Knox Reader April 2020

THE KNOX READER Spring 2020

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Stories from Knox Presbyterian Church

Celebrating 200 years of Knox

IN THIS ISSUE

THE KNOX READER TEAM

CHURCH PEOPLE / ASHLEE CAMPBELL

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PORTRAITS OF LEGACY: MEETING KNOX'S LONGTIME MEMBERS / MARIA GABANKOVA & JESSICA DENNISS

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BACK TO COMMUNITY: TWO GENERATIONS IN CONVERSATION ON CALLING KNOX HOME / SAMMY CHIN

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THE CHURCH AND WEALTH: KNOX AND THE LEGACY OF THE JESSE KETCHUM FUND / FRAN WESTWOOD

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GETTING TO KNOW NESTOR ABDON / NATASHA BRUNO

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KNOX IN THE ARCHIVES: 200 YEARS OF SERVING TORONTO / TANIA BLOKHUIS

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JESSICA DENNISS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

TANIA BLOKHUIS MANAGING EDITOR

KAREN-LUZ SISON STAFF SUPPORT

MARGARET ZHONG COPY EDITOR

SAMMY CHIN WRITER & PROOF READER

MARIA GABANKOVA ARTIST

NATASHA BRUNO WRITER

FRAN WESTWOOD WRITER

ASHLEE CAMPBELL WRITER

SAMANTHA MUDIAPPAHPILLAI GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Interested in joining the team? Email reader@knoxtoronto.org.

Learn more about our 200-years celebrations at knox200.org

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ON THE COVER

FROM THE EDITOR

Firmly rooted in faith The idea for the cover evolved in stages— first, there was an image of the Knox church building, and then I thought of combining it with some pastel sketches of tree roots done in High Park. The theme of roots and being firmly rooted or uprooted is found in many places in both the Old and New Testaments and I liked the concept of relating this powerful symbolism to a specific contemporary place and people—that of Knox Church. The blue colour in the church windows reflects the sky and our longing for heaven.

I love Knox. I’ve been coming since the first Sunday I arrived in Canada over six years ago, still jet-lagged from the multi-day trans-Pacific flight from Australia. I had no kitchenware or furniture, and no idea what Thanksgiving was, but by the time I left the Goforth Hall that day I had been given a box full of plates, a coffee table, and two invitations to Thanksgiving dinners (I made a pumpkin pie for one dinner; it had raisins in it, much to the horror of all. I have since amended my ways). Since then, Knox has been part of the rhythm of my life in Toronto. I have sung my heart out, cried my eyes out, laughed, hugged, prayed, learned, and served. There have been seasons of joy, and seasons of grief, and a very long season of work. Throughout it all I have been deeply loved by my community. Certainly it is flawed, and sometimes hard, and sometimes tiring. But always it draws me back to walk with Jesus, and reminds me that his kingdom is at hand.

Colossians 2:6–7 says, “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

Let us get to know the roots well.

—Maria Gabankova

This is what Knox has been doing for 200 years in this city. It is an incredible legacy, and we are celebrating it in this edition of the Knox Reader. You will hear from some of our longtime members, who reflect on their memories and hopes for Knox. You will hear from a father and daughter who each grew up in the Knox community, decades apart. You will hear about the 200-year-old gift of land, and what that means for us now. And you will hear about the background and calling of one of our newest pastors, the people of the church, and the sustained presence of Knox throughout Toronto’s history.

The whole Reader team is delighted to share its creative gifts with you as we celebrate Knox’s 200-year anniversary. I especially want to recognise the contribution of stunning original artwork from Maria Gabankova, which makes this edition feel particularly special.

Please enjoy, and remember to check out past editions of the Knox Reader, available on the Knox website.

—Jessica Denniss

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Church people A POEM

BY PASTOR ASHLEE CAMPBELL

Here is a church,

here is a steeple open it up and see all the people.

Here is the Church, she is the people, open her up and see all kinds of

People with sore hearts, lying tongues best intentions loving hearts fallen down lifted up lost in despair greedy as normal prone to wander prone to hope transcendently good and also evil.

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Here is the Church, she is the people, the people singing awe and wonder to Jesus who tells us Search for the one lost sheep and Love the unlovable and Break bread Eat his body that ours might be healed and Still scolding tongues and Turn away from evil Receive little ones gently with care Cry with the crying and Dance with the joyful.

ILLUSTRATION

consumedmedia.com/being-church

Here is the Church, she is the people, where she is gathered there's no need for a steeple.

Stained glass is nice, its beauty a salve, Jesus loves dwelling in your living room too. Two or more gathered, scheming in Christ’s name to love the world around them out of sin and shame.

Here is a church, here is a steeple, she’s not the Church when there are no people, who depend on God’s Spirit and care to mourn for the earth who needs to hear of its saviour and feel his warmth.

Jesus hugs the lost through our arms, Church people, he feeds the five thousand from our kitchens and wallets, he reigns justice on evil when we stand in opposition to its existence in our structures and systems.

We are the Church, we are his people, we can dwell in steepled buildings, and houses and street corners, and bus stops and office blocks and classrooms and war zones and wedding parties and border crossings and courtrooms and hospital wings and porch swings and corner shops and maize fields.

Portraits of legacy MEETING KNOX’S LONGTIME MEMBERS ARTIST MARIA GABANKOVA INTERVIEWER JESSICA DENNISS

My fascination with and love of portraiture goes back to my childhood growing up in a home where both my parents were professional artists and Christians. Today, with the prevalence of instant photography and the popularity of selfies, the idea of drawing or painting a portrait of a person directly from life may seem incredible or obsolete. But working from observation is an art form that involves a lot more than what first appears. It provides a deeper inquiry into the mystery of another’s inner being. It is a way of acquiring knowledge about what it means to be human.

Creating the pastel sketches of three of the longest members of Knox—Nancy Howard, Diana Wadsworth, and Del Fowler— offered me an opportunity to meet these wonderful folks and engage in the most interesting conversations, thus learning about their life stories. Observing and spending time together mysteriously becomes part of the art process, contributing to capturing their personalities. The fact that the sitters also shared their experiences as Christians with me was enriching and a very special blessing.I think of the older members of our congregation as part of the strong roots of our faith foundation and I am very grateful to God for them.

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NANCY HOWARD When did you start attending Knox? What brought

What is something about Knox that current members

you to the church? I came to Knox as a teenager. My father, William Fitch, was a minister in the Church of Scotland and in 1955 he was asked to come to Knox in Toronto to become the senior minister. So my family emigrated to Canada at that time and made Knox our home.

may not know? Right now, Knox is supporting workers and missionaries serving in about nine different countries or continents. The Winchester Room is named after one of

What is your favourite ministry that you have been involved in and why? When my children were young, they were all involved in camp. Knox has had more than a 50-year history of children’s summer ministry, with both a day camp and overnight camps operating throughout all these years. As a nurse, I was able to volunteer many times as camp nurse. As well as being able to spend time in nature for a week in the summer, it was a good time to get to know the campers and leaders. Even after all these years there is still a group of former camp staff who get together every year to have fellowship and reminisce about the old camping days. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have been involved with seniors within our congregation for several years. Sadly, many have passed away but there are still those who need visits, comfort, and support. This I have tried to do while at the same time receiving blessing from doing so.

the earliest ministers of Knox, the Rev. A.B. Winchester.

The Goforth Hall is named after Dr. Jonathon Goforth, a pioneer missionary sent by Knox to China in 1888. The Gordon Hall (gymnasium) is named after Mr. H.B. Gordon, who was very instrumental in outreach to youth in the area in the early 1900s. There is a five-pin bowling alley in the basement of the Fellowship Centre!

What is one reason that you have stayed at this church for so long? I have been coming here for decades, and even though during these years I have lived overseas and in other places, I always seem to keep coming back.

My roots are here. There have been many changes, new pastors, new elders, new music, renovations, and new friends, but I am thankful for the fact that Knox is, and will continue to be my home.

What is your hope for the future of Knox?

“The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Christ has been the sure foundation of Knox for 200 years and my prayer would be that his word would continue to be heard from within these walls and to the uttermost parts of the earth.

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DIANA WADSWORTH When did you start attending Knox? What brought you to the church? I came to Knox first when I was in my last two years at U of T, in 1952 and ’53. I met some dear friends in Whitney Hall where we lived on St. George Street. I was a young Christian wanting Christian fellowship and study of the Bible. They took me to Knox and I was being fed spiritually. After that, it was not possible to attend Sunday services when I commuted from my home in Port Credit to the Ontario College of Education at Bloor and Spadina. Next I taught high school in Chatham and Chesley, Ontario. From there, I went to seminary in New York City, and under the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, set off in the fall of 1959 to work at a Christian Girls’ School in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, North India. Apart from furloughs, I lived and worked in that city for 37 years.

When I came to Canada on furloughs, I always made an effort to attend Knox when near enough. By then I had friends in the congregation, and ladies in the WMS, especially the Mildred Gehman group at Knox, kept in touch. They sent Christmas and Easter cards and Rev. George Lowe occasionally wrote encouraging letters. Two of my co-workers in India were also acquainted with Knox.

It was not so much that we kept in touch with Knox but that people kept sending news of the church to us.

What is your favourite ministry that you have been involved in and why? When I retired from work in India and settled in Toronto again, I was able to bring my membership here. Though I live in Scarborough, I felt most at home with friends I had known for several years. It was not difficult to come to Knox each week. I found fellowship and opportunities for ministry with the ESL program and the Mildred Gehman Women’s WMS group, where I was given the job of President for about 14 years. When I

settled here after retirement, I was also given the job of putting together the Knox World Mission monthly prayer bulletin, which I still do.

What is something that current members of Knox may not know? The school in India where I worked was, when I first went, a junior and senior girls’ high school. We were trying to add two grades to make it an Inter College.

It took many years to finally get that recognition as we were a private Christian school. In 1981, we were able to take ten young Tibetan refugee girls. As they had never been to school before (though ages six to ten) and did not speak either Hindi or English, and we couldn’t understand the Tibetan language, special classes had to be set up. Some Indian girls also wanted to come so we began English medium classes and they became an English medium primary school. The students in English year by year moved on up to higher classes in Hindi medium. Now the two schools, Hindi Girls’ Intermediate College and English Medium Co-educational School continue from kindergarten to 12th grade with around 1000 students in each school.

What is one reason that you have stayed at this church for so long? I remain here at Knox because I have friends here and have had the opportunities to serve.

Prayer is still important to many members, the Bible is taught, and Missions is important in the ministry.

What is your hope for the future of Knox? The future?

I pray that the Presbyterian Church will choose to be a Godcentred, Bible-centred fellowship, theologically orthodox according to God’s word, and that Knox may remain a part of that nationwide place of worship reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe a church needs a strong foundation of prayer and God’s word to continue.

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DEL FOWLER When did you start attending Knox? What brought you to the church? I first started attending Knox Church in 1947. During the course of making plans to move to Toronto from a small community about 100 kilometres northwest of the city, the minister at the Presbyterian church I attended recommended Knox Church as a place in Toronto to worship. The Rev. Robert Barr was the minister at Knox then. The rest is history.

What is your favourite ministry that you have been involved in and why? There have been many rewarding areas of ministry where I have felt the Lord leading.

However, I would say that teaching a number of 10–12 year-old boys in Knox Sunday School for a number of years and counselling at Knox Boys Camp are probably two of the most gratifying. To see young boys come to know their Lord and serve him is one of the most rewarding experiences one can have. Some of those boys are still active in Knox Church today.

What is something about Knox that current members may not know? How many at Knox today know that at one time Knox Church had burial grounds? Knox Church owned a half-acre parcel of land on Duchess Street (now 290–292 Richmond Street East) just west of Caroline Street (now Sherbourne Street).

In 1820 (200 years ago), the Crown deeded the parcel of land between Lots 4 and 5 on the north side of Duchess Street, east of Stonecutters Lane and Britain Street on the north to the Presbyterian Congregation (later Knox Church) for the burial of Presbyterians in the Town of York. Prior to 1820 there had been some interments made on these grounds. Unfortunately, all records relating to these burial grounds are missing. It is presumed that the records had been kept in Knox Church and when fire destroyed the church in 1847 the records were lost. As a result of the rapid growth of York/Toronto during the 1830s and 1840s, the burial grounds were closed in 1841. In 1912 the Session of Knox Church approved a resolution to sell the burial grounds and relocated the remains to Plot L106

in the Toronto Necropolis. In the late 1980s, while indexing their records, the Toronto Necropolis discovered that no monument or plaque had ever been erected identifying the remains relocated there from the Duchess Street site. The Toronto Necropolis informed Knox Church Session of this item and over the ensuing months correspondence was exchanged about the wording that ought to be on an appropriate plaque. In 1990 a plaque was constructed and erected on the site where the remains were relocated. On July 21, 1990 an unveiling and commemorating service was held at the site in the Toronto Necropolis.

I had the honour and privilege of representing Knox Church on that occasion. Others who participated in the service were Norman H. McMurrich (Chairman, Toronto Trust Cemeteries), Chris Raible (Town of York Historical Society), Jack Layton (Toronto Councillor), Barbara Hall (Toronto Councillor), and Donald Markle (Supervisor, Toronto Necropolis). The inscription on the bronze plaque is noted below: THE RESTING PLACE OF EARLY PRESBYTERIAN SETTLERS THEY WERE ORIGINALLY BURIED IN THE PRESBYTERIAN BURYING GROUNDS AT DUCHESS (RICHMOND) AND CAROLINE (SHERBOURNE) STREETS, BETWEEN 1818 AND 1841.

DUE TO THE HEAVY EXPANSION OF THE CITY, THE CEMETERY WAS CLOSED, AND THE REMAINS OF 263 PERSONS WERE REMOVED TO THIS LOCATION IN 1911 AND 1912.

ALTHOUGH FEW OF THOSE NOW BURIED HERE ARE IDENTIFIED, FAMILY RECORDS INDICATE THAT SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE FAMILY, INCLUDING THREE OF HIS CHILDREN ARE INTERRED IN THIS LOT. REQUIESCANT IN PACE

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What is one reason that you have stayed at this church for so long? Actually, there are several reasons why I have stayed associated with Knox Church for more than 70 years. However, the main reasons are twofold.

First, the systematic exposition of the scriptures by Rev. Robert Barr, Dr. William Fitch, Dr. J. Glyn Owen, Dr. Mariano DiGangi, and numerous others who filled in during vacancies. I still have personal notes made relating to their sermons. Secondly, through the years, even when the average Sunday morning attendance was about 500, there was a strong sense of a church family. We knew most who attended by name, some formally, many on a firstname basis. Out of that family we established many lifelong personal friendships.

SHARE YOUR STORIES Do you have your own stories or memories to share about Knox’s past, or prayers for Knox’s future?

In the next issue of the Reader, we’ll continue to celebrate Knox's rich 200-year history, and we would love to feature your stories, church. Please get in touch with us at reader@knoxtoronto.org.

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What is your hope for the future of Knox? While contemplating this question my mind wandered all the way back to 1820 and I asked myself the question, “What was the mission purpose of the first, second, and third Knox Churches?” As I understand it, it was to: a) preach the gospel; b) serve the needs of the community; and c) contribute wisdom and input to the governance of the Presbyterian denomination and the local municipality.

Largely, the mission purpose of Knox has not changed, however, over the years the way of addressing the issues and attitude of society and commerce have changed dramatically. Therefore, my hope and prayer for Knox Church is that in the 21st century the Lord’s vision and purpose will be made abundantly clear so the resources availed to Knox may be utilized to the optimum for his service. +

Back to community TWO GENERATIONS IN CONVERSATION ON CALLING KNOX HOME INTERVIEWER SAMMY CHIN / INTERVIEWEE RAY CHIN

Sammy Chin: Today is Friday, December 13, 2019, and I am sitting here with my dad, Raymond Chin.

Ray Chin: Who? (laughter)

EARLY KNOX MEMORIES SC: How long have you been at Knox, Dad? It seems like forever doesn’t it?

RC: Well, for as long as I can remember, but probably since I was six or seven years old. My mom took me to I guess what they would’ve called Tiny Tots back then. It was more of a place where parents would drop off their kids during the week. She didn’t attend services, but she was a part of a mothers’ group in the ’60s that had a casserole ministry, which involved bringing dishes from different cultures and eating together. That’s my first recollection of Knox.

SC: I’m trying to remember my first recollection of Knox. I think it was snack time in Tiny Tots, with the goldfish and

Styrofoam cups of apple juice. Mom taught all the kids to say “please” and “thank you.”

RC: What I remember are the tiny chairs, the old woodcoloured chairs that were in the basement.

SC: I’m pretty sure those wooden chairs were the same ones in my Tiny Tots, too.

RC: Yeah, I don’t think they’ve changed over the years.

They’re probably 50 or 60 years old.

SC: And what about Knox Overnight Camp? I mean, I haven’t been a part of it in a long time, but I miss it. When I was growing up, it felt like a golden age.

RC: Growing up, my life was full of camp. My first year at camp was 1964 when I was nine years old. I went to camp every year until probably the end of high school, which seemed like nine or ten years straight when you’re 18 and camp has been half of your life. For me, it was formative in how I grew up and what I experienced. When you and Emma came along, you did the same thing. We had Family

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Camp at the very beginning. Then, you were on your own.

Eventually, you became a camp leader as well. We had the same track growing up, so I can see why you and I would miss it.

SC: Do you have a favourite memory of camp?

RC: Well, my first year, like I said, was in 1964. We were the youngest kids in the camp. Our camp director, Sam Butler, named us the Mosquito Kids. He gave us red baseball caps with the letters “MK” on the front, which, you know, we thought were pretty cool. We felt kind of special because he was this big, important camp director, and he had the time to be our cabin counsellor.

He watched out for us because we were all fairly young.

I think it was the first time I was away from my parents. So he assured all the parents that he’d be personally responsible for us, and that he’d take care of us.

SC: I remember all my youth and camp leaders who made a lasting impression on me when I was in my teens, like Alvin [Kim] and Ashlee [Campbell]. I’ve had some really incredible times at Knox because of them.

LEAVING AND RETURNING SC: Did you ever take a break from Knox?

RC: I took a bit of a break during my university years.

Other than that, I’ve always been at Knox.

SC: Same here. Do you remember why you took a break?

RC: I got busy with university, homework, and studying.

My faith kind of dwindled at that point.

SC: What brought you back?

RC: Good question. I think it’s clear to Mom and I now that community is much more important than we realized. We can help each other. We can learn together. Worship together. When we were young, we weren’t called to community because we had youth group and camp.

I spent so much time at Knox when I was young, I didn’t really realize how valuable having those networks was until it ended. I had a community in university, but as soon as it was over, that community disappeared. Maybe that’s the answer to why I came back. It was God’s call back to community.

SC: By the end of high school, none of the people I grew up with in youth group were still at Knox, except for Michelle 12

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Ray and Sammy’s camp days (from top to bottom): Knox Camp Mosquito Kids 1964; Knox Church Camp 1974; Knox Camp Staff 2012.

PHOTOS

[Quaye]. University was exciting at first because there were all these new ideas and people with such different beliefs.

Then the stress of school set in, and suddenly, I couldn’t even think about my faith or anything like that. So, when I came back home, I was surprised by how much I missed Knox. But I also noticed the congregation was getting older, getting new faces, and moving on without me. I didn’t know how to fit back in—until I went to Alpha and I had a home church form from it.

MAKING KNOX HOME SC: When did you start getting more involved at Knox, and what made you feel called to it?

RC: As a leader? Probably during the mid-’90s. Your mom and I started taking our faith more seriously, thinking about what God wanted us to do at the time. It was a bit of knowing what God had done in my life over my youth, and thinking that it was time to repay some of that goodness that I enjoyed. I always had positive and good memories of Knox.

When I was growing up, Sam Butler was a mentor, but also a developer of leadership in kids. As a young teenager, I was asked to referee games, lead bible studies, and be a camp counsellor. And not just me. He was building other teenagers to become leaders too, like Uncle Wally [Lee] and Uncle Jack [Harewood].

I don’t think I knew it at the time, but as I started working in my corporate life, I took the moral and spiritual values I’d learned in my youth and applied it to how I treat people and put others first. It was a blessing when I started helping out at Knox. I think having kids also makes you think about your spiritual walk, about taking your faith seriously, and how your kids are going to grow up.

SC: Because you needed a hope and a prayer to raise two daughters?

RC: That too. (laughs) SC: What has it been like to see me grow up at Knox?

RC: Oooh . . . Terrifying. (laughs) Terrifying because you don’t know if your child is going to make the decision for God when they have a choice or say, “Well, I’ve had enough now. I’m my own person. You’ve brought me to church all these years, but now it’s my choice and I choose not to come anymore.”

Now that you’re grown and you’re making your own decisions, I’m glad to see that you are deciding on your own to come. It’s very satisfying to see that as an adult you are engaged in the community and serving as much as you can

at Knox. I think that it is every parent’s wish for their children, to continue to walk with God. You want to make sure that they have people around to help them, because I don’t think that’s the parents’ job as much anymore. Being a part of a community, you can give your gifts but also receive nourishment.

SC: Is that why you stay at Knox?

RC: Right. Knox is where we can serve God and feel like we are being fed by our pastors and the people we interact with. It’s also an exciting place to be right now because God is doing a lot of different wonderful things. We’ve experienced a lot of change over the past ten years. God is moving us to different ways of worship and different ways of gathering ourselves together in community.

THE NEXT 200 YEARS SC: Knox is going to be 200 years old. You’ve been here for almost 60 years. I’ve been here for 25. Where do you think Knox is heading or what do you hope for Knox in the future?

RC: I hope for Knox to grow because if we are spreading the gospel to people who don’t know Jesus and are outside of our church, we want them to be a part of our community.

We’d be happy to bring even one more person into our church family. We are blessed with so many resources that a

“

We’ve experienced a lot of change over the past ten years. God is moving us to different ways of worship and different ways of gathering ourselves together in community. ”

— Ray Chin, on why Knox is an exciting place to be right now

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number of years ago, we could have just said, “Give this money to another church or organization to do it better.”

But we decided to stay and to invest in the neighbourhood, in the university across the street, in the Alpha program, and to be a witness to the city and all the internationals coming into Canada. It’s an exciting development, and we’ve been able to have good conversations with people who don’t have a Christian background.

SC: I feel that. It’s really exciting to be at Knox right now.

Two years ago, I never thought I’d meet so many new friends at once . . . and now I have too many! (laughs) SC: Thanks for the interview, Dad, and happy 200 years, Knox!

RC: Happy 200 years!

SC: To another 200.

RC: I’ll be there. + All photos from the collections of Ray and Sammy Chin.

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The church and wealth KNOX AND THE LEGACY OF THE JESSE KETCHUM FUND

BY FRAN WESTWOOD / COLLAGE KAREN-LUZ SISON

“If we can’t continue to develop deep and profound generosity in our church and in our lives, we betray a disbelief in the promised realities of God’s coming kingdom and lose credibility with those who we long to welcome into it. Generosity that reveals God’s heart for this city and the world is an irresistible thing.” —Pr. Nick Renaud It’s impossible to be at Knox for long and not catch wind of the illustrious Jesse Ketchum. The story of his faithful Scottish wife convincing him on Christmas day, 1820, to donate a potato field for the building of the first Presbyterian church in Toronto (then called York), is a memorable one.

Today, this gift of land is the site of The Hudson’s Bay Company’s flagship store. The land is a major source of revenue for the church in the form of the Jesse Ketchum

Trust Fund, a financial resource that allows the church to remain where it does today.

Fewer people may be aware of the details of Jesse Ketchum’s life (1782–1867). In many ways, he was an outsider: an American, motherless by age five, a foster child and runaway, and not himself a Presbyterian. In adulthood, Jesse became an incredibly successful tanner and businessman, a mature man of faith, a Sunday School teacher, a public education advocate, an activist, and a philanthropist.

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Greg Summers, current Knox Elder and former Chair of the Board of Managers, describes Ketchum as an extremely devout man whose giving enabled multiple churches to be planted in Toronto. Ketchum also held regular worship gatherings in his home and ensured that his family, all of his workers, and his animals carefully observed the Sabbath every week. The original congregation that was Knox’s precursor met in a school room until Ketchum used his own finances to cover all of the expenses to construct Knox’s first church building.

Ketchum and the trust funds he established have served the church and its mission since its inception and are undoubtedly a vital part of Knox’s legacy.

As Knox enters its 200th year, we pay attention to this thread woven throughout our collective story and reflect on the responsibilities and challenges of stewarding such resources faithfully as we move forward.

A BLESSING Pr. Phil Reinders views the Jesse Ketchum Trust Fund, the direct result of the generosity of God’s people in the past, as “an immense blessing that allows Knox to do far more than a church our size could dream of doing, especially in an expensive urban context like Toronto.”

Without the trust fund, Knox would likely have been forced to move out into the suburbs to carry on its ministry in a much reduced form. These finances have covered major expenses over the years, such as replacing the slate roof on the sanctuary, repairing the foundation and roof of the Sunday School wing, and establishing a registered pension plan for Knox staff. Currently the trust funds support about 70% of Knox’s operating costs, a percentage that continues to increase as congregational givings and attendance have decreased.

Because Knox is free of the financial worries that plague most historic churches in Toronto, it is free to continue to focus on its mission to the congregation, the city, and the world: records cited by Knox Trustee Martha Brown reveal that trust fund money was used in the past to give loans to new churches getting started, and considerable mission work has been and continues to be supported.

Phil points to the Missions Hub, a creative and collaborative working space for congregants and other partners in mission, as a wonderful current example of this.

The trust funds continue to provide grants each year to support institutions dedicated to theological education in Canada including Regent and Wycliffe Colleges, while also 16

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financing the propagation of the gospel through organizations like the Wycliffe Institute of Evangelism and many other international mission partners.

Pr. Nick Renaud suggests that Jesse Ketchum’s donation sowed a culture of generosity and faithfulness with resources into Knox’s history, and that the act continues to inspire people toward similar acts of sacrificial giving.

The Duchess Street Mission, a ministry dedicated to giving the poor of Toronto a place to call home, was established shortly after Knox was founded; the Duchess Street Mission was followed by Evangel Hall Mission (EHM) when, in another act of inspired giving, an Elder of the church donated the land for EHM to the presbytery. Knox Session supervised this work for years, and this is a ministry that the Jesse Ketchum Trust continues to support financially.

Another beautiful instance of this culture blossoming occurred when a youth club run by a Knox Elder lost its property due to the University of Toronto’s expansion. In response to the youth club’s need, Knox was able to build the Fellowship Centre (with the gym and bowling alley) to provide a continued place of community for these youth.

This culture of generosity continues today. The Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank (KYDFB), a ministry serving street-involved youth in the neighbourhood, makes use of 20% of Knox’s entire budget for ministry programs, yet another vivid picture of how God has positioned Knox with remarkable financial capacity to be a blessing to many in Toronto. The KYDFB depends entirely on volunteers donating countless hours, reflecting another way that people continue to give. The relative stability of the trust fund allows Knox to come alongside local initiatives that invest in those who do not necessarily worship at Knox, as well as supporting countless active and retired missionaries locally and abroad. Jesse Ketchum’s initial gift continues to generate possibilities for continued generosity, while also encouraging generations of members at Knox to give their own monetary gifts through Knox World Mission and to Knox-supported missionaries.

A RESPONSIBILITY While the trust funds are an incredible blessing, Phil reminds us that “wealth certainly has its shadow side and must be stewarded with great care and spiritual humility.”

Scripture warns us of the pitfalls of wealth many times, as seen in the words given to Israel as they are about to inherit the Promised Land: “When you eat and are satisfied,

when you build fine houses and settle down . . . and your silver and gold and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God” (Deut. 8:12–13).

It is clear from scripture and from the history of the church that affluence is laden with spiritual dangers: “Wealth can fool us into pride, a spiritual attribution error of sorts . . . an overconfidence, somehow attributing this wealth to our own qualities, breeding in people and organizations a subtle superiority,” Phil says.

While possessing wealth opens the opportunity to be “a great rarity of humility and generosity, this very same thing can make us unteachable as a church or make us believe we can go it alone . . . and it can create a dangerous power differential in relationships we have with others.”

Another sobering effect of financial security on the church’s discipleship and mission is on our willingness to risk. Ironically, it is rarely the case that more wealth leads to more daring mission; instead, the more you possess, the more anxiety tends to form about protecting the wealth you have. “Wealth can cultivate a soft-in-the-middle quality, a reluctance to risk. What we need at Knox,” Phil urges, “is not more money but a grander vision of who God is that compels us into the adventure of ministry.”

Martha, Greg and Nick all draw attention to the discipleship challenge of congregational giving connected to the Jesse Ketchum Trust Fund.

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If plenty is the promise of God’s kingdom, if lavishness is the default posture of our God, we have to live like we believe that promise is true.”

—Pr. Nick Renaud, on practicing generosity

Nick points out, “People may wonder, ‘Why should I give to Knox if Knox has all this other income, in a world where many organizations are not so blessed?’ I am concerned, however, that this question also encourages a tendency in our hearts to hoard our wealth . . . to excuse ourselves from the gospel’s call toward generosity.”

Martha also warns of how affluence can introduce carelessness with finances: “Many people at Knox say that we have lots of money and that the trust fund will cover what is needed . . . but we have to respect those resources and steward them wisely. There are always justifiable ways to spend money but we must be prudent.”

A downside of possessing these resources as a church is the assumption that the multi-million dollar trust funds can pay for whatever needs to be done, enabling the congregation to feel absolved of the necessity of giving sacrificially to invest in God’s work. This is different from most Presbyterian churches where, Greg reminds us, “the cost of pastoral, administrative, and maintenance staff is paid for by what comes in on the offering plate.”

Although many Knox members continue to give of their time and money in significant ways, we should be wary of what can happen when the community isn’t called to give, or doesn’t feel that their giving is necessary. Phil describes the way that the “atrophying muscle” of generosity limits peoples’ financial participation in God’s work.

In addition, there are limits to the trust fund, so it is not only good for our discipleship to give, Knox still does require tithes and offerings from the congregation if we want to live into the fullness of what God calls us to. This is particularly true of the benevolence fund from which we support members of our community in crisis, which only has money if people give to it.

Martha expresses the desire that people not only give generously, but that “people at Knox take church finances seriously . . . I was at a church in which the operating funds came out of the pockets of the shrinking congregation and everyone took a very active part in the discussion at the AGM (Annual General Meeting) because they knew that they personally would have to pay for whatever decision was made. I would like to see that level of engagement with the Knox finances.”

As we engage more deeply with what it means to steward finances well, for many congregants, questions may arise about the implications of land ownership in the context of the colonial story of Canada. Knox could consider joining in conversations with settler churches across the

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country who are wrestling with concerns about what to do with land taken from Indigenous peoples, one example being that we use our finances to intentionally support Indigenous-led work and other reconciliation efforts. Being willing to engage in these kinds of open conversations about our wealth and possession of land could facilitate Knox’s healing presence across Canada.

GOING FORWARD It is in the context of the stories and teachings of scripture, as well as Knox’s imperfect but rich 200-year legacy of stewarding resources, that we look ahead.

As we go forward, Nick is convinced that, “we really can’t be too generous . . . If plenty is the promise of God’s kingdom, if lavishness is the default posture of our God, we have to live like we believe that promise is true.”

This kind of faith, trusting in God for our provision, would be a prophetic witness to our anxiety-ridden, individualistic culture, which, Nick says, “believes that the only way to prevent unknown disasters in the future is to save and invest and build bigger storehouses. [Meanwhile], the teacher in Ecclesiastes 11:2 suggests the only way to resolve disasters is to give our bread away. The things we have now are to alleviate problems now, not future ones.

That’s just beautiful.”

Looking forward, Phil reminds us to take all of these realities and questions seriously. A favourite scripture from 1 Timothy 6:17–19, reminds us, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment . . . do good, be rich in good deeds, and be generous and willing to share . . . so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Martha’s wisdom around stewardship, and Phil and Nick’s call to generosity, together remind us of the way of freedom we’re called to as Christians, that we hold with honour and

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sacredness all that God has entrusted to us, and we understand that sharing and giving are a vital dimension of the abundant life God invites us into.

Phil shares a story of a good and generous deed that both echoes Jesse Ketchum’s generosity in Knox’s past and is a promise of continued, and perhaps even more radical and countercultural generosity as we go forward. “Recently, an elderly woman in our church moved from her home into a seniors’ care facility. When putting her house on the market, she sold it much below market price to a family from Knox with the prayer for a continuing Christian presence and witness in her neighbourhood. I love the vision behind this, the freedom from money’s grip, and the freedom to generosity. I pray for all of us to steward our wealth in a similar way.”

Out of his own abundant generosity and love, God loves to bless his people: Genesis 12 reminds us that the purpose of this blessing is to bless others and be part of God’s healing in the world. Knox’s legacy of financial generosity and its accompanying challenges leave us not only with sobering questions and interesting stories from the past, but with tremendous vision for how God could continue to use Knox to bless individuals and communities in Toronto, Canada, and around the world.

Pr. Phil is boldly inviting us into big vision for how God might use Knox’s resources in the next centuries—as a resource church for the revitalization and renewal of churches across Toronto?

“What if we could partner with churches on their last legs, send 30–40 gifted people with a strong vision for ministry, along with a pool of money, to revitalize that church and ministry, for it to become a source of blessing in its neighbourhood? I think that’s a little of what God had in mind when he promised Abram that ‘I will bless you . . . and all peoples will be blessed through you.’” +

Getting to know Pastor Nestor Abdon

BY NATASHA BRUNO

PHOTO

Missions Hub

Back in November, senior minister Phil Reinders welcomed Pastor Nestor Abdon and his wife Liza up to the lectern during an 11 a.m. worship service. That Sunday morning marked one of Nestor’s very first weeks serving as the church’s newly appointed Local and Global Missions Pastor.

“Nestor has good, significant experience,” shared Phil as he introduced the couple to the congregation. “As we look to good leadership in this whole area that’s been a passionate part of Knox for centuries, I’m really glad that Nestor can continue to give us significant leadership,” he continued.

Before taking up his new ministry role at Knox, Nestor, who’s originally from the Philippines, served for several years as Newcomers Network Pastor at North York’s The Peoples Church, a large, independent, non-denominational evangelical church that gathers thousands of congregants each week.

As our Local and Global Missions Pastor, one of Nestor’s many responsibilities is to serve the Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank (KYDFB), a long-standing, volunteer-run program that started in 1996 and in its current form provides hot meals, activities, and groceries to streetinvolved youth and their families. For those who are not familiar, the program originated as a joint grassroots effort between longtime Knox members Bill and Vicki Wood, and

Reverend Joe Elkerton from Ekklesia Inner City Ministries Project 417. Today it continues to operate through the efforts of volunteers from Knox and the local community.

Here, Nestor opens up about his rich work experience, his vision as the Local and Global Missions Pastor, and important Bible scriptures.

Can you tell us about your previous role as Newcomers Network Pastor at The Peoples Church and what your leadership involved?

I was actually called to start that ministry six years ago. My responsibilities were to be the pastor for newcomers to Canada and to initiate programs to support newcomers and their process of integration. I was able to initiate programs in the areas of health, employment, dental support, and refugee ministry. All of these programs had the purpose of helping newcomers integrate into the Canadian context and Canadian culture. In a way, it was sort of an act of compassion rather than just mission. Another area of ministry was equipping congregants so that they could engage newcomers through volunteering in those ministries.

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towards the community: this is a church that welcomes newcomers. Another area was finding missional opportunities for newcomers. I initiated a newcomers fellowship, which is a gathering of newcomers every Sunday, where we talk about the scriptures, about the sermon. The fellowship was an invitation for them to know the gospel and receive Christ.

What did you enjoy most about serving in that position?

I enjoyed helping the newcomers because I was a newcomer before. I’ve been in their shoes. I’m not just doing it from a theoretical or hypothetical perspective. It’s just an amazing journey to know their conditions, to help them and see them succeed later on: finding a job, being integrated into the life of the church. Those are the things that made me enjoy that ministry very much. Another thing was serving the volunteers. After three to four years of establishing that program, the volunteers made that ministry their own. In a way, I released them to that ministry with minimum supervision on my part. Equipping them led to volunteers taking on leadership roles.

You also worked at Adam House Refugee Centre, a non-profit Christian refugee reception centre in Toronto’s West end, prior to joining Knox. Tell us about that experience.

That was my first work for immigrants and refugees to Canada. In a way, that was foundational to the path God led me along in terms of serving newcomers to Canada. My role there was to connect with churches so that they could be educated in terms of the needs of refugees, because most churches aren’t aware of the situation of refugees. Many churches don’t have refugee ministries. So that was my role: to engage with churches and tell them that this is a ministry area that you can participate in by supporting Adam House Refugee Centre. It was about advocating for the needs of refugees and educating churches to serve refugees.

Can you explain your role and involvement with the Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank for those who may not know? What is your leadership purpose?

My role is to support that ministry area, as well as to be the pastoral presence of the Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank, in the way that volunteers and attendees can come to me as their pastor. Part of my role is also connecting with the lead volunteer and the social services worker and having conversations about how this ministry will be led—what

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could be the direction. So I provide guidance. I know it sounds a bit weird: How could I provide that guidance when I’m new to that ministry? But that would be the role in the near future.

What do you love about the KYDFB program?

This ministry is such an amazing example of compassion and mercifulness. That’s how we actualize the gospel in terms of what Christ has always been saying about loving the poor, the homeless, strangers. It’s a way for the congregants to be involved in compassionate work. And it’s not only volunteers from the church who are serving, but also the volunteers from the community. It’s a connection point between the church and the community to serve together.

What would you like to see happen as you continue serving the KYDFB program?

I’d love to see the Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank continue to flourish, and see in what ways we can expand the ministry further. What other ministry areas can we extend to those who are in the margins? That’s my prayer.

Connecting with organizations and ministries around the city who are serving those groups is one area I’m working on.

What about in terms of your overall role as Local and Global Missions Pastor?

I’d really like to see the development of the missional culture of the church, where the whole congregation is engaged in missions, whether it be local or global. That’s my prayer: that the congregation will constantly seek to find a way to bridge their faith and their actions, so that faith isn’t just something that’s hollow. It’s not just something that’s an expression, but really enacted and concretized.

Are there any specific bible passages you like to turn to—that you lean on—as Local and Global Missions Pastor at Knox?

Revelation 7:9. [“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”] It speaks about John sitting with a great multitude of peoples, from all nations, tribes, and languages, coming together before the throne. For me, that’s a picture of what the church should be: everybody from different cultures and different backgrounds coming together to worship God. +

Knox in the archives 200 YEARS OF SERVING TORONTO

From the Toronto Star Historical Newspaper Archives (from left to right): June 4, 1969; September 26, 1942; October 15, 1927.

PHOTOS

BY TANIA BLOKHUIS Last year, I found myself in the basement of the Toronto Reference Library, searching for a very specific photo in the Toronto Star archives. During Hurricane Hazel, back in 1954, my friend’s grandmother’s family took in another Toronto family who had been displaced by the storm, and she recalled a photo of the two families that had been printed in the Star. We spent our afternoon poring over the microfilm issues of the newspaper from the days following the hurricane, in search of the photo. We eventually found it, in the October 16, 1954, edition, among dozens of stories and photographs of the fallout from the hurricane: houses and bridges washed away by the rising Humber River, but also a huge outpouring of donations and assistance from individuals and organizations providing relief.

Nestled in between these stories was the page of worship service announcements that used to run in the Star every Saturday. Knox’s notice announced that guest preacher Rev. W. Robert Smith would be preaching twice that day, at an 11 a.m. service and a 7 p.m. service. Also happening that week, according to the announcement: a

Green Pastures radio broadcast on CKFH, Bible classes for all ages, a midweek service, and a film screening of Queen Elizabeth’s tour of the Commonwealth. I was delighted by this simple reminder of Knox’s decades-long presence in the city, the church’s faithful dedication to different ministries, and the way our church’s history intersects with our city’s history.

Over the months that followed, I made a bit of a hobby of spending time in the library, reading old newspapers from different key dates in Toronto history. Occasionally I’d discover a newspaper article about a moment in Knox history. In 1909, for example, there’s an article marking Knox’s move to its new building at Spadina and Harbord, and in 1927, a commemoration of Knox’s 107th anniversary. But more compelling to me were those unassuming notices in each Saturday’s issue of the paper.

January 2, 1909: A Toronto municipal election has just occurred, and an article notes a suffrage demonstration from Toronto’s women, still for the most part unable to vote. Alongside this article, there’s a brief notice that Pastor

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Rev. A.B. Winchester will be preaching at Knox, and that adult Bible classes, Sunday School, and Chinese language classes will also be offered that day. September 2, 1939: Toronto’s militiamen are moved into armouries as the situation in Europe escalates and Canada’s entry into World War II looks inevitable. And there’s a notice that Rev. T. Christie Innes will be leading prayers for peace.

September 15, 2001: Canada is reeling from 9/11 and the newspaper is filled with stories of mourning and speculations about political and economic repercussions.

And still, on the “Invitation to Worship” page is a reminder that Knox is offering two worship services, led by Dr. J. Kevin Livingstone, as well as weekly small group Bible studies and ESL classes.

These brief but consistent mentions of Knox’s ministries serve as such a powerful reminder: of the steady way that Knox has ministered to the city through a multitude of changes over the past two centuries, but more than that, of the steady way that God has preserved our church and continues to work through our church in this city. +

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