Mohawk elder Danny Beaton offered the traditional Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, bringing the crowd together as one mind. He gave thanks for the beauty and harmony of all beings, and especially for those who “fight for justice for Mother Earth and for their relations, for how can we call ourselves human beings if we do not?”

Bishop Andrew Asbil expressed support and gratitude for the work of the Rev. Canon Maggie Helwig and her parish in developing a relationship with the community and especially with the encampment residents. “People come where they feel safe and secure, where they will be accepted and find sanctuary and peace. It reminds us, at this time of the year especially, of Mary and Joseph who came to Bethlehem and found no room, and of the innkeeper who provided what little they had – a space in a stable – where love and Christ could be born. It is no surprise that in this front yard, a community has come to pitch their tents where they can find support and help.”

Since the spring, a small encampment of unhoused people has sprung up outside the front doors and around the sides of St. Stephen in-the -Fields. As the City of Toronto has moved to clear unhoused people from encampments in city parks, some have come to find refuge and welcome outside St. Stephen’s, where they are able to avail themselves of the church’s outreach programs and the supports of The Neighbourhood Group next door. While the presence of the encampment has posed a physical and logistical challenge, and has drawn opposition from some neighbours, Canon Helwig and her parishioners have steadfastly supported their unhoused neighbours, recognizing that all too often they have nowhere else to go. The city’s shelter system is stretched beyond the breaking point: in October, an average of 180 callers in search of shelter were turned away every day. Even the emergency department at St. Michael’s Hospital only manages to secure shelter for 5 per cent of the unhoused patients it discharges.

On Nov. 24, the St. Stephen’s encampment was served with a Notice of Violation by the City of Toronto, with the named violations being “obstructing street” and “dwelling in street.”  (Though the encampment is located between the sidewalks and the walls of the church, a city right-of-way runs across the church ground inches from the west façade of the building.) The encampment residents were given until Dec. 8 to vacate the encampment, with little likelihood of being able to find shelter anywhere else.

When he heard about the Notice of Violation, sculptor Timothy Schmalz, whose statue of “Panhandler Jesus” has been a familiar sight outside St. Stephen in-the-Fields for the past nine years, reached out to Canon Helwig with the idea of installing a cage around the statue to protest the criminalization of homelessness. Canon Helwig issued a press release, inviting Bishop Asbil to be present for the unveiling of the caged statue. Media interest in the story, amplified by an article by Canon Helwig in the December issue of The Anglican, which was widely shared on social media, helped spur constructive conversations between Canon Helwig, staff of The Neighbourhood Group and city staff. Several of the encampment residents have been offered, and have accepted, indoor accommodation. While the Notice of Violation remains in place, there are no plans for immediate enforcement, and city staff in the Bylaw Enforcement and Encampment Office are helping to negotiate with their colleagues in the Transportation Department to come up with a solution that will respect the security of the remaining encampment residents until they too can access dignified indoor shelter. Canon Helwig announced this temporary reprieve to great applause from the assembled supporters.

Nonetheless, the threat of eviction still hangs over the encampment, and the lack of indoor shelter still poses a threat to the life and health of unhoused Torontonians. “We know we have a housing crisis in this city,” said Bishop Asbil, “and it takes all of us to have the conversations necessary to make a new way forward, to make space for all.”

Clergy and members of several faith communities were among those gathered in support of the encampment residents. An impromptu choir of some dozen members of Toronto United Mennonite Church sang two hymns: “Child of the Poor” and “Comfort, comfort, O my people.” Mary Jo Leddy, founder of Romero House, noted that “Anglicans are always in the front lines on these issues. It’s good to see.” Local MPP Jessica Bell was also in attendance, pledging to do whatever she can to support the parish and the residents of the encampment.

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We make hats, mitts, scarves and prayer shawls. The hats and mitts are distributed to eight local schools and agencies in our parish. This year we gave out 80 sets of hats and mitts. The prayer shawls are given to anyone in the parish who is ill or shut in. We also have shawls for baptisms and confirmations. Over the years we have given away more than 250 shawls, which have gone all over the world to Japan, the Yukon, the Caribbean, the United States and even to a soldier in Afghanistan. We gave a number of prayer shawls to a local long-term care home for Christmas presents.

We give out the scarves to the neighbourhood. In December we set up a stand at the end of our long driveway on Lawrence Avenue East and handed out 25 scarves, served hot cider and gingerbread cookies, and met many of the people who live nearby. Most were very thankful and said they would try to attend services. One gentleman, an immigrant from Bhutan, commented that he gets great inspiration as he walks by from our large lighted cross by our old chapel. Any scarves not handed out will be given to a Homes First shelter across the road.

We give thanks to God for God’s faithfulness at St. Margaret’s as God leads us through the pandemic and into God’s love for us.

Submitted by Susan Humphreys, the coordinator of the Caring Hands Ministry at St. Margaret in-the-Pines.

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The journals of Anne Langton reveal not only the history and establishment of St. James in Fenelon Falls, but also the culture of the first half of the 19th century. Ms. Langton could be compared to a modern-day social media blogger. Her journals and letters, along with those of her brother John and her own miniature paintings, help to describe the community of Fenelon Falls and the establishment of St. James in the early 1800s.

In addition to the journals, letters and artwork, the exhibit includes interviews with Fenelon Falls resident Barbara Dunn-Prosser, whose mother found the Anne Langton miniature sketches in the 1970s. Ms. Dunn-Prosser describes the legacy of Anne Langton and her importance to the culture of both Fenelon Falls and to St. James.

The exhibit also contains a soaring view of Fenelon Falls obtained by a drone camera, a ghostly walk up the stone stairs to a graveyard at the site of the original church and detailed close-up camera work of Anne Langton’s original miniature sketches and paintings.

In all, the exhibit comprises 22 videos and 98 images. Each image tells an additional story within the gallery. The exhibit is in English, French and described video, and all videos have closed captioning in both English and French.

Churches contribute significantly to the establishment and history of a community. St. James’ archives and artifacts, both religious and secular, have survived for over 185 years. Past congregational members left an invaluable collection of letters, historical research, marriage certificates and so much more that contributed to this project. When combined with historical data from other sources like a museum or personal family journals and letters, a community’s culture is revealed.

St. James is honoured to have received an original sketch of the “log church” completed by Anne Langton in 1840. The chalice and paten used in that first log church is still being used at services at St. James. St. James also has the original Sunday School cabinet, which was made from the butternut trees of the Langton farm. That cabinet has been restored and is still used today.

The parish’s archival committee formed partnerships with other community members in Fenelon Falls to complete the project, and its members are grateful to everyone who contributed to this project. The City of Kawartha Lakes archives granted its permission to use and photograph the miniature sketches of Anne Langton, while editor Barbara Williams gave permission for the use of the published journals.

Every church has a story, and every story reveals a community’s culture. It is important that as the Church moves forward, we continue to pay respect to our past.

Submitted by the archival committee of St. James, Fenelon Falls. The exhibit is available on the Digital Museums Canada website at tinyurl.com/annelangton.

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In 2022, more than 80 children in Minden shopped at the two-day sale held Dec. 2-3 at St. Paul’s, and about another 30 children did so at St. James, Kinmount.

At St. Paul’s, families are welcomed at the church hall and parents can sit comfortably by the fireplace while their offspring shop. The donated items are new or gently used and cost only $1. Volunteers not only help the children find the right gifts for their family members and friends, but also help the young folk wrap and tag their presents.

The Rev. Canon Joan Cavanaugh-Clark greets each child lined up at the door and chats a little about Jesus and Christmas. “Some families are surprised that church is not all gloom and doom,” she says. Some parents tell her that they will drop in on Sunday. “Of course, not many do, but it is an outreach into the community, and two new young families have joined recently.” Other shoppers belong to other churches.

The three-point parish of Minden, Kinmount and Maple Lake is located in the northeastern corner of the diocese, about two-and-a-half hours north of Toronto. Situated in the scenic Haliburton Highlands, the parish serves both summer cottagers and year-round residents.

The sales are advertised not only in church bulletins and on the parish website and Facebook but also in local stores and community newspapers. The event has proven popular with both the churched and unchurched. The sales have been held annually for about seven years; however, the pandemic’s lockdowns forced them to close for the past three.

In December, St. Paul’s sale alone brought in about $500. All the money raised goes back into the parish’s children’s programs to help pay for special trips, as well as the occasional pizza. The parish runs a Messy Church on weekday evenings once a month.

Canon Cavanaugh-Clark, who is well known for her boundless energy and enthusiasm for the gospel, has been serving the three-point parish for 11 years. She has taken courses in innovative missional outreach programs and with the Rev. Martha Waind, her deacon, has begun several outreach ministries besides the Children’s Christmas Gift Sale.

The parish runs a thrift shop called Bountiful Blessings located besides St. Paul’s, which is staffed by volunteers. “The parish does not give away money; we share from the abundance God provides. Other than operation costs, and Bishop McCallister School, all monies are shared to provide for needs in the local community,” says Canon Cavanaugh-Clark.

A few years ago, the profits were used to support Syrian refugees, and more recently school children at the Bishop McAllister School in Kyogyera, Uganda. Last year the thrift shop assisted in making a new girls’ residence at the school secure. (A few days before, the school had been attacked by robbers and three staff members murdered.) This year the thrift shop contributed to the school’s new library building.

This past fall, the parish opened a drop-in centre called The Gathering Place on the main street of Minden for anyone who’d like a coffee or hot chocolate and a quiet place to hang out. Students can use donated computers to help them with their homework. On the afternoon of Dec. 11, a gospel sing-song and worship service was held there.

On Dec. 18 and again on Christmas Eve, some of the children who came to the gift sale attended or performed in the Christmas pageant held annually at St. Paul’s – another popular event in the small but vibrant rural parish.

In 2016, St. Paul’s celebrated 150 years of continuous ministry in Minden. With its sister congregations, the three-point parish has celebrated more than 400 years combined of proclamation of the gospel in Minden and the surrounding area.

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The congregation moved its services into what is often called the Great Hall but really is a gymnasium. The discernment led to a decision to focus first on the reconstruction of the roof, ceiling and bell tower to bring the church structure to a point of safety. Only when the structure was safe could partners be found to share the spaces available for programs that would fulfil God’s call to mission and bring in future revenue.

A small group was set up to determine exactly how to do the reconstruction, and how to fund it, too. Another small group looked at a vision for the whole property once the repairs on the church were completed. Both pieces of work were compiled and enhanced in a plan for mission that the church adopted.

And then came the pandemic.

At exactly the time when it seemed essential to start a capital campaign, visits to parishioners (the tried-and-true model for such campaigns) were not possible. So, a bold choice was made to go ahead anyway and do the campaign virtually! Phone calls, Zoom meetings and packages dropped at doors by masked team members were the order of the day.

The feasibility study had indicated that parishioners might be able to raise $750,000 from within the parish and $100,000 in the community. Today, the parish pledges are close to $900,000 and the community campaign is at almost $240,000! The diocese has contributed a significant amount as well. Even though much more money is needed, it is important to explore how this impossible campaign happened.

St. Peter’s campaign team would recommend that any parish interested in a capital campaign under such awkward circumstances pay attention to these actions:

• Spend as much time as needed in discernment, even if some think it’s wasted time – it is invaluable. This makes the written “case” for donors much more persuasive.
• Hire a good fundraising firm to coach the parish team. We used M & M International led by Martha Asselin, and we are deeply grateful.
• Set up a small team to do the calls and train them well.
• Choose a fearless, articulate and hard-working leader for the team. And we got one: Henry Knight, worth his weight in gold.
• Develop the theme and prepare good-looking but not expensive materials. Our team wanted to reflect the fact that the campaign wasn’t just about the current roof and ceiling issues, but about growing faith and demonstrating that the future for St. Peter’s was to follow God’s call to live into God’s mission in the community. The team chose “Transforming: Space, Lives and Faith.”
• Map out the virtual visits, assign the team members, keep track of the number of visits and keep up the momentum. The fundraising professionals from M & M almost turned into cheerleaders for the callers so their energy would be kept alive and visits completed.
• Thank all donors quickly with a personalized card.

An important point: no parishioner was ever given a suggested amount they should consider. In fact, the callers were instructed to leave behind the pledge form, and one of the options indicated that the gift of prayers for the campaign was certainly a valued gift if money wasn’t possible.

At its heart, this work was successful because it re-connected and continues to connect with parishioners with whom we’d lost touch during the beginning of the pandemic, supporting our community members through a difficult time. A series of online conversations to talk about the plan for mission brought light and hope to what seemed like never-ending isolation, with more than 40 people participating and 80 gathering for the campaign kick-off on Zoom.

The community campaign took quite a different perspective, highlighting the historic value of the church building in the Cobourg streetscape. The theme was all about “Preserving,” and it struck a chord. The community campaign team was a winner. A former mayor, Peter Delanty, took the helm. A strong supporter of Cobourg’s architectural history, he spoke loudly and passionately about the place of St. Peter’s. As a person of faith, he also was able to speak of the contributions the parish was making to the town’s vulnerable population. Somehow it rang extra true because people knew he was a Roman Catholic, not a member of the St. Peter’s congregation.

So, the impossible campaign was more than successful and the reconstruction has not only begun, but is progressing. Even the huge winds of the winter storms have not caused major problems to the scaffolding and tarps, a sign to all that the church building is being restored to last yet another 100 years.

Financial success aside, we have built a strong community and invited new people into the mission of this historical building that houses so many important stories and memories of Cobourg. The first huge step is being taken towards a reimagined St. Peter’s campus and congregation, eager to continuing to serve God and neighbour in new and exciting ways.

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