Place of Meeting May 2014

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Place of Meeting

Bearing witness to the risen Christ Early Easter morning, while a full moon still glowed in a sky on the verge of dawn, a group of TUMCers gathered by the lakeshore to sing, eat a simple meal of fish, bannock and dried berries cooked in the open air, watch the sun rise on a glorious spring morning and recall the risen Jesus’ appearance to his disciples on the lakeshore in a very similar setting.

It was just one of many special moments from this season of Lent and Holy Week. More inside.

Toronto United Mennonite Church

May 2014

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Place of Meeting

Scene around TUMC

is the meaning of the Huron word “toronton,” from which our city gets its name. Fittingly, it can also mean “plenty” or “abundance.”

Place of Meeting is also the monthly newsletter of Toronto United Mennonite Church. May you find plenty here to enjoy and ponder. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily of the congregation as a whole.

Contributions of all kinds are enthusiastically received, through the mail folder in the lobby or at dmartens@pathcom.com Next deadline May 27, 2014 Have you discovered the allcolour online version of Place of Meeting, complete with live weblinks? Check this month’s issue out here: issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/ pom_may_2014l You can also request an email subscription to the colour version in PDF form or a monthly link to the current online issue. Please send a request to dmartens@pathcom.com Editor: Doreen Martens

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Our April 6 worship service focused on the meaning of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, in preparation for an evening service of Taize prayer and footwashing. Children were invited to “wash” the hands of others with hand sanitizer as a practical demonstration. Eliot Sloss plays our Lenten reflective theme, “I Sought the Lord,” while Deb Kopeschny speaks on “encountering God” through artistic expression.

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Update on Building Project Pledge Campaign

By Doug Pritchard

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ver the past two months Jon Brandt, JD Penner and I have attempted to talk to everyone in the congregation re their thoughts on the current building project proposal (option A plus G). If we have not reached you yet, please give one of us a call as soon as possible.

When we initially surveyed the congregation before Christmas 2013, a number of people were not able to respond or make a time or financial commitment because they needed more information about the proposed building and the possible mission project. Nevertheless, at that time, 27 respondents offered a time commitment to the project, 49 offered prayer support, and 40 pledged funds totalling $715,000 over 5 years. The total project cost was $2.2 million. We were seeking to finance $700,000 of this with a low-interest, long-term mortgage from Mennonite Foundation and the $1.5 million balance from pledges and income from other possible tenants.

Since then, the Space Task Force 3 presented more detailed drawings and costs at the Annual General Meeting in Feb. 2014. The Vision Committee also presented its proposal for use of the “mission” space within the project, and expanded on that vision over the course of 3 subsequent Soup & Sophia sessions. Having provided this additional information, we then made the recent phone calls to update the pledge survey.

An additional 9 households and individuals have now pledged financial support, and some earlier respondents have increased their pledges. So at this point the amounts pledged are as follows: • Lump sum • Over 5 years • Monthly up to 5 years Total

$120,500 656,900 60,900 $838,300

In addition, some who have pledged funds over five years have said that they could pay more of their pledge up front if that was needed. It is not yet clear what rent might be recoverable from other tenants. The human trafficking project budget presented at the third Soup & Sophia showed costs for its staff and other program items and possible sources for those funds. These sources might also assist with rent/capital costs and that is still being actively pursued.

Of the households and individuals we have attempted to contact, responses have been as follows: • 43 like the proposals and have made a financial pledge • 9 like the proposals but are unable to make a financial commitment at this time • 6 have serious concerns about the proposals but will nevertheless commit some funds • 10 have serious concerns about the proposals and will not support this project • 47 have no opinion about the proposals or have not responded 125 total contacted Most of the concerns expressed were around the size of the project, even whether we really need to expand the building at all, and whether we could sustain the proposed project

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Update on Building Project Pledge Campaign

financially and with the volunteer time needed. Some were also concerned about the human trafficking project, particularly about whether it should be in the same building at 1774 Queen St E. Some respondents were mostly enthusiastic about addressing the space needs originally identified by Space Task Force 1. Some respondents strongly want a significant mission component to any spending we do on a building project and were enthusiastic about the human trafficking proposal. Some want us to address both the space needs and this mission project.

However with the funds pledged to date it seems to the Church Board and to the Space Task Force that we cannot build what has been proposed. Despite overwhelmingly favourable votes at three congregational meetings to proceed with architectural drawings, city approvals, and spending more and more money on option A plus G, there has in fact been significant opposition to the present proposals, and not enough funds have been pledged by the rest of the congregation to finance the proposed project anyway.

Therefore it appears that we need to take a step or two back.

Might a smaller scale project meet some of our space and mission desires and garner enough support from the whole congregation to proceed? Will the inevitable compromises about what is included and what is dropped be acceptable?

Space Task Force 3 and the Vision Committee have put a lot of work into the direction that they thought the congregation had endorsed. Our plan now is to have them and the Board meet together on May 8 to discuss next steps, and the order of importance that we see for the components to be included in any possible smaller-scale project.

Your thoughts and prayers for this rethinking are needed. Your comments before our May 8 joint meeting would be most welcome and can be addressed to any member of the Board, Space Task Force, or Vision Committee. These are Jon Brandt, Evan Heise, Mary Klein, Jan Kraus, Jana Lepp, Carolyn Loewen, Dave Nelligan, Doug Pritchard, Richard Ratzlaff, Jacqui Schmucker, Tobi Thiessen, Anita Tiessen, Bob Tiessen, and Marilyn Zehr.

Doug Pritchard Chair of the Church Board

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Community Notes

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haring Time during worship is for prayer requests and thanksgiving. Announcements Time is for “official” news about things going on in our church community or agencies with which we have congregational relationships, like Lazarus Rising or Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.

So where do we get a chance to just keep in touch with what’s going on in our church family? Well, now there’s Community Notes –– a free-wheeling place to share what’s going on in our lives, put in a word about worthy community events and activities, express a little pride (just a little –– we’re Mennos, after all) about our kids’ achievements, whatever you figure you’d like to share that doesn’t quite fit the Sunday-morning rules. Don’t be shy –– feel free to send the POM editor a quick note at dmartens@pathcom.com (with a picture, if you have one!) about something others might enjoying knowing about.

Here are some things we’ve heard about in the last little while, to give you a taste of what Community Notes is about: • Ezra Unger-Brandt will be singing in the Canadian Children’s Opera Company production East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon from May 29 to June 1, at the Enwave Theatre.

It’s based on a classic Norwegian folk tale set to music by composer Norbert Palej and novelist K.T. Bryski, in which a brave young girl saves her starving family by befriending a mysterious bear, and soon finds herself using her wits to save a prince from a fate worse than death.

• Courtney Cauthon may now be officially referred to as Dr. Cauthon, after passing the final hurdles to her doctorate at the University of Toronto. Congratulations! And, whew.

•While we’re at it, belated congratulations are in order to Aaron Penner, who officially became a Canadian citizen at a ceremony in December.

• Jeff Taylor has just returned from Sweden, where he enjoyed adjudicating the competition of the Society of Nordic Barbershop Singers (yes, they refer to themselves as “SNOBS”) and guest-directing a superlative men’s chorus.

• Diem LaFortune has been invited to perform at the Wild Goose Festival, “a gathering that thrives at the intersection of justice, spirituality, music and the arts,” according to its website.

The four-day festival is held at Hot Springs Resort near Asheville, N.C., beginning June 26.

Participants listen, talk, eat and camp together in an atmosphere that brings together musicians, provocative speakers and a warm, welcoming community, in a gathering that inspires justice activism.

• Walter and Margaret Friesen have made the big move to Singapore, their goods have arrived and they’re settling into their new digs for the next year. They’re thankful for the London airport “angels” who met their late plane with a radio and wheelchair and successfully raced them onto their connecting flight in a ridiculously short time.

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Junior Youth Retreat The GERMs gathered for their annual winter retreat at Crieff Hills on the first weekend of March, with Ed Heide as a special guest leader. Besides a wonderful time of eating, working and playing together – especially the ever-popular boxball – there were times of reflection and delving into the Bible. Among other things, the kids were invited to create their own “logos,” reflecting how they see themselves, what they feel, and what they think Jesus might say about them. Thanks to Pastor Michele for the photos.

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Junior Youth Retreat

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Junior Youth Retreat

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Good Friday: Remembering with sorrow, looking ahead with joy This year’s family Good Friday service took participants on a journey through space and time, to the Upper Room to remember Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and eating the Last Supper with them, and then in the darkened sanctuary through the Stations of the Cross, to the moment when Jesus’s body (symbolized by a cross wrapped in fragrant spices and cloths) was laid in the tomb. But there was a time also to reflect on the symbolism of Resurrection, by crafting beautiful butterflies to be laid inside their cocoons to await the coming transformation.

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Good Friday

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Good Friday

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He is Risen! Hallelujah!

Sunrise service by the lakeside From John 21: Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias. Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples.

Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing!”

The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn’t catch a thing that night.

Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. 5 Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”

“No!” they answered.

So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.” They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon heard that it was the Lord, he put on the clothes that he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. The boat was only about a hundred yards from shore.

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Sunrise service by the lakeside

So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.

When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were one hundred fifty-three large fish, but still the net did not rip.

Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord.

Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples.

He did the same with the fish.

This was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

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He is Risen! Hallelujah!

Celebrating the Resurrection

Easter at TUMC brought a burst of colour and symbols of new life. Dora Alexander, Lori Unger and kids Ani and Ezra put together a living display that included a greening sapling, live ducklings and colourfully decorated eggs. Holy Week had also marked the passing of our sister church’s beloved brother Luis Arias. Fittingly, flowers from the funeral took a place of honour on Resurrection Sunday.

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Celebrating the Resurrection During a service full of musical celebration, the butterflies made on Good Friday emerged to new life in the sanctuary, and a banner made by TUMC’s very first junior youth group 19 years ago re-emerged too.

Afterward, traditional Easter breads were enjoyed by all.

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