Anglicans immigrating to Toronto from the Caribbean and Africa continued
to be members of the Anglican Church of Canada and, in particular, the Diocese of Toronto.
Over the years, they and succeeding generations have been expressing concerns regarding
their place and total involvement in the Diocesan family. Since 1994, we have been seeking
to respond to these concerns:
In the first instance, the Black clergy in the diocese were in dialogue and identified
for the Synod (1994) some areas which demanded attention. These are (a) Support of the
clergy and laity (b) Advocacy and (c) Leadership and vocations.
In preparation for the Visioning Conference (1995) sponsored by the No Longer Strangers
Project of the Community Ministries Board, many members of the Caribbean and African
community in the Diocese met and articulated their concerns about, and hopes for, their
church in the future. Among their hopes were 'for a church that faithfully responds
to the community it serves and is sincere about the inclusion of all her members'.
At a meeting following the conference members of the community, some of whom were not
privileged to attend the conference, discussed its outcomes and the guest speaker's thesis
that 'each community has its 'wisdoms' and its 'blindnesses' and that we must be able
to identify those 'blindnesses' and share those 'wisdoms' with the wider community'.
It was recognised that there was a need for a 'grouping' which would
allow for the identification and pooling of all available resources in the community to
assist the Diocese as it seeks to make an effective response to their concerns.
Several persons volunteered to work with the members of the African and Caribbean
community in an effort to lay the foundation for a more organised ministry. This group was
called 'The Black Anglicans Co-ordinating Committee' and organised the Diocesan
liturgical celebration in February, 1996 (Black History Month). This celebration has
continued every year since then and has grown from an attendance of about 1,300 to 2,000.
This growth forced the committee to move the service form St. James' Cathedral to St.
Paul's, Bloor Street.
Mindful that there is more to the needs of the community that the
worship experience, we have sought to define a clearer direction and function for the
African and Caribbean community as we share in the total life of the Diocese.
