June 2021
Quick Calendar WEEKLY Sun
10am Sunday Worship Online
pg 23
Spring Kids discipleship after the Children's Blessing
11:30 Virtual Coffee Time - Online
Tue 10am-12pm Pastoral Team Meeting Wed 10am Refresh, Women's Group Thur 8:30pm Evening Prayers - Online
pg 23 pg 23 pg 23 pg 23
UPCOMING June 9
YOUTH Jr High Girls Life Group
June 11
YOUTH Sr High Girls and all Guys Life Group pg 19
June 16
KIDS: Kids Online Hangout
pg 18
June 18
YOUTH Mafia/Werewolf Night pt2
pg 19
June 20
SGC Annual General Meeting
pg 15
June 26
YOUTH: Year End Party
pg 19
June 29
Missions Night
pg 16
pg 19
See more on the last pages or on our Events page at www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.
Delve submissions are due June 23th. Delve submissions are due on the MONDAY before the LAST Sunday of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, e-mail: delve@springgardenchurch.ca
Features What St. Patrick Can Teach Us About Missional Discipleship 3 Loving Our Neighbours 6 NEW SERIES 10 Vocational Missionary Update Becki Lee @ AIA 11
Community Corner SGC AGM 15 MISSIONS NIGHT 16 Refugee Fund 16
Discipleship Ministries
Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering 17 Spring Kids 17 | Spring Youth 19 | Youth Events 19
More Info How to Give 21 Leadership Directory 21-22 Weekly Calendar 23 Upcoming Calendar 24
Our Values
(back page)
Design, Cover & Editor: Dale Forder Contributors: Abby Davidson Kaitlyn Ranasinghe Becki Lee Jeremy Ranasinghe Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel
What St. Patrick Can Teach Us About Missional Discipleship by Abby Davidson
As I adjust to my new role and continue to get to know the community in and around Spring Garden, one question that often comes up is What is missional discipleship? It’s a good question and so I thought I would explain it with a little help from the patron saint of Ireland. You’ve probably heard of St. Patrick. Most of us associate him with March 17th, shamrocks and green beer, but there is much more to his life and story. Patrick was born in Britain and kidnapped by pirates at the age of 16. They took him to Ireland where he was sold as a slave and forced to work manual labour for the next 6 years. One day he had a vision that a ship had come for him and he was to go home. Believing this vision to be true, he fled to the nearest port where he got on a ship and sailed home. Upon his return home, now a young man in his midtwenties, Patrick began to study Christianity. After a few years of studying, he had another vision in which a letter was given to him entitled “The Voice of the Irish”. As he read this letter, he heard voices crying out saying “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us”. Responding to this vision, Patrick decided to return to the people who had enslaved him to share to 3
the message of the gospel with them. Patrick’s brand of mission was different than the dominant Roman model that existed at the time. The Roman model had a top-down approach. They told people how to be disciples; how to act, what to wear and who to go to, experience God. Patrick was different though. He had spent years as a slave among the people he was called to serve. He came with no power or influence. He learned their language, culture and religions. After 6 years with them, he knew their customs and their beliefs. Patrick didn’t try to bring Roman Christianity but instead sought to explain the gospel through symbols and stories that were familiar to the Irish people. For example, the Shamrock, a weed that is native to Ireland, was used to explain the Trinity. It is said that Patrick baptised thousands of people and because of his leadership and those who came after him, Christianity became the dominant religion in Ireland. Patrick offers us a good example of missional discipleship. The Greek word for mission means to be sent out. The term disciple means to follow in the Way of Christ as an apprentice. It requires knowing Jesus and living as he lived. There is a personal element to discipleship but if it’s only about our spiritual growth than we’re missing the fullness of what Christ has to offer. When we add mission to discipleship, it gives it a communal element. Missional Discipleship then refers to discipleship that flows outward. Our mandate comes from Matthew 28:1920 when Jesus tells his disciples "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you"... and from John 20:21 when Jesus says "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." As Jesus sent people out, he never sent anyone alone. His disciples went in pairs or in groups. We are all on this journey of following 4
Christ together and we are learning both from and with each other. Missional discipleship is about redemptive engagement by a community of Jesus followers with the surrounding culture. Culture doesn’t just refer to ethnic culture, but also to the community, generational and social cultures that exist. It’s why expressions of Christianity in Toronto may look very different than expressions of Christianity in Kuala Lumpur or in northern Quebec. Jesus always met people where they were and we are invited to do the same. When we enter into mission, we enter not with power or with influence, but as those who are ready to learn. We just celebrated Pentecost Sunday, the day when the Holy Spirit descended and gave the believers the ability to speak in other languages. There was a gathering of Jews from all different nations at the time, and each one was amazed to hear their own language being spoken by a bunch of Galileans. Pentecost reminds us that people need to hear the gospel in a language they know. Patrick was able to speak to the Irish with symbols and themes that were familiar to them because he had lived among them as an observer for so long. I love that in Patrick’s vision the people cried out to him to 'walk among them’. I’m guessing that most of us have done a lot of walking over the last year. It’s amazing how much you learn about your neighbourhood (and your neighbours!) while walking. You see more and notice different things than you would while driving. I know I’ve spent much more time talking with my neighbours this past year than ever before. Rather than just saying “hi and bye” as we’re all heading out to work, there is a lot more time for engagement, for conversation and sharing resources and learning about one another. Walking is a source of connection with those around us. As we think about missional discipleship and our own cultural engagement, a question to ask is who are we called to walk with? As you pray over this question, I’d love to hear your thoughts and help you figure out how to respond to God’s leading. What is missional discipleship? It’s following Jesus wherever he leads. It’s serving in community. It’s trusting that God knows who is ready to hear about his love and that He will direct our paths as we walk together. 5
Loving Our Neighbours by Kaitlyn Ranasinghe
Last spring, Jeremy and I were so excited to land a rental home with our friend, Brittni, in the nearby neighbourhood of Bayview Village. We love our neighbourhood and our proximity to the church and to so many in our church community. We are so blessed to be raising our son here. Many of us at Spring are lucky to be located in the beautiful neighbourhood of Willowdale. Surrounded by all of the amenities we could ever want in a safe, walkable, family friendly neighbourhood. It’s no secret that Willowdale can be considered, overall, a wealthy neighbourhood. Real estate prices are astronomical, and we are surrounded, for the most part, by wealth and privilege. Our neighbourhood is steeped in privilege. Folks who live here typically enjoy high incomes and appreciate the comfort of a sheltered area where we tend to be surrounded with others just like ourselves. A few months ago, a modular housing project was proposed to open in our neighbourhood, at 175 Cummer, just a few minutes from the church building. This project would offer affordable apartment housing to 64 individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness in the city. The apartment building will be built on an existing green space next to a retirement home – a small patch of grass with a few trees. To my disappointment this housing project immediately became the subject of great debate and community backlash. Immediately residents of Willowdale began to protest; attending town meetings and posting signs saying, “save our trees,” “protect our seniors,” and “stop the modular housing project.” Housing is a crisis in the city of Toronto, and across Canada for that matter, and I have seen first-hand how people suffer because housing is simply not available and is entirely unaffordable. I know many people who would benefit from the opportunity to live in a modular housing project like this one. To see a small, but important endeavour toward that solution in my own neighbourhood was so exciting for me, but the community outrage 6
broke my heart. Soon after these debates began, a friend shared a picture on the local community Facebook group. The picture was of her young children walking past the space where the project will be built, and she captioned it: “Our daily commute to school takes us right past 175 Cummer. This morning’s conversation: how can we together care for our vulnerable as much as we care for our trees?” I think this is a simply brilliant reflection. The majority of community outrage was that a few trees near a retirement home would be lost to the housing project. We care more for these trees than for the vulnerable people in our city. Why don’t we care for our vulnerable as much as we care for our trees? Take a moment to reflect on how you felt when you learned about the modular housing project, or to imagine that it was proposed to be built on a green space down the street from where you live; what were/are your immediate thoughts? Are you concerned about property values? Are you worried about the few trees in that space? Are you worried about your comfort or safety and the potential effect from those who were recently homeless moving into your community? Are you worried about substance use or crime? When we think about people experiencing homelessness, I think many of us are filled with pity: It’s too bad that people have to live like that. We may give to a local charity that helps the homeless and if we are really committed, we might serve in a soup kitchen or volunteer a few times throughout the year. But most of us stop there. Most of us like to keep our distance. We’ve been conditioned our entire lives to ignore, avoid, and look past homelessness. When we walk past someone asking for spare change or who looks like they may be experiencing homelessness, we tend to avert our gaze, quickly move to the other side of the street, and forget all about it once we have passed. We assume this person is unsafe, and determine that they are someone we want to be far from. 7
We say to ourselves, It’s too bad people have to live like that. Yet, we carry stereotypes and biases about these individuals that make us feel uncomfortable to be in proximity to such lives. What if we cared for our vulnerable as much as we cared for our trees? What if we loved our neighbours as if we were loving ourselves? Why is it that when we are faced with people who are in need, we can talk the talk – give a little money or share a fundraising campaign on social media – but when it comes time to walk the walk – to demonstrate unconditional love and care – we muster any number of reasons as to why it just won’t work? “I love the idea of housing the homeless, but just not here.” “Why don’t we move the project to the green space right off the highway where none of us live?” “What about moving the project to the neighbourhood 15 minutes from here? You know, the one that is a little less well-off, the one we avoid because it makes us uncomfortable?” We are happy to have sympathy for the vulnerable, for those experiencing homelessness, for those living with addictions, for those experiencing mental health challenges. But we do so from a place of comfort in our own lives and our own sense of security, well-being, and safety. Many of our neighbours do not want a modular housing project for those exiting homelessness because it interrupts their sense of security and well-being. And I think many of us, if facing the same situation, would feel similarly. We may claim that we are concerned about our trees, but I wonder if deepdown we are trying to protect our comfortable lives. I think we can often forget that those experiencing homelessness, those experiencing addictions, those with criminal records, and people with mental health concerns are as much our neighbour as the co-worker we don’t get along with, our in-laws, our child’s teacher, our friends, and our literal next-door neighbours. Each person living on the margins of society has a life, backstory, and circumstances that many of us could never imagine. They may be survivors of abuse, assault, or human trafficking. They may have been kicked out of their parent’s home at a young age. They may have developed an opiate addiction after a horrific accident that left them in the hospital. Or perhaps they developed a mental 8
health condition in their 20’s that is entirely out of their control. But in all honesty, these backstories, while important, shouldn’t be necessary. If we consider what Scripture teaches us, these individuals are people made in God’s image. His children are our neighbours, regardless of who they are, the circumstances they find themselves in, what they do, or where they live. So, what if we cared for our vulnerable – our neighbours – as much as we care for our trees? When I think about the people that Jesus viewed as his neighbours, the people that he surrounded himself with, spent his time with, entrusted his mission to – many of them are people that dominant society really wouldn’t have had time for. He entrusted a tax collector – the epitome of social outcast – as one of his disciples. He revealed his resurrection first to women, which a male dominant society viewed as insignificant. He surrounded himself with sinners, sex workers, adulterers, lepers, as well as with the “righteous.” He built bridges between the people that were marginalized by society and the seemingly important people who were of his day. When Jesus loved his neighbours, he ate with them, spent time with them, cared for them as his own family. He didn’t simply pity them, he welcomed them into his life; disrupting the sense of security that comes from being surrounded by people who are just like yourself. Jesus moved toward brokenness, not away from it; and we are called to do the same. What could it look like for us if we truly followed Jesus’ example? To confront our biases, assumptions, and harmful attitudes toward those who are different from us? To repent from being judgemental and looking down upon others? To ask the Spirit to change our judgemental attitudes and break our hearts where we have become apathetic and prone to self-preservation? To build bridges with the marginalized? To love those whom we find difficult to love? To stand up for those who our society pushes down? To disrupt our sense of comfort and security in the name of love? To listen to people’s experiences with empathy and understanding? To get to know those we find all too easy to avoid? To take time to be one with our neighbours – creating a reality that is no longer us-them, but simply us? 9
Whatever neighbourhood you call home, we are faced with the opportunity to recognize and love the vulnerable around us as our neighbours. In the same way Jesus did, wholeheartedly and without condition. So, what would it look like for Willowdale to welcome 64 individuals in desperate need of housing with open arms and without condition? How can we together care for our neighbours as much and more than we care for our trees?
OUR NEW WORSHIP SERIES THAT STARTING JUNE 6TH.
Marki ng Thi n Places
'Higher Love' by Gene Tempelmeyer Join us as we explore “thin places”, places or experiences where the distance between heaven and earth seems to collapse, and how remembering these transformative moments with God strengthens us in our faith. 10
VOCATIONAL MISSIONS UPDATE Here at Spring Garden we support several local missionaries. Each month we will be highlighting a different missionary so you can hear about how they are serving God. This month we hear from Becki Lee. Becki serves with Athletes in Action (AIA), a Christian sports ministry dedicated to developing the total athlete. You can learn more about AIA by speaking with Becki or by visiting the AIA website at www.athletesinaction.ca. Tell us about AIA and how long you have served with them. Athletes in Action (AIA) is the sports ministry of Power Change. Our mission is to help people know Christ and experience his power to change the world of sport. We do this at the grassroots level with kids camps and leagues, with university athletes, all the way up to the professional and elite/ Olympic level. I personally serve in the campus division, helping university athletes grow in their relationship with Jesus, find their identity in him, and see their sport community as their mission field. I have been on staff for fifteen years, having served at York University, University of Toronto, the University of Alberta, and the University of Saskatchewan. I also worked for a number of years as the director of Student Link, a national strategy that supports athletes in leading ministries on campuses without local staff. I am currently the campus director at the University of Guelph. How did you receive your call to serve as a missionary? I myself came to know Christ through my involvement with AIA as a university rugby player at McMaster so that is a significant part 11
of my journey towards vocational ministry with AIA. At the end of my university career, I met Monica Kay through an AIA summer project. It was her influence that led me to consider joining staff as an intern with AIA and serving alongside her at York University and the University of Toronto. God made it clear to me that he was in fact calling me to this work through a specific word he had spoken to about remaining in Toronto the fall before I joined staff. As I was praying about the calling to join staff later that year, he confirmed my calling by reminding me that he had previously told me to stay in Toronto. He revealed that his reason was that he wanted me to volunteer with Monica and Athletes in Action because he was in fact preparing me to serve as full time staff. Is there a book that helped prepare you for service? Irresistible Evangelism by Steve Sjogren, Dave Ping and Doug Polluck This is a great book that helps Christians view evangelism as a process and not an event. It offers lots of practical steps of how to connect with people in your life who don't yet know Christ. What does your ministry look like during a pandemic? Lots of Zoom and Google Hangouts and in the fall, meeting with athletes one-on-one on the patios of local coffee shops. This winter we ran an online Alpha in collaboration with a number of other campus Christian groups and it was great! We had a number of very new Christian athletes participate and it really helped them to gain a solid foundation in the faith and in Christian community. Although the pandemic has made ministry more difficult, it has been quite fruitful in terms of seeing our student leaders grow and take ownership, as well as many athletes coming to know Christ for the first time. What do you enjoy most about student ministry and what do you find most challenging? I LOVE sharing my faith, and mentoring athletes to grow in their relationships with God and share with others. I also really like the pastoral care aspect of leading my staff team. I find event planning and meetings a challenge. 12
How have you seen God moving?/What have you learned about God this year? Certainly in the four new athletes we have seen come to faith in Christ. That has been a real joy! I also feel like the Lord has shown me his faithfulness through the difficult months of lockdown after Christmas. It was a real struggle for me working at home on my own and living alone during that time. God sustained me through that painful and lonely time and helped me to make it through each day with his strength. It is good to be on the other side of that and it has made me more resilient and deepened my faith and trust in God through struggle and pain. What are some ways we can be praying for you? Please pray for our plans for next fall, we do not know exactly what sport and campus life will look like, so that is an area where we need guidance and wisdom. I would also appreciate prayer for good rest and renewal over the summer because it has been an intense and somewhat draining school year. Finally, we have graduated a significant number of athletes from our ministry at the university of Guelph and very few got involved this year while online, so connecting with new athletes is a priority going forward.
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Life in and around Spring Garden
Community Corner 15 15
SGC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGJ June 20th 11:30am Our Annual meeting will be held on Sunday June 20th at 11:30am through the online video conferencing platform Zoom. Login and Password will be emailed out, if you have not received a link a week before this AGM, please email office@ springgardenchurch.ca. The purpose of the meeting is to: 1. Approve the minutes of the previous two meetings MINISTRY RESOURCE MEETING and SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING. 2. Elect Deacons and Elders: The Deacons and Elders, working alongside the Pastors, are called by the church (that's you!) to bring leadership over a three year term. To see the Nominating Committee Report with the list of Deacons and Elders being brought forward, as well as those currently serving, (click here to view report). Please pray for them! 3. Elect Nominating Committee and Officers: The Nominating Committee is a 2 year term of leadership whose responsibility is to prayerfully discern and invite new Deacons, Elders and Officers. The Officers play important roles in our functioning as an incorporated organization. Their names are also included in the Nominating Committee
Report (click here to view report). 4. Acceptance of Audited Financial Statements for 2020 and appointment of Auditor for 2020 (Norton McMullen LLP): If you would like to read the 2020 statements, click here. Everyone is welcome to join the meeting, regardless if you are a member or not. Only those who are members can officially vote, but everyone who is a part of the Spring Garden community is welcome to join and to participate in any discussion.
MISSIONS NIGHT: SAVE THIS DATE May 29 at 7:30pm
For more information as it becomes available, go to our events page at www. springgardenchurch.ca/events.
THE REFUGEE FUND
The Leadership of Spring Garden Church has agreed to sponsor the Raso family as Refugees. By making this commitment, we as a church are committing to provide the Raso’s 1 year of financial support, personal care and assistance integrating into Canada. We are partnering with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) who have the refugee sponsorship relationship with the Canadian government. We expect the process to take about a year before they will arrive in Canada. At present we are busy completing Canadian government application forms with Soleman, Tariq and Sam. While we are waiting for approval by the Canadian government and for COVID international travel restrictions to be lifted, we will need to raise the necessary funds. Contributions can be made to Spring Garden Church Refugee Fund. Go to www.springgardenchurch. ca/giving and choose which way you want to give. In the process, please make sure to indicate that these funds go to the Spring Garden Church Refugee Fund. Thank you for you help!
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Partnering with Families
Discipleship Ministries 17 17
Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering June 13th, 20th, 27th: Our kids worship gathering will meet on zoom these Sundays following the children’s blessing. Here is the overall flow: **Children’s Blessing Ends** - Kids Log in to Zoom (Contact Jeremy if you don’t have this information) - Big Group Teaching (Led by one of our big group leaders) - Split into small groups (Our Zoom Moderator will sort people into their groups) - Small-Group Time (Small Group Leaders talk with kids about what was said during Big Group time) - Finished - Kids and leaders sign off and enjoy the rest of their Sunday In order to ensure online safety, we previously emailed the information needed to join our online meetings in September 2020. If you received the email, please do not share it with others. If you know of any families who would like this information to join us on Sundays, please direct them to contact Jeremy (jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca).
Spring Kids (Online) Here is an overview of what we will be talking about on Sundays for Spring Kids. Lesson
Ponder Point
Bible Passage
June 13
The Father Is Love (Prodigal Son)
Luke 15:11–32
Remember Verse John 17:3
June 20
The Big God Story
Gen.—Rev.
John 17:3
June 13
Festival: Day of Atonement
Family Care Packs: Each month we will be putting together some fun things for your family. If you’d like to receive June’s care pack, you can register with this link: https://forms.gle/F824BpFX95mhACP28
Kids Online Hangout: June 16th, 2021
It has been a long time since we have done something fun together with just the kids! We are planning a kids hangout on June 16th, 2021 where we will meet online from 6pm-8pm to play some games, order/eat dessert and spend some time together. This event is open for all of our kids presently in grade 5 or younger. We will be ordering dessert through Uber eats and giving kids a $10 limit. Please register by June 10th, 2021. If you have any questions about this please email Jeremy (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca) Registration Form: https://forms.gle/gkXP1Ea1d3SDjiF66
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Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings
June, 13th, 20th, 27th, - We will have worship gatherings for youth in grades 6-12 following the Children’s Blessing during our Sunday Morning Gathering/Livestream. Youth will be able to connect online and we will have our own time of worship and teaching. Youth who want to join us for worship on Sunday's can do so through this link http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth **Please be aware that our gatherings will not begin until after the children’s blessing during the Sunday Morning Livestream**
Life Groups
Life Groups this month will happen on June 9th @ 5:30pm for Jr High Girls (Gr 6-8) and June 11th, for both the Sr High Girls (Gr 9-12) and Guy’s Life Group (gr 6-12).
Youth Events June 18th: Mafia/Werewolf Night Pt 2 - Back by popular demand, we are having a sequel to our Mafia/Werewolf Night. We will be meeting online to eat dinner together and play this story telling game. Youth wanting to participate can join following this link http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm Cost: $15 - Includes food June 26th: Year End Party - We have come to the end of another ministry year and we want to celebrate this as best we can. Depending on the restrictions for gathering, this will most likely be online, but we hope for a chance to do this in person. To help our planning for this, please register by June 18th, 2021 Registration: https://forms.gle/igXxRgE3LVjYL3wBA Time: 11:00am - TBD Cost: TBD 19
Staying Updated: To stay up to date on what is happening for your youth, please visit our google calendar which has all of our planned events. http://tiny.cc/YouthCal If there is anything you’d like more clarification on, please email Jeremy (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca)
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Directories and What's Happening
More Info
Leadership Directory PASTORAL TEAM
416.223.4593 Ext. 224
Greg Kay Co-Lead Pastor
gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca
Sam Lee
On Sabbatical April 12 - Late August
Co-Lead Pastor
Ext. 223
Jeremy Ranasinghe Children and Youth Pastor
jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 226
Abby Davidson Pastor of Missional Discipleship
abbydavidson@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 221
Dale Forder Office & Communications Administrator
daleforder@ springgardenchurch.ca
Spring Garden Church
112 Spring Garden Avenue, Toronto ON M2N 3G3 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca Prayer Line
Tel 416.223.4593 Fax 416.223.6126 416.223.4038
Giving is one of the ways in which we can
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respond to a generous God. We give because it is a part of our discipleship and an act of worship. Please give as you feel led. For more information please go to our website at: https://www.springgardenchurch.ca/giving.
DEACONS - (will change after the 20th) Krysten Cameron Chair
416.399.0493 krystencameron@hotmail.com
Ben Reynolds
Children and Youth Discipleship
Martin Dewar
Missions and Membership
Monica Kim (until June 20)
Vice Chair& Adult Discipleship
Joanne Laing (until June 20) Secretary & Property
Shannon Loewen (until June 20) Community Life/Refreshments
Jeff McGee Finance
bereynolds@gmail.com 416.229.2695 martin.dewar@sgbc.ca 604.710.3224 monicakim2000@gmail.com 416.617.6582 joannelaing@gmail.com 647.202.0701 shannon.loewen1@gmail.com 416.493.2102 jeff.mcgee@sympatico.ca
Cheryl Chapman Worship
cheryl.chapman@live.ca
ELDERS Anne Barron Gonzalo Librado
416.724.9329 anne.barron020@sympatico.ca 416.435.9691 gonzlibrado@gmail.com
Margaret Sutton margaretsutton242@gmail.com Koon Wah Leung Clem Lee
416.225.7092 koonwleung@gmail.com 416.508.7355 crazymonkeyfamily@gmail.com
Myrna Frost
416.225.4986 mfrost2254986@rogers.com 22
What’s Happening Weekly
Life in Spring Garden
LIFE GROUPS - Connect for Community
ALL WEEK LONG
Together through bible study, prayer and sharing. Meet online and possible in-person, please email abbydavidson@ springardenchurch.ca for more information or to join one.
y
Sunda
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
10am
Join us Sunday mornings as we go through a series called 'I AM...'. After the children's blessing, the children can login our Spring Kids Online. Streamed at: www.springgardenchurch.ca
VIRTUAL COFFEE TIME
11:30am
Join us for our virtual coffee time after our online Worship Gathering. Get some coffee and snacks and log on to our Zoom meeting where you can talk with other Spring Gardeners. We will be breaking into smaller groups. Prayer room is available. Email office@springgardenchurch.ca for the log in info.
y Monda
PASTORAL TEAM MEETING
10am - 12pm
We will be meeting on Mondays this month. Please pray for us for wisdom and inspiration.
ay d s e n
REFRESH 10am - 11:30am
y a d s r
EVENING PRAYER
Wed
Thu
Friendship, care & spiritual growth for women. Please see page 9. You are invited to a virtual time of liturgical prayer. Please see here.
SGC COMMUNITY - Facebook
8:30pm
A group to encourage each other, share resources, connect, etc. Find us through groups in Facebook.
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What’s Happening Upcoming June
9 June
11 June
16 June
18 June
20 June
26 June
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Life in Spring Garden
YOUTH: Jr. High Girl's Life Group See more on page 11.
YOUTH: Sr. High Girl's and (all)Boys Life Group See more on page 11.
KIDS: Kids Online Hangout See more on page 18.
YOUTH: Mafia/Werewolf Night Part 2 See more at page 19.
Spring Garden Annual General Meeting At 11:30am. See more on page 15.
YOUTH: Year End Party See more on page 19.
MISSIONS NIGHT
At 7:30. See more at page 16.
SEE OUR EVENTS PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON ANY OF THESE EVENTS. springgardenchurch.ca/events
If you would like to receive a weekly e-mail update on what’s happening in Spring Garden, please visit the SGC website (www.springgardenchurch.ca) and add your email address on our home page to subscribe to our weekly e-mail. Also keep your eye on our Events page at: www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.
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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 centre. 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.