Living is often a hectic existence. Despite being instantly connected to people and events half-way around the world through technology, individuals can feel increasingly disconnected from others. While the Internet offers an on-line community for every interest, it lacks tangible, in-depth human interaction. Though products such as FaceTime and Skype offer visual community in real time, the warmth of human proximity remains illusive.

Today, many Christians are seeking fresh ways to express ancient truths. The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine (SSJD), an Anglican order based in Toronto, is planting new seeds of community life and mission, renewing the monastic life both in the church and for the church.

The 11-month Companions program, an initiative of SSJD begun in 2016, invites women of any denomination, age 21 and up, to spend a year in spiritual formation – learning to pray, serving others and studying while living among the Sisters in intentional community at their convent.

Why would anyone, much less a woman in her 20s or 30s, want to embark on such an adventure? The experiences of those who embraced the program in its inaugural year bear witness to the program’s inimitable value.

Christine Stoll, a former math teaching assistant, found the Benedictine balance of the Sisters’ life formative. “I think living here, for me, has been good and healing,” she said. “In terms of discernment, I wasn’t expecting to have everything all figured out at the end of this year, but I think I have a clearer sense of what it is I need to do.”

Another participant, Amanda Avery, a director of a program for low-income children in Halifax, described her time in the program as “exciting, stressful… yet joyful.” She went on to say, “The experience has changed me and has given me new insights and new ways to look at not just God, but myself and my community and the people who are in my community.”

Those who participate in the Companions program step into a challenging daily rhythm of prayer, study and service – and no doubt, participants will be surprised by what they discover about themselves. Alongside their personal spiritual quest, a key aspect of being a Companion is committing to a life lived fully, faithfully and authentically with others. Community life, both inside a convent or out in the world, calls us to be our best selves. Where better to discern gifts and explore call than within a community already engaged daily in those very things and who have insights to share?

The 2018-2019 cohort begins in September. A woman interested in exploring the Companions program may request a program description, application and further information from the Companions’ coordinator, the Rev. Canon Sister Constance Joanna Gefvert, by e-mailing cj@ssjd.ca or phoning 416-226-2201, ext. 316. Applications will be considered anytime before June 15.

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Born in 1880 in Balham, England, Dr. Willan moved to Canada in 1913 and bequeathed a prolific multi-genre legacy of some 850 musical works. In addition to appointments at the University of Toronto, the then Toronto Conservatory of Music, and St. Paul, Bloor Street, the virtuoso organist served for 47 years as music director of St. Mary Magdalene, for which he composed a large body of liturgical music.

“Willan was a humble genius and is considered the dean of Canadian composers,” said Canon Giles Bryant, a former organist and music director at the church and the master of ceremonies at the packed Feb. 16 concert. Drawing on a biography by Frederick Clarke, Canon Bryant included lively observations on Dr. Willan’s life as an artist and interspersed them with his own expert commentary.

Over his artistic life, Dr. Willan turned his versatile hand to opera, orchestral and band music, tone poems, string quartets and at least 66 songs. “Tonight, though, on this anniversary we celebrate his achievement as a preeminent composer of music created for the beautification and enhancement of church services,” said Canon Bryant.

The program featured three genres: choral music, organ compositions, and Gregorian plainchant. According to Canon Bryant, Dr. Willan loved plainchant and led the way in its return to Anglican liturgy in Canada.

The concert opened with Dr. Willan’s choral piece for the Feast of Dedication, “Behold, the Tabernacle of God Is with Men,” and closed with the vocal prelude and fugue “Gloria Deo Per Immensa Saecula,” sung by choristers from St. Mary Magdalene and St. Thomas, Huron Street and conducted by the latter church’s music director, Matthew Larkin.

The program also featured Dr. Willan’s beautiful setting of Isaac Watts’s 18^th century hymn “Christ Hath a Garden.”

Mr. Larkin performed the first organ work on the program, Dr. Willan’s “Prelude and Fugue in C Minor,” published in 1909 in Novello’s series of virtuoso organ works. Thanks to a large video screen, the audience was able to follow the complex keyboarding of the double-fugue composition, described by Canon Bryant as “a grand, sweeping piece with huge drama borne along with very, very confident harmony and daring chromatic inflections.”

From the organ loft, the gallery and ritual choirs of St. Mary Magdalene chanted Gregorian plainsong, including the Candlemas introit, “We Have Waited, O God.”

After the choir sang Dr. Willan’s melodic rendition of the mystical Revelations-based anthem “I looked, and Behold a White cloud,” the second featured organist, Simon Walker, played the composer’s “Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue in E flat minor,” which has been called the most significant example of the genre since Bach.

According to Canon Bryant’s biographical account, Dr. Willan was challenged to write this work after a companion at a recital featuring a German passacaglia said that only a Teutonic mind was capable of a composition of this type, which consists of a set of variations above a fixed-pedal bass line. “His reaction was apoplectic,” said Canon Bryant, and the result was this Bach-like “staggeringly marvellous work… with 17 variations of incredible ingenuity… and a fugue using the same subjects as the passacaglia,” he said.

Noting that Dr. Willan’s music remains integrally woven into the fabric of worship at St. Mary Magdalene, the Rev. Canon David Harrison, incumbent, read praise for Dr. Willan’s achievements from the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, a former governor general of Canada. He also read an affecting account of her father’s last hours by his only daughter, Mary Willan Mason, from her memoir The Well-Tempered Listener, and introduced Dr. Willan’s eldest grandson and his great-grandson.

Andrew Adair, the music director at St. Mary Magdalene, played the third organ composition, Dr. Willan’s “Passacaglia and Fugue in E Minor,” written in 1959 and reminiscent in technique to the C minor composition of 1909.

“Gloria Deo,” the closing vocal piece, was written in 1950 and, inexplicably, commissioned by the Village of Forest Hill’s community centre. “I have absolutely no idea what provoked them but, by God, they got a wonderful piece out it!” said Canon Bryant. Dr. Willan apparently composed the fugue after a comment by a fellow organist that no one could write in five parts any more. “Well, poppycock,” the supreme contrapuntalist allegedly replied, and the result was this transporting polyphonic fugue.

The post Tribute to Healey Willan strikes right note appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

In her homily, Bishop Riscylla Shaw challenged participants to see how a wilderness experience can lead to transformation and testimony. “The favour of God will change lives,” she said. “Do you believe it?”

In a session on “Finding God and Ourselves in the Wilderness,” Sylvia Keesmaat asked people to brainstorm stories from scripture where people found themselves there. When they put these examples on a timeline, it quickly became apparent that the wilderness is a recurring theme throughout the entire Bible. “The story continually goes to places of deep darkness, but it’s in these places where God works for redemption,” she said.

Br. David Bryan Hoopes, OHC, led a discussion on “Prayer and Spiritual Practices in the Wilderness.” He emphasized the importance of really wanting to be with God. “It shouldn’t just be, in the words of our lovely Prayer Book, ‘bounden duty and service,’” he said.

As well, he spoke of the value in understanding which activities are most meaningful for us as individuals. “It is important to grasp what really works for us. Is it music? Is it walking? Is it poetry? Is it serving in the soup kitchen? Our lives are our prayer.”

In the discussion circle on “Parishes in the Wilderness,” Bill Bickle and Anne Martin discussed techniques they use to encourage restorative discussions in churches facing disagreements. “Just like our relationship with God is a conversation, so is our relationship with a congregation,” said Mr. Bickle.

The area day’s 104 attendees benefitted from an area-wide team of organizers led by the Rev. Bryce Sangster and about 15 local volunteers from St. Peter’s. “We’ve got a great facility and we’re glad to host,” said the Rev. Canon Richard Miller, priest-in-charge.

Submitted by Mike Winterburn, a member of St. Martin, Bay Ridges in Pickering.

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Regardless of who is worshipping on any given Sunday, everyone in a church has the capacity to be generous. Let me be clear: the Church needs your financial support. The difference between a parish that is struggling and one that is growing often comes down to the availability of resources.

Struggling parishes suffer from over-extended volunteers, limited ministry opportunities, a shrinking congregation and giving that is well below average. Members of the congregation feel tapped out. They really want to do better because they can remember a time when their church did much better.

Overall, freewill offerings in the diocese in 2016 declined by about one per cent ($312,125) from 2015 to $32,508,379. These gifts do not include special collections, FaithWorks, additional outreach, capital giving or immemorial donations. In the last six years, the number of givers across the diocese has declined by 17.45 per cent – a loss greater than the previous 10 years combined. On a per donor basis, the average annual offertory gift increased to $1,393 in 2016, up from $1,314 a year earlier.

When average household income is adjusted for inflation, the percentage of gross family income designated to offertory increased to 1.71 per cent in 2016. What we lack is the median gift number. This would provide a true indicator of giving, as it eliminates the impact of those who give very little and those who gift a lot.

The diocesan average is only a barometer with respect to how individuals within a parish are performing compared to other parishes. However, aggregate giving is a poor indicator of generosity because many high-income donors give well above the diocesan average but the proportion of their giving is relatively small.

We have found that parishes need to strive for an average annual gift per person of about $1,750 to remain healthy. This figure represents optimum giving – a level of support consistently found in our most successful parishes. Those parishes – both urban and rural – that have a variety of relevant ministry opportunities, experience numeric growth in the number of worshipping members, offer meaningful worship and are present to the missional needs of their communities have a level of giving that is consistently well above average.

Giving that is exceptional is not limited to parishes with very wealthy congregants. Of the 25 per cent of parishes that are growing in the diocese, many are in communities where incomes are ordinary. But members give – and give well – because they have been discipled effectively and schooled in the benefits of generous living.

Optimum giving leads to sustained and innovative ministry that empowers an enthusiastic base of volunteers who are committed to missional outreach and a welcoming spirit of hospitality. This provides the necessary foundation that helps foster numeric growth in the congregation.

The post Why the Church needs generous givers appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

In his reflection, Falling in Love with The Earth, professor Stephen Scharper of the University of Toronto’s School of the Environment calls us, as Christians, to find a new perspective where we redefine the meaning of creation care. He writes:

“This perspective suggests that the human strives not for domination of, but for harmony with, the rest of the created world, and that we as humans are participants rather than ‘master and commanders’ within the fabric of creation. This perspective also suggests that we can only be fully human, and fully true to our Christian calling, when the individual and communal elements of our social concerns are integrated to sustain all of creation… We are being invited to relationship – a relationship with all of creation that involves affection, compassion, celebration and joy. We are invited to fall in love with the Earth.”

This paradigm shift requires transforming our previous understanding of the concept of “progress,” which is our heritage from the industrial revolution and has resulted in a cultural acceptance of domination of the earth and its resources. Jesus and his disciples travelled light, so we must ask ourselves: are we living in a way that is ultimately sustainable on this earth? What are the moral and ethical dimensions of what it would mean to build a culture and an economy of sustainability?

Increasingly, international development organizations like the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, World Vision and Doctors Without Borders have begun to report that climate change is a major cause of poverty and famine in the developing world – especially in the global south – and that the industrialized world is a major contributor to this.

At a conference on the environment in 2011, Dr. David Atkinson, the retired bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, said, “We are in bondage to a neo-liberal economic model of perpetual growth.” He called us instead to remember God’s covenant with us – God’s commitment of faithfulness to his promise, and our commitment to follow. The whole created order lives under God’s grace and under God’s judgement.

In 2011, the Primates of the Anglican Communion, meeting in Dublin, issued a statement on climate change. It included this call: “We encourage all Anglicans to recognize that global climatic change is real and that we are contributing to the despoiling of creation. We underline the increasing urgency of this as we see the impact of climate change in our provinces. We press government, industry and civil society on the moral imperative of taking practical steps towards building sustainable communities.”

At a meeting in Canterbury in 2017, the Primates once again addressed our changing climate, speaking about the hurricanes in the West Indies that caused severe destruction to homes, crops and infrastructure. They spoke about extreme weather in other parts of the world, food insecurity in Africa due to draught, and the disappearing islands in the South Pacific due to the melting of ice in the Antarctic. Thabo Makgoba, the archbishop of Southern Africa, encouraged his fellow Primates to think about “caring for where the lambs and the vulnerable are, and to make the linkages between social justice and climate justice.”

Our Christian calling is to “speak the truth in love,” so the need to speak to government is part of this justice-seeking. We need to begin to ask ourselves: how do we advocate for the earth and safeguard the integrity of creation? How do we help sustain and renew the life of the earth?

This fight for the integrity of the earth – to wean us off our dependence on oil and develop new technologies for sustainable sources of energy and conservation – is in many respects analogous to the anti-slavery movement in Britain in the 18^th century. The Church and the government at the time argued that the economy and people’s jobs would be sacrificed if slavery were ended. But justice and truth prevailed, and eventually that evil structure was formally ended.

Today, at a time of climate crisis, we who are people of hope and followers of Christ’s call to love justice and seek mercy, must speak out on behalf of the creation. We are members of the “beloved community” which has struggled throughout history for class, racial, and gender equality and justice, in the Church and in society. Our voice needs to be heard in advocating for the earth, our island home in the universe.

The post What does it mean to care for creation? appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

The resurrection is at the centre of our Christian faith, in the confidence of eternal life offered in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Easter is not a one-time event that took place many years ago, nor is it just an annual celebration. We are the resurrection community and our lives in the risen Christ mean new beginnings, hope for those who once had none, hope for those who are ostracized, marginalized or excluded. Life is no longer the same. In the words of the chorus of that wonderful song by the Gaithers:

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone,
Because I know, I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ led to the birth of the Christian Church. We see a group of men, disciples of Christ, who were once afraid, dispirited and uncertain about their future become transformed and filled with the Spirit, boldly witnessing to their experience of their risen Lord and Savior. They became empowered and were willing to do anything in His name. They faced their future with confidence and courage because He lives. They began a powerful movement, “the Jesus Movement,” and set in motion a mighty force that has changed and continues to change the lives of many around the world.

We believe that in Christ, death, oppression, injustice, fear and evil have been overcome and therefore Love conquers and will always win. The spirit of the living God is and will always be available to the Church. God is at work in the world in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. By our willingness to join God in God’s mission, we come to experience the love, mercy, compassion and goodness of God.

In a time when many are skeptical about the validity of institutions and their “norms,” including religion, there is seemingly a lot of rage in our communities, and the Church has a gospel to proclaim and live out. Amid skepticism and even cynicism, we can share the good news of what God is up to in our communities. We can become so despondent and hopeless in the face of adversity, tragedy and wrong doing that at times we do not notice the good that is taking place around us.

Remember the words of the song, “Because He lives I can face tomorrow.” The resurrection means that there is nothing that we cannot face in the future. Life that the risen Christ offers is refreshing, life-giving, healing, inclusive and redemptive. We have been given new life in Christ. We are given second chances; broken relationships can be restored. We need no longer be imprisoned by jealousy, hatred, pride, envy, selfishness and human indifference. Our communities and places of worship must now be open to welcoming others, especially those who do not look like us or share the same faith, political philosophy or ethnicity. We are called by our Christian vocations to be agents of change.

Archbishop Michael Curry often speaks about the Christ “who came among us to transform the world from the nightmare it often is, into the dream God has.” The Church must always provide room and welcome all, irrespective of their perspective or understanding of God. Paul understood this when he wrote to the Galatians: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” 3:28. One of the great challenges of our times is how can we be more inclusive in our nation, provinces, communities, organizations and churches.

The ability to live in community with many different views to life, politics and religions, is both a challenge and a rich gift. Our communities continue to become very diverse. We do not all need to think and speak alike. God has wonderfully made us for God’s self and each other. When we are unable to be respectful of those who are different from us, life can become very difficult and intolerable. That is why we hold to the belief and understanding that ultimately it is the love of God which seeks to save our world, as found in John 3:16.

Let us embrace God’s love and work together in providing for harmony and co-existence as God’s beloved. As believers of the resurrection community, may we by our living model what we promise in our Baptismal Covenant, “to respect the dignity of every human being.”

We, the people of God, can point the way forward that reveals the unity that we are given, and can celebrate the strength that we can bring each other and others. We can provide the example of how we can love those who differ from us and give attention to improving our brokenness. The resurrection means the setting free of all that once imprisoned us and living in the hope and comfort that “because He lives I can face tomorrow.” The Christian witness we carry out is in the Name of our Loving, Liberating and Life-giving God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

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Recently I recorded a video about the work of a bishop. Martha Holmen, my interviewer, asked, “If you were on an elevator with a member of Synod who asked what you would look for in electing a bishop, what would you say?”

“Is it a 2-floor trip or 17 floors?” I responded.

My 30-second response was this: “A person of faith in Jesus Christ, able to articulate that faith clearly and fairly simply; the capacity to deal with complexity; able to bridge the sacred and secular realms; open to a variety of theological and spiritual expressions and practices, and the wisdom to discern among them; someone able to extend pastoral care with compassion and still make tough and decisive decisions; one who can preside graciously in leading worship; able to conduct a meeting.” You can see the interview online on our diocese’s website (www.toronto.anglican.ca).

This was my quick summary of a four-and-a-half page job description! I could have added a sense of humour and a willingness to endure extended periods of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. Lewis Garnsworthy, when he was elected bishop, was advised that he would have to learn to suffer fools gladly and answer his mail. He replied that he would be sure to answer his mail!

An electoral Synod gathers specifically to elect a bishop. It is not a leadership convention – that is going on elsewhere in the province right now. It is not to conduct a popularity contest or establish a party platform. It is not electing someone to deliver on a mandate, nor is it to focus on a specific agenda. All of that will get stale in a year, and something else will replace the attention and the anxiety of the community. A bishop is to be one with the apostles in proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus.

What we come together in Synod for is to discern on behalf of the Church of God – not just for ourselves or our parish, not just for our own diocese, but for the good of the Church of God – the person we believe that God is calling to be the next bishop.

Discernment is a process of holy listening, not political intrigue.

We do not close our eyes, utter a prayer to God and let God mark down a person’s name on a ballot paper, or wait for God to press the right number on an electronic “clicker” using our fingers. It is not magic.

Discernment is about using the perceptions and intuition and resources God has given us. It is about listening – to God, to each other, to the world, to our inner conscience. It is opening ourselves in prayer, expectant silence and mutual conversation. It is about paying attention to the needs and opportunities of the world and to the gifts of the Church.

We are blessed with capable candidates who will allow themselves to be tested and questioned and scrutinized by hundreds of people; candidates who open themselves to God’s invitation, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for me?” with the courageous offer, “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6).

Each candidate brings many gifts for the ministry of oversight; each brings their weaknesses. Which of them has the specific gifts we need for the Church today?

When the apostles met after the Ascension of our Lord, they were a fragmented, incomplete, uncertain group. They were 11, not 12. In fact, they were not alone. Acts 1 records that there were about 120 present.

Two names were proposed: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Both had accompanied Jesus through his ministry from his baptism to his ascension. (You will note, it was not just the 12 disciples who were with Jesus.)

Matthias was chosen. Perhaps electors were confused by the other guy who couldn’t settle on his own name!

But remember three things.

First, they were named, and they are named together, for all posterity.

Second, they both were equally qualified, both gifted.

Third, after the election, neither of them is heard from again in scripture! Nothing else is known about them.

Nothing except this:  We know their names and we can be confident that both continued to follow Christ and serve his Church.

At the episcopal election, one will be chosen as bishop – but the one does not accede to glory and the others fade into oblivion (like political leadership contenders do.) All will continue as faithful members of the church of Jesus Christ. All will continue to bring their gifts to the service of Christ. All will join in the central work to which disciples are called – to bear witness with all the saints to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life that God offers to all people through him.

Electoral Synods begin with the Eucharist. It is not an incidental add-on – a nod to God – before we get on with the real business at hand. Rather, it is the heart of what we are about. We root ourselves as a eucharistically shaped people – a people called by God and bound together as his people into a community of thanksgiving and love in which Jesus himself is present in the midst. We listen to the Word of God, rehearsing our story, hearing again who and whose we are. We pray for guidance. We are fed by the very life of Jesus, who died for us and was raised for us and bestows on us his own first gift of the Spirit. Then we leave, sent out with joy and hope into the world God so loves, to join in God’s work of reconciliation and re-creation.

The Eucharist draws us into our work of discernment.

Listen to the leading of the Spirit.

The post Listen to the leading of the Spirit appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

• A history of the dialogues, decisions and key moments in the discernment process in the Church.
• An article outlining the structures of authority in the Anglican Communion.
• Information on processes and decisions in different denominations and attitudes in the Anglican Communion.
• A bibliography of key resources.

The group also plans to have available the names of people who can lead facilitated discussions in churches.

“We want people to talk with each other, as opposed to talking about each other,” says Marge Watters Knebel, ODT, chair of the group. “We’re encouraging individuals and groups to have deep, face to face conversations with people who have differing views.”

The Canon XXI Task Group was formed by Archbishop Colin Johnson last year to assist the diocese’s Synod to consider the proposed changes to the marriage canon to incorporate provision for marriage of same-sex couples in the Anglican Church of Canada. General Synod voted in favour of the changes in 2016 by the required two-thirds majorities in all three houses (laity, clergy and bishops); the second, required vote is planned when it convenes again in 2019. In the intervening time, the motion was sent for consideration, although not a vote, at diocesan and provincial Synods.

The purpose of the Canon XXI Task Group is to develop a process that will help the diocese have a dialogue about same-sex marriage and the proposed changes to the marriage canon. The diocese’s Synod will have a discussion – but not a vote – on the subjects when it meets on Nov. 9-10.

Ms. Watters Knebel says Archbishop Johnson set the tone for the diocese’s dialogue in his Pastoral Statement on Commitment to Diverse Theological Positions in the Diocese of Toronto (LINK), posted last September. In the statement, he writes: “All of us need to extend to each other the most generous Christian charity that Jesus Our Redeemer calls us to exercise as we, together, seek to discern and live out God’s will.”

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, expressed similar sentiments in a pastoral letter (LINK) to Canadian Anglicans in July 2016: “More than ever, we must make efforts not to turn away from one another, but rather to one another; not to ignore but to recognize one another; not to walk apart but together.”

Ms. Watters Knebel says the group is committed to providing resources and a process that will accommodate the widest range of viewpoints. “In his statement, Archbishop Johnson writes about honouring and safe-guarding the diversity represented in our parishes and clergy, and that’s what we are trying to do.”

In addition to Ms. Watters Knebel, the group includes Chris Ambidge, ODT, the Rev. Canon Susan Bell, Pamela Boisvert, the Rev. Chris Harper, the Rev. Canon Philip Hobson, the Rev. Ian LaFleur, Ryan Ramsden and the Rev. Mark Regis. It is facilitated by Janet Marshall.

The group made a presentation to the diocese’s Synod last November and asked members what they needed to have a dialogue. It received 530 suggestions. The primary needs were for facilitated conversations and helpful resources.

“At a high level, people wanted an opportunity to hear and talk more fully about the rationale and convictions held by people with differing views across the spectrum,” says Ms. Watters Knebel. “They want opportunities for facilitated dialogue.”

To that end, the group will provide the names of people who will act as facilitators for conversations in churches. “We encourage parishes that want to have a conversation to have a facilitator, preferably a neutral one who is not involved in that parish community,” she says.

She encourages people to have informal conversations as well. “I would encourage anyone, if they haven’t already done so, to get to know another person who holds a different view. Spend time with that person and find out where they’re coming from and where they’re at. Sit with another person who shares a commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and listen to them talk about what they understand, think and feel.”

More information about the work of the Canon XXI Task Group and the dialogue in the diocese will be published as it becomes available. To contact the group or to arrange for a facilitator to lead a discussion in your parish, contact Pam Boisvert, the diocese’s Secretary of Synod, at pboisvert@toronto.anglican.ca.

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The bard’s words stretched across the centuries as three seasoned actors took to the chilly public square beside the downtown church and raised a call to action for the homeless. They performed “Too Little Care,” a short dramatic piece based on the passage where, turned out in a raging storm, the mentally deteriorating old king has a sudden epiphany. He acknowledges the pitiful circumstances of the dispossessed and calls complacency to account.

“Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your loop’d and window’d raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these? O, I have ta’en
Too little care of this!”

Venerable actor and lifelong social activist Walter Borden played Lear, with Michael Bennett Leroux and Peyton LeBarr in supporting roles. Encouraged to become a chorus, onlookers chanted, “Oh I have ta’en too little care of this!”

“Any thinking, empathetic, sympathetic person could make that same statement about the homeless today,” said Mr. Borden, who recently played Lear in a production that portrayed him as having a hallucinatory dementia. “Society as a whole, and the individuals who make it up, have definitely taken too little care of this.”

The performance at the Toronto Homeless Memorial, located outside the church, was deliberately planned for the winter, explained Kate Werneburg, an actor who wrote and directed Too Little Care and designed it to speak to a deaf-eared and complacent society.

“It became clear the city was not prepared to respond appropriately to the needs underhoused people would have in the extreme cold,” said Ms. Werneburg, the church’s volunteer co-ordinator. “We wanted people who are also experiencing dispossession to feel seen and recognized.”

When Ms. Werneburg herself played Lear back in theatre school, her director told her no acting was required to perform this passage, saying “All you need to do is think about everyone who at this very moment is sleeping on a subway grate on Yonge Street. What have you done about that today?”

The post Actors lament plight of homeless outside church appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Those are just a few of the ways that the diocese’s $500,000 Our Faith-Our Hope grant to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) made an impact in Africa last year. The funds also supported an Indigenous midwives program in Canada, Peru and Mexico.

“The funds provided by the Diocese of Toronto have had a real impact on the lives of thousands of people in a very sustainable and lasting way,” says Zaida Bastos, director of PWRDF’s Development Partnership Program. “The medical equipment, water wells, construction of infrastructure and loans will continue affecting the lives of beneficiaries long after the projects are over. PWRDF is very thankful to the diocese for its generous gift and the lasting impact it is having towards alleviating poverty in target countries.”

PWRDF used the grant for its maternal, newborn and child health program called All Mothers and Children Count. The $500,000 grant was matched by $3 million from Global Affairs Canada, which gives $6 for every $1 that PWRDF contributes to the program. The program is being implemented in Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Burundi with local partners who are focussed on health and food security.

Here’s a summary of how the Our Faith-Our Hope grant made a world of difference:

Medical equipment in Burundi

Village Health Works, a partner of PWRDF, operates in 18 villages in the provinces of Vyanda and Rumonge. They used the funds to buy a polymerase chain reaction machine (PCR), as well as to help build a nutrition centre and a house for nurses. The PCR machine, located in the main clinic in Kigutu, is the only one of its kind in Burundi. It is essential in helping assess the status of HIV/AIDS patients and their treatment protocol, especially in pregnant women and children with HIV/AIDS. The housing facilities for nurses have allowed the clinic to retain more skilled health staff, who are providing around-the-clock service for patients. The new on-site nutrition centre diagnosed and treated 2,233 children for malnutrition last year.

Solar panels in Tanzania

PWRDF’s partner in Tanzania is the Diocese of Masasi. Funds were used to equip 12 rural clinics in the district of Tunduru with solar panels, which provide reliable, affordable and clean energy. The clinics can deliver services around the clock, including night births. More than 400 pregnant women were referred to receive services.

New water wells are making safe drinking water available to more than 33,000 people in 20 villages in Tunduru. Women and girls no longer must walk for hours each day to fetch water, which exposes them to risk of rape and other violent attacks; now it takes about 20 to 30 minutes, and girls can go to school.

The grant also enabled PWRDF to organize a trip to Tanzania to see the work in Masasi first-hand. The delegation included a videographer who produced two videos (both available for viewing on PWRDF’s You Tube channel), as well as Elin Goulden, the Social Justice and Advocacy consultant for the Diocese of Toronto.

Equipment for Rwanda

PWRDF partner Partners in Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima used the funds to buy equipment such as an anesthesia machine, fetal monitoring machine, hospital beds and incubators. The equipment was distributed to 43 health centres and three hospitals in Burera, Southern Kayonza and Kirehe districts. The agency also bought an ambulance and assigned it to one of the remotest districts, so women could safely get to a clinic to deliver their babies.

Solar suitcases in Mozambique

PWDF partner EHALE used the funds to buy and install 30 solar suitcases in rural clinics that do not have electricity. In the past, nurses and midwives would hold cellphones in their mouths and use its light to help them see to deliver babies in the dark – sometimes as many as 10 in a night. The risks of infection and obstetric complications were very high. A solar suitcase – mounted to the wall and attached to solar panels on the roof – provides medical lighting and power for mobile communication, laptop computers and a fetal doppler with rechargeable batteries. Clinics with solar suitcases registered 7,161 nocturnal births last year, and 31 babies were resuscitated. EHALE was also able to equip 27 health clinics with baby scales, patient beds and mattresses, sterilizers and other medical disposal products.

Micro-finance in Mozambique

The Our Faith-Our Hope grant provided funding for 392 women to start or run a business through CCM Pemba, a micro-finance initiative in Pemba, Mozambique. The loans have enabled women to build and expand businesses that include restaurants, convenience stores, food stands, catering, hairdressing and more. Some of the women are now paying university fees for their children. Other women are able to cover medical expenses and improve their housing. Many have become employers, contributing to the development of the local economy. The loans range from $500 to $2,000 with an interest rate of 4 per cent, compared to the local bank institutional rate of 25 per cent or more. The delinquency rate is 0.0 per cent.

Indigenous midwifery in Americas

Ryerson University’s Aboriginal Initiatives is working with KINAL Antzetik in Mexico and CHIRAPAQ Indigenous Women group in Peru to develop a midwifery curriculum that affirms and validates Indigenous midwifery best practices throughout the Americas. The grant enabled partners to compile examples of Indigenous midwifery curriculum developed by and for Indigenous learners in Nunavik, Manitoba and Six Nations in Ontario. Partners also presented findings in Toronto at the International Congress of Midwives last April.

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