Page 5 - Presbyterian Connection Newspaper, Summer 2017

Connection
Connection
PRESBYTERIAN
PRESBYTERIAN
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presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2017
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presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2017
Our Faith in Action
Karen Utech volunteers at Winnipeg Inner City Missions.
PCC national office staff.
Jacquie Bannerman (third from left) with other international volunteers with the Reformed Church in Hungary.
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Bringing Hope
Karen Utech has both benefited from and contributed to ministry at Winnipeg Inner City Missions (WICM). An elected elder at Place of Hope Presbyterian Church and volunteer at WICM’s Miracle Store and food bank, Karen first encountered the organization through the Learning & Play pro- gram led by social worker Susan Currie. Karen, a mother, foster mother and grandmother, first worked on her own healing from a tragic past. Now she is helping her girls stay in school, develop strength and confidence and dis- cover hope for their own futures. Karen came from a dysfunctional family, but quickly bonded with Susan and, over time, came to her for advice. She shares, “Susan said I was a tough nut to crack! She made me laugh, and I started feeling really good because I felt Iwasathome.WICMisnota judgmental place. They don’t care about outward appearance. They care about inward healing. All are welcome, all belong.”
Transforming Youth
At the end of August, Jacquie Bannerman will finish an eight- month young-adult internship
with The Presbyterian Church in Canada. A member of Chalmers Presbyterian Church in London and a recent graduate in Inter- national Relations from Western University, Jacquie is helping the Reformed Church in Hungary suppor t refugees. Teaching refu- gees English, doing translation work and leading English activi- ties for Roma youth have deep- ened Jacquie’s understanding of Christ’s mission in the world. She says, “I have learned a lot about the struggles and discrimination refugees and Roma people in Hungary face. And I am learn- ing about the extreme privilege I have, simply because of where I was born and what language I grew up speaking.”
Equipping Leaders
Are you looking for worship re- sources? Do you want to learn more about how to be an ef- fective elder? Are you wonder- ing how to fill out the T3010-1 annual charity return? PCC na- tional office staff work with min- isters, lay leaders, treasurers, clerks, presbyteries and synods to serve congregations across Canada. More than just an office, 50 Wynford Drive in Toronto is a
place where Presbyterians come together to plan, envision and share ideas. PCC staff and com- mittees provide tools for growth and renewal, encourage gener- ous giving, develop worship re- sources and facilitate the shar- ing of best practices. In 2016, PCC staff made over 175 visits to congregations, presbyteries, Women’s Missionary Society and Atlantic Missionary Society groups, colleges, camps, youth groups and events.
Exchanging Ideas
In February 2016, a PCC delega- tion visited Indigenous communi- ties in Taiwan for mutual learning about experiences of reconcili- ation. The group saw effor ts the Taiwanese government has made to apologize to the Indigenous people there. They also learned about the challenges Indigenous people are facing as they attempt to reclaim their languages and cul- ture. Participant Carragh Erhardt, the PCC’s Healing and Reconcili- ation program assistant, reflects, “I am grateful to the people we met for sharing their experiences and I look forward to continuing this par tnership.” (See “Learning and Sharing in Taiwan,” p. 8)
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