Bishop’s Company Dinner has new venue

This year’s Bishop’s Company Dinner is shaping up to be one of the best.

The fundraising dinner has a new venue: the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North hotel, the site of the diocese’s previous five in-person Synods. Located just north of the city in Richmond Hill, the venue will make the dinner more accessible to the wider diocese.

The speaker will be Anthony Morgan, co-host of The Nature of Things on CBC. Mr. Morgan, whose family worships at St. James Cathedral, is a television host, entrepreneur, game designer and PhD researcher based in Toronto.

The annual dinner supports programs and initiatives that strengthen the Anglican community in the diocese. It provides funds for the Bishop of Toronto’s ministries, emergency care for clergy in need and bursaries for religious education.

“It’s a great opportunity to see and meet the Church’s leadership, to celebrate the work of the Church, and to honour the clergy of our diocese,” says Peter Misiaszek, the diocese’s director of Stewardship Development.

As at last year’s dinner, three tables of 10 will be reserved for young people from across the diocese. The evening’s presenting sponsor will be Michael and Gwyne Willmot. Last year’s dinner was sold out, and Mr. Misiaszek is hoping for a repeat this year.

“I think it’s really important for the clergy to know that they have the love and prayers of the whole Anglican family behind them,” he says. “We want to acknowledge their vocation and the work they do and let them know that we’ve got their backs.”

The dinner will be held on Oct. 18 and tickets are the same as last year: $200 for a single, $1,500 for a table of 10. Tickets will be available online beginning in September at www.bishopscompanytoronto.ca, and notices will be sent out to parishes and individuals.