Page 29 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
WOMEN
Women’s Inspirational Stories Honoured
presbyterian.ca
FALL 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
29
By the WISH Committee
Since the founding of The Presbyte- rian Church in Canada, women have been serving the church and doing mission. Their involvement and ser- vice has been central to the life of the church. Through the years, there have been many inspirational stories of faith—some have been shared but many have not.
Why share these stories?
• Inspirational stories, especially during difficult times, like the
pandemic, can lift our spirits.
• Inspirational stories can give us
a road map to stronger faith.
• Sharing inspirational stories of faith is how we pass on the faith
to the next generation.
We would like to invite groups to
submit women’s inspirational sto- ries from within your church family. Your choice might be someone who works tirelessly in her local church, or someone who has envisioned and launched a specific accom- plishment, or someone who has spanned a wide body of work and accomplishment within the church.
At the next National Presbyterian Women’s Gathering in May 2022,
we will be honouring women’s in- spirational stories of faith.
Submissions must be made by January 15, 2022. Provide a short description of your reason for want- ing your candidate recognized at presbyterian.ca/WISH-form. Note that we are not able to accept post- humous submissions.
Recognition will be given to PCC women, including the laity, elders, diaconal ministers, missionaries and clergy who have been diligent in contributing to the life and min- istry of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Photos, videos and images for worship:
presbyterian.ca/worship-images
The Butterfly Tree of Hope
NOMINATIONS OPEN
for the degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) as awarded by the Knox College Board of Governors
To honour persons exemplifying critical aspects of Knox College’s mission, including through:
• Creative leadership at any level
of church life
• Scholarly contribution to the
church or academic community • Effective and faithful pastoral
leadership
• Creative leadership in mission
• Outstanding faith-based
contribution to public life Submissions due November 15.
Details at knox.utoronto.ca/hdd.
KNOX COLLEGE
www.knox.utoronto.ca
St. Andrew’s Barrie WMS lifelong member the late Pat Watt in 2018 in front of the Butterfly Tree of Hope.
By Pam Watt, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont.
In 2018, the Women’s Missionary Society at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Barrie, Ont., launched a new fundraiser: The Butterfly Tree of Hope. Over the years, our WMS has seen the group get smaller and those mem- bers grow into their golden years. We wanted to have a fundraiser for our local, national and international WMS projects by having a fundraiser that would not be a huge amount of work. Pam Watt, WMS vice-president, pre- sented the idea to the members who all loved it! The butterfly is a symbol of life, endurance, change and hope. For a $10 donation, members of St. Andrew’s could sponsor a butterfly to go on our Butterfly Tree of Hope in the sanctuary. They could indicate if it was in memory of someone, for a noble cause like world peace, or in support of someone who has health issues.
The campaign launched in mid- February and continued until the Sun- day before Easter. After Easter, we had a dedication for our Butterfly Tree of Hope. The campaign has continued and each year since its inception we have raised over $1,000 for WMS projects.
During the pandemic, we were un- sure whether we should continue the initiative, but we understood it was a time where all needed some extra hope, plus there were people who truly supported our Butterfly Tree of Hope. Yes, even during the pandemic, the generous donations of our St. Andrew’s family helped us surpass $1,000. Next year, we hope to go be- yond our church walls and bring this fundraiser to the community to help us in doing the WMS mission work— locally, nationally and internationally.
The Butterfly Tree of Hope.
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