The Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario covers most of the territory of the political province plus part of western Quebec. It includes the dioceses of Algoma, Huron, Moosonee, Niagara, Ontario, Ottawa and Toronto. As metropolitan, Archbishop Germond will serve as president of the province’s Synod and its House of Bishops, chair of its provincial council and bishop of the Diocese of Moosonee, while remaining bishop of the Diocese of Algoma.

Archbishop Germond is the third woman in the Anglican Communion to have the title “archbishop,” and the second in Canada after Archbishop Melissa Skelton, who was made metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon last May.

She said her first priority as metropolitan would be to call the people of the ecclesiastical province to ponder their identity as children of God, and the centrality of Christ in the church. “We’re not a people who gather around the archbishop, or who gather around a priest—we gather around Christ, and we gather around Christ’s gospel,” she said. “I really want us to think about that, and what that looks like as a province, because Christ is our unity and I think that alone will draw us closer together as a people.”

She said she also wanted to foster the growth of relationships among the dioceses in the province.

Anglican Journal

The post Ontario elects new metropolitan appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

We have all acted charitably out of compassion for another’s need at some point, said André Lyn, a social justice activist who works with Ontario’s Antiracism Directorate and the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. “An individual act of compassion connects us with the love of God within us by enacting that love.”

But occasions for situational acts of charity sometimes present us with a “compassionate predicament,” in which showing empathy involves a certain struggle – for example, when a needy outstretched hand is asking for money but the donor prefers to give food, believing the recipient will use the money for drugs or alcohol. “Who are we to judge if they want to use the money for drugs?” asked Mr. Lyn. “Food does not address their need or the roots of their addiction.” And what is a vice to us can be their means of connecting with their society and escaping harsh reality.

Compassionate charity is different from compassionate justice, he stressed. “Charity is what we do most often. It’s easier to do than justice.” It may involve volunteering at food or clothing drives, giving money to a social cause or handouts on the street. “It has its place. Charity is a type of compassion that meets someone’s immediate needs and temporarily eases the effects of suffering,” he said. It is necessary and important, but it is temporary and insufficient.

Compassionate justice is much more difficult and slow-moving, as it addresses the root causes of suffering – poverty, homelessness, mental health, addictions and discrimination. It seeks to correct the inequities that are endemic to our religious, educational and legal institutions, and its progress is slow but incremental. “If charity is about transforming hearts, justice is about transforming structures, systems, and institutions. It is the social and political form of compassion,” he said. It is wide-ranging, and it effects lasting change.

Apathy is the enemy of such justice, he said, quoting Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel’s observation that the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. He used an engaging animal parable to show the wide-ranging ill effects of indifference. In the parable, a farm mouse meets total indifference from a chicken, a pig and a cow when he reports the introduction of a mousetrap to the farmhouse. The trap snares a poisonous snake, which bites the farmer’s wife; eventually, the apathetic chicken and pig are sacrificed for the wife’s recuperation and the cow, ultimately, for her funeral banquet.

Mr. Lyn also cited the famous poem of German pastor Martin Niemöller, about how he failed to speak out when the Nazis came for the socialists, the trade unionists and the Jews because he was not one of any of those, until finally they came for him and there was no one left to speak for him.

Occasions to address systemic inequities are all around us, said Mr. Lyn, referring to two recent incidents in which anti-black slurs were written on the same property of a church in the diocese. Compassionate prayers and support at a special service were offered by the area bishop and others, he said, but that did not go far enough. “We had an opportunity to address a structural and systemic injustice in society,” he said, so his group asked the area bishop if there was a diocesan policy to address hate crimes. Not surprisingly, the answer came back no.

“This sort of silence has an unintentional impact,” he said. “It has allowed such atrocities to go unchallenged and unaddressed systemically.” But now he and his colleagues have committed to working actively with the College of Bishops to address this racial issue in a structural way.

Mr. Lyn urged Anglicans not to give up personal charitableness but to move from personal compassion and transformed hearts at the individual level into collective compassion and broader solidarity at the system level, and to commit to active outreach and active advocacy.

This will require people to be audacious and bold, he said, urging the audience to harness their collective compassion and inequity, suffering, and hurt toward transforming structures by serving at any level. “There is no better time to become involved than the present,” he said. “We need to become agents of change.”

The conference also featured 10 workshops on significant outreach and advocacy topics, including housing for vulnerable seniors, grassroots initiatives against poverty, and indigenous identity and water protection.

Prison ministry often rewarding, workshop hears

One of the most challenging but rewarding forms of Christian service is prison ministry, as was evident in a workshop led by the Rev. Mark Stephen and Jerome Friday of The Bridge Prison Ministry, which is supported by FaithWorks, the diocese’s annual outreach appeal. The Bridge works with offenders at the Ontario Correctional Institute in Brampton, before and after their release back into society.

“The lives of these men are broken,” said Mr. Stephen, a community outreach worker and deacon at St. Joseph of Nazareth, Bramalea. “Often they can’t go home or have no home to go to. They can’t return to the community where they committed their crimes.”

Mr. Friday outlined The Bridge’s 16-week pre-release, volunteer-run in-prison program of group discussions. These are designed to help inmates confront their personal responsibility and rebuild their self-esteem by addressing 22 core issues, including acceptance, despair, love, respect, guilt, shame, and hope. “These discussions help them change the negative thought patterns that landed them where they are,” he said.

“These men are scarred and are often from dysfunctional homes, and have experienced childhood events that were never addressed,” he said. “They’ve been told they’re worthless, but we try to get them to see that, yes, they’ve made mistakes but they themselves are not mistakes.”

At first mistrustful and unwilling to share their stories, the men gradually open up and become friendly and mutually supportive.

But even with four months of psychological preparation, re-entering the community is difficult. They have a criminal record, inadequate ID for today’s security-obsessed society, and no fixed address. Getting an OHIP card, obtaining employment or renewing their medications for ADHD or depression is difficult. They are released from prison with one day’s pay and can’t even cash the government cheque they receive.

At the time of release, Mr. Stephen meets the ex-offender at the gates and The Bridge provides seasonal clothing, a backpack and transportation to shelter. “Some of the men don’t even know how they’ll survive the first day out of prison,” he said. Later, The Bridge provides a re-conditioned cellphone with a month’s service and helps with finding stable shelter, getting essential ID and obtaining work, which is greatly facilitated by working through the buffer of employment agencies. “Within three months, 74 per cent of our ex-offenders – some in their 60s and 70s – are employed and living in stable housing, and their addictions are under control,” Mr. Stephen said.

But the first stop after release is Tim Horton’s for coffee after years of the undrinkable prison brew. “Sometimes they can’t even order their own coffee, so I always order everyone a double- double,” he said.

Churches support migrant workers

Each year, almost 40,000 migrant agricultural workers from Mexico, the Caribbean and other countries spend six to eight months in Canada planting and harvesting the crops that put an abundance of food on our tables.

Churches in the diocese are working on pastoral and practical fronts to make the newcomers’ experience in Ontario a better one. This was made clear at a workshop led by the Rev. Canon Ted McCollum, incumbent St. Paul, Beaverton, and the Rev. Augusto Nunez, incumbent of St. Saviour, Orono.

Both these parishes and others offer migrant-worker programs with special services in Spanish, liturgical and musical participation by the Spanish-speaking workers. “Our first focus is spiritual, to help them to know Christ and provide a house of worship with services in Spanish,” said the Peruvian-born Mr. Nunez.

This spiritual care provides a buffer for the workers, who are often dealing with the mental and emotional stress of extended separation from family. Recently St. Paul’s (“San Pablo,” as the workers call it) provided pastoral support for a young father whose two-week-old son had died in Mexico before he had the chance to see him.

St. Paul’s program, which began in 2009 and collaborates with other migrant-worker groups in the region, addresses worldlier needs as well, such as car transportation to and from town. It helps with reconditioned bicycles, road and equipment safety, athletics and social life. In addition to weekly soccer games and barbecues, workers are brought together at health fairs with barbers, dentists, doctors, nurses and, very importantly, physiotherapists.

“These men work 10 hours a day on their knees and this takes a huge physical toll,” said Canon McCollum “It’s touching to see how happy some are to get the physiotherapy help they never had before.”

The churches also work tactfully with farm owners to determine how best they can help, and they connect the workers with local communities. “We’ve even had local people attend our Wednesday evening Spanish services,’” he said.

Not least, the program increases awareness of the large contribution the workers make to local life. “They spend  $300,000 locally on food and other purchases,” he said. As their numbers swell the local population, services improve. “Thanks to them, our area met the threshold to qualify for a nurse practitioner, which benefits everyone.”

The workers send 80-90 per cent of their earnings home. “They’re phenomenally dedicated. Many of their kids have been able to become doctors, lawyers and engineers.” They pay all relevant Canadian taxes and deductions, even premiums for unemployment insurance, which they will never collect.

Church outreach programs need not be confined to rural areas. In the urban setting, they can also help visiting workers employed in restaurants and hotels.

The post Go beyond charity, says speaker appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

The chaplaincies, which involve co-operation among the Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches, provide a range of services on campus, ranging from personal support to theological reflection and worship.

Each chaplaincy also has its own unique elements. The chaplaincy at Guelph involves, among other things, a weekly worship service open to people on campus or off, and a series of labyrinth walks using portable canvas labyrinths. Brock’s chaplaincy includes a Big Questions Club, in which students talk about faith and other issues. The McMaster chaplaincy features a “soup and selah” program – a weekly reflection followed by a meal – along with other organized spiritual or social events.

The Niagara Anglican

The post Diocese funds university chaplaincies appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Some years ago, a diocesan review team recommended that St. Michael and All Angels in Chemainus, B.C., be disestablished. The church had been suffering from dissension among its members, which had led to many leaving, and financial problems. But the parish developed a five-year plan for growth, says churchwarden Hilary Findlay, and within two years, the diocese’s assessment had changed to “in transition.” After two more years, it was designated “healthy.”

The church, she says, took a number of steps to increase its presence in the community, including becoming a tourist destination by opening it up for public viewing, hosting an annual parade of veterans and creating a local classical music society. Over the past three years, the church has also been pursuing the development of attainable housing on its property, says its rector, the Rev. Michael Wimmer.

The Diocesan Post

The post Church rallies after near-closure appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

If the Church were to foster the growth of such enterprises, he says, it could both attract more young people and reduce the social isolation of its elderly members, by engaging retired Anglicans to volunteer to teach young people new skills, and by increasing the presence of the Church in the community.

“Social enterprises need volunteers during their start-up phase, and for the next 10 years, we will have a huge influx of retirees who will want to connect with their community in a tangible way,” he says. “There is a track here for the Church to be in the business of turning strangers into neighbours, and that will cause people to say, ‘What’s this about?’” he says.

The New Brunswick Anglican

The post Tool library embodies gospel, says Anglican appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

“Those who’ve had horrible things done to them have every reason to hate, to be bitter, to want revenge,” Canon Lapsley said in a sermon for Orange Shirt Day, which commemorates survivors of the residential school system. “But in the end, those things do not destroy our enemies. They destroy us.”

Healing comes from keeping the kind of memories the Bible encourages us to have, he said – memories of the good that comes from evil and of the life that comes from death.

Canon Lapsley has served as honorary canon for healing and reconciliation at the cathedral since 2017 and holds a similar title at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa. Born in New Zealand, he went to South Africa as a missionary in 1973 and became active in the anti-apartheid movement. He was exiled from South Africa and went to live in Zimbabwe, where, in 1990, he opened a parcel bomb that nearly killed him, destroying both his hands and severely damaging his eyesight and hearing. In 1998, he founded the Institute for Healing of Memories, which gives workshops in South Africa on healing.

The Messenger

The post Wounded priest preaches reconciliation appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Bishop Fricker received his theological education at Huron College in London, Ont., and was ordained deacon and priest in the Diocese of Niagara in 1952. He served at St. Augustine of Canterbury, Hamilton (1952-59), St. David, Welland (1959-1965), St. James, Dundas (1965-1973), and as the Dean of Niagara and rector of Christ’s Church Cathedral, Hamilton (1973-1985). He also served in the Diocese of Niagara as the chair of the Hamilton Wentworth Regional Food and Shelter Assistance Committee and was a member of the Hamilton Arts Awards Committee. He is survived by his wife Shirley and their children.

After he was consecrated bishop in the Diocese of Toronto in 1985, he served as the area bishop of the Credit Valley Episcopal Area (now called the York-Credit Valley Episcopal Area). He worked with several other bishops in the diocese in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Archbishop Terence Finlay, Bishop Douglas Blackwell and Bishop Taylor Pryce.

As he prepared to retire in 1993, he wrote, “My eight years in this diocese as bishop of the Credit Valley have been a rich and rewarding experience. I am deeply grateful to the clergy and lay people of the area for their cooperation and encouragement.”

Bishop Fricker and his wife Shirley moved to Burlington in 1995 but he continue to serve as an associate priest at the Church of the Redeemer, Bloor St. in Toronto until 1999. He was an interim priest-in-charge at St. Clement, Eglinton and St. Paul, Lorne Park. He was also the interim dean at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Western New York (1994-95 and 2004-6.) He celebrated the 50^th anniversary of his ordination in 2002 at Christ Church Cathedral in Hamilton.

Archbishop Colin Johnson said he received the news of Bishop Fricker’s death with sorrow. “He was one of my mentors and I learned much from him. I asked him to preach at my consecration as bishop and was not disappointed. He had a sharp intellect, a robust sense of humour, a deeply honed faith in God the Holy Trinity, and a profound love for the Church. He was a major force in the development and introduction of the BAS (“Jo’s green book” as it was affectionately called by the bishops.) May he rest in peace and rise with Christ in glory.”

His funeral was held on Nov. 5 at Christ’s Church Cathedral, Hamilton.

The post Bishop had ‘profound love’ for Church appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

On Oct. 18, we held a prayer vigil for climate change as one of these missional initiatives. We held it in a local park as part of our series on creation and creation care. A neighbourhood Facebook group started a conversation about current practices and efforts that impact climate change, so it seemed like a perfect time to do the vigil. There was lots of support for it – more so than for many other initiatives we’ve tried.

Yet, on the night of the vigil, I sat in prayer surrounded only by candles.

I decided to hold the vigil anyway. One person asked if we could do it again so that he could attend. A young boy and his father wanted to know why I had candles lit. I was able to have a lengthy conversation with them. The father had worked in the wildlife field and shared his insights, as well as the need to pray and work to halt climate change. I gave the young boy one of our candles, a simple gesture that made him very excited.

The missional initiative of the vigil certainly did not yield the results that I was expecting. It did, however, teach me a few things:

Be prepared for God to surprise you. The vigil did not go the way I had planned, but I am convinced that God was at work in the conversations I had with the three people that night.

Do it anyway. It is tempting to give up if there is no or low attendance. If I had left when I thought about leaving, I would not have had the conversations that I had. In other missional initiatives, I have found that people tend not to come out for the first event. Instead, they wish to see what it is all about before they commit. Sometimes sharing pictures and stories make people more comfortable in coming out next time.

Be present in the neighbourhood. Missional work starts at the ground level of simply being present in the neighbourhood and meeting people outside the church doors. People want to know that you actually care about them and the neighbourhood, not that you care about them to get them to come to your program or fill the pews in church. The vigil was just one way that St. Monica’s was able to say that we care about the same things that other people in the neighbourhood do.

Elizabeth Achimah is St. Monica’s lay pastor and missioner.

The post Climate change vigil provides missional lessons appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

A pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and professor of worship arts at Trinity Western University, Dr. DeVries delivered three talks at the conference, held Oct. 18-19 at St. Paul, Bloor Street. Jointly sponsored by the Diocese of Toronto and Wycliffe College’s Institute of Evangelism, it attracted more than 100 Christians from across Canada.

Dr. DeVries began by examining the challenge of evangelism in contemporary Canadian culture. She presented statistics on religious affinity in Canada over the past six decades, all of which point to a steady decline in church attendance.

“That same story is repeated in congregation after congregation, not just in my denomination but in most denominations across urban and rural settings and all across the country,” she said. “The question then is, what do we do about this?”

Dr. DeVries encouraged her listeners to reflect on what God is calling the Church to do and be, and on what’s happening in their own communities. “If I came as an anthropologist from another planet and visited your church, what would I see?” she asked. “What are the priorities in your church? What is your congregation living out?”

She then focused on the way forward, including the need to be deliberate about the kind of formation happening in churches. “Whatever you are doing, people are being formed,” she said. “Is it appropriate formation or is it inappropriate formation?”

Formation, she said, happens intentionally through stated teachings in sermons and mission statements, but also unintentionally. “Our spaces communicate, our surroundings can have emotive impact, but they also teach values,” she said. “What does the sign look like? What kind of cars are on the parking lot? I know you can’t control that, but they speak.”

She also emphasized that formation will look different for new Christians than for long-time members of a congregation. “They too need to be formed. Perhaps they actually need to be reformed, and perhaps they need to unlearn some things in order to be reformed,” she said. “Sometimes we need to reframe things for people in terms of God’s bigger mission.”

That theme emerged during two sets of workshops that focused on practical strategies and resources church leaders have used to place discipleship at the heart of their communities. In a workshop on disciple-making in church operations and structure, the Rev. Canon Beth Benson, priest-in-charge of St. Mary and St. Martha, Toronto, spoke about reframing conversations around finances to focus on God’s mission.

An amalgamation of four churches that had been struggling to survive financially, the parish has recently launched Growing Healthy Stewards, a program developed in the Diocese of Toronto. “The idea that we’re unpacking now is that it is God’s abundance that is at work in this new amalgamation. All that we have, all that we are, is about the gifts that are freely given, particularly his Son given for us,” she said. “It’s a whole new conversation. You can imagine how radical it is when you’ve only known scarcity.”

Canon Benson also said that using a narrative budget is helping her congregation to consider how its resources are contributing to God’s work in the world. “It’s been repositioned as stewards of God’s money, for God’s purposes in this part of the city of Toronto,” she said. “It’s not a line item – here’s the furnace bill – because the furnace bill is for the purpose of mission.”

Archbishop Colin Johnson was the preacher at a Eucharist held during the conference, and the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen, chair of the planning team, thanked him for his support over the years. “We owe a tremendous amount to Colin and his support of all things to do with disciple-making and evangelism,” she said. “We’re very thankful for his ministry as he moves towards retirement.”

The post What’s really going on here? appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Bishop Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church (United States) and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, appeared in short videos to thank Archbishop Colin Johnson for his ministry and to wish him well as he prepares to retire at the end of the year.

Bishop Curry, who shared the gospel with millions of people on TV when he preached at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last May, said it has been a privilege to work with Archbishop Johnson over the years and to learn from him.

“You’ve been an inspiration,” he said. “You’ve been a voice for those who often do not have a voice. You’ve been a voice of reconciliation, bringing together people of different persuasions and perspectives, bringing us together as a people of God. You have been, and you are, a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, and it is a privilege and a blessing to bring you these congratulations and to assure you of these prayers of thanksgiving from your brother just south of the border in The Episcopal Church.”

Archbishop Makgoba, who is the archbishop of Cape Town, said Archbishop Johnson has served the Diocese of Toronto and the wider Church with distinction, “bringing your administrative vocation and your pastoral heart together. God bless you, and I thank God for our friendship.”

Their comments drew cheers and applause from the 535 people at the sold-out event, held each year to raise funds to help clergy and their families in need and to provide scholarships for theological students.

Billed as a farewell gala for Archbishop Johnson, the evening included storytelling and speeches from some of Archbishop Johnson’s oldest friends and colleagues. Bishop Philip Poole, a retired suffragan bishop of the diocese and a long-time friend of the archbishop, was the Master of Ceremonies and provided many humourous anecdotes. Archbishop Johnson and his wife Ellen were joined by their family and friends, including many active and retired bishops.

The centrepiece of the evening was a conversation between Archbishop Johnson and Judy Maddren, the former host of World Report on CBC Radio News who now records personal audio memoirs for Soundportraits. In a wide-ranging discussion, Archbishop Johnson talked about his upbringing in Mount Forrest, Ont., his involvement in the local United Church as a youth, his journey from the United Church to the Anglican Church, his call to ordained ministry, Ellen’s influence on his life, his love of cooking and music, his mentors, being a grandparent, and his ministry as Bishop of Toronto.

When asked to name one thing he was looking forward to upon his retirement, Archbishop Johnson named two: sleeping in and taking ballroom dancing lessons with Ellen, whom he described as “the love of my life.” The couple have been married for 42 years and have three grown children and two grandchildren.

In his remarks, Bishop Poole described Archbishop Johnson as a skilled liturgist who loves to worship God, a teacher of the faith, a mentor to both clergy and laity, and a workshop leader in the areas of prayer, conflict management and evangelism. “In all of this, Colin has sought to teach the faith in an intelligent, articulate way following the Anglican tradition that people are not called to hang up their brain with their hat when they come to church,” he said.

He described Archbishop Johnson as a reconciler and spoke about his work in starting the Consultation of Anglican Bishops in Dialogue, which brings together North American and African bishops for conversation. “Without a doubt, those discussions have helped increase the understanding of the similarities and differences that the bishops face,” he said. “It has helped to improve the level of trust in the Anglican Communion.”

He said Archbishop Johnson is a “lover of God’s people” and has been a strong advocate in the areas of affordable and accessible housing, child poverty and HIV/AIDS. “Colin cares for the poor and the disenfranchised and is not shy about speaking truth to power. He cares for the weak, the lost and the lonely, and recognizes and respects the dignity of each life. He has lived out our Lord’s command to us in Matthew 25.”

The evening included a land acknowledgement by Bishop Riscylla Shaw and a talk by Michael Cassabon on The John Strachan Trust, which funds the office of the bishop. Bishop Poole thanked the evening’s presenting sponsor, AGF, and its chairman, Blake Goldring, ODT.

At the end of the evening, Archbishop Johnson thanked those in attendance. “I’ve been entirely honoured this evening,” he said. “It’s been my privilege to serve in the Diocese of Toronto for all of my ministry and to serve (as the Bishop of Toronto) since 2004. We stand on the shoulders of many people. This hasn’t been created recently. This body is over 2,000 years old. There is no other organization in the Western world that has done that.”

In an interview afterwards, he said he was surprised, delighted and humbled by the tributes extended to me at the dinner. “Bishop Phil was a wonderful MC and I was honoured by the remarks of a friend and colleague for over 40 years. Judy Maddren is such a warm and thoughtful interviewer that you trust yourself to be led by her. It was almost as if we were having a private conversation that 500 people eavesdropped on!

“Retiring from ministry in a diocese that I have served for over 40 years, and almost 27 years in senior diocesan office, is made so much easier knowing that it is in faithful, competent hands,” he said. “We could not be better served under the strong leadership of Bishop Andrew Asbil, a wonderful and gifted College of Bishops, and the generosity of so many talented and committed staff and laity. It is Christ’s Church and I have every confidence that it is in good hands.”

The post Archbishop Johnson honoured appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.