Delve An
Of
Intersection
Faith
And Life
July/August 2015
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Features Musings: Learning to Disagree Agreeably 3 Studying the Bible: To King James or not to King James? 7 Groups of Hope 10 Summer Art @SGC 18 Pray for our Vocational Missionaries 22 Prayer Wall 26 Departments Resource Centre 12 Discipleship Ministries 20 Information Career Guidance Sessions: Interviews and Success 16 Contact Information 28 Community Corner 29 Calendar 30 Contributors: Anne Barron Karen Cassel Marion Goertz Faith Holwyn Zane William Janzen Suzanna Lai Caroline Lee Sam Lee Jane McClean Ben Reynolds Copy Editors: Greg Kay Suzanna Lai Gene Tempelmeyer
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Delve submissions are due on the LAST MONDAY of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, please email: delve@springgardenchurch.ca
Musings: Learning to Disagree Agreeably “…No one can tame the tongue… With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we blight people who are made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and blight. My brothers and sisters, things should not be this way.” (James 3:8-10, GKT version) I once led a church that had a legendary history of bad business meetings. The worst spilled out onto the church lawn where several matrons of the church were seen holding their husbands back from fisticuffs. (No, I’m not making this up.) This was before my time, but remained infamous in the neighbourhood. The Church constitution subsequently made the pastor moderator of all congregational meetings, and it was an adventure in teaching 3
people how to conduct Church business as if we took the teaching of Jesus seriously. I am writing this a week after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favour of same-sex marriage. Watching and listening to people on both sides of this debate makes me think pastors across North America need to be thinking and teaching about how to disagree with one another as if the image of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit and the salvation of Christ actually dwell within the person with whom we disagree. The first people to whom pastors and other Christian leaders seem to need to teach this is ourselves. Protestant Christians have inherited a special history of intense theological clarification. The movement began with people in different parts of Europe protesting the doctrine and practise of the Roman Catholic Church. But they did not protest with a united voice; they were equally active protesting each other. It did not take long until others began protesting the doctrine and practise of Luther, Calvin, the Church of England and other early reformers, giving birth to a whole new set of denominations. Which in turn were protested. Breaking fellowship with those who do not hold our theology or pattern of church life is embedded in our history. It should not come as a surprise that Christian people have intense disagreement. When we talk about the life of the church and the meaning of the Bible we are talking about things of ultimate significance. I would not want followers of Jesus to lack passion in our convictions. But I equally would not want followers of Jesus to lack Jesus in their passionate convictions. In my experience, if we want our position to prevail in a church, the easiest way to accomplish this is to get a little nasty. We want to be kind. We want to keep fellowship with each other. We will generally bend over backwards to keep whoever is threatening to pick up their marbles and go home. This leaves conflicts unresolved and simmering on the church’s back burner. 4
Sometimes married couples need to learn how to have a fair argument. So do churches. While I have seen and heard of some wild church meetings, I have also encountered wonderful Christian people who are able to express themselves without fracturing the Body of Christ in the process. Some are people here at Spring Garden who have disagreed with me so graciously I have come away humbled and inspired by their wise and loving handling of disagreement. Here are some of the lessons these gracious Christians have taught me: • “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.” In the heat of debate self-control is the key that allows all the other fruit to sweeten the conversation; and lack of self-control prevents the other fruit from blooming and growing. • So everyone may feel safe to express themselves, keep the focus on ideas and principles, not personalities. We will never bring anyone to our point of view if they feel attacked by us. • Turn on the air-conditioning. If a conversation is getting heated, cool it down by lowering your voice and slowing down your words. Ask questions and let the anger burn out. If we feel ourselves growing angry, that is the time we need to pray for self-control. • Don’t defeat a stereotype. It’s easier to minimise the reason people hold a different point of view, or to assume less than honourable motivations. If people didn’t have reasons to think what they think, they wouldn’t think it. • On a related note, don’t disagree before you understand. The only way I can be sure I understand what you are saying is to be able to make your case in such a way that you are able to say, “Yes, that is a fair representation of what I think.” If we do that work, quite often the process of seeing from the 5
other’s point of view causes us to rethink our own point of view. • Identify the real issue. What we are arguing about is not always what we are arguing about. Sometimes people oppose a suggestion because they are concerned about something else they don’t see happening. Sometimes people are contrary because they are feeling marginalized and in need of care. • Talk to people, not about them. • Avoid “factions” which Paul identifies as fruit of the flesh, not the Spirit. Factions divide the church into “us” and “them.” Factions see the issue as black and white when there is almost always some shade of grey. • Pray, pray, pray. Know that God can protect the church without your help. Pray to be in step with the Holy Spirit. Pray for God to be at work in the lives of people with whom you disagree. Pray for clarity. Pray for love. Being of one heart and mind does not require us to never disagree. Growth and fresh insight do not come without disagreement and honest wrestling with the truth. Being of one heart and mind means sharing a common love for God that instructs us we are one body in Christ, each needing the other parts, and giving special honour to those we have the most difficult honouring. How would the city change if all the GTA’s followers of Jesus were known by their love? Gene Tempelmeyer
Studying the Bible: To King James or not to King James? Whether ‘To King James or not to King James?’ has been ‘the question’ for us, it has been and continues to be a question in some sections of the English-speaking church. When Eugene Petersen gave a lecture at Tyndale University College a few years ago, there were picketers outside protesting Petersen and The Message because the word ‘Lord’ is not found in The Message. If we follow this group’s logic, Petersen does not believe Jesus is Lord because he did not use the word in his paraphrase. These protesters belonged to a group of people sometimes referred to as King James Version (KJV) only. In other words, they argue that the only translation we should use is the KJV. Now for some of us who have used other Bible translations, KJV only arguments do not seem to carry much weight. The joke ‘Well, if the KJV was good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me’ unfortunately does characterize some of the sentiment of KJV only groups. On the other hand, from 1611 until the 1960s and 1970s, the KJV was the English translation. Even for those, like myself, who grew up in the 1980s, the KJV was still used quite often in English-speaking churches, in children’s Sunday School curriculum, and in Bible memorization. It has only been in the intervening decades with the rise of the NIV (1984) and other more recent translations that the 400 year preeminence of the KJV among English translations has waned. The value or lack of value for the KJV may be summed up in
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two points, which I will address briefly. First, the KJV has done more to shape the English language than any other text. (Shakespeare’s writings come in second.) The KJV is a beautiful example of Elizabethan (late 16th century) English, even though 90% of the KJV New Testament is taken directly from William Tyndale’s 1526 English translation (revised 1534). Certain phrases from the KJV still roll off the tongue: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want’, ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider its ways and be wise’, ‘No man can serve two masters’, and ‘And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.’ Tyndale and the KJV translators are responsible for the most monumental translation project of the English language, and their work as read in the KJV has profoundly made English what it is today. The second point addresses the primary drawback of the KJV. In the years since the translation of the KJV (1611), many Greek and Hebrew manuscripts have been discovered that are much older and more reliable than those used to translate the KJV. The ‘Grand Tours’ of the 1800s that included Greece and the Middle East led to the ‘discovery’ of many manuscripts previously unknown, including the oldest complete Bible, the 4th century Codex Sinaiticus found in Monastery of St. Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai. Not to mention the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls beginning in 1947 which include the oldest known text of some of the Old Testament. These manuscripts are 900 years older than those that were known before. To keep this brief (please feel free to ask me if you would like more details), the Greek texts of the NT that the KJV was translated from are no longer the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. In some instances, manuscripts hundreds of years older and closer to the original have been found. As a result, you may hear people say, ‘The new translations cut verses out of the KJV!’ Some examples of these ‘missing’ verses include John 5:4 and Acts 8:37 (other examples include 1 John 5:7–8; Mark 16:9–20; and John 7:53–8:11). For example, compare Acts 8:37 in the KJV and the ESV. 8
KJV Acts 8:36–38 reads: 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. ESV Acts 8:36–38 reads: 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. The reality is not that 8:37 is ‘missing’ from the ESV; rather, this verse was added into the Greek manuscripts and was not part of the original text. In this instance, the addition of Acts 8:37 introduces the importance of belief at baptism as well as what was likely an early Christian baptismal confession: ‘I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God’. This addition and others like them took place sometime in the transmission history after the oldest manuscripts that we have but before the manuscripts used to translate the KJV. So, ‘To KJV or not to KJV?’ The language of the KJV, its prose and poetry, is beautiful, but in a number of instances the KJV translates verses that were not originally in the Bible. Most of the time, these added verses are explanatory from either a practical or theological perspective (as with Acts 8:37 and also John 5:4), but translations from the 20th and 21st centuries have been translated from the most reliable manuscripts available to us. We should be aware that there are difficulties with the underlying textual tradition of the KJV, but we can and should enjoy the KJV for the beauty and majesty of its language. Ben Reynolds 9
Groups of Hope Being surrounded by family and love is so important on our journeys through life. You have given me a sense of family and your love and prayers have meant so much. I am in a period of transition and wanted to share that with you. For the past 13 years I have been the mentor of the Groups of Hope Program both internationally and in Canada. For ten years I have been connected with Canadian Baptist Ministries who have provided the structure for taking the program to Bolivia, India and Kenya and to many Baptist churches across Canada. This year I knew God was directing me to turn the program within CBM over to someone else who was younger and able to travel more than I feel I want to. I am not saying that I didn’t struggle with questions like: “But she won’t do it like I did”. Over the past few months God has answered me with “Of course she won’t - but remember the number of times you said the program belonged to God, not to you?” I have a deep sense of peace that this is what God is leading me to do and Brenda Halk, whose role is to support women’s ministry around the world with CBM, will do a great job of mentoring and sharing the program. So...as of August 31st I will be finished my time in CBM. You may remember that in April and May I led sessions of the new series of eight called ‘Hearing God’s call to a closer relationship’, here at Spring. Around 25 people took part and I got good feedback as I prepare to publish the Handbook for the new series by the end of August.
Once again, thanks for being a church family and friends who continually enrich my life and help me to grow....Blessings and love. Faith Holwyn
So...what is next? I am free to share the Groups of Hope with First Nation people and also as God leads to accept invitations from mission organizations outside of CBM. My close friend Ruth is much more frail and my role as companion and Case Manager has expanded, so having more time for that ministry is important to me. 10
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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
Books
Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life, by Sarah Jakes
Giving Church Another Chance: Finding New Meaning in Spiritual Practices, by Todd Hunter and Scott McKnight
Like every girl, Sarah Jakes dreamed of a life full of love, laughter, and happy endings. But her dreams changed dramatically when she became pregnant at age thirteen, a reality only compounded by the fact that her father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was one of the most influential megachurch pastors in the nation. As a teen mom and a high-profile preacher’s kid, her road was lonely. She was shunned at school, gossiped about at church. And a few years later, when a fairy-tale marriage ended in a spiral of hurt and rejection, she could have let her pain dictate her future. Instead, she found herself surrounded by a God she’d given up on, crashing headlong with Him into a destiny she’d never dreamed of. Sarah’s captivating story, unflinchingly honest and deeply vulnerable, is a vivid reminder that God can turn even the deepest pain into His perfection.
Everybody wants to be spiritual. But nobody wants to be religious. Everybody is looking for a rich spiritual life. But nobody is looking to church. As a pastor, Todd Hunter found himself disillusioned, burned out and needing to drop out of traditional forms of church. He experimented with house churches and other options but was still dissatisfied. Eventually he found himself sneaking off to worship services on Sunday mornings with surprising results. What did the historic spiritual practices of church do for him? How did they lead to a life of centered peace, chart a path to simplicity and cause him to reach out to others while focusing on the glory of God? Walk with Hunter on this journey to find spiritual riches in a surprising place. You might just give church another chance. 12
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How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird, by Amy Lively Lively takes “love thy neighbor” in a literal sense in her book. She provides practical and simple ways of how to reach those in our neighborhoods. This is not a lose interpretation of the word “neighbor” but those who actually live within our proximity. She shares her testimony of how she came to a saving knowledge of Christ, and how she realizes that Christ commanded every Christian to love their neighbors. Lively barely knew her neighbors even though she had lived in her neighborhood for several years, and the Lord convicted her in this area. She faced the fear of being viewed as weird, and admits that she would “rather go to Africa than across the street” for the Gospel.
SHHHH!! Miriam, the Baby and the Secret Basket Boat
God’s Little Devotional Book for Kids
FOR YOUNG READERS Yummm!! Elijah, the Boy and the Amazing Famine Feast
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Career Guidance: Interviews and Success July 11@Spring Garden Church, West (main) Lounge OR Saturday September 12 10:30-12:00-Part 1 1:00-2:30-Part 2 (optional) Creating a great resume is just the first step, next comes the interview. For many this can be a confusing and intimidating process. This two part interactive session lead by run by Derek Smith, an Employment Consultant by profession, will explore what an interview really is and how to prepare for one. We will look at what different types of interviews there are and how you can present yourself with confidence and clarity. The first 90 minute session will explore the components of the interview and the second (optional) 60-90 minute session will give you the chance for practice by conducting mock interviews. Please bring a job advertisement of interest with you. To attend, please RSVP to events@springgardenchurch.ca with “interviews� in the subject line. 16
creature camoflauge! by Caroline Lee 17
During the months of July, August and September we will have a new display of original Spring Gardener art in the main lounge. We are so fortunate to have so many artists in our community! If you are an artist and would like to share your gift with the community, please let me know (gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca). We will also be displaying a few pieces of art on loan to us. Call to artists! This fall we are looking for artwork that reflects the themes and ideas of the series we will be journeying through during Sunday morning worship gatherings. Visual art work will be displayed in the lounge through the series; performance pieces will be included in worship where possible. We define art more broadly than the “fine art” of painting, sculpture, etc. Poetry, photography, digital art, song writing, scrap booking—the possibilities are as wide as your imagination. Please note the following guidelines:
photo by Zane William Janzen
Summer Art @SGC
• We are looking for work created specifically to explore this theme. • Visual artwork needs to be appropriate for display in the lounge and performance art for the context of communal worship. • Greg Kay, Gene Tempelmeyer and/or the Creative Team will determine whether or not a submission is appropriate in theme and content. • Visual art needs to be ready for display by September 22, 2015. If you are interested in possibly creating something, please contact Greg Kay (gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca) for more information.
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Discipleship Ministries - Partnering with Families (Summer Edition) Children’s Ministry Sunday Morning Schedule Nursery & Toddlers We will continue to provide Nursery and Toddlers Classes.
Youth Ministry Sunday Morning Schedule We will continue to provide a bible study class in the summer and will be going through the book of James together. There will be no bible study during the following 4 Sundays when youth are encouraged to stay in worship or to help serve in our children’s programming. July 19, 26, August 2, August 9.
Children from PreKGrade 6 will be part of our summer rotational schedule that consists of Science Experiments, Games, Crafts & Snacks. The children will need to be checked in by the Youth Lounge for drop off and pick up.
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Pray for our Vocational Missionaries this summer As we gather and scatter over the summer months, please remember our vocational missionaries in prayer. For some, summer is a time when their ministry kicks into high gear, for others it is a chance to rest, reflect and renew, and still others see the summer as continuing the kingdom work they do each day. Faith: I am heading to South Africa to the Baptist Women’s Leadership Conference July 8-22nd. I will be leading two 90 minute workshops on Sunday afternoon the 19th of July for 150-200 women. Please pray for safety in travel and God’s presence as a team of four women that I am part of take the Groups of Hope to two communities in one of the poorest townships in South Africa, as well as lead a workshop for leaders in Ignite Africa who will use the program in ministry. Pray for Becki Lee who will be helping host our women’s World Cup soccer tour in Saskatoon, as well as traveling to Toronto to lead an Athletes in Action Pan Am games outreach project. Please pray for the details to come together and God to work in and through these summer projects/teams. John Wilkinson: Prayers would be appreciated for my ongoing coaching work with new EDs, the researching on ‘succession planning’, and the shepherding of the YU central services team here in Toronto throughout the summer months. 22
Over this summer, Scott will be part of a team implementing a new way of measuring impact among those Youth Unlimited serves. Please pray for wisdom, insight and grace in this learning journey! From the Fairbanks Family: Tamara is on an internship in Mongolia where she will be teaching English. Hannah is in Portugal at a cousin’s wedding then off to Germany for an internship. Dalia and Ron (July 20-31) will be helping with Mission Prep, a pre field training program for missionaries from many different mission organizations going to serve in places around the world. Pray for Emily and her family as they connect with family and friends in Saskatchewan. Emily is on maternity leave. Pray for quality family time and the long drive as a family of 4. Having kids seems to have opened new levels to be able to connect with people so pray for the Lord to use our kids and family situation to continue to connect us in community around us and to use our whole family for the purpose to further His Kingdom. Revolution(s): Please pray for our Learn2-Ride camp in July. Pray that we can connect with new and returning campers in a deep and meaningful way. Pray for our summer staff, that they will have a chance to use the gifts God has given them as they help run the camp. Clem and Jesse 23
From the Philippines Jen writes: Pray for continued healing of my shoulder – range of motion and freedom from pain. For the Mangyan voice actors who need to be away from their tribal villages for the audio recording for the next six weeks. For me to have wisdom in hiring the right people to handle design, construction jobs and facility upgrades that need to be done as the rainy season approaches. It would be great if the plans are finalized as the recordings are completed. Please pray for Monica and the LAUNCH team as they help train LITs (Leaders In Training) at Camp Mini-Yo-We at the end of July and start of August. Please pray for safe travels, a great connection with the youth, and that the Lord would use the training for His Kingdom and Glory. August 10-12 Monica is leading the LAUNCH Team’s strategic retreat where they hope to encourage one another, seek the Lord’s direction for the program, and make strategic decisions. Please pray for protection for the families, and for the team, for wisdom and insight and for good team bonding. From Scotland John asks: That we would really be able to rest in God. Having 3 children makes home time often busier than work and time with God is harder to carve out. Release of provision. We have monies promised that are being held up by red tape and bills that don’t want to wait. Please continue to pray for Kevin and Joyce, Clem, Jesse, Monica, Grace, Emily, Becki, John, Jen, Ron and Dalia, John, Anne, Kathy, Faith, Tim and Scott this summer. Thank you – Anne Barron, Jane McClean, Marion Goertz (Vocational Missionary Care Team). 24
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Prayer Wall This summer we will be unveiling a new resource for worship and prayer in our community: a prayer wall! Found in the entryway area at the back of the worship area (to some it’s known as the Narthex), this will be a place where we can share our praises, prayer requests, thanksgivings, pictures and words from God with the community. It is our prayer that this will be a space where personal and communal acts of worship and prayer can converge in a way that gives support, encouragement and opportunities for celebration with one another as we seek to deepen our love of God and one another, and to share God’s story and show God’s care, all for the glory of God. (Not to mention the fact that we had a blast building it!) Once the wall is ready we will have an opportunity to commission and christen this space together during prayer stations one Sunday morning, so stay tuned! The Creative Team (Erin Bonney, Jennifer Moore, Colin Chapman and Greg Kay)
Let’s Play Scrabble Spring Garden Scrabble Group (SGSG) Several years ago a Spring Garden Scrabble Group met monthly for scrabble, a pot luck dinner and more scrabble! It was a great success. Due to changes in my life (selling my house and moving my practice), I couldn’t continue organizing it. We’ve had great intentions to regenerate it. Now is the time! Starting the third Saturday of each month, beginning around 2:30 in the afternoon, we again will be playing scrabble, this time at Spring Garden Church in the west lounge. Everyone is invited. Bring yourselves, your friends and your school age kids if they play scrabble. We don’t have child care so you would be responsible for monitoring them and their play and their table. Bring some munchies, something to drink and something to share with others for a pot luck dinner. If we end up with all deserts or salads, that’s what God intended us to have. It never happened before and we had quite an assortment of food. This is for fun. There are all different levels… the experts, down to those of us that still can’t spell and our favorite word is “the” or “is”. We play scrabble, break for dinner and play more scrabble We had great fun, I usually had to kick the ‘aficionado’s” out at 11pm. Some of us played a few games, had great conversation with others and enjoyed the food. Again everyone is welcome! We will begin at 2:30pm and lights out and doors locked at 10pm! Come with a board for all of it or some of it. We have services the next am. Or you can stay all nite, play, sleep under the pew and be ready to sing at 10am! 1st Group Saturday August 15, 2015 2:30 – 10pm Spring Garden Church Bring: Friends, Food, Board if you have one, Sense of Humor, And Fellowship! Patti Perry Questions, comments, concerns, pattiperry@rogers.com
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Community Corner
Leadership at Spring Garden
Life around Spring Garden
Pastoral Team Gene Tempelmeyer, Pastor 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, Youth Intern jeremy.ranasinghe@springgardenchurch.ca Nazli Bashiri, Children’s Intern nazli.bashiri@springgardenchurch.ca
2015 Annual Report Ext. 222 Ext. 224 Ext. 226 Ext. 227 Ext. 221
The 2015 Annual Report is now available online at www. springgardenchurch.ca with both an online version and a downloadable PDF version. We encourage everyone to access the report electronically. There are limited hard copies available at church. If you wish to keep a hard copy, please take one from the back of the worship area. Special thanks to Tiago Roffe for designing the report for us.
Deacons Anne Barron - Missions Marion Cameron - Worship Mary Ellen Hopkins - Finance Koon Wah Leung - Discpleship Ministries Gonzalo Librado Mike Penner - Community Life/Board Secretary Derek Prinsloo - Chair Judy Tranter - Pastoral Care Jim Turner - Property
416.724.9329 416.491.8542 905.731.0492 416.225.7092 416.229.2695 416.227.1840 647.349.4610 416.229.0494 416.512.1360
Elders Garth Barron Darlene Boyd Cindie Chaise Jennifer Moore Barrie Porter Corinne Sutton-Smith
416.724.9329 416.385.2483 647.345.2476 416.786.8727 416.829.4210 416.615.1763
Spring Garden Church T 416.223.4593 112 Spring Garden Ave. F 416.223.6126 Toronto ON M2N3G3 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca
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Prayer Line 416.223.4038
“Thank you Spring Garden Church for your prayers and support during our mother’s illness and recent passing. Prayers now and over the last several years, enabled our parents to live out their lives in their home of over 50 years. Your prayers during our father’s passing in February were also greatly appreciated. Despite doctor’s opinions and assessments, we were reminded of a phrase in a Bruce Cockburn song, “so the fortune teller said you wouldn’t end up with me, last I heard only God gets to say what has to be.” Special thanks to Margaret Irwin and Margaret Sutton, for your help, support, cards and prayers during this time.” Raymond and Adelina Radkowski. 29
What’s Happening Life in Spring Garden
Weekly Tyndale University is hosting a Sports Camp run by Scripture Union Canada July 27-31, 2015 at the new Tyndale campus. Campers will learn sports skills and be taught Bible stories and verses.
Tuesdays
Ages: 6-12 When: 9am-3pm, July 27-31, 2015 Location: 3377 Bayview Avenue, Toronto Cost: $110
Wednesdays
2:00 pm - Pastoral Team meeting
9:45 am - Refresh Women’s Bible Study (meet through the summer in the park)
Register here: http://scriptureunion.ca/tyndale Sundays
Seniors Circle Smart Aging This is an unique program that is designed to engage seniors that are challenged with LD and memory difficulties. Our goal is to provide our seniors with a website where their voice, interests, current issues and cultures will reach other persons with LD and other seniors that are isolated within their community. Weekdays: Monday to Thursday except Holidays
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship (communion on the first Sunday of the month) - Young Adult Life Group (alternate Sundays) 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
Time: 12:30pm – 3:00pm Location: 121 Willowdale Ave, Suite 203, Toronto, ON M2N 6A3 (Just East of Yonge, North of Sheppard)
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To Register Please Contact: Charlotte Jones Email: cajones@ldatd.on.ca Phone: 416.229.1680
This Month Saturday July 11th - Career Guidance: Interviews and Success - 10:30am (pg. 16) Thursday July 23rd - The Dale: Through the Lens Photography Exhibit (pg. 25)
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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. 32