Our delegation, diverse in age and geography, included three PWRDF staff members (Zaida Bastos, Suzanne Rumsey, and Jennifer Brown); Maureen Lawrence and Bishop David Irving from the PWRDF board of directors; Chris Pharo and Geoff Strong, volunteer PWRDF representatives for the dioceses of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and British Columbia, respectively; PWRDF Youth Council members Asha Kerr-Wilson and Leah Marshall; André Forget from the Anglican Journal, videographer Jordan Leibel, and myself.

Long journey

Getting there was a long journey. From Toronto, we flew overnight to Amsterdam, then to Dar es Salaam, arriving late Friday evening. Early the next morning we flew to Mtwara, on the southern part of the coast, where we were met by the Rev. Linus Buriani, assistant development officer for the Diocese of Masasi, Joyce Liundi, the diocese’s Mothers’ Union secretary, and two Land Rovers with drivers to take us on the three-hour journey inland to Masasi. Zaida assured us the drive had been two to three times as long before the highway had been paved! When we finally arrived at Masasi’s cathedral, we were greeted by hundreds of people of all ages singing, dancing, ululating and shouting “Karibu!” (Welcome!). Over lunch at the Diocesan Centre, Bishop James Almasi told us that the welcoming crowd included Muslims and Christians of other denominations as well as Anglicans, because all members of the community benefit from the projects supported by PWRDF. He thanked Canadian Anglicans for their tangible expression of God’s love that is transforming lives in Tanzania.

The next day, Sunday, began with worship in the cathedral. Bishop Irving preached, his words translated into Swahili by Bishop Almasi, and together the two bishops confirmed more than 80 young people. With so many confirmations and musical offerings from five local choirs, the whole service was about four hours long, but the energy and joy expressed by the 700-strong congregation was palpable.  In the afternoon, we visited projects supported by the local Mothers’ Union and met with youth from the diocese.

Visiting projects

From Monday through Wednesday, with our guides the Rev. Geoffrey Monjesa, the development officer for the diocese, and his assistant Linus, we visited PWRDF-supported projects in and around Masasi and the neighbouring district of Nachingwea. These ranged from medical clinics supporting maternal, newborn and child health to livestock and seed programs to an agriculture-veterinarian centre and a borehole well. In each village, we received a warm welcome and a report on the project. On Thursday, we had a roundtable discussion with project staff and beneficiaries.

Like the Preventive Health and Food Security project, All Mothers and Children Count takes a holistic approach that understands food security and clean water to be the foundation of health. Thus, in addition to funding clinics and community health workers, the AMCC project provides wells for clean water and seed and livestock to improve the food and income security of beneficiaries. The Diocese of Masasi works to build relationships with district, ward and village leaders to gain support for the project. The members of the communities involved may not be Anglicans or even Christians – several villages were predominantly Muslim – but building trust and openness has paid off.

The needs are identified by the communities themselves, and individual villagers are trained to carry the message forward as community health workers and “Trainers of Trainers.” This leads to greater community ownership of and engagement in the development work. Those who receive seeds and livestock give the first offspring or a portion of their first crop to the next round of villagers in need, paying the gift forward. Trained professionals, including nutritionists, nurses and midwives, livestock officers, and monitoring and evaluation officers, provide support and accountability. It was especially exciting to see women taking the lead in many of these roles. Because the projects are short-term, they aim to make community involvement self-sustaining, and to transfer responsibility for ongoing inputs (the salaries of medical staff, drugs and supplies for clinics) to the Tanzanian government. This approach has made the Diocese of Masasi a trusted development partner of PWRDF for more than 20 years.

Bodes well

In five years, the Preventive Health and Food Security project met and surpassed its goals, boding well for the success of All Mothers and Children Count, which is applying the same principles in a further 72 villages. Births attended by trained medical staff have doubled, while infant mortality and stunting of children under five have plummeted.

As impressive as these statistics are, what stays with me are the stories of the people we met. Nurse Magdalena Mwidadi no longer must walk 11 km to her work at Mtandi clinic because staff housing on-site allows her to be on call for labouring mothers. Joyce Mtauka of Ruponda village used seeds and agricultural techniques to improve her farm, and is now supporting extended family members with her increased crop production. Hassan Mkitage and his wife Nouru Salamu have used the milk from their dairy cow and the income from her calves to improve their home and farm and send their daughter Halima to secondary school, opportunities they could barely imagine five years ago.

On our last day in Tanzania, we met with staff at the Canadian High Commission in Dar es Salaam. The challenges of poverty in rural Tanzania, exacerbated by climate change and limited access to health care and education, especially for women, are very real. But in the people we met in Masasi, we saw how transformation can take root, and success build on success.

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A group of 40 parishioners at All Saints, Whitby, led by the Rev. Canon Stephen Vail, signed up for the course as a Lenten study this year, ending two weeks after Easter. Each Wednesday evening, a simple supper of soup and bread was offered before the course started, providing fellowship and an opportunity to forge new friendships. A repeat session was run by a lay person, Joanne Warman, on Thursday mornings for those unable to come on Wednesdays.

Starting with the basic tenet that God wants us to know him and pass along the invitation to others, the modules take participants through the story of Israel and the structure of the Old Testament. This provides a vital context to the arrival of Jesus, and who he is. The journey continues with the birth and development of the early church and the New Testament. Key doctrines and the split that resulted from the Reformation come next. The final two modules deal with growing in one’s faith through spiritual disciplines and, lastly, how every Christian can grow as a disciple, or an “apprentice”, of Jesus. Each module is made up of information narratives, interactive exercises, small group discussion questions and fill-in-the-blank quizzes. Ms. Warman commented that Christian Foundations was a good refresher course. “It reminded me of the fact that God desires a relationship with his children,” she said.

The group’s overall satisfaction was expressed in the feedback received after the final session: “Great course, great workbook;” “I learned a lot that I didn’t know that helped other information make sense;” “I would recommend that everyone should do this course;” “I especially liked the way the course gave an overview of the history of the church.”

There is no doubt that Christian Foundations was a worthwhile venture. It is a very thorough study of how Christianity was born and where it is going. At the same time, the clear layout of the book makes it easy to follow. The last word comes from one person who had never attended a Christian course before: “At first, I felt I was going to be in the middle of a lake without paddles, but to my surprise a number of us felt that way. I am glad we earned our paddles!”

For more information about running Christian Foundations in your parish, visit www.wycliffecollege.ca/christianfoundations.

By Jacky Bramma, a member of All Saints, Whitby.

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The songs selected for the concert appealed to a general audience, while at the same time generating a warm and elegant atmosphere. The first group to perform was Millennium Chinese Music Workshop, led by Bill Ko. This performance offered a unique opportunity to see and hear traditional Chinese musical instruments in action. The group played popular Chinese songs from the 1970s and ’80s that matched the concert’s theme, and many audience members could really relate to them.

To begin the vocal portion of the concert, conductor Michael Wong and the Treasure in the Jar Choir performed three songs. The group brought the Gospel to the audience through the choir members’ voices and touching introductions. The Rev. Canon Dennis Dolloff and Lori-Anne Dolloff also sang three songs, including “You and Me” performed in Mandarin and English. It was the theme song of the opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. To fit the concert theme, the lyrics “meeting in Beijing” were changed to “meeting at St. E.” The audience was delighted by this small modification.

Members of St. Elizabeth’s music ministry sang secular and religious songs. Our rendition of “We are One in the Spirit” began with solos from our youngest choir members accompanied by the piano, with a little Chinese flare. The choir then sang St. Elizabeth’s very own anniversary song, to which audience members clapped and followed along. To close the night, we had a singalong of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with the reading of a Bible verse during the interlude to bring out our theme: “I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35). The concert ended on a high note as we finished this singalong.

St. Elizabeth thanks all performers and volunteers who made this concert possible. The event not only helped audience members feel connected, it showcased the love, unity and dedication of St. Elizabeth’s. After a little break, the church will start preparing the music for its 25th anniversary worship and banquet on Oct. 15. For more information, visit www.stechurch.com.

By Joanne Loo, the music director at St. Elizabeth, Mississauga

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The church invited Rabbi Audrey Pollack from nearby Solel Synagogue and Arliene Botnick, its director of education, to join the booth and present a seminar on raising a spiritual child. Nine hundred people accepted a bedtime prayer for children, many of whom engaged in conversations about churchgoing, prayer, faith and forgiveness.

One woman commented on how intimidating it can be to start going to church and asked, “Can I just walk in?” A grandmother asked for advice about her daughter, who doesn’t want to have her child baptized. A new mother asked about raising a child in both Christian and Jewish families. A single mother, describing herself as wounded and angry, said she is searching for a church to give her child something to hold onto. A mother asked when she should start teaching her two-year-old son to pray. One woman looked at the prayer card, smiled, and said, “I still have the one you gave me a year and a half ago on my fridge. My child is almost two now, and we look at it every day.”

The church’s volunteers encouraged people from across the GTA to check out their local Anglican churches and to take the time to teach their children about God. “I never thought I would say this, but I have seen enough babies for a week,” said Canon Reid. “It was a long but wonderful weekend, and we look forward to doing it again next year.”

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Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees and reported unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies. Perhaps you’ve seen the commercial on TV or online for Honey Nut Cheerios’ “Bring Back the Bees” campaign. Honey Nut Cheerios and Veseys Seeds have partnered to give away wildflower seeds to Canadians. To date, they have given away over 400 million seeds.

Larry Moore, a parishioner at Church of the Evangelists, New Tecumseth in Tottenham, contacted the church’s Sunday School team with a suggestion: why don’t the Sunday School children take on this initiative as a spring project? The Sunday School contacted the “Bring Back the Bees” campaign for free wildflower seeds and promotional material. But they also saw a greater need to share this awareness and decided to take it one step further.

On Sunday, May 28, the Sunday School team hosted a “Bring Back the Bees” service. The children gave a special presentation during the service, followed by the planting of wildflower seeds in the church’s backyard. Afterwards, the children participated in crafts and activities related to bees. They also served refreshments after the service made with local honey, and everyone went home with a special gift of wildflowers to plant at home.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.bringbackthebees.ca.

Submitted by Monique Chirrey, a Sunday School teacher at Church of the Evangelists, New Tecumseth.

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From June 23 to July 3, the Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street, together with St. George’s on the Hill in Etobicoke, hosted an exchange group from the Yukon. The participants were members of the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation and are connected with St. Mary and St. Mark Anglican Church in Mayo, Yukon Territory. For many, it was their first visit to a major urban centre.

The Church of the Redeemer became connected with St. Mary and St. Mark last summer during a youth service-and-learning trip. While there, we began to talk about what might be possible in terms of structuring an exchange trip. More importantly, we talked about how we might foster relationships between urban and rural Canadians, and how we might help young Torontonians and Indigenous youth forge relationships. We wondered how the building of relationships and travel to one another’s home towns might further the cause of reconciliation.

We secured funding through a Heritage Canada program called Experiences Canada, which sponsors youth exchanges for participants between the ages of 12 and 17 years of age. Our twin group in the Yukon was also able to secure funding from the Anglican Healing Fund; this covered the travel costs of a Nacho Nyak Dun Elder, the Rev. Mary Battaja. She accompanied the young people on all our excursions here and reflected on the experiences with the youth. Most importantly, she provided a traditional lens through which to interpret the experiences.

For 10 days, the Redeemer and St. George’s youth groups got to play tour guide. We saw the usual Toronto sights: the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, the zoo, the ROM, and so forth. We made a day trip to Niagara Falls. We attended a Pow Wow and went behind the scenes at the ROM to view artifacts from the Yukon. And we participated in some service-and-learning experiences, namely a day spent with the staff at Redeemer’s drop-in program to learn about homelessness and social isolation in the downtown core. As well, the group worshipped in each parish on Sunday morning.

I think it is fair to say that the highlight of the trip for many participants was shopping at the Eaton Centre. At first glance, that may seem trivial, but it spoke to a great truth. When I asked some of the participants which purchases they were most happy with, I was a little surprised by the answers. “I’m happy about my shoes, which I got to try on before buying. Usually, we order online, and it’s hard to know if something will fit right. And it’s really expensive to ship items back to return them.” Another said, “I got to go to Sephora and find the right colours for my skin tone. Now I know what to order.”  Their greatest delight was in making choices that you and I might take for granted.

Making choices was an overarching theme of the exchange experience – the source of greatest joy and the most persistent frustration. What’s it like to make choices? What’s it like when you feel forced to follow the group’s itinerary? What’s it like when the meal offered isn’t what you’d choose for yourself? What’s it like to go along with someone else’s choice instead of your own? And more significantly, how does choice relate to socialization? To the pressure to conform? To self-determination?

For 10 days, we were group leaders, overnight chaperones and tour guides. It was a taxing week. But it came with great joys: to see our own city through someone else’s eyes; to look with joy and wonder at the everyday marvels we tend to skip over; to build relationships; to work through competing expectations; to see young people engage as equals in relationship, despite their regional differences and varied cultures; to see that all those things which might divide us can be overcome when friendships are made and when new experiences are shared.

A special thank-you to the people of the Redeemer and St. George’s who supported this trip and donated funds. And thank-you to my fellow leaders: Alexandra McIntosh, James Noronha, and Valerie Maier.

The Rev. Megan Jull is the associate priest of the Church of the Redeemer, Toronto.

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Mr. Coren was the keynote speaker at the event, held each year to raise funds to help clergy and their families in need and to provide scholarships for theological students. An often-controversial figure in the Canadian media landscape, once known for his conservative Roman Catholic views, Mr. Coren started quietly attending Anglican services several years ago. He was formally received into the Anglican Communion at St. James Cathedral in April 2015.

“It was very difficult to somehow build a new identity. And I didn’t want to build a new identity; I just wanted to move very gradually and slowly into a new way of being in relationship with Christ Jesus,” he told about 450 people in attendance. “I didn’t feel particularly different. I still had a sacramental theology. But it all seemed to become very clear and rather beautiful, and I felt my faith deepen.”

Mr. Coren shared the story of his lifelong faith journey in a deeply personal and often funny reflection, including several moving stories about his own life, relationships and understanding of Christianity. “I believe that no one will get close to what Jesus wanted, but that we can all, and we all must, try to do so. And for me, I can do that miserably but at my best as an Anglican,” he said.

Of the Anglican Church, he added, “It’s not flawed because of it’s diversity; it’s strengthened because of its diversity. And it’s not broken by its debate; it’s increased by its debate. For all these reasons and so many others, that is why I am, and am so happy to be, an Anglican.”

At the beginning of the evening, the Rev. Chris Harper, the diocese’s Indigenous Native Priest, acknowledged the Indigenous territory on which the guests were gathered. Holy Trinity, Trinity Square, which had hosted the pre-dinner reception for many years, was thanked for its hospitality and honoured with a video celebrating its recent efforts to welcome refugees to Canada. The Rev. Megan Jull, associate priest at Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street, shared the story of how the Bishop’s Company provided financial support to help meet the educational needs of her son.

Just before dinner, Archbishop Colin Johnson paid tribute to Archbishop Terence Finlay, the 10th bishop of Toronto, who died in March after a brief illness. To honour his memory, Archbishop Johnson then presented a special gift of $10,000 from the Bishop’s Company to the Mission to Seafarers Southern Ontario for its new station in the Port of Oshawa. The station was named after Archbishop Finlay, who served as episcopal visitor to the Mission to Seafarers in Canada after he retired.

For the first time in its 56-year history, the dinner was sponsored by a parish of the diocese. In thanksgiving for the service and election of Bishop Kevin Robertson, its former incumbent, Christ Church, Deer Park was the presenting sponsor, with 50 of its members in attendance.

As in previous years, scholarship recipients were announced at the dinner. Orvin Lao and the Rev. Michael Shapcott received the Terence and Alice Jean Finlay Bursary, which is given to two students, one each from Trinity and Wycliffe colleges, engaged in studies that celebrate and enhance the understanding of the diversity of the church. Jennifer King Feheley was awarded the Kirubai Scholarship, given to a Trinity College divinity student who is specializing in liturgy and worship. Matt Groot and Shelley Pollard received the William Kay Bursary, which aids students who are engaged in theological education that will lead to ordination. The Rev. Theadore Hunt and The Rev. Jeffrey Metcalfe received the George & Eileen Carey Bursary, awarded to Anglicans pursuing post-graduate theological studies.

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• characterized by a noble and kindly attitude;
• giving or sharing in abundance and without hesitation;
• being more than enough without being excessive.

The concept of generosity has many meanings. Often we equate it with giving money to charity or other civic groups. But being generous is more than that.  It also includes:

• showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected;
• showing kindness toward others;
• liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish; free from meanness or smallness of mind or character.

It’s a big idea, and one the church has a lot to say about. In fact, Jesus speaks to the theme of generosity more than anything else in scripture. Just think of the parables – or teaching stories – that quickly come to mind:

• the poor widow who gives her last two copper coins;
• the good Samaritan who stops to assist a man overcome by thieves;
• the rich man who seeks eternal life but cannot give up his possessions when asked for by Jesus;
• the feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fishes.

There are countless others.

These are not just meant to be comforting words. They are weaved through the readings each Sunday to reinforce our understanding that giving is a good thing; that extravagant generosity is something worth aspiring toward.

The concept of being generous of spirit is an attitude that one can adopt, and it can become a way in which one engages with the world. Being generous of spirit does not depend upon how one is treated; it can be adopted irrespective of the response or circumstance. And it can be simple – a smile to a passerby on the street, comforting words when someone is grief-stricken or providing freshly baked banana bread for the family that just moved in next door.

On more than one occasion, I can recall how good I felt when the person in the que in front of me at the Tim Hortons drive-through paid for my coffee. That sort of generosity becomes contagious, as small acts of kindness have a profound impact on our overall disposition.

People who are generous of spirit are genuinely happy for others’ good fortune, irrespective of their own circumstances. They tend to look for and assume the best in people and treat all people with the same degree of respect and acceptance. They go beyond mere tolerance; they tend to be more considerate and can include greater differences in their own beliefs or values.

A generous spirit looks to the good in all things. He or she does their best, expects the best and thinks the best of others. There is no room for idle meddling in another’s affairs or looking down on people of low regard.

Surprisingly, it tends to be those of low regard, low income, limited means and education that we can learn the most from about being generous. The poor widow had such profound faith in God that she gave all she owned. In her poverty, she gave everything she had. In this story we exalt the small, the meek, the defenseless – those who are ignored and overlooked. Her story is even more powerful in that she was a woman in a society that provided little for widows and those without an inheritance.

Society – even the church – is comprised of some who never give. Yet this is totally at odds with the message of Christ. Matthew 6:3 says “when you give.” Notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say “if you give.” It says, “when you give.” Giving is assumed; it is not a maybe.

The act of giving to the Lord from our bounty has a transformative effect. Even under Roman occupation, the Jewish people gave. It was part of who they were. It can be a part of who we are.

Jean Vanier – the founder of L ’Arche, an international network of homes for people with severe disabilities – says it’s a privilege to give, and giving honours our relationship with God and is a symbol of the generosity of life that Jesus led. To be asked to give is a sacred invitation, an opportunity to participate in something bigger than ourselves – to participate in a dream.

Our churches do the same thing when they invite your offering. Giving is an opportunity to participate in the dream of your parish and to be part of its influence on the people who worship there and touch those in our community. Your giving makes mission possible.

So, how generous of spirit are you?

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I wasn’t going to my own church or to another Anglican church, where I pretty much know what to expect and what to wear. I was going up the street to C3 Church, which holds its services at the local high school.

Because I live next door in the rectory, I had only heard from my parishioners on their way to church about the prominent signs (“C3 TORONTO Sundays 9:30 & 11:30) that pop up outside Central Tech every week. C3 (which stands for Christian City Church) is part of a global Pentecostal movement that began in Australia in 1980 and has been creating a buzz in Toronto since opening here in 2012. “Why are millennials flocking to Toronto’s C3 Church?” the Toronto Star asks. “I’ve never seen so many young people in a church before,” someone wrote in Toronto Life. And so, being on sabbatical and finding myself home on a Sunday morning, I decided it was time to check it out, butterflies and all. What was I getting myself in for? Was I wearing the right thing? Was I even cool enough to show up?

After confidently telling my wife I didn’t think there would be an offering so I wasn’t bringing any cash, I headed up the street. With all the signs, there was no way I had to do the Anglican thing of guessing which door would be unlocked. While still on the sidewalk, a host met me. Admitting to her that it was my first time, she pointed the way up the steps and let me know that an usher would help me find a seat. On the way into the auditorium, I grabbed a coffee (being assured that, despite the “no food or drinks” sign, it was okay) and noticed two “INFO & GIVING” booths. Maybe I should have stuffed that $10 bill in my pocket.

The count-down clock on the screen didn’t leave any doubt about when the service would begin and, sure enough, right on the dot of 11:30, the lights went down, people stood, and the band began their set. Just like my own church, there was a kind of “liturgy” about it. Most people seemed to know what to do and expect, and there was “smoke and lights” (although, at C3, this means a fog machine and strobes). At first, I stayed sitting in my aisle seat until, having to keep standing up to let latecomers past me, I gave in and stood up. And yes, by the fourth song of the opening set of catchy tunes, I did join in. “When in Rome,” as they say.

By this time, the auditorium was jammed and we were invited to hug the person next to us. Before I could figure out what to do, the woman to my left gave me a huge smile and a warm hug. And then it was time to talk about money. No Anglican reticence here. Each row got its own large, deep bucket to pass (no shallow plates to be seen) and we were reminded that we could use the credit card machines at the back or pull out our phones and give on-the-spot through PayPal. The assistant pastor laid it on the line: if we withheld any of ourselves from the Lord, we would limp.

And then the main event: the sermon, where Pastor Sam Picken assured us that, like Noah, if we build our ark in faith and in obedience to God, we will never sink. Mixing self-deprecating humour and fiery rhetoric with lots of talk about relationships (with God, with one another, with the city and the world), he assured us that God has put everything into our life to succeed – at a great marriage, at getting that promotion, and fixing whatever messes we are in. “God rewards those who earnestly seek him” was the message, and he pointed out that this was good news for C3 as it prepares for a church plant this fall in Toronto’s east end. The congregation was with him with their applause and um-hum’s, although things got a bit more tepid among the almost exclusively millennial crowd when he urged them to forego sex before marriage

And then, after almost an hour and 40 minutes (long even by Anglican standards), it was over. But if we wanted to know more, we were invited to follow the big “What’s Next” sign over the door next to the stage, where a home-cooked lunch and conversation with the C3 team was on offer.

Why are millennials flocking to C3? I don’t pretend to have the full answer. But I do know that they are being invited, that they know exactly where to go, and that they are being welcomed into a relationship with God and a clear vision of what that relationship entails, including hard personal and financial sacrifices. The music wasn’t “my” music but it was really good. The welcome was well-organized and genuine and the coffee was great. I didn’t mind so much being hugged by a stranger, and if I had decided to find out “what’s next,” I knew which door to go through.

And yes, those butterflies. As soon as the host on the sidewalk said “welcome” and showed me the way, they were gone. Next time I’d wear the same thing. And bring my wallet.

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Deacon Frank Tyrell has been doing ministry in the Lindsay jail for years. Kind-hearted and plain-spoken, with a great sense of humour, he had been building up the church by doing very active volunteer ministry all over the diocese. He began with a tentative step in the concrete corridors of corrections when his bishop asked him to do outreach in this under-serviced institution. In spite of his initial trepidation, a whole new world opened to Deacon Frank, a world of people who are facing uncertainty, awaiting trial dates, deportation, citizenship hearings, and some who are serving out sentences.

One day at the end of May, I went to visit him. We were scheduled to lead two services, but these things are always in flux in the jail environment, where surprise searches and outbreaks of sickness are common. As it happened, the first service was to a single female in her jail-issued forest green tracksuit. We read the Bible together, prayed and spent time in community – Deacon Frank, Duty-Chaplain Heather, the inmate and me. The second service was more popular – it seemed that this was a good opportunity to get out of the usual routine. Eleven men in their orange jumpsuits shuffled into the chapel and found their seats. Frank welcomed them and introduced me. It was such a privilege to accompany Frank in this way, to share with the prisoners that they are not forgotten by the church and by those on the outside. As we left, driving out of the parking lot, I was poignantly aware of my freedom. I am deeply grateful to those, like Frank, who bring hope as they minister in the prison system.

On a hot day in July, Deacon Christian Harvey was on the move in Peterborough. He is a young, dynamic father of two, a community-builder and preacher, who has a heart for people and a passion for drumming. One might not think that there are many people living on the streets in this small city, but there are. Increasingly, housing is precarious and jobs are hard to find. Deacon Christian, who grew up in Peterborough, has dedicated himself to ministering to those on the margins of this community. He and his team have walked the streets in good weather and bad, delivering countless lunches and fresh water to drink. With Christian’s vision and leadership, St. John the Evangelist church and several community agencies of Peterborough have developed the Warming Room Community Ministries and One Roof Community Center, providing safe space for overnight shelters and community drop-in centers.

On this particular day, I join Christian as he heads to “A Hole In The Fence” for lunch. This is not a fancy cafe but indeed a hole in the fence, down by the railway track, where there is a constant group of hungry, transient people who all know Christian by name. He brings a word of friendship and lends his cellphone to a young woman who calls her Dad. We hand out lunches and prepare to move along. As we were leaving, I was surprised by an older man with a long grey beard and a gruff voice, who said firmly to me, “The peace of the Lord be always with you.” As any good Anglican would respond, I muttered, “And also with you?”

These are just two snapshots of wonderful ministries being undertaken in the name of Jesus, who calls us to serve. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25. 37-40, reminds us to see the face of our Lord in the faces of those we serve:

“‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

There are so many ways to serve. How are you called?

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