the dragonÕs diary · james,’hayley,’and’katie property"and"maintenance:...
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Contact Us:4600 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, On, M9A 1A5Phone: 416-‐239-‐2341Email: [email protected]: www.stgeorgesonthehill.caFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/stgeorgesonthehill
The Dragon’s DiarySt. George’s-‐on-‐the-‐Hill, Summer 2015
There are many wonderful things happening in our community. This past year has been a year of building relationships, transition, and team building. I am enthusiastic about what the future holds for our community, as we continue working together to build up our parish. Since January, I’ve been working closely with our Children’s Ministry co-‐ordinator, Hayley Cullington and some of the parents, and we’ve introduced a new children’s program called Godly Play. The children have been engaged and delighted by the stories. This spring, we put out an appeal to the parish for donations toward this new program. Your generosity toward this endeavour has been overwhelming, and I am delighted to announce the program will launch fully in September. Our Youth and Young Adults group have been busy with many outreach endeavours, and are now focused on the August mission trip to Cuba -‐ read more about that on page two.We started the gardening season with Blue Jean Sunday, clipping, weeding, planting, and pruning the grounds, prepping them for a summer of fun with the Garden Team.Over the past number of months, improvements have been made to communications; while continuing to
use our current methods, we will be using email, facebook, twitter, and our website more extensively in an effort to reach the wider community. Over the summer, we will be launching a new, welcoming, and user friendly website, reaching out to those who are unfamiliar with church, faith, or St. George’s on the Hill. As well, this is the first edition of the Dragon’s Diary in it’s new format. It will be published quarterly, and available by email, facebook, on our website, and in hardcopy. Photos and written submissions are welcome! It has also been a year of team building; working with existing staff, and bringing new faces on board to
round out the ministry team at St. George’s, enabling us to offer the care and ministry this parish needs to flourish. We welcome the Rev’d Christopher D’Angelo, who will be with us for two years as Assistant Curate. There are many ways for you to participate and support ministry in our church family, if you would like to know more about getting involved, let me know!We will be putting together the program plan for 2015-‐2016 over the summer, and are looking forward to our best year yet. Wishing you a safe, fun-‐filled summer. See you around the Hill.
Michelle+
A Word from Michelle+
The 2015 Budget at a Glance:
Regular & PAR Givings 2015 Budget: $97 000Regular & PAR Givings Year to Date: $92 698Below Budget: -‐ $4302Please consider signing up for PAR over the summer.
Youth Group News: Cuba 2015For the past 5 years the Youth and Young Adults of St. George’s on-‐the-‐Hill have been actively involved in supporting the development work conducted by the Cuban Episcopal Church in the village of Itabo in Cuba. Through fundraising and volunteer outreach trips conducted over the past five years we have had an opportunity to watch the community farm in Itabo triple in size and impact people across the country who have come to learn from the project. This August, the Youth and Young Adults have another mission trip planned, f o c u s i n g o n d e e p e n i n g t h e connection of our parish with Santa Maria de Itabo and the Cuban Diocese. We are looking to expand our projects by involving members of our community of all ages involved in working with the people of Itabo. The Youth Group will hold fundraisers over the summer with the goal of raising $5000 for this endeavor. In 2015-‐2016 we will focus our attention on the Cuban Diocese in 5 key project areas. We have worked with Bishop Griselda to discern which programs would best meet the needs of the community, and what the target for each would be.
Children & Youth Programs -‐ $1200 This would support all programs for over 80 children and youth between the ages of 2 and 21. This would cover Sunday school, bible study, sports, crafts, music lessons, evening youth talks, movie nights, a youth camp & conference, and children and youth trips and special events.
Agriculture -‐ $5000 This would help the expansion of the community training farm, focusing on the planting trees and crops.
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Development of the training farm in the nearby town of Favorito, and the Diocese’s leadership and training project at Camp Blankenship in Santa Clara (in Central Cuba), a training centre for youth and adults from across the country to learn about sustainable agriculture.
Animal Rearing / Biogas -‐ $3000St. George’s lead construction of a Pig Barn, the next stage is expansion of pig farming, adding two cows and building housing for the animals. The church in Itabo and Favorito have started construction of a Biogas system to enable the capture and transformation of animal waste into natural gas to be used for heat and cooking.
Water -‐ $3000 per systemThe water filtration system installed in Itabo is now a focal point for the community and has resulted in a significant decrease in the risk of cholera and water borne disease for children in the community who were previously reliant on well water. The incredible impact this has had on the community has drawn people closer to their church and community; we hope to purchase more systems to be placed in other churches or missions throughout the diocese.
Music -‐ $1000 Music and dance are vital parts of community, and an outlet for the creative energy of its young people. We seek to support continuing this program by hiring local musicians to teach music classes, buying musical
instruments, and donating music to these programs. This project would initially be focused in Itabo and Favorito.
If you or anyone you know may be interested in supporting one of these key areas of involvement please contact:
James Noronha:[email protected]
Hayley Cullington:[email protected]
Katie Hunter:[email protected]
Donations Needed: Clothing, medicines, toiletries, sheet music, small musical instruments, and English-‐Spanish translation materials (dictionaries and guidebooks are well-‐loved in Itabo!).
We are thankful for your support of our adventures in Cuba and are proud of our accomplishments. St. George’s on-‐the-‐Hill has made an incredible impact on the lives of so many in Cuba, and we look forward to continuing and strengthening this bond for many years to come.
James, Hayley, and Katie
Property and Maintenance:
The roof of the church will be re-‐shingled during the month of July. We do not expect this will interfere with Sunday worship or other church activities over the summer.
Leadership Contact Information:
Rector:The Reverend Michelle Childs-‐[email protected]
Assistant Curate:The Reverend Chris D’[email protected]
Lay Pastoral Associate:Brenda [email protected]
Honourary Associates:The Rev’d Janet SideyThe Rev’d PJ Carefoote
Administrative Assistant:[email protected]
Wardens:Heather BaconDonna Cansfield Linda JavorskiJohn [email protected]
Treasurer:John [email protected]
“Bishop For The Day”
At a recent Bishop’s Dinner I bid on a silent auction item “Bishop for the Day”. To my surprise I was the lucky winner! When asked what would interest me for the day, I said I would like to learn more about the various areas of the Anglican Church of Canada. On the day, I met Bishop Poole for Morning Prayer at the Cathedral, it was a quiet and peaceful place in the midst of the morning rush hour and had an immense impact on me. It was like the Holy Spirit abiding in a busy, active individual. We toured the Diocesan Offices and met many people all happy to share about their work. From there we visited Rev. David Opheim at All Saints, Sherbourne Street, a welcoming place for people needing a cup of coffee, clothing, a warm place to spend time sharing stories with others or connect using the computer. Outside, wood framed gardens for those who would like to grow vegetables are being built. After lunch we visited the National Church Office, whose staff are dedicated and proud of the work they do. I learned about the ‘Hope Bear’, which raises funds for children
needing free air travel for medical care. So much good is done through The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. Did you know that you may donate money to provide a bicycle ambulance, or to train a midwife for an Indigenous Community in Mexico? The list goes. …..Phones were ringing to give financial support for Nepal. I wish I had had more time to learn about the work with our Indigenous Community. Finally I met with the writers for the Anglican Journal. They love what they do!!! Quite a happy group! My day ended at Holy Trinity, Trinity Square with Rev. Canon Maurice Francois. Each afternoon the church is open for Spanish speaking people who have recently arrived in Toronto. Support is given to those adjusting to their new home. The kindness of Bishop Poole and others made the day very special. I have a new insight and respect for the very important and hard work of our church here and in the world under the leadership of the Bishops, and our Primate Fred Hiltz.. The day was truly a blessing.
Heather Bacon
June July & August
14 Faithworks Guest Speaker: The Reverend David Opheim, from All Saints Sherbourne Street
17 The last 7:30pm candlelight Eucharist for the summer, with a wine and cheese reception after the service.
21Summer worship time begins at 9:30am.
September October
13 Regular 8:30am and 10:30am service times and Children’s Ministry resume.
16 Regular 10:00am and 7:30pm service times resume.
20 Welcome Back BBQ and Potluck Picnic
3 Animal Blessing
11 Harvest Thanksgiving
The Garden Team meets every Wednesday at 7:00pm, (weather permitting) through July and August. Anyone interested in gardening is welcome!
Contact Brian Danby for more information:
ph. 416 832-4620 Email: [email protected]