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.
June 2018
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What’s Happening Life in Spring Garden
Weekly Tuesdays 1:00 pm - Pastoral Team Meeting (in Meeting Room)
Features
Wednesdays 10:00 am -11:30 am - Refresh Women's Group - in West Lounge (childcare provided) 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm - ESL cafe - Wednesday (East Lounge) Thursdays 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm - The Thursday Bunch (in East lounge)
Musings: Religious Boundaries Thank You to Our Church Family Wise Change in a Season of Transition Quiliting A Community Story April Year-To-Date Financial Update
Sundays 9:00 am - 10:00 am - ESL Bible Class - Sunday (in Basement Hallway) 9:00 am -10:00 am - Sunday Morning Bible Study (in Meeting Room) 10:00 am - 11:30 am - Sunday Morning Worship (communion on the first Sunday of the month)
This Month
Departments Community Announcements Job Postings SGC Discipleship Ministries Resource Centre
Contact Inormation Calendar
28 30 Cover & Design: Dale Forder Michelle Li Contributors: Victoria Shipmaker Mary Theile Clement Lee Sam Lee Karen Cassel Jeremy Ranasinghe Gene Tempelmeyer
June 10 - Congregational Meeting June 15 - Youth Air Riderz June 17 - 11:45 am Leadership Transition Round Table Discussion (in Multipurpose Room)
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Information
June 3 - Youth Serve Sunday - 7:00 pm Leadership Transition Round Table Discussion (in Multipurpose Room) June 8 - 5:30-9:00 pm Photo Scavenger Hunt
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 at the bottom of our home page to subscribe to our weekly update
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Delve submissions are due on the LAST MONDAY of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, please email: delve@springgardenchurch.ca
Copy Editors: Sam Lee Karen Cassel Jeremy Ranasinghe Michelle Li Gene Tempelmeyer
Elders
Musings: Religious Boundaries by Gene Tempelmeyer
S
econd only to the Bible, the book I have most frequently recommended is “Boundaries” by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Here is a simple observation: I have things that belong to me and you have things that belong to you. What belongs to you is your responsibility. What belongs to me is my responsibility. Between your responsibility and my responsibility is a boundary. I have my thoughts, you have yours. I have my problems, you have yours. I have my priorities; you have yours. Sometimes I need help with my stuff. I need advice, comfort, or support. In that case, I can open a gate in my boundaries and invite you to come in and get involved with my stuff. Because it is my stuff and not yours, you have every right to say, “Thank you for the invitation, but I graciously decline.” You are not responsible for my stuff.
Garth Barron garthbarron@sympatico.ca Darlene Boyd darlene.boyd@gmail.com Cindie Chaise cchaise@yahoo.ca Cheryl Chapman cheryl.chapman@live.ca Joanna James jo.april.james@gmail.com Barrie Porter barriep91@gmail.com Brad Sider bradsider@yahoo.ca Corinne Sutton-Smith blestfoods@aol.com
Spring Garden Church 112 Spring Garden Ave. Toronto ON M2N3G3
416-724-9329 416.385.2483 416.738.0530 416.222.6963 647.928.0862 416.829.4210 647.200.6853 647.704.7710
T 416.223.4593 F 416.223.6126 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca Prayer Line 416.223.4038
If I peer over your boundary and see that you are floundering, I have the right to knock on the gate and ask if I may come in to help. Because it is your stuff, you have the right to accept my help or decline my help, no feelings hurt. After all, we both realize that your stuff is your responsibility to do with as you see fit.
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Leadership at Spring Garden Pastoral Team Gene Tempelmeyer, Pastor 416-223-4593 genetemp@springgardenchurch.ca Greg Kay, Worship and Mission Pastor gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca Margaret Sutton, Pastoral Care/Seniors margaretsutton@springgardenchurch.ca Sam Lee, Pastor of Discipleship, samlee@springgardenchurch.ca Michelle Li, Church Office and Communications Manager michelleli@springgardenchurch.ca Jeremy Ranasinghe, Discipleship Ministries Assistant jeremy.ranasinghe@springgardenchurch.ca
Ext. 222 Ext. 224 Ext. 226 Ext. 227 Ext. 221 Ext. 223
Deacons Sam Chaise sam_chaise@yahoo.com Adora Chui adora.chui@sgbc.ca Lesley Daniels lesley.daniels@sgbc.ca Joanne Laing joannelaing@gmail.com Gonzalo Librado gonzalo.librado@sgbc.ca Shannon Loewen shannon.loewen1@gmail.com Peggy Moore peggylouisemoore@gmail.com Esther Penner esther.penner@sgbc.ca Doug Willson doug.willson191@gmail.com 28
647-968-5065 905.962.3897 416.806.5373 416-617-6582 416.229.2695 647-202-0701 416.225.2406 416.227.1840 416.221.0450
But if I see you have a problem, or a wrong thought, or a negative feeling, and I am so moved by concern and compassion that I jump over the boundary and involve myself in your stuff uninvited, I am trespassing. You are more likely to say I am sticking my nose in business that doesn’t belong to me, but I am trespassing and, perhaps, taking some of your stuff and treating it as my own. This is theft. In unhealthy relationships the boundaries have become so fuzzy and porous we have lost track of what is my responsibility and what is yours. Perhaps I intervene in your problems, and you allow me to because it helps in the moment. But then you resent that I steered the situation in a way you did not desire. Suddenly you are angry with me and my feelings are hurt because neither of us respected the boundary between us. Such loss of boundaries is most likely to occur in the family. Parents, for example, assume a right and responsibility to step into a child’s stuff and solve their problem. We hate to see our kids unhappy, so instead of teaching them how to resolve their own stuff, we are inclined to simply take charge of their stuff and fix it. Perhaps we complete their homework and call it “helping” them. Perhaps we telephone another parent to resolve a conflict our children are having with each other. We protect our kids from suffering as they take care of their own stuff and then wonder why they don’t take care of stuff on their bedroom floor. If it sounds like a good idea to protect your own healthy boundaries, read the book! This is a powerful concept for your peace and mental well-being. Here’s a dramatic change of subject: let’s go to the edge London early in the 17th century where a young man named Roger Williams is growing up across the street from Newgate Prison. Roger Williams had a ringside seat to the public execution of those who dissented against the government-supported Church of England. By the time Williams reached adulthood he had seen too much state church violence against Roman Catholics and other dissenting Protestants. Williams became an interesting and inspiring Church leader. Finding the Puritan Church in the colonies as repressive as the Church of England at home, in 1638 Williams founded the first Baptist Church in North America. His starting point was a doctrine he called “Liberty of Conscience.” Because each person is free and responsible to make 5
their own religious choices, he reasoned, baptism into Christ and the Body of Christ should be a matter of one’s own choice: not that of the state or even one’s parents. Rogers was one of few Christian settlers in North America to practice and advocate peace and fair dealings with indigenous people. Additionally, his was one of the earliest voices raised for the abolition of slavery. “Liberty of Conscience” had far reaching implications for the value of every human person. Rhode Island became a refuge in North America for Protestant dissenters, Jews, Roman Catholics, and (at least in Williams’ intention, although I don’t know that any actually settled there) “Turks”, ieMuslims. Many of our Baptist brethren on both sides of the Canada/USA border seem to have lost touch with these parts of our history. I find it ironic when a movement which began with a firm commitment to Liberty of Conscience and the separation of church and state now wants to be the conscience of the nation with legislation protecting the values and convictions held by Baptists and other evangelical Christians. Meanwhile, on both sides of the border, numerous Baptist seminaries have been “cleansed” of professors who hold views contrary to those held by the leadership of their particular Baptist tribe. In a further irony, as neo-reformed theology moves deeper into Baptist life, some Baptists look less Baptist than like the Puritan Church of Massachusetts that would have killed Roger Williams had he not escaped into the night. Roger Williams leaves contemporary Baptist Churches in a dilemma. On the one hand, we value Believer’s Baptism based on the conviction that each person must make their own spiritual decisions. This is important to us. Some of our early leaders were executed because they held this “unorthodox” and “heretical” point of view. At the heart of our doctrinal view of baptism is the conviction that a true baptism cannot be coerced or decided upon by another: be it parent, state or church. Therein lies the dilemma: if we protect that part of our history by requiring others to be baptised in the way we believe they ought, 6
The Resource Centre 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)
Grace like scarlett: grieving with hope after miscarriage and loss, by Adriel Booker Although one in four pregnancies ends in loss, miscarriage is shrouded in such secrecy and stigma that the woman who experiences it often feels deeply isolated, unsure how to process her grief. Her body seems to have betrayed her. Her confidence in the goodness of God is rattled. Her loved ones don't know what to say. Her heart is broken. She may feel guilty, ashamed, angry, depressed, confused, or alone. With vulnerability and tenderness, Adriel Booker shares her own experience of three consecutive miscarriages, as well as the stories of others. She tackles complex questions about faith and suffering with sensitivity and clarity, inviting women to a place of grace, honesty, and hope in the redemptive purposes of God without offering religious cliches and pat answers. She also shares specific, practical resources, such as ways to help guide children through grief, suggestions for memorializing your baby, and advice on pregnancy after loss, as well as a special section for loved ones.
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we violate the very reason we hold our conviction about baptism. To raise an uncomfortable question: if a person is immersed as a believer because we require it and not because they are persuaded this is the true form of baptism, is it a “true” baptism?
Recomendations From Spring Garden’s online library catalog can be accessed at springgardenchurch.ca/library
Jerusalem, by Simon Sebag Montefiore Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgment Day and the battlefield of today’s clash of civilizations. From King David to the 21st century, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism, and coexistence. In this masterful narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore brings the holy city to life, through the people who created and destroyed it—from Herod, Cleopatra and Nero to Churchill, Rasputin and Truman—and draws on the latest scholarship, his own family history, and a lifetime of study to show that the story of Jerusalem is truly the story of the world.
Which brings us to boundaries. When it comes to baptism – or any other religious conviction – what is my stuff and what is your stuff and what is our stuff? What are the appropriate boundaries? I could (and have at various times!) argue this both ways. I could argue that while my baptism is my stuff and your baptism is your stuff, I will only open the gate to people who have been baptised like I have been. You have the right to be baptised however you believe appropriate, but I have the right to limit my fellowship with people who agree with me on baptism. This is a valid application of healthy boundaries. It may or may not be a valid application of following Jesus. Or I could argue that how I was baptised is my stuff and how you were baptised – or even IF you were baptised - is your stuff. Because my gate is my gate, and our gate as a church is our gate, we can equally well decide to open the gate to people who don’t see baptism the same way we do, and that’s ok. Even if we disagree about something, that doesn’t mean we have to close the gate. It’s our gate, after all. This more laissez-faire approach may or may not be a valid application of following Jesus. Both approaches come out of care: care for people and care for principles. The question for us is not whether we care, but which care takes priority. In my experience, people have more often violated my boundaries because they care for me than anything else. But the fact they want fix, organise, or correct my stuff does not change the fundamental fact that if I haven’t invited them in, they are trespassing. Like Marie in “Everybody Loves Raymond”, they interfere because they love too much. The older I get the more I see people and the less I see the need to protect my ideas. Nothing moves us to open our gate and welcome in a friend than getting to know the human person hiding behind an idea. As an idea, I prefer believer’s baptism by immersion. That is what I really believe. But I prefer having brothers and sisters in my journey who disagree with me to having a smaller company of friends, all of whom believe just like I do.
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Not everyone can do that. Some people seem to need to protect their boundaries more firmly. I truly don’t understand why people have a need for certainty and uniformity, but I understand some people have a greater need for rules, restrictions, and exclusions. It would be unfair for me to speculate their reasons for this. Whatever their reasons, my boundary is: I will open my gate unless such a friend tries to make me reorganize my stuff. Their need for stricter control is their stuff, not mine. I find that, by and large, people who need a tighter set of religious, doctrinal, or spiritual boundaries than I, end up declining my invitation to come in because they do not approve of my openness – or laxity, as the case may be. That’s their choice. It may very well be that in making such a choice they are better and more faithful followers of Jesus than I. Despite that possibility, I must be governed by my conscience and they must be governed by theirs. This is not “postmodern relativism.” It is Baptist “Liberty of Conscience” that goes back to at least the 16th century. The choice before us in the By-Law changes our leaders have recommended is a choice about our collective conscience and what kind of community we want to be. Despite the recommendation of our leaders, we ultimately have to decide according to our own conscience, what we think and believe. The discernment process of our leaders is an important piece of data for our consideration, but that is all it is. I know how I will vote on this issue. Regardless how you vote and regardless the outcome, you will still be my community and I will still be committed to this community. I am not going to stop believing what I believe and thinking what I think. That’s my stuff. Part of my stuff is choosing to love you and share life with you whether you agree with me or not.
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THANK YOU
Youth Life Groups: Life Groups will meet on June 1st. For more information please contact either Sam or Jeremy for boys life groups, or Kaitlyn (kaitlynrenaa@gmail.com) for the girls.
Youth Events:
To Our Church Family
June 8th - Photo Scavenger Hunt: We will be meeting at Spring Garden and then splitting off into teams to complete a photo scavenger hunt around Willowdale. Time: 5:30pm-9:00pm Cost: $5
June 15th - Air Riderz: We will be heading to Air Riderz Trampoline Park in Aurora to have some fun! For more info talk to Jeremy Time: TBD Cost: $15
Staying Updated:
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arth and I would like to extend a huge thank you to our church family for the support we received after the passing of my father in early May. We were overwhelmed by the cards, prayers, hugs, and words of support over the last several weeks. Thank you especially to those who travelled to Huntsville for the funeral, your presence was greatly appreciated. As we have been talking about being the church and belonging, it is at times like this that Garth and I feel truly blessed to belong to a wonderful church family of caring and prayerful followers of Christ. Thank You so much, Anne Barron
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
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Spring Kids Here is an overview of what we will be talking about on Sundays for Spring Kids.
Wise Change in a Season of Transition by Jesse James
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he worldwide Church has an almost perfect record. About 99.9% of all local congregations ever started anywhere have disbanded and their buildings either torn down or left to decay. The very select few churches that have remained worshiping for hundreds of years are almost exclusively the ones with state sponsorship, like the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Westminster Abbey in London, or the Church of our Lady Mary of Zion in Ethiopia. I will go out on a limb and suggest that, aside from calamity or conquest, the vast majority of local Christian congregations disband because of their inability to pass along their faith to the next generation. In other words, to survive from one generation to the next, every congregation needs to change.
Pre-K – JK/SK: Help In this series, children will be introduced to Paul, Priscilla, Aquila and Timothy, as they discover the importance of encouragement in the church. Children will discover that they, too, are a part of the church, and they can be encouragers, too! “Encourage each other.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 Grades 1-5 • • • •
God’s Spirit Changes Everything God’s Power Changes Everything God’s Son Changes Everything Remember and Celebrate
Put in a negative way, congregations disband because they fail in two ways:
SGC Youth
Their children and youth lose touch with the faith of their parents and community; and
Here is what's happening in June!
Congregations lose sight of what God is doing in their own immediate context.
Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings:
Spring Garden will likely not get state sponsorship in Canada, so, to survive as a congregation of Christians here in Willowdale, what must we do in this current season of transition? There is a local man who goes by the name “Junior”. He is a relative newcomer to Canada, and has five children. He’s got a crippling physical disability, and is in near constant pain. He is also deeply connected with his neighbours, cares for many dozens of kids, knows the state of their families, pays attention to the joys and pains of the 10
June 10th, 17th,and 24th 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 worship there. June 3rd: Serve Sunday We will be joining the upstairs worship this day as the youth band leads the musical portions of worship. Youth are encouraged to serve through the different opportunities available. 23
Partnering with Families
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Upcoming Opportunities
Spring Garden Camping Trip to Pinery surrounding community, and serves in a myriad of small, unnoticeable ways.
July 19-22 or July 20-22 A camping trip for the whole church. Young, old or single. This year we are offering two options for dates. A 2 night or a 3 night option. For more information and to sign up, please sign up through our website.
Spring Garden Day Camps
Junior’s ability to create and leverage a network of neighbours is astonishing. He doesn’t need any introduction when he goes to any home in his neighbourhood, but simply yells through the door, “Hey, it’s Junior,” and he is always invited straight in. Once he gets in there it is like a master’s class in relationship-building and community integration. What does this have to do with Spring Garden? Well, first, his care for his neighbours is hardly religious but it is already evident that his four younger children are all inheriting bits of his servant-hearted spirit. Second, you don’t know him. But he’s been in Willowdale longer than many of us. Spring Garden can learn from Junior and his life-partner, Michelle. They are successfully passing along their love for neighbours and community to their children. And their lives are being spent on the peace and wellbeing of their context. I sincerely believe that, unlike those millions of Christian congregations that have disbanded over the last two thousand years, Junior and Michelle’s values and credible way of life will survive beyond them. Can Spring Garden claim the same?
July 30-Aug 3 and Aug 7-10 We are offering two weeks of day camp this year. For more information and to sign up, please sign up through our website.
I sincerely believe that the Christian community of Spring Garden will survive without state sponsorship, too, if we wisely change in this season of transition. To do more than just survive we need to ask good questions. It is my opinion that the first question we must ask is: What is God doing to transform Willowdale? And the second question is like it, How do we join God in his local work of transformation? I see God working transformatively in and through Junior and Michelle’s life here in Willowdale. Where do you experience God’s work here in the place where Spring Garden is located? 11
Looking for a Graphic Designer? Or a Front End Web Developer? Dale Forder, a member of SGB is looking for work, so if you have it please approach him, call him (416-6698608) or email him (daleforder@gmail.com). Thank you!
Quiliting A Community Story: by Joanna James
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come from a long line of quilters. As a child I would often watch my mother and grandmother sit at the dining room table and pull out their bins of fabric after dinner. I’d watch as they would cut up scraps and assemble them carefully together, until those little blocks began to take shape into beautiful designs. As artisans, they would use tell family stories using meaningful pieces our history and memories: old flannel shirts, a well loved baby blanket, perhaps a few snips of an old apron. I adopted this love for assembling designs of small little pieces and blocks. Sometimes through mixed media like paint and picture, but as of late it’s been mostly through words and story. In these past few years, I have been working on what I visualize as somewhat of a “Life-Quilt”. This started a few years ago when Jesse and I began a process called the Life Plan. Jesse and I decided to go through this self-reflective process to better establish who we were as individuals and what we wanted collectively for our life together.
In this Life Plan process we dug into our own values and began uncovering those core “blocks” within us that made us each 12
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Summer Job Opportunities Matthew House Summer Student Job Opportunity Position: Refugee Settlement Assistant
M
atthew House is a nationally recognized leader in welcoming, assisting and resettling refugee claimants who would otherwise be homeless. In addition to our main reception house, we have three transition homes where particularly vulnerable residents, such as unaccompanied teens or single mothers, may stay and receive longer-term support. Since opening in 1998, Matthew House has assisted over 1,500 refugee claimants from 100 nations. We welcome all refugees regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or political opinion and strive to make Matthew House a place where the dignity and hope of refugees are restored. To learn more visit www.matthewhouse.ca or e-mail to: Astarekech Anjajo, Operations Manager, Matthew House astar@matthewhouse.ca. Time Commitment:
30 hours per week
Remuneration:
$15/hour
Contract Length:
8 weeks
Starting Date:
25th June 2018
Application Deadline:
31st May 2018
NeighbourLink is hiring summer Interns. Please see details of job posting at: www.christiancareerscanada.com/careers/3927 20
unique. For me, some of those blocks were wellness, artistry and inclusion and for Jesse, some of his core blocks were rootedness, adventure and unity. After identifying these blocks, we were able to lay them on the table and dream up some potential designs for our life together. I am so grateful we started this process when we did because in the few years that followed we faced a lot of rapid changes. We had to make some life structuring choices quick on our toes. After having our second child we abruptly moved from the rental house we’d been in for 6 years due to a mold issue. Twelve months later we again had to move from a rental house because the lease was up and owner was selling. After moving again we found ourselves in a secure rental house, but one that would be shared communally with 3 other people. In these last few years of structural changes we have had to do some gritty ground level growth on uncovering our true values and making decisions on who we wanted to be together in the long run. We now continue to look ahead to the next season of our lives and ask, “What kind of image do we want to assemble in the next 5 years? The next ten? What kind of additional building blocks of growth do we need so we can assemble the developing image?” In many ways I feel as though we at Spring Garden are going through a similar process. As we look ahead to the next year, and even 5 years beyond that, we know that structural changes are coming with Gene’s retirement. And so we have a group of volunteers gathering together as a “navigation team” to help assemble some of our community building blocks on the table. Our future together could take on different shapes depending on what we choose to emphasize in our growth together. As this team meets to reflect on the various threads that are represented in the community (our values, our leadership roles both paid and volunteer, our communal gathering points) we have set out to make some suggestions on how these pieces might be assembled in coming years. We want to offer some complementary designs ideas that 13
may integrate our values, assets and growth areas in a way that brings beauty and glory to God. We have not yet had the chance to hear from everyone and we want to make sure we integrate a wide spectrum of voices and experiences into the community story we are telling. We would love to hear from you in the next month about you hopes and desires for this next season of growth. How are you best connecting with others and with the mission of God within Spring Garden? How are you hoping to grow in the next 5-10 years, and in what areas? We want to know what Spring Gardeners value most in their community experience here and also in their personal walks with God. Maybe you can fill out survey online, maybe you can email one of the team members with some of your thoughts. Or maybe you can pop by during one of the round table discussions to help bring more fabric to the table. (Round table discussions are Sunday June 3rd at 7pm or Sunday June 17th during coffee hour). Whatever the means, we just hope that we can connect with you. We need your fabric pieces on the table :) I know that God has been deeply present with Jesse and I this past season of changes. God has helped us sift through the pieces and create a story we are excited to share. It is my hope that we would experience the same kind of hope and inspiration as we continue to assemble our story together at SGC.
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April Year-To-Date Financial Update Dear Spring Garden Congregation, On Sunday mornings for several week we’ve been thinking about how we belong to one another, and how Spring Garden is a ‘congregationally-governed’ church, which means that, under God, we the people are tasked with charting its direction and resourcing its ministries. Part of the way we do that is through our donations. As leaders who are charged with the task of managing the finances, our job is to keep you informed. Earlier this year as a congregation we approved a budget for 2018 that provided the needed funds for Spring Garden’s work to continue. Here’s how we’re doing to the end of April: • 2018: 16 Sundays with Worship Services (one cancelled because of weather), with 126,176 of Offerings. AVERAGE OFFERING PER SUNDAY: $7,886 • 2017: 18 Sundays with Worship Services, with $152,163 of Offerings. AVERAGE OFFERING PER SUNDAY: $8,453 As you can see, we are running $567 lower per Sunday this year compared to last. That may not sound like much, but over 52 weeks that would be a deficit of over $29,000. We should also be aware that summer is often a time of lower Offerings. Please keep this in mind as you plan your Offerings in the next few weeks and over the summer. If you would like further information, or would like to see our year-todate financial statements, feel free to contact anyone below. Sam Chaise, Deacon of Finance Lesley Daniels, Chair of Deacons Geoff Moore, Treasurer Marion Cameron, Assistant Treasurer 18
FUN FAIR 2018 T
his year our camp will focus on activities and skills from which the kids can choose an option. We will be hosting activities including sports, culinary, art etc. Different options and tracks will be sent out closer to the dates, for the child(ren) and parents to choose together. Parents/Guardians have the option of signing up their child(ren) for either the half-day camp or the full-day camp which includes larger activities outside the property. Pricing is as follows: Cost: $80 per child ($60 for additional children of the same family). Camp T-Shirts and Outings Included
Half and Full-Day Camp will be offered on a "first come, first served" basis. **Please be aware that the Full-Day Camp will only be offered to children in grades 1-5 (ages 6-10), while the Half-Day AM Camp is open to children from JK - Grade 5 (ages 4-10)** Date: July 30th-August 3rd, 2018 Event Timing: 9:00am-12:00pm for Half Day 9:00am-3:30pm for Full Day
Event Address: 112 Spring Garden Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 3G3 Contact: Jeremy Ranasinghe Jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca or (416) 223-4593 - Ext 223
If you are interested in attending, please let Suzanna or Alice know by June 1 so we can estimate amount of food. Thank you!