Cricket festival returns

The Anglican Church Cricket Festival committee is pleased to report that planning for ACCF 2023 is well underway, and the event is scheduled for July 15 at the Creditview Sandalwood Park in Brampton. Invitations to the bishop’s office and the Brampton mayor’s office have already been sent, and we look forward to welcoming everyone at this year’s event.

This event evolved from a friendly cricket encounter in 2016 between St. Thomas a Becket, Erin Mills South and St. Peter, Erindale. By 2019 the ACCF expanded into a great community engagement event for participating churches. However, the pandemic-related disruptions in 2020 negated the great momentum and the network of local churches that was built over five years. A modified version of the ACCF returned in June 2022 after three years. Despite the uncertainties around the pandemic, we were pleasantly surprised to see more than 70 parishioners, family and friends from five GTA churches attending the event on a glorious summer day last year. Charmaine Williams, MPP for Brampton Centre and a parishioner of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Bramalea, was among the attendees. Addressing the gathering, Ms. Williams spoke about her love and passion for the mission of God and emphasized the importance of community engagement events like the ACCF to share God’s love with the church and in the community.

This year, the ACCF will once again be organized to accommodate seasoned cricket players and those who are new to cricket. There are opportunities for absolute beginners to learn cricket, children of all ages, women and men, as the ACCF uses modified rules with the objective of giving all players a chance to bowl, bat and field.

The ACCF was launched with the aim of providing opportunities for Anglicans from the GTA’s diverse communities to get to know each other as a church community and build relationships, and enjoy food, fun and good Christian fellowship. If you are interested in playing as an individual or a church team, or if you’d simply like to volunteer, email [email protected].