Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)
THE MAIN AGENDA ITEM
On assuming office, our new Diocesan Bishop, The Right Reverend Colin Johnson, outlined his vision for our Diocese. This Vision was endorsed by the members of Synod who gathered for the 151st regular session in November 2005.
The Bishop summed up his vision of the diocese in three words: worship, proclaim, embody. These are the key words in the diocese’s mission statement and describe the essence of what our mission is as a church. He said “This is the vision I have of the Anglican Church in this diocese—a people who come together to worship God and proclaim Jesus Christ and who are transformed by His presence, a people who embody in word and action this good news—proclaiming social justice, working compassionately and building communities of hope based on the hope of Jesus Christ….I see a church where people of all ages and races and cultures gather; where its members are passionate about God and passionate about people; a community that nurtures saints. I see a church whose mission is God’s mission to the world. The church is the primary instrument, not the primary object, of God’s mission to the world.”
He said that to be effective in our response to the dramatic changes that are impacting the church and wider society, we must, as a diocese, make the following our three priorities:
· Encourage a culture of hospitality towards people of all ages and backgrounds, so that, in being more welcoming, we may be better evangelists, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ in our communities.
· Embrace the diversity of the diocese, seeking to understand and eliminate those things which get in the way.
· Strengthen and focus advocacy and actions at the diocesan level on child poverty, homelessness and HIV/AIDS.
I invite our parish, over the next three years, to pay attention to these priorities, finding ways to engage and inform ourselves of these issues. For this first year then, we will endeavour to focus on the first priority. I have termed this, for our purposes, the ministry of welcome and evangelism. In speaking further on this priority, Bishop Johnson said:
“For several years, we have worked to be more seeker-friendly: being, and being seen to be, welcoming to and supportive of all individuals in our communities that seek spiritual, social and/or physical nurturing; being seen as a beacon of light, of good news and celebration, of friendship and of caring, to all who look for a source of affirmation and joy amidst the noise of a modern world. At the core of this is a culture of hospitality towards people of all ages and backgrounds, being welcoming, open and friendly so that others will not only want to visit us, but will want to become part of a community which is full of hope and transformed by the living God encountered in worship.. In being more welcoming, we may be better evangelists, proclaiming the good news of Jesus in our communities; that is fundamental to our mission.
In his conversations across the diocese with parishioners, he has asked them
· To reflect on situations where they were, or might have been, the “outsider”.
· To think of themselves as an outsider or a newcomer to their own parish.
· How much of our usual practice is foreign or intimidating to those who are new, those we should be welcoming?
· What can we do, each of us, in our way to be more welcoming and more hospitable?
· How can we learn to share the good news and the hope that Jesus gives to each of us?
This issue comes at a time when, a member sat in my office and said to me, “Father, I like coming here, I like the services, I like the sermons, but I am lonely in the congregation”. Wow!! This should never be.
Set in the context of the community gathered to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, this Vestry meting, we will begin to think about these questions posed by the Bishop and feelings such as the one just mentioned. I have invited Deo Moreno, one of our Diocesan Consultants to facilitate our reflection.
Our theme this year is Becoming A More Welcoming Community. This is our ministry. As Christ welcomes us, let us welcome others.
SOME ASPECTS OF OUR MINISTRY
VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Our community has been plagued with a series of incidents involving guns. As we seek to address the causes and seek solutions to this problem, I have been participating in meetings with Mayor David Miller, Councillors Michael Thompson, George Mamoliti, other clergy (Anglican and non-Anglican) from across the city. I trust that these efforts and the efforts of the wider community will see a turn around in this painful matter.
LITURGICAL HIGHLIGHTS
We celebrated Revival 2005 from Friday, May 27th to Sunday May 29th. This year’s theme was “In Christ, Young and Old Come Alive”. Our preacher was The Rev’d. Richard Redman. As always, the Revival ended with a Revival Concert. The participating artistes included Courtney Bolden, Pam Lister & Friends, Triumphant Praise, Tiffany Campbell Daley, Erica Bryan, Bro. Donavan (DD) Drummond, Greg Benoit & Daughters and our own Junior and Senior Choirs and the Downsview Youth Covenant Choir (DYCC). The comments received suggest that is was perhaps our best revival. My thanks go out to them and especially to our organist and choir director, Arlene August, Marie Green, Alphonso Burke, who trains the DYCC, and Bev Brown who was the MC for the occasion. Your suggestions are welcomed for 2006.
During the year celebrated we observed World Marriage Day and Remembrance Sunday. As part of our Good Friday Liturgy, we went on a procession of witness through our Chalkfarm neighbourhood. As always, our annual service of Prayer for Healing was held on Sunday, October 16th.
FAMILY DAY & OPEN-AIR EUCHARIST
July 17th was designated “Parish Family Sunday”. Once again our service was held in the car park. This was followed by our family Bar-B-Q and a time of fellowship which was coordinated by Katherine Walters.
NEW SERVERS
In response to my call for more servers, I am pleased to note that Philip Cadogan, Hyacinth Edghill, Althea Farley, Courtney & Nicolas Gonsalves, Margaret Hurdle, Marcus Hutchinson, Heron Lewis and Jason Ramessar joined Julian Asiedu, Luke Fields, Fenton Jagdeo, Jr., Lauren Linton and Ashanthi Ravindran as members of the Servers’ Guild. I am thankful for their commitment to this very important ministry
FELLOWSHIP AND STUDY TOGETHER
Fellowship And Study Together (FAST) began in the Fall on the first Sunday of each month during the 10:30 service. There is no sermon on that Sunday, members of all age groups participate in lively discussion and faith sharing in the place of the sermon and then share their reflections with the entire congregation.
CHANGE OF EPISCOPAL OVERSIGHT
Bishop Ann Tottenham retired at the end of the summer. The newly elected Bishop Philip Poole was given Episcopal oversight of our Episcopal Area (York-Credit Valley) at the beginning of September. There was a Service of Welcome on Sunday, October 16th in St. Bride’s Church, Mississauga.He made his first pastoral visit to us on Sunday, November 6th, Remembrance Sunday. On that occasion he dedicated our new windows.
THEOLOGICAL STUDENTS
In September, Mr. Greg Carpenter, a final year student of Trinity College and postulant of the Diocese, came to share with us as part of his ongoing preparation for ordination. At the end of the year, we began preparations to welcome Mr. Vernal Savage, a second year student of Trinity College, to serve a period of Internship in our parish. This is a requirement for his preparation for the ordained ministry.
CONFIRMATION CLASS
Six candidates have been enrolled in a new confirmation class which started in November. Holy Confirmation will be administered later in 2006.
CONFERENCE ON AFRO-ANGLICANISM
I had the distinct pleasure of being the Chair of the Local Planning Committee and a member of the International Committee of the Third International Conference on Afro-Anglicanism which was held in Toronto in July, 2005. For eight days of prayer, listening, reflection and fellowship, over 275 Afro-Anglicans gathered in our city to give support, among other things, to a conference objective of providing increased visibility to people of the African Diaspora in Canada. The participants hailed from eleven provinces of the Anglican Communion — the Anglican Church of Canada, the Church of England, the Provinces of Central America, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Southern Africa, West Africa, West Indies, and the Episcopal Church of the United States. The conference welcomed non-Afro-Anglicans who came to share our faith journey. On Sunday, July 24th, a large contingent of the conference participants joined us in worship. For three hours of that day, “ St. Stephen’s was the heart of the Anglican Communion”.
WORK FROM LAST VESTRY
Last Vestry we set out a “road map” for ministry as we set some goals for our work. Some work has been done but much more remains. This work can be made much easier with more hands and hearts. I thank those who have volunteered to assist in taking us further along the road. The “vehicles” in our convoy are Worship, Outreach, Education, Youth. This year we will add another, The Ministry of Welcome.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE - GRANNY’S PASSING
Early in the Spring, my granny, who played a significant role in my vocation and who made deep impact on my life, because of her faith was called to God’s nearer presence. This has been my greatest lost to date. My family and I express sincere thanks to the parish family for the expressions of sympathy and your prayerful support which you gave at that time.
RECOGNITION BY CHURCH AND COMMUNITY
As if to sandwich this sad moment in my life, my contribution to life of our church and community was recognised. During the 10th anniversary of our Black History Celebration at St. Paul’s, Bloor Street, The Black Anglicans Coordinating Committee recognised my “exemplary, faithful and outstanding leadership of The Diocesan Annual Black Heritage Service”. In May, I received the 2005 Pride News Magazine African Canadian Award for Excellence in Religion. I was pleased that Bishop Ann Tottenham, my family, and members of our congregation were there to witness the occasion.
MARC FIELDS
The final part of last year was one of joy. Our first son embarked on his university career. He realised his life long desire to attend the university of his dreams (Waterloo) and to be admitted into the only program he ever considered (Software Engineering). I have been witness to the love and admiration this parish demonstrates for him and I express “thanks” to you on his behalf. Our prayer is that God continues to bless him and he continues to bless God.
THANKS
I could not end this report without expressing my sincere thanks to
* Fr. Collis Machoko who serves among us as an Honorary Assistant.
* Fr. Rick Chapman of St. John’s, Weston made himself available for emergencies during the month of August
* The Wardens, Deputy Wardens and Treasurer for their support and hard work
* The Advisory Board who assisted us in thinking through matters of ministry and administration
* The Parish Secretary who continues to be of great assistance in the office
* Arlene August, the Choir, Courtney Bolden, The Servers, Altar Guild, Greg Carpenter and the Sidespersons for their support in our worship ministry
* The Counters and Envelope Secretaries for their assistance in accounting for our Sunday offerings
* The Youth Minister, our Youth, The Sunday School Leadership Team and the children for the vibrancy they give to our life
* The Custodian for all he does to assist in the security and maintenance of our building
* The Building Committee for their work this year, especially around the new windows project
* My supportive family and
* You, yes, You!! I did not forget you. Thanks for your part in making this ministry a blessing.
I encourage each of us always to keep before us, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One who calls us and sends us out to do the work of proclaiming the Gospel. As Anglicans, this is brought into sharper focus as we continue to express our faith in both, Word and Sacrament.
Your friend and priest, Canon Stephen +
