March 2022 Delve

Delve Spring Garden Church 03.2022

Quick Calendar WEEKLY Sun

10am Sunday Worship Online or In-Person

pg 25

Tue Wed Thur Thur

10am-12pm Pastoral Team Meeting

pg 25

10am Refresh, Women's Group

pg 25

10am Bible Discussion

pg 13

8:30pm Evening Prayers - Online

pg 25

UPCOMING Mar 1

IHOP Tuesday Fundraiser

pg 11

Mar 2

Ash Wednesday Prayer and Communion

pg 11

Mar 5

A Night Out

pg 12

Mar 11

Youth Movie Night

pg 19

Mar 14-16

Sr High Youth Retreat

pg 19

Mar 18-20

Jr High Youth Retreat

pg 20

Mar 21

Missions Night

pg 12

Mar 24

Youth Guys Life Group

pg 12

Mar 25

Jr and Sr High Girls Life Group

pg 19

Apr 9

Prayer Retreat

pg 13

See more at www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.

Delve submissions are due March 22st. Delve submissions are due on the MONDAY before the LAST Sunday of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, e-mail: delve@springgardenchurch.ca

Features A Simple Lent 3 Greg's Kay's Sabbatical 7 Online Worship Order and Music Lyrics 8 Serving Together 8 Timely Generosity 9 40 Days of Decrease 10

PLEASE NOTE: As of April 24, 2022, you no longer need to register to come to our Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings.

Community Corner IHOP Tuesday Fundraiser 11 Ash Wednesday Prayer and Communion 11 A Night Out 12 Missions Night 12 Prayer Retreat 13 Save the Date: Easter 13 Bible Discussion Group 13 SGC: Day Camp 2022 15

Discipleship Ministries SGC Kids: (In-Person) Worship Gathering 17 Spring Youth 18 Youth Events 23-24

The Resource Centre Book Recommendations 21

More Info How to Give 23 Life Groups 16 Leadership Directory 23 Weekly Calendar 25 Upcoming Calendar 26

Our Values

(back page)

Design, Cover & Editor: Dale Forder Contributors: Greg Kay Abby Davidson Jen Chrystman Jeremy Ranasinghe Karen Cassel Sam Lee Victoria Shipmaker Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel

A Simple Lent

by Greg Kay

Back when my daughters and nieces were 1 year old’s, one of my favorite toys was stacking cups. They were plastic cups of increasing size designed to stack on top of one another making a colourful tower. But if you put them in the wrong order, they were either unstable and the top ones would crash down, or, alternatively, the bigger ones would simply encase the others.

When they were successfully stacked in the right order however, I always enjoyed seeing the satisfied joy on the children’s faces, not to mention the joy on my face as they smashed the tower down like Godzilla decimating movie prop buildings.

In a similar way, the health of our spirituality—the ways that we invest in our relationship with God through our whole being, mind, body, heart and spirit—is greatly impacted by what blocks we choose to lay down first. Depending on what we prioritize, our spirituality can grow strong and beautiful, or it can tip and fall over.

I don’t know about you, but over the past couple of years, I feel like my spiritual tower has been constantly on the cusp of crashing over. When so much has been taken away from us leaving us isolated, anxious, fearful, sick (or afraid of sickness), many of us have sought comfort, pleasure and/or escape through thing besides God: bingeing on Netflix, Prime or other TV and movie 3

services; desserts and other foods, alcohol, video games and social media, etc. etc.

The thing about all of these is, none of them is bad in and of themselves. In fact, many of them I think can be experienced as gifts from God to bring delight, joy and godly pleasure. It’s not having them in our lives that negatively impacts our spirituality (and therefore our whole health), but it is our relationship to them.

It is the order of priority we give to them. Is our relationship to them ordered like a properly stacked tower of colourful stacking cups, or is it dis-ordered and therefore bound to cause a great crash in our lives? —and it is not a question of if the crash will happen, but when.

Of course, this metaphor breaks down very quickly in the sense that, our relationship with God is not about getting everything perfectly in the correct order and doing everything “right”. That kind of approach to spirituality is equally disordered in the sense that it seeks to bring comfort through control and legalism; an equally unhealthy tower that is bound to crash in failure.

No, the healthy ordering that I am talking about is not one of legalism or getting things precisely “right”, but about seeking God’s voice above all other voices; about discovering what affections we have in our lives that are keeping us from experiencing God’s loving and gracious presence; about making space for God in our lives to help us reorient our loves towards what will give us the most abundant life possible—intimacy with God. Reordering what St. Ignatius calls our “disordered affections” is about seeking the One who is love first, that we learn to find our comfort and pleasure in God, so that the rest can fall into place.

In Christian spirituality there is an ancient practice called Simplicity. At the most basic level, it is about cutting out unnecessary and unhelpful excess in our lives to give proper space for God in our lives. In the past decade it has found some nonreligious trending in society, one example of which is Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method of tidying up (she’s worth googling if you haven’t heard of it).

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However, as Jan Johnson writes in her book Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace, unlike trends of Simplicity in society, “the point of [Christian] simplicity is not efficiency, increased productivity or even living a healthier, more relaxed life. The point is making space for treasuring God’s own self… [it is an] inward reality of single-hearted focus upon God and [God’s] kingdom, which results in an outward lifestyle of modesty, openness, and unpretentiousness which disciplines our hunger for status, glamour, and luxury.”

As Richard Foster writes in Celebration of Discipline, “simplicity is the only thing that sufficiently reorients our lives so that possessions can be genuinely enjoyed without destroying us”.

This Lenten season (if you don’t know what Lent is, I’ve added a brief description at the end of this article) we will be exploring these themes together Sunday mornings as well as in Life groups and discussion groups as some of us read the devotional book 40 Days of Decrease together (if you’re interested, please go to page 10 for more information).

Jesus went to the cross so that we could have abundant life, yet so often we allow these unhealthy attachments and affections to garner our devotion. Things meant for our good become hindrances to the life God wants for us when we have unhealthy relationships with them. We invite you to join us this Lent as we contemplate how the spiritual practice of simplicity can help us reorient our affections to the only One who is worthy of our devotion.

Lent is the season of the Christian year leading up to Easter weekend. It is a time of journeying with Jesus to the cross—to his death and then his resurrection. Historically it has been a season of practicing the spiritual disciplines of fasting, repentance and “almsgiving” (almsgiving is a very old word for what we today would call benevolent giving or charity—giving to those who are poor or suffering food insecurity, housing insecurity or other forms of poverty). These are practices that help focus and prepare our 5

hearts for the tragic and beautiful mysteries of Easter weekend.

Lent is officially 40 days long, modelled after the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). However, because Sundays are traditionally always a ‘feast day’ where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, Sundays are not included in the 40 days of fasting. That’s why if you count from the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday (March 2nd this year), to the last day of Lent, Holy Saturday or Black Saturday (April 16th this year), it adds up to 46 days.

A helpful way of understanding the relationship between fasting and Lent (and our focus on Simplicity as well) is found in Kimberlee Conway Ireton’s The Circle of Seasons: “The point of Lent isn’t what [we] give up, or even if [we] give anything up. The point is that [we are] intentionally creating space in [our lives] for [our] relationship with God. Fasting, when done with proper motives, is an amazingly fruitful way to create that space, for it creates in us an emptiness—where there used to be something (food, a book, a TV show), now there is a blank, a hole, a space. God longs for those blank, empty places in our lives—not for the sake of emptiness, but so God can fill us with himself. If our bodies are too full of food or our lives too full of activity, we have no space for God to pour himself into us.”

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Greg's Sabbatical 2022

by Greg Kay

As some of you may already be aware, the Board of Deacons has approved a Sabbatical for me this year—a 4-month period of rest and refreshment without work responsibilities. My Sabbatical will run from April 19th to August 19th, during which time I will be focusing my priorities on my holistic health, such as: time spent connecting deeper with God; more time with my family, including some fun adventures; lots of sleep and exercise; playful time with music; reading, reading, reading!

I feel somewhat sheepish (i.e. awkwardly self-consciousness) about receiving such a gift, considering that almost all of us are experiencing some form of fatigue from the past two years and could do with an extended period of rest and refreshment. I do not take such a gift for granted and wish I was in a position to offer the opportunity to everyone (let me know if you want me to talk to your boss ). So, I wanted to say how genuinely grateful I am to be part of a church community that values the wholistic health of their pastors, and to have such continual support and care from the Deacons and the Elders.

I pray, as much of a blessing as the gift of sabbatical is to me and my family, that God will use this time to be a blessing for Spring Garden church as well—whether that’s a blessing for your generosity and care, the blessing of having healthy pastors, or simply the blessing of having a 4 month break from me! Ha! All jokes aside, I am deeply grateful to you and God for this opportunity. Though I am still around for a while, and I look forward to celebrating Easter with you before I am off!

God bless, Greg 7

ONLINE Worship Order and Music Lyrics

In our ever quest to be mindful of the paper we use and in consideration of the people watching our Worship Gatherings from home, we have placed our Order of Worship and Lyrics online.

Here you can find an easy place to view and interact with such things as: • • • • •

The order of Worship Gathering The words to the music we will be singing Extra messages that pertain to parts of our Worship Gathering The title of the sermon, scripture reading and who is talking.

Important links related to the announcements.

We hope that many people will find this useful.

Serving Together

by Abby Davidson

Here at Spring Garden we have different opportunities for you to serve outside the church walls and show God's love and care to others. You can read about these opportunities by visiting at: springgardenchurch.ca/serve.

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Timely Generosity

by Jen Chrystman

October’s Clothing Donations to the families in the slums of Metro Manila arrived (door to door) in late January. They were distributed to several different communities and the children’s DVBS materials were given to the student sponsorship coordinator.

Can you hear the excitement? Can you imagine the joy in homes when the little ones went home with new dresses or new jeans and T-shirts? I can almost hear the voices of the moms as they unload the boxes, because I’ve been there for other arrivals. “This is perfect for your little Mary and the T-shirts will fit the kids next door, don’t you think?”

The rule is always that whatever you take for your kids is doubled for the sake of the neighbours and friends down the alleyways. It’s a wonderful culture of sharing and community events.

The used children’s books and DVBS materials that were also donated will help in May when the high school kids mentor the elementary kids in their week-long program of singing, drama, activities and Bible readings.

Thanks for sharing the wealth from your closets and drawers! You’ve made several hundred people very happy.

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40 Days of Decrease In the church calendar, the weeks leading up to Easter are known as Lent. Different traditions observe Lent in different ways. As we head toward Easter, we encourage you to join us in de-cluttering our lives so we can make space for God. Lent is not about adding obligations or refraining from pleasure so much as it is about making ourselves available to daily hearing God’s voice and resting in his presence. Author Alice Britt Chole describes Lent “as a wise mentor that encourages us to reframe unanswered questions, darker seasons, and spiritual disillusionment as the shedding of earthly illusions and the gaining of God’s reality”.

Join us as we read through 40 Days of Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole. This book offers daily readings from John, reflections and a daily fast. For those interested, we will have a weekly check-in to discuss how God is speaking to us and to pray for each other.

Some of our Life Groups will be going through a common curriculum, based on 40 Days of Decrease, that examines different ways to fast to be more present to God. We will look at what it means to fast a meal, isolation, apathy, discontentment, addiction and shame. There will also be a Missional Presence for us to engage with each week. We will practice proclaiming the gospel, justice, hospitality, being with the “least of these”, the Lord’s Table, generosity and Kingdom Prayer.

If you would like to purchase a book for daily reflection or join a weekly group, please sign up at www.tiny.cc/SGC40days.

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Life in and around Spring Garden

Community Corner

Find all these events on our Events Page: springgardenchurch.ca/events IHOP Tuesday Fundraiser

When: March 1st, 2022 6-8pm Where: SGC Basement Multipurpose Room Cost: Free.

Donations are encouraged through offering@ springgardenchurch.ca (Please specify Syrian Refugee in comments. Tax receipts are available for over $10 donations) To mark the beginning of Lent (and to have fun and fellowship), join us in-person to enjoy pancakes together to raise funds for our Syrian Refugee family that we are sponsoring. We will be meeting in person and will follow the guidelines of restaurants. This means that you will need to show your proof of vaccination for anyone over the age of 12 (those under 12 do not need to show their vaccination status). Masks must be worn at all times except when eating at the table.

For those who are not comfortable with coming in, we are providing a pickup option as well. You may also consider picking up some pancakes for others who you might want to treat!

SIGN UP at: tiny.cc/pancaketuesday

Ash Wednesday Prayer and Communion 11 11

March 2nd, 2022 at 8:30pm.

Join us online for a

reflective time of worship as we enter the season of Lent through scripture, prayer and communion.

Email office@springgardenchurch.ca to receive the Zoom link.

A Night Out

March 5, 2022 from 6pm - 9pm at SGC We are hosting a childcare night and invite your kids to join us. We encourage parents and caregivers to take this opportunity to enjoy and have fun with neighbours, friends or even a needed date night! For anyone interested, Sam is also organizing a community volleyball game to happen at the same time as our Night Out event and we would encourage you to be part of that even if you’ve never played before. For any questions about Night Out event, please email Jeremy (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca). Sign up form: http://tiny.cc/SGC-ANightOut Also for March 5th from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Bayview Glenn Church we will do a volleyball night for those who would like to do something active during the night out but also for anyone else. For people who want to come to volleyball, please sign up by emailing samlee@springgardenchurch.ca ($10 per person).

Missions' Night

March 21, 2022 at 7:30pm This month we will be hearing from the founders of Restorative Justice Housing Ontario (RJHO). RJHO assists former prisoners by providing safe, affordable housing. This gives them the stable foundation they need to become positive members of their communities. Last year our church community supported RJHO with a gift of $10,000 through our Special Tithes Fund. Join us to hear about this important ministry as we explore ways we can continue to support them together.

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Prayer Retreat

Saturday, April 9 from 9am - 3pm Join us here at Spring Garden Church for a prayer retreat as we approach Holy Week.

If you are in need of rest and refreshment or if you are longing to hear from God then this retreat is for you. Rev. Dr. Sarah Patterson will lead us in different teachings and prayer practices as we focus on discernment and hearing God's voice. While part of our time will be spent learning about discernment, this day is not about getting more knowledge but rather about setting time apart to be with God, to seek him and to listen to his voice. The cost is $15 a person that includes lunch. Email Abby at abbydavidson@ springgardenchurch.ca.

Save the Date for

Easter

Expect our usual Easter gathering and events and save that date.

• Good Friday Worship Gathering with Communion at 10am.

• Sunrise Worship Gathering – 6am.

• Easter Sunday Worship Gathering at 10am.

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Bible Discussion Group

From Sin to Holiness - Easter Sin, Repentance, Redemption.

Holiness. I went into Bible college not really understanding these words well enough to explain them to someone else. It seemed that Christians "knew" this language just from going to church. Other phrases that baffled me were "washed in the blood of Christ" or "Jesus died for your sins". With time I discovered that many Christians are a little uneasy with the terms that are found in hymns or in Christian circles.

Bible Discussion is going to start a group of sessions that will take us through the story of Christ's death and resurrection (coming back from the dead) through the story of God and people with selections from books of Genesis through to Acts. We will pull out the bare framework of the story and along the way talk about the ideas and words that we use to describe God's story.

This new series will begin on Thursday, March 10th until the end of April.

Bible Discussion takes place every Thursday from 10:00 a.m. usually lasting until 11:15 a.m. followed by prayer.

Sessions are weekly. Missing a session is not a problem!

If you have questions please contact Victoria at victoriashipmaker@gmail.com or at 647 444 9320 by phone or text.

I also attend Spring on Sundays if you want to chat in person!

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SGC: Day Camp 2022 This Summer, we are planning 2 weeks of day camp and 1 week of our Adventure Camp, July 18-22, July 25-29 & Aug. 15-19.

Following the success of our in-person camps from 2021, we are doing so with the same intent but will have virtual camp back-upplans if we cannot meet in-person safely. If any of the weeks you sign up for end up changing to virtual, you will have the option for a full refund.

Our Day-Camps strive to create a safe, loving, and inclusive atmosphere (both online and in-person!) where children can engage in a variety of activities to experience and learn God’s love for them. We believe that this is done through intentional relationships and thoughtful programming. Our day camp runs from 9 am to 3:30 pm and is created for children in grades 1 - 5 (ages 6-10) for the upcoming school year (September 2022).

Sign up at: springgardenchurch.ca/daycamp

As of April 24, 2022, you no longer need to register to come to our Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings.

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Life Groups

Life Groups are a place where we do life together in a community centered around the gospel. They are designed for you to pursue spiritual growth, community and mission together. We offer Life Groups so everyone can have a place to belong.

Life Groups are Kevin & Suzanna small gatherings Sunday afternoons, of people who Every other week ONLINE and In-Person form a community.

Group members Scott & Kate share life together Sunday evenings Every other week through friendship, ONLINE learn from the Bible and other Anne & Garth Monday evenings resources, pray for Weekly and give support ONLINE to one another, Jeff & Phyllis and participate Wednesday evenings in God’s mission Weekly together. They are ONLINE safe places where David Webb you can meet new Thursday evenings people, discover Weekly your gifts for Online and In-Person service, grow as a follower of Jesus, and have a lot of fun together.

Groups gather in homes or online throughout the week. Each group is as unique as the people in it. No matter where you are in life, there is a Life Group for you.

Please email Abby at abbydavison@springgardenchurch.ca to join or for more information.

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Partnering with Families

Discipleship Ministries 17 17

SGC Kids: Family Registration Forms: In order for us to provide our ministry to the children of our church, we require new registration forms to be filled by their family every year as part of our policy to protect.

Please fill out our form through this link http://tiny. cc/SGCFamilyRegistration

Kids (In-Person) Worship Gathering We have resumed In-Person Worship for our children using the guidelines provided from the Ontario government. For more information on registering or the structure and flow for Sunday mornings, please use the following link: http://tiny.cc/SGCKidsWorshipInfo

Online Resources For Home To help serve your family better, we have uploaded all our SGC Kids’ curriculum online. The following link can be used to access our curriculum and use at home, as well as find info pamphlets for following up with kids on what was discussed during their worship on Sunday mornings.

SGC Kids Curriculum Link: http://tiny.cc/ OnlineCurriculum Here is what we will be talking about on Sundays!

Page Turners: Page-turners are exciting books, the kind you don’t want to put down, the kind you would stay up extra late to read. Books are exciting when we can find ourselves in the stories and imagine being a part of the adventure. This month we are going to look at some of the pageturning stories of the Bible. Each of these stories has something valuable to teach us about our patient and powerful God who prepares us to fight

temptation and celebrates us, the heroes in our own real-life adventures!

A Night Out - March 5th, 2022: - We are planning a childcare event for families in our community and encourage you to sign up your children and have a night out! We will be providing snacks, drinks and entertainment for children between 4-11 years old. If you would like to sign up you can do so through the following link for any questions please email Jeremy R (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca) Registration Link: http://tiny.cc/SGC-ANightOut Cost: $10 per child Date and Time: March 5th, 2022 from 6:00pm-9:00pm

Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings:

March 13th, 20th, 27th: We will have our 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. Due to limited space, youth will need to register their spot (preferably with their family) through http://sgcworship. eventbrite.ca and selecting the correct add-on.

March 6th, 2022 - Youth are encouraged to join us in the main worship area. Youth who would like to serve in worship either through music, tech team, children’s ministry, or another area should speak with Jeremy.

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Life Groups:

Our youth life groups will meet this month. As we begin a new curriculum our Jr and Sr girls will have their life groups combined but will split into small groups for discussion. Here are the days we’re meeting as well as who to contact: Jr High Girls • Brittni • brittni@sgbc.ca • Friday, March 25th, 2022 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm Sr High Girls • Kaitlyn • Kaitlyn.ranasinghe@sgbc.ca • Friday, March 25th, 2022- 7:00pm - 9:00pm Guys Life Group • Jeremy • Jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca • Thursday, March 24th, 2022 - 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Youth Events Beginning January 31st, 2022, the limits on organized gatherings will have increased to 25 people. As we operate with this limit, we’ll be registering youth for our events until that limit is lifted. For any questions please contact Jeremy.

March 11th: Movie Night - We will be meeting at our building to watch a Disney movie together. We will have a variety of movie options available, that our youth will vote on.

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Cost: $5 March 14-16: Sr High Youth Retreat - We are planning a youth retreat for our Sr High Youth (grades 9-12) during the March break week. This retreat will happen during the day and will not 19

be overnight. We'll explore different communities in Toronto with a mapped-out trajectory to see the different aspects that make up our city. Food and transportation are covered in our cost. Any questions about what we're doing can be directed to Jeremy R (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca) Registration Link - http://tiny.cc/SGCSrHigh Cost: $60 (subsidy available) ($50 for additional youth of the same family)

March 18-20: Jr High Youth Retreat - We are also planning a retreat for our Jr High Youth (grades 6-8) during the March break weekend. We have partnered up with our friends from Immanuel Baptist Church, and together we're having a joint retreat. Each day we will be meeting at a different location (all within a close radius of each other) and participating in some games, times of worship, as well we'll cook and have meals together enjoying our time.

Registration Link - http://tiny.cc/SGCJrHigh Cost: $60 (subsidy available) ($50 for additional youth of the same family) 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://tiny.cc/YouthCal

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Recommendations

The Resource Centre 21

Hope in times of fear: the resurrection and the meaning of Easter, by Timothy Keller 232.9 KEL (on display) Hope in the Time of Fear is a book that unlocks the meaning of Jesus's resurrection for readers. Easter is considered the most solemn and important holiday for Christians. It is a time of spiritual rebirth and a time of celebrating the physical rebirth of Jesus after three days in the tomb. For his devoted followers, nothing could prepare them for the moment they met the resurrected Jesus. Each failed to recognize him. All of them physically saw him and yet did not spiritually truly see him. It was only when Jesus reached out and invited them to see who he truly was that their eyes were open. Here the central message of the Christian faith is revealed in a way that is--filled with unshakable belief, piercing insight, and a profound new way to look at a story you think you know.

Reliving the passion: meditations on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in Mark By Walter Wangerin, 232.96 WAN No story has more significance than this: the death and resurrection of Jesus. But somehow the oft-repeated tale of Christ’s passion can become too familiar, too formalized, for us to experience its incredible immediacy. The meditations in Reliving the Passion follow the story as given in the gospel of Mark―from the moment when the chief priests plot to kill Jesus, to the Resurrection. But these readings are more than a recounting of events; they are an imaginary re-enactment, leading the reader to re-experience the Passion or perhaps see it fully for the very first time. As only a great storyteller can, Walter Wangerin enables the reader to see the story from the inside, to discover the strangeness and wonder of the events as they unfold. In vivid images and richly personal detail, Wangerin helps us to recognize our own faces on the streets of Jerusalem; breathe the dark and heavy air of Golgotha; and experience, as Mary and Peter did, the bewilderment, the challenge, and the ultimate revelation of knowing the man called Jesus.

Show me the way: daily Lenten readings,

by Henri Nouwen, 242.34 NOU Nouwen invites readers to join him on a 40day Lenten path as fellow pilgrims, from the solemn beginning of Ash Wednesday to the joyous climax of Easter. This inspirational "search for the way" speaks directly to the heart during this time of reflection and prayer

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Directories and What's Happening

More Info

Leadership Directory PASTORAL TEAM

416.223.4593 Ext. 224

Greg Kay Co-Lead Pastor

gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 227

Sam Lee Co-Lead Pastor

samlee@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 223

Jeremy Ranasinghe Children and Youth Pastor

jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 226

Abby Davidson Pastor of Missional Discipleship

abbydavidson@ springgardenchurch.ca Ext. 221

Dale Forder Office & Communications Administrator

daleforder@ springgardenchurch.ca

Spring Garden Church

112 Spring Garden Avenue, Toronto ON M2N 3G3 www.springgardenchurch.ca Tel 416.223.4593 office@springgardenchurch.ca Fax 416.223.6126 Prayer Line 416.223.4038

Giving is one of the ways in which we can

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respond to a generous God. We give because it is a part of our discipleship and an act of worship.

Please give as you feel led.

For more information please go to our website at: https://www.springgardenchurch.ca/give.. https://www.springgardenchurch.ca/give

DEACONS Krysten Cameron Chair

416.399.0493 krystencameron@hotmail.com

Ben Reynolds

Children\Youth Discipleship & Property

Martin Dewar

Community Life & Missions

Debbie Tempelmeyer

Adult Discipleship & Pastoral Care

Scott Moore

Vice Chair & Secretary

Jeff McGee Finance

bereynolds@gmail.com 416.229.2695 martin.dewar@sgbc.ca 905-301-2323 tempelmeyerdeb@gmail.com 647-227-5465 scottgmoore@mac.com 416.493.2102 jeff.mcgee@sympatico.ca

Cheryl Chapman Worship

cheryl.chapman@live.ca

Esther Penner Membership

esther.penner@sgc.ca

ELDERS Anne Barron Gonzalo Librado

416.724.9329 anne.barron020@sympatico.ca 416.435.9691 gonzlibrado@gmail.com

Margaret Sutton margaretsutton242@gmail.com Koon Wah Leung Clem Lee

416.225.7092 koonwleung@gmail.com 416.508.7355 crazymonkeyfamily@gmail.com

Myrna Frost

416.225.4986 ​mfrost2254986@rogers.com 24

What’s Happening Life in Spring Garden

Weekly LIFE GROUPS - Connect for Community ALL WEEK LONG

Together through bible study, prayer and sharing. Meet online and possible in-person. Please email abbydavidson@springardenchurch.ca for more information or to join one. See more on page 16.

Sundays

Tuesdays

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

10am

PASTORAL TEAM MEETING

10am 12pm

Join us Sunday mornings as we go through a series called 'Uncluttered' (learn more on page 3). Join us at: www.springgardenchurch.ca/live or come in-person (no need to register).

We meet mostly on Tuesday. Please pray for us for wisdom and inspiration.

Wednesdays REFRESH

10am -

Friendship, care & spiritual growth for 11:30am women.

Contact Jen Chrystman (jenchrystman313@ hotmail.com ) or Faith Holwyn (faith. holwyn@gmail.com) for more info.

Thursdays

BIBLE DISCUSSION

10am 11:30am

EVENING PRAYER

8:30pm

Join us as we learn and discuss different stories about God and His people. Contact Victoria Shipmaker for more information at victoriashipmaker@gmail.com. See pg 13.

You are invited to a virtual time of liturgical prayer. More information at springgardenchurch.ca/events.

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What’s Happening Upcoming

Life in Spring Garden

Mar. 1

IHOP Tuesday Fundraiser

pg 11

Mar. 2

Ash Wednesday Prayer and Communion

pg 11

Mar. 5

A Night Out

pg 12

Mar. 11

Youth's Movie Night

pg 19

Mar. 14-16 Sr High Youth Retreat

pg 19

Mar. 18-20 Jr High Youth Retreat

pg 20

Mar. 21

Missions Night

pg 12

Mar. 24

Youth Guys Life Group

pg 12

Mar. 25

Jr and Sr High Girls Life Group

pg 19

Apr. 9

Prayer Retreat

pg 13

Apr. 15

Good Friday Worship Gathering

pg 13

Apr. 17

Sunrise Worship Gathering

pg 13

Apr. 17

Easter Sunday Worship Gathering

pg 13

If you would like to receive a weekly e-mail 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 (scroll down).

Also keep your eye on our Events page at: www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.

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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 centre.

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.