SGC Jan Delve 2019

January 2019

Quick Calendar WEEKLY Sun

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

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

Thur 12pm-2pm Thursday Bunch Fri Sat

pg 25 pg 25

pg 16 pg 25 pg 15

UPCOMING Jan 11

Youth Event - Dinner and a Movie

Congregational Life Potluck - Lunch Jan 13 Jan 18-20 Avalanche - Youth Retreat (gr 6-8) Youth Life Group - Girls Jan 25 Youth Life Group - Boys Jan 26 *For more listings, see page 26

Febuary's Delve submissions are due January 21. 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 1

pg 17 pg 13 pg 19 pg 18 pg 18

Features

3-12, 20

Musings: The Pastor’s Spouse 3 Thank You 8 Discerning our Way Through Transition 9 Our Co-Lead Journey 11 Live Art @ Light of the World 20

Community Corner

13-16

Congregational Life Potluck 13 A Night Out (for parents) 13 Thursday Opportunities to Lunch and Learn 15-16 Refresh 16 Gary Chapman (relationship expert) 10 Receptionist Needed 14

Discipleship Ministries

17-19

Spring Kids 17 Spring Youth 17 - 19 Discipleship Needs Volunteers 19

Resource Centre

21-22

Resource Recommendations 21-22

More Info

23-26

Cover, Design & Editor:

Leadership Directory 23-24 Dale Forder A Note from the Editor 24 Contributors: Weekly Calendar 25 Gene Tempelmeyer Upcoming Calendar 26 Victoria Shipmaker Lesley Daniels Sam Lee Greg Kay Martin Dewar Karen Cessel

Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel Gene Tempelmeyer

Digging a little deeper into Spring Garden

Features 3

Musings: The Pastor’s Spouse

by Gene Tempelmeyer

R

ecently I came across an old book on my shelves describing the professional qualities required for a Minister in 1958, the year the book was published.

The chapter on life in the parsonage provided humorous reading for the male pastors of Spring Garden, even though I’m the only one who actually lived in a parsonage.

These passages struck us as humorous because they are so far from how we think about our wives and their role in the church. For example, like her husband, the wife was expected to avoid making personal friendships within the congregation to avoid the jealousy of others who are not within her circle. But that is not the only source of loneliness for the Minister’s Wife. “Her husband is a busy man with little or no time to give to her or the family.”

Once these words began to sink in, they lost their humour quickly and a stronger sense of tragedy and grief took the place of laughter. How many families have been destroyed by unhealthy expectation of what it looks like to serve the church? How many

children have abandoned faith because God seemed to think He needed their father more than they did?

Gladly, things have changed! Or have they? I increasingly realize that men don’t really get what women feel around issues of past and present gender imbalance. Yes, the book from 1958 assumed the pastor would be a man. Always. And the pastor’s spouse, therefore, a woman. It frankly stuns me each time I discover that many people still believe the Bible actually teaches this.

And my guess is that while the 21st century pastor’s spouse is much more likely to have their own career than in the 1950’s, they probably don’t have any less loneliness.

Before I reflect on this, I want to make an important disclaimer: The thoughts you are about to read do not come from my wife, Debbie. In respect for her privacy and our relationship, I will let her read this and offer edits before it goes into print. But I am writing my thoughts. These come from friendships with many pastoral couples over the years. Knowing that Debbie and I will soon be finding our place in the church as normal people for a change, I feel a freedom to address issues that pastoral couples still in service might be uncomfortable raising.

This conversation is part of a larger concern I, as someone who loves the church, feel quite deeply. Debbie and I are an anomaly.

We have served churches all our adult lives and we have done so remaining not only married, but quite happily married. When I read that the average North American pastor spends only about the same number of years working as a pastor as they spent in postsecondary education to enter this career I worry that something is badly wrong.

I write this for the sake of Jin, Monica, and Kaitlyn who I hope have many years before them to enjoy being a pastor’s wife. I also write this for the husbands of some future SGC pastors!

At Spring Garden we have long had a problem assimilating newcomers into the ongoing life of the congregation. We are very good at welcoming people when they arrive. But we are not as good at inviting people into deeper connection with us. I think there are many reasons for this, including the busyness of urban life generally and the declining experience of social connection all across our culture.

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A pastor’s spouse is not immune to that sense of disconnection.

When the pastor joins a team, there is an instant place of connection and relationship. In the days when it was assumed that the pastor’s wife would lead a women’s Bible Study or play the piano for the choir, there were clear and immediate places of community for her as well. What is more common now is a pastor busily connecting with many people after worship while their spouse and children wait to go home.

It may be that many in the church are a little intimidated by a pastor’s spouse. Perhaps they feel the spouse already has many connections and demands upon their time, and the offer of friendship from just a normal church congregant is an unneeded aggravation. This is far from the truth.

Perhaps a first step is to stop thinking of anyone as “the pastor’s spouse.” The wives of our four pastors now are amazingly talented, intelligent people with interesting careers and lives.

One is a business executive in a Christian company, one is a teacher, one leads a ministry of mentoring talented young people as they pursue their dreams, and one works alongside sex workers helping them leave such a destructive and self-eroding way of life. Their identity is much larger than what their partner does for a living. They have gifts that the church could use. They are as willing as any other congregant to offer those gifts in service, but, like everyone else, they need to be asked. They enjoy and are affirmed by being invited to serve out of their own identity and gifts.

Something we should all learn early in marriage is to never volunteer our spouse to do something without first asking them.

Not wanting to appear to take our spouse for granted nor wanting to seem to favour our spouse over other volunteers, pastors are often more reluctant to recruit their spouse than to recruit someone else. So if you ask a pastor’s spouse to use their spiritual gifts in a meaningful way, you might be surprised at the level of gratitude in their response.

I was trained to avoid having friendships with anyone who attended a church where I was pastor for the reasons mentioned above. I found that humanly impossible, and began to ignore that training almost immediately. (That may be part of the reason I am 5

still here, forty plus years later.) At times Debbie and I have been criticised because we have close friends who are deeply involved in the life of the congregation and widely perceived as “movers and shakers.” This is actually natural. By implication, I am very often thrown together with people who are deeply involved in church work. We become friends with the people we spend time with.

Time is not the only factor. There is an old joke about a pastor who went down to the railroad tracks to watch the train go by every day. Someone finally asked him to explain the fascination. He said the train was the only thing that moved in that town without him pushing it. Sometimes the leader needs to hang out with people who are leaders in their own right; who intuitively recognise that no matter how much power, influence, or education a person has, they are still, at the end of the day, a person.

Pastors receive many invitations in our capacity as pastors.

Very often such invitations do not include our spouse. That’s not a problem. The problem comes when it is unclear whether an invitation is to me as “Pastor” or to us as “friends.” If I am verbally invited to a wedding, for example, which is addressed to me and Debbie is not mentioned, we assume that I am there professionally and that Debbie is not invited. And that’s fine. But the moral of the story is: if you want the pastor’s spouse to attend, you need to invite them in the same manner you invite other guests.

Pastoral couples love social relationships just like anyone else.

If you want to move past a professional relationship to a deeper friendship with a pastor, you must include their spouse unless you’re inviting the pastor to a gender-specific event. This is especially true if you are not the same gender as the pastor.

Pastoral couples are people. People don’t like it when someone of the opposite sex tries to befriend their spouse but leaves them out.

That’s just not smart for anybody!

No one should become a pastor if they are unable to live with a reasonable amount of criticism. Criticism is a natural by-product of any job that takes place in the public eye. It is a little more complicated when the people who pay our salary are also within our social circle. You have the right to criticise your pastors so long 6

as you do so in a biblical and healthy way. When you exercise that right with any frequency, however, don’t expect that the pastor’s spouse is going to have warm feelings of friendship for you. And never, never, ever let a pastor’s child overhear you criticising that pastor. If your child and the pastor’s child are often together in church, be careful what your child hears you say. There is a legion of pastors’ kids who have left the church because they were exposed to bitterness and judgement from which they could not protect their parent.

As social expectations for pastoral spouses have changed since the 1958 publication of the book at the start of this article, I think the biggest problem is that church-goers know they should not hold unrealistic expectations of a pastor’s spouse but they just don’t know what would be helpful or appropriate. This article is an effort to answer that question.

The pastor’s spouse needs to be loved and needed just as everyone else needs to loved and needed. How we hope to be loved and needed is as unique as the personalities and spiritual gifts we bring to the table. Some of you are very good at this, and I certainly don’t want this article to be taken as a complaint. The church as a whole continues to need growth in this relationship for the well being of future generations of church life and leadership.

When we don’t know what to do, or what would be our best response, the best solution is almost always: just ask. Have a conversation about it. Then act on that conversation.

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F

or the month of November we held a Morale Mail activity to send parcels to troops overseas.

We had a wonderful time watching the boxes come in and the enthusiasm that everyone put into it but also the way that your children and youth gave of themselves! The Toronto Military Resource Centre was thrilled and gave us the following thank-you:

Closely following Morale Mail was the Christmas Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking - we realised it followed close on the heels of our November project but you were generous and thought of those starting a new life. We also were able to help the volunteers who visit the spas, with small gifts to offer the staff. Both types of gift may not seem like much but carry a wonderful message to those who often do not receive gifts without strings attached.

Thanks so much for taking the time to participate and sharing our initiatives with your family and friends!

Victoria (Spring Garden Based Initiatives Team) 8

Discerning our Way Through Transition

by Lesley Daniels (on behalf of the Board of Deacons and the Interim Management Committee)

O

ne of the gifts we have been given by Gene as he moves toward retirement is a long period of time in which to plan for this transition. While it may be unsettling to some to have to manage well over a year of anticipation, to the church leadership team – the Deacons, Elders, and Pastors – it has made possible a healthy process of discernment at various stages of our ‘approach’ to March.

This past Spring and Summer, the Navigation Team worked to assess the needs of Spring Garden and to discern God’s will for the upcoming leadership transition. While the team did not discern any specific leadership structure, it did sense God’s reassurance that everything would be worked out despite this ‘uncertainty’. God revealed the metaphor of a puzzle and its pieces and, in this, the team expressed a desire for both Greg Kay and Sam Lee to remain as key puzzle pieces in the ‘post-Gene’ staffing model. At that time, it seemed important for the Spring Garden leadership to continue to discern with Greg and Sam their roles and the broader staff team structure moving forward.

Shortly after the Navigation Team released their final report to the church leadership in September, the Pastors, Elders, and Deacons met for a morning of discernment around next steps.

One outcome of this meeting was the formation of a 3-person Transition Committee (3TC) tasked with filling the role(s) of transition or interim pastor(s) until August 2019 or until a permanent pastoral hiring was complete. In late November, the Pastors, Elders, and Deacons reconvened to hear what this committee (comprised of Cheryl Chapman, Peggy Moore, and Sam Lee) had discerned. (At this point, Gene had prayerfully concluded that the time had come for him to withdraw from these conversations.)

With each member of the 3TC claiming a strong sense of peace around their process and its outcome, they shared a proposal that would see Greg Kay and Sam Lee serve within a co-pastor model 9

of leadership for the interim period following Gene’s retirement in March. After much discussion and prayerful discernment, the Spring Garden leadership team offered strong support for this proposal. Although many details were yet to be worked out, it was important to Spring Garden’s leaders that this interim plan be communicated to the congregation as quickly as possible; therefore, after a written proposal was approved by the Deacons, an announcement was made to the congregation on December 2 (and communicated via email the following week).

The most important details of this announcement are that, for the interim period, Sam and Greg will share some key aspects of the lead pastor role from which Gene is retiring, and other key ministry areas will be maintained through the hiring of one full-time or twopart time interim, temporary staff members. To be clear, this is an arrangement for the interim period. We are not yet making any decisions about the long-term, but see this as a period of learning and discernment (one outcome of which may be that we end up continuing the model on a long-term basis).

To that end, we have established an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee this time, to monitor its effectiveness, and to hire the interim staff that we need. This committee is composed of 3 Deacons (Sam Chaise, Shannon Loewen, and Lesley Daniels), 1 Elder (Cheryl Chapman), and both Sam Lee and Greg Kay. The IMC will serve as a support to Sam and Greg during the interim period and will also play a management role on behalf of the Board of Deacons. The IMC appreciates that times of change can be disconcerting for many and aims to maintain transparency through frequent communication with the congregation as decisions are being made. The committee welcomes Spring Gardeners to reach out with questions or concerns as we navigate the next few months together.

2019 will bring much change to Spring Garden and, with it, new opportunities as we continue to serve God together. As a leadership team, we have sensed His peace at each stage of this process and His assurance that we are moving in line with His vision for our church. We look forward to the new things He plans to do in us and encourage each one of us to remain prayerful and hopeful as He leads us through this time.

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Co-Lead Journey

by Sam Lee and Greg Kay

S

ince the announcement of Gene’s retirement over a year ago, we (Greg & Sam) have been discussing and praying through what the future could look like at Spring Garden, for us and for the church. In the last few months, we spent time praying and discerning whether or not a co-lead model of leadership is what God would desire for Spring Garden. After discussing and being open to this possibility, we decided that it would be wise to take time to pray on our own, to seek the will of Christ as we listened for God’s leading. We met back together and shared what we heard from God. Some of the ideas and images that came to us were around the notion of mutual submission and love. Jesus came to serve and set an example by washing the feet of His disciples. Jesus sent out the disciples two by two, and the picture of a yoke was a strong image for Sam where the burden can be shared by one another. Similarly, Greg felt drawn to Jesus’ words about the first being last and those who want to be great being servants, and how leading together in Christ can be an act and a reminder that leading is not about being great, having power, or being “on the top”, but about serving in humility. We also feel that this model of leadership falls in line with who Spring Garden is and its values of community, diversity, collaboration, and creativity.

We shared this model with the 3-Person Transition Committee (3TC) who affirmed with us that they also felt led in this direction. The 3TC spent a lot of time working through what this model could look like and shared this potential model with the Deacons and Elders. This proposal was then shared with the Leadership Team (Deacons, Elders and Pastors) at a discernment meeting where the team took time to discuss and listen to God. After our sharing, all of the pastoral team left the meeting to give space for others to share their thoughts in our absence.

Then, after taking time to listen to God in silence and solitude, the pastoral team was brought back into the meeting where the leadership shared what they heard from God. They also felt at peace about this direction and were excited about the possibilities.

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It was agreed that during this interim period (March 4 to mid October), the co-lead model would be a way to test our desire and capacity to lead together and to see what the possibilities are for the future; for us as pastors and for all of us as Spring Garden Church. We come into this recognizing the challenges that come with such a model, but at the same time have a sense of excitement and consolation about the direction we feel we are being led. Like being lead by a trusted friend into an unknown doorway, we are filled with anticipation, hope, wonder and what my (Greg) daughters call ‘nervousitement’—a positive mix of nervousness and excitement—knowing that Christ who leads us is faithful. We are truly humbled by the opportunity to step together into this role with you all.

We ask that you would pray for us and the Interim Management Committee as we meet to further discern the best fit and structure for this time of transition. We are also very open to discuss with you any concerns or questions that you may have about our journey and process, so feel free to come and speak to us in person. Again, we are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to seeing how we can work together to serve Christ, one another and the community of Spring Garden.

With love, Sam & Greg

Illustrations by Lily Sider

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Life in and around Spring Garden

Community Corner

POTLUCK LUNCH Multipurpose Room

Sunday January 13th, 2019 After the worship gathering

Please join us - all are welcome! Bring a fully prepared main dish, side dish, salad or dessert!

To volunteer to set-up or clean up email Martin Dewar at martindewar@hotmail.com or call at (416)389-6172

Need a break from parenting? We’re hosting a night where you can have the night off from your parental duties. We will watch your kids, feed them, and entertain them. Here are the details When? - February 23rd 5:00pm-9:00pm How Much? - $10 per child (includes pizza and Mad Science) Where? - Spring Garden Church Basement Registration? - https://www.springgardenchurch. ca/gallery/

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For more information email Sam Lee (samlee@springgardenchurch.ca)

Neighborhood Posts Receptionist Needed Dynamic, energetic and reliable person needed for busy specialty medical clinic.

Front reception and administration tasks. Good communication skills and an ability to work as part of team needed as well as a flexible schedule.

Excellent entry level position for new graduates or someone looking to re-enter the work force . Benefits avail-

able. Experience an asset but candidates willing to learn and grow with are welcome to apply. Applicants please apply with your resume to debrasusanturco@gmail.com

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Thursday Opportunities to Lunch and Learn

O

ur Thursday group the Thursday Bunch is going through a time of transition, and we want to get the word out about what happens on Thursdays at lunch time so you can join us or refer other people to us. We want to emphasize that we are not limited to women nor to seniors! Everyone is welcome!

From 12 until 1 pm everyone is invited to come and bring their lunch and chat. We share our stories from the week, our experiences both old and new and generally have a good laugh. Tea and coffee are provided. This is a perfect place to offer to those who want to find some community whether they are Christian or not. This is also an opportunity for those who speak English but want a bit more exposure to listening and speaking in a group.

Everyone is most welcome! Lunch and Chat begins January 10th and is located in the East Lounge. Please let newcomers have my name and email if they would like information. Those who wish to stay may attend our Thursday Bible Study which follows directly after lunch.

Lunch and Chat

Thursday Bible Study

From 1 to 2 pm we have a Bible study also in the East Lounge. We open with prayer and spend the next 45 minutes studying the Bible. This is open to all who are interested and we welcome those who are not familiar with Jesus but are curious. Our Bible study tends to follow a topic for 4 or 5 weeks but dropping in anytime is okay.

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Our next sessions will focus on prayer. Our first session is January 10, 2019 and will focus on the Lord's Prayer along with some discussion about what we want to cover in the next four sessions.

The approach of the Bible study is to ask a lot of questions and to learn different approaches of how to read the Bible. Though some questions will remain unanswered we make sure we leave with a sense of peace with the mystery in our relationship with Jesus and to know that we can trust Him. The outline for the next 5 weeks is: January 10 - Luke 11:2-4 The Lord's Prayer: What was Jesus teaching when he gave this model for prayer? What other prayers do we find in the Bible?

January 17 - Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.�: How do we understand this passage? Is group prayer different than individual prayer?

January 24 - Luke 18:1-8 The Parable of the Persistent Widow: Is it okay to give up on a prayer? Do we worry that we do not pray enough?

Do we pray with freedom or with a sense of obligation?

January 31 - Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus tells us not to "babble" or be a "hypocrite" when we pray: How do we prepare ourselves for prayer? What do we do if we are put on the spot to pray? What if we just don't feel we can pray?

February 7th - Romans 8:26-27 How does the Holy Spirit help us pray?

If you would like more info or would like to pass on my information please let me know.

Victoria Shipmaker | victoriashipmaker@gmail.com | text 647-444-9320

Refresh is a small gathering of women finding God together, reading and reflecting on scripture, sharing life stories and simple praying and supporting one another. We meet every Wednesday in the main church lounge from 10:00 - 11:30am.

We start 2019 on Wednesday Jan 16th Join us if and when you can. Child care available, please call to reserve. Questions? Contact: Tanya Salituro

| tanya@canprev.ca

| 416-222-4662

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Partnering with Families and Singles

Discipleship Ministries 17

Spring Kids Nursery (0-18 months) - Purple Room Toddler/Pre-K (19 Months-3 Year Olds) - Orange Room JK/SK Yellow Room Grades 1 & 2 - Blue Room for drop off and pick up Grade 3 - Blue Room for drop off, Green Room for pick up Grade 4 & 5 - Blue Room for drop off, and Red Room for pick up Grade 6-12 - Youth Lounge Here is an overview of what we will be talking about on Sundays for Spring Kids.

Toddlers/Pre-K – JK/SK: Promises This month, children will read stories about Jesus’ life, family, and friends. They will hear that Jesus was born and grew up in a family – just like us! Children will understand that Jesus was a real person who lived on the earth, just like you and me. Through games, activities, and crafts children will engage with this idea all month.

“This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!” - Matthew 17:5b

Grades 1-5

• God Prepares the Way • The Lord Will Provide • Jesus is the Promise • God is Rescuer

Spring Youth

December Recap!

One of our favourite events is the annual Christmas party. This year we had a potluck in the east lounge of the Church’s building.

We played some games, roasted some marshmallows by the fire, and even watched the Christmas classic, Home Alone. All in all, it was a great time.

Here is what's happening this January!

Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings:

January 6th, 13th - 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.

January 27th: Sunday Upstairs (Youth are either in the large worship gathering, or serving in other areas in the discipleship ministry). ** Due to the Jr High Youth retreat (Jan 18-20), there will be no worship gathering for youth in the youth lounge. Youth are encouraged to stay in the large worship gathering upstairs**

Youth Life Groups:

Life Groups will happen on January 25th for the girls and 27th for the boys. For more information email Sam or Jeremy.

Youth Events:

January 11th: Dinner and a Movie: - We will be heading to the movies to watch the new animated Spiderman movie.

Time and Cost: TBD 18

2019 Winter Retreats

Something we want to put on your radar are the winter retreats (Avalanche and Blizzard) coming up in the new year.

Avalanche and Blizzard are often a life changing experience for many students. It is a chance for junior and senior high students to join with 500 other people their age and see that they are not alone in their life journey towards Jesus. Through small group experiences, musical worship and engaging teaching, the retreats aim to inspire students, whether Christians or not, to begin taking steps in their young faith journeys. Beyond that there are so many great games, activities and a lifetime of memories made on these weekends Avalanche 2019 (Gr 6-8) - January 18th-20th Blizzard 2019 (Gr 9-12) - February 8th-10th Cost: $140

Staying Updated: To stay up to date on what is happening for

Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for more volunteers in our children's ministry, specifically in the hall monitor section.

For more info the can contact me at jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca.

Want a break parents? We'll watch and feed your kids for the evening of Feb. 23. See page 13 for more details.

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Live Art @

Light of th e

World

This past December 16th at our annual Light of the World Christmas celebration we had the amazing opportunity to watch three artists create works of art right before our very eyes! We wanted to share those pieces of art with you. The first is by Annie Yang entitled "Jesus as Neighbour" and was created digitally on an iPad. The second is by Lily Sider and was also created digitally on an iPad. The third is by Gene Tempelmeyer and is a pastel on paper drawing of a stable in Bethlehem.

If you are interested in getting prints of either of the digital pieces, proceeds will go to the DropInn, a local Willowdale dropinn for the marginalized.

Please contact Greg Kay 20

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)

It’s hard not to stare: helping children understand disabilities

by Tim Huff, with a forward by the Honourable David Onley It’s Hard Not to Stare encourages children to look at their world through the lens of compassion and understanding, rather than assumption, judgment or fear. Tim believes this approach will impact the way we care for, and befriend, people in our communities and beyond, and that when we nurture compassion in a child in one area of life, the potential is greater that this goodness will spill over into all other areas. Tim Huff addresses issues related to disabilities in this book, applying tender and truthful prose, along with bright and courageous child-friendly illustrations, which have been heightened by the insights and wisdom of his professional peers, educators, moms and dads.

New every day: navigating alzheimer’s with grace and compassion

by Dave Meurer

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Alzheimer's. It barges into your life, breaks your heart, bewilders your mind, disrupts your plans, impacts your finances, and consumes

enormous amounts of time and energy. When someone you love has Alzheimer's, you need more than just information on the disease-you need a break. You need a laugh. You need a friend by your side who knows exactly what you're going through.

Award-winning humorist Dave M. Meurer is that friend. Packed with practical information--like how to get the DMV to take away the car keys or how you shouldn't insist on correcting your loved one's misperceptions--and plenty of true stories from his own experiences navigating life with a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer's, New Every Day offers hard-earned wisdom and even some badly needed comic relief for readers journeying down this difficult road. With compassion born of experience, Meurer helps caregivers develop the ability to relax, adapt, and even sometimes laugh again.

The body broken: answering God’s call to love one another

by Robert Benson

Benson writes longingly about the things of the faith that bind us together and gracefully about the things that keep us apart. He recounts his own journey from Nazarene to Methodist to Episcopalian and introduces us to the people and the differing expressions of faith he encountered along the way. We meet ordinary folk, including Benson's family and childhood friends, as well as legendary religious thinkers as Henri Nouwen. Some of the stories--particularly the ones about his own brother's suicide--are heartbreakingly painful; others bring to light the joy and grace of Christian love as found in acts of common worship and compassion. Although Benson acknowledges that there are--and always will be--very real differences in the ways that Christians seek to live out their faith, he reminds us of the essential beliefs that we share about God and our common dependency on God's mysterious mercy and grace, even as we look for God as through a glass darkly.

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Directories and What's Happening

More Info 23

Leadership Directory Pastoral Team

416-223-4593

Gene Tempelmeyer, Pastor Ext. 222

genetemp@springgardenchurch.ca Greg Kay, Worship and Mission Pastor Ext. 224

gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca Sam Lee, Pastor of Discipleship, Ext. 227

samlee@springgardenchurch.ca Jeremy Ranasinghe, Discipleship Ministries Assistant Ext. 223

jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca Dale Forder, Office & Communications Administrator Ext. 221

daleforder@springgardenchurch.ca

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 416.227.1840

esther.penner@sgbc.ca Doug Willson 416.221.0450

doug.willson191@gmail.com

Elders

Garth Barron

416-724-9329

garthbarron@sympatico.ca

Darlene Boyd

darlene.boyd@gmail.com

Cindie Chaise

Cheryl Chapman

416.738.0530 cchaise@yahoo.ca 416.222.6963 cheryl.chapman@live.ca

Joanna James Brad Sider

416.385.2483

647.928.0862 jo.april.james@gmail.com

647.200.6853 ​bradsider@yahoo.ca

Spring Garden Church T 416.223.4593 112 Spring Garden Ave. F 416.223.6126 Toronto ON M2N3G3 www.springgardenchurch.ca

office@springgardenchurch.ca

Prayer Line 416.223.4038

In the future releases of Delve I will try to make this a more

fun and interactive booklet as it is already an Informative piece.

I will do this by adding a page for one or more fun activities for the kids and somewhere throughout Delve, there will be something hidden like 'Finding Waldo'. I hope that you have enjoyed this new colourful look to Delve. Any suggestions you have for future releases, please email delve@springgardenchurch.ca.

Thank you, Dale Forder

A NOTE from

the EDITOR 24

What’s Happening Weekly SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP Sundays 10am - 11:30am

Life in Spring Garden

SUNDAY MORN- PASTORAL TEAM ING BIBLE STUDY MEETING Sundays 9am - 10am

The themes for Jan Held in the meeting - Feb will be 'Our room.

Values'.

We are continuing Children and Youth our study of go downstairs.

Matthew's gospel.

Communion will be held on the 1st Sunday of the month.

REFRESH

Wednesdays 10am - 11:30am Friendship, care and spirtual growth for women; child care may be provided if necessory. (see page 16) Contact Tanya Salituro @ 416-222-4662

Tuesdays 1:30pm - 3:30pm

We meet in the meeting room every Tuesday. Please pray for us for wisdom and inspiration.

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 neet new friends.

THURSDAY BUNCH

12pm - 2:15pm If you would like to study Scripture, share fellowship and are free during the daytime, join us in the east lounge while eating lunch. (pg. 15 - 16) Contact Vicotria @ victoriashipmaker@ gmai.com

You may find more info at springgardenchurch.ca, in the wel25 come brochure or call us at 416-223-4593.

Upcoming Youth Event

POTLUCK

Avalanche

Jan. 11 Jan. 13th Jan. 18 - 20 Dinner and a Movie Lunch Youth (Gr 6-8) More info see pg 17 More info see pg 13 More info see pg 19

Youth Life Group Youth Life Group

Blizzard

Girls Boys Feb. 8 - 10 Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Youth (Gr 9-12) More info see pg 18 More info see pg 18 More info see pg 19

A Night Out

Feb. 23 5pm-9pm A Parenting Break More info see pg 20

Sunday Worship Feb. 24 Intergenerational Sunday Gathering

Gene's Last Sunday Before Retirement March 3rd

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.

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

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

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

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

We believe in a creative God. Therefore we are open to expressing our faith in new and creative ways that reflect the beauty and complexity of our creator. We are called to use our creative gifts in worship and service as we engage with our world.

We take joy in the diversity of gifts that allow us to delight God and participate in His ongoing story.

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

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