Students from Grade 3 through high school are taken out on the land by elders for fishing and trapping. The school keeps a supply of winter clothing, and dresses students from head to toe for these occasions so all the students can participate. Ms. Manitowabi noted that mitts are needed for these outings.

Thanks to the generous outpouring of financial support from the congregations of All Saints, King City, St. Timothy, North Toronto, Grace Church, Markham and others, we were able to raise $10,366. With this, we were able to purchase for children, youth and adults 75 pairs of snow pants, 60 pairs of boots and 66 pairs of winter mitts at discount prices. Many merchants gave an additional discount when told of the reason for the purchase. Leah Springford, through her involvement with Newmarket Lions’ Coats for Kids, provided 72 new winter jackets. We completely filled the list of clothing that Ms. Manitowabi had sent to us.

In addition, a significant amount of donations of jackets, snow pants, boots, knitted hats and mitts and various other clothing items were received by All Saints, King City or directly by Dave Gordon. These items came from the Parish of Lloydtown, St. Aidan, Toronto, Church of the Resurrection, Toronto, St. George in St. Catharines, Hiawatha First Nation and Trinity Clothes Closet.

A total of 65 boxes of clothing were placed on six pallets and shrink-wrapped, then transported to the north. Thanks to the All Saints’ team of Leah and Michael Springford, Denise and John Whalley, Bill Fines, Ed Millar, Dave Gordon and Marilyn Cartmill, the students at Eenchokay Birchstick School in Pikangikum will be enjoying new winter clothing. For us, this is what church is all about.

Submitted by Marilyn Cartmill.

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This was the third year that Caledon East United Church and St. James, Caledon East shared services in January. The first Sunday was hosted by St. James, with the Rev. Ross Leckie of the United Church preaching. On the following Sunday, the service was hosted by the United Church with the Rev. Christopher Dow of St. James preaching.

The United Church was built on Old Church Road in 1880 as the Caledon East Methodist Church. St. James was built across the road from it in 1901. Over the years, the churches both experienced periods of growth as the village expanded. Mr. Leckie notes, “Caledon East’s population will grow at a fast rate in the next five years. The challenges and opportunities for ministry here will be many. I believe we can best tackle those challenges by working together.”

Mr. Dow began his ministry at St. James on Jan. 6, so this was be his first time preaching at the United Church. “I thank God for the powerful witness of the long-standing partnership between St. James and Caledon East United Church,” he says.

Although there are differences in worship services, both churches have a similar approach to scripture. For several years, the Anglican and United churches country-wide shared a hymn book and were actively working at unification. Although that direction has changed from an institutional perspective, the two Churches have a long history of working together. Last year in Caledon East, the churches co-hosted The Blanket Exercise, worked together on providing Messy Church at the United Church and enjoyed a combined Christmas carol concert. Each church is quick to invite the other to a special service or event; for example, St. James doesn’t have a woman’s group, but the ladies are invited to the monthly United Church Women’s Group. Mr. Leckie says that through these experiences “we have begun to care about one another’s lives – a true mark of community.”

Submitted by Diane Allengame.

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In her previous position at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Ms. Qian provided financial expertise that helped the airport focus on customer satisfaction, cost-efficiencies and continuous improvement.

“I want to act as a financial partner with the parishes, to help them look at their financial status and achieve long-term financial stability,” says Ms. Qian, who began at the diocese in November. “I also want to make sure the diocese manages its assets properly so that we can grow and thrive in the long term.”

Ms. Qian is also keen to help the diocese make full use of technological change and innovation. “As a Church, we have an opportunity to embrace change and make sure we’re well positioned to continue our mission.”

Ms. Qian oversees the diocese’s finances and investments. She is a member of the Parish Finance Advisory Committee, the Investment Committee and the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation.

She also heads the diocese’s six-person Finance department, which provides a number of financial services, including payroll and billing, accounting, charitable receipting, parish account balances and IT support for the Diocesan Centre.

Ms. Qian says she was attracted to the position because of its ability to help people and parishes. “I think it will enable me to have an impact on people’s lives. If I can support people to accomplish their goals, that gives me a great sense of satisfaction,” she says.

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At the start, one should explain what a deacon is. From the Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada, based on the ordination rite: “A deacon is a Christian person whose ordained ministry is within a servant community, living and proclaiming the Gospel in the world. The deacon’s presence, bringing the needs, concerns and hopes of the world to the Church, is a living reminder of the community’s call to servanthood. A deacon is to enable the Church to be justice-makers, truth-tellers, advocates and reconcilers in the world.” A deacon, then, is a servant minister, doing work in charity, social justice and pastoral care, but really doing that work as an example for others. Essentially, a deacon is to enable everyone to carry out their baptismal promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.”

The Community of Deacons is all 50 deacons from across the diocese. We support each other and share ideas and information to carry out our callings. Almost all the deacons have been raised up by their parishes and continue to serve in their communities.

I assist the Community members to make connections with each other and with others in the diocese. We meet with our area bishops at least once a year. We also have a retreat; this year, we will be meeting with Bishop Andrew. I assist parishes that have a calling to raise up a deacon, and mentor candidates through diocesan screening and formation. Three deacon candidates, God willing, will be ordained in their parishes this spring. Twelve parishes have potential candidates and are in discernment.

At General Synod 2016, a report was received containing draft competencies for deacons. I was part of the writing team and continue to be involved in publicizing, using and revising them.

The best part of my job is being involved in the ordination service of a deacon in a parish, where all are enthusiastic and excited. I also enjoy teaching a class for potential deacons in which they uncover their calling. Another highlight is my diaconal work on the front desk at Community Information Fairview. A difficult task is walking with a deacon in a parish where a newly arrived priest-in-charge does not appreciate, understand or support having a deacon.

I worked for the York Region District School Board for 36 years, as a classroom teacher and as staff in Curriculum and Instructional Services, supporting teachers to improve their assessment and evaluation practices. Way back in university, some of the best times were being the stage manager for big theatre productions, responsible for all the lighting and sound cues, set changes and actor entrances so that the plays came alive. In a sense, a deacon “sets the stage” so all can live out their callings to be servant ministers.

As a cradle Anglican, I’ve always had some involvement in the Church. Once an Anglican, always an Anglican, but I appreciate that there were opportunities for questions, growth, learning, serving and being. I’ve always been drawn to outreach and social justice. I am easily tempted to more doing than praying. I am blessed to have a patient spiritual director – who helps me recognize that the Trinity are all patient!

A profound experience for me was the diocese’s 150th anniversary service at Skydome. My family and I were in the 500-level and the view was oppressively big and grey. But then the music began, the cross came in and singers, dancers and worship leaders came in from all directions. The Spirit called – and keeps calling – me to the diaconate through my family, my parish family, and several mentors, including the late Tom McQuiston, who undertook the “raising up a deacon” process at our parish, and Mary, a colleague at work who encouraged me just when I was discouraged.

My favourite passage of scripture is Ephesians 2:10: “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” We do not choose to serve, to work for social justice or walk alongside our neighbours to earn points with God, or be thanked by others, but because that is what we are already.

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What made this gift stand out from all the others was the letter of thanks I received less than two weeks later. It was hand-written and substantial. What I didn’t read was a rehashing of worn-out phrases and platitudes. It was authentic, thoughtful and real. In addition to being thanked, I was told exactly how my gift would be used, why it was important, and how I could get more information if I wished. The note was simple and sincere, and it stands out as the best thank-you letter I have ever received.

The fact that someone took the time to pen a hand-written note for what is arguably an average donation is noteworthy. That it was sent so efficiently at the busiest time of the year is commendable. This tells me that the recipient takes the act of giving seriously and the act of thanking even more so; this charity values relationship, wants to be credible in the use of the money it receives, and treats each gift – however small – as important.

The act of saying thanks is an invitation to give more. That my gift warranted such personal treatment inclines me to take notice of this charity’s work, and to support it again and again.

As Church, there are little things we can do to impress on people that their contributions of time, talent and treasure are appreciated and make a difference. Think of all the opportunities that exist to say thanks but are overlooked: announcement time at church, the issuing of tax receipts, special events, website announcements, etc.

I want to suggest five things that parish leaders can start doing tomorrow that might seem small but will mean a lot to the people involved:

• Begin acknowledging during the service an individual or parish group that does important work each week. Identify them and thank them. Make this a weekly occurrence.
• Invite someone from the congregation to come forward and share their story – explaining why they worship here and why this place is important. Personal testimony is powerful and will be noticed by newcomers. Invite someone new every couple of weeks or so.
• Each month in the parish bulletin, thank anyone and everyone who did something special. People notice being identified in public.
• When your church sends out tax receipts, include a post-it note from the incumbent, with a message of thanks. The gift amount is irrelevant. Send a letter of thanks even to those who didn’t give of their treasure. Their time and talent are important and should honoured.
• Once a year, organize a team of volunteers to call every household on your parish list with the sole purpose of saying thanks. Thank them for their financial support, their volunteerism and their presence at church. Let them know that the church family thinks about them and prays for them.

Saying thanks is not only an act of courtesy, it is an act of genuine hospitality. In his book, The Spirituality of Fundraising, Henri Nouwen says that to be asked to give is a privilege. It is a declaration that “we have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you – your energy, your prayers and your money – in this work which God has called us.” If we believe that the act of giving is honourable, then we should invest equal energy in the act of saying thanks.

What if we gave saying thank-you the same amount of attention as we gave to asking? Could a thank-you be even more important than the ask? We all have so many things to be thankful for: the people in our lives; acts of kindness; opportunities to engage in new experiences; friendships; and the very experience of life itself. Maybe before we ask we should say thanks instead.

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Called by our Christian convictions, Anglicans throughout the Diocese of Toronto regularly engage in meeting needs in our communities through food and clothing banks, meal programs, Out of the Cold shelters, drop-in programs, and funding of more than a dozen non-profit ministry partners. At the same time, our faith calls us to speak out on behalf of, and in solidarity with, the most vulnerable among us.

Many Ontarians struggle daily to meet their most basic needs. More than 500,000 Ontarians relied on food banks in the last year. Housing is increasingly unaffordable, not only in the GTA but in places like Barrie, Peterborough, and Port Hope. A budget that is truly for the people must address this growing inequality.

Social Assistance: We agree that the current social assistance system isn’t working: it traps people in poverty. However, some of the government’s proposed changes will actually exacerbate the problem.  Social assistance rates do not even come close to covering basic needs for recipients, with the result that people live in degrading conditions or go without, at the cost of their health and dignity. We urge your government to make a significant investment in social assistance rates, so that recipients can meet their basic needs. We also urge the government to maintain the clawback income earned by social assistance recipients at 50 per cent. Increasing the exemption slightly while raising the clawback on earnings above that limit to 75 per cent, as proposed, would undermine the goal of returning people to the workforce by punishing those who work more. As well, we urge the government to maintain existing eligibility criteria for ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program). Moving to a stricter definition of disability will throw many people with conditions which preclude their full participation in the workforce onto the lower benefit rates of Ontario Works, making their health worse and leaving them even less able to participate in the economy, creating an even heavier burden on the healthcare system.

Minimum wages and working conditions: We also agree that a job ought to be a pathway out of poverty, but for this to be true, there must be decent wages and working conditions. Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would put more money in the pockets of low-income earners than a tax credit for people making less than $30,000 per year – money that will be spent in the local community and stimulate Ontario’s economy. We urge your government to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by September 2019.

We are also concerned about the loss of paid sick days. This forces people to decide between taking care of their health and losing a day’s pay. As a result, workers come to work sick or injured, spreading infection and resulting in higher healthcare costs and lower productivity. We urge you to restore the provision of two paid personal leave days under the Employment Standards Act.

Housing: Too many Ontarians are spending more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. With matching funding available under the National Housing Strategy (NHS), now is the time to invest in truly affordable housing in Ontario. We urge your government to match federal funding under the NHS for the 2019 fiscal year. Seventy-five per cent of this funding should be invested in non-profit, co-operative and supportive housing, to encourage long-term affordability. We also urge you to use additional incentives, including making surplus public land available below market value, exemption from development charges, and streamlining of the regulatory process, to encourage development by non-profit, cooperative and supportive housing providers.

While our recommendations involve some spending, they will put money back in the pockets of low- and moderate-income Ontarians, lower healthcare costs, and boost productivity. The people of Ontario are waiting for this kind of leadership.

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It is the steadfast work of a rich and rewarding life to engage with one another, to be open and willing to share oneself to deepen and develop the connections that, sort of like electricity, ignite light, life and love. It is interpersonal relationships that build community and nourish us in long-term and deeply satisfying spiritual health.

My daughter recently showed me a video of Marie Kondo, a brilliant tidy-up expert whose methods are simple and compelling. She invites people to sift and sort through their worldly possessions, collections and acquisitions – i.e., their stuff. Following this organizing of clothing, books and papers, kitchen, and finally collectibles and sentimental items, Marie encourages individuals to consider with their minds and with their hearts, “Does it spark joy?” If yes, keep it. If no, be grateful to the item for its place in your life, then liberate it to go to the giveaway pile, the re-use store, or the garbage it if it has no material value to anyone.

Now, truth be told, a lot of prickly issues open up as people begin to unpack their lives: rampant consumerism, unchecked spending habits, mental health issues including depression and compulsive behaviours, cultural norms and expectations, environmental waste and impact, individualism and greed. We must not do it on our own: we need help from each other and from professionals to deal with these matters. It is right to ask for help and accompaniment as we go down the path of healing and recovery. Marie Kondo has it right: it is good to take stock of our possessions, especially to make sure that our possessions do not possess us.

In the Ash Wednesday service, we give voice to the beautiful words from Psalm 51.1: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness” with the refrain, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Coming into right-relationship with our stuff, with our habits, with our loved ones, and with our souls, is a life-long endeavour. Be encouraged in your journey! For the season of Lent, we are invited to take on the process of tidying up some of our chaos – whether it be avoiding grease and sugar, as in the old traditions of food austerity, or, in this age, perhaps a fast from social media, electronic entertainment and relentless schedules. Maybe this Lent we can share our abundance.

Some purposes of Lenten practices are to reconcile or come closer to Jesus in our hearts; to walk more intentionally with our loving, radically-including God through our own practices of self-control and humility; to open our eyes to our own deep need and to the world around us in its need; to hearten and to uplift one another in our daily walk. Be gentle with yourself and love yourself. When you undertake a devotional practice to the glory of God this Lent, make sure that it is one that sparks joy

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We are en route now. Every Sunday morning, it is the keys to the car that I hold in my hand. The car points in a different direction week after week; sometimes to the north, sometimes to the east and sometimes to the west. With Mary by my side, we set out in anticipation of meeting you. We find our bearings in the suburb, the country or in the heart of city. And while the place may be new to us, there is something familiar. One of my mentors was Dr. George Black, who taught liturgics at Huron College. He was convenor of the Common Praise Hymn Book Task Force and one of the key leaders in developing the Book of Alternative Services. George used to say that liturgy is like visiting with old friends. The readings, the prayers, the hymns and mass settings take us home and bathe us in a narrative of God’s love. No matter where we go on a Sunday morning, we somehow feel at home among old friends.

Sometimes we meet in the most serendipitous ways. After the New Year’s levee at St. James Cathedral, Mary and I headed north to Bala for a couple of days of rest. We stopped at the Onroute Service Centre in King City for some refreshments. Once inside, we traipsed behind someone who looked familiar to me. “I think I know that guy,” I said to Mary. As we emerged into the dining area, there was a throng of people gathered at tables sipping coffee and tea. We looked at them and they looked at us. It took a moment to recognize each other. Hey, its St. George’s, Fairvalley! we called out. Hey, it’s the Bishop! they said. Arms went up, there were pats on the back and shaking of hands. A newly minted Order of the Diocese of Toronto medal hung around a neck or two. They were on their way home. We delighted in the surprise of seeing each other en route. We marked the moment by taking a group photo. The other travellers on the road must have wondered what on earth was happening.

We are en route now. With ashes smeared on our foreheads on Wednesday we turn our faces toward the promise of the resurrection on Sunday. From ashes to Easter, we travel together making the commitment for 40 days to steep ourselves in the ways of Lent. Old friends, fasting, almsgiving, self-examination, penitence and prayer help us to prepare and make our souls ready for the week that holds the key to life itself. With Jesus we go to celebrate the paschal feast.

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Ms. Kern, who is Metis through her mother’s side of the family, brings years of experience in the Indigenous community to the position, formerly known as the diocese’s Indigenous Native Priest. She succeeds the Rt. Rev. Chris Harper, who became the Bishop of Saskatoon last year.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege to be asked by the (Indigenous) community and the diocese to take this role on,” she says.

Ms. Kern will focus on working in and with Indigenous communities in Toronto and the GTA. Toronto has the largest and most diverse Indigenous community in Ontario, with between 45,000 and 70,000 people.

“The role is really about creating those spaces where Indigenous wisdom and knowledge and leadership can shine and be shared with the broader community,” she says. “As churches, if we’re invited into that work with people, we can really amplify those voices.”

Before leaving the cathedral on Feb. 17, she helped to plan the opening ceremony for Shades of Our Sisters, an exhibit about Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women. The exhibit is being held at the cathedral until March 1.

Organizing and participating in such events is one of her passions, she says, and is something she will continue to do in her new role. “Our society is increasingly secular, but people still have that need for ritual and doing things in community. As a Church, we pray – that’s our gift to the world. We can do that with other communities.”

Ms. Kern has already done some innovative work in the Indigenous community. With a grant from the Anglican Healing Fund, she started the Neechee Circle, a healing circle held every Thursday at Allan Gardens in downtown Toronto. The spiritual ceremony is led and attended by Indigenous people, some of whom live in and around the park. It is barrier-free, meaning that people do not have to be sober or free of drugs to participate.

Ms. Kern has also helped to organize an annual water festival in Toronto. The interfaith, public ceremony is led by an Indigenous elder on the shores of Lake Ontario every spring. The event includes prayers for the healing of the lake and its contributing streams and rivers, a prayer walk through the city and a barbecue at St. James Cathedral.

One of the things she plans to do in her new role is minister to Indigenous people in prisons, particularly at the Toronto South Detention Centre in Mississauga, which does not have an Indigenous chaplain. She says prisons are a continuation of the residential schools system, whereby Indigenous men and women are taken out of their communities and forced to assimilate through corrective behaviour.

“That’s something that’s not being talked about or reflected upon critically,” she says. “We can say we acknowledge that the residential school system was wrong, but we’re pretty far from acknowledging that the whole way that we do corrections is wrong.”

Social justice has been a major part of Ms. Kern’s life. While studying for an MDiv at Yale Divinity School, she worked as a chaplain at a soup kitchen run by Christ Church, New Haven, a city with one of the highest crime rates in the United States. For her clinical pastoral education, she was a chaplain at CAMH (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) in Toronto, where she ministered to men who were serving prison sentences for sexual assault.

She credits her parents for instilling in her a passion for helping others and working in and with the Indigenous community. The Rev. Stephen Kern, the incumbent of St. Philip on-the-Hill, Unionville, and Dr. Anne Kern were among a handful of people who were discussing the need for urban Indigenous ministry in the diocese back in the 1990s. “Those early conversations happened around my parents’ dining table when I was just a little kid,” she recalls.

After becoming ordained in 2016, Ms. Kern worked as an assistant curate at the cathedral and then became an associate priest there last year, in charge of adult Christian education. “It was a beautiful ministry and I’m going to miss it,” she says. But she’s looking forward to the next chapter of her life. “I’ll continue to seek out the consultation of elders where I should go.”

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