“At 7-Eleven” they said.

The staff were shocked and troubled by the answer. The popular convenience store chain is known for its Slurpees and prepared foods. “For the three dollars you pay for a burrito, you could make three meals if you have a stove,” says Garry Glowacki, The Bridge’s executive director.

After some brainstorming with a local community kitchen, they came up with the idea of a cookbook specifically for those living in poverty, to help them make their dollars go farther. Mr. Glowacki enlisted the support of Regeneration, an agency that serves the homeless in Peel Region, then received a $3,500 grant from the York-Credit Valley episcopal area.

The result is Living Well on Less, a cooking and life-skills booklet that is full of simple and affordable recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and sweets. There are tips on how to shop for less, buying nutritious food and using coupons. It includes photos and comments from those who are struggling to get by.

“We’re not going to cure poverty, but I’m hoping it will help people have more disposable income so they can do other things like buy their kids sneakers,” he says.

He hopes the booklet will change the perception of those living in poverty. “We’re hoping to show the general public that poverty and homelessness is a human issue – not just statistics.”

He also hopes the booklet will show those in need that other people care. “We wanted to give them something of importance,” he says. “I wanted people who will receive it to feel they’re getting a good gift. I wanted them to read it and say, ‘Hey, we can do things.’”

About 2,000 copies of the free booklet will be printed and distributed to foodbanks, community kitchens and other outreach ministries in Peel Region. For more information about Living Well on Less, contact Mr. Glowacki at garryg@golden.net

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For Jews and Christians in the last hundred years or so, biblical archaeology in the Holy Land and other biblical lands has played a major part in shedding light on our understanding of the Bible. (In my previous life, visiting and learning at such sites was very much part of the pilgrimage or study tours that I would organize for groups, but I never had the opportunity to dig.) The dig site itself is on the eastern slope of Mount Zion, near Zion Gate, on the south side of the city. It is just outside the current walls of Jerusalem, rebuilt by Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the 14th and 15^th centuries. In the time of Jesus, the site was in the very heart of Jerusalem.

Excavations began in 1997 and closed temporarily, resuming in 2007 under the purview of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte. The program is directed by well-known biblical archaeological scholars Dr. Shimon Gibson, professor of archaeology at UNC and a senior fellow at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Dr. James Tabor, professor of ancient Judaism and early Christianity at UNC, and Prof. Rafi Lewis of Haifa University in Israel. Our group of around 50 came from all over the world. We stayed at a quaint pilgrim’s hotel in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, near the New Gate – one of eight gates of the city. Our week of digging lasted Sunday through Thursday, from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We had Fridays and Saturdays off, so there was plenty of time to explore Jerusalem or take day trips to other places.

Our day began at 5 a.m., arriving downstairs in the lounge of the hotel for a cup of instant coffee and a piece of cake (sometimes chocolate). Armed with a trowel, kneeling pads, a hat, gloves, sunglasses and lots of water, we left the hotel at around 5:15 a.m. To get to the site, we had to walk to Zion Gate, over some slippery cobblestones, then descend a concrete stairway of some 70 steps. We would make our way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem that, by that time, were coming alive with two-way traffic and the odd rabbi on his way to prayer, whizzing by on his bike, robes flying in the breeze. I often made the 15-minute walk on my own – for me a coveted time of prayer.

On arrival at the site, we made a human chain to convey all our picks, hoes, buckets and gufas (wicker baskets) from their storage place across a busy street to the site. The early-morning scenery from the site was spectacular: looking north and east, one could see the sun rising over the Mount of Olives, and, just adjacent to the site, the lights of the City of David. Dr. Gibson would give us a daily briefing of what the goals of the day were and, with his famous words “let’s get cracking”, off we went to our assigned locations to begin digging.

For the first three hours, we slugged it out – picking, hoeing, sweeping and uncovering ancient treasures and special finds. They were identified by the archaeologists on hand, then documented and sent off to be washed and catalogued. Breakfast was an interesting feature of the day. At around 9 a.m., volunteers were needed to climb up the 70 steps to pick up our breakfast, which a truck from the hotel delivered as close as it could get to the site. The well-deserved meal was an elaborate spread of cakes, jams, jellies, halva (a sesame seed and honey treat), breads with hummus, babba ganoush, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs and a tuna salad with black olives (which I loved) and more. There were cold juices as well as lots of hot black tea and Arabic coffee to wash it all down. We gathered under the breakfast tent and sat on massive dusty stones to eat our meal. (No doubt, we also consumed some of the dust that was everywhere!)

The site being excavated is an elaborate mansion that was in the heart of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago – the time of Jesus. It is located near the excavated home of Caiaphas, the high priest involved in the trial of Jesus that led to his crucifixion (John 18:13-28). It is believed that the wealthy, priestly ruling class of Jerusalem lived in this neighbourhood. “Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas, who had six sons who were high priests. He (Annas) ran the show for about 60 years, putting his sons in one after the other, and his son-in-law Caiaphas, along the way. So perhaps these are the homes of that extended priestly dynasty,” Dr. Tabor said. The mansion had its own cistern, a mikveh (a Jewish ritual bathing pool), a barrel-vaulted ceiling and a chamber with three bread ovens. A bathtub carved out of the bedrock with its ceiling intact was found – an extremely rare luxury that commoners of the time could not afford. “It’s clear from the finds that the people living here were wealthy, aristocrats or even priests,” said Dr. Gibson.

One of the highlights of the day was the popsicle break. It came at around 11:30 a.m. Some local boys who did small chores around the dig distributed popsicles of various flavours. I have never looked so forward to seeing a popsicle! By this time, the sun was right overhead and streaming through the holes, here and there, in the worn tarp over us. One was hot and covered with Crusader and first-century dust from head to toe! And, did I tell you that there happened to be a heat wave in Jerusalem at the time? By the time our day ended at 1:30 p.m. and we formed another human chain to return all our tools to the shed (across the busy street, with each passing car blaring its horn), the temperature was hovering near 40C. For me, the only dreaded part of my day was climbing up those 70 concrete steps, walking over those slippery cobblestones, through Zion Gate, then making my way through the crowded streets of Jerusalem – mostly uphill – back to the hotel, in the heat and covered in ancient dust!

Seriously, though, it was a very small price to pay for the invaluable learning experience and awesome blessing of digging on Mount Zion of the time of Jesus.

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The church advanced its commitment on Sept. 16 by chartering a bus to take parishioners and other local residents to a pow wow at the Curve Lake First Nation community near Peterborough. The trip developed after a group from St. Saviour’s met with a leader from the Curve Lake band council.

Churchwarden Bill Tomlinson, who helped organize trip, sees outreach efforts such as reconciliation with First Nations as essential. “We have to reach out to the community,” he says. “The days are over when people went to church, came home and you had done your duty. The church has a unique ability to deal with social issues, better than any other group.”

As an example of community outreach, the busload to Curve Lake included Syrian refugees that local parishes helped to sponsor. There were also members of two other parishes, United Church members and non-Anglican residents from Orono.

At Curve Lake, “we were treated to song and dance, stories and regalia,” says the Rev. Augusto Nunez, incumbent of St. Saviour’s. “All of us were very happy to have experienced such an event.”

Highlights of the day included a refugee family being welcomed to Canada by a native chief, and a prize given to a 12-year-old member of the delegation who joined in the dancing. Indigenous and political leaders told the gathering of the importance of learning from each other, noting the pow wow’s theme of “Honouring Our Treaties.”

Mr. Nunez says, “It’s about getting out there and being active for the Lord. It’s about building relationships, getting to know the people at Curve Lake.  We want to be of assistance and convey to them that you’re not alone.”

Adds Mr. Tomlinson, “We look at First Nations as educating us, and we in turn being supportive of them. There are some real issues that First Nations people would like to resolve.”

A major challenge, he says, is that some local residents seem hostile to First Nations people, a feeling he thinks can be softened when residents return from a pow wow and can speak about it to others as being a positive experience.

Connections with the band will continue after the pow wow, says Mr. Nunez.  A town hall meeting in Orono is planned for the winter, following consultations with Curve Lake band members. The parish is also considering how it might support other, more remote First Nations communities.

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Local and acclaimed artists in word and music came together on the evening of Sept. 28 to celebrate the community’s people and service to others. The event was hosted by St. Aidan’s and held at the nearby Balmy Beach Club.

“St Aidan’s has been rooted in the Beach for many years, and the evening was a great celebration of community – the community of faith connecting with the community of the Beach. Together, we’re working to make a difference,” says the Rev. Lucy Reid, incumbent.

Award-winning filmmaker Mike Downie shared the story of Chanie Wenjak, a 12-year-old Ojibwe boy who died while fleeing a residential school in 1966. Mr. Downie’s work encourages people to walk the path of reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada. Crime novelist Peter Robinson, known for his Inspector Banks mystery series, along with authors Catherine Dunphy and Lisa de Nikolits, provided inspiration and laughter during the evening.

St. Aidan’s ministries were showcased, and there were musical performances by St. Aidan’s Regrets band and opera singer parishioners Michael Barrett and Marcelle Boisjoli.

St. Aidan’s service to the Beach has been as constant as the canoes and swimmers. “The parish serves community lunches, hosts Out of the Cold, offers programming for young families and supports St. Stephen in-the-Fields’ Sunday breakfasts,” says Deacon Michael Van Dusen.

The church’s programs include partnering to support a refugee family from Syria, educating about truth and reconciliation with First Nations peoples, and leading youth service and learning trips to Nicaragua.

Lori Ann Comeau is a member of St. Aidan’s.

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Held at St. John the Baptist, Dixie in Mississauga on Sept. 19, the event included passionate discussions, insightful comments, stirring remarks by Bishop Andison, and lots of opportunities for people to get to know each other.

“It’s my first time at something like this and I really enjoyed meeting everyone from the different churches,” said Grace Karram Stephenson, a member of St. Martin in-the-Fields, Toronto. “I’m a young parent trying to figure out how to raise my kids and how to get to church on Sunday, so to meet people with different priorities is really helpful.”

Her comments were echoed by others. “I thought it was a great forum for networking between clergy and laypeople,” said the Rev. Julie Meaken, incumbent of Holy Family, Heart Lake, in Brampton. “It was a really good opportunity to hear other people’s thoughts and ideas about who we are as Church in York-Credit Valley and what we’re being called to in terms of ministry. I felt it was very open and honest, and I really appreciated Bishop Jenny telling us how she would use what was shared to pray for this area and how she was open to listening to our concerns and our hopes.”

Participants were seated at tables with people from other parishes. Over the course of the evening, they were asked to answer four questions: Where do you most clearly see God’s transformative action today in the world and your neighbourhood? What place or situation in our world or neighbourhoods do you think needs to be transformed by God’s love and mercy? What is the most exciting thing about doing ministry in York-Credit Valley? What are the two aspects of ministry in York-Credit Valley that require increased attention and resources?

Participants shared their answers with each other and with other table groups. Some groups were asked to report back to the entire gathering. There was a lot of common ground. Areas of interest included children’s and youth ministry, Christian formation and discipleship, sharing the gospel in word and action, and providing financial support for churches with good ideas for ministry.

Bishop Andison said she will read every answer and pray about them. She said she was energized by the responses. “There’s a lot of hope. I didn’t hear resistance to change. I didn’t hear doom and gloom. I heard a clear-eyed realism about where we’re at and some of the changes we need to make.

“People are not apathetic,” she added. “They love their churches, they love God, they love their neighbourhood, and they’re trying to figure out how to connect all those up. They want to see a vision and be involved in it. They want to build a culture of trust and collaboration.”

Halfway through the evening, Bishop Andison shared some of her observations about York-Credit Valley, where she has been the area bishop for the past nine months. Among her observations are that many parishes are well connected to their neighbourhoods and are asking what God is calling them to do. She said many churches are open to thoughtful, discerning change for the sake of the gospel. She spoke about the generational shift taking place and the need to raise up the next generation of lay leaders. She spoke about her passion for catechesis and “the making of saints.”

In her closing remarks, she provided hope and encouragement for her area. “I believe that God gives us everything we need to do God’s work at this time and in this place. I believe we have everything we need to follow where God is leading in York-Credit Valley. We will need to realign some of our resources, we will need to refocus a number of our priorities, and we will need to let go of some things that are no longer building the kingdom. We may not always like or be able to anticipate where God is leading, but I can promise you that it will be good. It will be good because our gracious God either gives what we ask for in prayer, or our gracious God will give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything that God knows. So it will be good. Our trust and hope for the future is not in ourselves, it’s not in me or area council or Synod – it’s in the character of our God, who is gracious and loving, and will only give us what we would have prayed for if we had the mind of Christ.”

A report on the meeting will be made available to participants from Bishop Andison’s office in the coming weeks. Another town hall is planned for January to discuss next steps.

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The fund, which has provided grants to 300 projects and programs for Indigenous people across Canada, is seeking to raise $1 million through an appeal called Giving with Grace (formerly the Anglican Appeal).

“I think it’s wonderful,” says Esther Wesley, program coordinator of the healing fund, speaking of the diocese’s gift.

She says a focus of the fund in the coming years will be to teach traditional languages to young people. “Many kids have lost their identity because their parents were institutionalized in the residential schools. One of the best things we can do for them is to teach or try to recapture the language. The number of communities that have already picked up on this is amazing.”

The gift comes from the diocese’s Ministry Allocation Fund, 10 per cent of which is tithed to projects or ministries outside the diocesan budget. Previous grants have included $100,000 to the Diocese of Athabasca to help youth in Fort McMurray, $500,000 for refugee sponsorship matching grants, and $100,000 for a Habitat for Humanity build in Scarborough.

The Anglican Church of Canada established the healing fund for Indigenous people more than 25 years ago, long before the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement was reached. The fund supports local, community-led healing projects. As a response to the on-going legacy of the residential school system, grants are made to encourage and initiate programs that help heal, educate and recover language and culture. Some 45 projects have been funded in the Diocese of Toronto.

In 2003, the Diocese of Toronto and its parishioners contributed about 20 per cent or $5 million to the Anglican commitment of the residential schools settlement. Most of that came from the Ministry Allocation Fund, which receives the proceeds of the sales of church properties. A portion was returned to the diocese a couple of years ago as a result of an amended agreement with the government and churches. The diocese chose to establish the Robert Falby Fund for Indigenous Ministry. (Canon Robert Falby was one of the chief negotiators of the settlement.) It is held in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation and is being used to fund a portion of the diocese’s Indigenous ministry.

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John Westerhoff’s Will Our Children Have Faith, written in the 1970s and updated in 2012, continues to ask provocative questions, as well as providing some tentative answers. He has firm theological and educational credentials, and has served in a variety of denominational ministries.

We often forget that in our Church’s long history, Sunday School is a relatively new thing, growing out of a need to provide basic literacy. As public education developed, the Church co-opted the model and soon we, too, had teachers, curricula, age-graded classes, dedicated classroom materials and supplies – and ultimately, paid professionals. We have rarely questioned this model. It’s not always a winner for the small parish or even a larger one with only six children. It has produced a fair amount of nostalgia, depression, guilt and sometimes burnt-out volunteers.

Mr. Westerhoff’s book takes us back to the basics. Any form of education is influenced by history, society, culture and denomination. There is a difference between schooling – primarily concerned with learning-about and how-to – and education, which involves not just knowledge but also attitudes, values, behaviors and sensibilities.

The parish Sunday School competes with the family, regular school, other recreational and learning programs, self-learning through books and an endless flow of media – not to mention peers. The parish church is no longer the neighborhood community centre. Schools abandoned daily prayers a long time ago. New social structures include divorced, living-together and blended families, in addition to single parents and interfaith parents – all who likely work outside the home. There is much less interchange among generations. Housing and geographic location of families change frequently. If television once competed with Evensong, we now have competition from an almost infinite offering of technology and entertainment.

To respond to these changes, Mr. Westerhoff suggests moving from schooling to a faith community model. A congregation has a rich memory of its past, the role of authority, changing ways of life and recognition of diversity and multiple gifts. It can be a place to know people and be known, where three generations meet regularly – the older with memories of the past, the middle immersed in the present, the youngest already dreaming of the future. Any true community of faith looks outward and is interested in more than its own survival, asking what God is up to and how it might get involved.

Such a community is rooted in worship rituals; helping people of all ages make sense of them is the primary task of religious education. Rituals help us develop a sense of continuity; they also address life crises when they happen. We need to understand their role in our culture here and now. We aren’t here to escape our problems, but to create a world of shalom where head and heart unite. We learn by telling and hearing our common stories, making things and taking action.

Community life means we can eliminate labels like teacher and pupil and do things like taking hikes, making things, having parties and playing games. The faith journey is both sequential and serendipitous, starting with an experience of being nurtured and affiliating with our denomination. Then as adolescents, we need to explore, experiment and question. Later we integrate the learnings of heart and mind and come to own our faith. We are all on a common journey where faith is a gift that can’t be taught – but in a community of faith, it might be caught.

In times of public worship, we might think of our congregation as a family. Some other good times are hanging out, going places and learning together. Congregational life is really about life – births, deaths, celebrations, seasons, eating and drinking, growing up and growing old. Mr. Westerhoff’s book provides much food for thought.

Norah Bolton is a member of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto.

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Archbishop Temple’s statement can also remind us that the Church is called to exist for the benefit of those who are not “yet” its members. Individual parishes are invited to be continually asking themselves which of their practices will contribute most effectively towards drawing others into the love of God, and to discern what other practices might be better modified or discarded. Archbishop Temple’s observation suggests a framework for making decisions about where to spend our time and resources – a framework that prioritizes those currently outside our churches or those who are just starting to explore what Christian faith and community might look like for them.

Just as the nurturing of an outward focus is an ongoing priority for parishes, many individual Christians innately understand the importance of sharing the good news of God in Christ with those who have not yet heard it, or who have only experienced it in limited ways. In many cases, the easiest and most natural sphere for this is our own immediate families and dearest friends. Some of us might remember benefiting, as children, from hearing God’s stories in the Bible read to us, praying with our parents or helping to plan or participate in acts of service to others, and are now imagining how to translate those memories into our own present contexts.

I have found, during my years of ministry, that one of the most important questions that individual Christians can ask is how to create an environment in which they can encounter Jesus Christ, not just on their own, but together with their children, partners and friends. For example, what are the best ways to create a home environment, or friend network, where we and those closest to us can engage with scripture, ask questions, explore, and pray together while trying to grow into committed followers of Jesus Christ? How can we create opportunities to live out our faith, with acts of service and compassion?

Christians have for generations looked for ways to pass along their faith, heeding the words of Deuteronomy 6:5-7: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words that I give you today. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re at home or away, when you lie down or get up.” The shaping of others in the Christian faith is called discipleship, catechesis or – my personal favorite – the making of saints. Given that the Christian church is always one generation away from extinction, it is essential that our homes and parishes be effective disciple-making communities – places where the claims of Jesus Christ can be intelligently examined, tested and lived out.

Discipleship is a gradual process, neither linear nor predictable, and lasting over the course of a lifetime. People at all stages of their spiritual journeys need safe and non-judgmental communities where they can hear the Gospel and find other disciples who are willing to walk alongside them as they explore and grow. Forming someone in the faith of Christ can take many guises, some of which include one-to-one mentoring, learning through service in social justice ministries, small-group Bible studies, and structured programs such as Christian Foundations, Alpha, Road to Emmaus, the Pilgrim series and others.

Our beloved Anglican Church has enormous potential to be the kind of body that creates and supports such communities, where intentional discipleship for all ages is made a top priority. I am sure that many of us are aware of creative and winsome ways that people in our diocese are already being shaped and transformed into disciples of Jesus Christ, but we have room for many more. C.S. Lewis wrote that “if the Church is not making disciples, then all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible, are a waste of time.” As Anglicans, I believe we can both reach into our rich past, and learn from other traditions, as we reclaim the making of saints as being central to our life together and the continued, and exciting, revitalization of our Church.

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From the earliest expressions of an Anglican way of living out the Christian faith, there has been diversity. That diversity has historically taken many forms, from tension, conflict and violence, to coexistence, indifference, and eventual synthesis. Whatever the witness of the past, however, the Diocese of Toronto is committed to reflecting our own diversity in a way that avoids the conflictual examples with which we are, alas, too familiar.

We believe that there have been positive forms of difference that have allowed the Church to flourish in many places and with many people, not only within Anglicanism, but elsewhere. It is this aspect of our heritage that we have valued in this diocese, and as bishops of this diocese, it is a value we wish to affirm strongly and preserve faithfully. Unlike in some periods and places of Anglicanism, here at least our unity does not imply uniformity in all things.

My pastoral decision as Archbishop to make provision to permit the marriage of same-sex couples in prescribed conditions is set within a broader process of discernment within the Anglican Communion and the whole Church. This is complex, multi-faceted and unsettling. All churches are dealing with these matters, some more publicly as we are, some internally, but it is a discussion that is global. The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, with whom we share the historic episcopate, although we are not in communion with each other, and most of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion, remain unchanged in their teaching of the historic Christian understanding of marriage as a sacramental covenant between one woman and one man. Some other churches, including Lutheran churches and Old Catholic churches with whom we share full communion and a number of Provinces of the Anglican Communion, have adopted changes to include couples of the same sex. There are also divergent views about how people and institutions can and should respond in a period of change when the parameters of those changes have not been fully agreed. The history of Anglicanism as well as of the wider Church has shown that matters of the faith, including those governing sexual morals, are not straightforwardly, consistently or unanimously divided into important and not-so-important. It will undoubtedly take a very long time to come to consensus and may not do so.

In the Diocese of Toronto, we have formally and informally discussed issues of sexuality for nearly 50 years. When our General Synod in 2007 received the St. Michael Report, it adopted a resolution that same-sex commitments have significant doctrinal implications but not at the level of core doctrine, that is, something needing to be held by all as a matter of salvation. A second motion was passed affirming that this is not a communion-breaking issue. Obviously, this last motion expresses a hope, not a prescription, since matters of conscience cannot be legislated or coerced. I take the St. Michael Report to open the possibility of a newly expanded understanding of marriage but, as a corollary, I believe it implicitly affirms the continuing Christian authenticity and legitimacy of those who hold a traditional understanding of marriage and the faithfulness of the theology and practice that support it.

In fact, the norm for the Church continues to be the marriage of couples of opposite sex. The Anglican Church of Canada is currently in a discernment process to include the marriage of same-sex couples. Until that decision has been finalized, and as an interim pastoral response, as Bishop of Toronto with canonical authority and responsibility for the pastoral care and oversight of this diocese, I have permitted a small number of priests, licensed to the cure of souls in a community, to preside in their parish at the marriage of a same-sex couple in certain limited circumstances. Both priest and congregation must concur that this ministry will be offered. No one will be obligated to act against their conscience. Neither parishes nor individual clergy will be required to celebrate marriages contrary to their convictions.

Not all welcome this new development: some because it goes too far, some because it is not enough.

We recognize there are theological and cultural differences across our diocese and within parishes which are strained by both the limits and permission represented in blessing same-sex relationships and more specifically marriage.

I wish to reiterate – and this is unanimously affirmed by the area bishops – that there is and will be a continued and honoured place in all aspects of diocesan life for those who do not agree to the provisional arrangements for same-sex marriages. Theirs is an authentic, sustainable conviction that bears significant and historic weight. It remains a coherent theological and biblical position within our Anglican tradition.

As bishops we endorse unequivocally the principle that the Diocese of Toronto must honour and safeguard the diversity represented in its parishes and clergy, including those holding to an historic understanding of Christian marriage, so as to maintain the highest degree of communion possible, and together participate in the mission to make the crucified and risen Christ known in the world. We are personally committed to continue the face-to-face conversations that will foster this. This diversity will continue to be reflected in the selection, ordination and appointment of clergy, and in the lay and clerical membership of committees and councils of the diocese. It will also include the honoring of clergy conscience in the celebration and blessing of marriage.

We have seen that there is diversity within parishes that are generally opposed to same-sex commitments, just as there is in parishes that are generally in favour. There is a rich breadth of life in our parishes, with parishioners who are theologically astute, prayerful and deeply committed Christians legitimately holding differing convictions. We are in very different places and have been formed in very diverse contexts, theologically, spiritually, scripturally, experientially. The diversity of our diocesan community is a precious gift, challenging as it might be. It is vital to maintain this as it enriches, not diminishes, our common witness to the faith in a variety of ways. Though such witness is rooted in differing interpretations and understanding of Holy Scripture and the tradition, these are now within the contemporary spectrum of Anglicanism. They need to be engaged if we are to learn and grow together in fuller maturity in Christ.

All of us need to extend to each the most generous Christian charity that Jesus our Redeemer calls us to exercise as we, together, seek to discern and live out God’s will. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case, and we cannot condone such lack of charity. The Gospel and our baptismal covenant call us to love one another with the love of Christ and treat each other with dignity, respect and forbearance. We need to be tender with one another, recognizing each other as a beloved child of God redeemed by our Saviour Jesus Christ, each one bearing the image of God, each one the desire of God’s heart and will.

Written on the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, Sept. 29, 2017.

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“I’ve always had a deep love for nature. I’d been in parish ministry for about 20 years at that point, and I realized I hadn’t been doing much to take care of the earth,” she says. She’d also heard about colony collapse disorder, in which worker bees disappear from a hive. “I’d always wanted to farm, and I thought, that’s something I could learn and actually feel like I was doing something.”

She says new conversations and relationships with her neighbours have been an unexpected benefit of her pastime. “When I tell people I’m a priest, they often don’t know what to say, but everyone has something to say to a beekeeper. They’re curious,” she says. “It’s a farming neighbourhood here, so it’s a really good connection for people.”

When people stop at her Happy Honey stand at the end of her driveway, conversations often turn to religion. “We joke that people come for honey and stay for Jesus,” she says. “It’s put me in touch with a lot more people than I ever would have met.”

Ms. Ashworth has quickly become an enthusiastic advocate for bees and for humans’ role in caring for them. “They tell us about the direction we’ve been driving the world in. I like that people take an interest in them, because it’s showing us what we need to do to get back on track,” she says. While no single cause has been identified, experts believe pesticides, climate change and loss of habitat all contribute to colony collapse.

She says beekeeping can be quite physically demanding. “In the springtime, you go in and you see how they overwintered, if they need to be split,” she says. “When they procreate, they swarm. What we try to do as a beekeeper is prevent the swarming and give them enough space so they can pull in honey and get ready for the winter.” In the summer, she also has to protect the hives against bears, racoons and skunks, all of which like to eat bees.

But amidst the hard work of beekeeping, Ms. Ashworth says she’s seen a benefit to her spiritual health. “Everything about bees is for healing and for good,” she says. “What I love about it is how reflective they are, how good they are for people to be around. As soon as you come to the apiary and you get comfortable, your blood pressure comes down, your heart rate slows down.”

She also finds that beekeeping fits well with her role as a priest providing pastoral care. “There’s an old thing called telling the bees. Because they’re such a communal creature, you had to tell the bees what was going on in your life, whether there was a birth or a death, and if you didn’t tell the bees they would leave,” she says. “They do draw that out; being around them makes you want to be gentler and in greater harmony with nature, with yourself, with your family and the people you care for.”

While Ms. Ashworth jokes that she’s promised to limit references to beekeeping in her sermons, she says she find the queen bee a particularly suitable image. “She only spends a couple of days out in the sunlight, and then everything else she does looks like sunlight. She makes honey that looks like sunlight, she makes wax that looks like sunlight, the wax creates a flame that looks like sunlight,” she says. “It’s a great preaching point, that we have these encounters with God and we spend the rest of our lives trying to point to it, saying, ‘It’s like this.’”

As she keeps sharing her experiences in her town and beyond, Ms. Ashworth says she hopes she can encourage people to support beekeeping and even think about becoming beekeepers themselves. “If people want to learn, I’m happy to teach them. There are seasons when it takes some time, but it’s very manageable,” she says. “It’s not lucrative, but it’s a good thing to do. It’s worth my time, it’s worth my effort for sure.”

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