Page 8 - PC Fall 2023

8 FALL 2023
PRESBYTERIAN
When Grief Prevents Imagining a New Future
By the Rev. Bob Smith, retired minister, Evangel Hall Mission Board of Directors
It is bound to come up quickly in the conversation at any gathering of church folk, whether in a for- mal setting of a Session or pres- bytery meeting, or maybe just a coffee shop: how ill-equipped we feel to find a new role for the church in the rapidly changing environment of our world. We face declining numbers of people coming to church and a changing community in which we minister. We have questions of financial viability, and perhaps a building that may or may not effectively serve our congregation’s needs, let alone the community around
us. Many of us have seen once robust and active congregations reduced to the point where their future existence is threatened, in the short span of our lifetimes.
Congregations are faced with difficult questions, as they often have been. Where is God calling us? What is the work for which the Holy Spirit is equipping us today? What are the most pressing needs in the community around us, and how might we respond to them in faith? It takes courage to address them, but these conversations will help us to reshape and refine our ministry and what we offer to the community beyond us.
This process takes courage because it brings change and will perhaps take us in fundamentally
new directions. We can no longer do things the way we have always done things. A reframed future brings us face to face with folk who are different. Our routines have to change, spaces will be shared and resources will be redi- rected. Even our buildings have to be re-evaluated as we look for a new vision for our future. What do we need to let go of to make the ministry to which God is calling us both useful and sustainable?
Change is difficult. Significant change involves grief. Grief is a natural reaction to losing some- thing that we have loved and cherished, and we need to ac- knowledge that grief, but we can’t let grief prevent us from stepping out in new directions. The pain
of what we leave behind can in fact be a sacred thing. When we honour the work and faithfulness of those in the past, and lift up and celebrate their accomplish- ments, they become a foundation on which we can build a work of faith relevant for today that will continue even beyond us. And as we are inspired by the vision, courage and hard work that drove them, we can give ourselves to the new journey that lies before us as we seek to build a ministry
can encourage everyone to vote by offering polling sites close to home.
In any redevelopment plans for a church property, whether for housing-for-profit or build- ing affordable housing, we need to consider what the community loses, if those affordable and ac- cessible spaces are lost.
The push to build as much as we can, as quickly as we can, fuelled in part by developers maximizing profits, means that as community spaces have been converted to houses, condos or rental units, communities have been losing af- fordable community spaces at a rapid pace. Places renting spaces for charities’ daycares and other community-centred programs are being evicted, and replacement space is becoming harder to find. Groups such as Alcoholics Anon- ymous and agencies that offer health education are finding they must secure space further and further away from the people they are serving. It’s not only charities: small business owners are strug- gling to find affordable spaces to
of presence in our communities. Letting go of things from our past—whether traditions, ex- pressions of worship and even our buildings—is not a failure, but rather a recognition that our needs have changed in response to the world around us. What has not changed is our calling to be faithful to the God who calls us to be a community of faith together; and to declare to the commu- nity around us the good news of
God’s love.
Residents at Evangel Hall Mission (ehm) in Toronto, Ont.
build their enterprises, and risk losing all they’ve worked to build. Many of these businesses are owned by women who built their companies around the flexibility it offers to them as caregivers, or who are working to meet niche needs in the community.
As we dream of a new future for our communities, we also need to consider spaces we have lost in the community in the last dec- ade. What do we risk losing when new development projects don’t include spaces that can be used by the community? Governments and private developers can put up four walls and a roof, but it takes vision, spirit, imagination, brav- ery, humility, partnerships and heart to build a community. While affordable homes are needed, community spaces where healing and connections are made also must be considered. Community spaces build strong communities, and strong communities prevent homelessness. And building in a way that creates and strengthens community is what is going to create a powerful legacy that will last for generations.
Connection
presbyterian.ca
More Than Just Housing, We Need to Build Community
By Ainsley Chapman, Executive Director, Evangel Hall Mission
As more and more church proper- ties are being sold to developers and private owners for housing or businesses, churches across the country, in big cities and in small rural communities and of all de- nominations, have star ted impor- tant conversations about the future of their church land and buildings. One of those conversations is the potential of redeveloping church land to help provide affordable housing to help slow the housing crisis, even if it means there are fewer financial resources made from the property.
This is an exciting time to be
dreaming and planning for the future of our neighbourhoods and considering the legacy we want our congregations to leave in the years to come. As we dream of what might happen with these important church resources, we want to be sure that we are in- vesting in community.
Throughout history, churches have helped build community, not only by offering outreach minis- tries and services to vulnerable people themselves, but also by offering physical spaces for free and/or at affordable costs for other agencies offering activities vital to a community’s health. Affordable spaces are needed by local community groups and
public health agencies to provide programs like addiction treatment and support groups, grief groups, vaccination clinics, food banks and health education programs. These are places where daycares can offer affordable and safe care close to home. They are places where newcomers can take Eng- lish classes and kids can access after-school tutoring. They are spaces that can be rented at af- fordable rates to small business owners who offer classes in mu- sic, dance, yoga and fitness, who rent our kitchens for community cooking and nutrition activities, or even to make food that they sell to cafés or affordable meal pro- grams. They are places where we
About Evangel Hall Mission
Evangel Hall Mission (ehm) is a ministry of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, established in 1913 in downtown Toronto. From its beginnings as a small soup kitchen, its social programs have grown from meeting the daily needs of the homeless to providing housing to over 165 formerly homeless adults and children. While advocating to reduce homelessness in Toronto and beyond, ehm is equipping ministers and lay leaders to consider the legacy their churches can leave as they dream about a new future for their community.
To learn more about ehm’s housing advocacy and what to think about when planning a new development, contact Ainsley Chapman, Executive Director, at ainsley.chapman@evangelhall.ca or 416-504-3563.