March 2016 Delve

1

Intersection

Of

Faith

March 2016

And Life

Delve An

Features

Musings: Demise 2

Musings: Demise 2 3 Waiting 6 Between the Testaments: the Romans and Herod the Great 16 Vacationing with Jen in the Philippines 20

Found myself in a coffee shop talking with a woman I had met the previous Sunday morning during our coffee hour. A recent immigrant from mainland China, she hoped I would be able to help her understand what happens in church. I began with what I thought was the beginning.

Departments

“We are people who believe in and follow Jesus.”

Resource Centre 10 Discipleship Ministries 13 Financial Update 27

“Who is Jesus?”

Information

“What is God?”

Contact Information 28 Community Corner 30 Calendar 31 Cover & Design: Clement Lee Contributors: Karen Cassel Greg Kay Sam Lee Phyllis and Jeff McGee Geoff Moore Ben Reynolds Brad Sider Gene Tempelmeyer

Delve submissions are due on the LAST MONDAY of each month. To submit for the next issue of Delve, please email: delve@springgardenchurch.ca 2

I offered a brief biographical sketch followed by the main idea: “We believe that Jesus is a human being, but that he is also God.”

Copy Editors: Greg Kay Gene Tempelmeyer

“Pardon me?”

She explained that growing up she had sometimes heard people talk about God, but she never really knew what they meant and her parents had told her that she shouldn’t ask.

“So please, explain to me what God is.”

Whew. That was harder than I thought! I believe in God. I often talk about God. There are things I believe about God, but they describe how God acts rather than what He is. I did my best to describe God as a spiritual being who made us, is greater than us and who loves us. That yielded a whole new set of questions, mostly around the notion of a “spiritual being.”

As an even harder question followed each answer I gave I finally said, “Perhaps the best way for you to understand this is to pray. I believe God is right here (in Tim Horton’s!) and let’s simply talk to Him and ask Him to help you understand.”

Needless to say, that took a little more explanation, but finally we 3

began to talk directly to God. As my new friend spoke with a Being she did not understand well enough to know whether or not she could believe, she began to haltingly ask God for help in English and quickly moved to a more fluent Chinese.

Finally she looked at me, eyes brimming with tears, and said, “I think I’m beginning to understand.”

Last month I wrote about the demise of Christendom: the reality that our society is less and less influenced, let alone directed, by Christianity. And I suggested that this is good for the sake of the Gospel.

But as people from mainland Canada grow up learning less and less about God it changes the way we share and proclaim the Good News of Jesus.

Let’s go back a couple of millennia to a tiny town in Samaria. A woman with a questionable reputation had met Jesus at the town well. “Come see…” she excitedly invited her neighbours. “Could this be the Messiah?” And they stopped what they were doing and went out to the well to see if it could be so.

Consider the assumptions in this invitation. (It will help to remember that the Samaritans traced themselves back to the Jews who were not displaced when first the Assyrians and then the Babylonians invaded Israel and resettled much of the citizenry.)

The Samaritan woman accurately assumed her neighbours:

• Had a basic understanding of the idea of a Messiah;

• Actively expected a Messiah to come;

• Could see the relevance of the Messiah to their own

lives and needs;

• And had an adequate amount of information to assess

whether or not the person the woman told them was

or was not, indeed, the Messiah.

• Had an adequate amount of existing interest to leave

what they were doing and take time to “come see.”

4

Without already possessing a certain amount of interest and information, the people of her town would have no reason whatsoever to respond to her announcement of a possible Messiah at their town well.

“Come see…” was an effective way of inviting people into the Gospel in a Christendom culture.

“Come see the evangelist who is coming to the city! It’s going to be huge!”

“Come see our Easter cantata!...” or “Come see our new worship band! It’s so inspiring!”

“Come see this great new Bible Study we’re doing!”

“Come see our pastor speak! It’s amazing!”

All of these invitations assume a level of information and interest.

The average Torontonian who is largely untouched by the Christian community will have responses to these invitations ranging from boredom to puzzlement to nervousness. The only reason – the ONLY reason – they might say, “Sure,” is the relationship they have with the person inviting them. But if that event does not fill the information and interest vacuum quickly they will be more reluctant to accept the next invitation.

The further the person invited is from the Christian world, the less likely it is that what interests and inspires Christians will interest and inspire them.

Gene Tempelmeyer 5

Waiting It’s not that uncommon for Toronto to receive ex-offenders that other cities and towns don’t want. I’ve heard more than one story where a guy says they were “chased out of town.” For reasons that are not entirely clear to me this usually means they are chased to Toronto. Fear is certainly a factor and at other times I think smaller towns and cities simply believe Toronto is better resourced to deal with the ‘complicated’ issues.

My friend Rick found himself in a predicament such as this. He had finished his sentence and was free to live in the community. He found a small apartment in a rooming house in eastern Ontario.

Rooming houses are notoriously close knit, apartments are small, and living is cramped. Some of the folks living in the rooming house found out that Rick had been in jail and started giving him a hard time. They 6

threatened him enough that he became scared – he called the police. Not only did the police not do much they told him this kind of thing was likely to continue and he should consider moving to Toronto. They actually did a little more than ask him to consider moving – they bought him a one way ticket to Toronto and took him to the bus station. Rick was headed to Toronto whether he wanted to or not.

Rick showed up in Toronto with no supports, no friends and no family. He went to live in a shelter. I sometimes I forget how alone he must have felt. He had nothing to do and no places to go. Through some contacts Rick was referred to us. Since he had nothing to do he showed up at our office … all the time.

It would be an understatement to say Rick got on my nerves.

He annoyed me … deeply. His neediness was overwhelming.

I tried to problem solve other places he could go during the day. It got to the point that I didn’t want to talk to him and the other guys we work with started to notice his constant presence. He would sit in my office and complain about everything from Stephen Harper to jail to his ex-wife to the shelter he was living in. Truth be told I didn’t care and I wanted him to leave.

Something started to happen though as he sat in our office; he started making jokes and I started to find myself laughing.

It’s a simple thing laughter but we all like people who make us laugh and Rick was making me laugh. I started to notice that he had a very keen sense of humour. I started to ask the question, “is this the image of God in Rick?” Had Rick’s brokenness kept me from seeing something deeper, something more meaningful – the gift of laughter. It took some time but I started to pay a little closer attention to Rick, to his story, to his life. I’ve come to appreciate Rick, even to the point that I 7

don’t mind calling him my friend. Don’t get me wrong, the neediness still remains – there are still days when I need to take a break. But thanks to the hard work of shelter staff Rick is safely housed, he’s reconnected with his sister, faithfully attends counselling and is working on his schooling. Rick is a faithful attender at our Dismas Fellowship and has found a community of friends there. Rick has stopped calling me every day and his visits to office are at a much more reasonable.

Easter Meals for Exoffenders Sunday March 20th

Rick taught me something about waiting. We often are quick to see the imperfections in other people – this limits our relationships. For all sorts of reasons we shut down relationships before we even give them a chance to form.

Waiting is key. Rick taught me that if you wait long enough the image of God will show itself. If you commit yourself to the process of waiting you will see people differently. The image of God is in everyone, our sin and brokenness hide the image but it’s there, you just need to look for it. The prophet Habakkuk says “this vision is for a future time. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” I’m sure this is a verse about the kingdom, but I also think it’s a verse about our relationships with each other.

We need to patiently wait for each other.

There are three main ways you can be involved. 1) Join us Sunday Mar 20th following our morning worship as we prepare lasagnas, brownies, soup-in-a-jar and Easter cards to be delivered in time for Easter weekend. Please bring a bag lunch as we will eat together before getting to work @12.

Once again we will be Showing God’s Care by making meal care packages for exoffenders through our partnership with Brad Sider and his work with Mennonite Central Committee’s “Circles of Care”. This project is designed so that anyone who wishes to help out can and is an interactive and safe environment for children.

2) Sign up to bring food! We have sign up lists in the SGC lounge of what items we need for the care packages to be delivered to the church building by Wed Mar 16. You may also email gregkay@ springgardenchurch.ca to sign up (please be specific about which items and what quantity). To see what items we need, click here.

3) Prayer: The men we are caring for face many challenges as they work to remain healthy members of society and need our prayer as well as our care

Brad Sider

8

9

Recomendations From 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

Books In the meantime: the practice of proactive waiting, by Rob Brendle As a young adult, you’ve felt God’s tap on the shoulder like He’s got something for you to do with your life. Are you sure what it is and how to get there? If not, In the Meantime will help you find your way to whatever God has for you in life. Drawing parallels from the life of David, Rob Brendle will show you how to “live into” your calling.

Audacious, by Beth Moore Thirty years in the making, Audacious is a deep dive into the message that has compelled Beth Moore to serve women around the globe. Glancing over the years of ministry behind her and strengthening her resolve to the call before her, she came to the realization that her vision for women was incomplete. It lacked something they were 10

aching for. Something Jesus was longing for.

Beth identifies that missing link by digging through Scripture, unearthing life experiences, and spotlighting a turning point with the capacity to infuse any life with holy passion and purpose. What was missing? Well, let’s just say, it’s audacious and it’s for all of us.

And it’s the path to the life you were born to live.

On this foundation, Book 3 in the Restoration Chronicles by Lynn Austin When news that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire, Nehemiah, Jewish cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, seeks God’s guidance.

After fasting and prayer, he’s given leave to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the city wall, not anticipating all the dangers that await him on his arrival. The leaders of the surrounding nations become his fierce enemies, plotting to assassinate him and halt the work. A drought, meanwhile, has left the country impoverished, many families resorting to selling their children as bondservants just to keep from starving. Capturing the rebuilding of the wall through the eyes of a number of characters, 11

Discipleship Ministries - Partnering with Families Spring Kids Easter Programming: On This Foundation is a powerful exploration of faith in the midst of oppression, and hope that, in spite of appearances, the gracious hand of God is upon those who believe.

DVD

Palm Sunday Intergenerational worship gathering - March 20 children will stay together with the whole church with interactive prayer stations Ex-Offender project (please refer to page 9) Good Friday Worship Gathering March 25 - 10am Childcare for nursery – Gr 5 Easter Sunday – March 27 Regular worship schedule with special craft

Seasons of Gray: what man intends for evil, God uses for good

Summer Day Camp - Save the Date!

July 18-22, 9am-12pm

Betrayed by his jealous brothers, Brady Gray holds tightly to his faith and begins to build a life for himself. But after serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, he discovers that his brothers are in need of his help. Will he forgive them---and offer assistance? A modern retelling of the Joseph story!

Volunteers needed. Please speak with Sam if you are interested.

Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings: March 6th, 13th We have our regular worship gathering at 10am in the main sanctuary, followed by our Sunday program for the grades 5/6 group and a worship gathering for youth in grades 7-12 in the youth room.

March 20th, 27th - Youth will stay in the main sanctuary for both Palm (Intergenerational Sunday) and Easter Sunday March 25th - We are having a good Friday worship gathering and all are invited to to join. Worship gathering starts at 10:00am

12

13

Youth Events:

March 20th - Centre Court Centre Court is an unforgettable experience that gives youth a chance to do something with their friends that they don’t normally get to do. Students can invite their friends to a neutral environment where they will enjoy a Raptors game and then a post-game rally at courtside featuring games, spiritual insights from a player, lots of prizes and a chance to step foot on the Raptor’s court. This event is being offered to parents of youth as well so if you and your youth would like to attend please email us with the number of tickets you’d like. Please be aware that we have a limited number of tickets for this event, so we recommend signing up as soon as possible.

Cost: $35 - Money due by March 13th** Time: Meet at church for 6:10pm, leave by 6:20pm to TTC to the venue. End time is dependant on the game. ** Dinner and TTC fare/tokens are not provided**

March 4th - Taco Tuesday…On a Friday

March 20th - Ex-Offenders Project We will be working alongside the church after the worship gathering to make food for Ex-Offenders. For more information please contact Brad Sider for more information (bradsider@yahoo.ca)

We will be meeting at the church and together we will be making taco’s, playing games and hanging out.

Cost: $5 Time: 5:30pm-9:30pm March 11th - Joyride In conjunction with Revolutions, we will be having an event to celebrate Clem Lee and the work he has done within the ministry of Youth Unlimited. We will be meeting at an indoor bike park and hanging out. Youth are encouraged to bring their bikes if desired.

Cost: $0 Time:6:30pm-9:30pm **More details to come** 14

15

Between the Testaments: the Romans and Herod the Great

In the previous installment we traced the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty (164–64 BC), which began with the Maccabean revolt instigated by Mattathias and his sons Judah, Jonathan, and Simon.

Mattathias’s sons defeated the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire of Antiochus IV and established Jewish self-rule in the land of Israel for the first time since the Babylonians exile began in 586 BC. Although the Maccabees originally revolted out of concern for keeping the Mosaic Law, their descendants succumbed to the temptations of power. In the end, the dynasty came to an end when the brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II (67–63) feuded over control of Israel and both appealed to Rome.

Rome had been growing in power and influence throughout the region, and for two generations, the Hasmoneans had made treaties with Rome. When General Pompey who was on a military campaign through the eastern Mediterranean neared Jerusalem, both Aristobulus and Hyrcanus sought his support to establish their right to rule. What followed is too complicated to explain fully here, but in the end, Pompey sieged Jerusalem because of the treachery and machinations of these last ruling Hasmonean brothers (see Josephus, Antiquities, 14.4–79). The Jewish historian Josephus placed the blame solely on Hyrcanus and Aristobulus: “For this misfortune which befell Jerusalem [that is, the siege of Jerusalem] Hyrcanus and 16

Aristobulus were responsible, because of their dissension. For we lost our freedom and became subject to the Romans, and the territory which we had gained by our arms and taken from the Syrians we were compelled to give back to them . . . (Josephus, Ant., 14.77).”

Josephus’s comment highlights the loss of autonomy which the Jewish people had gained through the Maccabean revolt that was now lost.

The Roman invasion also raised some theological concerns for lawabiding Jews. After Jerusalem had been taken, Pompey and some of his men entered the temple including the holy of holies, which was only to be entered by the high priest and that once a year (Josephus, Antiquities, 14.71–73). This unlawful entry into the temple raised questions about God and his presence with his people. It appeared that God had allowed the Romans to defeat them and that the Roman leader had entered the temple and had lived. Had God abandoned Israel? Psalms of Solomon is a Jewish apocryphal book written about this time, and in Psalms of Solomon 2 we hear the anger and shock of pious Jews at Pompey’s action: “Arrogantly the sinner broke down the strong walls with a battering ram and you did not interfere. Gentile foreigners went up to your place of sacrifice; they arrogantly trampled it with their sandals, because the sons of Jerusalem had defiled the sanctuary of the Lord, had profaned the gifts of God with acts of lawlessness” (2:1–3). For the author of the Psalms of Solomon, God had abandoned his people because the temple had already been defiled by their own priests. (In this context, it is worth noting that Hyrcanus II had been high priest under his mother Salome Alexandra and following her death in 67 BC.) The fallout from the Roman occupation of Israel was the loss of Jewish political autonomy. The power now rested with Rome. Pompey reinstated Hyrcanus as high priest, but the political power was handed over to Hyrcanus’s advisor Antipater. However, as Pompey’s rivalry with Julius Caesar grew, the leadership of Israel became a pawn in the rivalry between the two Roman generals. Pompey imprisoned Hyrcanus’s brother Aristobulus. Julius Caesar freed Aristobulus and gave him two legions to try to regain power. Pompey’s supporters poisoned Aristobulus and beheaded his son Alexander. Pompey 17

eventually lost the Roman power struggle, and Julius Caesar became emperor. This change might have meant the end for Antipater and Hyrcanus, but they made themselves useful to Caesar and to Rome.

As a result, Julius Caesar allowed Hyrcanus to remain as high priest and Antipater was named governor. Antipater named his son Phasael as governor of Jerusalem and his younger son as governor of Galilee. The name of his younger son was Herod.

The political intrigue of the ensuing years is quite extensive (see Josephus, Antiquities, 14). For simplicity’s sake, Herod, who was later known as Herod the Great, was appointed king in 40 BC by the Roman senate with the support of Mark Antony and Octavian. He was, however, not able to establish his rule until 37 BC after a three year siege of Jerusalem. The portrait of Herod that we find in the historical documents is that of a wily, megalomaniacal ruler. He seems to have appeased who needed to be appeased, and crushed those who got in his way or those he thought might get in his way.

Herod was not Jewish; he was Idumean, or an Edomite in Old Testament terminology. Herod knew he was not from the line of David nor was he from a priestly family. His marriage to Mariamne, the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus (yes, even though these two brothers were rivals, two of their children married), may have been an attempt on his part to claim legitimacy to his rule by marrying a Hasmonean. But through the course of his rule, the Hasmonean descendants were slowly picked off one by one, including those of his own household. Herod had Antigonus the son of Aristobulus beheaded by Marc Antony. Herod gave the high priesthood to his wife’s brother Aristobulus III in 35 BC, but Herod later had him drowned in a pool. He had Mariamne killed in 29 BC and her mother Alexandra in 28 BC. Herod had sent his two sons by Mariamne Aristobulus and Alexander (yes, very creative in the naming!) to Rome for their education. Tensions increased between father and sons when they returned, which may have been tied to the murder of their mother. The sons Aristobulus and Alexander were Hasmonean through their mother and therefore had a more legitimate claim to the kingship than did Herod. In 12 BC Herod denounced them before Caesar Augustus (Octavian) and eventually had them strangled 18

in 7 BC. Shortly before his own death in 4 BC, he had another son Antipater killed.

Since Herod’s life sounds like nothing we might call “great,” you may wonder why we call him Herod the Great. He is known as Herod the Great because of his massive building projects. Herod beautified the temple and built the retaining wall around the temple mount which still stands. He built many palaces and fortresses, unsurprisingly the latter were usually quite near the former. At Caesarea Maritima, Herod built a manmade port that was an engineering marvel of its day. Masada and Herodium are two striking fortresses that can still be visited today. Herod had ten wives and five of those wives gave him descendants who played important roles in the first century. Agrippa I, Agrippa II, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip are four of these descendants known to us through the New Testament as well as Josephus.

Herod seems to have had a classic, iron-fisted dictator paranoiacomplex. Anyone he thought might plot against him was done away with, especially if that person had Hasmonean blood. This was true even of his wife and children. Now, when we consider this information about Herod in light of the Gospel of Matthew’s depiction of him (Matthew 2:1–18), we find a number of striking similarities.

When some mysterious Magi from the east show up in Jerusalem asking to see the King of the Jews, we can see how that might “trouble” Herod. He was the King of the Jews, and no one else was to become King of the Jews without his knowledge or conspiring.

Matthew’s portrait of Herod as one who would lie about desiring to worship this king and then commit the atrocity of the “slaughter of the innocents” (the murder of all the male children in Bethlehem under two) for his own political stability fits all too well what we know of Herod from non-biblical sources.

Ben Reynolds

19

VACATIONING WITH JEN IN THE PHILIPPINES I could I might I can I should I WILL !!

Over the past decade, this recent book title characterized the progression of my responses to Jeff’s suggestion that we visit Jen Chrystman in the Philippines. Not such a good response, especially since Jen has been a very good friend since we were both young professionals, and has been a vocational missionary supported by Spring Garden for over 20 years! I was apprehensive to say the least, through prayer and much encouragement by family and friends God calmed my heart and mind.

almost 30 different missions. The beautiful first-world school campus looks down over metro Manila located 10 kilometers away.

Jen taught High School for 16 years at Faith Academy--physical education, physics, Advance Placement Psychology, and coached sports. As we toured the campus we talked with parents who thanked Jen for influencing their kids’ career decisions, fellow teachers who missed her, and former students, now on staff who thanked her for her influence in their lives. A young student ran up, hugged her legs, and ran off again--Jen is one of her ‘Aunties’--she often babysits or vacations with her family. We enjoyed a cooling swim in the campus pool.

While in Manila we stayed at OMF Manila Center-- a guest house and conference center providing an oasis in the middle of the chaos of Manila. We had the opportunity to visit with many missionaries and volunteers working in Manila. The breadth of ministry (evangelism to medical care to basketball) was inspiring.

We had a wonderful vacation. Jen was an excellent tour guide and host. We went sightseeing to Corregidor Island, to the beach, shopping, snorkeling, sea shell gathering, played numerous games of Monopoly Deal, joined the early morning throngs on the jeepneys heading downtown, and just spent time talking, reading and gazing at the sea. Jeff went fishing for a morning on the ocean with a local Filipino family, in an outrigger boat--the language of fishing is universal. But this vacation became much more of a ‘bearing witness’ to Jen’s twenty-three year ministry in the Philippines as a vocational missionary with Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF); and more importantly how God is working amongst the people of the Philippines.

Faith Academy, Manila Faith Academy is an international K-12 school, primarily for the children of missionaries in Asia; national and international students also attend. There are over 500 students, with dozens living on campus in family-style dorms. All the teachers are missionaries from 20

21

Welfareville, Manila Welfareville, so named because it is located on a 100 hectare compound belonging to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is a 41 block city of squatter homes--Manila’s urban poor.

Jen began working in Welfareville to engage Faith Academy students in the needs of the urban poor. They led Sunday School, had a puppet ministry, plus keyboard and recorder lessons. Being in Manila gave us a better understanding of the exhausting hours of travel from Faith Academy to downtown that such ministries entailed.

While we were there, Block 35 was a hive of activity-- a fire had flattened the block in November, but as you can see in this picture, homes are being rebuilt. It is here that the clothes we gathered at Spring Garden will be distributed by the church elders.

22

23

Bukang Liwayway, Dawn for the Poor Foundation Dawn for the Poor was begun by OMF 20 years ago amongst the urban poor in Welfareville and other squatter area with an emphasis on holistic church multiplication. In Welfareville, Dawn for the Poor has established 13 House Churches, 15 Bible Studies, 33 Youth and Adult Leaders, a unique health program, a preschool, and in 2015 has 69 kids in elementary, high school or college on scholarship.

Last term (2008-2012) Jen facilitated Serve Asia short term missionaries in their experiences in Manila and was a ministry overseer with Dawn for the Poor, she is also on their Board of Directors.

We attended Dawn for the Poor’s monthly staff prayer meeting. It was so wonderful to meet this amazing, vibrant group of young leaders, all of whom grew up in squatter areas. We were actually meeting in the childhood home of Pastor Fred Dungganon, the Director of Dawn for the Poor. It was so wonderful to met Fred and his wife Emie; both were Welfareville youth discipled by OMF missionaries. This young couple and their team have taken on the daunting task of presenting Christ in a wonderfully holistic manner. In the photo, you can see we are in the Livelihood Center where women from the community do crafts to sell to earn a wage and to fund the scholarship program.

with a 120o views of the South China Sea, beautiful tropical flowers, and comfortable cottage with room for 20 guests. Calapan is a 5 to 6 hour journey from Manila by bus and ferry ride.

Jen’s current assignment is to manage the Calapan OMF Center on Mindoro Island. She has worked hard to create a peaceful setting.

Last year she had guests on 254 days and thankfully she has a staff of three full or part time workers to help with the cooking, cleaning, shopping, washing, and gardening. Jeff spent a day doing electrical and plumbing work--which was much appreciated. Doorbelle and Snowball are her wonderful Labrador retrievers--who go with her everywhere and guard her protectively.

We were thankful for the couple who came all the way from Scotland to take over so Jen could go on vacation. While we were guests at Calapan, there a retired missionary from Switzerland visited--his two sons had been born in this house as he managed OMF work in Mindoro. He told us many stories of the early work on Mindoro. The PraisAsia muscial team came for a retreat, they treated us to an a cappella concert. Jen facilitated a workshop on

Calapan Center, Calapan, Mindoro Island Calapan Center is a missionary vacation guest home to provide a place for rest, rejuvenation, retreat for missionaries, those on mission business, or overseas vacationers. It is located in an idyllic setting 24

25

communication with this team.

The focus of OMF in Mindoro is the tribal people who live in the mountains. The focus is agriculture, and church planting. We also donated one bag of clothing to the tribal people, as a December typhoon had resulted in one whole village being covered with rocks.

Spring Garden Baptist Church Monthly Financial Update January 2016

Even though the Filipino people are financially poor, they are filled with joy and although many are religious they need to know Jesus.

Their strong Catholic roots are mixed with the “tares” of animism and superstition.

If you want to know more: OMF (https://omf.org/ca); Dawn for the Poor (www.dawnforthepoor.org).

Faith Academy (https://www.faith.edu.ph ) Check out the websites if you would like to support either Jen or Dawn for the Poor or better yet, if you’d love to start your own adventures in the tropics!

Every morning, when Jen gets up, the mat beside her bed reminds her to say: YES GOD. Let us respond likewise.

Phyllis and Jeff McGee

/Week 2016 Budget Month of: January 2016 Donations & Other Income Expenses Shortfall to Budget Year To Date For 1 Month Donations & Other Income Expenses Cash Shortfall to Budget

$530,000

$10,192

$25,626 (33,663) (11,037)

Budget $44,167 (44,167) 0

Actual

Budget

$25,626 (36,663) (11,037)

$44,167 (44,167) 0

Cash Position at January 31st is $75,526.77

26

27

Judy Tranter - Pastoral Care judytranterassociates@gmail.com Jim Turner - Property jim.turner@sgbc.ca

Leadership at Spring Garden Pastoral Team Gene Tempelmeyer, Pastor Ext. 222 genetemp@springgardenchurch.ca Greg Kay, Worship and Mission Pastor Ext. 224

gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca Margaret Sutton, Pastoral Care/Seniors Ext. 226 margaretsutton@springgardenchurch.ca Sam Lee, Pastor of Discipleship, Ext. 227 samlee@springgardenchurch.ca Suzanna Lai, Church Office and Communications Manager Ext. 221 suzanna@springgardenchurch.ca Jeremy Ranasinghe, Discpleship Ministries Assistant jeremy.ranasinghe@springgardenchurch.ca Samantha Steeles, Children’s intern

samantha.steeles@springgardenchurch.ca Alyssa Oliver, youth intern alyssa.oliver@springgardenchurch.ca

Deacons Anne Barron - Missions and Worship anne.barron020@sympatico.ca Marion Cameron - Membership and Board Secretary marion.cameron@sympatico.ca Mary Ellen Hopkins - Finance mehopkins@sympatico.ca Koon Wah Leung - Discipleship Ministries koonwah@lycos.com Gonzalo Librado - Adult Ministries

gonzalo.librado@sgbc.ca Darren Moore - Community Life darren.moore@utoronto.ca Derek Prinsloo - Chair derek.prinsloo@sgbc.ca

28

416.724.9329

416.229.0494 416.512.1360

Elders Garth Barron garthbarron@sympatico.ca Darlene Boyd

darlene.boyd@gmail.com Jennifer Moore jmofromto@gmail.com Barrie Porter barriep91@gmail.com Corinne Sutton-Smith blestfoods@aol.com

416.724.9329 416.385.2483 416.786.8727 416.829.4210 416.615.1763

Spring Garden Church 112 Spring Garden Ave. Toronto ON M2N3G3

T 416.223.4593 F 416.223.6126 www.springgardenchurch.ca office@springgardenchurch.ca

Prayer Line 416.223.4038

416.491.8542 905.731.0492 416.225.7092 416.229.2695 416.786.8727 647.349.4610 29

What’s Happening

Community Corner

Life around Spring Garden

Life in Spring Garden

Weekly

Life Groups

Tuesdays

2:00 pm - Pastoral Team meeting

We have Life Groups meeting in many areas of the city. Most groups meet every two weeks, but some follow other schedules. If you would like to join a Life Group please contact Jin Lee at Jin.Lee@rogers.com or talk to Pastor Gene during Coffee Time after worship if you would like to be introduced to Jin.

Wednesdays

10:00 am - Refresh Women’s Bible Study

7:00 pm - Groove Dance Group

First Time Visitors If you are a first time visitor to Spring Garden Church, welcome!

Please visit the Welcome and Information Centre located at the top of the parking lot stairs for information about the church and receive a welcome gift package. We look forward to meeting you there!

Thursdays

12:00 pm - Adult Bible Class Sundays

9:00 am - Morning Bible Study: meeting

room

- ESL Bible study: basement at the southwest

entrance

10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship

(communion on the first Sunday of the

month) 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 at the bottom of our home page to subscribe to our weekly update

Rooms for Rent

This Month

Two rooms for rent. First room is available March 1. It’s a large basement space and It’s suitable for a single female at this time.

Shared kitchen, wi-fi, bath, laundry. $400. 7-10 minute walk to Finch station.

Palm Sunday, March 20th – Worship for all ages

- 12:00 pm: Preparing Food for Ex-Offenders (pg. 9) Thursday, March 24, noon – Maundy Thursday Good Friday, March 25, -10:00 am: Good Friday Communion (Care

and ministry will be provided for children Nursery – Grade 6) Easter Sunday, March 27, - 6:30 am: Sunrise Liturgy

-10:00 am: A vibrant and joyous Celebration of the Resurrection!

-11:30 am: Easter Brunch

There’s an upstairs room also with availability in May. Contact Colleen Stevens 647-504-1919 30

31

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.

32