The post On display appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

O God, take our lips and speak through them. Take our minds and think through them. Take our hearts and fill them with love for you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Mary and I, in May, joined a little group of pilgrims from Church of the Redeemer, Bloor St. to walk the St. Cuthbert Way. It’s a pilgrimage that begins in Melrose, just in front of the abbey where Cuthbert began his ministry in the year 650, and the trail takes you through the borderlands of Scotland and England through Northumbria to the east coast to Lindisfarne. It’s about 100 kilometres. Every day we began as a little group in devotion. We offered reflections. We picked little names of one of the pilgrims out of a hat. We prayed for that person for the day. And we walked for the first hour in silence – hard for extroverts.

You hope, in fact, on the first day you might ease your way into that kind of pilgrimage, but not so. Straight up over the Eldon Hills. Straight up. It was once a lookout during the Roman occupation. It was a burial ground and a gathering place for ancient peoples. Unlike the Camino, it’s sparsely travelled. On that first day, Richard and Audrey, Mary and myself met up with two pilgrims in our first break. They were officers in the Salvation Army. They’d just finished a pastorate and were about to begin another. They were aptly named Paul and Paula. Later that day, as we were having lunch, the four of us, who would emerge on the trail but Paul and Paula, and we had another conversation. Then they went down the trail only to return a few minutes later, as though they had forgotten something. And Paul said to me, “Bishop, it’s Sunday morning. Would you pray for us?” As though we had done it thousands of times before, the six of us just formed a circle on the path, held hands, and I offered a prayer. And with the amen, we were off again. At the end of the trail, Mary and Paula were having a conversation, and Paula went back to that moment, and she said, “That moment of prayer was when the pilgrimage began for me.”

On a pilgrimage

We have been on a pilgrimage as a diocese. Chapter 21 of the Gospel of John has formed for us a spiritual context to describe where we have been and where we are going. The bewilderment and the fatigue of the disciples fishing all night long and catching nothing mirrors our own bewilderment and fatigue of going through COVID. We lost so many people. We grieved so deeply. We lived too long in isolation. But there were also moments of grace, and our little nets began to fill again when we turned online for worship. And we adapted, and we pivoted, and we wore PPE. And eventually we got onto shore, and we counted our blessings like counting fish in a net. And instead of running back as fast as we could to our old life, we took the time as the diocese to contemplate where God was, to crane our necks, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit pushing us, encouraging us to move.

That Cast the Net process allowed us the opportunity to see nets in a different way, to see that we were actually being reformed and reshaped and rewoven as a community of parishes and missions – not standalones, but in this work together. And the 20 Calls to action have been infused in everything that we are striving to do. They are like a compass in the hand, giving us a bearing in the way that the Holy Spirit is guiding us. Those 20 Calls infuse the work of the Synod Council. They infuse the work of those who minister from 135 Adelaide, and they call us together in the Synod. And later today, we will be invited into conversation on each one of those calls. Every parish in the diocese is encouraged to adopt one, two, three or four different calls that resonate with the ministry that belongs to you. No one parish can do 20. None of us are that good. But together we can. And that is the nature of Synod. It’s the nature of the word. Sun, together. Hodos, to travel. To travel together. To pilgrim together. And those 20 Calls infuse my charge today. I’d love to spend time speaking about every one, but I can’t.

The one symbol that’s emerging for us is that little picture of a fish. Some of you have a pin. At the centre of the fish is the cruciform, the cross, and in the centre of the cross is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And each axis is a direction for us to follow. Renewing our spiritual life, inspiring faith in action, reimagining ministry, transforming our diocesan culture.

Renewing our spiritual life

Spirituality. Calls #1 and #3 summon us as a diocese to prayer, to discipleship, to evangelism. And to respond to those calls, the Season of Spiritual Renewal committee, chaired by Jennifer Schick and Philip Der, and a project so ably coordinated by Judy Paulsen and Jacqui Hance. And the committee itself gathered to create 40 different workshops for clergy and laity to respond to those calls. An Advent series led by the bishops was attended each night by 200-300 people. This year we will run it again, and we invite Bishop Mauricio Andrade to offer one of those evenings to deepen the partnership we have with Brasilia.

For me, the heart of this season has been the five worship services, Lift Up Our Hearts. When we started planning them and saying, “Let’s meet on a Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.,” we thought at first that was a great idea. And then as we got closer to that first service, we wondered, was it really a good idea to gather at 2 p.m. on a Saturday? I have to tell you, for me, the moment of walking into an almost full cathedral with you singing with your hearts open is a moment that reduced me to tears and continues to. And the response in that moment was, for me, we are here, we are hungry for the Spirit of God to renew us.

Call to action #3 is to reinvigorate youth and children in family ministry. One of the first steps is that we have embedded in our budget the Youth Ministry Apprentice Program and the five positions of youth coordinators for the diocese.

Inspiring faith in action

For four years, an encampment of homeless and street-involved neighbours found refuge and sanctuary in front of St. Stephen in-the-Fields Church. Mother Maggie Helwig and the community served the needs of that community. More than that, they interfaced with city workers and officials, and they patiently worked with neighbours, those who were with and those who were against. Sadly, that encampment was cleared just a few weeks ago. And on the day of the clearing, I was present for a little while, and Mother Maggie was on one side of the fence and I was on the other. I said, “What can we do?” She simply said, “Bear witness. Be present. Speak truth. Look for Jesus in the moment.”

Right across this diocese, in small communities and large, we have watched an increased need for families using food banks and shelter. And there are in every community, large and small, parishes that are tending to that vulnerable community. In Minden, in Peterborough, Barrie, in Orillia, Mississauga, in Don Mills, in Scarborough, in downtown, and all points in between. Since 2019, Synod has been calling us to move and to help solve part of the housing issues. And I would invite you to read the property supplemental in your convening circular that gives us an update on what we’ve been able to do so far.

Call to action #4 is to participate in the unfolding healing of God in the world. St. George, Grafton wanted to help in their community. At the same time, Habitat for Humanity was starting a new project of building seven homes. The members of the community knew that they were a little bit older for climbing up on a ladder, but they were really well known for hospitality and food. They provided meals and snacks for 14 build days, and they invited St. John, Port Hope and St. Peter, Coburg to participate, adding six more days.

Call #6: strengthen Indigenous ministries. Ten years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report was published. Murray Sinclair once said, “We have described for you the mountain, and we have shown you the pathway to the top. We call upon you to do the climbing.” We as Anglicans are called to climb. Two calls that are close to my heart – the first is call 46, described in the land acknowledgement. Read it, mark it, inwardly digest it. I invite you to join with me in creating and renewing relationships with First Nations Indigenous communities within the Diocese of Toronto. Later today, we will have a conversation about call 61. Samantha Caravan and Leigh Kern will describe the work we’ve been able to do so far in being able to encourage and be a part of reconciliation work through the Land Tithe Committee.

Call #7: take, act, communicate on all actions toward diversity, equity and inclusion. We are pleased to announce that Dilesha Stelmach has been appointed as our new DEI advisor here in the Diocese of Toronto, who will work very closely with Bishop Shaw and with the Intercultural Committee to help us in this work of deepening our call to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Reimagining ministry

When we went on our pilgrimage, we were well equipped, and we took the advice of many who had gone on long journeys. We took our time finding the right pair of boots. We learned the merits of foot glide, wearing wool socks and wearing layers to meet the spring of Scotland. We had on our backs backpacks full of snacks and water and first aid equipment. And then there were the sticks. I have to admit, I kind of pooh-poohed the idea of the sticks. I said to myself, Really? Do I need sticks? I mean, aren’t they really for more mature people? I gotta tell you, thank God for the sticks. They were the only thing actually standing between getting to the top and to the bottom. When your legs are burning, you are dragging yourself up the hill, and when you’re trying to get down the other side and your quads are burning, giving that support is all that you need. Those sticks have taught me a valuable lesson. There is no room for pride on a spiritual journey. None. You need help, you ask for it.

We also learned it’s just as hard going up as it is going down. For the last 30 years, the average Sunday attendance in the Diocese of Toronto has been going down. It’s a phenomenon that’s experienced right across the Canadian church and in most denominations. We have listened so long to prognosticators who would say, draw the line and in 2040 it comes to an end. Except for the last two years, our average Sunday attendance has gone up by almost 20 per cent, the first time in years, in large measure because of online worship and engagement – the hard lessons we learned in the wilderness that we continue to apply. We are learning that a virtual community is the same as an in-person community. Forty-one churches in our diocese are growing in number. We need to learn from each one of them. Universal growth is not happening right across the board, but parishes are continuing to learn how to engage so that we can.

At the same time, there are communities along the pilgrim trail that make that very painful decision that it’s time to stop. Thomas and Emma Cooper arrived in Canada in 1864. They eventually made their way north and settled near the Black River. In the early 1870s, they built a general store when the lumber mill opened. In 1884, St. George’s Church was opened. It was led by a Wycliffe student, and for more than 100 years, ministered to the local community until members dwindled. And in 2009, they closed the door. The altar from St. George’s is on this dais. We gather around this table a reminder to us that every parish and community is a vessel of hope and love in faith in Jesus Christ, a community of word and sacrament. And even though the doors shut, their voices echo from the past like a great cloud of witnesses.

Four parishes have closed since we last met as Synod: St. Chad, Toronto; St. John, West Toronto; Christ Church, Waubaushene; St. George, Newcastle. And we remember them. I’d also bring to memory, St. Anne, Gladstone that suffered a terrible fire on June 9, 2024. But out of the ashes comes a new hope from that little community, not working on their own entirely, but now walking with Epiphany & St. Mark to imagine a new vision for ministry in their community.

Since our last gathering as Synod, a new congregation has been planted and opened by St. Paul’s Bloor Street: St. George by the Grange. One of their parishioners said to me recently, “Do you know, Bishop, that on the first Sunday of September, we had 118 people in church? Hallelujah.” St. Paul’s Bloor Street has a dream of building, gathering five congregations, new ones, over the next 10 years. They can’t do that on their own. It takes all of us. We are one as a diocese. By surprise, more and more laity and clergy from parishes are coming to us and saying, “Perhaps we can help a parish next to us grow again.” Let’s crane our necks to listen for the leading of the Spirit in this work.

Regionalization is a word that we will become well acquainted with. We will hear from Janet Marshall speak about how communities are coming together, three and four and five, not with one clergy, not with two clergy, but with three or four, to be able to sustain a presence in a local place and to work together as a team. Doing ministry in difficult contexts, coming out of the pandemic, after a fire, in changing and uncertain political and economic times is exactly where the Church has always been called to plant. Just listen to the journey that Timothy and Paul have taken today. They went through the territory of the dry wood, through the territory of the pale-faced people. The Holy Spirit prevented them from going to the land of the rising sun for now. They tried to go into the storming river, but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t allow them. It was only when they arrived in Troas that Paul had a vision of a man from the land of the tall people, that the man said, “Come and help us.” We need to be strategic as communities in responding to the calls around us as we learn to reimagine ministry today.

Transforming diocesan culture

We are living into a new form of episcopal leadership, moving away from areas and moving away from five bishops to three bishops, five archdeaconries, raising up the profile of regional deans, appointing archdeacons and a canon administrator, and working together in a new way. We have had enough time under our belt to review how that’s going, and you have been honest and helpful in your response. We are learning how to fine-tune that new way, but overwhelmingly, there’s a sense that we want to keep going.

Investing in our future, call #20. Earlier in the year, we asked M&M International to help us with a feasibility study for a major financial campaign. What we heard from you was many parishes are just still trying to pull it together after COVID. Some parishes say, “We’re so small, we can’t find volunteers to run it.” Others said most of the money needs to stay in the parish because we have capital and ministry needs. And 70 per cent said we’re almost there to get started. It’s the right thing to do. The timing is almost right. I agree with all that. Most of the money needs to stay in the parish. This program needs to be tailor-made, not an off-the-rack, but a tailor-made engagement with every parish and mission in the diocese. We’ve already had one parish finish theirs. Others are ready to go. This is an opportunity for us to be able to raise 60 per cent, 70 percent that stays – even more, maybe, depending on how well you negotiate. It stays in the parish. And whatever else is raised always goes back into the parishes too.

A final word

On the beach, Jesus asks Peter, Do you love me, without condition? Peter responds, I love you like a friend. Jesus asks again, Do you love me, without condition? I love you like a brother, Peter says. Jesus says, Do you love me like a brother? Peter says, I love you like a brother. We know the story, that in the end, Peter loved without any conditions. I’m beginning my eighth year as your bishop. And while there are burdens to carry, the overwhelming sense I have day after day is a growing depth of love for you.

I’d like the clergy, deacons and priests, to please stand. I know the burdens that you carry. I know the sacrifices that you make. I know the joy and the gifts that God has given to each of you to proclaim the gospel and to live those calls. And day by day, I am in awe in all that you give to the Church and to this ministry. And my love for you grows day by day. Thank you.

I’d like all those who minister out of 135 Adelaide to please stand. It is a joy for me to work with you, either virtually or in person, day after day after day, and I know the hard work and the dedication that you have for the enterprise of the Church, the long hours, the nightly meetings and the pain that you carry, too, and the joy that you bring to this enterprise. We could not do this in the diocese without you. And my love for you grows every day.

I’d like our chancellors to please stand. Chancellors are on speed dial. and the hours and hours and the weight and the burden that you carry, in helping us to move properly as a diocese and to sustain the legacy of this place. You carry so much, and my love for you grows day by day. Thank you.

I’d like the lay folk to please stand. Sunday by Sunday, we see you. And day by day, you offer your gifts, your time, your talent, and all that you have to the enterprise of the Church. You follow your baptismal covenant, and I am always in awe of how much you give to your local community to bring it to life, and I am so grateful for your ministry. You are the heart of the diocese, and my love for you grows day by day. I am so grateful for you. Thank you.

I’d like Riscylla and Kevin to please stand. It is such a gift to have you as colleague and partners in this wonderful enterprise of ministry. I cannot imagine doing this work on my own. The gifts that you bring, the patience, the humor, it helps us meet every day, sometimes challenging, sometimes beautiful. And my love for you grows day by day. Thank you.

And I’ll say to Mary and Jenn: day by day, week by week, you organize, keep everything moving in a pace. The love and the care that you bring to your daily work is breathtaking. Such patience and such joy, never down, always up. I am so deeply grateful for your ministry and my love for you grows day by day. Thank you.

Is Mary in the house? Stand, please. I would not be able to do this without you. And of course, my love for you grows every day. And I love you so much for giving me this cold.

May God keep us. May God hold us. May God give us the courage to meet the future with hope, with dignity, with love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The post May God give us the courage to meet the future with hope, dignity and love appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

DAY 1

Synod starts with Eucharist, Charge

Synod started with a worship service that included a land acknowledgement and the Bishop’s Charge. In his Charge, Bishop Andrew Asbil spoke about the diocese being on a pilgrimage since the COVID-19 pandemic. Inspired by John 21 and the Cast the Net visioning process, the diocese and parishes are engaging with the 20 Calls, which were unanimously endorsed by Synod in 2023. Bishop Asbil gave examples of how the calls are being lived out. Initiatives include the Season of Creation’s 40 workshops and five Lift Up Our Hearts services; St. George, Grafton providing food and funding to a Habitat for Humanity build; St. Stephen in-the-Field, Toronto supporting the homeless; the diocese hiring a DEI advisor; hybrid ministry; and regionalization. He thanked the clergy and deacons, Synod Office staff, the chancellor and his wife Mary. “My love for you grows day by day,” he told them.

Honorary secretaries announced

The honorary secretaries for Synod were the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland (honorary clerical secretary), Constance Kendall, ODT (honorary lay secretary) and the Rev. Jason Prisley (assistant honorary clerical secretary).

Sponsors thanked

The honorary secretaries thanked the sponsors of Synod, which included The Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation, Ecclesiastical Insurance, M&M International, Plan to Protect, Trinity College and Wycliffe College. The sponsors helped to offset the costs of Synod.

New platform explained

JP Copeland from Data on the Spot walked Synod members through Synod’s new information and voting platform, a website allowing Synod members to vote, view documents, see the Synod schedule, enjoy Call and Response Moments and more.

Consent Agenda approved

Synod approved the Consent Agenda for the 163^rd Regular Session of Synod. It included several non-controversial items that are grouped together. It can be found in Section A of the Convening Circular.

Synod Council reports

The honorary secretaries presented Synod Council’s Report to Synod. The report outlines the work done by Synod Council between Synods. It covers activities from July 2023 to June 2025. During that time, the Synod Council had 17 meetings, including one in-person meeting and eight email polls. Highlights of the council’s work included: the Cast the Net Working Group has completed its mandate and a new group, the Netminders, has been formed to tend to Cast the Net’s vision and its 20 Calls; the Areas and Area Council Working Group continues its work and will make a presentation at this at Synod; Synod Council continued to do its work between Synods – approving Cast and Learn grants, MAF grants and Stretch grants, and continuing to work with the Human Resources, Finance, Risk and Governance and Property committees as they support ministry in the Diocese. The full report can be found in Section B of the Convening Circular.

Synod thanks bishop

Archdeacon Cheryl Palmer, speaking on behalf of Synod members, thanked Bishop Asbil for his leadership. Bishop Asbil is now in the eighth year of his episcopacy. “Our love for you increases day by day,” she said. Synod gave Bishop Asbil a standing ovation.

Ministry responds to calls

After lunch, Synod enjoyed a Call and Response Moment, which showed how churches and groups in the diocese are responding to Cast the Net’s 20 Calls. In this moment, Synod members watched a video about the Durham Region Migrant Workers Ministry.

Reconciliation Land Tithe extended

Synod approved Motion #2, which commits to a continuation of the Reconciliation Land Tithe through Synod 2027. The motion read as follows: “It is moved and seconded that, whereas the Diocese of Toronto is committed to upholding our sacred obligations to reconciliation, we commit to a continuation of the Reconciliation Land Tithe through Synod 2027. With the oversight of the Reconciliation Land Tithe Committee and Synod Council, we will continue to commit the balance of the MAF (Ministry Allocation Fund) tithe (on a rolling basis) for the purpose of Indigenous-led initiatives. The extension of Motion 12 (approved by Synod in 2021) from 2026 forward to 2027 will support Synod Council and the Reconciliation Land Tithe Committee so that, in 2027, a new motion may be presented that embeds permanent funding for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples into the life of our Church.”

The Rev. Samantha Caravan and the Rev. Leigh Kern of the Reconciliation Land Tithe Committee spoke about the work of the committee and the funds that have been distributed to date. They said the tithe is part of a commitment to address the Church’s historic privilege and the imbalance of power. It is a practical expression of restitution for land dispossession and redistribution of wealth, and an expression of a deeper movement for recognizing Indigenous sovereignty and repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery, they said. Their presentation included a powerful video about the Residential Schools and the devastation they caused to Indigenous children and their families.

Church responds to calls

During the second Call and Response Moment, Synod watched a video about Trinity East (Little Trinity) and its Good Food Market, which reflected Calls 4, 5 and 13 of Cast the Net’s 20 Calls.

Members’ Time raises issues

During a 30-minute Members’ Time, Synod members spoke about many issues, including: personal tithing to Indigenous-led initiatives as a way of reconciliation; affordable housing; creation care and the Communion Forest movement; retired clergy voting at Synod; Anglican, Lutheran and Moravian collaboration; regional ministry; COP 30 and climate change; General Synod’s motion on an arms embargo on Israel; refugees; a book on theology and AI; youth speaking about their faith; the sacredness of the Eucharist; churches that attract young people; learn about Israel and Palestine before writing to political leaders.

Brasilia brings greetings

Bishop Mauricio Andrade brought greetings in a video from the Diocese of Brasilia, which is the companion diocese of the Diocese of Toronto. The companionship is now in its second year and will continue until 2031. Before the video, the Rev. Pam Trondson of the Diocese of Toronto spoke about the companionship, which has included monthly online meetings, in-person visits, an online theology day and a priest from Basilia giving the keynote address at the Diocese of Toronto’s outreach and advocacy conference in October. Future initiatives will include a visit by people of the Diocese of Toronto to Brasilia in the summer of 2026.

Season of Spiritual Renewal presented

The Rev. Canon Philip Der and the Rev. Canon Jennifer Schick gave a presentation about the Season of Spiritual Renewal, which is Call 1 of Cast the Net’s 20 Calls. Their presentation included prayers for spiritual renewal and a video clip showing the Rev. Canon Stephanie Douglas talking about the season’s helpful resources. The season, which officially concludes in January, focused on prayer, scripture, worship and evangelism. The season featured 40 workshops, booklets and other resources and five special worship services, which attracted about 1,600 people. The season has provided hope and inspiration to Anglicans in the diocese, they said. They thanked the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen, Jacqui Hance, Bishop Asbil and Canon Mary Conliffe for their efforts.

Synod hears about the Netminders

The Rev. Canon Pamela Rayment, the Rev. Yohan Dumpala and Deborah Whalen-Blaize spoke about the work of the Netminders, a group of clergy, laity and Synod Office staff who have been brought together to tend to Cast the Net and its 20 Calls. The Cast the Net visioning process, which was held from 2022-2024, included consultations with more than 1,000 participants and resulted in the new vision statement for the diocese – “Followers of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, serve the world God loves!” – and 20 calls to action. The vision and the 20 Calls were unanimously endorsed by Synod in 2023. The calls are grouped into four areas – renewing spirituality, inspiring faith in action, transforming diocesan culture, and reimagining ministry – and at the centre of them is the Good News of Jesus Christ. In a 2025 pastoral letter to vestries, the bishops encouraged parishes to engage with a call or two. To help with this, the Netminders created resources, including a discussion guide, a poster and a video, all of which are available on the Cast the Net page of the diocese’s website, www.toronto.anglican.ca. After Synod, the Netminders will continue to support and encourage engagement with the calls. “We will amplify, celebrate and share the story of how living the calls is helping us to tell the good story, which is the ongoing work of those learning to follow Jesus,” said Canon Rayment.

Breakout sessions focus on 20 Calls

After the Netminders presentation, Synod members went into 50-minute breakout groups to talk about the calls and what their parishes were doing. Most of the sessions dealt with more than one call. The hope was to begin conversations across the diocese about the calls. Highlights from these gatherings will inform the Netminders as they focus on efforts moving forward.

Primate addresses Synod

After a banquet dinner, Synod resumed with Archbishop Shane Parker, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, as the guest speaker. Quoting from Prof. Henry Chadwick, a New Testament scholar at Cambridge University, he said the Church was like a stained-glass window. “A stained-glass window reflects the light, reflects the goodness of the gospel, the love and compassion and gentleness and mercy and courage and justice of God,” he said. “But in this world, the same glass that is the stuff of the Church needs to be held by oak and iron, otherwise it will just fall to the ground.”

Archbishop Parker said the diocese’s Cast the Net vision has a good balance between addressing the oak and the iron – the structure, canon law, programs and good order of the Church – and allowing the stained glass of spirituality and justice to shine.

He congratulated Synod members on the vision and 20 calls. “You recognized that you have to pay attention to the stained glass, but you also have to look at the oak and iron which supports it,” he said. “You have to look at property and structures and the way parishes are configured and where ministry is happening – all of those things that support the stained glass.”

Bishop names new canons

The following were made honorary canons of St. James Cathedral by Bishop Asbil. They will be installed on Jan. 11 at St. James Cathedral.

• The Rev. Canon Dr. Christopher Brittain, Dean of Divinity at Trinity College
• The Rev. Canon Kenute Francis, St. Hilda, Fairbank
• The Rev. Canon Daniel Graves, Trinity Church, Aurora and St. James the Apostle, Sharon
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Robert Hurkmans, Trinity, Streetsville
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Isaac Kawuki-Mukasa, St. James the Apostle, Brampton
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Patrick McManus, All Saints, Kingsway
• The Rev. Canon Julie Meakin, Holy Family, Heart Lake (Brampton)
• The Rev. Canon Pamela Rayment, St. Clement, Eglinton
• The Rev. Canon Jennifer Schick, All Saints, Whitby
• Major The Rev. Canon Bradley Smith, St. John the Evangelist, Peterborough
• The Rev. Canon Susan Spicer, St. John, Ida and St. Luke, Peterborough
• The Rev. Canon Michael Van Dusen, St. Aidan, Toronto
• Canon Sister Elizabeth Rolfe-Thomas, Sisterhood of St. John the Divine

DAY 2

Synod resumes

Synod resumed on Nov. 8 with a pre-recorded musical reflection from St. James, Orillia and Morning Prayer led by the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine. Cdr. (Ret.) the Rev. Carol Bateman and Major (Ret.) the Rev. Murray Bateman led an Act of Remembrance. Today was Indigenous Veterans Day. The ceremony included the laying of a Remembrance wreath.

Support for Jamaica on way

Bishop Asbil spoke about the devastation caused by the hurricane that hit Jamaica in late October. He said the diocese will work with Alongside Hope and other agencies to provide help, and he encouraged parishes to assist as well. “Please keep the people of Jamaica in your prayers,” he said.

Areas and Area Council Working Group reports

The Rev. Canon Jesse Parker and the Rev. Canon Rob Mitchell spoke about the work of the Areas and Area Councils Working Group. Their full report is in Section G of the Convening Circular. The group was formed in 2023 to look at the diocese’s former episcopal area structure, which included area bishops and area councils, and to juxtapose that with the new episcopal leadership model, which includes territorial archdeaconries, and to make recommendations based on those changes.

After widespread consultation, the Areas and Area Councils Working Group recommended the following changes:

• That the diocese not seek to replace the area councils with another analogous structure, such as an archdeaconry council or a deanery council.
• That each of the bishops be provided with a budget to fund parish-based ministry projects that do not meet the requirements of existing grants. The total amount of money would be $54,000 per year. To facilitate the administration of these grants, the regional deans would work with parishes that are applying to ensure that their requests are aligned with the goals of the grants.
• That the Faithworks funds that each area council could spend on outreach-related ministries in their areas be put back into the overall FaithWorks budget.
• Create a discretionary budget for regional deans of $2,000 per year to use at their discretion to foster collegiality among clergy and to promote ministry and collaboration within their deanery.
• Look at the deaneries as the hubs or the engines of local collaborative ministry. They will be asked to develop collaborative ministry plans and goals that suit the context of their deanery.
• That the regional deans have a job description.

Following a period of implementation, which would begin in January 2026, the recommendations would be evaluated in the early spring of 2027 at a meeting of the bishops, archdeacons, canon administrator and the regional deans. The recommendations would have had about a year and a half at that point to have been lived into, and there would be a chance to decide how it’s going and what further changes need to be made. Then at the next regular session of Synod, in 2027, the working group would ask Synod to consider striking Canons 43 and 44 – those having to do with episcopal areas, area bishops and area councils – from the canons, and also that Synod revise Canon 20 (on regional deans) to reflect a more robust job description.

At the end of their presentation, it was moved that Synod approve the resuspension of Canons 43 and 44 until the next Regular Session of Synod, as they relate to areas and area council, as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular. The motion was approved.

FaithWorks turning 30

FaithWorks, the diocese’s annual outreach appeal, is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2026. A video showed the work of FaithWorks and interviews with people who are helped by it, agencies that rely on FaithWorks funds, and donors. Since its inception, the appeal has raised more than $40 million.

Priorities and plans approved with amendment

The diocese’s executive director, Varun Balendra, and senior accountant, Rebecca Scott, presented the diocese’s priorities and plans for 2025 to 2027 and the financial budget. The document Priorities and Plans 2025 to 2027 is in Section D of the Convening Circular, with addendums in the Supplementary Convening Circular. The Priorities and Plans 2025 to 2027 document outlines what the diocese will do over the next two years to help the diocese and the parishes live out the Cast the Net vision and the 20 Calls. The work will focus on the four areas of the vision: renewing spirituality, inspiring faith in action, reimagining ministry and transforming diocesan culture. The diocese is projecting income of roughly $10.2 million for both 2026 and 2027. That’s an increase of about $1.4 million compared to the 2024 actuals. On the expense side, the diocese is budgeting $9.9 million for 2026 and $10.2 million for 2027, which represents increases of $1.4 million and $1.7 million respectively over 2024. Overall, this gives the diocese a slight surplus in 2026 and a balanced budget in 2027. Based on the diocese’s current financials, it’s unlikely there will be a deficit in 2025.

There was a motion to amend the Priorities and Plans 2025-2027 before it was voted on. It was moved by Ellen Briant and seconded by the Rev. Canon Ted McCollum that: “Be it resolved that the Priority and Plan to ‘engage all parishes in a diocesan major gift fundraising campaign’ be deferred until Synod 2027.” The motion to amend was passed, so that the Priorities and Plans 2025-27 and Financial budget motion read: “It is moved and seconded that Synod receive the document entitled Priorities and Plans 2025-27 and approve the priorities and the financial budget contained therein as amended and that Synod Council report back to Synod on this plan.” The motion was approved.

Members’ Time gives voice

Members spoke on a number of issues, including: the Provincial Youth Council; the book Encampment; inviting Muslim leaders to Synod; youth members expressed gratitude for being at Synod; the CLAY (Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth) gathering this past summer; the Anglican Church Cricket Festival; Ontario’s Bill C-12 regarding refugees and immigrants; response to the Reconciliation Land Tithe; Sabbath leave for clergy; the challenges and potential of rural ministry; mental health support in the Church; and creation care.

Christian nationalism motion referred back

Due to the limited time left at Synod, a motion on Christian nationalism was referred back to Synod Council for a decision. It will be a different Synod Council than the one that forwarded it with its approval to Synod. The motion – Motion #8 – can be found in the Supplementary Convening Circular.

Members elected to Synod Council

The following Synod members were elected to Synod Council, which generally exercises the executive powers of the Synod between sessions except those of a legislative character. The 25-member governance body meets monthly to carry on the work of Synod.

• The Rev. Canon Susan Climo – Holy Spirit of Peace, Mississauga
• The Rev. Yohan Dumpala – Grace Church, Scarborough
• The Rev. Molly Finlay – St. John the Baptist, Norway
• The Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Hance – St. James Cathedral
• The Rev. Canon Mark Regis – St. Mary and St. Martha
• Lawrence Barker – St. Luke, Burnt River
• Sister Elizabeth Ann Eckert – Reverend Mother, St. John’s Convent
• Matthew Neugebauer – St. John the Baptist, Norway
• Susan Schuschu, ODT – St. John, East Orangeville
• Eirene Wee – St. Paul, Bloor Street
• Rae Anne Roberts Perez (youth member)

Members elected to Provincial Synod

The following Synod members were elected to Provincial Synod, which meets and considers matters of interest in the provincial sphere, such as theological education, social issues, government relations, chaplaincies and vocational diaconate ministries:

• The Rev. Dana Dickson – Trinity Church, Bradford
• The Rev. Canon Sister Constance Joanna Gefvert, SSJD
• The Very Rev. Dr. Stephen Hance – St. James Cathedral
• The Rev. Lucia Lloyd – St. John, Bowmanville
• (Substitutes were the Rev. Graham McCaffrey of St. Dunstan of Canterbury and the Rev. Deborah Chapman of St. John the Evangelist, Port Hope)
• Susan Schuschu, ODT – St. John, East Orangeville
• Noah Skinner – St. Michael and All Angels
• Ian Welsman – Trinty East
• Constance Kendall, ODT – St. Stephen, Downsview
• Linus Peasgood (youth member)
• (Substitutes were Lawrence Barker of St. Luke, Burnt River, Finn Keesmaat-Walsh of Redeemer, Bloor St. and Alma Regis, youth member)

Primate reflects

Archbishop Parker reflected on his time at Synod, saying, “When I look at you, I see a diocese that is poised to thrive. You are a resource to the whole Anglican Church of Canada, and you are modelling what churches need to do – positioning yourself as the light of Christ.” He described the Synod as “an amazing gathering” and noted the great diversity of its membership. He encouraged the diocese in its work over the coming years. “You are Christ’s own forever, and all shall be well.”

Bishop Asbil reflects

Bishop Asbil thanked the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland and presented her with a gift, as she was stepping down as honorary clerical secretary of Synod, a position she has held since 2021. Constance Kendall, ODT, and the Rev. Jason Prisley, honorary clerical secretary, were elected for the ensuing two-year term. In his closing remarks, he said, “We leave this Synod as a community knitted and woven together in the presence always of a loving God who calls us to take that journey in faith knowing that God will always listen, will always be present, and can always be found. You are such a rich blessing in every community in which you live and move and have your being, and may God bless and keep you. Know the love that I have for you in this diocese, and I know the love that you have for me. I will pray for you; please pray for me. Pray for our bishops; we covet those prayers, Sunday by Sunday, and we will pray for you.” Synod concluded with prayers.

The post Synod 2025 appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Bishop Andrew Asbil revealed that the invitation to Archbishop Parker came mere moments after he was installed as primate in June. “Archbishop Shane is no stranger to stepping into difficult situations,” Bishop Asbil told the audience. “After the service, I said to him, ‘By the by, Archbishop, we’ve already booked you to be our guest speaker.’”

In his remarks after dinner on Friday evening, Archbishop Parker explored an analogy comparing the Church to a stained-glass window, originally coined by the Very Rev. Henry Chadwick, a 20^th-century English theologian.

“The stained glass reflects the light. It’s got colours, it reflects the goodness of the gospel, the love and compassion and gentleness and mercy and courage and justice of God,” he said. “The stained glass that is the stuff of the Church needs to be held by oak and iron.”

In some cases, he said, the Canadian Church hasn’t paid enough attention to the oak and iron – its structures and canons – and the stained glass has tumbled to the ground. “In other cases, we’ve spent so much time thinking about the oak and iron that we’ve forgotten its purpose. The stained glass is clouded over.”

He went on to say that the Cast the Net vision and calls to action, which have guided the diocese since they were unanimously approved by Synod in 2023, have achieved a balance between addressing the oak and iron and letting the stained glass shine.

“You have to look at property and structures, and the way parishes are configured and where ministry is happening, and all of those things that support the stained glass,” he said.

He likened the work the diocese has done through Cast the Net to the national church’s Creating Pathways document, approved by General Synod last June.

“We have focused too much on ourselves and our Church and keeping it going with these great cumbersome structures, instead of realizing that we may need to cast some of them away,” he said. “For years, we allowed ourselves to be changed without responding to what we see around us and realizing we must begin to guide change, to feel different, to look different, importantly to behave differently.”

Archbishop Parker encouraged Synod’s work in reflecting on the 20 Calls of Cast the Net to discern what God is calling the diocese to do, while not getting lost in either the oak and iron or the stained glass.

“You’re called to tell the good story through your structures, through your ministries, through the light of Christ, the love of Christ, the justice, the gentleness, the courage, the forgiveness of Christ,” he said. “You’re called to make your Church strong and vital and vibrant so you can pivot it to see Christ, and to allow Christ to shine through the stained glass of what God has called you to be.”

Archbishop Parker joined Synod in its business session on Saturday, and he spoke near the end of the morning to reflect what he had been observing.

“It’s remarkable just to see the diversity in this room, the relationships between individuals, and it’s something to be thankful for,” he said.

He remarked on some of the tensions that had surfaced over the course of the day, explaining that tension is a creative place.

“It means that something is being shaped, something is being worked on. You are being worked on by the Holy Spirit,” he said. “The tension that I was hearing, and you were hearing as well, is the tension between what is and what can be – what we see before us now and the future perhaps that we have a glimpse of, but we do not fully see.”

He implored Synod members to remember the water of baptism. “Remember that you were baptized in the name of the living God, and you reside with the cross and marked as Christ’s own forever,” he said. “Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The water of baptism, the sign of the cross, the promise that we are Christ’s own forever, says to us that all shall be well.”

He praised the diocese for its work of deliberate discernment through Cast the Net. “When I look at you, and I look at this expression of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, I see a diocese that’s poised to thrive,” he said.

“You are modeling what every church, every diocese in our country needs to do, which is to do the deep dive and look carefully at themselves, look carefully at what we stand on, and to identify plans and priorities that will allow you to change and to grow into the full stature of Christ,” he continued. “To position yourselves so the light of Christ shines through the well-supported stained glass that is the ministry God gave you to conduct. All shall be well.”

The post Primate praises diocese at Synod appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

What is the name of the campaign?
It doesn’t have one yet. That would be determined after we’ve done a feasibility study.

How much does the campaign hope to raise?
When we did Our Faith-Our Hope, we raised $43 million, but not every parish participated. Our hope is that this time the case would be so compelling that participation would be a hundred per cent. If that happens, I think a goal of $50 million is realistic.

When will the campaign be held?
We need to do a feasibility study first, which we hope to have completed by the second quarter of 2024. We might see something on the ground, in terms of the actual campaign, by the last quarter of 2024.

Will parishes and individuals be able to give input in shaping the campaign?
The feasibility study will be as broad-based as possible. It will probably take three or four months to do, and there will be three levels to it: personal interviews with key stakeholders in the diocese – lay people and clergy; focus groups; and a questionnaire that lists some of the significant items that were identified in the Cast the Net process and people need to identify as their top priorities. We want to get as much feedback as possible because the more people who provide input, the more likely we’re going to have an outcome that is compelling.

Will the campaign be trial-tested before it’s rolled out?
As we did with Our Faith-Our Hope, the first group of parishes will be the test-case parishes to help us refine the case and determine how we pace ourselves. I imagine a capital campaign of this size will take two years from beginning to end.

Why are we having a campaign?
Cast the Net, the diocese’s strategy process, identified a number of important areas in the diocese that need shoring up and support – and that requires financing. One of the huge benefits of Our Faith-Our Hope was that it provided important resources to parishes at a very critical time, to support their capital projects and ministry needs. We did Our Faith-Our Hope nearly 15 years ago, and the timing seems right to do it again.

How will the money be spent?
Bishop Asbil wants the campaign to be hugely complimentary to parishes. The costs of the campaign will be covered by the diocese, as we did with Our Faith-Our Hope, but the sharing arrangement will be more generous this time around in support of parishes because we want the primary focus to be on reinvesting in parish ministry and parish programs. We expect that most of the funds raised will stay in the parishes. But we want to provide the impetus so this can happen right across the whole diocese.

Will all parishes be asked to take part?
Yes, we’re going to ask all 192 parishes in the diocese to make a good faith effort to participate in the campaign.

Can a parish opt out of the campaign?
We want the case to be so compelling and the potential return on investments for parishes to be so encouraging that it makes no sense for a parish to opt out. The sharing arrangement is going to be so favourable to parishes, and the cost in terms of what they have to invest so minimal, they will have everything to gain from it.

Why doesn’t the diocese just sell surplus property to raise the money?
Much of our property is held for strategic purposes, and we envision it could be used for short- or long-term housing or a ministry need in the future. There is strategic value to holding on to those resources. After all, our purpose is to be a church where worship and ministry are the priorities, and we need those facilities to enable us to fulfil our mission.

If my parish did a capital campaign last year, would we be expected to do another one?
We would ensure that your parish would be one of the last parishes in the last phase of the campaign. It may be a question of going back to some of the donors and asking them to extend their givings for another year or two.

Who will conduct the campaign?
We haven’t determined that. What we learned from Our Faith-Our Hope was that as good as the return was, we need a firm that understands Anglican culture and our diocese and will work closely with us and ensure that the approach is not a one-size-fits-all. We want to be sensitive to different expressions of church in the diocese, whether it be rural or urban. Those things matter when we consider how we’re going to conduct a campaign.

Will parishes get help to do a campaign?
Yes, a professional campaign manager will be deployed to work with your parish – to help identify and raise up volunteers and to conduct the campaign over a 12- to 14-week period, with the hope of achieving a goal that is proportionate to your parish’s offertory. When we did Our Faith-Our Hope, the parish goal was determined as a percentage of the average of the last three years of parish offertory, and we will use a similar calculation this time around to determine what an appropriate goal is for each parish.

Can my parish do whatever it wants with the money that we get back?
Each parish will be asked to draft its own case for support that would compliment the diocese’s case for support, and you might even want to use the same categories. It’s important for parishes to ensure that whatever funds they raise go towards the items that they identified as being top of mind in their case for support.

Do you think the campaign will be successful?
Absolutely. I think it’s reasonable to assume that our diocese can raise $50 million, with the majority of those funds being retained by parishes for their own ministry needs, and additional funds being utilized by the diocese for strategic purposes – some of it invested in parishes, others retained in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto Foundation for long-term ministry needs. Before Our Faith-Our Hope, Anglicans participated in Faith in Action and Anglicans in Mission, and in both cases they demonstrated incredible generosity, supporting local, diocesan and national initiatives. This is a once in a generation initiative, and we think the time is right to do it. I have no doubt that it will inspire generosity, encourage and promote volunteer leadership and help our congregations feel proud of the ministry that they’re doing and supporting in their communities.

The post Diocese considers capital campaign appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

The Good News of Jesus Christ

We are disciples of Jesus Christ, whose Good News is the joy and challenge at the heart of our common life.

Renewing Spirituality

We are renewed daily in our spiritual lives and share our faith with others. In that spirit, all parts of the Diocese of Toronto are called to:

1. Enter into a Season of Spiritual Renewal to deepen personal and collective discipleship.
2. Reinvigorate and recommit to children’s, youth, family and intergenerational ministries.
3. Share and use resources to enliven worship, faith formation, spiritual practice and evangelism.

Inspiring Faith in Action

We seek justice for all, walk alongside those in need, and respond with loving service and prophetic advocacy. In that spirit, all parts of the diocese are called to:

4. Recognize and act on opportunities to participate in God’s healing work in the world.
5. Make explicit connections between following Jesus and working for justice and peace.
6. Strengthen Indigenous ministry; engage non-Indigenous Anglicans in reconciliation work.
7. Take, sustain and communicate actions that promote diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.
8. Intensify advocacy and action in response to the climate crisis.

Reimagining Ministry 

We support and encourage faithful and fruitful ministry by all who serve the life of the church. In that spirit, all parts of the diocese are called to:

9. Actively embrace collaboration among congregations and innovation in new forms of ministry.
10. Better reflect the diversity of our communities in both congregations and clergy.
11. Understand the changing needs of lay leaders in congregations and support them in their work.
12. Continue and enhance support for all ordained people.
13. Enable and celebrate the work of ministries focused on service in the world.
14. Rethink clergy discernment, formation, and deployment for the church of the future.
15. Introduce and use new ways to measure and nurture congregational health and effectiveness.

Transforming Diocesan Culture

We live and work as the Body of Christ, each member connected to the whole, and each valued for their unique gifts. In that spirit, all parts of the diocese are called to:

16. Cultivate an understanding of the diocese as a dynamic net of shared relationships.
17. Continue assessing recent diocesan leadership changes and adjust as necessary.
18. Adopt an integrated, theologically informed approach to property management.
19. Ensure follow-through on this report, including implementation methods and metrics.
20. Invest in the vision with existing and new resources, using sound Christian stewardship principles.

The post Synod endorses vision, calls appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

After a storm delayed their incoming flight by 24 hours, Bishop Andrade and his wife Sandra visited Toronto from Nov. 17-22. They spent two days at Synod and attended St. James Cathedral on Nov. 19, where Bishop Andrade preached at the 11 a.m. service.

Bishop Andrew Asbil hopes the visit will lead to a companionship program between the Diocese of Brasilia and the Diocese of Toronto. “The hope is that we start learning from each other and finding ways of visiting each other’s contexts and building on that partnership together,” he says. “I think it’s really an exciting time for us in the Diocese of Toronto. We are so multicultural and so diverse when it comes to language, culture and tradition, and this gives us another opportunity to spread our wings.”

The Diocese of Brasilia is one of nine dioceses and a missionary district in the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil. Located in central Brazil, its mission is “to be a missionary church, instruments in announcing and witnessing to the Kingdom of God through example and words; to live in diversity and inclusiveness in our way of being Anglican, becoming part of the social, cultural context of our communities.” Its vision is “to be bold and dynamic in witnessing to the gospel and in missionary action in the promotion of life, serving in love, faithfulness and solidarity.”

Bishop Andrade spoke to Synod at the banquet dinner on Friday evening, bringing greetings from the clergy and people of the Diocese of Brasilia. “They are at this moment praying for this Synod,” he said. He spoke about the similarities he had noticed between Toronto and Brasilia, two cosmopolitan centres “where people of diverse religion come together in community.”

He shared his hopes for partnership between the Diocese of Brasilia and the Diocese of Toronto. He said collaboration between the two dioceses would be “an opportunity to join forces to promote the mission of God in both cities” and “to announce the Church of God to the world of God” in joint projects where the love of Christ becomes visible.

Bishop Andrade also spoke of what he called a missing Beatitude: blessed are those who dream. “I invite you all to dream together,” he said. “We can seek to dream together for the new work that is possible.”

Although the Diocese of Brasilia has only four parishes, it can teach the Diocese of Toronto a lot about mission work, says Bishop Asbil. “There are many lessons we can learn from the Diocese of Brasilia about frontline ministry in small communities. They can help us think about what it means to be mission-oriented in a new time. Many of our congregations are small and how do we reinvigorate our mission in a new way, and what will it look like?”

In addition to his remarks after dinner, Bishop Andrade joined the Rev. Canon Maurice Francois in leading a workshop for Synod members about Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) ministry. Canon Francois leads Lusophone communities at Parroquia San Esteban, located at Holy Trinity, Trinity Square, and at St. Mary Magdalene.

The diocese is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Lusophone ministry in Toronto, currently the only such Anglican ministry in Canada. The city of Toronto has the largest Portuguese-speaking population in the world among countries where Portuguese is not an official language.

Bishop Asbil says a companionship program would help the Diocese of Toronto serve newcomers from South America and Central America. “We have a growing Lusophone community here in the Diocese of Toronto, so Bishop Maurício’s presence is really going to help us formulate that.”

Bishop Andrade spoke again briefly at the conclusion of Synod. “It has been a great joy for me to share in learning about you,” he said. He also invited Bishop Asbil to visit the Diocese of Brasilia in the coming months as the two dioceses work toward a formal partnership.

The post Let’s dream together: Brasilia bishop appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Stands on the Rock (Peter) and the other followers of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) were all gathered there. (First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament) And so we are gathered here. It is so, so, so good to finally be gathered together in one place. It is so good to be in a familiar space that we have not occupied since 2019. It is so good to hear the buzz and chatter of Anglicans gathering in the crush court and gathering around tables and meeting new friends and seeing old friends. It is wonderful to hear Anglicans singing again in harmony and in unison, and not in muffled, semi-muted tones online.

It is wonderful to be able to gather. Chaplains from independent schools, from hospitals, lay readers, lay leaders, deacons, priests, leaders in parishes large and small, from the four corners of this diocese, from the Kawarthas to Mississauga, from Penetanguishene to Brighton. To be able to be in this space. We have longed to be in each other’s presence. And in the name of Jesus Christ, welcome.

Bienvenue, bienvenida, bienvenido, ben vindos, Tawow, huānyíng. All of the languages of the planet of the Earth are also gathered in this place. We may be confined by the borders of a diocese, but we actually come from all over the planet. And we bring our unique gifts, our unique customs, our unique languages and perspectives, and we gather on this traditional land with deep humility, always conscious, as we heard in the land acknowledgement just a few minutes ago, of how our colonial ways of the past – and our colonial ways that persist in the present – continue to bring harm and alienation and hurt to so many. And that we are summoned as collections of communities, together in this diocese, to sow harmony and reconciliation in the name of Jesus Christ.

We come as parishes, some with very long memories – 1797, St. James Cathedral – and some that are just getting started – Church of the Holy Wisdom, 2021. And all the dates in between. One of the great joys of being a bishop is visiting different communities every Sunday and to mark important anniversaries in the life of the community. It’s wonderful to go into a community celebrating an anniversary and to hear the stories of the past and the present. To hear from members of the community who will tell you that they were there for the first service in a portable or in somebody’s home. Or that they are linked to a family that traces its roots all the way back to the beginning of a parish that streams into the past many, many generations. Or those who are just starting to belong to a community, who speak glowingly about how their lives are being transformed, and how their lives are being literally saved by their faith.

When I go to celebrate anniversaries, an image that I like to place in the midst of a community is to have them imagine if the walls of your church could speak. The stories that they might tell. Imagine if the pews and the kneelers could speak of the prayers that had been uttered heavenward. Or collecting all of the clergy who in time, in their own way, have broken open the Word, have joined hands in matrimony, buried the dead, poured water on baptism and broken bread and poured out wine and invited a community to step into a sacramental way of living. Imagine the deacons, who have, in their own ways, pointed and proclaimed the gospel and uttered in God’s name the invitation to serve the most vulnerable among us. And lay leaders and lay members who in their everyday life say yes to the Kingdom and the realm of God by living out their baptismal covenant. We bring them with us in this space. The communities of which you are a part are here at this Synod with you and with us.

Standing on the beach

In his book Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works, James Smith says, “We live into the stories that absorb us. We become the characters that captivate us. Then our actions become kind of a script. Unconsciously we are drawn in through our imagination.” One of the scripts that has captured our imagination over the last 15 months or so is chapter 21 of the Gospel of John. A perfect reading that invites us through a time of COVID to stand on a new threshold on the beach, looking to the future. Of a community that is drawn by God in Jesus, resurrected to new life, that summons us into a future. And so I base this charge back in this same text and using the First Nations version.

In its telling, it brings the story to life with new imagery. Creator Sets Free revealed himself by the Lake of the Circle of Nations, and by the lake also known as the Rolling Waters, this way. In the text, we are told that not all of the disciples were present; only seven, in fact, are named. Some are missing. In the same way, when we gather, we are conscious that there are some members of this Synod who have been longtime members of Synod who are missing, who are not with us. Some who have died, some who have moved on, some who have let go. And we are conscious of the contribution that they have brought to the wider community of Anglicans in this diocese.

In the same way, congregations that have made choices since our last gathering in person, some to close and some to amalgamate to create something new. And we remember that their presence is missed in this room. St. James, Lisle. St. John, Harwood. St. Mark, Warsaw. St. Luke, Dixie South. St. Ninian, St. John the Divine, St. Peter, Scarborough to become Church of the Holy Wisdom. Christ Church, Norwood. Christ Church, Omemee. St. Stephen, Maple. St. Leonard. We remember the faithful witness of gathered communities over a stretch of time that have contributed to the life in their context and to our wider lives, too.

Stands on the Rock (Peter) says, “I’m going fishing.” And the others said, “We’ll go with you.” And they pushed their canoe onto the lake. And they worked all night long under the light of the moon and the stars. And they threw their nets, and they gathered them in. Empty.

We know something of the experience of feeling empty over the last three years of COVID, of emptying out our buildings, of emptying out the streets in our communities, of emptying out our places of employment, of emptying out our schools, of emptying out our stores. We have lived the length of time on empty.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of celebrating a new ministry, the beginning of a new ministry at St. Matthew, Oriole. It was a wonderful event for the whole community and for Sherri Goliski. At the end of the service, a few of us were standing in the worship space, and I looked down on the ground and there on the carpet was an arrow. And there was another one over here and another one over there, a reminder of what it took to take direction to get to the table in the three-year period. Sherri said, “You know, we lifted the tape from that arrow. But the sun faded the rest of the carpet.” And it has left an indelible stamp in the carpet itself, in the same way that the experience has left an indelible mark on us, the likes of which we haven’t yet fully comprehended.

Casting our net

Cast your net on the other side, the right side. We cast our net in COVID in new and creative ways. When the churches emptied out, we went online and we tried new skills, as awkward as we could, used our best audio-visual skills, tried to sound like CBC – that didn’t work. Tried other narrators – that didn’t work, either. We learned to visit in a parking lot or in a park or in somebody’s front yard. We learned to deal with the horrors and the hurt of losing so many people, especially in long-term care homes. And we deal with the long-term legacy that has affected our mental health, especially amongst our young and our elderly, and the effects of long-term COVID. We still have not wrestled with all that has happened to us, and yet we also cast the net, I would say, by being more honest with each other. More vulnerable with each other. Of having different kinds of conversations at clericus. Different kinds of conversations at parish council. Different kinds of conversations amongst friends and family and around the table of the College of Bishops.

Suddenly you can imagine that net being filled with 153 fish. And it is John who says, “It is the Lord.”

There have been moments in the last three years when we, as communities large and small, wondered if COVID would ever end. And there have been moments when, if you’re anything like me, running on empty, still having the sense that somehow it is God’s voice that whispers to us again and again: “Peace. Be still and know. It is the Lord.”

It is the Lord who has brought us to this moment in time. We have not done this all on our own. It is Jesus who has summoned us and the Holy Spirit who has bound us together. As the disciples were hauling in 153 fish, the Diocese of Toronto has been hauling in 202 congregations up back onto the beach to dry out. Like Peter, many of us have felt sodden. Burned out, tired, crackly. We have felt so tired as members of the laity, as wardens, as treasurers, as clergy, who have held the thing together seemingly forever. And now as we come back onto the beach, we sort through our congregations, and some of them are smaller and some of them are the same size and some of at them are bigger, praise God. And some people are missing, but new people are coming. And it is specifically in this moment that we have asked ourselves to enter into a visioning process.

Casting visions

The other bishops will tell you, as I tell you, that over the last number of months as we go through and we visit parishes, there is a lightness and a gladness that is slowly but surely beginning to return. I don’t think we’ve quite figured out the Peace yet. Never really sure what we do now with the Peace. Do we shake hands? Do we keep bowing? Do we hug? It’s a little like adolescents at the school dance. Haven’t quite figured it out. It takes a while to get your land legs back.

But it’s the perfect time, as a whole community, to cast visions and seek how God is calling us. And we are so grateful to all of our consultants. To Canon Ian Alexander, to Dean Peter Elliott, to Dr. Anita Gittens, ODT. To Dr. Kathleen Johnson and to our steering committee, so wonderfully led by the Rev. Dr. Alison Falby and Dave Toycen, ODT.

Listening takes discipline. It’s not easy to listen. In August of 1993, our then-primate, Archbishop Michael Peers, was invited to the National Native Convocation in Minaki. And he was given really strict instructions to listen to the stories and the legacy of hurt and abuse at Residential Schools. He would be given an opportunity to speak at the end. And Archbishop Michael once said that was one of the most helpful instructions to be given. Because when we think we’re listening, we’re actually formulating our response. But when we allow ourselves to listen, we are absorbed into the telling. And the absorption in the telling would lead to an apology that would set a course for all of us as we move into the future, knowing that we are agents of change and reconciliation.

In the same way as you have participated in this listening process with us, on this journey of casting the net, we bring now images and a report of what it is that has been heard, in the same way that Peter in our reading was invited into a listening process with Jesus after breakfast. I find it wonderful, the way they tell the story. The Creator Sets Free used the family name that was given to him, One Who Hears (Simon). One Who Hears. Those who have ears, hear. Seven times it appears in the gospels, eight times in the Book of Revelation. When we have ears, hear. Sometimes you have to be asked not once, not twice, but three times. Tend. Feed. Feed.

Some of us in this room are parts of communities who have heard the hunger pangs in our communities. Like St. Paul on-the-Hill in Pickering that started a food bank in 1990 and watch the use of that food bank go up exponentially – 7,800 members in 2012, 14,000 in 2021, over 20,000 in 2022. One hundred families, 150 seniors in Flemington Park enjoy free fresh produce that is grown at the Common Table Farm at Our Saviour in Don Mills. Just two examples of communities in the diocese who hear the hunger pangs in their communities and respond with love. Love equals food, food equals love. Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?

It takes a while for One Who Hears, Peter, Stands on the Rock, to read and to listen between the lines. Some would say, as theologians, that we go back to that moment before the crucifixion, when Peter would deny Jesus three times. It is a sewing and amending of an old relationship and a moment of forgiveness. Yup. But I like the interpretation of Dr. Caroline Lewis, who says it’s a waking-up moment for Peter to understand who he really is, what his identity is in the resurrected Lord, as a follower and as a disciple. It’s Jesus saying, “Peter, it’s your turn to stand on the rock.”

Spiritual renewal

The same is asked of us. It’s one thing for us to say to our circle of family and friends, “I go to church.” It’s another to say to a circle of family and friends, “I’m really involved at a church. I go to this thing called Synod. How do you spell that?” It’s quite another thing to say, “I am a follower of Jesus. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.”

We heard that again and again and again in this listening process: a deep desire that we deepen our spiritual renewal and our call to discipleship. And so as we stand on the beach in the Diocese of Toronto, an invitation to step into a season of renewal. A season when we come together in parishes and regional groups, in small groups and large groups, to pray, to be reconciled, to learn, to teach, to worship, to sing, in small groups and large groups. To be taught, to hear teachers from outside the diocese, within the diocese. To be tended and fed in our souls. And we have asked the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen to be the coordinator of this Season of Renewal, and we will be forming a steering committee to get us started so that we begin after this Synod that takes us through to 2025.

We walked the road with Jesus. What you will hear in the presentation, I hope, from those who have been doing the listening process, a simplified little format that you can put in your hand, a handheld device almost like a compass, that reminds us of how we find our way home. In simple terms that remind us we are disciples of Jesus Christ, whose good news is the joy and the challenge at the heart of our common life. And we want to be able to hear from you your feedback and also to embrace this as we go.

Children & youth

We heard through our listening, or at least I did, a need and a deep desire to bolster our ministry amongst children and youth. As we change and orient ourselves again with areas and territories to make sure that the budget that we have for youth ministry in each of the areas is embedded in our budget for the diocese. To be able to encourage the creative use of resources like the Ignite program in Scarborough Deanery, where 13 parishes come to work together to pray and to bolster and to support our youth ministry. There are youth members in the room with us. Can I hear an Amen?

Creation care

What a wonderful telling in this gospel version. Piercing through the reading, you can hear creation, under the light of the moon and the stars. The sounds of the water lapping in the background, the sounds of water birds heard in the distance, the feeling of the warmth of the sun as it rises. A reminder to us that all that we do needs to bring creation not in the background, but into the foreground of everything that we do as servants of Christ. To take a page from the Gospel of Mark that says, “Proclaim good news to the whole of creation.” Not just to two-legged mammals, but the whole of creation, every creature, land, sea, water. To proclaim good news to watershed, to creeks, to lakes, to rivers, to valleys, to forests. For the sake of life, and for the seventh generation to come.

Anti-racism and addressing bias

I am grateful to Bishop Kevin, who has served as our Diversity Officer these last two years, and for the Bishop’s Committee on Intercultural Communities. And for those who have worked with Co: Culture Collective in designing a way and strategy forward in how we address issues of racism and bias in our community. And we will be working alongside Bishop Riscylla, who takes over as Diversity Officer, and also to hire a part-time staff person with the skills to help us enflesh this new strategy. It’s a small step, but it will grow as we strengthen together.

Planting new seeds and dreams

For 10 years, Dave Krause served as a consultant in Congregational Development, and now he becomes our Diocesan Missioner, working alongside the College of Bishops as well as Congregational Development in helping us to imagine new communities, new ways of gathering in worship, new ways of working in regions, new ways that God is calling us to plant seedlings of new communities that brings laughter, joy and possibility. Just ask Sarah.

Property and ministry

We’re delighted that Mac Moreau has come on as our director of Property Resources, and working with our executive director, Canon Rob Saffrey and the members of the Property Committee, putting into flesh the desires of Synod in being able to develop and redevelop our church properties for ministry on the frontline, whether that is housing or other developments that we need to address the issues that face us and challenge us as communities.

Brasilia

Later today you will be introduced to the bishop of the Diocese of Brasilia, Bishop Mauricio. He and I have been having conversations online about deepening our relationship and forming a companionship between our two dioceses. His flight was delayed because of the storm in Sao Paulo. He arrived at 5:35 this morning, didn’t sleep a wink on the plane. But he will be offering a workshop later today, and our guest speaker tonight. I’m looking very much forward to a deepening relationship together. We have one of the largest Lusophone communities in the world. And an opportunity for us to plant new community here in the Diocese of Toronto.

Letting go

“When you get older, someone else is going to dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Now I don’t know about you, but I understand that Jesus was telling Peter the death by which he would die. But I hear it a different way. It’s very difficult to give away and to let go. But to be a Good Shepherd and a good leader, you need to learn the art of giving it away in order to include and invite different perspectives, different points of view. To expand our episcopal leadership by having fewer bishops and engaging archdeacons and a canon administrator and to invite our regional deans to participate at a deeper level and to invite the whole community of every Anglican church in this diocese to learn the art of what it means to let go, to give permission and to invite others to take on. That’s not just for bishops to do, or archdeacons or regional deans. That’s for clergy, and it’s for matriarchs and for patriarchs, too. To make room. And there are going to be things that will happen in your parish that you probably won’t like very much. And it might make you feel a little uncomfortable, and you may learn a thing or two. And that’s OK.

As I’ve said many times before, Meister Eckhart, the long-ago mystic, said the soul grows by subtraction, not by addition. It is in letting go and encouraging others to become part of that the realm of God is made known in our midst.

Capital campaign

And one more thing that almost sends chills, or helps us break into hives as Anglicans, is this notion. When I imagine standing on this beach looking into the future, in helping to sustain ministry and to make the kinds of turns and changes that we need to, to help the most vulnerable communities among us and to strengthen the strongest, we need to engage in a capital campaign. That landed well. I know that’s hard, and I know asking for money is not an easy thing for Anglicans. But I also know that we continue to benefit from Our Faith-Our Hope. We are still able to seed vital ministry because of the last campaign. And this one is to be designed so that most of the funding remains in parishes to help at the frontline. I would invite you to engage in a feasibility study near the end of 2024 to imagine how God is calling us to build resources for ministry into the future.

Deep gratitude

But I must say, more than anything, I feel deep, deep, deep gratitude for being here in this space with you. And I am grateful for all those who have worked with me over these last number of years, especially the College of Bishops. To my colleagues Riscylla and Kevin, for your deep gifts and hard work at a time of transition, taking on way more than you could ever ask or imagine. To our archdeacons and our canon administrator taking on a whole new role. To our executive director, Rob Saffrey. To all of the staff at 135 Adelaide. To Mary Conliffe and Jenn Bolender King, who organize and keep me organized and remind me of my purpose. It’s good to be reminded. For every cleric in this room, for every lay leader in our parishes, deep and profound gratitude for the sacrifices you have made to help us get to this point in time. And finally, just a word of deep gratitude to my wife, Mary. For standing with me through the good and the hard, and always bringing such deep joy and reminding me of the call that we are all summoned to.

So, as they would say in the First Nations Version, let’s hit the road with Jesus. Amen.

The post It is the Lord who has brought us to this moment in time appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

The post All Together appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

DAY 1

Synod starts with Eucharist and Bishop’s Charge
Synod started with a worship service that included a land acknowledgement and the Bishop’s Charge. The readings were read in English and Spanish and the gospel was read from First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament. Bishop Andrew Asbil based his charge on John 21, the scriptural passage that undergirds Cast the Net, the diocese’s visioning and strategy process. He spoke about the initiatives coming out of Cast the Net, including the Season of Spiritual Renewal, of which the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen will be the coordinator. He spoke about his hopes for a companionship program between the Diocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Brasilia, and his hope for the diocese to engage in a capital campaign, with a feasibility study beginning in late 2024. He expressed his gratitude to all the clergy and lay leaders of the Diocese, staff and his wife Mary. For the complete charge, see pages 8-9.

Sponsors thanked
The honorary secretaries of Synod – Sheila Robson, ODT, the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland and Connie Kendall, ODT – thanked Synod’s sponsors, which generously contributed to offset the costs of the event. They included Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. and Canso Investment Counsel Ltd., AON and Design Werke, M&M Faith-Based Consulting, and Trinity College and Wycliffe College.

Synod approves council’s report
Synod approved Synod Council’s report to Synod. The report covers Synod Council’s activities from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Highlights include the Cast and Learn grant program and the master agreement that sets out a process and fee structure and defines the framework for working with Kindred Works, a property developer.

Missional and Outreach Moment
These moments, held throughout Synod, highlight missional and outreach ministries that are happening in the diocese. In this moment, Synod watched a video on Hiking Church, a service and walk in which participants experience God through the great outdoors. Hiking Church was created by the Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care.

OHC Brothers receive standing ovation
Br. Reginald-Martin Crenshaw and Br. David Bryan Hoopes of the Order of the Holy Cross led mid-day prayers. Bishop Asbil informed Synod that the Holy Cross Priory was closing in May 2024 after several decades of service. The Brothers, including Br. Leonard Abbah, received a standing ovation for their faithful service over the years.

Synod endorses Cast the Net
After mid-day prayers and lunch, Synod heard a presentation about Cast the Net, the diocese’s visioning and strategy process that has been underway since the summer of 2022. The Cast the Net consultants and steering committee members were introduced. They included Canon Ian Alexander, the Very Rev. Peter Elliott, Canon Anita Gittens, the Rev. Canon Dr. Alison Falby, David Toycen, ODT, the Rev. Dr. Alvardo Adderley, Cormac Culkeen, the Rev. Canon Andrew Federle, Tina George, Eirene Wee and the Rev. Deborah Wilson. The presentation included a video about Cast the Net and its vision. At the heart of the vision is The Good News of Jesus Christ. We are followers of Jesus Christ, whose Good News is the joy and challenge at the heart of our common life. Surrounding the core are four other aspects of the vision:

• Renewing Spirituality. We are renewed daily in our spiritual lives and share our faith with others.
• Inspiring Faith in Action. We seek justice for all, walk alongside those in need, and respond with loving service and prophetic advocacy.
• Reimagining Ministry – both lay and ordained. We support and encourage faithful and fruitful ministry by all who serve the life of the Church.
• Transforming Diocesan Culture. We live and work as the Body of Christ, each member connected to the whole, and each valued for their unique gifts.

Cast the Net’s vision and its 20 calls can be summed up in one line, which is both invitational and imperative: Followers of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, serve the world God loves! Synod heard that the calls are to all parts of the diocese, not just the Synod Office or the parishes. Synod learned about the timetable for Cast the Net, its listening process and the 20 calls. Synod adopted the following motion: “It is moved by the Rev. Canon Dr. Alison Falby and seconded by Dave Toycen, ODT, that this Synod endorse the vision and calls for the diocese developed through the Cast the Net diocesan-wide consultation process; and delegate to Synod Council, working with the Cast the Net team, the completion of a final report and detailed recommendations, for distribution throughout the diocese in the first quarter of 2024.”

Synod hears about Pilot Governance Project
Chancellor Marg Creal made the following presentation: “If you attended the Pre-Synod meeting, I appreciate your patience as I repeat some important information, as I believe it is crucial for all members to hear. Our journey spans seven years, and I’ll walk you through the timeline:

• 2017: The Governance and Decision-Making Working Group was established under the strategic plan, Growing in Christ 2016-2021.
• 2019: The Working Group’s report and recommendations were considered by Synod. A motion for a pilot project was approved in principle, but changes to The Constitution were defeated. The matter was referred to the next Regular Session of Synod.
• 2021: Synod approved motions allowing changes to the diocese’s governance structure. The two-year pilot project included: amalgamation of Diocesan Council and Executive Board into Synod Council; Synod Council, consisting of 25-27 members; formation of five committees: Audit, Finance, Property, Human Resources, and Risk and Governance; amalgamation of existing committees; delegation of decision-making authority to committees with parameters set by Synod and Synod Council.
• 1, 2022: Synod Council was established, and all five committees were operational.
• February 2022: Synod Council approved a policy defining decision-making authority for Synod Council and its committees.
• June 2022: Governance structure evaluation was initiated by Joy Packham, ODT, and Robert Hart, ODT, with positive responses and support for the Synod Council structure.
• November 2022: Synod received the Governance Review report.
• May 2023: A further Governance Review was submitted, recommending Synod Council’s permanence, pending clear communication to the diocese about its structure and the committees’ structure and mandate.

Synod adopted the following motion: “It is moved by Sheila Robson, ODT, and seconded by the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland that Synod receive the Governance Review report dated May 12, 2023.”

Synod approves Constitution and Canon changes
Chancellor Marg Creal made the following presentation. “The Constitution and Canons Committee diligently considers amendments or revisions to the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese as they arise and reports on how best such revisions or amendments may be incorporated into the Constitution and Canons. A summary of the proposed changes are as follows:

“Changes to The Constitution s. 15(4) and Canon 13 s. 4(6)(a) are being made to add the Executive Director as a secondary signing officer when the Treasurer and Director of Finance is unavailable. There is also a housekeeping change in Canon 13 to replace ‘Area’ with ‘Suffragan.’

“As a result of making the new governance changes permanent, s. 35 of The Constitution, and Canons 2, 5, 31, 36, 37, 39 all have proposed revisions. Additionally, it is proposed that Canon 3 be deleted in its entirety.

“And finally, as our diocese grows into its new structure, comprised of five archdeaconries instead of the traditional four episcopal areas, there are a couple of instances where we need to suspend canons to allow for flexibility.”

Synod approved the following motions dealing with the Constitution and Canons:

• Motion #5A: It is moved by Chancellor Marg Creal and seconded by Vice Chancellor Paul Baston that Synod approve the changes to The Constitution, as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular.
• Motion #5B: It is moved by Chancellor Marg Creal and seconded by Vice Chancellor Paul Baston that Synod approve the changes to Canon 13 as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular.
• Motion #5C: It is moved by Chancellor Marg Creal and seconded by Vice Chancellor Paul Baston that Synod approve the changes to The Constitution, s.35, Canons 2, 5, 31, 36, 37, 39, and delete Canon 3 in its entirety, as they relate to implementing the new governance structure, as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular.
• Motion #5D: It is moved by Chancellor Marg Creal and seconded by Vice Chancellor Paul Baston that Synod approve the changes to The Constitution, s.3(17) and suspend Canons 43 and 44 until the next Regular Session of Synod, as they relate to areas and area council, as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular.
• Motion #5E: It is moved by Chancellor Marg Creal and seconded by Vice Chancellor Paul Baston that Synod approve the changes to Canon 14 as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in the Convening Circular.

Missional and Outreach Moment
Synod watched a video about the Scarborough Steeplechase, a 10 km scavenger hunt starting at Holy Trinity, Guildwood and ending at St. Timothy, Agincourt. The steeplechase involves several church teams and raises funds for PWRDF.

Synod members attend breakout groups
Synod members attended breakout groups on the following subjects: wills, estates and tax – why we all need an end-of-life plan; discerning vocations; where have all the volunteers gone?; children’s ministry conversation starters; Lusophone ministry in the Diocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Brasilia; regional ministry approaches; parish finances; and property mandate from Synod.

Banquet features guest speaker
Synod enjoyed a dinner, and the Rt. Rev. Maurício Jose Araujo De Andrade, bishop of the Diocese of Brasilia, was the guest speaker. Bishop Andrade brought greetings from the people of the Diocese of Brasilia. He spoke about his hopes for the companionship program between the Diocese of Toronto and the Diocese of Brasilia. “Partnership is our strength,” he said, adding that the dioceses can do much together to serve their communities. He spoke about the diversity of both dioceses and the mission of God in their communities. “Our mission is to announce the Church of God to the world of God.” For the full story, see Page 11.

New canons announced
Bishop Asbil named the following as honorary canons of St. James Cathedral:

• The Rev. Canon Julie Burn, Church of the Resurrection
• The Rev. Canon Andrea Christensen, St. Timothy, Agincourt
• The Rev. Canon Alison Falby, All Saints, Sherbourne St.
• The Rev. Canon Andrew Federle, St. Clement, Eglinton
• Canon Anita Gittens, St. Paul the Apostle, Rexdale
• The Rev. Canon David Bryan Hoopes, Order of the Holy Cross
• Canon Janet Marshall, director of Congregational Development
• The Rev. Canon Rob Mitchell, St. Olave, Swansea
• The Rev. Canon Lisa Newland, Christ Church, Stouffville
• The Rev. Canon Jesse Parker, St. John the Evangelist, Port Hope
• The Rev. Canon Mark Regis, St. Mary and St. Martha
• The Rev. Canon Kevin Wong, All Saints, Markham

Day concludes with prayer
The first day of Synod concluded with prayers led by the Bishop’s Youth Ministry Committee.

DAY 2

Financial statements approved
After Morning Prayer led by the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, Synod reconvened and received the audited financial statements for the Incorporated Synod of the Diocese of Toronto and the Cemetery Fund for 2022. Synod also approved the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP, chartered accountants, to conduct the audit of the financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023, at a fee to be approved by the Audit Committee.

Priorities and Plans approved
Synod members watched a presentation of the Diocese’s Priorities and Plans for the next two years and the financial budgets for 2024 and 2025. Synod approved the following motion: “It will be moved by Sheila Robson, ODT and seconded by the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland that Synod receive the document entitled Priorities and Plans 2024 & 2025 and approve the priorities and the financial budget contained therein and that Synod Council report back to Synod on this plan. It will be further moved that Synod approve that the Assessment Rate, as defined in Canon 4, remain at 24.7% for 2024 and 2025.”

Missional and Outreach Moment
Synod watched a video about The Common Table, Church of the Redeemer’s drop-in community.

Members elected
Synod elected the following members to Synod Council, Provincial Synod and General Synod:

Synod Council

Synod Council generally exercises the executive powers of Synod between sessions except those of a legislative character. The 25-member governance body meets monthly to carry on the work of Synod. Elected members hold office from the conclusion of the meeting of Synod in which they were elected until the conclusion of the next Regular Session of Synod, usually a three-year term. Synod elected the following:

• The Rev. Canon Dr. Stephen Fields (St. James Cathedral)
• The Rev. Lucia Lloyd (St. John, Bowmanville)
• The Rev. Graham McCaffrey (St. Dunstan of Canterbury)
• The Rev. Mark Regis (St. Mary & St. Martha, Toronto)
• The Rev. Philip Stonhouse (St. Matthew, Islington)
• Lawrence Barker (St. Luke, Burnt River)
• Heather McGregor, ODT (St. Mary Magdalene)
• David Toycen, ODT (Trinity Church, Streetsville)
• Canon Laura Walton, ODT (Holy Trinity, Clearview)
• Eirene Wee (St. Paul, Bloor Street)
• Adam Nymann (St. John the Evangelist, Peterborough), youth member

General Synod

General Synod meets every three years, and the term of office for a member is three years. The term of office begins at the General Synod in 2025 and continues until the next General Synod. The Diocese of Huron will host the next General Synod in London, Ont. The following were elected:

• The Rev. Canon Philip Der (St. Christopher)
• The Rev. Yohan Dumpala (St. John the Baptist, Norway)
• The Rev. Canon Dr. Stephen Fields (St. James Cathedral)
• The Rev. Lucia Lloyd (St. John, Bowmanville)
• The Rev. Canon Nicola Skinner (Grace Church, Markham)
• The Rev. Brian Suggs (All Saints, Kingsway)
• The Rev. Canon Claudette Taylor (Epiphany and St. Mark, Parkdale)
• Chancellor Marg Creal, KC, (Church of the Redeemer, Bloor Street)
• Finn Keesmaat-Walsh (Redeemer, Bloor Street)
• Yvonne Murray, ODT (Holy Wisdom)
• Noah Skinner (Grace Church, Markham)
• David Toycen, ODT (Trinity Church, Streetsville)
• Mary Walsh, ODT (St. John the Baptist, Oak Ridges)
• Canon Laura Walton, ODT (Holy Trinity, Clearview)
• Logan Liut (St. Thomas, Huron Street), youth member

Provincial Synod

The next Session of the Provincial Synod will take place in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hosted by the Diocese of Algoma during the week of Sept. 24, 2024 (exact dates not confirmed). The Provincial Synod meets every three years and the term of office is for three years beginning at Provincial Synod 2024. The Provincial Synod meets and considers matters of interest in the provincial sphere such as theological education, social issues, government relations, chaplaincies, and vocational diaconate ministries. The following were elected:

• The Rev. Canon Kit Greaves (Christ Memorial, Oshawa)
• The Rev. Dr. Alison Kemper (St. Matthias, Bellwoods)
• The Rev. Brian Suggs (All Saints, Kingsway)
• The Rev. Graham McCaffrey (St. Dunstan of Canterbury)
• Karen Beckles (Epiphany & St. Mark, Parkdale)
• Ryan Ramsden, ODT (Grace Church, Scarborough)
• Susan Schuschu, ODT (St. John, East Orangeville)
• Canon Laura Walton, ODT (Holy Trinity, Clearview)
• Noah Skinner, Grace Church, Markham (youth member)

Substitutes

• Finn Keesmaat-Walsh (Church of the Redeemer, Bloor St.)
• Lawrence Barker (St. Luke, Burnt River)

Missional and Outreach Moment
Synod watched a video from All Saints, Peterborough about its various ministries and activities.

Motion withdrawn
A motion dealing with the development of affordable housing by the diocese was withdrawn by its mover as Synod ran out of time to discuss it. Bishop Asbil said he would ask Synod Council to explore other ways that the diocese can address the issue of affordable housing development.

Guest speaker reflects
Bishop Maurício Andrade said he enjoyed being at Synod and looked forward to the Diocese of Brasilia and the Diocese of Toronto working and sharing together in a companionship program.  He invited Bishop Asbil and Anglicans to visit his Diocese.

Honorary secretaries elected
The following were elected honorary secretaries of Synod for the ensuing two-year term; the Rev. Canon Lisa Newland, honorary clerical secretary; Constance Kendall, ODT, honorary lay secretary; the Rev. Jason Prisley, assistant honorary clerical secretary.

Bishop gives closing remarks
In his closing remarks, Bishop Asbil thanked all those who worked on and participated in Cast the Net. Like the disciples on the beach in John 21, “we have been through the turbulence but God is calling us into a new way together,” he said. “Meeting here together has been an absolute tonic to the soul. To hear the chatter and buzz and excitement of Anglicans coming together after so long has been such a gift, and to know that we have a lot of work to do in our communities large and small across the diocese, and to pledge that we will move together and change together and grow together to become the next self that will be built on trust and working together as communities.” Bishop Asbil thanked all those who made Synod possible. He also thanked Sheila Robson, ODT, who was stepping down from her role as honorary lay secretary of Synod at the conclusion of this session. She has served in this capacity since 2021.

Synod concludes
Synod concluded with a prayer.

The post Synod 2023 appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.