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Connection
NEWS
Busy Christmas Program at Elmvale
34
PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2023
presbyterian.ca
By the Rev. Tom Mason, Elmvale Presbyterian Church in Elmvale, Ont.
The congregation at Elmvale Presbyterian Church in Elmvale, Ont., enjoyed a busy Christmas period. A special Children and Youth service was held and the young people performed a skit called “The New Star.” They also led our worship with prayers and
The Elmvale carolers.
a preached message, which was well received.
The Elmvale District High School Instrumental Band per- formed a lunchtime practice in the sanctuary, we held a screening of David Jeremiah’s “Why the Nativ- ity?” as well as a carol evening and our Christmas Cantata.
We were joined by several other churches at these events, and the Christmas Cantata, which
was performed jointly with St. John’s United Church, attracted other church denominations. We were excited to welcome members from Elmvale Commu- nity Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Phelpston, the Anglican Church from Waverley and also members of the United Churches in Elmvale, Creemore and others from the surrounding areas.
Although the weather prevent- ed us from gathering at Elmvale Presbyterian and Knox, Flos on Christmas Eve, we were able to gather on Christmas Day and serve 118 takeout complimentary lunches to our friends and neigh- bours in the community.
Elmvale has a big missionary heart and we have been truly blessed through the presence of the Spirit and with an active and faithful congregation. All praise and glory to God!
The Children and Youth Christmas service.
The Christmas Cantata ecumenical gathering.
Messy Foodbank in Whitby
The community foodbank at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Whitby, Ont.
carts as they weaved around the crowded space. Walking into the main hall, you could hear people speaking at least four different lan- guages, kids chasing each other as their parents waited in line, and one of our church staff members quietly reassuring a young man as he registered for the first time. I saw one of our street-involved clients changing into clean socks while being offered freshly baked muffins and a hot coffee. There was a volunteer helping to distract a fussy baby while serving a single mom who was standing beside another foodbank visitor dressed in what could only be described as a very authentic-looking Little Bo- Peep costume. A local ar tist was handing out small inspirational paintings as she socialized with a group of regular foodbank visitors. It was slightly chaotic, smelly, en- ergizing and messy!
Twelve years ago, when the congregation at St. Andrew’s Whitby made a commitment to become a missional church, reaching out to the community around us, we designed and built our foodbank and outreach pro- gram with two very intentional priorities. Our number one prior- ity was to serve all community members entering into the church with the kind of compassionate,
unconditional, grace-filled love we know Jesus gives us. We pray that our foodbank visitors will see the love Jesus has for them through our actions. Our mission- al goal is to serve everyone with love, respect and friendship.
Our second foundational prior- ity was to build relationships be- fore all else. We all understand the foodbank ministry at St. Andrew’s is not only about food. The rela- tionships that form is another rea- son people come back. Food is the entry point, where we can en- counter someone for the first time and help meet some of their initial physical needs. For the foodbank visitors attending our outreach program, the human interactions are even more important than an- ything we give them to take home. Ensuring our foodbank guests feel welcome, respected and cared for is crucial. The touch, the smile, the eye contact or the extra min- utes we spend listening far outlast any of the pasta sauce or laundry soap we provide.
Investing in relationships cre- ates opportunities where we can start connecting people with sup- ports that result in long-term, sustainable changes to their lives. Being able to link our food- bank visitors with mental health crisis supports, housing stabil-
ity programs, disability supports, income tax clinics, harm reduc- tion, employment resources or settlement services leads to new jobs, new homes, new skills and completely new living situations. We’ve celebrated graduations, baptisms, marriages and new cit- izenships with our foodbank cli- ents. We’ve all made new friends.
Our foodbank and outreach program has grown and evolved, though it didn’t happen overnight. It’s taken lots of committed peo- ple, lots of trial and error, lots of suppor tive par tnerships and lots of prayer. Today the St. Andrew’s Community Foodbank serves an average of 670 families or 1,710 individuals each month. St. Mark’s United Church in Whitby and Whit- by Free Methodist Church have come alongside the work we do at St. Andrew’s as permanent collab- orative par tners. Dozens of other local businesses, social agencies, community groups, schools and municipal organizations suppor t our work every year.
Each week, we come together through God’s grace to experi- ence this powerful missional min- istry. It’s loud, busy, smelly and messy! It’s also wonderful and humbling and joyful. Turns out we did build a messy foodbank and, by the grace of God, it’s fantastic!
By Emily Fern, Community Missions Director, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Whitby, Ont.
A short time ago, I was invited by a friend to attend “Messy Church.” A little online research brought me to the “Messy Church” ministry resource page on the PCC web- site. Defined as a “way to reach families who are not in church on Sunday,” Messy Church is Christ- centred and includes exciting activities, energetic music, crea- tive storytelling and interactive worship focused around hospital- ity. From my friend’s invitation, I discovered that Messy Church is
a loosely structured, loud, fun, slightly chaotic, multi-sensory, highly accessible worship experi- ence designed to draw people in.
Last week, I was walking into the weekly foodbank and outreach ministry at St. Andrew’s Presbyte- rian Church in Whitby, Ont., when I suddenly realized we had created a “Messy Foodbank.” Whether by accident or due to God’s divine vi- sion, our foodbank was messy! In the kitchen, I could see volunteers washing muddy potatoes from the community garden, while others worked to prepare a hot spaghetti lunch. Still more volunteers were unloading food donations, pushing