April Delve

April 2019

Quick Calendar WEEKLY Sun

9am-10am Bible Study 10am-11:30am Sunday Worship & Refreshments

Mon Tues 1:15pm Pastoral Team Meeting Wed 10am-11:30am Refresh Women's Group 7pm-8:30pm ESL Café

Thur 12pm-2pm Lunch Together and Bible Study Fri Sat

pg 27 pg 27 pg 27 pg 27 pg 27 pg 27

UPCOMING April 5

7-9:30pm Board Games, Bites & Beverages

pg 15

April April April April April

Boys, Girls Youth Life Groups

pg 21

Youth Laser Tag

pg 21

Make Lasagna to Share God's Care

pg 17

Good Friday Worship Gathering

pg 14

Easter Sunrise Gathering 6-7am Worship Gathering 10-11:30am Community Brunch & Easter Egg Hunt 11:45

pg 14

Memorial of Yonge Street Tragedy

pg 14

Earth Day Park Community Clean Up 12pm

pg 16

5,7 12 14 19 21

April 23 April 28

May's Delve submissions are due April 22, East Monday. Delve submissions are due on the MONDAY before the LAST Sunday of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, please email: delve@springgardenchurch.ca

Features

3 - 11

And So We Sigh 3 Creation Care Toronto Style: Loving Our Ravines 7 Pastoral Team Interim Staffing Configuration 10 Every Door is a Story 11

Community Corner

13 - 17, 21

Share God's Care: Serving Opportunities 13 Easter Weekend Schedule 14 Let Us Remember and Heal Together 15 Board Games, Bites & Beverages 15 Memorial Lilies 15 Earth Day Willowdale Park Community Clean Up 16 Awakening Ancient Faith 16 Youth Unlimited Thanks You! 17 Community Listings 21

Discipleship Ministries Spring Kids 19

Spring Youth 20

Resource Centre

19-21

Youth Events 21

23 - 24

Resource Recommendations 23

More Info

22, 25-30

Leadership Directory 25 Weekly Calendar 27 Cover, Design, Upcoming Calendar 28 & Editor: Fun Pages 29,30 Easter Colouring Page 22

OUR VALUES

Dale Forder

back cover

Contributors: Greg Kay Brenda Forder Lily Cheng Greg Kay Karen Cassel Lily Sider Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel

Digging a little deeper into Spring Garden

Features

And So We Sigh

by Greg Kay

A

pparently I sigh. A lot. Big deep sighs.

Even when life is full of good things, life giving things, life still takes a lot of energy. Like everyone, I have challenges and limitations, but they’re not insurmountable. For me a big limitation—even with good sleep, lots of exercise, and eating healthily—is my energy reserve runs out quickly (I need a lot of naps and rest). My ongoing struggle with depression doesn’t help, and so what seems in my head like it should be an easy day exhausts me.

And so I sigh. Big deep sighs.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sighing ‘cause I regret where I am. What I’m doing. Though I suppose I do have my share of those moments too. I’m sighing simply because life takes energy. And it’s hard.

Good, but hard.

This Lent season has had its share of hard things for me. A big one was the death of one of my first cousins. My eyes still well up just thinking about her. We’ve had friends die, friends and family sick, people close to us struggling with mental health issues and other life challenges. We recently found out that someone we love deeply has been sexually harassed over a period of months by a peer. Not to mention the immense amount of pain and suffering on the world stage—New Zealand mosque killings and cyclone Idai killing close to 1000 and leaving 110,000+ in camps to name only two examples of what’s happening all over the globe.

Even big deep sighs are not enough—for these I either get overwhelmed then numb or have deep groans and cries of anger, disappointment, fear. While amidst those cries I know my burdens are relatively easy in comparison to what some others go through, they’re still mine and they’re real.

As I write this Easter is coming in a few weeks, though we are still in this season of Lent (the season leading up to Easter where we journey with Jesus to his public humiliation, abuse, suffering and death). And so while my heart is still in Lent, as a pastor who needs to plan Easter celebrations, I began this morning by trying to wrap my lent-filled mind around the meaning of resurrection.

I picked up a Bible and read this— “while we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life” (2 Corinthians 5: 4, New Living Translation).

“So that mortality may be swallowed up by life” another translation says (Christian Standard Bible).

Pastor and author Eugene Peterson translates it this way: “Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!”

We sigh because, well, even in good days, on some level, buried deep inside the always-just-out-of-reach longings of our hearts, we 4

ache for our mortality to be swallowed up by life. For pain to be swallowed up by healing. For mourning to be swallowed up by joy.

For emptiness to be swallowed up by fullness.

For death to be swallowed up by life.

And so we sigh.

But if we can go with God even deeper into ourselves than our pain, mourning, emptiness and death, we find by the Spirit this longing has a hope. For we do not simply long for death to be swallowed up by life—it has already happened. In Jesus, when he died and then rose in a new resurrected body, mortality was swallowed up by life!

It’s true, we do still need to live (and yes, to die) in our present bodies, but our longings and hopes are surely rooted in the present reality of the resurrection of Jesus. And this rooted hope is guaranteed in us by the present, never-abandoning, neverfailing, always-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Not only do we never need to go through life alone, but we have a guarantee of our present and future hopes that death can be swallowed up by life. Peterson translates this guarantee in 2 Corinthians this way: The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less. That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.

I’d be lying if I said I never drooped my head, dragged my feet, or sometimes felt like I couldn’t keep going. But the times I have felt those ways have usually been when the hard things of life have put a shadow over the hope buried deep within. And so I need to regularly invite God deep inside me (always finding that God was already there!) to dispel those shadows and show me what lies deep within me—God’s very self by the Holy Spirit revealing the hope that comes as a result of the resurrection of Jesus. And here I find that, even though I still ache with longing, I’m enlivened by the hope I have in Christ.

And so I sigh, but now a sigh of relief, a sigh of hope, 5

a sigh of trust.

I pray that as you experience pain, mourning, emptiness, death, that the hope of resurrection through the resurrection of Jesus and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit will lead you ever deeper into healing, joy, fullness and life even as we wait for Jesus to come again.

Let me leave you with this passage from Scripture that always strengthens my hope—my hope for the future, but also my hope that what I do now, what we do now, makes a difference and has a purpose in God. (1 Cor 15:54-58, NIV) "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

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Creation Care Toronto Style:

Loving Our Ravines

by Brenda Forder

H

ere in Toronto we are blessed with an extremely unique system of ravines, and we have an incredible opportunity to show God’s love and care to the natural circulatory system of this city. Whether the idea of Creation Care is completely new to you or it’s a subject you’re already passionate about, it can be daunting to know where to start, Near the Don River under the overpass of a busy road...representing the intersection of resiliency and what to do, and whether it fragility of our ravines and the human impact on them. even makes a difference.

So I hope this brief article can be an encouragement to you in some way on your Creation Care journey.

1. Fall in Love: This might sound a bit fluffy, however it’s probably the most important step. We tend to care for what we know and love, so this is where we need to start.

I’ve had the privilege of working on a ravine property for nearly 15 years, so I constantly witness the river rise with the surge of floods and fall with seasons of drought, and I literally share an office with a plethora of wildlife. Even with this daily exposure it has only been relatively recently that I’ve started to fully appreciate the ravines for what they are. No other major urban centre in the world has a ravine system like it, and by area, it measures more than 30 times that of New York’s Central Park! Wow...just let that sink in. We have something pretty special in this city, so we’d 7

best get well acquainted. If you’re unfamiliar with where to go, there are plenty of local entrances to the ravines: Leslie and Sheppard, Senlac and Sheppard, Earl Bales Park and G Ross Lord Park, along Cummer and Finch and throughout the residential neighbourhoods of these areas. I would also highly recommend visiting the Evergreen Brickworks on Bayview as it is a phenomenal example of restoration, hope for this land, and the intersection between environmental stewardship and community building within an urban context. It also has a pretty cool art piece representing the river systems of the GTA. As a horticulturist I used to prefer to travel further outside the city to experience nature unblemished by invasive species.

More recently, however, I’ve been humbled by the practicalities of motherhood and the need to seize the opportunity for brief but rich jaunts in the forest whenever and wherever we can squeeze them in. Exploring more of the local ravines, especially through the eyes of a child, has given me a new appreciation for them.

2. Tread Lightly: As we rush out to explore the ravines with our adventurous spirits, we must also be mindful of our human impact on these natural spaces which are extremely resilient yet also extremely fragile. Staying on the intended pathways will help to reduce compaction and erosion (compaction makes it more difficult for native plants to grow and thus easier for invasive plants to do their dirty work). This also applies to our furry friends...off-leash dogs contribute greatly to the damage of the ravines through compaction, and damaging plants and wildlife. While it may be fun (and seem harmless) for us and Rover to forge our own paths, over time it has an incredibly harmful effect. And the quaint saying, ‘Leave only footprints (on the paths), take only pictures’ is a gentle yet critical reminder to do just that.

3. Property owners, particularly if that property is near or on the ravine, have incredible opportunities to contribute to the health of the ravines. As a resource, the city produces a booklet called ‘A Property Owner’s Guide to Healthy Ravines’.

Stormwater Management, Invasive Species, and Native Plants are some of the valuable topics to become familiar with. I’ve also listed several resources at the end. Having said that, I also 8

understand how complex and potentially overwhelming each of these topics are. DON’T WORRY! Start small, one step at a time (or as I would say, one dog-strangling vine eradicated at a time), and build from there. A starting point would be to learn to identify the 5 worst offenders (invasive species Garlic Mustard, Dog-Strangling Vine, Buckthorn, Goutweed, and Norway Maple) and remove them properly from your property (or at least cut off the flowers/seeds).

4. Volunteer: The City of Toronto hosts planting and maintenance work days throughout the season. Toronto Field Naturalists and the TRCA (Toronto Region Conservation Authority) also have a variety of volunteer opportunities.

To be honest, the current state of the ravines is quite dire, and extensive, critical action is required. However, my hope is that these reports will not deplete and discourage us, but motivate us to action - to love and care for whatever corner of Toronto and beyond that we have access to - in as many ways as we are able to.

Further Resources: Toronto Botanical Garden (Lawrence and Leslie): go for a walk into the ravine, take a course, or check out their extensive library City of Toronto Biodiversity Booklet Series: Excellent booklets with local information on several topics (ie Trees and Shrubs, Butterflies, Birds, Mammals etc). Available through the library and the City TRCA Toronto and Region Conservation Authority: www.trca.ca CVC Credit Valley Conservation: www.cvc.ca North American Native Plant Society: www.nanps.org ‘Under the Bright Wings’ by Peter Harris. This is the phenomenal story of A Rocha, an international Christian Conservation organization. If you have any doubts or questions about the Creation Care movement, or are simply curious or passionate, this is a fantastic read.

‘Bringing Nature Home’ by Douglas Tallamy. A practical book about Native Plants and Wildlife.

‘Last Child in the Woods’ by Richard Louv. How humans, particularly children, are connected to nature, and the benefits of nurturing this connection.

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Pastoral Team Interim Staffing Configuration

As you may be aware, we are in an exciting "interim" time of discernment, which will take us into late 2019. During this time Sam Lee and Greg Kay are functioning as "Co-Lead Pastors", sharing the Lead Pastor role. We have had a number of questions about how the pastoral team is functioning during this time period so we thought we would share what the staff configuration looks like.

If you would like to see more about the members of the pastoral team, please go to springgardenchurch.ca/our-team. We are also considering in a hopeful way whether God is leading us in this direction beyond the interim period.

We the IMC (Interim Management Committee) are overseeing this process along with the rest of Spring Garden's leadership made up of Deacons, Elders, and Pastors. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact information can be found on page 24.

Interim Staffing Configuration The IMC (Cheryl Chapman, Sam Chaise, Lesley Daniels, Shannon Loewen, Sam Lee, Greg Kay) SAM L

 Oversee Discipleship  Finance

Greg K

SHARED

Co-Lead Pastor

   

Preaching Leadership Deacons Elders

Co-Lead Pastor

 Worship  Property

SHARED  Children’s Discipleship Ministry

Jeremy R

Children & Youth Pastor  Responsible for Youth Discipleship Ministry

Dale F

Office & Communication Administrator  Administration of SGC Office & Communications

Lily C

Community & Missions Pastor (till Oct 31)    

Mission Pastoral Care Community Life Adult Discipleship

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Every Door is a Story

by Lily Cheng Between July and October of 2018 I had the privilege of going door to door across Willowdale as a candidate in the municipal elections. Often times this was done in the blazing heat with Jesus as my only companion. What I thought would be an arduous task became a highlight for me as I got to meet the neighbours that make up Willowdale. It struck me how open and eager people were to share their journey with me - and when the Holy Spirit opened up the opportunity, I prayed for many of the people I met.

As I canvassed, I realized that behind every door is a story.

Lonely seniors, a woman going through a difficult divorce, a man who had lost his wife - I was humbled and amazed by how people opened up so easily. Many Christians have given up on knocking on doors because of how it has become associated with Jehovah Witnesses. However, I believe there is a great opportunity for us 11

to reach out to our neighbours. We might be surprised how open they are to sharing their story with us if we mustered the courage to knock on their doors.

The irony of our modern society is that we have so many tools for communication at our disposal, yet many of us no longer know the neighbours who live near us. When Jesus calls us to “Love your neighbour as yourself,” I believe he meant this in a macroscopic sense. However, I also think God has not placed us in physical neighbourhoods to be anonymous but to be a presence of hope and light.

Over the next two months we have a few opportunities to engage our neighbours. We will be hosting a Community Brunch on Easter Sunday (11:30am-1:30pm), planting a community garden and hosting a Community Yard Sale on Saturday, June 15. These are all great opportunities to invite your neighbours to come and partake of our community. We will also be hosting a Single Moms Mother’s Day Dinner on Sunday, May 12. Please invite any single moms that you know who could use some encouragement.

As someone new to Spring Garden Church, I can say that there is something very special about our congregation in how welcoming we are. God made us to live in community - yet many have never experienced this. My prayer for our upcoming Showing God’s Care initiatives is that our neighbours would be able to “Taste and see that the Lord is good” through the goodness of our community.

A. B. C. D. E. F. G.

Adora Chui Lily Cheng Peggy Moore Shannon Loewen Martin Dewar Brad Sider Sam Lee

H. Jeremy Ranasinghe I. Garth Barron J. Lesley Daniels K. Greg Kay L. Joanne Laing M. Darlene Boyd

FUN PAGE ANSWERS 12

N. O. P. Q. R. S.

Joanna James Esther Penner Dale Forder Doug Willson Sam Chaise Cheryl Chapman

Life in and around Spring Garden

Community Corner

SHARE GOD'S CARE Serving Opportunities

Please consider joining us in sharing God's care to our community.

Please sign up on our website (events) or contact Lily: lilycheng@springgardenchurch.ca SUNDAY, APRIL 14 12pm - 2:30pm Make lasagna for single moms, ingredient donations needed too SUNDAY, APRIL 21 11:45am Community Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt TUESDAY, APRIL 23 Daytime OR 5:30pm - 8:30pm Memorial of Yonge St. Tragedy SUNDAY, APRIL 28 12pm - 1:30pm Earth Day Park Clean Up SUNDAY, MAY 12 3pm - 8:30pm Single Moms Mother's Day Appreciation Dinner SATURDAY, JUNE 15 7am-2:30pm Community Yard Sale (various slots available)

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ONGOING OPPORTUNITY: Spring Garden Community Garden

Easter Weekend Schedule Good Friday

(April 19th) 10am - Good Friday Worship with Communion (childcare for nursery to grade 5 available)

Easter Sunday

(April 20th)

6:00am Easter Sunrise Liturgy with Communion

10am Worship Gathering

11:45am Community Brunch and Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Monday

(April 19th) Our Church's office is closed

Let Us Remember and Heal Together By: Lily Cheng

I remember the beautiful sunny day that was April 23 last year. It was the first day that tasted like spring after a long stretch of cold and cloudy weather. More people were out walking on Yonge Street to bask in the warmth of the sun. That afternoon tragedy hit Willowdale’s main stretch of Yonge. A young man decided to take the lives of innocent citizens using a van as his weapon. The aftermath was a street that was eerily quiet with orange tarps laid over the bodies.

What could redeem such an evil act? The love and care expressed by the neighbourhood and many of the churches helped the community to heal. A movement called We Love Willowdale was started and together we helped to bring healing to our community through a prayer walk, Reclaim Yonge walk, a moment of silence and a community picnic.

One year later, we are re-igniting the vision to bring our community together for healing to mark the one year anniversary of this tragedy. You can be a conduit of care and healing in two ways: We are launching a Yonge Street Care Team that will walk along Yonge throughout the day to care for neighbours and business owners.

We will be serving a community dinner to allow our neighbours to gather and share the moment.

We hope you will consider helping us to minister to our community by signing up as a volunteer. Families can serve the community dinner together. I believe it will be a meaningful day for those who work and live in our midst.

Please sign up on our website, www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.

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Board Games, Bites & Beverages Friday, April 5th 7pm - 9:30pm

Come out for a fun night of games and snacks with other adults.

Please bring your favourite game to share. A great place to meet people and have a good time.

Contact Lily Cheng (lilycheng@springgardenchurch.ca) or Martin Dewar (martin.dewar@sgbc.ca) for more info.

Memorial Lilies

sign up by Sunday, April 14 We will once again be decorating our sanctuary with lilies on Easter Sunday April 21. If you would like to purchase a pot of lilies in memory of a loved one or more, and have them displayed on Easter Sunday (you can bring your flowers home after worship), sign up forms are at the welcome desk or sign up online here.

Lilies are $10 each. Please sign up by Sunday, April 14th.

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Earth Day Willowdale Park Community Clean Up Sunday, April 28 12 - 1:30pm

Let’s help clean up Willowdale Park and the surrounding ravine. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. We will also be inviting neighbours to join us. All are welcome. This is also a great opportunity to engage children in serving.

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THANKS YOU! To our Spring Garden Family, We, your “YU Missionaries”, want to express our heartfelt thanks for your ongoing support of the work of Youth Unlimited across the GTA. Your faithfulness in coming alongside us, praying for us, encouraging us, and supporting us financially fills us with gratitude, hope, and perseverance.

Our heartbeat remains firm – seeing transformed youth transform our city. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of thousands of young people. To learn more about that difference, we’d love for you to check out impact.yugta.ca.

We also want to say ‘goodbye’ to Jesse James as one of our staff, but are grateful we are still part of the SGC community with him! Thanks for your faithful service in the Willowdale community, Jesse.

We also wanted to give you a glimpse of our new four-year strategy pathway – “Making Space”. Check it out!

Gratefully yours,

John Wilkinson

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Monica Kay

Scott Moore

Clem Lee

Kathy Webb

Over the past six months, we have been discerning our sense of God’s direction for the upcoming four years. This has involved much preparation, prayer, conversation, and listening to God and one another. We are truly excited about the pathway we believe He has set before us.

Over the next four years, we believe God is inviting us to make space for...

Vulnerable Youth

We will intentionally increase our engagement with vulnerable youth, with the hope that a growing number of these friends will experience wholistic transformation.

Mental Health

We will intentionally accompany youth in the midst of their mental health challenges, with the hope that they feel well-supported and are better able to flourish.

Youth Integration

We will intentionally come alongside neighbourhood churches to engage in mission together, with the hope that all our youth will find a long-term place of belonging in vibrant local Christian communities.

Living Out the 5 Gauges

We will intentionally live out the 5 Gauges of Transformation as team members together with our youth, with the hope that more and more young people will experience God’s transformative work in their lives.

We’d love for you to join us in “Making Space”. To learn more, email Scott at smoore@yugta.ca.

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Partnering with Families and Singles

Discipleship Ministries

Spring Kids ROOMS IN OUR BASEMENT DROP OFF

Nursery (0-18 months) Toddler/Pre-K (19 months - 3yrs) JK/SK Grade 1 & 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 &5 Grade 6-12

PICK UP

Purple Orange Yellow Blue Blue Green Blue Red Youth Lounge

Here is an overview of what we will be talking about on Sundays for Spring Kids.

Toddlers – SK: Easter

This month, children will be learning about God’s amazing love for us and Jesus’ awesome rescue.

Children will learn through singing, playing, and craft activities that focus on Jesus’ life leading up to and out of the Easter story. Children will be taught that Jesus is Lord, he loves us, and he is our rescuer. And that is good news!

“Jesus Christ has rescued us.” - Galatians 3:13

Grades 1-5

19

• Jesus is Worthy • Jesus is King of Kings • Jesus is Alive • God Requires Obedience

Spring Youth

March Recap!

In March we had the opportunity to host and facilitate a bake sale to raise money for people coming out of the sex industry. We partnered with Fight4Freedom and the money we raised will go towards their general fund to help people with their individual needs. We are thankful for everyone who came out and supported us either by contributing art and baked goods, or purchasing them.

We are humbled by your kindness.

Here is what's happening this April!

Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings: April 7th, 14th, 21st- We will be having regular worship gatherings for youth in grades 6-12. Following the children’s blessing, youth will move to the youth lounge to continue in worship.

April 28th: Sunday Upstairs- Youth are either in the large worship gathering, or serving in other areas in the discipleship ministry.

(Please email Jeremy about potential areas to serve) 20

Youth Life Groups:

Life Groups will happen on April 5th for the girls and 7th for the boys. For more information email Jeremy

Youth Events: April 12th: Laser Tag: We will be heading over to DP Lazer Maze for a couple rounds of Laser tag. Space is available on a first come first served basis. For more information, email jeremy (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca) Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm Cost: $15 (Bursaries Available) April 28th: Celebrating Sarah: We have been blessed this year to have Sarah join us as an Intern. She has been a great addition to our team and has made some great relationships with our youth. Since we will miss her it is only right we celebrate!

Time: 12:00pm-3:00pm Cost: N/A Staying Updated: To stay up to date on what is happening for your youth, please visit our google calendar which has all our planned events. http://tinyurl.com/SGCYouth

COMMUNITY LISTINGS International Student Looking For Accommodation An International Student associated with Youth For Christ Ukraine is looking for accommodation, with easy access to transit, with a Christian family for 12 weeks as she studies at Ryerson University from July to September. There is a stipend provided by the internship program. If you can fill this need or would like more information please contact Anne Barron (anne.barron020@sympatico.ca)

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COLOURING PAGE

By Lily Sider

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Recommendations

The Resource Centre

Spring Garden’s online library catalog can be accessed at springgardenchurch.ca/library. If you know of books or DVDs that you’d like to recommend to the Resource Centre, please contact Karen Cassel (karen.cassel@bell.net)

The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi: my journey into the heart of Scriptural faith and the land where it all began

by Kathie Lee Gifford

As a lifelong student of Scripture, Kathie Lee Gifford has always desired a deeper understanding of God’s Word and a deeper knowledge of God Himself. But it wasn’t until she began studying the Biblical texts in their original Hebrew and Greek—along with actually hiking the ancient paths of Israel—that she found the fulfillment of those desires. Now you can walk with Kathie on a journey through the spiritual foundations of her faith.

Egypt’s sister: a novel of Cleopatra

by Angela Hunt

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Five decades before the birth of Christ, Chava, daughter of the royal tutor, grows up with Urbi, a princess in Alexandria's royal palace. When Urbi becomes Queen Cleopatra, Chava vows to be a faithful friend no matter what--but after she and

Cleopatra have an argument, she finds herself imprisoned and sold into slavery. Torn from her family, her community, and her elevated place in Alexandrian society, Chava finds herself cast off and alone in Rome. Forced to learn difficult lessons, she struggles to trust a promise HaShem has given her. After experiencing the best and worst of Roman society, Chava must choose between love and honor, between her own desires and God's will for her life.

Mountaintop: a journey of faith.

DVD

Sometimes, the best place to see the future is on a mountain top.

That’s where lawyer turned preacher Mike Andrews’ life changed, and he has no intention of going back. The last thing he wants to do is return to the courtroom and represent an eccentric old man whose mind is filled with obscure visions and confusing dreams. But when Sam Miller’s visions get personal, Mike discovers that there are paths that lead higher than earthly mountains. And roads more dangerous than an icy hairpin turn on a moonless night.

Mountaintop: a journey of faith. DVD When tragedy strikes three families, their destiny forces them on a converging path to discover God's love, grace and mercy as the challenges of their fate could also resurrect their beliefs.

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Directories and What's Happening

More Info

Leadership Directory PASTORAL TEAM

416.223.4593

Greg Kay Co-Lead Pastor

Ext. 224 gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca

Sam Lee Co-Lead Pastor

Ext. 227 samlee@ springgardenchurch.ca

Jeremy Ranasinghe Children and Youth Pastor

Ext. 223 jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca

Lily Cheng Community and Missions Pastor

Ext. 226 lilycheng@ springgardenchurch.ca

Dale Forder Office & Communications Administrator

Ext. 221 daleforder@ springgardenchurch.ca

Spring Garden Church

112 Spring Garden Avenue, Toronto ON M2N 3G3 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca Telephone Fax Prayer Line 25

416.223.4593 416.223.6126 416.223.4038

DEACONS Sam Chaise

647-968-5065 sam_chaise@yahoo.com

Adora Chui

905.962.3897 adora.chui@sgbc.ca

Martin Dewar

416.229.2695 martin.dewar@sgbc.ca

Lesley Daniels

416.806.5373 dr.ldaniels@gmail.com

Joanne Laing

416-617-6582 joannelaing@gmail.com

Shannon Loewen

647-202-0701 shannon.loewen1@gmail.com

Peggy Moore

416.225.2406 peggylouisemoore@gmail.com

Esther Penner Doug Willson

416.227.1840 esther.penner@sgbc.ca 416.221.0450 doug.willson191@gmail.com

ELDERS Garth Barron Darlene Boyd Cheryl Chapman Joanna James Brad Sider

416-724-9329 garthbarron@sympatico.ca 416.385.2483 darlene.boyd@gmail.com 416.222.6963 cheryl.chapman@live.ca 647.928.0862 jo.april.james@gmail.com 647.200.6853 ​bradsider@yahoo.ca 26

What’s Happening Weekly SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

Sundays 10am - 11:30am

Life in Spring Garden

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Sundays 9am - 10am

PASTORAL TEAM MEETING Tuesdays 1:15pm - 3:30pm

We meet in the During Lent (MarHeld in the meeting meeting room every Tuesday. mid-April) will be room.

Please pray for us centred around the for wisdom and We are continuing sacred paradoxes inspiration. in Jesus' life and our study of teaching.

Matthew's gospel.

Children and Youth go downstairs.

Communion will be held on the

REFRESH

Wednesdays 10am - 11:30am Friendship, care & spiritual growth for women; child care may be provided if necessary. (see page 10) Contact Tanya Salituro @ 416-222-4662

Everyone is welcome, bring your Bible if you have one.

ESL CAFE

Wednesdays 7pm - 8:30pm We meet at Spring Garden Church in the East Lounge.

A place to practice your English and meet new friends.

THURSDAY LUNCH TOGETHER 12pm - 1pm

Share some laughs and conversation with others and words of prayer.

BIBLE STUDY 1pm - 2pm

Bible Study that is open to the church and our neighbours victoriashipmaker@ gmail.com

Text or call Victoria @ 647 444 9320

You may find more info at springgardenchurch.ca, in the 27 welcome brochure or call us at 416-223-4593.

Upcoming April 5

BOARD GAMES, BITES & BEVERAGES FRIDAY, APRIL 5 7:00 PM 9:30 PM

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April 14

MAKE LASAGNA TO SHARE GOD’S CARE

LIFE GROUP BOYS - FRIDAY, APRIL 5 LASER TAG GIRLS - SUNDAY, APRIL 7 FRIDAY, APRIL 12

April 19

GOOD FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 19 10:00 AM 11:00 AM

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 12:00 PM 2:30 PM Page 13

April 21

SUNDAY, APRIL 21: EASTER SUNRISE GATHERING - 6:00 AM 7:00 AM WORSHIP GATHERING - 10:00 AM 11:30 AM CONTINENTAL LUNCH - 11:345 AM 12:30 PM EGG HUNT - 12:30 PM 2:00 PM (times are subject to change)

April 23

YONGE STREET TRAGEDY ANNIVERSARY TUESDAY, APRIL 23 12:00 PM 3:00 PM Page 14

April 28

CELEBRATING SARAH SUNDAY, APRIL 28 12:00 PM 3:00 PM

April 28

EARTH DAY WILLOWDALE PARK COMMUNITY CLEAN UP SUNDAY, APRIL 28 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Page 16

Events with this logo are for youth only.

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If you would like to receive a weekly email update on what’s happening in Spring Garden, please visit the SGC website (www. springgardenchurch.ca) and add your email address on our home page to subscribe to our weekly email.

28

Fun Page How Well Do You Recognize SGC Leadership?

In this time of transition after Gene's retirement (our previous lead pastor), we want to make sure our leadership team of Deacons, Elders and Pastors are recognizable and accessible to everyone. So we thought what better way than a matching game! See how many of our leaders you recognize! And if you want to contact us, our contact info is on page 26.

Answers can be found on page 12.

DEACONS Adora Chui Membership Esther Penner Secretary, Coffee Hour Joanne Laing Worship, Mission Martin Dewar Community Life Doug Willson Adult Discipleship Shannon Loewen Youth & Children Discipleship Peggy Moore Property Sam Chaise Finance Lesley Daniels Chair 29

ELDERS Garth Barron Darlene Boyd Cheryl Chapman Joanna James Brad Sider

PASTORAL TEAM Greg Kay Sam Lee Jeremy Ranasinghe Lily Cheng Dale Forder

Last Edition's Crossword Answers

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

bible adventure blizzard Gene Serve

6. Lawhead 7. toothpaste 8. trafficking 9. Sunday 10. Story

11.

12.

13.

14.

Fight4Freedom Gardener Fairy Pinery 30

Our Values We believe in a humble God who came not to be served, but to serve. Therefore we engage in sacrificial and active service to those around us. We strive to be good stewards of God’s gifts and talents by serving one another in humility. We aspire to regard others as higher than ourselves, which liberates us to creatively take risks in serving others for God’s glory.

We believe in a God of grace who came to save the world, not to condemn it. Therefore, as we are continuously receiving the gift of God’s grace, we seek to grow in that grace and extend it to others.

We strive to define ourselves by what we are for, not what we are against.

We believe in a God who knows us, and who desires to be known.

Therefore we embrace a journey of faith that requires us to constantly strive for a personal, intimate and transformative knowledge of God. We strive to be led by God’s Spirit in supporting and encouraging one another in working out our faith.

We believe in a creative God. Therefore we are open to expressing our faith in new and creative ways that reflect the beauty and complexity of our creator. We are called to use our creative gifts in worship and service as we engage with our world. We take joy in the diversity of gifts that allow us to delight God and participate in His ongoing story.

We believe in a triune, relational God who calls us to come together as a diverse community of believers. Therefore, we want to walk together, supporting one another physically, emotionally and spiritually. We strive to be a welcoming, inclusive family that goes through the joys and the trials of life together, acknowledging that God uses this community to deepen and mature our faith.

We believe in a God who loves this broken world and wants to reconcile us to Himself. Therefore we are commissioned by Christ to go out into the world, meeting the holistic needs of the local and global community. God calls us to participate in a redemptive work that he has already initiated; in humility, we will partner with others to work alongside and chase after Him. We believe in a God who is our center. 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.