The workers begin arriving in January, mainly from Mexico as well as the Caribbean, and the numbers swell in May and June. In previous years, the Rev. Augusto Núñez, the incumbent of St. Saviour, Orono, would deliver meals, non-perishable foods and clothing to the farms, sometimes working late into the night to reach all the farms. However, the number of farms and workers served by the ministry continues to grow each year.

“We just keep growing in regards to numbers,” says Mr. Núñez. “Either I get invited because people know me and tell me there are some migrant workers in this farm, or sometimes the fellows move from working in one farm and end up in another. I continue to be in touch with them through Facebook, text messages, phone calls or WhatsApp. They let me know where they are, and when I arrive at a new farm, I meet other workers who are interested in the ministry.”

In 2022, the ministry served about 350 men. To continue growing and ensure the ministry is sustainable in the long term, Mr. Núñez’s vision has been to turn St. Saviour’s into a “hub.” The church has started to offer drive-through hot meals once a month, where workers come to St. Saviour’s to collect their meal instead of having them delivered to the farms. The meals are cooked at the church, and partners working with the ministry take turns to prepare them. On average, the ministry provides about 70 hot meals each month, and Mr. Núñez tries to ensure that each month a farm is selected to receive the meals so that everyone is taken care of. The hub also provides donated clothing and other items.

In addition to helping the workers with practical needs, Mr. Núñez is available to discuss any pastoral concerns with them. He invites them to join the Sunday service at St. Saviour’s. The service is bilingual, with parts of the liturgy and sermon translated into Spanish.

Before the pandemic, Mr. Núñez organized large monthly gatherings for workers from different farms to come together, eat and play sports. The gatherings stopped during the pandemic and have yet to be revived, but Mr. Núñez continues to visit the farms and has been able to join the workers for their own celebrations, such as Mexican Independence Day. As the ministry moves towards being a hub for the workers, it will provide additional opportunities for the men to meet and socialize.

The ministry is also growing in terms of the number of parishes that want to support it — and not just Anglican parishes but also United, Presbyterian and Evangelical churches. Other partners have also come on board, including ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency), which sponsored one of the hot meals.

ADRA has proved a useful connection, as Mr. Núñez hopes that next year the ministry will provide the workers with access to a doctor, who will be available once or twice a month. Through their relief network, ADRA is supporting the ministry in finding a doctor. This idea was partly inspired by the Diocese of Niagara’s Migrant Farmworkers Project, led by the Rev. Antonio Illas.

The workers themselves continue to express their gratitude for the ministry. “Usually, at the end of the season, I collect testimonies from them and they express their thanks to the ministry and the partners for remembering them,” says Mr. Núñez. “They’re far from home and it’s nice for a group of people to remember them and offer them a sense of community. Some of the workers are on small family farms that can be isolated.

“We can see how the Lord is using us to pray for them and to encourage them,” he adds. “That’s, at the bottom line, what our work is: to bring Christ’s love to them, to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That’s what he has told us to be and that’s our mission in this ministry.”

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“There is a whole breadth of old sermons available. But in the English-speaking West, it’s really focused on white men,” says Mr. Kennedy. “You can get your Wesley and your Spurgeon and your Luther – people have recorded those – but there’s nothing that represents the multicultural aspects of the Church in the West. That’s something lacking in the Church. It’s a message that needs to be spoken into the Church, especially in today’s multicultural world. So I wanted to try and source some of those voices that are hard to find and bring life back into them.”

This idea laid the foundation for the Sermon Project, an ambitious plan to find and record 100 sermons over three years that will highlight ethnically and culturally diverse preachers of the past. Initially, the project will focus on Canadian preachers.

Using his connections in the Church and academia, Mr. Kennedy has already been able to find a rich variety of sermons. With the help of a generous early donor and a Reach Grant of $5,000 from the diocese, he planned to begin recording in October.

Mr. Kennedy will be hiring voice actors and possibly also preachers to record the sermons in a professional studio, to produce the highest quality recordings possible. He emphasizes that he will be seeking voice actors who reflect the gender and ethnicity of the preachers. The sermons will also be recorded in the original language, with a translation in English available as well.

One challenge facing the project is the question of how faithful the recordings should be to the original sermons. “This is one of the things we’ve talked a bit about. If you do a sermon from Elizabethan times, are you going to perform it like a Shakespearean play or are you going to do a bit of modernization of the language? There’s pros and cons to both,” he says.

Supported by a steering committee, Mr. Kennedy will also consider the contents of each sermon closely. “If something in a sermon was just terrible, I wouldn’t record that sermon. But theology shifts throughout generations, and I’m okay with allowing that to sit because it’s part of the history of the Church, warts and all. It’s part of admitting that we are broken and fallen people who are struggling to walk in relationship with God,” he says.

Each sermon will have its own introduction, providing context on the language and content. The sermons will be housed on the project’s website (www.sermonproject.com), which will allow users free access to a searchable database of historic sermons. Mr. Kennedy says he hopes that the project will create a space for people to contemplate the history of the Church. “It’s designed to address social and racial issues in a space that is invitational, rather than confrontational. It’s a safe space, and I’m hoping that this project invites people into that space,” he says.

One genre of sermons that he has found during his research and that he is especially excited to share is sermons by women from a period when it was illegal for women to preach. “There’s this whole genre of literature in the 18th and 19th centuries where women authors, who were forbidden to preach, would write sermons in their writings. So whether you think women shouldn’t preach or you think, of course, women should preach, it doesn’t matter because you’ve got these historical examples,” he says. “It gives people that space to go, ‘well this happened, so let’s talk about it.’”

Mr. Kennedy says he hopes the project will bring many more stories like this one to a wider audience and encourage discussions. Anyone who’d like to support the project financially can donate on the website at www.sermonproject.com/donate.

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The Rev. Canon Nicola Skinner, incumbent of Grace Church, Markham was reading the Guardian one evening when an article caught her eye. The article was about Fatima, a former Afghan police officer who was targeted and beaten by the Taliban.

Fatima was forced to marry at the age of 12. Her husband was abusive but because he was unable to work, he encouraged her to join the police force. Fatima loved her job, and it allowed her to save up enough money to divorce her husband and support her two sons, now 10 and 13. In 2020, she went public with allegations of sexual assault within the police force and left her position after publicly burning her ID. Fatima was abused online and physically attacked for speaking out, and her family refused to help her.

The Guardian article recounts how the Taliban came to Fatima’s house, demanding that she hand over her weapons. When she told them she didn’t have any, they ransacked her house, beat her and held a knife to her son’s throat. They left, telling her they would be back. Fatima immediately went into hiding and was able to flee to Pakistan with her children. But she  had only a 60-day visa, and her applications for refugee status in Pakistan and asylum in western countries were met with silence.

Going to bed that night, Canon Skinner was certain that God wanted more than thoughts and prayers. Unable to sleep, she emailed Emma Graham-Harrison, the journalist who had written the article, offering to help settle Fatima and her sons in Canada.

“I read the paper every day, and every day you see story after story after story and you feel helpless,” says Canon Skinner. “For some reason, I just thought, surely there’s something we could do. So, I emailed the journalist. Sometimes, if God has put something in your heart, by just stepping into that, God will make things happen.” For Canon Skinner, the story also felt personal as her husband, Tim Skinner, is an inspector with the York Regional Police (YRP).

Ms. Graham-Harrison replied to Canon’s Skinner’s email and asked her to send a letter to the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). She also put Canon Skinner in touch with Mellissa Fung, the former CBC journalist who was captured by bandits while reporting in Afghanistan. Ms. Fung had helped submit the asylum applications on behalf of Fatima and was also paying for her safe house in Islamabad.

Canon Skinner immediately got to work on a letter on Grace Church letterhead to send to the IRCC. She also decided to help Ms. Fung with paying for Fatima’s safe house. Canon Skinner has been making soap for many years and put a call out on Facebook asking friends and family to consider buying 12 months’ worth of soap. The response was overwhelming and raised $3,000.

Canon Skinner doesn’t know for certain whether sending the letter helped, but not long after, Fatima was approved as a Government Assisted Refugee. Fatima and her sons arrived in Canada in June. They were initially flown to Edmonton, where some vacationing members of Grace Church welcomed them. Then, on July 14 the family flew from Edmonton to Toronto. They spent their first month staying with Canon Skinner and her husband, and they attended a church camp in Innisfil. Canon Skinner says the camp gave Fatima a much-needed opportunity to relax while her boys rode bikes, made friends and learned to swim.

In mid-August, Fatima and her sons moved into their new home in Markham. Affordable accommodation is difficult to find in the area, and Canon Skinner asked Grace Church to pray for the family. Not long after, a parishioner’s neighbour offered to rent out his basement apartment.

“This is not a story about me,” says Canon Skinner. “A lot of things have fallen into place: the parishioner’s neighbour offering to rent his apartment for a good price, a Canadian colonel who paid for the family’s flight from Edmonton to Toronto, the YRP women who are helping Fatima. I have seen God at work all the way through this process.”

Sarah Riddell is an inspector with YRP and active in the YRP’s Women in Leadership Internal Support Network. The network focuses on recognizing the contributions of women in law enforcement. However, Ms. Riddell summarizes their remit as “ensuring every girl and woman knows she has a sister in her corner” and the network also has an international focus. This seemed to dovetail perfectly with Fatima’s situation, and the Women in Leadership have been helping her in a number of ways, including connecting Fatima with a cultural community and finding a volunteer who is working with Fatima and her sons on English as a second language.

Ms. Riddell and the Women in Leadership are also passionate about supporting women who want to work in policing, a profession in which just 22 per cent of Canadian police officers are female. Fatima has expressed an interest in working in policing again one day and through the network she will have access to mentoring.

Zabi, who is from Afghanistan and is a police officer with the YRP, has also been helping to settle Fatima and her sons by providing translation. Zabi runs a non-profit that has helped settle more than 300 Afghans. Unfortunately, he has been unable to get a visa for his own family to come to Canada.

“If churches cooperate with other organizations, then we can leverage our position in the community,” says Canon Skinner. Now, Canon Skinner, along with AURA (Anglican United Refugee Alliance) and the congregation at St. John the Baptist, Oak Ridges, are using that leverage to try to get Zabi’s family to Canada.

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In total, the evacuation orders displaced 114 families. TCHC placed residents in temporary accommodation in hotels, college dorms and other social housing complexes across the city. Many were placed far from Swansea Mews and their jobs, healthcare providers, families and support networks.

The local community immediately rallied around the displaced families. On June 20, the Rev. Rob Mitchell, incumbent of St. Olave’s, attended a Zoom meeting of community organizations, churches, agencies and members of the Swansea Mews community. Swansea Mews is within St. Olave’s geographical bounds, and one family from the housing complex has been attending the church for more than 20 years. All four of their children were confirmed there.

Also attending the meeting were Paul Scrivener, a former warden, and Janice Biehn Douglas, the current rector’s warden. Ms. Douglas is also the communications and marketing coordinator for the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF). “It was very emotional,” she says. “The memory of what had happened was very fresh. I was struck by the similarity with people who have escaped fire or floods.”

This striking similarity to the evacuees PWRDF usually serves led Ms. Douglas to wonder if the organization could also help the residents of Swansea Mews. Mr. Mitchell applied for and was successful in securing a $5,000 emergency grant from PWRDF. St. Olave’s leadership consulted with the Swansea Mews community about how the money should be used. “It’s about working with the community,” says Ms. Douglas. “It’s about what they need, not what we think they need. And those needs are changing all the time. We want to support them to advocate for themselves.”

St. Olave’s donated the grant to the Stone Soup Network (SSN), a project of Windermere United Church that connects businesses wanting to share products and services with local community members who need them. SSN has long been active in the Swansea Mews community and wider neighbourhood, and residents of the housing complex sit on the SSN advisory board.

Kate Hoffmann, local director for SSN, explained that residents faced unanticipated expenses following the eviction. Some had added travel expenses, while others were paying for storage or pet care. Many residents on low or fixed incomes didn’t have a financial cushion to the rely on. Knowing that the wider neighbourhood was also keen to support the displaced families, SSN launched a campaign to raise $114,000, or $1,000 for each family. The fundraiser was a concrete way for neighbours to respond quickly, while also allowing the families to use the money in a way that met their individual needs.

While the fundraiser fell short of its goal, SSN still managed to raise $92,000, and the money was distributed to the residents at the end of August. “The gift from St. Olave’s really helped and spurred others to donate,” says Ms. Hoffmann. “Getting this close to our goal is great and will have a significant impact on the families.”

St. Olave’s also organized a cardboard box drive and partnered with Parkdale Golden Age Foundation to provide residents with hot meals. As Mr. Mitchell put it, the response was about “demonstrating our concern and love.”

Despite this outpouring of support, it will take years to complete the necessary upgrades to Swansea Mews, and many residents face an uncertain future. “This is Toronto,” says Mr. Mitchell. “It’s not like you can just find another place to rent. There’s not enough housing, and those on low income feel the brunt. Public housing is dilapidated, and Toronto Community Housing budgets are stretched.”

Mr. Mitchell also spoke of how years of neglect by TCHC was evident when he and other members of St. Olave’s went to Swansea Mews to drop off cardboard boxes. “The covered parking was jacked up, and residents said it had been that way for years. It spoke to a general attitude.”

But Mr. Mitchell has also been heartened by the response from the broader community. “People see the housing project as part of the community. It’s been nice to see the compassion of the community.”

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Stations of the Cross features art works inspired by the story of the passion that prompt reflection and action on issues of social justice. Each year it is hosted in a different city — though in 2021 it was hosted online with contributions from around the world — and there are typically fourteen stations set up with art works. Participants can follow a pilgrimage route between the works. Reflections and podcasts also prompt participants to reflect more deeply on the art works and their messages. 

In 2022, Stations of the Cross, or Crossings as it will be known this year, will be in Toronto from March 2 to April 14. Due to the pandemic, Mr. Franklin made the decision to have the exhibits entirely outdoors, which presented some challenges. “It changed what we could include. How do you display an original artwork outside? We have had to make display cases for most of the pieces. It’s been a huge challenge and an undertaking.” 

But there is a positive side to having the exhibit entirely outdoors: “You lose the intimacy of a chapel or gallery, but you will get people who are just driving past who will see these pieces. It gives us huge public exposure.” 

Mr. Franklin is keen for as many people as possible to see the exhibition. “The Passion narrative should be available to all. It is a deeply human story. There’s justice, betrayal, vulnerability. It brings together suffering and hope. We don’t often see these as coming together, but Jesus embraced suffering in order to walk a redeeming and healing path.”

One of the pieces that will be included in the Crossings exhibition is Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz’s “Homeless Jesus.” From a distance, the bronze sculpture appears to be a cloaked figure lying on a bench. It is only when the viewer gets close to the sculpture that they can see the crucifixion wounds on the figure’s feet. “One of the wonderful things about art is it’s indirect,” says Mr. Franklin. “It piques curiosity. Good art will call you back again and again. Art can awaken us to see things in a different way. It’s about contemplation and action. Both are important. I hope they can live in creative tension, that people can reflect and then do something.”

There will be a catalogue to accompany the exhibition, with photographs of each of the 16 pieces (Crossings will include an additional two pieces to the usual 14 in order to include the triumphal entry and the resurrection), as well as a background on the artist and their artwork. The catalogue will also contain 16 meditations, with two of the meditations being written by Indigenous Archbishop Mark McDonald and Primate Linda Nicholls. 

For more information and updates visit the Crossings website crossingstoronto.com.

Station: The Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
Title of artwork: “Explain Yourself”
Artist: Betty Spackman

The premise of this work is simply to show the ludicrousness of judging one another.

The twelve fingers (as a jury), point and ask Jesus to explain himself but he was silent before his accusers at the Sanhedrin saying only, “I AM.” He did not defend his innocence by pointing back. Instead, he retaliated with an act of love.

We so often find solidarity in a common enemy and our mutual hate towards them. We divide into our various camps and cry out for justice, pointing at and accusing the ones who are also pointing at and accusing us. It feels good to stand up together for what we believe is right and demand justice. But if judgmental hatred is our motivation, in the end, no matter how noble the cause, we are all just left with more hatred.

Jesus offered a more radical justice based on forgiveness, which acts in mercy and loves the enemy as well as the friend. He demonstrated the justice of a very difficult love that requires humility and the absurdity of retaliating with a blessing and calls for reconciliation rather than retribution.

Asking someone to tell us who they are and what they believe, in order to understand them and find ways to reconcile, is very different to demanding they explain and prove themselves because we believe they are wrong. It is no wonder this lamb of God who is love was mocked, rejected, brutalized and murdered. Innocent as he was, the only way he explained himself was to lay down his life for his accusers.

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“We realise this is a band aid,” says the Rev. Canon Simon Bell, incumbent at St. Margaret, Barrie, which is part of a regional ministry with Trinity Church and Good Shepherd, Stayner, “but if we don’t do it then people will die. We’re just keeping people alive one extra day.” 

According to a survey conducted by the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness on the night of Nov. 17, 2020, 536 people were counted experiencing homelessness. Of those, 49% were in Barrie. However, Canon Bell estimates that figure to be much higher now as the situation has been exacerbated by the pandemic. 

A significant proportion of Barrie’s unhoused or precariously house population is individuals who have been released from the nearby correctional centre in Penetanguishene. The former prisoners are dropped off at the bus station in Barrie, despite not necessarily being from the area. There are few resources available in Simcoe County for the reintegration of prisoners and with no money and nowhere to go, former prisoners are left unhoused or precariously housed. This has been a growing issue as prisons across Ontario have tried to reduce their numbers to curb the spread of COVID-19. Other issues are also at play, including the opioid crisis and a lack of affordable housing.

Canon Bell says that a huge influx of professionals from Toronto during the pandemic has driven up house prices in Barrie. “People are living in their cars. They’re employed but they can’t afford housing. We’re supporting a carpenter and a man who does snowplow driving and construction. Both live in their cars. They’re employed but underpaid.” 

As part of the City of Barrie’s New Foundations affordable housing initiative, Trinity Church was invited to apply for $20,000 to do an affordable housing feasibility study to assess the practical steps needed to build affordable housing on the church’s property. It’s just one step towards moving beyond “band aids.”

But solving the challenges facing the unhoused and preciously housed goes far beyond one church’s efforts. “We can’t solve the problem of a minimum wage versus a living wage. We can’t solve the opioid crisis. There doesn’t seem to be a coherent conversation in Canada around the opioid crisis. Safe sites are another band aid. Do we need to be looking at decriminalizing drug use?”

Trinity Church is part of a coalition that is working on homelessness and food security issues in Barrie. The coalition meets every week and includes local officials. Canon Bells sees this as one of the advantages to being in a small city. “When I worked in downtown Toronto, I would sometimes meet with local politicians but here we have the ear of the mayor and Simcoe officials. I can have a coffee with the mayor.” But Canon Bell admits that members of the coalition often feel overwhelmed. 

Still, he does see hope. “Where the hope lies for me is in small agencies and churches getting involved and making a small contribution. Bishop Andrew and the College of Bishops have encouraged us to continue these projects during covid. So, that really helped, not needing to convince the system, but the system saying, ‘please, make this happen.’”

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“We were walking into the unknown, but I thought, of course we’ll try this.” Setting up the clinic turned out to be much simpler than Canon Carpenter had imagined. The Baptist church had already run a clinic and was able to connect him with Toronto Public Health. “It really was as simple as sending an email. Our pitch was that we’re centrally located, we have two elementary schools nearby, people walk through our car park all day and we also run a food bank.” 

Toronto Public Health set a date for the pop-up clinic, Nov. 17, 2021, which would run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., overlapping with the church’s food bank. However, the clinic didn’t gain much traction. “We vaccinated about five people, so we were disappointed. But we did get one or two boosters in arms, and we stayed open right until the end of the day, until four, and in the last half hour we had a father come in asking if we could vaccinate his two high schoolers. So, because we stayed open, we were able to vaccinate them.” 

Canon Carpenter says Toronto Public Health was happy with the clinic, but the church decided to approach them about running another clinic and a new date was set for Dec. 30. This time, more people would be eligible for boosters and vaccines for younger children had also been approved. However, says Canon Carpenter, “It was like trying to hit a moving target. You just don’t know what if any traction you’re going to get.”

Again, the clinic was set to run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Two hours before the clinic was due to open, there were already people lining up outside the church and by the time it opened there were around 140 people waiting. Because of the church’s experience with running the food bank and because the church building is a large space, the staff and volunteers on hand were able to invite those waiting inside, while maintaining social distancing. They also handed out numbers so that those waiting knew they would be seen. 

By the time the clinic closed, 290 doses had been administered. “It was very cool,” says Canon Carpenter. “It was great. Toronto Public Health were very easy to deal with and we were able to use the church space, which was very intentional. This wasn’t in any way separate from the church, it wasn’t in a church hall or another building.

“From a practical standpoint, this meant everything was on one level and accessible. We already have the church space set up for social distancing. Our food bank is based in the church. So, it made sense to use the church as far as moving people in and out. 

“But on a more faith-based side, it strikes to the heart of what the church is here to do — to be open, to be available. To open our church doors, it was a sign of great hope during a time of great closure. At that time, we still had the Christmas decorations up, the creche was still up, and it was incarnational, it was the church at work. We are not here to proselytize; we are here to help.”

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At one time the Sisterhood had branch houses across Canada, as well as in New York. However, the last remaining branch house, St. John’s House in Victoria, closed in 2020 due to the pandemic restrictions. The guest house at St. John’s Convent also had to close to visitors, and the sisters were no longer able to travel to facilitate retreats and quiet days. But Sister Doreen McGuff who has been in communion since 1965, can see the positive side of this situation. “We had to close our guest house but, in a sense, we have opened it up. We now have an online guest house that attracts people around the world who wouldn’t otherwise have been able to get involved or attend our events.” 

Thanks to the Sisterhood’s drive to serve the needs of their community, and with some help from their postulants, they are now able to offer a wide range of online workshops, retreats and quiet days. Their companion program is also available online and they have been livestreaming evensong, with a growing congregation in attendance.  

Sister Doreen has run four virtual quiet days on Zoom and though she recognizes that not everyone is willing to use Zoom, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The quiet days begin with admitting the 30 to 40 participants into the Zoom call. This can take a long time! Participants then have the chance to meet each other. There is typically 30 minutes of conversation time, and participants have commented to Sister Doreen on how wonderful they’ve found meeting people from other provinces and countries. There is then a quiet day address followed by 30 minutes of silence, then another address, followed by one hour of silence and finally a third address and another 30 minutes of silence. At the end there’s time to talk and reflect as well as prayer. 

Sister Doreen believes the at-home quiet days serve a useful purpose: “People need to get used to using their own homes as a quiet space. There will always be distractions, even in a church, the hard pews can be distracting.” The online quiet days seem to be working well. “Zoom doesn’t provide the intimacy to relate in a close way, but it gives me the opportunity to help more people than if I had to travel.” 

Dorothy Dahli lives in Victoria and became an associate of the Sisterhood in 2011. She has since deepened her commitment and is now an oblate. As part of her commitment as an oblate, Ms. Dahli is required to be in retreat at least five days annually. She used to attend retreats and quiet days at St. Johns House in Victoria and enjoyed the experience of a very personal quiet time in communion with others, but she has embraced the online quiet days since the pandemic started. 

“They are very similar to the ones we had in-house. It’s very personal; there are no breakout rooms, you say ‘hello’ and then you are muted. You don’t need to have anything to say at the end of the day. The sisters bring reflections that readily speak to each of the attendees personally. Sister Doreen makes you feel gathered. It’s a blessing to have a day like that.”

Ms. Dahli echoes Sister Doreen’s sentiments about the need for creating a quiet space at home “We need to be able to have these kinds of quiet times in our own homes, we don’t often create that space… A few people have said they’d lost the discipline of doing prayer, bible readings and quiet time. The online quiet days have gotten people back into that rhythm.” She also believes it is important to continue offering retreats and workshops online. “I like the idea that anyone can join whereas before it was only a few people. I hope we can get together in-person again but considering how difficult travel is I also hope they will continue online.”

The Sisterhood certainly seems to be committed to offering its workshops, courses, retreats and quiet days online, with online events advertised on their website through May 2022. “I really think we will never go back to not having things online,” says Sister Doreen. “I see the convent in Toronto as available for people nearby. But what about all the people not nearby? People would travel around to do quiet days and retreats, but you didn’t have the chance to meet as many people. We are a community for the Canadian church. We need to be 100 per cent enthusiastic about that. Covid forced us to be available to people all over the place. It’s been a blessing. I hope it stays this way; it has to be.” 

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For several years, the church has hosted ping pong events every day except Monday, for parishioners and members of the wider community. In 2018, the church decided to put those hours of practice to use by raising money for FaithWorks. As FaithWorks was supporting 18 charities, the church decided to play ping pong for 18 hours, non-stop over two days, with each person playing for one to two hours. The goal in that first year was to raise $6,000. The church ended up raising $8,000. 

It is a pattern that has continued ever since, with the ping pong relay exceeding the fundraising goal every year, despite some setbacks. In 2019, St. Christopher again decided to set the goal at $6,000 and this time they raised $10,000. So, the following year, 2021, the goal was $10,000 and a date was set for March. 

Of course, as the pandemic emerged it became clear that the event couldn’t go ahead. But many parishioners had already collected donations, so instead of cancelling, the church decided to get creative. The relay was postponed until November, when it was hosted on Zoom. Participants could no longer play ping pong against one another, so instead, they had to play “keep up” with a paddle and ball in their own homes. Once again, the relay exceeded its fundraising goal and raised $18,000. 

In 2021, to meet the challenge for FaithWorks’s 25th anniversary of increasing its giving by 1 per cent, St. Christopher increased its target to $24,500. 

Twelve players, ranging in ages from 14 to 89, took part. The relay began with opening remarks from Bishop Andrew Asbil, prayer and a video about FaithWorks. Then the relay began, as did the hijinks. “Fundraising has to be fun!” said the Rev. Canon Dr. Philip Der, incumbent at St. Christopher. There were challenges and games throughout the relay, including bible phrases to recite. One participant set himself the “challenge” of praising his wife throughout the relay, while another used a frying pan in place of a ping pong paddle. 

In just two hours, $5,622 had been raised. After adding up all the pledges, the church had reached over $32,000 by the end of the day alone. Donations continued to pour in after the event. The next day, during worship, the offering plates were so full that many donation envelopes fell to the floor after the sidesperson raised the plates during the presentation of the gifts. The final amount raised was $37,411. 

“We all witnessed how amazing God is,” said Canon Der. “Truly God’s blessing overflowed our cup. St. Christopher’s appreciates and supports all our frontline workers. We are grateful that we can bring more blessings to many who are in need!”

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Mr. Núñez’s ministry provides culturally appropriate food and clothing to the workers, as well as recreational activities and spiritual direction. Around 5,000-6,000 migrant workers arrive in Durham Region each year in the spring, with 70 per cent coming from Mexico and the rest primarily from the Caribbean. The workers pick and package fruits and vegetables at farms across the region. 

Mr. Núñez felt that there was a need for a video to help highlight the work of the ministry and the important role the migrant workers play in the community. “They contribute so much,” says Mr. Núñez. “They feed our communities; they are a blessing. It’s not an easy job, it’s back breaking and pays minimum wage. It’s challenging to be away from family. Some farms are in isolated locations and there are language barriers. The workers are looking for a spiritual connection and sense of community.” 

With funding from the Diocese of Toronto, Mr. Núñez has been able to realize his vision of a well-produced video. However, the pandemic did present some obstacles. “It would have been nice to show the dinners, get-togethers and sports events we used to have. We were limited in terms of being able to show all that we do, but it’s still been a good year, we have adapted, and we were able to hold services at the farms.” 

Despite the limitations presented by COVID-19, Mr. Núñez is using the video at every opportunity. It was showcased at last year’s Outreach and Advocacy Conference and Mr. Núñez says he’s been hearing good things about the video. “I’m really pleased with the video. Hopefully it will get more partners and volunteers to support us, and it will encourage other Anglican parishes to initiate similar outreach programs. The theme of Synod 2021 was ‘Love Thy Neighbour;’ the workers are our neighbours. The bible says to be good to the stranger. We have to be caring, especially towards migrant workers.” As Mr. Núñez says at the end of the video: “If you see any of the migrant workers in your town, your community, say to them, ‘hola.’ That will make them feel welcome and special.”

The new Durham Region Migrant Workers Ministry video can be viewed on YouTube.

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