May Delve 2021

May 2021

Quick Calendar WEEKLY Sun

10am Sunday Worship Online

pg 23

Spring Kids discipleship after the Children's Blessing

11:30 Virtual Coffee Time - Online

Tue 10am-12pm Pastoral Team Meeting Wed 10am Refresh, Women's Group Thur 8:30pm Evening Prayers - Online

pg 23 pg 23 pg 23 pg 23

UPCOMING May 7

YOUTH Sr High Girls and all Guys Life Group pg 17

May 14

YOUTH Make Your Own Pizza

pg 17

May 17

MISSIONS NIGHT: Learn About Willowdale

pg 11

May 19

YOUTH Jr High Girls Life Group

pg 17

May 28

YOUTH 'Try Not To' Night

pg 17

May 29

YOUTH: SGC Games Night

pg 11

See more on the last pages or on our Events page at www.springgardenchurch.ca/events.

Delve submissions are due May 24th. 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 Remember 3 Sponsorship of the Raso's as Refugees 5 VOCATIONAL MISSIONARY UPDATE: Jen Chrystman @ OMF 7

Community Corner Crafts from our SGC Craft Night 10 MISSIONS NIGHT: Learning About Willowtree 11 Christian Leadership Course for Highschool Credit 12 Get Moving 14

Discipleship Ministries

Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering 15 Spring Kids 15 | Spring Youth 17 | Youth Events 17

More Info How to Give 21 Leadership Directory 21-22 Weekly Calendar 23 Upcoming Calendar 24

Our Values

(back page) Design, Cover & Editor: Dale Forder Contributors: Greg Kay Phylles McGee Abby Davidson Monica Kay Kathy Kay Gene Tempelmeyer Caroline Lee Peggy Moore Copy Editors: Greg Kay Karen Cassel

Remember

by Greg Kay

As I write this I am wrestling with grief and loss, a grief and loss many of us share in the news that our friend and sister Opal Fuller has passed away. It is hard to imagine a Spring Garden Church without Opal. In my own grief and sadness, I am finding myself at a loss for words, and so I wanted to share with you some words from a former mentor of mine, Peter Roebbelen, from his book “Mercy: Life in the Season of Dying”. I find this helpful and hopeful for me as I process and grieve the recent loss of my friend, but I think it is also helpful for those of us who have lost people in the past who’s death and absence leaves us still feeling like there’s a hole.

Many of us have stories of death and dying locked away in our hearts and in our history. It is so important to remember and tell our stories. Keeping them hidden only ensures new life will not emerge. Being willing to face the pain, confusion, and loss brought about by death brings the very real possibility something beautiful can yet emerge—that new life will come. Although death remains a source of deep pain, it can also be carefully and reverently mined as a source of healing. I do not know where [my friend] James’s courageous journey into his cousin [Sammy’s] death will take him, but [by sharing his memories and journey through grief] it is already a gift to him, his family, to me, and to anybody who reads about Sammy. I experienced many emotions while reading about Sammy. One of them was a sense of joy for my friend. He opened the door and looked at death, and out flowed a beautiful, bittersweet story of love and life and loss.

Jesus emphasized the importance of remembering when he celebrated the Passover feast with his disciples. In an act of preparation for his death, Jesus shared bread and wine with his friends. As Jesus told them plainly he would soon die, he created communion with his closest companions—a union of emotions, anxieties, feelings, fears, and expectations. In this highly symbolic act, Jesus took common bread and blessed and broke it, literally tore it apart, and gave it to them. And he said, “This is what my body will be like. Whenever you eat this bread, think of me not in despair but in hope of what my death will accomplish.”

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And he took common wine and he poured it into a cup and blessed it, and as he passed it to his dearest friends he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.

Whenever you drink the cup remember me, not in sadness, but in anticipation of a new day, a new world, a new covenant, that will result from my death.”

We have these acts and in these words of Jesus the basis for our call to regularly remember Jesus. He said it twice. We need to take this more literally. We need to tell stories about Jesus. We should remind each other about what Jesus did and said. We might laugh or cry as we tell each other about the reality of Jesus in our lives of why at times he feels so distant. We remember by telling stories and being truthful, by honoring the memory of the One who died for us. We celebrate his goodness, his kindness, his love. We reflect on the reality that our lives are better because of his death.

We lift up Jesus as our model for life, and there is none better. But I wonder if we should pay more attention to Jesus as the model for our death. What if those of us who are dying said to our loved ones and our friends, “When I am no longer here, keep remembering me when you come together to eat, drink, and celebrate.”

When we gather for a family meal, whether on a regular weekday evening or a special occasion such as a birthday or Christmas, we should not shy away from raising a glass in fond memory of our friends and loved ones who have died. We should remember. Tell stories. Laugh. Cry. Be silent. As we do, we share in a communion that transcends death.

Jesus claimed—no, he promised—his death would be good for us, would make our lives better, richer, more meaningful. God intends our deaths to be good for others as well. If we live well and die well, we will leave a lasting and positive influence on those who follow. A good death points us in the right direction. As painful as the loss may be, be are better because of the death. Good deaths do not happen all the time nor do they take away the pain and mess and grief. But they bring new life. Reflecting on how the life and death of a loved one has made our world better can bring healing and hope to our soul.

Let’s raise a glass in memory of Opal, Margaret Irwin, Glenor Tai, all our loved ones who have passed away, sharing stories, laughter, and tears together. If you need someone to reminisce with, please 4

don’t hesitate to reach out to myself, the pastoral team, or the Elders.

If you are interested in reading more from Mercy: Life in the Season of Dying by Peter Roebbelen, we have a copy in our church library (email me gregkay@springgardenchurch.ca), or it can be purchased online.

Sponsorship of the Raso’s as Refugees As many of you may remember, in 2016, Spring Garden Church had the privilege of sponsoring the Risou family, who were Syrian refugees. Several members of Spring Garden continue to be connected with Tariq, his wife Hanaa, Rahaf (7), and Ayman (4), and his brother Ahmed (Sam). Tariq and Hanaa are expecting their third child this summer. Tariq works in the restaurant business, he will soon write his qualifying exams as a barber.

Hanaa has completed the classroom component as an Early Childhood Assistant. Sam works in the construction business. As a family the Risous are quite settled in Canada, but their heart aches for their families who are living in very difficult conditions in Syria and Lebanon.

For several years Tariq has approached us regarding the plight of his brother Soleman Raso and his family. Soleman, his wife Nesren, and three children Dawod (14), Abd(12), and Rama (11) have been living in Lebanon for 7 years. They are already recognized by the United Nations as refugees. The political and economic situation in Lebanon has deteriorated making it impossible for them to meet their basic needs. COVID has made a bad situation intolerable. There is virtually no employment for refugees in Lebanon. They are living in a 2 bedroom apartment, but there is electricity for only one hour a day. Schooling for the children is only offered “on-line” for an hour a day. Given the family only has 1 cellphone and no computer, schooling is not happening. It is difficult to obtain food, let alone healthy food, so the children are experiencing malnutrition. Tariq and Sam send their scarce financial resources to keep them alive, and are urgently seeking to officially bring them to Canada.

The Leadership of Spring Garden Church has agreed to sponsor 5

the Raso family as Refugees. By making this commitment, we as a church are committing to provide the Raso’s 1 year of financial support, personal care and assistance integrating into Canada. We are partnering with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) who have the refugee sponsorship relationship with the Canadian government. We expect the process to take about a year before they will arrive in Canada. At present we are busy completing Canadian government application forms with Soleman, Tariq and Sam. While we are waiting for approval by the Canadian government and for COVID international travel restrictions to be lifted, we will need to raise the necessary funds. Contributions can be made to Spring Garden Church Refugee Fund. If you are interested in becoming part of the organizing team please contact Phyllis McGee (Phyllis.mcgee@bell.net ). We will provide regular updates in Delve including opportunities to volunteer.

Nesren and Soleman

Dawod and Abd

Rama

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VOCATIONAL MISSIONARY UPDATE Here at Spring Garden we support several local missionaries. Each month we will be highlighting a different missionary so you can hear about how they are serving God in our city. This month we hear from Jen Chrystman. Jen serves with OMF International, a mission organization that partners with the global church to spread the gospel in East Asia. You can learn more about OMF by speaking with Jen or by visiting their website www.omf.org.

God does unusual things. He calls people like me, who have no intention of being missionaries, to move overseas and try new adventures. When I heard His distinct call to teach at Faith Academy in the Philippines in 1993, I argued with Him (and lost). I took an 18-speed bicycle and a windsurfer with me and 25 years later, I came back to Canada with just a Doorbelle (my black lab).

“My power is made perfect in weakness” could have been my life phrase for all those years overseas. I learned to navigate the city of Manila with a van full of basketball or volleyball players when I wasn’t teaching from 7:10 a.m. till 2 p.m. Then I learned from my friend Patrick that the urban poor teens with whom he worked were even more fun to be with than the missionary kids I’d been teaching for 12 years. I learned that the stressful failures of ministry were used by Him to accomplish far more than I had intended. I learned that empowering others greatly multiplied His reach. Who would have guessed that while working with Dawn for the Poor, I would be adopted. Lives were transformed. Mine, too!

By the time I came back to manage the OMF guest home in 7

Toronto, I knew that “the least among you” included me, speedily changing sheets, cleaning rooms and preparing meals for the mission groups who came for retreats, seminars and training events. God bless all the house helpers in the Philippines who showed me how to get the jobs done so efficiently! As I began to swagger a bit at the number of groups who returned and recommended our guest home to others, God sent the Covid-19 crisis to bring that joyful flurry to an end. The 11 bedrooms have been mostly empty. Returning missionaries self-isolate for 14 days, some longer-term guests enjoy respite between other homes and we’ve been able to host a family of six, unable to continue in their own home due to unusual abuse issues. That’s all.

The pandemic has tossed me into the rich buffet of mission life, though. Instead of a focus on serving the guests here, I’ve had the joy of helping to facilitate Candidate Courses for OMF, lead training or debrief sessions for short-term mission members and zoom back to the Philippines to help facilitate a leadership course. OMF is strong in lifelong learning, so it’s no surprise that I also jumped at the chance to take a both a story-telling evangelism and discipleship course plus Writers’ Workshop.

I’m presently helping Doorbelle write her memoirs as a missionary dog which span adventures in Manila, transitions to Calapan, Philippines and then to Canada.

She’s recounting to me her experiences with ticks, snakes, rats and skunks plus her perspectives on the hundreds of guests that she’s welcomed and protected along the way.

My most recent joy has been saying “YES” to the role of Canadian student sponsorship coordinator for the Dawn for the Poor. The number of Canadian sponsors has plummeted to about 10. I’m wondering how I can help increase that number so that more of the poorest of the poor will continue in school with uniform, shoes, bus fare plus weekly discipleship and youth camp included. I dream of more kids and teens completing their education and impacting their communities along the way. I wonder if they could spend their holidays in service and environmental protection projects? I wonder if they could care for the seniors or disabled along the laneways of 8

their slums? Perhaps the lack of work here at the OMF guest home is the window that God will use to plunge this weak one into new places for Him to show His power.

What I’ve enjoyed most about cross-cultural ministries are the ways in which I see the power of God’s grace. As I move out of my comfort zones, I’ve learned to pray about almost everything.

I’ve also learned to watch and listen more carefully. Can I trust God with His plan and not mine? Can I hear and see the hearts of new friends instead of just our differences? Can I be content with failure in order to give God the freedom to do “immeasurably more than I could think or imagine”? I also wonder if some of my friends here at Spring Garden would enjoy sharing in those challenges and adventures? God may be calling us to LEARN, PRAY, WELCOME, MOBILIZE, SEND or GO.

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Crafts from our SGC Craft Night

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Life in and around Spring Garden

Community Corner 11 11

MISSIONS NIGHT: LEARNING ABOUT WILLOWTREE May 17 at 7:30pm

Join us online to learn about the Willowtree Community and the challenges associated with living in Toronto Community Housing. Katherine Ma from Toronto City Mission will join us to share about her work with families in the community. We will also do a virtual prayer walk and pray for our neighbours living in Willowtree. Email Abbydavidson@springgardenchurch. ca to sign up!

SGC GAMES NIGHT May 29th, 7-9pm Join us on Saturday, May 29th from 7-9pm for an online games night led by Shannon Loewen. More info about the games and zoom link will be sent out closer to the date. Sign up at:

https://forms.gle/6opxsJqV5KsrEL1GA

Hello Spring Garden and Friends, I hope this finds you well despite this very challenging season.

We feel as though it is a roller coaster in our home - and we are thankful for the Lord’s presence on the ride.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for my work with LAUNCH, a leadership development program of Youth Unlimited.

Amazingly we have been able to adjust well to being online and continue to see God move in and through the students and young adults with whom we work. What a joy!

More than ever young people need to know that they are not alone, that they are believed in and have so much potential for good and for God. This is part of what LAUNCH offers to those who join our program.

We are starting to invite and recruit new students for our Gr. 11 LAUNCH Leadership course. Do you know a student in grades 10-12 who might be interested in joining us? Since we are going fully online for the Fall semester… they can be from anywhere in Ontario!

Besides the GPP3O Credit, here is what a student could gain from this course: 12

Character Building: Students will increase their self awareness through various leadership assessment tools, and monthly coach/mentor meetings to aid in their character development goals as well as their Community Impact Projects.

Leadership Development: Students will gain leadership skills including: vision casting, goal setting, team building, decision making, conflict management, and time management as well as online and in person communication skills.

Spiritual Formation: Taught from a Christian perspective, the course aims to create a safe place for students to explore spirituality in a relevant way. Students are challenged to lead like Jesus and serve the communities they belong to.

Community: This online course allows students all over Ontario to meet and learn from one another. There is great loneliness these days - so this is a great opportunity to make some new friends!

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for this year’s class as the students finish strong and for next year as we start accepting applications. Again - if you know of any highschooler in the province (or beyond if they aren’t worried about the credit) who might be interested, please send them our way!

With gratitude, Monica Kay mkay@yugta.ca 321launch.ca

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Looking for some incentive to get moving and get outside?

Youth Unlimited is participating in the Mississauga Marathon Charity Challenge throughout the month of May to raise funds for our ministry here in the GTA. We'd love to have you join us! It's, not surprisingly, a virtual event so you choose the day, time and location. You can run, walk, or even ride your bike a 2K, 5K, 10K, half or full marathon distance. If you'd like to join us in this event, or support one of our teams, please contact Monica Kay (mkay@yugta.ca) or Kathy Webb (kwebb@yugta.ca) for more information!

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Partnering with Families

Discipleship Ministries 15 15

Spring Kids: Online Worship Gathering May 9th, 16th, 23rd: Our kids worship gathering will meet on zoom these Sundays following the children’s blessing.

Here is the overall flow: **Children’s Blessing Ends** - Kids Log in to Zoom (Contact Jeremy if you don’t have this information) - Big Group Teaching (Led by one of our big group leaders) - Split into small groups (Our Zoom Moderator will sort people into their groups) - Small-Group Time (Small Group Leaders talk with kids about what was said during Big Group time) - Finished - Kids and leaders sign off and enjoy the rest of their Sunday In order to ensure online safety, we previously emailed the information needed to join our online meetings in September 2020. If you received the email, please do not share it with others. If you know of any families who would like this information to join us on Sundays, please direct them to contact Jeremy (jeremy@ springgardenchurch.ca).

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

Lesson

Ponder Point

Bible Passage

May 9

Jesus Is Alive (Jesus Appears to His Disciples) Jesus Redeems (Jesus Reinstates Peter) God Is the Lord of the Sabbath (Sabbath)

John 20

Remember Verse Galatians 2:20

John 21

Galatians 2:20

Matt. 12:1–14

John 17:3

May 16

May 23

Family Care Packs: Each month we will be putting together some fun things for your family. If you’d like to receive May’s care pack, you can register with this link: https://forms.gle/WcU5gQDScRZQanEfA

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Spring Youth Sunday Morning Worship Gatherings

May, 9th, 16th, 23rd, - During the month of May, our Sunday morning gatherings will shift to help with our scheduling. We are encouraging our youth to participate in the Livestream worship gathering on our church website (https://www. springgardenchurch.ca/) for the main teaching. Immediately following the livestream announcements, our youth will meet online for small groups lead by our Youth Leaders, using our http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth link. **Please be aware that our gatherings will not begin until after the children’s blessing during the Sunday Morning Livestream**

Life Groups

Life Groups this month will happen on May 19th @ 5:30pm for Jr High Girls (Gr 6-8) and May 7th, for both the Sr High Girls (Gr 9-12) and Guy’s Life Group (gr 6-12).

Youth Events May 14th: “Make Your Own” Night - We will be meeting online to make our own dinners together. We will send out a list of easy recipes (with needed ingredients) to try at home, but we are encouraging youth to make or order their favourite food with us on zoom. Youth wanting to participate can join using this link http:// tiny.cc/SGCYouth Time: 5:00pm-8:00pm May 28th: “Try Not To” Night - Our leaders will be putting together a variety of challenges and activities to get reactions out of our youth. Their only job is to not react! Youth wanting to participate can join using this link http://tiny.cc/SGCYouth Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm Cost: $15 - Includes food 17

Staying Updated: To stay up to date on what is happening for your youth, please visit our google calendar which has all of our planned events. http://tiny.cc/YouthCal If there is anything you’d like more clarification on, please email Jeremy (jeremy@springgardenchurch.ca)

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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

Sam Lee

On Sabbatical April 12 - August

Co-Lead Pastor

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 office@springgardenchurch.ca Prayer Line

Tel 416.223.4593 Fax 416.223.6126 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/giving.

DEACONS Krysten Cameron Chair

416.399.0493 krystencameron@hotmail.com

Ben Reynolds

Children and Youth Discipleship

Martin Dewar

Missions and Membership

Monica Kim

Vice Chair& Adult Discipleship

Joanne Laing

Secretary & Property

Shannon Loewen

Community Life/Refreshments

Jeff McGee Finance

bereynolds@gmail.com 416.229.2695 martin.dewar@sgbc.ca 604.710.3224 monicakim2000@gmail.com 416.617.6582 joannelaing@gmail.com 647.202.0701 shannon.loewen1@gmail.com 416.493.2102 jeff.mcgee@sympatico.ca

Cheryl Chapman Worship

cheryl.chapman@live.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 20

What’s Happening Weekly

Life in Spring Garden

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.

y

Sunda

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

10am

Join us Sunday mornings as we go through a series called 'I AM...'. After the children's blessing, the children can login our Spring Kids Online.

Streamed at: www.springgardenchurch.ca

VIRTUAL COFFEE TIME

11:30am

Join us for our virtual coffee time after our online Worship Gathering. Get some coffee and snacks and log on to our Zoom meeting where you can talk with other Spring Gardeners. We will be breaking into smaller groups. Prayer room is available. Email office@springgardenchurch.ca for the log in info.

y Monda

PASTORAL TEAM MEETING

10am - 12pm

We will be meeting on Mondays this month. Please pray for us for wisdom and inspiration.

ay d s e n

REFRESH 10am - 11:30am

y a d s r

EVENING PRAYER

Wed

Thu

Friendship, care & spiritual growth for women. Please see page 9.

You are invited to a virtual time of liturgical prayer. Please see here.

SGC COMMUNITY - Facebook

8:30pm

A group to encourage each other, share resources, connect, etc. Find us through groups in Facebook.

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What’s Happening Upcoming May

7 May

14 May

17 May

19 May

28 May

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Life in Spring Garden

YOUTH: Sr. High Girl's and (all)Boys Life Group At 5:30. See more on page 17.

YOUTH: Make Your Own Pizza From 5-8pm. See more on page 17.

MISSIONS NIGHT: Learning About Willowtree At 7:30. See more at page 11.

YOUTH: Jr. High Girl's Life Group At 5:30. See more on page 17.

YOUTH: 'Try Not To' Night From 6-9pm. See more on page 17.

SGC Games Night

From 7-9. See more on page 11.

SEE OUR EVENTS PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON ANY OF THESE EVENTS. springgardenchurch.ca/events

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 on our home page to subscribe to our weekly e-mail.

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.