Oshawa mayor Dan Carter was the guest speaker at the dinner, held Oct. 17 at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel and Suites in Richmond Hill. The sold-out event raised funds to help clergy and their families in need.

Mayor Carter told the remarkable story of his life, from being a homeless addict to becoming the mayor of Oshawa, an experience that transformed his faith and turned him into a passionate advocate for those who live on the margins of society.

“I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn’t for somebody who never gave up on me, and I am so grateful that person is my Lord and Saviour,” he told the audience. “He was the one who created a pathway that I’ve been able to follow as a mayor, a father and a stepfather.”

Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Mayor Carter was given up for adoption as a baby after his mother died and his father struggled to look after the family’s seven children. Shuttled from foster home to foster home, he was eventually adopted by an Ontario family but struggled at school due to undiagnosed dyslexia. He was sexually assaulted by a stranger at the age of seven, and a few years later lost his older brother to a motorcycle accident. Dropping out of high school, he turned to alcohol and drugs and ended up homeless in Toronto, an existence that lasted for the next 17 years.

With the help of his sister, Maureen, he started to turn his life around, quitting drugs and alcohol and eventually landing a job as a broadcaster. But tragedy struck again when Maureen took her own life. Devasted, he met with his pastor over many weeks, who helped him through the ordeal. “I learned that God loved me, that there was a place for me, that there was redemption and forgiveness,” he said. Devoting his life to public service, he became a regional councillor in 2014 and the mayor of Oshawa in 2018, being re-elected in 2022.

Bishop Andrew Asbil warmly thanked Mayor Carter for his courageous and compassionate remarks, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

There were 404 people from across the diocese at the dinner, including three tables of people from the Parish of Minden, Kinmount and Maple Lake, and three tables of young people, mostly teenagers. The Rev. Denise Byard, assistant curate at the Parish of Ida and Omemee and St. Luke, Peterborough, was the master of ceremony, and singer and songwriter Deb Whalen-Blaize provided the musical entertainment, accompanied by David King on piano and Ian Koiter on bass guitar. Recipients of the 2024 William Kay Bursaries were Jonathan Kang and Grace Rockett.

Bishop Asbil welcomed everyone to the dinner and made light of the fact that it was being held on the same night as the Toronto Blue Jays were playing the Seattle Mariners in the baseball playoffs. “Thank you for your dedication and your faithfulness for being present on the same night as the fifth game of the playoffs,” he said to laughter and applause. “I know how hard it’s going to be to not look at your phones once in a while, and we pray, along with Julian of Norwich, that all will be well.”

On a more serious note, he said that all season, when the Blue Jays were down, “they have found a way, and in some ways our gathering tonight seeks to do the same. There are times when our clergy and our families find ourselves in a place that’s hard and we are down. And we need encouragement and the financial commitment to help us through. In a likewise moment long ago, when (the disciples) came up empty-handed in the middle of the night, Jesus said, cast the net on the other side of the boat. And both the fish and the disciples were swept up into a new place, a new realm of abundance and grace. Your presence here tonight is helping to make a difference for many. We are deeply grateful.”

The dinner and reception were sponsored by anonymous benefactors. The evening’s other sponsors were Ecclesiastical, Northleaf, Nursing and Homemakers Inc., Mr. Ken Hugessen and Ms. Jennifer Connelly, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, AGF Management Ltd., the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation, AON Risk Management Practice, Blair Franklin Capital Partners Inc., an anonymous benefactor, Faith Based Real Estate Inc., Focus Cleaning, RDH Group | Royal LePage Commercial and Xtra Mechanical Ltd.

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First, I beguiled them with my presentation on charting growth in the Diocese of Toronto. For over a decade, I’ve made an annual presentation to Synod Council on how demographics, faith identification, giving patterns and attendance are impacting the Christian experience in our diocese. Typically, the news has been less than encouraging – that is, until the pandemic hit and attendance and giving patterns were jolted in a positive direction thanks to a spike in online worship.

The audience of 25 souls was most fascinated by the transition in faith adherence since the mid-1960s and the growth of the so-called “nones.” Those with no faith affiliation now comprise 33 per cent of the Canadian population, according to our latest census (c. 2021) and is the fastest growing component of identifiers (if you can use that word).

What I really wanted to share with the group is the impact of the Bishop’s Company. After all, the first presentation was supposed to be the side show. The original intent of the invitation was to showcase the work of our fund to assist clergy in need.

Each year, our bishops receive numerous requests for help. Some may be small, like travel assistance to a conference or help with paying for an online theology course. Others are not so small: counselling, dental reconstructive surgery, and speech and occupational therapy for children. Most years we get over $100,000 in requests. All of this is funded outside the operating budget of the diocese. It’s not covered by parish allotment; not a penny.

For 64 years, the Bishop’s Company has hosted an annual fundraising dinner. It has proven to be an important fundraising event in the diocese, generating over $5 million since its inception. It was at this point that I asked the men at St. John, York Mills if they would sponsor a table or two for our event on Oct. 17, and they happily obliged.

The Bishop’s Company has provided financial support to Indigenous programs and stipendiary assistant for clergy. It provides annual bursaries for theological students and postulants and a purse to clergy widows at Christmas, and it gave seed funding for our employee assistance program.

I am grateful for the work of the Bishop’s Company in supporting our clergy and their families who are in need. The work our clergy do is significant, and often their struggles come from a place of real vulnerability.

I would be happy to repeat my presentation 10 times over to any fellowship group in the diocese that is interested. But you’re going to get the sales pitch as well. Invite me anyway, as I love speaking about the important ministry that goes on in the Church and across our diocese.

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The fundraising dinner on Oct. 18 was attended by 420 people, including a large group from the Parish of Minden-Kinmount and four tables of young people from across the diocese.

Held at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel in Richmond Hill, the dinner featured a performance by The Redeemers, a singing group from Church of the Redeemer, Bloor St., and an address by Anthony Morgan, co-host of CBC’s The Nature of Things. The Rev. Paige Souter of Church of the Redeemer was the evening’s MC, and Michael and Gwyne Willmot were the presenting sponsors.

“From the north, the east, the south and the west, we have come this night, and we are grateful for your compassion, your creativity and your generosity,” Bishop Andrew Asbil told the audience. He thanked all those who worked hard to ensure the event’s success, including Melissa Doidge and Peter Misiaszek of the diocese’s Stewardship Development department and staff of the Synod Office who volunteered.

In addition to raising funds for clergy in the diocese who are facing unexpected expenses, the dinner handed out bursaries to the following people for their theological education: Denise Byard, Grace Rockett, the Rev. Nkandyiso Mapumuto and Yuhoing (Rose) Wang.

In his keynote address, Mr. Morgan spoke about how science and faith can help reduce suffering in the world. Mr. Morgan, whose family attends St. James Cathedral, is an award-winning science communicator, Ph.D. researcher, startup founder and game designer who has hosted dozens of TV programs.

Involving the audience in a few fun experiments, he showed how people can be unaware of “blind spots” in their thinking. These gaps can “misshape” the way they see the world, blocking them from solving problems or even making them worse.

“That’s why I think science is such a useful tool, because it inspires us to practice curiosity,” he said. “It looks for the blind spots in our thinking, and if we can do that, we can understand the sources of suffering more clearly.”

He said people are often unable to solve problems because of their assumptions. Without realizing they’re trapped in a particular way of thinking, they can inadvertently perpetuate suffering.

“That’s why I think the second huge benefit of science is that it encourages us to practice creativity – to identify and play with the blind spots in our thinking, ideally through experiments. Practicing creativity allows us to find the assumptions and blind spots that we have about the world and figure out which ones are shaky and which ones we’ve abandoned all together.”

One of the best ways to find blind spots in our thinking is to listen to outsiders and fringe thinkers, he said. “To me, this is the greatest advantage to the scientific approach – it encourages us to crack the problem in collaboration. If we all have blind spots in our thinking that are invisible to us, what’s the best way to find them? By talking to people who see things differently. If we do that, I think we can solve the problems of suffering. I think we can do it only that way – by working together.”

He said fear – particularly caused by a perceived threat to one’s identity – and a determination to “always be right” can also result in blind spots. “Fear shuts down the parts of your brain capable of creativity, empathy, open-mindedness and curiosity. It pulls us away from the best version of ourselves.”

Faith, he said, can play an important role in identifying and addressing the blind spots, assumptions and fear that people have. Church can provide a community and resources to help in times of need, either through the community itself or in the form of God.

“Faith helps us practice calm,” he said. “Prayer allows us to practice what scientists call ‘managed cognition.’ In other words, prayer allows us to notice what our goals are and when they have us stuck in fear, so we can choose different goals. Finding community and setting our goals allows us to reset our nervous system and use collaboration, curiosity and creativity.”

He said compassion can also bring about change. “One thing that faith has taught us again and again is that when you express compassion and concern for the suffering of even those who might wish you ill, it can inspire them to do the same. And that is why I think that the faith approach is so invaluable – not only because it helps us practice calm but because it helps us practice compassion. It’s taught me the most important lesson as a science communicator: before people care what you believe, they must believe that you care.”

He said science doesn’t work without faith. “Science can tell us some incredible things about how to build things, how to go to other planets, etc., but it really only works when we find a way not to hate each other. It breaks down when we don’t have institutions that remind us that showing compassion, even to those who wish us ill, is necessary in order to find our blind spots and reduce suffering.”

Science and religion are complementary approaches to the problem of suffering, he said. “Science and faith are not what we think but how we think. They are ways of looking at the world. Science is an institution that helps us to practice collaboration, curiosity and creativity – to ask for help and look for blind spots in our thinking – and faith as an institution helps us practice noticing when our goals are not serving us and to choose better ones. Together, science and faith can help us transform our culture and leave behind goals that are unhelpful to focus on ones that will actually reduce suffering. Science and faith encourage us to practice courage, to lean into society’s discomfort. And I think that right now, this is what the Church is being asked to do.”

In his closing remarks, Bishop Asbil thanked Mr. Morgan for his challenging and insightful comments. “Thank you for opening our eyes and giving us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in experiments, to help us to see and experience the world in a different way. We have work to do, but I know the faith community in this room, which is so dedicated to the craft of what it means to have faith in a world where there is so little, will be able to do a new math that’s really an old math, because you really can feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. Thank you for tonight, Anthony.”

For more on the Bishop’s Company or for more pictures from the dinner, visit www.bishopscompanytoronto.ca.

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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.

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The dinner, held Oct. 20 at the Marriott hotel in downtown Toronto, was sold out, with 405 people coming from around the diocese to socialize, enjoy a delicious meal and listen to the music of jazz guitarist Nathan Hiltz. Blake Goldring, ODT, was the guest speaker and the Rev. Roshni Jayawardena, incumbent of St. Peter, Erindale, was the MC.

The annual dinner raises funds for clergy and their families in need and to provide bursaries for theological education. This year’s event raised more than $170,000.

Mr. Goldring, a member of St. Clement, Eglinton and the executive chairman of AGF Management Limited, gave a humorous and inspiring account of how his faith has influenced his personal and professional life.

“It provides me with the resilience, clarity and strength needed to overcome life’s challenges,” he said. “It helps me persevere in the face of adversity, find the clarity to make wise decisions – though my wife may not agree – and conditioned me to treat others with kindness, compassion and empathy.”

He said he practices servant leadership, a philosophy in which the goal of the leader is to serve others, prioritizing their growth and well-being. “Perhaps the very best example of servant leadership is Jesus. In Mark 10:45 he said, ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’ As we all know, he certainly practiced what he preached. His example and his teaching influenced me from an early age, and they continue to guide me to this day, helping fuel my business success and inspiring me to make a meaningful impact on our society.”

Mr. Goldring has given back to the community in many ways. With his wife Belinda, he funded the development of Sunnybrook hospital’s first hybrid operating room, which opened last year. In 2006, he founded Canada Company, a charity that provides support for members of the military, veterans and their families. He also provided funding for the Anglican Military Ordinariate, a ministry to Anglicans in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mr. Goldring has financially supported the Bishop’s Company over the years and encouraged others to do so as well. “Our clergy serve as the Church’s front line. Think about COVID-19 and what they did for us through that dark time – the impact they had. They brought comfort, they provided succor, they made sure to address the spiritual needs of our community. But we mustn’t forget that they are also from our community, and they too have needs. I hope that all of us can find it in our hearts to open up our wallets and help ensure that our spiritual leaders get all the support they need and deserve as they carry out their important work in the service of others.”

After Mr. Goldring’s speech, Bishop Asbil spoke about how important the Bishop’s Company is to him. “When we get calls from our clergy colleagues with real life crises, there are moments when the first thing I do is tap my heart, knowing the hurt the family is going through, but by golly, the ability to be able to help financially is such a gift,” he said.

The evening included a tribute to the late Bishop Michael Bedford-Jones, a retired bishop of the diocese who died of COVID-19-related complications in 2021. “What an amazing gift Michael was to us,” said Archbishop Colin Johnson in his tribute. He described Bishop Bedford-Jones as a gifted teacher and mentor. “We saw in him authentic Christian spirituality. He loved the Church and what it could be. His faith was joyous.”

Sponsors of the evening included a generous benefactor who wished to remain anonymous, the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation, AGF, Ecclesiastical, NHI Nursing and Homemakers Inc., Mr. Ken Hugessen and Ms. Jennifer Connelly, Turner and Porter, Blair Franklin, Fiera Capital, Miller Thomson, Northleaf and VPC Group Inc.

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The dinner, which raises funds for clergy in need and other important causes in the Diocese of Toronto, will be held Oct. 20 at the Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre hotel in Toronto. Tickets go on sale Sept. 20 at bishopscompanytoronto.ca.

Peter Misiaszek, the diocese’s director of Stewardship Development, hopes the event will be sold out. “I think we owe it to ourselves to put as much effort into this as possible. We know the need is great. Our clergy need our support. And this is one of the best ways to demonstrate that we are there for them.”

He says the time is right to hold the dinner in person again. “I think there’s a desire to get back together as one, in the same way as we’re doing with Synod this year. We’re social creatures, after all, and I think a lot of us want to be in each other’s company again.”

The Rev. Roshni Jayawardena, incumbent of St. Peter, Erindale, will be the MC for the dinner, which is celebrating its 62^nd year. Blake Goldring, ODT, executive chairman of AGF, will be the keynote speaker. Nathan Hiltz, a jazz guitarist based in Toronto, will perform with his ensemble. The evening will include a reception.

New this year will be a “visionary sponsorship level.” Sponsors who participate at this level will receive two tables of seating, one for their guests and the other donated back to the diocese, which will invite young people to attend the dinner for free. Four visionary sponsors are participating.

“It’s an exciting initiative that will bring youth from across our diocese to the dinner,” says Mr. Misiaszek.

He adds, “It’s going to be a wonderful occasion. You’re going to leave with a good feeling that you’ve helped support important ministry in the diocese.” In addition to helping clergy with unforeseen expenses, the dinner provides funds for scholarships and bursaries for seminary students.

The Bishop’s Company Cabaret, which was held online during the pandemic in place of the dinner, will be back again this year but in a different format. Highlights from the dinner, plus five other musical acts, will be compiled in a video that will be sent out to parishes in November for their viewing.

Mr. Misiaszek says it’s too soon to tell whether this will be the last year for the cabaret. “It will depend on how many people view it.”

He says the cabaret, which has been held each year since 2020, has been important for bringing the diocese together and raising funds in place of the dinner. “It’s something we should be very proud of. The acts have been great, and it has showed us how resilient the Church has been in a very challenging time.”

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My personal “hurricane” has been the experience of the past year of being elected as Primate, leaving a ministry in a new diocese I had grown to love, living in airport waiting rooms as I travelled Canada and the world, and seeking to digest new responsibilities. Then confined to home with no idea how to be a Primate who did not travel to meet the Church across the country. I have learned how to connect on Zoom, to conduct meetings remotely, to video-record sermons and talks in my living room, and do Facebook live! I am also learning how to live in ambiguity and uncertainty every day.

Each of you has a similar story to tell of the normal routines of your work, family and church lives suddenly brought to a complete halt by COVID-19. Families are figuring out home or online schooling. Workplaces are learning how to meet on Zoom and work from home. We live in isolation from family members and fear for the elderly or immunocompromised. Businesses are unsure of their survival, and we all experience the losses of community, special events, sports, arts and entertainment.

We have been devastated by the rapidity with which the interconnected systems of our economic and social worlds could collapse, even as we are grateful to live in a country where government supports have cushioned the fall and sought to address health needs.

Now – six months later – the immediacy of the hurricane is over. The chaos and devastation are being assessed. We have learned new daily routines. We carry masks in our pockets, purses and cars. We step farther apart when someone approaches. We check with friends and family about if, when and how we can meet, as we have different tolerance levels for contact. The future is still uncertain as the financial realities have not yet fully reached us. In-person worship has restarted, but it is not the same – seated apart, masked, no singing permitted, communion in one kind only and no coffee hour! Hardly the experience of Christian community we long for.

The hurricane also exposed cracks in our social structures that must be addressed: inequities in expectations of those lowest on the economic ladder who provide essential services to all. Racial inequities that cannot be ignored any longer. It would be easy to sink into a state of depression at the enormity of the challenges we face, the continuing risks, the slowness of progress added to the continuing depressing global news of recurrences of the virus and natural disasters.

I can hear you murmur, “Well, this is certainly not an uplifting talk! Surely we need something more.”

We do, for this is the Bishop’s Company Cabaret: a company of people in the name of Christ committed to the great commandment, “Love God and love neighbour as self,” and committed to the gospel message that is always one of hope.

Tonight I want to point to a few images of hope and promise that have helped me remember that we are resilient and to where I see Anglicans drawing on that resilience and our faith as encouragement to all of us for the long road ahead.

I live in London, Ont., a city that has a vision for keeping green spaces and walkways in the midst of all areas. Near my home is such a walkway through the woods between backyards – a gravel path and boardwalk – that at the beginning of the pandemic still crunched with snow and ice. At the beginning of the lockdown, I quickly realized I needed to walk every day. I needed to smell fresh air to be in touch with God’s creation and with the timeless rhythms of the seasons and their capacity to renew themselves every year. On these walks, I began to see surprising messages – hand-painted rocks with messages of encouragement: you are loved; stay strong; breathe. I saw Easter eggs, ladybugs and beetles – even Spiderman! Small birdhouses were hung on the trees. The neighbours I never saw were leaving messages of hope: you are not alone; we are in this together.

I saw the same signs of encouragement among friends, family, churches and staff, through emails, phone calls and Zoom gatherings. We may have lost coffee hour at church, but Zoom coffee hours popped up where people could gather, encourage and offer prayers. A friend reported regular concerts given by someone in the same building from their balcony; people gathered in the parking lot below, or on their balconies listening, clapping and cheering. Signs in windows or banging pots proclaimed support for frontline workers. There were drive-by birthday celebrations and lawn signs for graduates.

Though stopped from gathering in person, people found other ways to encourage and be present. Due to missing graduation ceremonies, an Anglican Youth Program in Vancouver delivered graduation gift bags to graduates with gifts and a mini cap! Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson in Montreal delivered the graduation certificates to Master of Divinity grads at Montreal Diocesan College by placing the certificate tubes in the crook of her crozier and handing it to them on an outdoor staircase! Huron Church Camp – knowing it would have no regular camps in the summer – made its space available to families wanting to come for a day picnic – a chance to get away from home and enjoy the outdoors! Other camps created online opportunities to engage. Confirmation classes and youth groups met online, sometimes even with the Primate!

I love to sing, and I sing in a community choir that is now cancelled for at least another year. We cannot sing in church together, either. For me, the harmony of an orchestra or choir or any combination of instruments is a symbol of the kind of community we seek to create where the gifts of each are needed in order to create the whole.

We are different and individual but part of the same body, and when all are honoured, recognized and can contribute to something greater, then each part is created for the good of all. So to see choirs and orchestras come together online and find a way to create music that is greater than each part is a sign of hope. It is not easy. You cannot play together online, as the signal delay plays havoc with coordination. Each member must listen to a track of one or more other parts and play with them while recording themselves, and then each part must be then coordinated together to produce the whole. A lot of work done by many. Whether it was the Toronto Symphony Orchestra or a high school choir or a professional chamber ensemble or someone spoofing a well-known song with new lyrics, people have brought music to life to share online, creating beauty and lifting the human spirit.

Human beings are creative and resilient and capable of more than we often imagine. We will get through this together. Despite the rampant individualism of our time (epitomized unfortunately in the refusal by some to wear a mask or social distance) we have recognized our need of one another and the need to connect virtually, across time and space and physically across a room or garden, and acknowledge we share this time together. We have also realized afresh that we are profoundly interconnected and our very lives depend on those we often acknowledge the least, both in respect and economically.

The signs of hope I have pointed to are not big. They are moments in time, ephemeral and small tokens of the capacity for human beings to see beyond the pain and struggle now and emphasize the most important values.

The other forces around us remain powerful and destructive. The virus is still strong. We do not yet have a vaccine. Those who are angry and disbelieving readily create havoc. Economic forces remain uncertain.

I expect the disciples felt the same after the death of Jesus – powerful forces ranged against them and an uncertain future. But once they had experienced the reality of the resurrection, once they had been touched by the power of the Holy Spirit, that small band of disciples found hope at every turn in the face of imprisonment, opposition, beatings, and ridicule and changed the world. The faithfulness of God is the touchstone that defeats even death itself.

When I finished university and prepared to travel to India to teach, a friend gave me a locket with a scripture verse I have never forgotten. The locket has disappeared in the mists of time but the verse remains in my heart: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” It is a part of Deuteronomy 31:8 as Joshua faced the challenge of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land: “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

I pray that the small signs of hope around us in the resilience of the human spirit in community and God’s promise to be with us whatever lies ahead, will give us strength to build the community of grace, mercy and justice God longs to see and keeps us hopeful every day.

Thank you.

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