March 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 Mar 12
YOUTH: Jackbox Night
pg 17
Mar 17
YOUTH: Jr. High Girl's Life Group
pg 17
Mar 19
YOUTH: Boy's Life Group
pg 17
Mar 26
YOUTH: Spy Night
pg 17
Apr 1
Maundy Thursday Communion and Prayer
pg 13
Apr 2
Good Friday
pg 13
Apr 4
Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion
pg 13
Apr 4
Easter Sunday
pg 14
See more on the last pages or on our Events page at www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.
Delve submissions are due March 22nd. 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 Hope and Joy in the Midst of Sufferings 3 It's Gonna Be a Better Day 5 | My Journey 9
Community Corner Welcome Abby to Spring 14 EASTER AT SPRING GARDEN CHURCH Maundy Thursday Communion and Prayer 13 Good Friday 13 Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion 13 Easter Sunday 14 | Call to Artists 14
Discipleship Ministries
Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering 15 Spring Kids 15 | Spring Youth 17 | Youth Events 17
Resource Centre
Resource Recommendations 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: Eva Sham Kevin & Suzanna Darlene Boyd Jeremy Ranasinghe Karen Cassel Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel
Hope and Joy in the Midst of Sufferings by Eva Sham
PASSAGE FOR REFLECTION: ROMANS 5:1-11 (HCSB) 1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Also through Him, we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person-though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! 9 Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, [then how] much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 3
The dry and barren desert is often viewed figuratively as the place of trials and tribulations in our journey of life. Yet, we are called to rejoice in hope even in the midst of our sufferings (Romans 5:24, 11; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9). In a letter to the church in Rome, the apostle Paul encourages the believers to persevere as followers of Christ (Romans 5:3-4). He himself suffered imprisonments, beatings, and hunger for the sake of the gospel (II Corinthians 6:3-5). He even had to endure "a thorn in his flesh" (probably some physical impediment) throughout his life (II Corinthians 12:7). However, he lived with hope and joy in the midst of his sufferings and encouraged his fellow believers to do so. Christian hope is not based on earthly powers, although, for example, scientific and technological interventions in medicine help to alleviate some of our sufferings. Rather, as Christ's followers and members of the Body of Christ, our ultimate hope is in God because we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Our life in Christ is bathed in God's love through the indwelling Holy Spirit. At the same time, our character is being formed through perseverance in the deserts of life. Joy emerges as we live out this reality of life in God. Moreover, like a fountain of living water, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in hope and joy even when we journey through life's desert places (John 5:5, 7:37-39a). PRAYER Gracious God, in this season of Lent, we come to you in repentance and with trust in your continual work of redemption of all creation through Christ Jesus. Help us to rejoice in hope of your glory, even in the midst of life's challenges and tribulations, through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
About
Eva Sham is a ThD student in Historical Theology at Wycliffe College. She is at the thesis writing stage of her program. Eva is also part of our Spring Garden community.
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It's Gonna Be a Better Day by Kevin & Suzanna
I write this article, in part, to share with my community what Suzanna and I have been up to lately, and also an attempt to remind myself why we started this journey of creating an interdisciplinary and wholistically integrated medical clinic. It has been a difficult year for us, which has taken a toll on my mental health. At times, when it feels all is lost, one can easily forget why we are even here and what we are even doing here in the first place. Being part of the Spring Garden Church community, has helped me clarify and pursue the vocational value of going out in to the world, meeting the holistic needs of the local and global community. I thank Gene for inspiring me (besides Jesus and NT Wright...) to look beyond the walls of the church, for the kingdom of heaven. There are many at SGC, who have been examples to us on how to live a life of God's redemptive love to the world, in everyday life. The idea of starting a team-based medical clinic has been with me since my teens. However, it was only four years ago, that we decided to start an innovative family medicine clinic, much informed by the same values at SGC. A family doctor is supposed to be the main contact point when you have a problem with your health. Ideally, the one looking after your health, would know everything about you (your biology, your mental state, your social situation, and your spirituality) and be able to integrate all of that to diagnose, treat, and manage your health condition. However, the structures, systems and forces at play in this world often do not facilitate this. Depending on where you go, your health practitioner may only be concentrating on one aspect of your body, and ignore the rest for someone else to manage. We live in a fragmented healthcare ecosystem where it is difficult to 5
navigate for services. We focus on disease management, rather than illness prevention. The incentive structures sometimes do not align with the goals of better care. You are often rushed in, and out. We wish for more integrated, wholistic, and seemless care, based on the values of loving one another. With this in mind, we started building our clinic ecosystem. I moved my family practice to a new location, and became available to anyone who walked in. Suzanna managed the clinic, while studying for her counseling psychology degree. Gordon Lee joined us early and helped people with their musculoskeletal pains and injuries. Laura Copeland came to practice her skills in mental health therapy. Amelia Bowler also offered her services in child behaviour and parenting strategies. Victoria Shipmaker came onboard to manage our finances. Opal came by to do periodic lot and landscaping maintenance. Even Clement, Cliff, Martin, and Jesse pitched in one day to help haul a used overly heavy chiropractic table to the clinic. We were a growing with a team of doctors, dietitians, chiropodist, physician assistant, chiropractor, physiotherapists, clinical psychologists, and administrative staff. Then COVID-19 hit in 2020. The shutdowns meant that no one except essential services were allowed to work. Everyone was afraid to come to the clinic. In April 2020, I was the only one sitting in our clinic providing medical care to the few patients that came. Our revenue dropped dramatically: no patients meant no income. I was staring down at the prospect of closing the clinic, since the annual clinic expenses equaled what a solo fee-for-service doctor would make in a year. I also had the weight of supporting my staff's livelihood during a time when layoffs were occurring, which I thank the government subsidies for helping. There was also the moral distress that accompanied seeing what seemed like everything going wrong with the world. Some of us may experience vicarious trauma. Having our kids do remote learning was an unsustainable and no-win scenario for us who were both working. There was a time in the summer, when it seemed like the dream was gone. I contemplated packing it up and letting it go. During this time, when we knew that patients were having trouble reaching their doctors and getting appropriate care, we decided to ramp up our efforts to providing quality care. Suzanna had finished 6
her internship and jumped straight back in to managing the clinic, without even getting a breather. She had to interview, hire and train numerous times, as our entire staff turned over twice during the pandemic. Victoria was the sole consistent staff who remained to help us weather through this tumultuous time. Our clinic was one of the few places you could actually reach a live receptionist to book an appointment. We innovated by creating an all-new virtual-care platform for secure video-enabled doctor appointments. We rolled out a student volunteer program to help us with the increased workload. I also organized and applied to form a type of group practice that would attract young new doctors to be a family doctor and also see our walk-ins. We remained open for necessary in-person doctor appointments, where many places switched to telephone care only. It has been a worse year for many others; and it has been a difficult year for us. As we all do our part for the kingdom of heaven on earth, we may sometimes feel unrecognized and unappreciated, since complaints are common when all hell breaks loose. I remember the stories of the people that we helped: the ICU nurse who burned out looking after COVID-19 patients; the personal support workers who got sick or were traumatized when working in long term care residences; the essential worker who got impaired with overwhelming anxiety; the isolated people with mental health and spiritual or existential struggles; and the mother who suffered a devastating pregnancy loss, resulting infertility and lost her family doctor at the same time. Thank you for those who were aware and were praying for us. Many times, when it seemed that all was lost: God provided. I received my full course COVID-19 vaccine. We currently have a larger staff, a posse of volunteers, a group practice of family doctors accepting patients, and the rest of the interdisciplinary health team have returned to work. Suzanna also received her registration and is accepting clients for mental health. Today: the injured walk again; those who mourn are comforted; the weary are renewed, the fearful are unafraid and are back to work; the ones who are feeling alone and lost, are finding support; and the mother, amazingly pregnant with a hope of new life... has a family doctor once again. 7
Our vision is "Healing the Whole Person...for Living the Whole Life".
It's Gonna Be a Better Day.
Kevin & Suzanna
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My Journey by Darlene Boyd
As I am sharing with you it is just a few weeks before the one year anniversary of my spinal surgery. It has been a long journey and is still ongoing. In saying that, I want you to know how God has been with me through it all, and how his timing is everything. I had been experiencing pain for a number of years and had a number of treatments which just didn’t work. By the Spring of 2018 my neck was starting to not be able to turn. At first I thought I slept on it wrong and so ignored it. After a few months I figured that wasn’t the case. I talked with my doctor who sent me for an MRI and then told me he would like me to see a neurosurgeon. He told me to go see the person but do not agree to any surgery till we talked, as he wanted me to understand the seriousness of it. He sent referrals out to two different people who would not take on my case. I was led to believe it was because I wasn’t that serious a case. A year and a half passed and I got a letter from Toronto Western Hospital saying that the doctor there would see me and a date. I showed it to my own doctor and he saw who the surgeon was and told me “remember I told you not to do anything without talking and weighing the pros and cons of a surgery like this, well I take it back. I don’t know how we got this surgeon but he is the best #2 in all of Canada, and if it were me I would do whatever he suggested and be so grateful that I got him.” I went to see that surgeon on November 12, 2019 and he told me that my situation was very risky but in his opinion I had no choice but to have surgery. He gave me the rundown and I was told that we would expect the best scenario since he was the best and had done over 1000 of these surgeries but I needed to be aware of other outcomes. Depending on the severity when he got in there I could be left not being able to walk again or at the the worst a paraplegic. He also told me that I may have trouble talking and that my voice in most cases may be quite a bit lower after. This seemed to bother me even more, I started 9
thinking I talk all the time (my family will confirm this) and what about singing. I told Greg that I might have to sing bass. This was scary to hear. I was told that I must stop working immediately and await surgery. He said that one more fall or push or hit in the head could leave me a paraplegic. (I had told him when he asked what I did for a living that I was a special education assistant. I thought it was funny when I said I had been hit in the head with a rubber chicken the day before as a danger at work.) I drove from the hospital to my school and told them that I would not be in the next day or for sometime. The wait began. I thought from the way he spoke that the surgery would be sooner than later, he said he was putting me on a waiting list as he wanted it done asap. The church was praying for me for which I am so thankful. God also sent me a prayer angel who kept in touch and prayed me through each step of the way. And is still doing so. This was so unexpected and not someone who was part of my everyday life. What a gift. I finally heard at the beginning of January that my surgery was scheduled for March 18, 2020. At first I thought this was the pits as it was March break and my colleagues and I had plans which I would now have to miss, on the other hand they said that they would come and visit. I used that time I had off to visit and do tea and things I never got to do with friends while working. I went the week before the surgery for the pre-op and had all these tests including a COVID test which at the time I thought was weird. I met with the billing department to arrange for everything while in hospital and the girl told me something I never knew. I qualified for a private room! Apparently my insurance paid for semi private and so did Gord’s so apparently semi private plus semi private equalled private, who knew? I didn’t realize at the time how thankful I would be for this. The day of the surgery came and as I left the house I realized how real this was, all of a sudden I got nervous. When they came to wheel me on the stretcher to the operating room I started praying for peace as I felt my heart racing. What I didn’t realize is that I was saying over and over out loud “God’s peace, God’s peace”. The anaesthesiologist looked at me and said yes I hope you get it and asked me to now start counting. When I woke up on the table after, I was still saying “God’s peace” and a nurse looked at me and said to the surgeon “She can talk” I was so excited that I kept 10
talking and the surgeon came and said it is great you can talk but now stop. I told him he sounded like one of my brothers. He told me I was a lucky lady, that if we had waited another few weeks I probably never would have walked again because the spinal fluid in my body was not flowing properly and that is why my arm was starting to freeze up and my left knee kept giving out. He said that they had to put a rod in my neck and that the 4 vertebrae that they replaced were more than what they could take from my side as planned, so they used a bone bank. This also meant I didn’t have that incision to recover from. Then reality hit and I thought, it is over, I can talk but can I move? I raised my arms in the air and then lifted my legs. He said well well, then you are good. He looked exhausted but smiled. Then came God’s peace. I was his last surgery before everything got cancelled the next day due to COVID. My surgery ended up taking over 4 ½ hours and we were told it would be 2 hours. Poor Gord was waiting and not knowing what was going on. While I was in hospital in fact the day after my surgery we were told about the things that were changing because of COVID. There ware fewer staff, and the poor nurses were run off their feet. My surgery was on the Wednesday and as of Friday afternoon no visitors, Gord was asked to leave. There was no choice of food so instead of bringing me a fluid dinner that I was supposed to get my first meal was an egg salad sandwich, coffee and a cookie. Needless to say I didn’t eat. I actually was feeling much better then I expected but was also hooked up to many things so that may have been the reason. The day I was moved up to my “private” room, the man in the next room was panicking and causing a real problem for the nurse. It was time for my meds but she couldn’t come. 10 hours later I figured I had been forgotten so I buzzed. Nothing. I realized that I really wasn’t in much pain so I let it go. I started physio (which I didn’t get again after leaving hospital for over 2 months because of COVID and then it was virtual) the physio therapist seemed pleased with me. I had to purchase some special medical equipment to help me get around and cope at home, one being a walker. We were so fortunate that the pharmacy in the hospital was still open and they were able to 11
give us everything we needed. ( and our insurance covered that too) I was sent home on the 3rd day after my surgery which was not what I was told. We were a little nervous about that. After Gord picked me up at the curb which is where I was left in a wheel chair because of COVID rules we were off home for the next part of the journey. The next few weeks were hard, wearing the head brace 24/7 was an adventure in itself. I couldn’t even take it off to shower but we managed. Some of my friends made me soup for which I was grateful but I must admit I sure got sick of it. I discovered that I could eat pasta, mashed potatoes, and some yogurt or pudding. This happened within weeks instead of months so that was great. The brace came off after 8 weeks for an hour a day increasing an hour each day for the next 2 weeks. I now go for physio in person twice a week and it is so much better than virtual, I never knew if I was doing it right or not. I am still recovering and struggling getting some parts of the body back to normal, (whatever that is). My neck turns and I am driving again!! It is still sore and my shoulders and arms are stiff but functional! So very thankful. I am still having issues with my right leg which I would appreciate your prayers for, however I am walking even though it is weak it is working. This probably seems like a long story for you and it is, be glad I left a lot out. My journey is continuing and as you can see God is with me through it all. If you could continue to pray for me as I have many appointments coming up and recovery is still ongoing. Also the week after my surgery our oldest son Chris was diagnosed with COVID and was very sick with it for almost 6 weeks. He continues to have long term issues with it. He would really appreciate pray as well. So the journey continues and as you can see God’s timing has been everything for me even though I was frustrated with waiting He had His hand on it all from the date, to the room, to pain control to friends being stuck at home in lock down so I wasn’t alone. (not saying he did that for me, I just got to benefit) and so much more. I miss everybody and can’t wait to see everyone again and sing (and it won’t be bass)!
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Life in and around Spring Garden
Community Corner
EASTER AT SGC Maundy Thursday Communion and Prayer April 1st, 8:30pm
Join us the Thursday before Good Friday at 8:30 pm April 1st for a time of communion and prayer centred around Jesus' Last Supper before his arrest. Email office@springgardenchurch. ca for the zoom link (the same as our regular Thursday evening prayer).
Good Friday
April 2nd at 10am Did you know that the 'Good' in Good Friday comes from old English where Good also meant Holy? Join us this Holy Friday online at www.springgardenchurch.ca as we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.
Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion April 4th, 2021at 6:15am
As the sun rises, join us as we celebrate the rising of the Son through liturgy and communion. Email office@springgardenchurch.ca to join our Zoom event. 13 13
Easter Sunday April 4th, 2021 at 10am Join us this Easter Sunday at 10am online at www.springgardenchurch.ca as we celebrate together Jesus' resurrection from the dead!
Call to Artists: We invite artists of all ages and art mediums to
create something on the theme of Joy to be incorporated into our Easter Sunday worship. If you are creating something, please let us know, and email a high quality image/file by Tuesday March 30th to office@springgardenchurch.ca
Welcome Abby to the SGC Family! We are very excited to have Abby Davidson join us as the new Pastor of Missional Discipleship. Please join us in welcoming her and her family to our community. We are looking forward to getting to know her and her family better and to support her as we seek to live out our faith in the community that God has placed us in. 14
Partnering with Families
Discipleship Ministries 15 15
Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering March 7th - On the first Sunday of each month we’re encouraging children to join their families to participate in our morning livestream and worship together. We have an activity page for kids available on our website should anyone like. March 14th, 21st, 28th - 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. 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
March 14
God's Plan Is Best (Peter)
Luke 5:1–11
March 21
God Knows Everything (Woman at the Well) Jesus Seeks and Saves (Zacchaeus)
John 4:1–42
Psalm 139:23– 24
Luke 19:1–10
Psalm 139:23– 24
March 28
Remember Verse Psalm 139:23– 24
Family Care Packs: Each month we will be putting together some fun things for your family. If you’d like to receive March’s care pack, you can register through this link: https://forms.gle/FZ1BM9VLdJ1zBwvh8 March’s Care’s Pack, will focus on Easter, and we are providing you with an at home egg hunt for Easter morning (April 4th). Inside, you will find a container with 20 plastic eggs, as well as Easter themed mad libs. If you'd like us to prepare a pack for your family, please register below! These care packs will be available for pick up from our building (112 Spring Garden Ave, North York, Ontario, M2M 3G3) by March 24th 2021. To arrange a time to pick these up, please contact Sam Lee (Samlee@springgardenchurch.ca)
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Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings
March, 14th, 21st, 28th, - Our Sunday morning gatherings will shift while Jeremy is away on Parental Leave. We are encouraging our youth to participate in the Livestream worship gathering on our church website (https://www.springgardenchurch.ca/) for the main teaching. At 12pm following the Livestream, our youth will meet online for small groups lead by our Youth Leaders, using our http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth link.
Life Groups
Life Groups this month will happen on March 17th for Jr High Girls (Gr 6-8) and March 19th, for the Guy’s Life Group (gr 6-12).
Youth Events March 12th: Jackbox Night - We will be meeting online to catch up and play a few jackbox games together. Youth wanting to participate can join following this link http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth. Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Cost: Free March 26th: Spy Night - We will be meeting online to play some spy-inspired games: codenames, spyfall, mafia etc. Youth wanting to participate can join following this link http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth. Time: 7:00pm-9:00pm Cost: Free
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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 me (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca)
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Recommendations
The Resource Centre
Here are some links to activities to do with your family in this Lenten season
https://feelslikehomeblog.com/2016/02/16-simplelent-activities-for-kids-for-all-christians/ These simple Lent activities are perfect for kids. They learn about the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ in through these easy, fun ideas. 19
https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/10-lententraditions-to-enrich-your-familys-easter-celebration-11566549.html Traditions - especially those children can see, hear, feel, smell and taste - provide vivid impressions on which parents can build year after year. There are many which will enrich your own family's celebration of what might be more accurately called Resurrection Day. Choose a few from this collection, share their meaning in whatever words your children will understand, and keep the ones you like as part of your family's Easter heritage.
https://littleshootsdeeproots.com/encourage/lent/ There are 3 practices that Christians have used for generations which can help you draw near to God, reflected in the 3 pillars of Lent, prayer, fasting, and giving. When it’s all put together, prayer, fasting, and giving can create an experience where you draw closer to God. But remember, none of this is necessary for the Christian life. You don’t get “Jesus points” for fasting or praying or giving or for celebrating Lent. But it can help you experience God in incredible new ways! 20
Directories and What's Happening
More Info
Leadership Directory PASTORAL TEAM
416.223.4593 Ext. 224
Greg Kay Co-Lead Pastor
gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 227
Sam Lee Co-Lead Pastor
samlee@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 223
Jeremy Ranasinghe Children and Youth Pastor
jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 226
Abby Davidson Pastor of Missional Discipleship
abby.davidson@ 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 Krysten Cameron Chair
416.399.0493 krystencameron@hotmail.com
Ben Reynolds
Children and Youth Discipleship
Martin Dewar
Missions and Membership
Monica Kim
Vice Chair& Adult Discipleship
Joanne Laing
Secretary & Property
Shannon Loewen
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 SamLee@ springardenchurch.ca for more information or to join one.
y
Sunda
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
10am
Join us Sunday mornings as we go through the Lent weeks. 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.
ay Tuesd
PASTORAL TEAM MEETING
10am - 12pm
We Tuesdays and sometimes Monday. 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 Mar
12 Mar
17 Mar
19 Mar
26 Apr
1 Apr
2 Apr
4 Apr
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Life in Spring Garden
YOUTH: Jackbox Night See more on page 17.
YOUTH: Jr. High Girl's Life Group See more on page 17.
YOUTH: Boy' Life Group See more on page 17.
YOUTH: Spy Night See more on page 17.
Maundy Thursday Communion and Prayer Join us at 8:30pm via Zoom. See more on page 13.
Good Friday
Join us at 10am at springgardenchurch.ca. See more on page 13.
Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion Join us at 6:15am via Zoom. See more at page 13.
Easter Sunday
Join us at 10am at springgardenchurch.ca. See more on page 14.
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.
