Page 6 - Presbyterian Connection
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6 SUMMER 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
 Rani Ibrahim and his mother, Dunia, receiving their Canadian citizenship papers.
By Emily Hill, Canadian Ministries
“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” is beauti- fully inscribed in Arabic on a hand- crafted, heart-shaped wood decora- tion that a newcomer to Canada gave to Rani Ibrahim. Rani was delighted, but not surprised, to see this verse from 1 John 4:8 on a gift given to him by someone who is not Christian.
Rani explained, “I shared this verse with him as we talked about our
countries of origin and our problems. I respect his faith and culture, and he does the same for me. By sharing the verse, I was showing him my love. He was doing the same by giving me this gift.”
Building genuine relationships by sharing the love of God through re- spect, care and generosity is at the heart of the Newcomers Mission, a ministry of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Peterborough, Ont. that re- ceives a grant from the PCC, which Rani leads as a lay missionary.
Before the pandemic, the relation- ship-building in this growing new- comer ministry happened in person. Rani and other leaders in the ministry met people at Tim Hortons for coffee, visited them in their homes and ran weekly programs to help newcomers settle into life in Canada. With physi- cal distancing measures in place, Rani and his mother—a key volun- teer in the ministry—have contin- ued to connect with people through
phone calls, social media, text mes- sages, “WhatsApp” (a popular mes- saging tool used by many newcom- ers), Zoom and outdoor visits when it has been safe to do so.
“During hard times, we reach out to them,” Rani explained, “then they are comfortable reaching out to us when they need support.” Recently, a Syrian family called Rani at 10:30 p.m. because their daughter was sick, and they did not understand the emergency room doctor’s diagnosis. Rani translated what the doctor was saying over the phone and helped the parents to feel confident in the doctor’s treatment. “I told them that we were going to be praying for their daughter,” Rani recounted, “and, the last time we talked, her parents told me that the girl was doing very well.”
The image from scripture that Rani sees as representing this ministry is that of God as a mother bird whose wings act as a refuge for people, from Psalm 91:4. The Newcomers
Mission aims to provide two wings of refuge: social/cultural suppor t (ESL, translation, and family, youth and men’s programming) and spirit- ual support (prayer meetings, Arabic worship services, and fellowship). Rani explains that, “The two wings must work together in the context of relationships so that the newcomers can thrive.” He further explained, “A dove’s feathers are soft, like God’s love. We help people to get driver’s licenses, find jobs, pay taxes, obtain housing and access health care so that God’s promise of security and comfort will be made real in their lives.”
The man who gave Rani the heart- shaped decoration was someone that Rani had helped to find a job. His job is with another member of the church. In August, the three of them met up for a visit. The newcomer told them he is happy with his new job and expressed interest in com- ing to their Arabic worship service.
Rani marvelled at the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. God had, indeed, placed this man and many others in the Newcomers Mission under his wings.
Rani Ibrahim is a participant in Cyclical PCC, a church-planting sup- port initiative within The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Through Cyclical PCC he receives training, coaching and peer support to assist him grow his ministry. For more information about Cyclical, please visit presbyte- rian.ca/cyclicalpcc.
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    262 Years Young in Québec City
The original sanctuary at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Québec City.
nual congregational meetings centred more around the cost of heating the manse and the state of the Kirk Hall roof than our contribution to Presbyte- rians Sharing. We felt that we were in survival mode. Our members gave it their best to bring financial stability to our community: international suppers, special drives, letters sent expressing our need for support. We were three years from financial insolvency when an answer to our prayers seemed within reach. Instead of us taking care of our buildings, why could it not be our buildings taking care of us? What we considered a burden became an asset.
We struck an agreement with Kamaï Événements, an event organi- zation company. Through this par tner- ship, St. Andrew’s church has gained assured longevity and stability. We remain owners of the buildings and Kamaï Événements is now the opera- tor. The congregation will still meet for its Sunday morning worship in the church building and special events on our Christian calendar. Our commu- nity groups will still be provided with space for their weekly meetings.
When we do not need it, the church building is to serve as a conference venue, cultural or business events hall, or special social gathering room, oper- ated by Kamaï. The manse is now two high-end apartments and has modern meeting room space in the basement. The Kirk Hall is to be an apartment large
enough to house a family of five (which is difficult to find in Old Québec) and provide space for our church school and church offices. The business deal provides the needed income to cover all the congregation’s expenses. Ses- sion and Board members have vowed that every penny put in the collection plates on Sunday mornings will go to Christian outreach and not plumbing.
This did not happen overnight. The congregation had to give up its famil- iar sanctuary with old wooden panels and pews, where many generations sang and prayed. We mourned the comfor table old ways to embrace a new environment. We kept on re- minding ourselves that we were not a museum in an historical building but a congregation with a mission.
Both the congregation at St. An- drew’s and staff at Kamaï had to be flexible. At first, the manse was to be rented as office space: COVID-19 changed that. The church building was already booked for events to be held in 2020—COVID 19 changed that, too. We are still not out of the woods. All the work done on the buildings was expensive. It is not quite completed as COVID-19 slowed everything down. We hope to be able to hold our first worship service in the new interior of our church building soon—if COV- ID-19 does not prevent it. Stay tuned, we will let you know when the official opening takes place.
It has been quite a journey.
By Gina Farnell, Clerk of Session, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Québec City, Que.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Québec City, Que., became a con- gregation in the 18th century, grew and became prosperous in the 19th century, struggled around the end of the 20th century and is now step- ping right into the 21st century.
Like many other Presbyterian con- gregations across Canada, congrega- tions in Québec City inherited huge buildings. In our case, we had three: a church building that can sit over 400 people comfortably, a five-bed-
room manse with a living room large enough to house a baby grand piano, and a Kirk Hall perfect for holding community events. All this was to be financially suppor ted by a congrega- tion of 30 active members. Added to this is the fact that these buildings are situated in the heart of the very histori- cal Old Québec. This has brought its fair share of restrictions and red tape.
We were blessed with an endow- ment fund. Our predecessors loved their church and wanted to ensure its longevity. But even a solid endowment fund could not keep up with the op- erational expenses of three buildings. Sadly, concerns expressed at the an-
Sketches of what the inside of the build- ing will look like when construction is finished.
The Newcomers Ministry at St. Paul’s receives support from Presbyterians Sharing.
    






























































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