Delve April 2017
An
Of
Intersection
Faith
And Life
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Features
A Time to Be Quiet by Gene Tempelmeyer
Musings: A Time to be Quiet 3 Showing God’s Care for our Neighbours and Creation: Opportunities to Serve 7 A Different Kind of Gang Leader 22 Departments Discipleship Ministries 10 Resource Centre 18 Information Contact Information 26 Community Corner 28 Calendar 35 Cover & Design: Clement Lee Contributors: Karen Cassel Greg Kay Suzanna Lai Sam Lee Gene Tempelmeyer
Delve submissions are due on the LAST MONDAY of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, please email: delve@springgardenchurch.ca 2
Copy Editors: Greg Kay Suzanna Lai Gene Tempelmeyer
As the Deacons announced about a month ago, I will begin a four month sabbatical the Monday following Easter Sunday. The Spring Garden Church Sabbatical Policy (available in the lobby behind the Worship Area) defines a sabbatical: The intent of a sabbatical is to provide an opportunity to pastoral staff for personal renewal spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Though a sabbatical leave is not a vacation, it allows a pastor to step away from the personal demands of ministry to regain hope and vision. Together with the Holy Spirit, a pastor pursues a plan to rekindle the fire in their heart for God’s work. Spring Garden pastors are given four months of paid sabbatical after six years of service. Taking place mostly over the summer months, I hope that my sabbatical is not too disruptive to our congregational life. 3
Our sabbatical policy requires that goals be identified for the sabbatical period which may include “rest, spiritual renewal, developing a skill, theological study or a combination of the above.” Identifying my objectives for this coming sabbatical was daunting on many levels because it deals with an issue one author identifies as “The Elephant in the Boardroom.” The subtitle of that book is “Speaking the unspoken about pastoral transitions.” I’m sure you haven’t noticed it, but I’m getting older. I turn 63 this July. I observe changes in myself that are sometimes hard to accept. I don’t have the physical energy I once had. My memory is often scattered when it comes to administrative details. I am also, I hope without arrogance, aware that I have something special to offer the Church: Spring Garden and beyond. I began preaching 46 years ago. This Mother’s Day will mark my 40th anniversary of becoming a lead pastor in the local church. I have a lot of experience and some wisdom that comes with it that are increasingly rare in the “profession” of ministry in which the average pastor, by most reports, remains in active church ministry less than ten years. My awareness of divine vocation for this work began in the spring of 1971 when I was 17 years old. Clarifying and following that vocation has been a continuing and sometimes difficult process of listening to God and trying to be obedient to His call upon my life. The means that God has used to confirm and clarify this call have been many and varied over the years. Since I was 22 years old I have remained a pastor in response to this divine call. I now need time to listen carefully to what God has to say about the next few years. Today I don’t know when I am to retire. I don’t sense it is immediate. I do sense retirement is somewhere in front of me presenting challenges, opportunities, decisions and transitions. I don’t think I will ever not be a pastor. When God made me, for better or for worse, He made me a pastor. It’s not all that I am. But I do the job that I do because of what I am. 4
As you read that last paragraph you likely sense the excitement and apprehension I feel about the next several years. During my sabbatical I will be reading and learning as much as I can about aging and making healthy life transitions. I will be talking to pastors who have retired, and pastors who have continued in ministry well past their normal retirement date. I will be talking to pastors who have made dramatic changes in how they arrange ministry to accommodate the limitations of an aging body with the freedoms of a retirement income. Most of all I want to listen to God. Because I don’t plan to retire until some time after this sabbatical I also want to ask what I need to focus on in my teaching and leadership. What are the texts and themes I should be teaching at this time in the church’s life? What are the most important organizational issues that need to be addressed? What parts of our life together as disciples need to be strengthened? In particular, I need to think prayerfully about how we might go about refreshing small group ministry to be more helpful to younger adults. What areas of training need to be strengthened in order to prepare people to confidently step forward into new areas of service? Are there adjustments that need to be made to pastoral team portfolios? Can/ should we make the preaching/teaching ministry more collaborative? I am asking our leadership team of Pastors, Deacons, and Elders to spend some time thinking, praying, and listening to God about these issues while I’m on sabbatical. I should warn you that I have been carefully trained to NOT acknowledge the possibility of retirement to you this far in advance. The theory has been to leave this conversation until the last minute lest a leader become a “lame duck” unable to influence any ongoing decisions. I’m taking this risk because I don’t believe it is healthy for a pastor to lead and love a church as if he or she will always be there until the Sunday a resignation or retirement is announced. When I do retire, I don’t want it to be a shock to the system. I do want it to be a response to God’s calling, both on my part and on your part as you engage with questions about what kind of future God is calling us 5
into and how the next chapter of leadership would best be designed to follow that future. My upcoming Sabbatical is not so much about practising being retired for four months as it is about preparing for a season of ministry that, for many reasons, is likely to be spiritually and emotionally stressful for me as I face the eventual loss of pastoral opportunities that I find life-giving. I hope to return from the sabbatical well rested and firmly in touch with my divine vocation as a pastor at this stage of life. A detailed plan for the sabbatical and how my work will be covered is also available in the lobby behind the Worship Area. My hope is that I will be able to serve you better in the coming years by having this time away to think, pray, listen, and learn how to act my age.
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Showing God’s Care for our Neighbours and Creation: Opportunities to Serve We have three places of need and opportunity to show love for our neighbours, for creation and for God taking place on and around our property this spring, summer and fall: A possible Community Garden, care for our property, and Good Seed Sunday. Please read below for details!
Community Garden: We want to make use of some of our green space to care for our neighbours and care for creation by starting a Community vegetable Garden. However, this is not possible unless we have a core group of Spring Gardeners (or should I say Spring Garden gardeners!?) who are willing to help organize and/or care for the garden: some people who know what to grow, some who want to help build, some who want to help weed and water, etc. Our hope is to start small this spring/ summer and to discover if expanding it and making it available to our neighbours is a viable option for next year. If you enjoy gardening and/or are interested in being part of caring for creation and our neighbours in this way, please contact Greg Kay (gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca) by April 13th.
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Property Maintenance: Spring is here; bulbs are sprouting up in the church's beds and the buds on shrubs will be opening soon. The outer appearance of our church sends a message to our community, neighbours, and all who pass by. Does it look cared for? Is it clean? Inviting? To achieve that end we need help with the ongoing maintenance of the property outside. The more hands the less work!
Good Seed Sunday (April 23rd): Good Seed Sunday is a day set aside by many churches to acknowledge our call to be stewards of God’s creation. The way we at Spring Garden celebrate this is to clean up the garbage on our property and in the neighbouring park (Willowdale Park). Following 10am worship and a quick ‘brown bag lunch’ (which means bring some nourishment for yourself, preferably a litter-less lunch) we will be heading outside to clean. Garbage bags and work gloves will be provided.
Are you willing to serve in some way? Perhaps you would spend a little time weeding a bed (one of our biggest needs throughout spring, summer, and fall), or keeping the stone areas clear of debris and weeds, or helping with a little judicious pruning, or caring enough to pick up any litter that accumulates in the beds, or deadheading spent blooms throughout the growing season......This can be done on your own timetable. Perhaps it can be a family project or a life group project. Let's improve the outward appearance of SGC and make it visually welcoming! If you are willing to help in any way, please let either Peggy Moore (peggylouisemoore@gmail.com) or Wes Chapman (wes.chapman@gmail.com) know. Thank you.
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Discipleship Ministries Partnering with Families
Spring Kids Summer Day Camp, July 24-July 28 Registration is live!
Intergenerational Worship, April 9 We believe that the body of Christ is a multigenerational community. We also believe that worshipping God is part of who God has made us to be and parents can and do play a significant role in the area of teaching and modeling worship as part of discipleship. We want to encourage you to engage your children during this worship gathering.
Showing God’s Care We have a few opportunities this month to show God’s care. On April 9, we will be making meals for Exoffenders. On April 23, we will be helping to clean up the grounds around Spring Garden. Please consider these opportunities for your famliy to serve together. Our theme for this summer day camp is Creation & Care. We believe that God the creator has given us a responsibility to be good stewards of the world that He has given us and that the work of Jesus on the cross is the restoration of not just who we are but rather all of creation. Our hope at this camp is to see our children grow in their knowledge of God through the world that God has created. In partnership with Youth Unlimited, we will be offering a week-long day camp. You will have the option of choosing either a half-day or a full-day camp. http://tiny.cc/sgcdaycamp
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Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings:
Life Groups: Life groups this month will only be on April 21 from 7pm-9pm. Boys will continue to meet at Clem and Koon Lee’s house, while the girls will meet at Jim and Anja Turner’s house. For more information please email Sam or Jeremy
Youth Events: Home Fellowship - April 8, 4-9pm We are having a home fellowship night at one of the homes of our Spring community. More details will are to follow closer to the date.
Staying Updated: To stay up to date on what is happening for your youth, please visit our google calendar which has all our planned events. http://tiny.cc/springyouth
April 2, 16, 23, 30 - We will be having regular worship gatherings for youth in grades 6-12, after the musical portion of worship in the main sanctuary. Children and youth will continue their programs and worship gathering in their classrooms following the children’s blessing. Youth will meet in the youth lounge.
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Presents
Mental Health First Aid Training Programs at Tyndale Spring 2017
Join Over 38,500 Mental Health First Aiders Across Canada and Get Cerfied! Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given unl appropriate professional treatment is received or unl the crisis is resolved. During MHFA training, you will learn crisis first aid skills for a variety of mental health disorders and situaons. A Professional Development Cerficate will be provided by the Mental Health Commission of Canada aer successful compleon of the two-day training. *Parcipants must aend the full course to qualify for cerficaon.
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Basic (Adult Care Focus)
For Adults Who Interact with Youth
Two Saturdays: April 22nd & April 29th 9:00 am—5:00 pm
Two Saturdays: May 13th & May 20th 8:30 am—5:00 pm
12 hours
14 hours
$200 Early Bird unl March 22nd $250 Regular Admission
$200 Early Bird unl April 13th $250 Regular Admission
Alumni/Student/Staff Rate: $200
Alumni/Student/Staff Rate: $200
Instructor Adrianne Sequeira, MDiv, Registered Psychotherapist, Cerfied Psychoanalyst, Registered Nurse
Learn More MHFA: Basic tyndale.ca/events/mhfa-basic
MHFA: For Adults Who Interact with Youth tyndale.ca/events/mhfa-youth
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Gr. 11 Leadership Course Are you in Grade 10-12? Know someone who is? If yes, this may be relevant to you! REGISTER NOW FOR THE Gr.11 LAUNCH LEADERSHIP COURSE (GP30): Registration for the LAUNCH Leadership Course opens April 1st! This online and in-person course runs from Sept. 2017 - June 2018 for students in grades 10-12. This course helps students grow in their leadership, impact their community for good, and earn an Ontario Ministry of Education credit (GPP3O - Leadership and Peer Support). The course includes on-line assignments, monthly one to one coaching with a trained coach, and in-class learning days hosted at our partner school on six Saturdays spread throughout the school year: Sept. 30/17, Nov. 18/17, Jan. 13/18, March 3/18, April 7/18 and June 9/18. Come and join us and bring a friend! For more details, visit: www.321LAUNCH.ca/leadership-course To
The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it! Psalm 24:1. Sunday April 23 is "Good Seed Sunday"; the Sunday following Earth Day when churches are invited in their worship of the God of creation to encourage, equip and engage one another in caring for creation. Community Cleanup @noon: Following our 10am worship we will be heading out across our parking lot into the ravine, park, and adjacent pathway to collect garbage littering our neighbourhoods green-space. Not only is it a way to care for creation, but also a chance to be a good neighbour to the community where God has called us! We will provide work gloves for all ages and garbage bags. Please be sure to wear appropriate clothing for the weather. Bring a peanut free and (preferably) garbage free bag lunch so you've got energy to work! We will eat before heading out. We will be making more resources available from Good Seed Sunday leading up to and on April 23. For more information or to help organize Spring Gardens involvement please contact Greg Kay (gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca)
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For more information about Good Seed Sunday and the conversation work of A Rocha Canada go to https://arocha.ca/get-involved/good-seed-sunday/ 17
Recomendations From The Resource Centre
Spring Garden’s online library catalog can be accessed at springgardenchurch.ca/library
If you know of books or DVDs that you’d like to recommend to the resource centre, please contact Karen Cassel karen.cassel@bell.net
For KIDS Am I trusting, by Jeannie St. John Taylor Despite falling in the creek and slopping hogs--the awfulest, stinkiest, scariest job on the farm--Erik learns to face his fears and trust God. He even finds that the thing he fears most may actually be a lot of fun.
Read and Share DVD Bible, volume 2 Share the joy and wonder of God's Word with the children in your life. Thirteen essential lessons of Scripture starring the Bible's best-known characters. The Read And Share™ Bible on DVD combines an enchanting art style with a warm narrator and 18
gentle musical underscore to transport kids back to Biblical times. The bite-size vignettes are perfect for the attention span of little ones, and give parents maximum flexibility to fit any time-frame. Stories include: "Joseph and His Brothers", "Moses", "Ten Commandments", "Balaam's Donkey", "The First Lord's Supper", "Jesus' Resurrection", and "The Holy Spirit Comes"
For Adults Momentum: pursuing God’s blessings through the Beatitudes, by Colin Smith The Beatitudes aren't just poetic sayings; they're a way of life. If you want to make strides in overcoming sin, growing in godliness, and getting closer to God, this book is for you. And if you've lost hope that you can change, this book is especially for you. You can make progress, starting today. 19
Moving forward: Overcoming the habits, hangups and mishaps that hold you back, by John Siebeling Far too many people are not living up to God's best for them, limited by habits and hang-ups from which they just can't seem to break free. Unforgiveness, addictive behavior, unhealthy financial patterns--limitations come in all shapes and sizes. Breaking free from any of them starts the same way: by walking in the truth. In Moving Forward, Pastor John Siebeling will help you connect the dots between what you read in God's Word and your everyday life. Each chapter highlights a specific hangup or habit that holds people back, explains what God says about it, and points to a way forward in freedom. Practical advice and suggestions for next steps will help you see how to implement changes that will give you the traction you need to move forward.
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A Different Kind of Gang Leader
by Brian C. Stiller, from World Evangelical Alliance February 2017
Do you want to hear a story that will moisten the eye of even the most cynical? This dramatic and hopeful saga is located in Ghana West Africa. I want you to read this remarkable story, for too often we learn of billions wasted – mostly money given government to government – lost in gaping holes of misuse, thievery and unfinished projects. Yet within this mix of stories, there are skilled, honest and passionate heroes whose lives burn with an intensity to live out their Christian faith in ways that defy the normal, overrule the hesitant, and out-love the resistant. It’s the story of David Mensah, a street kid from Bamboi, Northern Ghana. His journey marks the power of faith, reminding us of the resilience of hope and pointing out how a dogged will linked to faith ends up doing good. David’s father died when he was a boy; yet his wider family 22
refused to let him live with his mother. He tells of his sojourn in Kwabena: An African Boy’s Journey of Faith, a saga worthy of a screen version. It was a world in which evil forces operated, something that most in the West find amazing if not unbelievable, except that this is told by one whose life is shaped by both scientific studies and enterprise. Shunted about as a boy, David lived on his own, forming the Landary Boys street gang. Barely surviving on the streets, one day desperate for meaning in life, he came to faith through the witness of a seventy-year-old who told him of Yesu. Conversion is an apt word. Turning from crime, David was nurtured in faith and soon his life became a center of help and healing to those around him. Hearing of Tyndale University (then called Ontario Bible College), he applied and was accepted. Working his way through a bureaucratic nightmare, he arrived at the Toronto airport, unknowingly missing an important student visa document, and with only ten dollars to his name. In a way only angel-stories make sense, Immigration allowed him to enter the country, and a stranger – whom he never saw again – guided him from the airport to the college campus, a school where later I served as president. After David graduated, and wanting to build into his homeland a Gospel witness, he completed a Ph.D. in water, land and resource management at the University of Toronto. He returned home and moved six hundred miles north of the capital Accra to Janga, a Muslim-majority area. Putting his agricultural skills to work, in time he built twenty miles of tomato farms along a riverside, dug close to a hundred wells, created a farming enterprise for widows, built roads, and helped to create a weekly market and open a medical clinic. This he did for fifteen years without any public Christian preaching. Finally, a Muslim chief asked if he would address the people. They were curious why he, a Christian, was spending his life helping them in food production and medical care. David agreed, and that Friday three thousand people showed up to hear him give his testimony. He told them, “We have been sharing food from the 23
same dish for a long time. Now we are ready to share our meat with you. This Good News is our real meat, the best food that we have to offer you.”
Willowdale Christian School Open Houses & Now Accepting Registrations for September
The Muslim leaders gave him some prime land to build a church. Today David and his ministry of GRID (Ghana Rural Integrated Development) are opening a hospital called “Carpenter” in Bamboi. He said it took them only two years to gain support of the community to build the church and begin a public witness. Their strategy is simple but profoundly modeling: a vision to give the Gospel time in helping people to see Christ speaking to them in human wholeness. While David wanted to see people freed from spiritual bondage and become Christian in word and deed, he chose not to start with a church. Instead, he began by serving the poor and this in time led to planting churches. “We do not limit access to our programs on the basis of religion, but seek to extend God’s love to all in need,” he told me. Now on the cusp of opening the Carpenter Hospital in the northern region of Ghana, this ten million dollar vision is close to being funded so that it will open debt free and, critical to ongoing operation, will be self-sustaining. In a region of two and one- half million people with only seventeen doctors, this center of love and human care expects annually to serve 53,000. In caring for those outside of available medical help and lacking self-sustaining food production, David and his team are but one example in a world literally marked by tens of thousands of ministries rooted in an understanding that there is nowhere that the Gospel does not reach, for nothing is outside of the Lord’s concern. 聽聽聽聽
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Elders
Leadership at Spring Garden Pastoral Team Gene Tempelmeyer, Pastor 416-223-4593 genetemp@springgardenchurch.ca Greg Kay, Worship and Mission Pastor gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca Margaret Sutton, Pastoral Care/Seniors margaretsutton@springgardenchurch.ca Sam Lee, Pastor of Discipleship, samlee@springgardenchurch.ca Suzanna Lai, Church Office and Communications Manager suzanna@springgardenchurch.ca Jeremy Ranasinghe, Discpleship Ministries Assistant jeremy.ranasinghe@springgardenchurch.ca Samantha Steeles, Discipleship Ministries Intern samantha.steeles@springgardenchurch.ca
Ext. 222 Ext. 224 Ext. 226 Ext. 227 Ext. 221
Deacons Marion Cameron - Finance marion.cameron@sympatico.ca Adora Chui - Discipleship Ministries adora.chui@sgbc.ca Lesley Daniels - Mission and Worship lesley.daniels@sgbc.ca Mary Ellen Hopkins - Chair mehopkins@sympatico.ca Gonzalo Librado - Adult Ministries gonzalo.librado@sgbc.ca Peggy Moore - Membership, Property peggylouisemoore@gmail.com Esther Penner - Community Life esther.penner@sgbc.ca Doug Willson - Pastoral Care, Board Secretary 26 doug.willson191@gmail.com
Darlene Boyd darlene.boyd@gmail.com Cindie Chaise cchaise@yahoo.ca Cheryl Chapman cheryl.chapman@live.ca Joanna James jo.april.james@gmail.com Barrie Porter barriep91@gmail.com Corinne Sutton-Smith blestfoods@aol.com
416.385.2483 416.738.0530 416.222.6963 647.928.0862 416.829.4210 647.704.7710
Spring Garden Church 112 Spring Garden Ave. Toronto ON M2N3G3
T 416.223.4593 F 416.223.6126 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca
Prayer Line 416.223.4038
416.491.8542 905.962.3897 416.806.5373 905.731.0492 416.229.2695 416.225.2406 416.227.1840 416.221.0450 27
Community Corner
2017 SGC Community Directory
Life around Spring Garden
2017 Summer Day Camp, July 24-July 28 Registration is live! Register on our website www.springgardenchurch.ca Our theme for this summer's day camp is Creation & Care. We believe that God the creator has given us a responsibility to be good stewards of the world that He has given us and that the work of Jesus on the cross is the restoration of not just who we are but rather all of creation. Our hope at this camp is to see our children grow in their knowledge of God through the world that God has created. In partnership with Youth Unlimited, we will be offering a week-long day camp. You will have the option of choosing either a half-day or a full-day camp. Hurry and register before it's full!
2017 SGC Community Directory will be available in the month of April. An announcement will be made when the booklets are ready for pick up. Thank you to all who submitted and updated your contact information.
A Message From the Community Life Deacon To Spring Gardeners with Severe Food Allergies: Please note that if you or your children have food allergies, we cannot guarantee that snacks and meals shared at Spring Garden are completely free of allergens or contamination. While we do our best to have a safe environment, please use your own discretion when eating. Thank you! Esther Penner, Community Life Deacon
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Spring Garden Group Camping Trip - FULL
Messianic Passover Sedar http://www.chosenpeople.ca
Jesus’s last supper was a Passover Sedar before the ordeal that lead up to his crucifixtion. It is a great experience if you have not tried it. It meshing the Jewish ceremony of Passover with the Christian story of Easter.
The group camping trip to Pinery Provincial Park July 1416 is now FULL. If you'd like to join, please contact Sam Lee: samlee@springgardenchurch.ca to be put on a wait list. Thank you.
2017 Annual Report Submission Due May 7th All ministry leaders please submit your 2016 annual report with photos (covering from April 2016 to April 2017) by May 7th. Please email to suzanna@ springgardenchurch.ca. Thank you.
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When: April 13, 2017 7:00pm Where: 3710 Chesswood Dr - The Montecassino Hotel & Event Space (north of Sheppard, near Sheppard Ave and Allen Rd. ) How: Call 416-250-0177 Chosen People Ministries and reserve your ticket. Cost: $35.00 per person, $100 for a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 kid) for a full dinner and the experience There is room for 150 so book soon if you are interested If you have any question you can contact Beverly - 416-809-8046
CBOQ Assembly 2017 CBOQ Assembly 2017 is taking place on June 8-10. We already have the appointed delegate spots filled. However, all are welcome to register and join the assembly as attendees. For more information, please visit http://baptist.ca/assembly/
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Jen Chrystman is coming back!
will eat together before getting to work @12.
Jen Chrystman, our long term missionary to the Philippines, is returning to Toronto for her last home assignment starting July 2017. Please pray for her transition back to Toronto. As she prepares for her resettlement, she is seeking the use of a vehicle, less than 15 years of age. Here is what she requested:
2) Sign up to bring food! We have sign up lists of what items we need for the care packages to be delivered to the church building by Wed April 5th. You may also email gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca to sign up (please be specific about which items and what quantity).
"Attractive missionary seeks to purchase a small to medium sized car (standard or automatic), for urban adventures and road trips. Interested vehicles may contact Jen Chrystman directly (jenchrystman313@hotmail.com) or consult with a pastoral staff member for personality compatibility info. Availability in mid-July is preferable, so we can start our road trips and commuting karaoke."
Easter Meals for Exoffenders Sunday April 9th Once again we will be Showing God's Care by making meal care packages for exoffenders through our partnership with the Mennonite Central Committee's "Circles of Care". There are three main ways you can be involved. 1) Join us Sunday April 9th following our morning worship as we prepare lasagnas, brownies, soup-in-a-jar and Easter cards to be delivered in time for Easter weekend. Please bring a bag lunch as we 32
3) Prayer: The men we are caring for face many challenges as they work to remain healthy members of society and need our prayer as well as our care.
Memorial Lilies Sign Up We will once again be decorating our worship hall with lilies on Easter Sunday April 16th. If you would like to purchase lilies in memory of a loved one, and have them displayed on Easter Sunday (you can bring your flowers home after worship), please sign up in the west lounge along with cash payment of $10 each. Sign up ends on Sunday April 9th.
Good Friday Walk for Justice Friday, April 14 at 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Church of the Holy Trinity 19 Trinity Square, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1B1 33
What’s Happening
Easter Community Continental Lunch On Easter Sunday, please join us for a community lunch in the multipurpose room after the worship gathering. It will be a simple continental potluck meal. The church will provide juice, coffee, tea and spreads. We are asking everyone else to bring one of the following: a package of bagels some pastries a package of yogurt some fruit If you can help with set up and clean up, please contact Esther Penner: esther.penner@sgbc.ca
Life in Spring Garden
Weekly Tuesdays 2:00 pm - Pastoral Team Meeting in Meeting Room Wednesdays 10:00 - 11:30am - Refresh Women’s Group in West Lounge (childcare provided) 7:00 - 8:30pm - ESL Cafe in East Lounge Thursdays 12:00pm - 2:00pm - Adult Bible Class in the East Lounge Sundays 9:00am - 10:00am - Morning Bible Study in Meeting Room 9:00am - 10:am - ESL Bible Study in Basement Hallway 10:00am - 11:30am - Sunday Morning Worship (communion on the first Sunday of the month) If you would like to receive a weekly email update on what’s happening in Spring Garden, please visit the SGC website (www.springgardenchurch.ca) and add your email at the bottom of our home page to subscribe to our weekly update
This Month Easter Celebration Dates
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Sunday April 9 - 10:00am: Palm Sunday Intergenerational Worship - 12:00pm: Prepare Easter meals for Ex-offenders (pg 32) Friday April 14 - 10:00am: Good Friday Worship with Communion (childcare for nursery to grade 5 provided) Sunday April 16 - 6:00am: Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion - 10:00am: Easter Sunday Worship - 11:30am: Easter Community Continental Lunch (pg 34) Sunday April 23 - 12:00 pm: Good Seed Sunday community clean up (pg 15) 35
Our Values We believe in a humble God who came not to be served, but to serve. Therefore we engage in sacrificial and active service to those around us. We strive to be good stewards of God’s gifts and talents by serving one another in humility. We aspire to regard others as higher than ourselves, which liberates us to creatively take risks in serving others for God’s glory. We believe in a God of grace who came to save the world, not to condemn it. Therefore, as we are continuously receiving the gift of God’s grace, we seek to grow in that grace and extend it to others. We strive to define ourselves by what we are for, not what we are against. We believe in a God who knows us, and who desires to be known. Therefore we embrace a journey of faith that requires us to constantly strive for a personal, intimate and transformative knowledge of God. We strive to be led by God’s Spirit in supporting and encouraging one another in working out our faith. We believe in a creative God. Therefore we are open to expressing our faith in new and creative ways that reflect the beauty and complexity of our creator. We are called to use our creative gifts in worship and service as we engage with our world. We take joy in the diversity of gifts that allow us to delight God and participate in His ongoing story. We believe in a triune, relational God who calls us to come together as a diverse community of believers. Therefore, we want to walk together, supporting one another physically, emotionally and spiritually. We strive to be a welcoming, inclusive family that goes through the joys and the trials of life together, acknowledging that God uses this community to deepen and mature our faith. We believe in a God who loves this broken world and wants to reconcile us to Himself. Therefore we are commissioned by Christ to go out into the world, meeting the holistic needs of the local and global community. God calls us to participate in a redemptive work that he has already initiated; in humility, we will partner with others to work alongside and chase after Him. We believe in a God who is our center. Therefore where we are on the journey is less important than that we are moving towards a deeper relationship with Christ. We believe and participate in God’s redemptive work in all people, which gives us the freedom to come as we are, and to accept others as they are. We each are on a unique journey to become who God has created us to be. 36