modest, joyful andself-effacing manner.

Heather Steeves, ODTCongregational DevelopmentMs. Steeves was nominated for her exten-sive work as a Volunteer Management andCongregational Development Consultantwith the diocese. She has found great joyin recruiting, training and supporting gift-ed lay leaders to facilitate parish selectioncommittees and Fresh Start modules, aswell as coaching parish teams in NaturalChurch Development and Appreciative In-quiry processes. Ms. Steeves’ purpose inlife is “to be a disciple of the Gardener,” apurpose she has lived out daily in her workand will continue to do into her retire-ment.

John Stevens, ODTChurch of the Redeemer, Bloor StreetMr. Stevens is a faithful volunteer withinthe diocese’s Congregational Developmentdepartment. He has served as a FreshStart facilitator, a coach working withparish selection committees and a memberof the diocesan Reconfiguration Group. Heis also a long-time volunteer in his parish,serving in outreach, worship and on theadvisory board. Notably, Mr. Stevenschaired a working group that producednew resources for parish search commit-tees and coaches, and opened an ongoingconversation about ways to foster the de-velopment of healthier congregations dur-ing the transition process.

Dorothy Stewart, ODTChrist Church, BoltonMrs. Stewart has shown lifelong service tothe diocese and her parish. She has organ-ized and participated in fundraising forbazaars, church suppers, weddings and fu-nerals. Her kitchen work over the years in-spired her to donate a commercial dish-washer for the church kitchen. Using herhome as a repository, Mrs. Stewart spear-heads community outreach by producinggarments, quilts, afghans and teddy bearsfor traumatized children, all made withmaterials donated by her admirers.

Susan Stuart, ODTSt. Aidan, TorontoMrs. Stuart is dedicated to making a differ-

ence in the lives of those who are strug-gling, particularly through refugee workand community outreach. In the contextof the current Syrian refugee crisis, she isgiving advice to local groups preparing tosponsor refuges by sharing her years ofexperience and encouraging others to getinvolved.

Barbara Trocewicz, ODTParish of Minden-KinmountMs. Trocewicz has been a devoted workerand member of St. Paul, Minden for 40years. She serves her parish as a lay read-er, lay pastoral assistant, chancel directorand choir member and considers the timeshe spends with her church family assome of her happiest times.

Barbara Truax, ODTSt. Paul, LindsayMs. Truax’s commitment to her Christianfaith is exemplified both to her parish andher wider community. Her list of accom-plishments over a period of more than 65years is long, and she continues to takeon new projects and guide them to com-pletion. Ms. Truax is not just a hearer ofthe word, but a doer. She is a great inspi-ration to others in the parish and thecommunity.

Tony van Straubenzee, ODTChrist Church, Deer ParkMr. van Straubenzee has provided a life-time of service to the Anglican Church.He has used his natural and professionalskills to serve in his home parishes aschurchwarden, Sunday School teacher,chair for many fundraising initiatives anda recruiter for senior leadership roles inthe church. Mr. van Straubenzee was thefounding chair of FaithWorks Corporatein 2004, an appeal that has generatednearly $4 million in its first 11 years.

Harcourt Walcott, ODTSt. Joseph of Nazareth, BramaleaMr. Walcott shows a dedicated and pas-sionate love of serving God and God’s peo-ple. He has worked tirelessly since joiningSt. Joseph of Nazareth in 1999, serving inseveral ministries. His work and worshipin the parish demonstrate his profoundand unwavering belief in a God who be-stows mercy, grace and blessings.

Laura Walton, ODTParish of Batteau and DuntroonMs. Walton was nominated in recognitionof her exceptional work in the diocese andher parish. A lay member of Synod,Provincial Synod and General Synod forseveral terms, she has also served onDiocesan Council, been diocesan Hon-orary Lay Secretary of Synod and assist-ed in the planning of diocesan, provincialand general synods. Ms. Walton is cur-rently Prolocutor of Provincial Synod anda member of Provincial Executive Coun-cil. She was also the diocesan coordinatorof children’s ministry. These roles repre-sent only a fraction of the ways in whichshe puts her faith into action.

Paul Yu, ODTAll Saints, MarkhamMr. Yu has provided long-time, faithfulministry in his parish. Serving as church-warden and a lay member of Synod, hehas helped to shepherd his parishthrough building projects and steward-ship, missional and educational programsthat are helping it respond to the growingChinese community in York Region.

Members of the Order of the Diocese of Toronto gather for a picture at St. James Cathedral on Jan. 1 with Archbishop Colin Johnson, bishops Patrick Yu, Peter Fenty, Philip Poole and Linda Nicholls andclergy. PHOTO BY MICHAEL HUDSON


BY STUART MANN

THE Rev. Canon Stephen Peakeand his wife Sarah were takingone of their sons back to universi-ty in Ottawa when they got aphone call that the refugee familyfrom Syria they were helping tosponsor would be landing inToronto that night.

“It was very short notice andour committee went into highgear,” recalls Canon Peake, the in-cumbent of St. Bride, Clarkson, acommunity in the southwest cor-ner of Mississauga.

The next day – Dec. 31 – CanonPeake and some members of thechurch’s refugee sponsorshipcommittee drove to a hotel nearPearson International Airport tomeet the family – Riad Al-Hus-sein, his wife Aisha and theirthree young children. None of thenewcomers could speak Englishso one of Canon Peake’s groupwrote on a sign in Arabic. Mr. Al-Hussein saw it and stepped for-ward, pointing to himself.

“We were really excited to meet

them,” saysCanon Peake,adding that itwas “a bit ofa madhouse”for the nexttwo days asthe familystayed in amotel inC l a r k s o nwhile mem-

bers of the refugee committee andother parishioners scrambled tobuy groceries, collect furnitureand secure permanent housing.

The committee signed the leaseon a townhouse about a kilometrefrom the church and the familymoved into their new home. Forthe first time in years, they didn’thave to worry about violence.

“Riad kept saying ‘Canadasalaam,’” says Canon Peake.(Salaam is a salutation meaning“peace,” most often used in Islam-ic countries.) “After a couple ofdays they were beginning to real-ize how peaceful Canada is com-pared to where they were.”

Although Mr. Al-Hussein could-n’t speak English, he started totell his story. Using his cell phone,he showed a picture of his brotherto Canon Peake and made thesound of gunshots. Later, Mr. Al-Hussein pointed to one of hisyoung sons and then back to hisbrother’s photo, indicating that hehad been shot in front of the boy.

Canon Peake believes the fami-ly, who are Muslim, fled Syriasome years ago before living inLebanon. None of the children,age 7 and under, have been toschool – a situation that will soonchange. The kids are being as-sessed and, after being given im-munization shots, will be startingschool.

In addition to St. Bride’s, thefamily is receiving help from thenearby Polycultural Centre, whichprovides Arabic-speaking peopleto arrange things like ESL classes,immunizations and health care.Although the parents are keen tofind jobs, their first priority is tolearn English, says Canon Peake.“They’re really keen to learn Eng-

lish and work. They’re highly mo-tivated to get things on track.”

He says this is the first timesince sponsoring a Vietnamesefamily in the 1970s that St. Bride’shas sponsored a refugee family. Itstarted last fall when he was ap-proached by three people in oneday who asked if the church wasgoing to do anything to help withthe growing humanitarian crisisin the Middle East. He contactedIan McBride, the executive direc-tor of AURA (the Anglican UnitedRefugee Alliance), who came to ameeting at the church. About 45people attended – a tremendousshow of support.

What happened next really sur-prised Mr. McBride and CanonPeake, who explains: “I told thecongregation on a Sunday morn-ing, I think there’s a lot of supportfor this, but before I sign on thedotted line I want to have a sensethat we’re going to be able tocome up with the $40,000 thatwe’re going to need to supportthis family in Clarkson. By thenext Sunday, we had $44,000.”

He adds: “People have reallycome on board. They’ve donatedeverything we’ve needed.”

He plans to invite the family tochurch but is in no rush. “I’m go-ing to invite the family to come tothe church at some point if they’recomfortable doing that. They’refairly devout Muslims so it mightbe uncomfortable for them or itmight not be. Right now, we’rejust building a good friendshipwith them.”

He says helping to bring thefamily to Canada and settlingthem in Clarkson has been hugelyfulfilling for him personally. “Ilove it. I went morning-to-night fortwo days in a row when they firstarrived and I felt so energized byit.”

The church has been changedby it, too. “It’s certainly changedthe people who have been directlyinvolved, in terms of feeling likethis is a way of really putting faithinto action. It’s impacted thewider congregation in that it hasgiven them a chance to also shareand make this happen.”

Church welcomes Syrian refugeesPhone call that family landing soon sets wheels in motion

BRIEFLYStudents carveimages for altarStudents at Bishop StrachanSchool, an independent school forgirls in Toronto that is affiliatedwith the Anglican Church, havedesigned and carved wood panelsfor the chapel’s new altar. The de-signs are based on stories fromthe Bible.

The project began in 2014 whenthe students met with the Rev.Catherine Gibbs, the school’schaplain, to look for themes andsymbols in the biblical storiesthat represented what they be-lieved in as members of theschool and community.

“Any artwork in sacred placesis there to reflect the spiritualcomponent of the people whoworship there,” said Ms. Gibbs.“Our school altar is no different.The goal is to have the girls cre-ate a piece of art that illustratesthe transcendent part of the jour-ney of our young women.”

Working with the school’s artteacher, a carpenter and a wood-carver from the Ontario Carvers’Guild, the girls designed imageson wood panels and then carvedout the images. The panels arenow part of the new altar. Theproject was done in celebration ofthe school’s 150th anniversarynext year.

Prison ministryhelps refugeesThe Bridge, a ministry for prison-ers that is funded by FaithWorksand is based in Brampton, has or-ganized a donation drive forrefugees. “It’s our way of givingback for all that has been given to

us,” says Garry Glowacki, the ex-ecutive director.

By the middle of January, morethan 200 bags of clothes had beendonated, of which only six weredeemed to be unusable. “The gen-erosity of the community hasbeen both humbling and inspir-ing, to say the least,” says Mr.Glowacki.

The Brampton Sunnatul Islam-ic Association and other Muslimorganizations are dispersing theclothes and helping to sort andorganize items for distribution.

“While the drive was organizedto help those in such critical need,it was also intended to provideour Muslim brothers and sisters,ex-prisoners, the homeless andat-risk, agency volunteers and thecommunity at large with an op-portunity to do something, and to

do it as a grateful and caring com-munity,” says Mr. Glowacki.“We’re proud of the generous ef-forts of the community as we alltry to make a difference.

Minden churchcelebrates anniversaryThis year marks a major mile-stone for St. Paul, Minden. Thechurch is celebrating its sesqui-centennial – 150 years of continu-ous ministry in the HaliburtonHighlands.

The Rev. Frederick Burt wassent to Minden in 1865 to estab-lish a church, and on July 16, 1866,he founded St. Paul’s, which waslater consecrated in 1900.

A year of celebrations is beingplanned for 2016. On March 6,Archbishop Colin Johnson will be

the special guest. Archbishop An-drew Hutchison, who began isministry at St. Paul’s and is theretired Primate, will visit on July10. Bishop Linda Nichols will at-tend the anniversary celebrationson July 23-24, when the churchwill host a community picnic. OnAug. 21, retired Bishop George El-liott, another former priest of St.Paul’s, will attend. The celebra-tions will culminate at Thanks-giving when Archbishop FredHiltz, Primate, will be the specialguest.

There are also plans to invitepast ministers, lay readers, or-ganists, summer students andparishioners to help celebrate thechurch’s journey.

St. Paul’s is in the parish ofMinden, Kinmount and MapleLake. For more information

about anniversary events at thechurch, visit www.mindenkin-mountmaplelakeanglican.ca.

Anglicansencouraged to pray The Anglican Fellowship ofPrayer Toronto invites all mem-bers of the diocese to pray, readscripture or a Christian book forone hour each day throughout2016. Some may wish to spend acontinuous hour with God, whileothers may choose to completethe hour in segments. Prayer re-sources are available at AFP’swebsite, www.anglicanprayer.org.

Parish administratorsinvited to conferenceCrieff Hills, the national confer-ence centre for the PresbyterianChurch in Canada located nearGuelph, is hosting an interdenom-inational conference for church ad-ministrators from May 7-11. It is achance for administrators to listen,share and gain insight from sever-al speakers and each other. Formore information, including theregistration form, visit the CrieffHills website, www.crieffhills.com.

Church planter tospeak at conferenceThe Vital Church Planting Confer-ence will be held Jan. 28-30 at St.Paul, Bloor Street. Dr. David Fitch,an academic, writer and churchplanter from the Chicago area,will be the plenary speaker. Par-ticipants will also hear aboutCanadian fresh expression ofchurch from a variety of otherspeakers. On the Saturday therewill be a workshop about engag-ing local communities. For moreinformation, visit www.vital-churchplanting.com.

Students of Bishop Strachan School carve wood panel for the chapel’s new altar.

Canon StephenPeake

February 2016 TheAnglican 9NEWS

RINGING INTHE NEW YEAR

The annual Archbishop’s Leveewas held at St. James Cathedralon Jan. 1. The event included a Eu-charist, the ringing of the cathe-dral bells and the traditional re-ceiving line. Clockwise from topright: Bishop Patrick and Cathy Yugreet Morning Wang (left) andJames Liu and his wife Dorcasand daughter Eleanor; the Rev.Canon Andrew Asbil and his wifeMary offer greetings; Canon ClareBurns, the diocese’s chancellor,offers best wishes; Bishop Philipand Karen Poole greet writer andbroadcaster Michael Coren; Arch-bishop Colin and Ellen Johnsongreet a friend; Bishop Peter andAngela Fenty offer best wishes toDwight Thomas; Bishop LindaNicholls offers greeting. PHOTOSBY MICHAEL HUDSON

Continued from Page 4

Pre-plan your funeralices of non-members; clergy arenot flexible with their calendars.

Some funeral homes reportthat the quality of the clergyleadership at funeral services isquite uneven. Some clergy donot take the time to meet withthe family ahead of time, sometry to get through the service atbreakneck speed, and many pro-vide no follow-up at all. I havefielded complaints from peopleon these very matters. One adultson was furious that a priesttook his father’s service by com-ing to a funeral home 10 minutesbefore the start of the serviceand whipping through it in 20minutes, never mentioning his

father’s name once and leavingwithout evening speaking to theson! And to make matters worse,the father was a parishioner! In-cidents like this may account forwhy funeral homes have takenover the ministry of bereave-ment counselling and follow-up,an area that once was firmly inthe church’s domain.

It always saddens me whentension between funeral profes-sionals and the church somehowinfect the marking of the deathof an individual. A little pre-planning and communicationcan make a world of difference.“Can I be buried from mychurch?” Absolutely.


The Rev. Canon Nicola Skinner iscongratulated by Bishop PhilipPoole.

The Rev. Canon Simon Li is surrounded by members of his church, St. John, Willowdale, friends and family after his installation as an honorarycanon of St. James Cathedral at the cathedral in Toronto on Jan. 10. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HUDSON

Above, the new canons wait to be installed by Archbishop Colin John-son. At right, front row from left: the Rev. Canon Claire Wade, the Rev.Canon Simon Li, the Rev. Canon Nicola Skinner, the Rev. Canon Dr. JudyPaulsen, the Rev. Canon Janet Read-Hockin. Back row from left: theRev. Canon Beth Benson, the Rev. Canon Andrew Wesley, the Rev. CanonJenny Andison, the Rev. Canon Stephen Vail and the Rev. Canon Paul J.Walker.

The Rev. Canon Heather McCancegives the homily.

LOOKING AHEADTo submit items for LookingAhead, email [email protected]. The deadline for theMarch issue is Feb. 3. Parishescan also promote their events onthe diocese’s website Calendar atwww.toronto.anglican.ca.

Music & WorshipFEB. 14 - Valentine’s Day Service,10:30 a.m., Christ the King, 475Rathburn Rd., Etobicoke. FEB. 20 - A Quiet Day for ChurchMusicians, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.,led by Bishop Michael Bedford-Jones, St. John’s Convent, 233Cummer Ave., Toronto. Organ-ized by the Toronto chapter of theRoyal School of Church Music.Contact Joy at [email protected] or phone 416-694-1260.

Space limited.FEB. 28 - Organ recital with IanSadler, 3 p.m., St. Paul, BloorStreet, 227 Bloor St. E., Toronto.Admission free.MARCH 5 - The Cellar Singers atSt. James, Orillia, 58 Peter St. N.,in celebration of the church’s 175years of sharing and serving Je-sus Christ. Visit the church’s web-site, www.stjamesorillia.com, fortime. APRIL 3 - Thomas Bell: Music byBach, Boelmann and Widor, 3p.m., St. Paul, Bloor Street, 227Bloor St. E., Toronto. Admissionfree.APRIL 9 - Handel’s MessiahSingers at St. James, Orillia, 58Peter St. N., which is celebrating175 years of sharing and servingJesus Christ. Visit the church’swebsite, www.stjamesorillia.com,for time.

APRIL 24 - 175th anniversaryservice, 10 a.m. at St. James Oril-lia, 58 Peter St. N..JUNE 3 – Organist Sarah Svend-son, 3 p.m., St. Paul, Bloor Street,227 Bloor St. E., Toronto. Admis-sion free.

Talks, Food & FilmJAN. 30 - Movie night, 7 p.m.,Christ the King, 475 RathburnRd., Etobicoke. FEB. 10 - Litany by Candlelight at6 p.m. with Holy Communion forAsh Wednesday, St. Olave, Bloorand Windermere streets, Toron-to. Light supper at 6:30 p.m. fol-lowed by the first in a Lenten se-ries about the future of the PrayerBook, with guest speakers fromthe Prayer Book Society, WycliffeCollege and Trinity College,chaired by historian Dr. William

Cooke. FEB. 12 - Charcuterie ValentineLuncheon, 1 p.m., St. Dunstan ofCanterbury, 56 Lawson Rd., Scar-borough. Fashion Show by MattiWear, crafts and fashions for sale.Tickets $15.FEB. 14 - Choral Evensong for theFirst Sunday in Lent, 4 p.m., St.Olave, Bloor and Windermerestreets, Toronto. Afterwards,light refreshments, during whichthe choir’s director, Clem Carelse,discusses the work of composerCharles Wood and his Cambridgecontemporaries.FEB. 16 - Valentine's Luncheon &Card Party, 12 noon to 4 p.m.,Church of Christ the King, 475Rathburn Rd., Etobicoke. $20 perperson at the door. Bring yourown cards.FEB. 17 - Evensong for Lent, 6p.m., St. Olave, Bloor and Winder-

mere streets, Toronto. Light sup-per at 6:30 p.m. followed by aLenten series about the future ofthe Prayer Book, with guestspeakers from the Prayer BookSociety, Wycliffe College andTrinity College, chaired by histo-rian Dr. William Cooke. Second ofsix Wednesdays through toMarch 16. MARCH 7 - PWRDF fundraisingdinner at St. Dunstan of Canter-bury, 56 Lawson Rd., Scarbor-ough. Guest speaker will be Arch-bishop Fred Hiltz, Primate. Tick-ets $50 each with tax receipt is-sued for the charitableportion. Call the church office at416-283-1844 for details.APRIL 23 - 175th Anniversary Cel-ebration Banquet at St. James,Orillia, 58 Peter St. N. Visit thechurch’s website, www.stjameso-rillia.com, for time.

The Rev. Canon Claire Wade and arelative from New York.

AnglicanClassifiedsFebruary 2016 11

Paul’s epistles to theCorinthians were proba-bly written after his let-ter to the Galatians.

There are two letters in the NewTestament addressed to thechurch in Corinth. 1 Corinthiansis probably a single, completeletter. 2 Corinthians is probablya composite of several lettersstrung together by scribes in theearly church.

In this column, we will con-centrate on 1 Corinthians. Thisis Paul’s second-longest epistlein the New Testament and prob-ably his second most important.(The letters in the New Testa-ment are listed according tolength; thus, 1 Corinthians fol-lows the Epistle to the Romans.)

Paul seems to have had a love-hate relationship with theCorinthian church, which he hadestablished during his secondmissionary trip in 50 CE. Duringthat journey, he stayed inCorinth for 18 months. Corinthwas the home of the temple ofAphrodite, the goddess of love,and it was a rather sinful city. Itwas also the capital of the Ro-man province of Achaia (most ofmodern-day Greece). The storyof Paul’s mission there can befound in Acts 18:1-17.

His first letter to the Corinthi-ans was written from Ephesus inabout 55 CE, during his thirdmissionary journey. Paul stayedin Ephesus for almost threeyears and met with Chloe’s peo-ple, who were from Corinth (1Corinthians 1:11). He also re-ceived a letter from the Corinthi-an church. It included a long listof difficulties about church life.Paul tried to help the Corinthi-ans correct these abuses, callingon them to reflect on what itmeant to be called from their pa-gan past into a new life in JesusChrist.

His first pastoral concern wasunity. There were argumentsamong the members of theCorinthian church as to who wasto be considered superior – Paul,Apollos, Cephas or Christ.(Cephas is the Greek name forPeter. It is doubtful that he wasever in Corinth, but some of hisfollowers may have passedthrough it.) “Christ” was proba-bly inserted into this list by Paulto emphasize that they were allbaptized into Christ.

Paul answered these com-plaints. “Has Christ been divid-ed?” he asked. “Was Paul cruci-fied for you? Or were you bap-tized into the name of Paul?” (1

Corinthians 1:13). He said unityin the body of Christ was essen-tial to the church. There was on-ly one Christ, who was crucifiedfor everyone. “I planted, Apolloswatered, but God gave thegrowth,” Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 3:5.

Chapters 12 to 14 may be themost important part of his epis-tle. They form a unit and give usa glimpse into worship in thefirst-century church. It startswith a discussion about the giftsof the Spirit. There are manygifts listed, such as wisdom,faith, healing, miracles, prophe-cy, discernment, tongues and in-terpretation of tongues, butthere is only one Spirit who allo-cates each of these gifts.

Paul continues his narrativewith a beautiful analogy of theBody (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).There is one Body with manyparts: each member has his orher own purpose and eachworks with the other parts of theBody for the proper functioningof the whole. The church is theBody of Christ. It has manymembers, having different gifts,but all working together to buildit up.

At the end of chapter 12, Paulwrites, “And I will show you astill more excellent way.” Whatfollows is probably the mostbeautiful passage in the NewTestament, Paul’s great love son-net, found in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is the central theme ofthis first epistle. Love builds upthe Body of Christ (1 Corinthians8:1). As Paul so eloquently statesin chapter 13, “If I do not havelove, I gain nothing.”

Chapter 14 speaks about thegifts of prophecy and tongues.These gifts are given for build-ing up the Body of Christ. Thegift of tongues is important forthe individual, but for buildingup the Body, it needs to be inter-preted. Prophecy, on the otherhand, builds up the Body as it isgiven. Paul continues with theneed for orderly worship. “Godis not a God of disorder but ofpeace” (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).

I encourage you to read thisletter to the Corinthians frombeginning to end. It is only 16chapters in length. Let Paul’swords speak to you across thecenturies. Visualize the peoplein Corinth who received the let-ter so long ago. Feel with themthe impact of Paul’s words uponthe life of their church. Let hiswords resonate in your hearts –and enjoy the dialogue.

Epistle containsgreat love sonnet

READING THE BIBLEBY THE REV. CANON DON BEATTY

IN MOTION

Appointments• The Rev. Canon Dennis

Dolloff, Honorary Assistant,St. Elizabeth, Mississauga,Dec. 9, 2015.

• The Rev. Canon Dr. AndrewSheldon, Honorary Assistant,St. George on-the-Hill, Toron-to, Dec. 15, 2015.

• The Rev. Paul MacLean, Hon-orary Assistant, Church of theRedeemer, Bloor Street, Dec.20, 2015.

• The Rev. Jeffrey Metcalfe,Honorary Assistant, Church ofthe Redeemer, Bloor Street,Dec. 20, 2015.

• The Rev. Sandor Borbely, In-cumbent, St. Thomas, ShantyBay, Jan. 1.

• The Rev. Shelley McVea, Re-gional Dean, Toronto EastDeanery, Jan. 1.

• The Rev. Catherine SiderHamilton, Interim Priest-in-Charge, St. Matthew, First Av-enue, Jan. 1.

• The Rev. Ted Bartlett, InterimPriest-in-Charge, St. GeorgeMemorial, Oshawa, Jan. 10.

• The Rev. Canon Dr. DavidBarker, Interim Priest-in-

Charge, Parish of Bobcaygeon,Dunsford and Burnt River,Jan. 15.

• The Rev. David Howells, Inter-im Priest-in-Charge, Church ofthe Redeemer, Bloor Street,Jan. 15.

• The Rev. Beverley Williams,Interim Priest-in-Charge, St.Paul the Apostle, Rexdale, Jan.15.

Ordinations• The Rev. Augusto Nunez was

ordained a priest at St. Jude,Wexford on Jan. 24.

• The Rev. Antoine Rutherfordwill be ordained a priest atChrist Church, Deer Park onFeb. 2 at 7 p.m.

Vacant Incumbencies Clergy from outside the diocesewith the permission of their bish-op may apply through the Dioce-san Executive Assistant, Mrs.Mary Conliffe, [email protected].

Trent Durham• Parish of Newcastle & Orono• Parish of Bobcaygeon,

Dunsford & Burnt River• St. George Memorial, Oshawa

York – Credit Valley• St. Olave, Toronto• St. John the Baptist (Dixie),

Mississauga• St. Paul the Apostle, Rexdale• St. George the Martyr,

Parkdale

York – Scarborough• St. Timothy, North Toronto• St. Luke, East York• Church of the Redeemer,

Toronto

York – Simcoe • All Saints, King City• Trinity Church, Bradford• St. Mark, Midland

Death • The Rev. Canon Beverley

Brightling died on Dec. 13,2015. Ordained Deacon in 1953and Priest in 1954, he servedas Incumbent of the Parish ofBeaverton, Rector of theParish of Penetanguishene,Rector of the Church of theResurrection, Toronto, andRector of the Church of theAscension, Don Mills. He re-tired in 1989. His funeral washeld at Ascension, Don Millson Dec. 30, 2015.

PRAYER CYCLE

FOR FEBRUARY1. Christ Church, Norwood2. Christ Church, Omemee3. St. Barnabas, Peterborough4. St. George-the-Martyr, Apsley5. St. George, Hastings6. St. James, Emily7. Bishop Philip Poole8. St. James, Roseneath9. St. John the Baptist, Lakefield10. Ash Wednesday11. St. John the Evangelist, Havelock12. St. John the Evangelist, Peterborough13. St. John, Ida14. Bishop Linda Nicholls15. St. Luke, Peterborough16. St. Matthew and St. Aidan, Buckhorn17. St. Michael, Westwood18. St. Peter on-the-Rock, Stoney Lake

19. St. Stephen, Chandos20. St. Thomas, Millbrook21. Bishop Patrick Yu22. The Chapel of Christ Church, Lakefield23. The Chapel of St. Mark, Warsaw24. Christ Church, Scarborough25. Grace Church in Scarborough26. Holy Trinity, Guildwood27. Nativity, Malvern28. Bishop Peter Fenty29. St. Andrew, Scarborough

TO PLACE AN AD CALL 905.833.6200 ext. 22 OR EMAIL [email protected]

COUNSELLING COUNSELLINGCHURCH WINDOWS

REFINISHING

The Diocese is onFacebook, Twitter and YouTube.

To connect, visitwww.toronto.anglican.ca

PWRDF The Anglican Church of Canada’s Agency for Relief and Development

www.pwrdf.org

PWRDF The Anglican Churchof Canada’s

or Reliefgency fgency for Reliefelopmentand Development

.pwrdf.orgwww

PWRDF The Anglican Church

elopmentelopment

PLEASE RECYCLETHIS NEWSPAPER.Give it to a friend.

12 TheAnglican February 2016CANADA BRIEFSCathedral reachesout to ‘tent city’VICTORIA – In response to agroup of about 60 homeless peo-ple who had set up some 45 tentsnext to the Diocese of British Co-lumbia’s Christ Church Cathe-dral, the cathedral’s rector, DeanAnsley Tucker, gave an Adventsermon exhorting her congrega-tion to be active in understand-ing and helping their new neigh-bours.

“We need to inform ourselvesand disabuse ourselves of as-sumptions and prejudices thathave little or no basis in fact,”she said. “Secondly, we arecalled, as Christians, to respondto individuals with compassion –real compassion, not just warmfellow-feeling. Thirdly, we arecalled to use our voices and con-nections to ensure that the sys-temic issues that create and sus-tain poverty and homelessness inour community are addressed.”

People had begun pitchingtents on a strip of land betweenthe cathedral and the law courtsof Victoria last August for a nightor two at a time, but in Novem-ber, numbers began to increase.As the tent city grew, neighboursbegan to complain about noise,alleged thefts, break-ins and mi-nor vandalism, and while therewas no damage to cathedralproperty, Dean Tucker and thecathedral’s churchwardens wereaware of the situation.

Because the land they werecamped on belonged to theprovince rather than the munici-pality, city bylaws restrictingcamping were not in effect,which allowed those living in thetents a degree of stability. Thecampers themselves have beenvery concerned about the prop-erty, keeping it clean and secure.

Heeding Dean Tucker’s words,parishioners have been provid-ing clothing, blankets and food tothose who have set up camp. TheRev. Nancy Ford, the cathedral’sdeacon to the city, has been lis-

tening to the concerns of thecampers and called for compas-sion. “Unless we change our re-sponse to those in the tent city,we will not see the changes need-ed to alleviate such economicand social inequalities in our so-ciety,” she said. As of Jan. 4,about half of the campers hadvoluntarily moved to an indoorshelter. The Diocesan Post

Anglicans defendtax exemptionLANGLEY, B.C. – A significantevent in the world of Canadiannon-profits took place at CityHall last November, when a reso-lution calling for “a tax exemp-tion reduction/elimination strate-gy for those properties currentlybeing exempted” was defeatedunanimously. Had it passed, theresolution would have had a seri-ous impact on local churches,

which currently receive propertytax exemptions based on theirnon-profit status.

As Allen Stuart and CathyBarnes, the churchwardens of St.Andrew, Langley, explained in aletter sent to the city’s director ofcorporate services, “If the city ofLangley were to move forwardwith the proposal to reduce oreliminate St. Andrew’s propertytax exemption, the additional taxburden would force us to closeour doors and cease operation.”

Arguing that the spiritual sup-port, material aid and communi-ty-building services the churchprovides to the people of the cityfar outweigh the money thatcould be recouped from them intaxes, parishioners from St. An-drew’s and staff from the Dioceseof New Westminster pleadedtheir case before City Council.They were joined by a large con-tingent from St. Joseph’s RomanCatholic parish and school, a

number of Christian Reformedcommunities, as well as somesecular non-profit groups. The victory was significant notonly for Langley, but for non-profits across British Columbia.As Rob Dickson, business admin-istrator of the Diocese of NewWestminster, noted, “If this mo-tion had passed in Langley, therewould have been a roll out of thisaction across B.C. municipali-ties.”Topic

Church plant expectsfunds from U.K.MONTREAL – The Diocese ofMontreal’s Synod and DiocesanCouncil have committed to con-tribute $200,000 toward trans-forming the downtown Church ofSt. James the Apostle into a“church plant” seeking to reachyoung, urban professional andmulticultural individuals and

families.However, the project, based on

modern Anglican forms of wor-ship and evangelism and strong-ly influenced by Alpha courses,is expected to cost several timesthat. A significant part of thecost would come from future al-locations by the diocese, but ma-jor contributions are expectedfrom private grants, including $1million from England over threeyears. The project expects$200,000 in private grants fromMontreal and another $200,000from across Canada.

There was no indication aboutwho the donors would be at ameeting of the Diocesan Councillast November. But the Rev. Gra-ham Singh, who will lead thenew plant, said he has been in-spired and trained by institutionslinked with Holy Trinity, Bromp-ton in London, England, themother church of what is nowthe multinational Alpha Coursemovement, in which people areinvited to learn about the faithover dinner through videotapesand discussion.

In a presentation to the meet-ing, Mr. Singh said the model ofevangelism from Holy Trinity,Brompton, has produced dramat-ic growth in some churches inBritain despite the sharp overalldecline in church participation inBritain as a whole.

Mr. Singh, a Toronto nativewho was raised Anglican, saidthat Holy Trinity, where he wor-shipped while living in Britainfrom 2000 to 2013, “is the placewhere I found my faith again.”Ordained in the Church of Eng-land, he now serves as executivedirector of Church PlantingCanada.

Montreal Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson said the idea of a plant atSt. James emerged from a con-versation between herself andher predecessor, Bishop BarryClarke, partially in response tothe fact that St. James had runout of money. Montreal Anglican

Tents outside Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. Dean Ansley Tucker has called on the congregation to re-spond with compassion. PHOTO BY ED LEWIS

WORLDBRIEFS‘Lost Boy’becomes deaconSALT LAKE CITY - In 1987, some20,000 boys who fled the Su-danese civil war became state-less – their parents and familieshad been killed, and there wasno prospect of being reintegratedin the country they had fled toavoid death or forced conscrip-tion into the northern army.Some of them were eventuallyresettled in the United Statesand now one of them, GabrielGarang Atem, has been ordaineda deacon by the Bishop of Utah.

Addressing the congregationat St Mark’s Cathedral in SaltLake City, where he was or-dained, Mr. Atem said that heand many other Sudanese peoplehad been made welcome by a lo-cal Episcopal church in the city.The congregation of the church,All Saints, welcomes the

stranger, he said.“When we came to this coun-

try, they considered us as broth-ers and sisters,” he said. “And to-day, our diocese and the wholeworld have seen us as one –brothers and sisters in Christ. Ithank you all.”

Mr. Atem leads the SudaneseDinka-language congregation atAll Saints, where he now servesas deacon. His journey to SaltLake City came via Ethiopia,Kenya and Richmond, Virginia.He, and a number of other “LostBoys,” worked as a machinist butwas made redundant when thecompany relocated to Canada.He decided to remain in the city.Anglican Communion NewsService

Bishop warns ofreligious polarizationKUALA LUMPUR - The Bishop ofWest Malaysia, the Rt. Rev. NgMoon Hing, has warned that tiesbetween Malaysia’s differentcommunities have reachedalarming levels. Bishop Hing,who will become the Archbishopof South East Asia in February,

says that religious and racial po-larization in the country hasreached a “very critical stage.”

The bishop made his com-ments at a Christmas Day HighTea organized by the ChristianFederation of Malaysia, an ecu-menical group that brings to-gether the main Christian de-nominations.

“Religious and racial polariza-tion is very rampant and hasreached a very critical stagenowadays. It urgently needs tobe curbed and arrested before anugly explosion takes place,” hesaid.

Malaysia is a multi-lingual,multi-cultural, multi-religiousfederal state in which Islam isthe state religion with freedom ofreligion guaranteed to other reli-gious groups. In addition to alarge Christian presence, thecountry includes significantnumbers of Buddhists and Hin-dus.

In his speech, Bishop Hingwarned that “the nation wouldcrumble” unless there was “re-spect for the diversity of the dif-ferent communities” accordingto news reports. He urged the

government to “place this as toppriority and to work togetherwith all community leaders.”Anglican Communion NewsService

Racism a ‘demon,’ saysPresiding BishopNEW YORK - The PresidingBishop of the Episcopal Churchin America, Bishop Michael Cur-ry, has described racism as a “de-mon” and said that “sacred con-versations may help the demonof racism to lose some its power.”

Bishop Curry made his re-marks in a video released byTrinity Wall Street in New Yorkahead of its “Listen for a Change:Sacred Conversations for RacialJustice” conference that tookplace in January.

“Problems and dilemmas don’tgo away by ignoring them andpretending they are not there,”says Bishop Curry. “They get en-gaged by facing them squarelyand honestly and then learningfrom them and then turning andmoving in a new direction.”

This year’s presenters includ-ed leading activists, scholars, au-

thors, artists and experts onracial inequality, including two-time Pulitzer Prize winnerNicholas Kristof, actress and au-thor Anna Deavere Smith, andBishop Curry. The conferencewas video-linked at a number ofpartner sites in the United Statesand around the world.Anglican Communion News Service

The Anglican, February 2016

Documents

Transcript of The Anglican, February 2016