Page 4 - Presbyterian Connection – Spring 2021

4 SPRING 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
Connection
PRESBYTERIANS SHARING
In God’s Mission, Together
presbyterian.ca
Edmonton Urban Native Ministry
Proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ
Your gifts put faith into action in Canada and around the world.
Donate through your congregation or online at presbyterian.ca/donate
YES, I WANT TO SUPPORT Presbyterians Sharing
• As a monthly donor for $__________ /month • With a one-time donation of $ ____________
Please provide the following credit card information: Visa ® Mastercard ®
Credit card #: ______________________________________________ Expiry date:_____________________
Name on card:_____________________________________________ Signature: _________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________ Phone #:__________________ Email:_________________________
50Wynford Dr.,Toronto, ON M3C 1J7 • 1-800-619-7301
presbyterian.ca
Thank you to everyone who supported Presbyterians Sharing this past year. Despite all the challenges surrounding COVID-19, over $5.63 million was given to support The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Your gifts and prayers, with lower expenditures and support from the government, allowed
us to support congregations and ministries in Canada, theological colleges, partners overseas, and more.
By Karen Plater,
Stewardship & Planned Giving
When I am asked what Presbyteri- ans Sharing is about, I say that it’s an opportunity for congregations to participate in God’s mission together.
When we participate in God’s mis- sion together, we discover new ways to proclaim God’s love, hope, faith and grace in our communities.
Last fall, during the four-week on- line Transform course, 150 people from over 60 different congrega- tions and ministries explored what mission and ministry can look like. Participants shared their experiences and heard new ideas around adaptive change, transformational leadership, stewardship, good ministry practices and the power of storytelling.
The Rev. Joan Master ton of St. James Presbyterian Church in Stouffville,Ont.,shared,“Ilearnedthat it is important to stay focused on put- ting God’s mission first and foremost, and that sometimes we need to let go of something to become something new. It has me and my team consid- ering practical ways our congregation might use lessons from the pandemic to adapt to longer term change.”
When we participate in God’s mis- sion together, we support ministries beyond our communities with prayer, encouragement and funds.
Together, we are helping to revital- ize congregations like Montreal West Presbyterian Church, which has shifted from a small homogeneous congregation to a vibrant multicultur- al community with a Sunday School of over 60 children. In Mississauga, Ont., The Well Church is ministering to the unique needs of second-gen- eration immigrants. Using a house church model, Two Rivers Church in Guelph, Ont., serves people alien- ated from traditional congregations, and Cariboo Presbyterian Church in northern British Columbia connects people living in rural and remote areas. St. Matthew’s Presbyterian Church in Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., is addressing poverty, and the New- comer Mission at St. Paul’s Presby- terian Church in Peterborough, Ont.,
is ministering to Arabic-speaking refugees and immigrants.
Together, we are supporting min- istries that serve communities with unique needs. In Toronto, ARISE Ministry provides support and coun- selling to women involved in the sex trade. Living Waters Mission in Peter- borough reaches out to people living on the margins of society, through its street ministry. Action Réfugiés Mon- tréal helps refugee claimants held in detention centres navigate the claim- ant process and integrate into Cana- dian society. Life in Christ is helping newly arrived Arabic-speaking refu- gees and immigrants in Scarborough learn English and navigate life in Canada.
Together, we are supporting min- istries with Indigenous people in communities across Canada. Place of Hope in Winnipeg, Man., and Mistawasis Memorial Church on the Mistawasis reserve in Saskatch- ewan are Indigenous congregations. Hummingbird Ministries promotes reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people around Richmond, B.C., through art, drama, dance, education and worship. Win- nipeg Inner City Missions, Kenora Fellowship Centre, Saskatoon Na- tive Circle Ministry and Edmonton Urban Native Ministry share Christ’s love through a variety of programs, including meal provision, temporary housing, employment services, chil- dren/youth programs, Bible studies and worship.
Together, we are supporting over 50 international partners in 25 coun-
tries with grants and mission staff. We support theological education in Lebanon, Malawi, Ghana and Roma- nia, and Bible translation in Taiwan, Nigeria and Mauritius. Partners like the Lay Training Centres (Tamale, Ramseyer and Nsaba) in Ghana, Theological Education by Extension in Malawi and the Fraternidad de Presbiteriales Mayas in Guatemala equip lay leaders with skills to lead Bible studies, teach Sunday Schools and minister to people in the com- munity. The Christian Medical As- sociation of India, New Life Psychi- atric Rehabilitation Centre in Nepal and Ekwendeni Mission Hospital in Malawi all provide health care to vul- nerable populations. With partners around the world, we are building a stronger church.
This is just a glimpse of some of the ministries proclaiming God’s message of love, hope and peace with the support of Presbyterians Sharing.
Working together requires talking with and listening to one another, sometimes across language, cul- tural and generational divides. It can involve setting aside our own agen- das and seeing God work in different ways through different people. This can require patience, humility, wis- dom and times of prayerful stillness as we discern God’s direction.
Learn more about Presbyterians Sharing in the colourful brochure in- serted in this edition of the Presbyte- rian Connection newspaper.
When we put our gifts in God’s hands, God does remarkable things.