SGC Annual Report 2018 by SGC_Church

June 2018 Annual Report

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

OUR VALUES 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 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 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.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report 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 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 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 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.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

INDEX OUR VALUES

CHURCH CLERK

LEAD PASTOR REPORT

PASTORAL CARE AND SENIORS MINISTRY

CHURCH OFFICE & COMMUNICATIONS

DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES

Partnering with Families

Intergenerational Worship

Children’s Ministry

Youth Ministry

THE DEACON’S BOARD

ELDERS

MISSION ACTION TEAM

SPRING GARDEN BASED INITIATIVES TEAM

Community Garden

Halloween

Thanksgiving Pies

Angel Tree

New Year – New Food Bank

Lasagna and Brownies

Good Seed Sunday

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY GROUP

ESL CAFE

ESL BIBLE STUDY

PROPERTY COMMITTEE

IT/AV COMMITTEE

RESOURCE CENTRE

REFRESH WOMEN’S GROUP

FINANCE

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

PARTNERSHIP AND VOCATIONAL MISSIONARIES

Jesse James, Outreach Worker – Willowdale

Monica Kay, Launch Director

Clement Lee, Jane-Finch Community Director

Scott Moore, Executive Director

Kathy Webb, Administrative Assistant

John Wilkinson, Executive Coach and Strategist

Report from Becki Lee (AIA)

Report from Ron and Dalia Fairbanks (GEM)

Report from Faith Holwyn (CBM)

Report from Jen Chrystman (Omfmail)

Report from Kaitlyn Williams (Fight4Freedom)

NeighbourLink North York

SGC Nominating Committee Report 2018

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

CHURCH CLERK Report from Karen Cassel May 2017 – May 2018 BIRTHS July 18, 2017 Harrison Christopher to Chris and Sandi Boyd Sept 26, 2017 Kayleigh to Kris and Marion Knutson Oct 17, 2017, Teito Denis to Michael and Tomoko Rempel May 8, 2018, Sydney Catherine Wilkinson to Mark and Rachel Wilkinson DEDICATIONS Sept 10, 2017, Sarah Ruby MacKinley Moore and Grace Tahlia Moore Kate and Scott Moore BAPTISMS Oct 8, 2017, Monica Kim NEW MEMBERS Naomi Orvis Maria Ma Michelle Li Gary Lam MARRIAGES

MEMBERS TRANSFERRED OUT Kelly and James Lee Sharon and Henry Tam DEATHS May 25, 2017, Debbie Bennett July 11, 2017, Lynn Helwig Sept 24, 2017, Ruth Thompson Oct 7, 2017, Iverly Burgess Oct 23, 2017, John Irwin May 20, 2018, Thelma Anderson At the time of this report 122 active members

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

LEAD PASTOR REPORT

Report from Rev. Gene Tempelmeyer A year ago I was on Sabbatical Leave. Thank you for that time to consider my life stage, where God is leading me, and how we can work together into where God is leading Spring Garden Church. It was a fruitful and helpful time. Throughout the past year many of our accomplishments and achievements had to do with simply continuing ministry along lines we had already been moving. I have been especially gratified to see considerable growth in our skill at bringing generations together for worship. It is important to realize that varied generations along with many other demographic markers are all part of who we are as a congregation. A desegregated, multicultural church takes into account not only our race, but also our age, place in a variety of family structures, socio-economic position, etc. Many evangelical churches remain deeply segregated when we consider all these factors. It was also especially gratifying to see the 2017 financial year end so positively. Between controlling costs and the generosity of our donors we ended the year in far better shape than we have ever experienced during my tenure as Lead Pastor. Thank you for your generosity! A visible new project began in the spring and summer of 2017 with the addition of a Community Garden on the west lawn. This garden serves many purposes beyond the practical provision of fresh vegetables to a nearby food cupboard. It is a communication of our care for and relationship with the earth. It speaks to our neighbours and to us – especially those of us who have gotten our hands dirty while tending the garden – that we are a church connected with our identity as children of God and children formed from the earth. And, despite concerns it might do the opposite, it offers an attractive place of rest to our neighbours. Last summer the first Spring Garden Camping Excursion was planned. A number of families enjoyed a long weekend of camping together in Grand Bend. This deepened relationships through shared experience, which, at the end of the day, is the way we feel connected with one another. Another camping expedition is planned for this year. Some of the potentially most transformative things we have been doing in the past year happened largely behind the scenes. The Pastors, Elders, and Deacons completed a three-year process of discussion, prayer, and discernment of God’s leading which resulted in proposed changes to the By-Law that we introduced to the congregation early in January. We will be voting on this recommendation on June 10.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report As has been explained many times, the Leadership Team (Pastors, Elders, and Deacons working together) sought to come to these conclusions through a process of “discernment” of the will of Christ rather than “decision” about what we want. This is also a skill we have developed and begun to use quite naturally as leaders. We are now at an interesting and challenging point of this process. How do we communicate, “This is what we, as leaders, believe we have heard God say to us….” without being spiritually manipulative? Our Baptist policy somehow flows better with democratic decisions than shared discernment. The only way we can navigate this is to share some of the principles of discernment – coming to a place of indifference to everything but the will of Christ, listening closely to each other, listening closely to God, trying to separate in our minds our own thoughts and opinion from the nudges of the Holy Spirit – and then bringing those skills into a conversation that ends with a vote. The dominant question we need to bring to this vote is, “What do I believe is the will of Christ in this matter?” rather than, “What outcome would I prefer and/or be more comfortable with?” We are hoping that a distinctive time of seeking God’s will in our worship on June 10 will set the stage for a collective discernment as opposed to a collective decision. At the end of the day, the Leadership Team does not want you to vote in favour of the recommendation because we think we have been led by God. Please vote as you have asked God what the will of Christ for Spring Garden is at this time. To put this another way: we are trusting each other to be spiritual. And we are trusting God with the end result. For my part, I will be at peace with any outcome so long as the process and conversation leading to that outcome have been driven by a collective genuine desire to know God’s will. Another initiative has been percolating in the background. Last July I submitted a recommendation that the Leadership Team form a Transition Team to assist Spring Garden through my probable retirement in 2019. There has only been one Lead Pastor transition at Spring Garden since 1981 and I thought considerable planning and thought would help this transition be as smooth and seamless as possible. The first action taken by this team was to change their name to a “Navigation Team” because they did not want to promote this transition, but to help the congregation navigate my eventual departure. I have not yet set a date for my retirement, but have indicated that I expect to have a firm date by next fall. Meanwhile, Margaret Sutton’s age would suggest that her retirement is also not terribly far away. Between us, we have now served Spring Garden for nearly 40 years. That represents very significant transition. I will let you know my plans as I figure it out. An important question you face in the meantime is: “How strong is our appetite for change versus our appetite for continuity?” Things should unfold quite differently depending upon how you answer that question.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report The final significant event from the past year I reflect on is not something we did. On April 23 a number of people were killed in the now infamous van attack on Yonge Street. I was in Mississauga at a doctor appointment when I heard the news. Even I was surprised at how urgently I felt I needed to be onsite in the neighbourhood. Within hours some of us were praying on Yonge Street while others were meeting to organize a Christian response to this awful event. The churches of Willowdale stepped up to the plate, Spring Garden among them. One of the ways I was able to respond personally was by going to both memorial sites and painting what I saw. One of the advantages of painting in public is that people feel free to come up and talk in a way they would not had I been making music. I realized on an experiential level how complex this neighbourhood is. There is a different population from 9 to 5 than the population from 5 to 9 the next morning. Thousands of people work nearby but do not live nearby. They are unlikely to drive to their workplace again on Sunday morning to worship with us. How do we complete the Kingdom Mission of Jesus with these people? What opportunities for the Kingdom are hidden in the lunch hour? The neighbourhood south of Empress is quite different from the neighbourhood north of Empress (due to the high concentration of condos near the 401). Not only is the housing different, the whole demographic is somewhat different. How do we continue to engage the people who live nearby and complete the King Mission of Jesus among them? My hope is that one good God might bring out of this evil event is that the feeling we have for this particular community will be translated into deeper connection with the actual people who surround us. Shifting from what has been to what could or should possibly be, I see three particular issues facing us as a congregation that require and deserve serious thought and action. The first has to do with what we broadly call “Adult Ministries.” I refer to ministries beyond weekly worship and coffee time: things such as small groups, educational opportunities, pastoral care, etc. For many years the lion’s share of pastoral care (visiting the sick, caring for the bereaved, knowing and sharing spiritual life with each other) has been done through Life Groups supplemented by a quarter-time pastor. This has been by design. Personal pastoral care through life groups multiplies the ministers. Given the challenges of traffic around the city, traditional patterns of pastoral visitation are simply no longer effective. Meanwhile the busyness of our city, the trend toward two working parents, the number of organised activities children now experience, and traffic congestion all seem to conspire to keep families from participating in such a group. It is not unusual for someone genuinely wanting more experience of connection to find that none of our groups meet at the one or two times a week they are actually free. Some of us remember when Sunday School and Worship were held at different times, so adults could experience an educational ministry while their

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report children were learning in Sunday School. With worship and Sunday School almost being universally held simultaneously it has not only reduced the times available for adults to learn and grow in a group, it has also reduced the time many volunteers can participate in worship and the Sunday talk given by a pastor. Given the restrictions of our city, how can we continue to encourage and help adults learn and grow together? How can we increase participation in small groups? \Are there online possibilities that we could explore? Who will arrange and look after this? If more and more of us are unable to be part of a small group, how will we receive pastoral care? Who will notice or respond to us if someone dies in our family? What will happen when Margaret retires? Will someone else lead a weekly study for adults? Who will look after the welcome table and other pastoral care related ministries? A new pastor? A team of volunteers? A second huge shift in our church life is our relationship to international missions and missionaries. For the first time in many decades, possibly the first time ever, we are not actively supporting anyone from Spring Garden who is serving overseas as a missionary. That is not simply a product of changing values at Spring Garden. It is the product of a rapidly changing mission world which we must understand if we are going to respond to it constructively. Some things to remember as we try to develop new methods and strategies for going to the ends of the earth in the name of Jesus: ● The nations are at our doorstep. While this does not lessen our call to be international in vision and mission, it does change it. More resources are needed in mission in Toronto than ever before, and much of this ministry is truly international in nature. ● Mission agencies are increasingly making use of indigenous leaders and workers. This is as it should be. It is less and less likely or relevant for people to anticipate an entire career as a missionary to one nation. Work is increasingly about resourcing the indigenous church and then coming home to Canada. ● Despite infrastructure limitations in many parts of the world, the internet provides the possibility of sharing some training and resources by drawing people together on line instead of always being physically present. The temptation will be to think that is enough. Ultimately all ministry and theology need to be contextualized in each distinct cultural setting. Our call to the nations has not changed. But if our response to that call does not change to reflect current realities we will waste time and money on irrelevant approaches to the world we live in today.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report Finally, we have occupied our building for a number of years without a building manager or onsite custodian through the week. During that time we have intentionally increased our income through building rentals. This, in turn, increases traffic and maintenance. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for pastors to unplug toilets or shovel sidewalks. All of us find ourselves doing these things. But when I do such tasks I can’t help wondering if I am the best paid janitor in Toronto. The real heroes here are not the pastors and the few things we do, but a small handful of retirees who seem to be in the building at least weekly changing lightbulbs, fixing locks, meeting electricians, painting, etc. Still, if you look at our building, there are places where it is wearing badly considering we had a major renovation eight years ago. As we open the question of who will work here in two years and what work they will do, is there room for someone to manage the building? As the handful of people who show up to fix stuff grow older (they already need to be retired to have the time to do what they do) who will step in to help and eventually take their place? What is our long term plan for taking care of this asset? I love working here and love the people I work with – both on the paid team and in the congregation. Thank you for the honour and privilege of being your pastor!

Gene Tempelmeyer

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

PASTORAL CARE AND SENIORS MINISTRY Report from Rev. Margaret Sutton A question I’m often asked is “what is pastoral care and how do I access it?” Pastoral care ministry involves people caring for people. That is guiding, supporting, nurturing, reconciling, and empowering others in whatever situation they find themselves. We are there for each other. The Pastoral Care office has resources on caring and supporting each other. Here at Spring Garden this ministry also involves visitation in the home and hospital, praying for individuals as well as supporting others experiencing bereavement and special occasions like weddings. To access this ministry please speak to one of the pastoral staff who are here to help in any way they can. On Thursdays, the “Thursday Bunch” meet for fellowship, study, support and food. Over the last year we have studied people Jesus ate with, challenges and struggles of the Indigenous community. All are welcome. We meet Thursdays from 12:noon to 2 p.m. One of our joys is celebrating accomplishments, praying for each other and families in the church. We also celebrate birthdays with a birthday cake. . .often. Conversations about this ministry are always welcome.

CHURCH OFFICE & COMMUNICATIONS Michelle Li, Office & Communications Manager It’s almost been a year since I joined the pastoral team and the SGC family. There was a bit of learning curve with this job and working in a ministry, yet Gene and the pastoral team have been very supportive and very patient with me. There was time of feeling doubt or uncertainty, however God has constantly redirecting me to see his footprints. His plan is perfect and is for my good. I am learning to hold on to the truth and living it out everyday. God has been challenging me and reshaping my inner being - the self discovery, my spiritual formation and growth have been the most rewarding part of my job. My heartfelt thank you to the pastoral team and Spring Garden Church for all your support, prayers and encouragement to me and my family all this time. I pray that I can be of help for SGC with the changing season ahead and we will walk through it confidently...together.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

DISCIPLESHIP MINISTRIES Report from Rev. Sam Lee One image that comes to mind when thinking about this past year is that of a building. This year has been a year of building on top of the foundation that has been set for the past three years. We are very thankful for all the volunteers (50+) that make our ministry possible and love the fact that this ministry does not happen by a few but by a community. I am ever grateful to have Jeremy Ranasinghe as the Disicpleship Ministries Assistant. He is there with me through all events and someone I can count on. We had three interns serving with us this year: Diana Boivert (Youth Intern), Sarah Lander (Children Intern), and Calvin Pais (Parent Engagement Intern). It was a delight to have them join us for this school year. This summer, we have received a grant to hire 5 summer students and we are looking forward to having them with us.

Partnering with Families

This year we worked with our Parenting Engagement Team (Krysten Cameron, Chad Tranter, Leslie Daniels) to provide two events called “Faith at the Table.” These workshops helped our parents and caregivers connect with one another and to start conversations around pertinent parenting topics. We had 10 seasoned parents facilitate small group discussions at our second

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report FATT event which was enjoyed by all who were involved. It was a way in which we were able to enage different generations of adults to interact and build community. We also provided an evening out for parents and caregivers for a well deserved R & R. Many parents and caregivers from our community took advantage of the night out and some even planned a group dinner on their own! This past year was also our first ever Spring Garden Camping Trip. We had about 60 people attend and it was a great way for us to spend time together and enjoying God’s creation. One memorable moment was when we worshipped on Sunday morning together at the same time as the worship that was happening back at home. It was a reminder that though we may be apart in physical presence, we can worship God together wherever we are!

Intergenerational Worship We believe that worship is not an adult activity but rather is about the whole body of Christ coming together to worship a triune God. With the help of the Creative Team and many others, we were able to offer many different ways of engaging all the different generations. It is always an inspiring worship to plan and experience as we live out what it means to be the body of Christ in worship.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Children’s Ministry

Weekly Sunday Morning Programming This year has been another great year of seeing our young people grow in their relationships with Christian adults and in what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Without the 50+ volunteers, our children’s ministry would not be able to function. We are so thankful for all those who are involved and how each volunteers plays a role in building relationships with our young people and helping them see how the stories and lessons in the Bible can help children come to know Jesus better.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Summer Camp This past summer was our third year of offering a day camp in the summer. With our summer staff and team, we were able to run two weeks of day camp this year. It was also our first year of providing an all-day camp. Both of our camps were full. This camp would not have been possible without Jeremy and Kaitlyn and the rest of the summer staff team.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Youth Ministry

Sunday Mornings Sunday mornings have been a great way for our youth to practice different spiritual exercises and to engage in scripture. Youth are very open to sharing their prayer requests and our time together feels meaningful. We continue to encourage our youth to be part of the upstairs worship and this year have started a worship team to be part of the regular rotation. We had Lily Sider lead us in communion this year and had other youths involved in different parts of our worship gathering. It has been my privilege to baptize Ella Sider this year and we continue to encourage our young people to be baptized.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Youth Events Youth events are a great way to build community by having fun together and by giving a safe environment where youth can invite their friends. We have seen more and more of our youth inviting their friends to our youth group this year and are thankful that we can have so much fun together!

Life Groups We get together twice a month in boys and girls life groups to share our lives together. It has been a great way for our youth to share what has been going on in their lives and to support one another. We celebrate life together and support one another and pray for each other through the tough times.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report Mission Experiences

We believe that providing opportunities for our youth to serve and to experience how they can be part of being God’s hand in this world is important. This year, we had a bake sale to support Fight for Freedom, an organization against human trafficking. It was a wholistic experience where the youth learned about the issue and then was given an opportunity to make a difference by raising over $900 toward the organization.

Youth Retreats Youth retreats are great opportunities for our youth to get away from their regular daily lives to connect with God, with one another and nature. This year we offered three retreats for our youth to attend. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and so here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

THE DEACON’S BOARD

Report from Lesley Daniel The Board of Deacons is elected by Members of the Spring Garden congregation to oversee “the administrative and temporal affairs of the Church”. “What does this really look like?”, you may be wondering! The Deacons meet on the second Tuesday evening of each month to discuss various matters of church business related to the annual operating budget, the church property, staffing and personnel issues, church ministries and missions, and membership. After a short devotional, we typically each share items of business related to the portfolios we hold. This year, the Board of Deacons was made up of: Sam Chaise (Finance and Membership), Adora Chui (Discipleship and Vice Chair), Lesley Daniels (Chair), Joanne Laing (Secretary), Gonzalo Librado (Adult Ministries), Shannon Loewen (Missions sand Worship), Peggy Moore (Property), Esther Penner (Community Life), and Doug Willson (Pastoral Care). As each Deacon shared from his or her portfolio, we discussed and took action on items of business requiring our attention, decision making, and/or discernment. This year, in addition to matters pertaining to the everyday operations of the church, the Deacons spent a great deal of time focused on discerning God’s will for the Church in terms of our Statement of Faith and conditions for membership. The culmination of a two-year process of discernment by the Staff, Elders, and Deacons was the Board’s recent approval of a motion to accept revisions to the bylaws, the key changes including a Statement of Faith that consists of the Apostles’ Creed and the Spring Garden Values, and the removal of baptism by immersion as a condition of membership. Much thought and prayer has been devoted to this process over the past number of months, in particular, as we have endeavoured to share our discernment process with the congregation and to invite their input as we move forward. We have also spent time as a Board in beginning preparations for Gene’s retirement next year. Gene is committed to working with the Board (and with Staff, Elders, and congregants) to ensure as smooth a transition as possible. While we mourn his impending departure in many ways, we also look forward with excitement to what God has in store for His church over the next number of years. To this end, we have established a ‘Navigation Team’ (made up of Deacons, Elders, and congregants) who have been tasked with assessing the needs of our church and community, discerning God’s call on the church for our next season, and considering various approaches to structure and staffing to live out this call. This team will make a recommendation to Spring Garden’s leadership by early September regarding a leadership model to consider once Gene retires.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report We continue to look at matters related to budget (including consideration of special projects or expenses outside of our approved annual budget), existing and proposed ministries, our role in local and global missions initiatives, maintenance of and upgrades to our property, and staffing and personnel matters. Regarding the latter, we approved the hiring of Michelle Li as Church Office and Communications Manager last August, and we approved a 4-month sabbatical for Greg Kay beginning this past April (which allowed us to ‘test’ revisions to the Sabbatical Policy approved by the Board last year!). I’m sure I speak for all Deacons when I say that it has been a very full and rewarding year for us as a Board. There is certainly never any shortage of things to discuss, though we somehow manage to end our meetings on time! It has been a privilege to see the discernment process that was the focus of our collective learning over the past few years be put into practice during our time together and to know God’s unifying presence as we seek to do His will. In closing, I’d like to thank Gonzalo Librado, our only ‘outgoing Deacon’, for his faithful service over the past three years. We have valued Gonzalo’s thoughtful contributions to his Adult Ministires portfolio and his prayerful presence on the Board. We value your continued prayers for discernment and for wisdom as we move forward together in managing the church resources.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

ELDERS Report from Cindie Chaise As Elders at Spring Garden Church, we are entrusted to pray for the church, offer spiritual advice, and provide support and accountability to the Senior Pastor and to others in the church body, while shepherding the Church and living as Christians. As a group of eight Elders, we have found it a privilege and an honour to serve the church and our staff in this way. This past year we welcomed Brad Sider as a new Elder to our group, and welcomed back Garth Barron. This summer Barrie Porter and Corinne Sutton-Smith will be stepping down from the Elders as their terms end. They both were wonderful additions to the group and their contributions, perspectives and questions will be sincerely missed. Prayer is the cornerstone of what we do. The Elders organize the prayer team in the Prayer Room each Sunday after church. The prayer team is a mixture of Elders and members of the congregation that have had prayer training, and they are available at that time to pray for anyone that would like prayer. The Elders are also privileged to pray for people during the week, by request. This past year, in addition to praying with people at the church, we also were invited to pray for people in their homes or while in hospital. If you would like to pray about something with any of us, please do not hesitate to go to the Prayer Room after church, or talk with one of the Elders during the coffee time, or contact one of us. Our contact information can be found in Delve or through the church office. We are honoured to pray for people, so please feel free to contact us. We also provide support and accountability to the Senior Pastor in our Elders’ meeting, which takes place about once a month. We also are in contact with our staff in the intervening weeks to pray for their prayer requests and to encourage them. We give God thanks for each of them and how they bless our community of faith. We also give God thanks for everyone at Spring Garden and use our meetings to pray and to discern what God is doing in our congregation and where we as a church might closer align with the Spirit. To that end, Joanna James, Garth Barron and Barrie Porter have been actively involved in the Navigation Team meetings, discussing and planning the transition around Gene’s retirement. At our last Elders’ meeting, as we discussed this report, we mused about this past year. It has been a wonderful year of seeing God leading Spring Garden and its leaders. We’ve seen how the Lord has led us firmly and clearly in our meetings, and we have been blessed individually and as a group. The Elders have also been actively involved in the Leadership Team meetings with the Pastors and Deacons. These meetings have included prayer, discussion and discernment around the bylaws regarding membership and baptism. For all of us, it has been amazing to see how God has been leading and discipling us. We give thanks to God for his faithfulness, his protection, and his leading. May his Spirit continue to guide us, to protect us, and to grant us wisdom. To God be the glory.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

MISSION ACTION TEAM Vocational Missionary Care and Ministry Partners Report from Anne Barron Again this year, it has been exciting to see growth and change in the lives and ministries of our vocational missionaries and ministry partners. It has been a privilege for me to meet and interact with our missionaries and ministry partners, and to hear the stories of their ministries as they strive the show God’s care and share God’s story in Willowdale, in Canada and around the world. Last April we welcomed home Kevin and Joyce Richardson who have served with SIM in Nigeria and Kenya. In April 2018, after a year of furlough, we had a recommissioning service to honour their 34 years of ministry and partnership with Spring Garden and SIM. Kevin and Joyce are still serving with SIM in different ways and will be living in Harrow, Ontario. In August several of us gathered to wish “Happy Retirement” to Grace Bartell. We shared stories of her ministry with TeachBeyond and her partnership for over 15 years. It was fun to meet her new husband Abe and to wish them well in the years ahead. In July we welcomed home Jen Chrystman who has served with OMF in the Philippines for 25 years. It has been exciting to see Jen reintegrate into North American life, meeting new people at Spring and becoming involved in several of our ministries. She continues to serve OMF by managing their guest house on Avenue Rd. During the summer we had a visit from John Vanderwerf and his family as they were home visiting family on vacation. John and Veronica continue to establish their life and ministry in Scotland and we are continuing to step down our support of them. Ron and Dalia Fairbanks continue to serve with GEM recruiting new missionaries in Canada to serve in Europe. We were able to help them financially to be able to go to Portugal again this summer to facilitate a Marriage Enrichment Seminar. In the fall we welcomed Kaitlyn Williams as a vocational missionary with Fight4Freedom. Kaitlyn brings a fresh, new excitement to her ministry and it was great to see her involve the youth in raising over $900 with their bake sale in February. We had begun to step down Becki Lee as she established her ministry within her new church community in Saskatoon. Last summer Becki moved to Guelph to continue her work with Athletes in Action there so we decided to continue to support and partner with her as she

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report becomes established in a new city. Being in Guelph has allowed Becki to visit Spring Garden and to make new connections here. Almost half of our vocational missionaries work with Youth Unlimited and attend Spring Garden as their church home. As well as supporting Scott Moore, Monica Kay, Clem Lee, Kathy Webb, John Wilkinson, and Jesse James financially as vocational missionaries we also make our facilities here at Spring Garden available for meetings, events and office space. It is wonderful to be able to partner with them in this practical way. We continue to support Matthew House, The Dale, CBM Groups of Hope and Neighbourlink as ministry partners. We will be discontinuing our support of Neighbourlink at this time as they have ended their volunteer ministry. We are looking for new opportunities to reach out to the neighbourhood in North York to replace this ministry. I would like to thank Greg Kay as the mission pastor and Shannon Loewen who served as the mission deacon this year for their guidance and support. Being involved in mission is a core value of Spring Garden that “weaves its way through the fabric of our church family” (Mission Policy). Please pray about how you can be involved in mission in the next year as we continue to show God’s care and share God’s story in Willowdale, Canada and around the world.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

SPRING GARDEN BASED INITIATIVES TEAM Report from Victoria Shipmaker You may not be aware of the Spring Garden Based Initiatives Team (SBGIT) but hopefully you have experienced some of the opportunities that we create for our church members to engage the city around us.

Community Garden In June 2017 we were busy with our first community garden. The purpose of the garden is to make space for those who live near our church to come and meet us and enjoy planting and harvesting. For the first year our focus was to experience one year of team building, planting and harvesting so that this coming year we will be ready to invite those who live nearby to join us. The produce harvested was given last year to the Drop Inn at Cummer United Church (formerly called Newtonbrook United). With the careful instruction of Peggy Yang and Michael Rempel we were able to harvest an abundance of kale, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers! Our garden’s purpose to bring a community space to our neighbours was greatly enhanced by the donation of two benches which we see are often in use throughout the year.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

It was a good year as we learned the ropes of creating a team of people who often have to work independently on a group project. We learned about different communications styles, differences in expectations and just how little tasks done behind the scene end up producing a harvest that feeds many people. We are pleased to announce that we are ready for another year with a new garden already planted and hope to make contact with some of our neighbours in the condos to come and join us in this venture. It is hoped that in the future the neighbours will begin taking a leadership roles to make this a true community venture.

Halloween We again assisted with Jesse James to hand out Halloween candy and hot chocolate as families participated in Trick or Treating. The numbers of children enjoying the candy was enhanced by the number of adults we were able to engage over a cup of hot chocolate. Some have begun to recognize us as part of their Halloween tradition and though they may not come to our church see us as part of the community.

Thanksgiving Pies Thanksgiving provided us with an opportunity to provide pies as gifts. We were thankful that Brad Sider had a ministry connection through the Mennonite Central Committee that has taught us about the difficulties of re-entering the community after having been in jail. The pies that you as church members donate may seem like a small gift but are meaningful to the

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report recipients who rarely receive positive notice and are able to take them to their own Thanksgiving meal as a contribution.

Angel Tree It was our third year for Angel Tree an initiative of Prison Fellowship of Canada. Church members are invited to buy a Christmas gift for a child on behalf of the parent who is in prison who obviously can’t get out to shop. We had people who have taken part in this in other years and also new participants and ran out of names! It was so quickly accomplished that the project was complete before some of us had a chance to sign up! Our participants complete a survey and we again had good feedback about how this initiative has been useful in explaining to our children how some families are impacted by having a father or mother in jail.

New Year – New Food Bank Your donation of food as part of Advent was delivered to the food bank located at Lansing United Church. Lansing was remodelled and the food bank was unavailable for some time. We were pleased to be able to deliver your donations. We were pleased to be able to see the new space. It is designed to allow the participant to choose their food rather than receive items already bundled allowing for a much more dignified experience.

Lasagna and Brownies Easter brought our cooks to our kitchen to make lasagnas and brownies for ex-offenders. Again as with the pies the lasagnas are well received and something that many people trying to reintegrate into the community would not be able to make for themselves. The children have become experts at making and decorating the brownies! The ingredients are donated by you and Joanne Laing and Cheryl Chapman organise us to chop, mix and cook the ingredients for all of the lasagnas. Sadly this year we learned that the program for ex-offenders has lost some of its funding. This has reduced the staffing including those who made had contact with the recipients were donations were delivered. With Brad Sider’s help we were able to have a smaller number of lasagnas donated with the rest going to a local youth shelter.

Good Seed Sunday Though delayed by a snowy landscape to May 6th we were greeted with beautiful warm sunny weather as we went out to the park, our church grounds and the ravine to clean up the area. The playground was packed with neighbours. Oscar the Grouch enjoying fresh garbage!

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report This brings us back to our gardening season! As Spring Garden has goes through its own changes we have noted that those we serve change as well. We anticipate the year ahead will require us to find other places where God is at work and we are eager to introduce our caring church to new experiences with new partners! Submitted with thanks on behalf of Rodway Daniels and Greg Kay and those who serve in so many ways.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY GROUP Report from Garth Barron Your word is a light to my feet and a lamp on my path – Psalm 119:105 The group is now in its tenth year. There are around four participants on most Sundays. Over the past year, we have completed a study of the second half of Isaiah (Chapters 40-66). We are now nearing the end of a study of the book of Revelation. Our goal is to understand what scripture would have meant to its original readers, and then consider how it applies to us today. We also want to see each passage in its wider context, and to get the big picture of the Bible’s story. To this end we do a verse by verse study of a biblical book. Participants are encouraged to feel very free to share different views, thoughts and opinions and all discussions take place in a climate of mutuality and respect. The discussions can be animated and lively! Our aim is not just to know the scriptures, but to help each other to live by them. When we are close to finishing a particular book, we normally decide as a group which book(s) will be our next project. We don't meet during July and August, but would be happy to have others join us for a new start in September 2018!

ESL CAFE The ESL Café provides newcomers to Canada with a comfortable venue for tea and conversation. On Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 students gather in the east lounge to practice and improve their English, and to make new friends. The time is spent in discussing a wide variety of topics, reading short stories aloud, as well as occasional grammar instruction. Our numbers are still somewhat low, with 4-6 students coming out most weeks, although when the weather is bad. (Toronto winters are challenging for many immigrants from warmer climates!) If you know someone who might benefit from an opportunity to practice their English speaking and listening skills, please let them know about the ESL Café.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

ESL BIBLE STUDY Report from Ben Wukasch The ESL Bible study is in its 7th year now. We have given away many NIrV Bibles to the participants. These Bibles have a simpler vocabulary, shorter sentences, and are easier to understand. We all read from the same version. The majority of our student are from China, but there have been students from Korea and Iran as well. The two major study topics for this year included two books, Genesis and Luke. I decided to focus on whole books this year. Working through Genesis was an opportunity to learn some of the Biblical stories, and to hear about the creation of the universe, and God’s covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people. After finishing Genesis, the next book studied was Luke. The book was covered at a rate of one to two chapters per study. Being a gospel, Luke provided many different windows into who Jesus is and what He accomplished. There continues to be newcomers who come, as well as those who have come for a longer period of time. Please pray for the Bible study, that it would continue to reach our neighbourhood’s newcomers. Pray that God’s word, as a seed, would go forth and produce its fruit and return having accomplished its purpose. In Christ, Ben Wukasch

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

PROPERTY COMMITTEE Report from Wes Chapman The Property Committee is committed to maintain the building and grounds of Spring Garden Church and the house at 106 Spring Garden Avenue. The mandate of the committee is to preserve our church properties as inviting places for all who enter. A small committee of dedicated volunteers assists in the maintenance and upkeep of our property. The committee appreciates their dedication, time involvement and energy with the myriad of large and small tasks that occur around the building. We have also had a number of people working on the lawn and garden areas of the church this year. Thanks to Cherryl Murdoch and Peggy Yang for their fine work.

From June 2017 to June 2018, the committee has completed the following projects: 1.

New shingles for the garage roof at 106

Replacement of the lights in the parking lot with LED’s

Sun-blocking blinds for the south windows in the new lounge

Removal of many old unused items to the junkyard

Purchase and installation of a defibrillator

Repainting of walls in various rooms of the Sunday School area

Many other small tasks too numerous to mention

Respectfully submitted, Your Property Committee

Neil Bickerton, Wes Chapman (Chair), Don Hopkins, Jeff McGee, Peggy Moore (Deacon), Esther

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report Penner, Wil Tranter, James Wright, Peggy Yang

IT/AV COMMITTEE Report from Kevin Lai Collaborators: Colin Chapman, Wes Chapman, Kevin Lai, Sam Lee The IT/AV Department continued to upgrade some AV and computer equipment this past year. We meet at least once a year to discuss, recommend and coordinate the technical aspects of supporting church ministry. The main sanctuary sound board was replaced with a new digital sound board. There are many new features that most of us don’t really know how to operate it, but apparently, the sound board is so automated, it can almost mix itself. The Projectionist computer was also replaced to keep up with the graphic card demands of the lastest MediaShout. It the video card is capable of mining bitcoin, it should be able to display worship lyrics... To keep up with a new generation of meetings, a flat screen TV was purchased for the boardroom. This allows for new capabilities of sharing presentations, media, notes, and video teleconferencing. A secondary HP server was purchased to replace a previously donated desktop PC that was running a Linux server with virtualized guest servers/OS. We hired a summer student with Canada Summer Jobs who helped us set up Rock RMS, a planned replacement for the Discipleship Ministry check-in system. Rock RMS could also potentially be used for other church resource management solutions. Unfortunately, we became too busy to work on Rock RMS for the rest of the year. We’ll look in to it again in the summer 2018, hopefully by hiring another summer student to continue where we left off last summer. We continued to hold off hiring a third party IT support person, in order to keep our annual expenses down. In the same way, most of our support from the AV team, and digital or print media designs are done by our wonderful church volunteers. However, this means also we rely on volunteers to help troubleshoot technical issues for the office staff when problems arise. If anyone is interested in serving in this area of IT, AV, or media arts, please let us know! We need more help in managing the day-to-day issues that arise, designing and publishing media, as well as special projects.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

RESOURCE CENTRE Report from Karen Cassel

The Resource Centre provides books, videos, and DVDs for general Christian growth, study, and leisure. The library resources are provided to speak to the needs and events that are taking place in the wider church life. Reading materials are an invaluable resource for personal and spiritual growth. We are able to offer important resources that cannot be found in the public library system. We are so fortunate to have a book budget and have the ability to purchase books to meet our objectives, and to support the teachings we enjoy each Sunday. There is a monthly feature in Delve that gives a synopsis of books and DVD’s recently added, and/or supports the messages of that month. The library has a subscription to Christianity Today, available for borrowing on the same terms as the books. This year I did a project to upgrade all of the books with handwritten labels, to printed labels. Over the past year, some of the new titles added include: My name is Mahtob, by Mahtob Mahmoody Be the gift: let your brokenness be turned into abundance, by Ann Voskamp

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report Daring to hope: finding God’s goodness in the broken and beautiful, by Katie Davis Majors Thank you God for Mommy Thank you God for Daddy Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, by Nabeel Qureshi Did you know that the Resource Centre is online, and you can look up and request books from the church website. Go to: http://springgardenchurch.ca Click on Resource Centre This will take you directly to a search screen where you can input your search terms (title, author, subject, etc.) to discover what is available in the library. You can submit a request for a book, and it will be emailed to me.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

REFRESH WOMEN’S GROUP Report from Tanya Salituro

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It has been a wonderful year again for Wednesday Refresh with our regular family of women and those who come whenever they can. The intimate moments of sharing and fellowship lost to so many in this wired world are frequent and treasured in our Refresh group. The major highlight was answer to prayer with Beverly Holtzman quickly getting new lungs. May her overall health settle down soon, dear Lord we pray. The other highlight of the year was Pastor Gene with his instruction of Refresh last fall on “Finding My Story.” We were each pushed to reflect on the overall message of the Bible and how our lives are a reflection of such -honouring God and honouring the world, with love. The lowlight of the year was the recent Yonge St. van attack. We spent a few weeks pondering and mourning this tragedy that occurred on a path several of us walk frequently. The support of this church to the community was most valuable. May the victims and perpetrator find Christ and peace. Our year is wrapping up with the reading of the book of Mark with great discussions and discernments. Holy Spirit lead. We ask for prayer for quick healing for our sister and elder, Faith Holwyn with her newly replaced knee. God's Blessings on SGC! Tanya

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

FINANCE Report from Geoffrey Moore (Treasurer) FINANCE REPORT 2017 2017 Financial Results 2017 Financial Results Budget – Operations, Mission and Property:

$560,600

Cash Receipts for Operation, Mission & Property:

583,183

Uplift to Overall 2017 Budget

22,593

Actual Expenditures:

526,334

Net Cash Position Increase:

56,859

NOTE (1) - $22,593 + $560,600 – $526,334 = $56,859.

2017 Comparison to Approved 2018 Budget 2018 Budget A. Operations

2017 Budget

Increase (Decrease)

479,774

468,000

11,774

B. Missions

78,072

82,600

(4,528)

C. Operations

11,250

10,000

1,250

Sub-Total

569,096

560,600

8,496

C. Property

(51,800)

(50,600)

(1,200)

Net Budget

517,296

510,000

7,296

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Caring & Sharing Fund The C & S Fund helps those people related to the Spring Garden family who are in a time of need. Donations to the C & S in 2017 were $9,567 and expenditures were $6,509. The Cash Balance at December 31, 2017 in the C & S Fund was $7,283.. Audited Financial Statements – will be completed for 2017 and will be released in June 2018. Note In 2015, Marion Cameron took over the Vice Treasurer’s duties that George Vanderwerf looked after for 15 years. Updated computer programs have been installed. Marion is doing an outstanding job and handles all of the accounting functions.

Count Teams We have 4 Count Teams headed up by Darlene Boyd to ensure that offerings are counted weekly without any delay! Historical Budgets vs. Actual Receipts (includes property revenue).

Year

Budget

Actual

2011

576,000

576,900

2012

581,000

530,000

2013

555,800

503,000

2014

524,480

522,532

2015

525,000

510,800

2016

559,197

548,957

2017

560,600

583,193

2018

569,096

TBA

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

PARTNERSHIP AND VOCATIONAL MISSIONARIES Youth Unlimited 2018 Annual Report (In alphabetical order by last names)

Jesse James, Outreach Worker – Willowdale The work of Willowdale Outreach is best understood by examining the variety and depth of the thousands of conversations between neighbours, business and ministry partners, government officials and Toronto Community Housing tenants, soccer players and their coaches, or youth and their mentors. These conversations make possible the kinds of programs that Willowdale Outreach curates, such as like Willowdale Soccer League, Learn-2-Ride Bike Camp, Sophia Mentoring Community, or the seasonal activities like skating with homeless youth or the Christmas/March Break Chill. In all, there are about 300 children and youth served and engaged with messages of hope and transformation through these programs The programs and activities of Willowdale Outreach are one thing; but the heart of the work, often very difficult work, is found in the many many thousands of conversations initiated and facilitated by people living, working, worshipping, and playing in Willowdale. I am grateful for Spring Garden’s support and encouragement in all of this.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Monica Kay, Launch Director LAUNCH has had a wonderful year. We are very thankful for all that God has been doing, and for the support of Spring Garden on so many levels. We had approximately 20 young leaders in our equipping program, 14 of whom were students in our Gr. 11 Leadership Course. It has been a true joy to journey with these young people as they learn more about themselves, about their passions, and about how they can make a difference. Though not always a smooth and straight path, we can truly see how each of these young leaders have grown throughout the year. June 9th is the final class and each student will share about their community project, as well as their growth spiritually, in character and in leadership. In regards to the inspiring side of our program, our leadership facilitators had the opportunity to challenge and inspire close to 2000 young people! We are in the process of hiring another leadership facilitator. If you know of any young people who might be a great fit for our program please send them our way! Thank you again for your support.

Clement Lee, Jane-Finch Community Director The YU Jane & Finch team has officially been its own team for over a year now. The team has really appreciated the increased prayer and support of being together. Last year we saw our first Heart 2 Soul festival for the community as well as the launching of our new internship program BECC (Brothers Empowering Community Change). Our Seeds of Hope summer camp connected with many new youth this summer as did our Hoop 2 Hope basketball outreach. Lots of great mentoring also happened through our Iron Fruits fitness program and through our Create and Believe alumni. Personally, God has been stretching and challenging me over

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report the past year as I’ve grown into my role as Jane & Finch Community Director. I’ve been blessed to be a part of a “Leading Teams” learning group that has been an ongoing place of learning and development as I seek to be a better leader/servant for my team. Our team has now expanded to 8 staff (including myself). Thank you again for all your support!

Scott Moore, Executive Director Youth Unlimited’s vision in Toronto, put simply, is: transformed youth transforming our city. In my role as Executive Director, I bring spiritual and strategic leadership to our movement in order to fulfill this vision. Over the past year, I was excited to see: (1) Two new geographic ministry teams formed – in Jane-Finch & South-Central Etobicoke, (2) the launch of our “Brothers Empowering Community Change” internship for young, Black, Christian males, (3) the launch of our two-year apprenticeship “Leading Teams Learning Group”, and much more! I am grateful for the privilege of being sent by Spring Garden Church to have served for 10 years at Youth Unlimited, with 5 of those as Executive Director. Learn more & connect at: (1) yugta.ca, (2) impact.yugta.ca – highlights of our 2017 year, (3) partner.yugta.ca – get more involved!

Kathy Webb, Administrative Assistant It has been a joy to continue serving at YU this past year. I have the privilege of providing administrative support to our staff in a variety of ways - from orienting new staff to putting together a monthly prayer calendar to coordinating YU's involvement in fundraising events like the Mississauga Marathon. Some new responsibilities have recently been added to my role which I am looking forward to in the year ahead! A heartfelt THANK YOU to my Spring Garden family for your faithful support, prayers and encouragement.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

John Wilkinson, Executive Coach and Strategist Another year as Executive Coach and Strategist has come and gone for me at Youth Unlimited and at the National Office of YFC. What a privilege to serve in the various facets of this role. Scott has grown so much as the leader of YU that my role as his coach has become more of an advisor to him as he requires. But our times together are rich and meaningful. I am also the Team Shepherd of the Central Services team which allows me to walk alongside of these incredible servant leaders in their personal and spiritual lives. What a joy. And then there is the ongoing contact with key people close to YU who I have come to know well over many years. I am also seconded to the National Office and am responsible for the search process of various Chapters looking for a CEO across Canada. Several posts have been filled including the successful search for a new National Director. In addition, I connect with EDs in Ontario and Quebec and journey with them as a resource and shepherd. I am always amazed by their trust - I guess there is something to be said about experience and wisdom. I am very thankful for Spring and your kind support and encouragement throughout the year.

Report from Becki Lee (AIA) Athletes in Action (AIA) is the sports ministry of Power to Change. Our desire is make Christ known through the language and love of sport. I work in the Campus division of AIA, helping university athletes know Jesus and make him known in the sports world and beyond. This year has been one of significant changes for me personally. I have relocated from Saskatoon, SK to Guelph, ON. With this move I transitioned from being mainly on the local campus, to working as the director of Student Link. Student Link is an AIA campus strategy that supports and equips student athletes to pioneer and grow AIA ministries on University campuses across Canada where no AIA staff are present. I have also been serving part time on campus at the University of Guelph with the local AIA ministry. I will be once again transitioning roles from from overseeing Student Link, to directing the local AIA ministry at the

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report University of Guelph. We have seen some great momentum at the U of G with many new athletes getting involved. A highlight has been one of our student leaders leading his football team mate to Christ and helping to baptise him just a week later! Thanks for partnering with me in this awesome work. I am so thankful for Spring Garden's support of me and my ministry for almost 12 years! For more information you can contact me at beckil@athletesinaction.ca or check out our new and improved website at www.athletesinaction.ca

Report from Ron and Dalia Fairbanks (GEM)

Dalia and Ron’s main responsibilities with Greater Europe Mission (GEM) are in the area of mobilization of new mid/long term missionary candidates. We assist in the vetting, appointment, accompanying them until they reach the field, training and deployment of these new missionaries. We also seek to develop ministry partnerships with key training schools (Heritage, EBC, Millar College of the Bible, Briercrest, etc.) We also participate in leading Impact, Plants and Review training sessions of MissionPrep. We continue to lead the Marriage Encounter with Christ (MEC) in Canada and sometimes in Portugal. We have had another good year of recruiting, appointing, training and sending out new missionaries. This year we have had 2 couples, and 4 singles to train and track with until they got to their field of service. We have 4 new long-term missionaries who have now arrived in Europe. One international appointee (she was German but had lived in Canada for 10 years) is now in Europe serving and four more are raising their support. One student from Heritage returned from doing an internship in Romania and is now pursuing long-term service there. Another student from Heritage is currently doing an internship in France. Another student from Emmanuel did an internship in Holland and is now considering long-term service. We were able to implement the first MEC in the Azores, Portugal on Terceira Island last August. One man gave his life to Christ and 3 local couples have agreed to continue this ministry there. They have asked us to return this summer to help train and enable them to continue it themselves. Every day at 10:02 we stop and pray Luke 10:2 asking the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers into His harvest field. He has been responding to these prayers in amazing ways. Would you join us in praying? Thanks By the grace of God alone Ron and Dalia Fairbanks

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Report from Faith Holwyn (CBM) The Groups of Hope Program continues to be used in many parts of the world in ministry with women and men. This past year I travelled to Haiti with a team of 6 Baptist Women, where we mentored the program with pastors’ wives. I have had Emails and requests for materials from several parts of the world: Eastern Europe, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and most recently Cuba and an African Baptist Church in Winnipeg. It inspires me to see God continuing to use the program in so many places without me putting the energy into promoting it any longer. I appreciate the support of Spring Garden Church Missions and will keep you posted as God continues to spread the seeds.

Report from Jen Chrystman (Omfmail) "Are we in China yet?" "What are you most afraid of in going full time to SE Asia?" "What happening in Iran right now?" These are a few of the questions that have been asked at our OMF guest home this past year as I've hosted Wycliffe Bible Translators, Kairos missions education people, Mennonite Brethren and TEAM retreats and meetings in addition to our OMF events. One newcomer to our monthly prayer meetings on Tuesday nights remarked that she's never prayed that much at church before in her life. Cool! If you're interested in what God is doing in the world, you should drop by for our prayer meetings or days of prayer or perhaps a "Here to There" weekend. Perhaps you can't GO, but you may be able to PRAY, LEARN, WELCOME as a world Christian. More information? Contact me. jen.chrystman@omfmail.com or 647-688-9046 Report from Kaitlyn Williams (Fight4Freedom) At Fight4Freedom we work with women and men who have been victimized by sex trafficking here in Canada. My first year with them has been so wonderful, challenging, and exciting! It has been such an honour to work alongside women who have escaped situations of human trafficking and see them grow and develop as they transition into a more stable life situation. This last year we have had 5 women come out of the industry and receive support from us! We have developed new policies to more effectively assess needs of survivors and provide more effective support. With the growing number of individuals leaving the sex

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report industry, we have seen a massive need for safe housing for women who have escaped trafficking. We are now partnering with another organization to open a safe house near the GTA. This will provide women who have fled their traffickers with a safe place to live as well as rehabilitative programming. I am very excited for the year to come and to see all of the ways that we are growing to further support women. If you’d like more information about the work that we are doing, you can email me at kaitlyn@fight4freedom.ca or visit our website at fight4freedom.ca.

Supported Missional Organizations NeighbourLink North York Report from Myrna Frost Spring Garden Church has been a loyal supporter of NeighbourLink since it began in Willowdale in 1995. This has been a year of challenge that has necessitated some significant changes. Until March 31 NeighbourLink in partnership with 5 other churches ,was actively involved in endeavouring to meet the needs of disadvantaged people, mainly seniors in the Willowdale area . This involved driving people to medical appointments, making food bank deliveries and shopping as well as visiting lonely and isolated people. Thank you to the Spring Garden volunteers who lovingly provided these services and truly made a difference in many people's lives. In November NeighbourLink held their fifth Fund-raising concert and silent auction. This was a very successful event . In December Spring Garden volunteers helped in delivering beautiful hampers , donated by Amica ,to many of our lonely seniors. On Saturday March 31, NeighbourLink in partnership with Seneca College held a series of workshops aimed at connecting Seniors and Youth in the Willowdale area. In April, the NeighbourLink Board decided that it was necessary to change the focus of its work, because of a declining volunteer base and fewer requests coming in. As a result, NeighbourLink felt that it longer had the resources to provide the services offered through the office. Although this arm of the ministry has come to an end, NeighbourLink, under the direction of a new Board of Directors has brought a new vision to its work and will be embarking on a range of new initiatives involving seniors and community engagement. We pray for success in this new phase of the NeighbourLink ministry. In April NeighbourLink honoured their faithful volunteers for their devoted service over many years and introduced the new vision at a Volunteers Brunch held at Spring Garden Church.

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Spring Garden Church has played a vital role in serving the Willowdale Community through NeighbourLink for the past 24 years and we pray that this support will continue into the future.

SGC Nominating Committee Report 2018 Deacons Current Deacons Gonzalo Librado Adora Chui Lesley Daniels Peggy Moore Esther Penner Doug Wilson Shannon Loewen Sam Chaise

Finishing Year 2018 2019 2019 2019 2019 2019 2020 2020

Nominees Joanne Laing Martin Dewar

2020 2021

Elders Current Elders Barrie Porter Corinne Sutton-Smith Cheryl Chapman Joanna James Darlene Boyd Cindie Chaise Garth Barron Brad Sider

Finishing Year 2018 2018 2019 2019 2020 2020 2020 2020

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report

Officers (one year term) Position Moderator Krysten Cameron Vice-Moderator Jane McClean Treasurer Geoff Moore Vice-Treasurer Marion Cameron Clerk Karen Cassel Nominees Moderator Vice-Moderator Treasurer Vice-Treasurer Clerk

Krysten Cameron Jane McClean Geoff Moore Marion Cameron Karen Cassel

Nominating Committee Members Current Members Finishing Year Barrie Porter 2018 Koon Wah Leung 2018 Anne Barron 2019 Esther Penner 2019 Lesley Daniels 2019 Monica Kay 2019 Nominees Brad Sider Jin Lee

2020 2020

Spring Garden Church 2018 Annual Report