Zechariah 4
Spring 2017 • Stories from Knox Presbyterian Church
you
thank
The Knox Reader is the church newsletter of a an old church next to a university in Ontario's capital city. It is put together with duct tape and love once a quarter by myself, Jess Mathie, Laura Burns, and a host of contributors that we are so thankful for. A very special thank you for this edition goes out to Rachel Dixon and Kim Trimboli. Rachel wrote a fantastic article on the Knox Youth Dinner & Food Bank. Kim was "voluntold" by her fellow volunteers to write about their time in Nicaragua, and I am so thankful for her good words. A big thank you also goes to the Photo Team. Thanks Tosin Maiyegun for keeping the team running by contacting and scheduling photographers! We've got great photos from Sammy Chin and Chris Mudiappahpillai in this edition—check them out on pages 16 and 12, respectively. - Peter de Koning, Communications Coordinator peter@knoxtoronto.org
Reader
The Nemeths raising funds in front of their Oma and Nonno's house
A
Knox Families in Nicaragua
and the Nemeths in Nicaragua
The Blooms
Kim Trimboli
lmost two years ago at a Family Ministries breakfast, Jeff Bloom announced that he was planning to take his family on a mission trip, and who was interested in coming? Without hesitating, I said "YES! WE ARE! WE'RE TOTALLY IN!!!" Dave, who is the voice of temperance in our household, was more cautious about what a family mission trip would look like with three kids. However, we have always desired to present to our kids a firsthand view of the needs of the children around our world—to instil in our children a sense of gratitude for what they have been given and to inspire a sense of duty too, because, "to whom much is given, much is expected" (Luke 12:48b). SchoolBOX offered an amazing and relatable opportunity to help build a school for children in Nicaragua. For our own school-aged children, this experience would be particularly relevant. Especially reassuring to us was the fact that SchoolBOX had the necessary infrastructure in place to safely accommodate young children in a developing country. SchoolBOX is a grassroots ministry founded by Tom Affleck in 2006. Today, Schoolbox is run by Tom’s wife Sarah Kerr, SchoolBOX’s Executive Director, who is based at a desk at the Missions Hub donated by Knox World Mission. Wendy, Gerry, Grace and Matthew Rogalski travelled down to build the Jennette Affleck school with SchoolBOX in 2013 and loved their experience. The first thing my kids did when we told them of our plan to go to Nicaragua with Schoolbox was to set up a lemonade stand in front of my parents’ house. Smarty kids realized that they could count on Oma and Nonno as generous clients, not to mention that the road in front of their house gets a lot more traffic than ours. Fast forward to February 2017. The reality of what we were about to do set in and I started to panic. There were shots to get, teachers to inform, supplies to buy, summer clothes to dig out; what if one of us got sick? What if the children were totally shell-shocked and not able to cope with the poverty that we would see? I started questioning our decision to go. One afternoon, I ended up at the Missions Hub to organize a few things with Sarah, who would be joining us on this trip. I mentioned my fears to Tom, Chez and Katie who were also there. They were such an amazing source of information and support. They pointed me to resources for the children and advised me about travel clinics. My panic started to ebb. I was thankful that I ended up at the Missions Hub that day. We arrived at Terminal 3 at Pearson Airport on March 8, carting five 50 lb suitcases, each containing a box of Spanish Bibles. Tom sent me a quick email telling me that when our bags got scanned at customs in Managua, "All you need to say is 'Biblias para una iglesia' (Bibles for a church)”. He also said, “It is good to pray before going through customs that everything goes smoothly. " Wait, what...? When I was a kid, my parents took me to a dinner hosted by Brother Andrew who told of his exciting and miraculous exploits smuggling Bibles into eastern bloc countries. I have to admit, I felt a little cool. Customs ended up being a snatch; my prayers were answered. Our last hurdle cleared, we were greeted by a cheerful SchoolBOX entourage dressed in matching T-shirts who were indeed a sight for sore eyes. In Managua, we met the SchoolBOX crew and our fellow travellers, two families from Ottawa. Jeff, his wife Claire and the kids would hook up with us in Chinandega a couple days later. We had an orientation and were given a special addendum to the safety manual (what to do in case of a volcano eruption or earthquake), piled into two vans and headed to the Jeanette Affleck school in Leon. Nothing could prepare us for what happened when we got there. We were greeted by such fanfare from the students that I started to wonder if we had crashed a celebration by accident. Then I read the signs that the children were holding. “Welcome Kimberly Trimboli” one said. I went to them and said, "I'm Kimberly Trimboli", and they gave me big smiles and lots of hugs. The children sang songs and recited poetry in honour of our visit and we were able to hand out school supplies to all of the children at the school. In addition to building schools, libraries and washroom facilities, SchoolBOX delivers over 18,000 educational packages to kids annually. Each one contains the basic supplies like notebooks and pencils that a child needs to stay in school. While we were in Nicaragua we were able to hand out hundreds of school supplies at three different schools. Knox's Children’s Ministry raised enough money to buy 140 of those school supply packages. What a privilege it was to be able to carry out their work! El Puma, the community in which we were building the new three-classroom school, is approximately 30 kilometres south of the Honduran border in the province of Chinandega. According to the guide book that Gerry and Wendy lent us, Chinandega is the hottest province in Nicaragua. "Rotisserie chicken hot" the guide book said. Thanks guys. You can have your book back. But there was a breeze, some shade and lots of orange Fanta. We managed. We were able to play with the kids in the community, encourage them to stay in school and let them know how much God loves them. We cut rebar, bent rebar, tied rebar, dug holes and shovelled sand. We were assisted on occasion by the roosters and pigs that visited the site. In our short time, we finished all of the footings, foundation holes and rebar columns for the school foundation, surpassing the SchoolBOX construction crew’s expectations of a team with 10 kids! What a great way to spend the week. On Sunday, we worshipped with a congregation in the community of El Puma. Not only were we able to hand out the boxes of Bibles to our brothers and sisters, we were also able to encourage each other in our faith. It was an amazing day worshipping alongside members of the global church. Every day we were in Nicaragua we experienced such generosity and hospitality as I have never experienced before. I received way more than I gave that Fanta-fueled week and I can speak for my whole family when I say that going to Nicaragua was the most worthwhile thing we have ever done together. We want to thank the SchoolBOX team for taking such good care of our kids and for looking after every little detail that you could think of. We thank Knox Church for covering us in prayer while we were in Nicaragua and coming alongside our families as we helped to make education possible for all children. Dios tenemos bendiga!
Knox Seniors
Jacob Chandler speaking at the Mildred Gehman Group
Spring Tea
On April 6th, the second Seniors Tea was held at Knox. Thank you to Nancy Howard, Norma Ellington, and all the others who make this event possible!
Rachel, on the left, with the Chandler family
Laura Burns
Jacob, who works with the organization MoveIn, talked about the work they do to help reach the unreached, urban poor.
Rachel Pipher
Mercy and Justice Kisses
Mercy and justice kissed on the cross our gain came At His loss Eternal life came through His strife Love came from God vertically poured out for us horizontally Saved through His pains His blood in our veins
Registration is open for Knox Camps. Visit knoxcamps.ca
The Knox Choir visiting Dorothy Scholar on March 12th.
Getting to Work on Knox’s Community Engagement Knox has committed to pursuing Justice & Mercy in its 2015-2018 Ministry Plan, which names the priority of “holistically serving the city and the world, especially the poor, in word and deed”. This action-oriented mandate is central to my new role as Director of Community Engagement Ministries, and my heart’s desire as a Jesus follower. This role exists to strategically equip, mobilize and support Knox community members and adherents to pursue God’s work of mercy and justice in the city. In order to develop a thorough understanding of the internal capacity of engagement and external community needs, I have prioritized a posture of listening. The first actions of this listening stage have included meeting with Knox leaders, asking for stories of when and how we have engaged in our community. I have also asked how they believe we can improve our engagement efforts. Next, I am meeting with people in similar roles to mine in churches that have various community engagement models, committees, mandates, and partnerships. This is to construct a good understanding of ways in which engagement has been executed in various church settings. That being said, Knox is certainly a unique environment and community, so this research is simply to get ideas for the next stage of planning for community engagement, and not in any way to prescribe how Knox should pursue their strategies. Speaking of strategy, a Justice & Mercy Team will be created to define direction and provide accountability for Knox’s strategic community engagement. More information on this will follow later in the year. Please pray as we begin this exciting work, that we would be faithful to His leading of all our steps and that His name would be glorified in all our efforts.
On December 11th, we continued what is becoming a new Knox tradition by putting on another Christmas carol sing-a-long and after-party.
Samuel Martinez, who works in the outreach program at Christie Refugee Welcome Centre, talked about the work the centre does to help refugees settle in Toronto.
This advent we collected items to put in welcome buggies for refugees from the Christie Refugee Welcome Centre. On December 10, a group of congregants packed the buggies and took them to the centre.
at Knox
After a hard year of waiting, we finally and gratefully welcomed Haneen and Youssef, our sponsorship family, at Pearson on December 9th.
Advent
The Knox Senior Choir presented Our Confidence and Joy featuring a selection of Christmas music from Bach, Healey Willan, Jean de Brebeuf, and others.
no one
is forgotten
A couple of the youngest volunteers
KYDFB volunteers on January 10
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 his year, the Knox Youth Dinner & Foodbank (KYDFB) community was shaken by a tragedy—the untimely and shocking death of a long-time member of the community, Michelle Reilly. Michelle had used the program for a number of years before becoming a volunteer. This heartbreaking event highlights the importance of this mission both at Knox and in downtown Toronto. As the KYDFB community gathered to remember and mourn the loss of their friend, it was evident that the program plays a significant role for people like Michelle, not just through the basic services provided, but more significantly, the community and belonging it creates for those forgotten by society. At Knox, we seek to be a church following Jesus, loving the city and serving the world. Throughout the gospels we continually see Jesus loving and serving the marginalized of his society—from tax collectors and prostitutes to lepers and beggars, no one was too ostracized for Christ. KYDFB has been following this example of love and service towards Toronto’s marginalized for 21 years. Starting as part of the ‘Out of the Cold’ program, which included an overnight component for those with no shelter for the night, the program now provides street-involved youth with a home-cooked meal and opportunity to stock up on supplies from the foodbank every Tuesday between November and April. It’s one of the only foodbanks in Toronto which regularly provides fresh produce. In addition to the dinner and foodbank, KYDFB offers a range of activities and practical services for the youth who come on Tuesdays, including a nurse, hair dressing, clothes swap, information on job opportunities, bingo, bowling, basketball, PlayStation and a craft table. The monthly music night is also popular, giving guests and volunteers the opportunity to perform or just listen to some live music. Like the program itself, the guests at KYDFB have continued to change, but the strong community endures. Some regulars have moved on, some rely less heavily on the program and others have stayed on as volunteers, welcoming the fresh faces into the family. Their stories are all different. Some have low paying jobs, others are on disability pensions or go in and out of hospital. There are those who are actively job hunting or trying to get through school, while for others, just making it through the next day is an achievement. A few guests regularly sleep rough, but many jump around in temporary housing or have finally secured some form of transitional housing. For some guests this is an improvement on their previous circumstances, but there are also those who’ve seen better times and are learning to navigate the many obstacles in their new situation. Through all this turbulence and upheaval in their lives, KYDFB provides a safe space. Somewhere warm, dry and inviting, where they aren’t shunned or ignored. Where they find love and support, people who will listen and laugh with them and genuinely care about how they’re doing. Those who take the time to build relationships in the KYDFB community can have no doubt they're accepted. The people that come to the program are some of the most welcoming you’ll ever meet. It doesn’t matter how recently they’ve seen someone, the greetings they give each other and regular volunteers are warm, enthusiastic and infectious. Michelle was a beautiful example of this love and hospitality. For all that she sometimes loved to see how far she could push people, she was big-hearted and genuine. After years of homelessness, support services had helped her find transitional housing. As well as becoming a volunteer at KYDFB, Michelle regularly opened her new home up to anyone still struggling to find a place of their own. When Michelle died, Knox provided a space for the community to mourn her loss, remember her life, and support each other through their grief. This is the kind of community KYDFB builds. One where people can be welcomed and welcoming in spite of their circumstances. And it’s strong on both sides of the kitchen, extending to the volunteers too, whether they’ve used KYDFB services, attend Knox or are a member of the local community looking to make a difference. Deep friendships continue to grow amongst the volunteers, and between them and regular guests. Through all of these friendships, Christ’s love and heart of service shines brightly.
A place where
Rachel Dixon
T
On February 11th, we were blessed to have Dr. Christine Pohl come and teach us on community. She explored four essential practices at the core of Christ-centred community: embracing gratitude as a way of life, making and keeping promises, living truthfully, and practicing hospitality. Here are some quotes from the day of teaching: "Whose absence is keeping us from us from being whole?" "It is not a sin to be finite." "In an age of efficiency and measurable success, hospitality's true purpose can be lost." "Hospitality for the early church meant extending to strangers that seemed to have little to offer the same hospitality offered to family." "Grateful communities practice celebration." "Often, gifts come to us in broken people." "To strengthen promise making and keeping, we have to help people count the cost and and remind people of our fundamental commitments."
Ken Michell leading worship at the Annual Spiritual Retreat.
Left to right: Paul Johansen, Dr. Christine Pohl, Samantha Mudiappahpillai, praying before Dr. Pohl began the day's teaching.
fter the Spiritual Retreat Day with Dr. Christine Pohl, we invited four people to have a conversation about the themes of the day, beginning with this question: was there anything in Christine Pohl's teaching on gratitude that stood out to you? Here's what Eva Aboagye. Heather Hauka, Rachel Dixon, and Elaine Chin had to say: Rachel: I really like how she talked about how so often with gratitude we start to think about a contract: I’m going to do this or be grateful, because I should receive something in return or because it’s expected of us. I think the fact that sometimes we should be grateful, just for the sake of being grateful, is important. The way she drew that out was really helpful. Elaine: I don’t know if she brought this point up, but there’s a relationship between gratitude and grumbling. The more grateful you are the less likely you are to complain. Heather: Yeah, less time for grumbling. Elaine: If you always find something to be thankful for, even in the worst circumstances, you won’t have time to complain. Heather: Yeah. I wrote down a note here. She said, “We will never recognize our own gifts if someone doesn’t receive them gratefully from us.” I found that to be really true. If you don’t have people appreciating your gifts you kind of forget you have them. It’s nice to get that [affirmation]. Eva: In terms of gratitude, I was thinking that you sort of forget the things you have. We always think about the things we don’t have. But gratitude is appreciating what you actually have. And the more you appreciate what you have, the more you realize you have more than you need. Elaine: You can be content. Eva: Yes, contentment. That was the word. Be content with what you have. Elaine: You’re right. And advertising tells us to not be content. Eva: Yeah, but we have so much that we can be grateful for. Once you think about it in that contented way, you’re content with where you are and what you have. Rachel: I love the quote that she gave us about a “heart of gratitude is one where your pulse is praise.” That was really beautiful. Eva: One of the things that I was just talking to Elaine about [was how you react when] people open up in generosity to you. Maybe you're reluctant to accept their generosity. But now I’m thinking about it more from the perspective of the person who is giving. For them, it’s a gift they are giving you. When someone’s giving me something, I’m going to think a lot more about the gift they are giving. I was just saying to Elaine that someone just gave me some food and I don’t eat cheese. I was almost going to say, “Oh, I don’t eat cheese,” but then I thought about what [Christine Pohl] had just said. It’s the act of her giving it to me that was so important, so I accepted it gratefully. Heather: Yeah, I remember [Christine] pointing out that envy is essentially the basis for sin and how serious and grievous envy actually is. That really crystallized it for me. I hope that I’m not generally envious, but when I am it’s going to come back to mind how serious that is and the necessity of stopping that immediately. Envy can be so, so damaging and there’s a whole chain of events that follow when you start with envy. Rachel: And [Chrisinte talked about] the way that building a culture of gratitude into your every day life can help you combat envy and all things that follow from that. Elaine: I think the thing that I took away was to try and be more sensitive to people in our midst that maybe feel like strangers, even if they come here and they’re not refugees or are marginalized in some other way. There are a lot of people are longing for community, but because they’re not super social they tend to not be immediately evident. [I’m going to try] to be sensitive to that, to extend hospitality to them. Eva: And I was thinking about what she said about, “Think about who is the stranger in your midst.” Constantly be thinking about who is the stranger. Maybe it’s just somebody who’s been at Knox for a long time, but they’re on their own all the time, so they’re still a stranger in your midst and we need to be welcoming them in.
Left to right: Heather, Eva, Rachel, Elaine
Dear church, I wonder if you are like me. I sometimes find it challenging to approach worship with my full mind, body, and spirit. There are so many distractions — from mulling over a disagreement with a family member, to technical complications, to self-consciously wondering if I look silly — it is easy to see how I get so caught up in all of the thoughts around worship that I forget . . . to worship. My dear church family, I wonder if you are like me. I wonder if you ever experience similar challenges. I wonder if you, too, have felt a self-consciousness that keeps you from freely participating in worship in the ways you are yearning to. I wonder if you, too, have had critical thoughts creep into your mind that distract you from listening for God’s voice, and turn your mind toward how things “should be done”. Have you, too, buried the messy parts of your week beneath a smile when you step through the sanctuary doors, or arrived at verse four of a song only to realize your mind has been trailing elsewhere the entire time? As I reflect on the many ways I have approached God in worship with such paltry offerings — a fragmented mind, half-hearted gestures, judgemental attitudes — my heart breaks, for I remember our Saviour who gave us every part of himself for our salvation. The faithful reminders of the texture of the bread in my mouth and the sweet-tartness of the cup on my tongue are gifts that remind me of how He held nothing back. My mind-heart-and-body overflow with gratefulness for the outpouring of grace extended to me continually, even as a bring my brokenness, my humanity, my distraction, my fears — all of it — when I gather with God’s people to worship. You see, dear church, we have good news! Everything we do in worship is a response to God’s grace. God gathers us, and like the throngs in God’s presence, we respond to his glory with awe and praise. When we experience God’s holiness, we, like Isaiah become painfully aware of our own sinfulness, and God extends his grace to cleanse and cover us. We hear God’s Word, the Spirit speaks to our hearts and enables us to respond with gratitude and joy, recommitting our lives to follow Jesus. We are nourished, and sent out by the Lord to serve, and we respond in grateful living for Him throughout our week. And again God gathers us. . . it’s a never ending cycle of worship that we are joining in — always prompted and led by God. I’m so grateful that everything we do is a response to God’s action in our lives. I’m grateful that he takes our brokenness, our meagre offerings, and cleanses them, making them beautiful. Nothing we could do could ever even come close to the perfection and holiness of God, and yet God lovingly receives our child-like attempts at worship, perfecting them by his grace. Take, O take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be. Set Your seal upon my heart, and live in me. When I think about God as a loving Father, accepting my gifts of worship — how I want to bring my very best! And when I think about the people who gather around me every week — wondering if they are like me, trying to bring their best, even in their brokenness, and receiving God’s grace — I long for us all to see one another with the Father’s eyes. I long for us to see our worship in the big picture - the really big picture. You know the one - it extends from the dawn of time to the time that never ends. With all of us joining together, unified in our uniqueness, our paltry offerings made perfect, gathered around the throne. My dear church, the next time you gather for worship, would you do me a favour? Would you join me in taking a look around the room, and asking God to give us his eyes for his people? Isn’t it a beautiful sight? Revelation 7: 9-10 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne,and to the Lamb.”
Katie Fuller working at the Missions Hub.
Dear friends, As Spring blossoms we are thankful to be able to reflect on a very busy and fruitful winter here at the Missions Hub. If there is one word to sum up this season for the Missions Hub, it would be ‘students’. It has been awesome to come alongside university students through discipleship & outreach events, prayer meetings and times of fellowship and engage them in God's global Mission. We are so thankful for the work that Chez Johnson, the Missions Hub’s Mobilization Coordinator, has been doing to lead this student engagement. Please see a brief recap on page 18 to see some of the great things that have happened through the Missions Hub over the last few months. As she has been since the earliest days of the Missions Hub, Katie Fuller has been doing a great job behind the scenes helping to organize and coordinate our operations. In her roles as an Elder of Knox Church, a key organizer in collaborative Missions events, and a Missions Coach with TEAM, Katie has been a steadfast champion for the Missions Hub. It is precisely because of her unique giftings, relationships, and Missions Hub experience that we are so grateful to announce that Katie will be the new Missions Hub Coordinator. With the strong support of Knox Church and TEAM, Katie will be taking over the day to day coordination and management of the Missions Hub from Tom Affleck later this Spring. While Tom will be focused on other areas of ministry and work, he does look forward to prayerfully supporting Katie and Chez as they lead out on this exciting new chapter of the Missions Hub history. The hope is to reach and engage the next generation in downtown Toronto with God’s global Mission, and Tom cannot think of a better duo to spearhead the charge. Please do pray for Katie as she begins this exciting new leadership position. Please also pray that the Missions Hub would grow in its fruitfulness for God. With gratitude, The Missions Hub Team
Starting Lent at the Ash Wednesday service on March 1
The Knox Senior Choir present Handel's Brockes Passion on Palm Sunday
Ukrainian Egg Decorating on March 26
ear church, I wonder if you are like me. I sometimes find it challenging to approach worship with my full mind, body, and spirit. There are so many distractions — from mulling over a disagreement with a family member, to technical complications, to self-consciously wondering if I look silly — it is easy to see how I get so caught up in all of the thoughts around worship that I forget . . . to worship. My church family, I wonder if you ever experience similar challenges. I wonder if you, too, have felt a self- consciousness that keeps you from freely participating in worship in the ways you are yearning to. I wonder if you, too, have had critical thoughts creep into your mind that distract you from listening for God’s voice, and turn your mind toward how things “should be done”. Have you, too, buried the messy parts of your week beneath a smile when you step through the sanctuary doors, or arrived at verse four of a song only to realize your mind has been trailing elsewhere the entire time? As I reflect on the many ways I have approached God in worship with such paltry offerings—a fragmented mind, half-hearted gestures, judgemental attitudes—my heart breaks, for I remember our Saviour who gave us every part of himself for our salvation. The faithful reminders of the texture of the bread in my mouth and the sweet-tartness of the cup on my tongue are gifts that remind me of how He held nothing back. My mind-heart-and-body overflow with gratefulness for the outpouring of grace extended to me continually, even as a bring my brokenness, my humanity, my distraction, my fears—all of it—when I gather with God’s people to worship. Church, we have good news! Everything we do in worship is a response to God’s grace. God gathers us, and like the throngs in God’s presence, we respond to his glory with awe and praise. When we experience God’s holiness, we, like Isaiah become painfully aware of our own sinfulness, and God extends his grace to cleanse and cover us. We hear God’s Word, the Spirit speaks to our hearts and enables us to respond with gratitude and joy, recommitting our lives to follow Jesus. We are nourished, and sent out by the Lord to serve, and we respond in grateful living for Him throughout our week. And again God gathers us. . . it’s a never ending cycle of worship that we are joining in—always prompted and led by God. I’m so grateful that everything we do is a response to God’s action in our lives. I’m grateful that he takes our brokenness, our meagre offerings, and cleanses them, making them beautiful. Nothing we could do could ever even come close to the perfection and holiness of God, and yet God lovingly receives our child-like attempts at worship, perfecting them by his grace. Take, O take me as I am. Summon out what I shall be. Set Your seal upon my heart, and live in me. When I think about God as a loving Father, accepting my gifts of worship — how I want to bring my very best! And when I think about the people who gather around me every week — wondering if they are like me, trying to bring their best, even in their brokenness, and receiving God’s grace — I long for us all to see one another with the Father’s eyes. I long for us to see our worship in the big picture - the really big picture. You know the one - it extends from the dawn of time to the time that never ends. With all of us joining together, unified in our uniqueness, our paltry offerings made perfect, gathered around the throne. My dear church, the next time you gather for worship, would you do me a favour? Would you join me in taking a look around the room, and asking God to give us his eyes for his people? Isn’t it a beautiful sight? Revelation 7: 9-10 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne,and to the Lamb.”
Lent at Knox
Suzanne Schaafsma
Fleming Rutledge starting our Lenten preaching series on the cross on March 5
D
Sue Schaafsma is leading the Worship Renewal Team here at Knox.
Since September, we've received 62 contact cards. Here are few facts about the people coming to Knox and initiating follow-up with us: 65% of these newcomers are female. 35% are male. The average age is 27. The youngest is 18, the oldest is 70. The median distance from newcomers homes to Knox is 2.1km. 57% of newcomers attended the 11am. 43% attended the 5pm. Of those who told us about how they heard about Knox: 89% said it was a personal connection (friend, family, colleague.) 11% said they found us online.
Missions Hub
U of Together
Relevant Series
Perspectives Course
Common Faith // Uncommon Calling
Missions Hub 2016 Annual Report 2016 was a wonderful year for the Missions Hub. We saw collaboration deepening between Missions groups, campus Ministries and local Churches. It was exciting to see God at work as 100’s of people attended collaborative Missions Hub events, meetings, prayer day’s and training seminars. Please have a look at our 2016 Annual report at missionshub.ca Winter & Spring 2017 at the Missions Hub Relevant Series: The Missions Hub was delighted to be part of the 2017 University of Toronto Missions Week, called the Relevant Series (relevantseries.com). Along with our partner missions agencies, the Missions Hub hosted a breakfast gathering each morning for the student and ministry leaders of the Relevant Series. Over 1200 students at UofT were engaged during Missions week. Perspectives Course: Feb. 17-24 (Intensive): The Missions Hub was overjoyed to host a 1 week intensive Perspectives course from February 17-24th. Excellent instructors from across Ontario traveled to Toronto to teach this course to 34 participants. Over 75% of the participants were under 35 and most of them were university aged! U of Together: On March 17th the Missions Hub hosted an amazing prayer event called U of TOgether. 150+ University students from numerous campus ministry groups came to pray for evangelism efforts at the university and beyond. The event also included breakout sessions where students explored how they can go deeper in their Missional callings. It was beautiful to see young, passionate Christians from so many Churches joining together in prayer. International Students Outreach with Power to Change: The Missions Hub was grateful to come alongside Power to Change to support them in their international student outreach. Among other things, we recently hosted an end of the semester banquet for their international students fellowship. We are so thankful for our co-labourers in Christ on campus, and are bold with our hopes that they would continue this work of outreach to the world. Common Faith // Uncommon Calling: On April 7th & 8th the Missions Hub hosted an event in collaboration with a number of Mission agencies that profiled the journeys of faith and perseverance of 4 Christian leaders from Asia and Africa. Their testimonies served as encouragement for the participants as they journey forward with their own callings. This event is part of an overall effort at the Missions Hub to support people as they explore God’s missional calling on their lives.
Welcoming newcomers work in flight Ali Derksen With God’s help, the Knox community is continuing to improve the ways in which we welcome newcomers. As a reminder, last year the Knox Welcoming Newcomers Team identified these priorities: Mobilizing all Knoxites to be more welcoming Bolstering the greeting ministry Standardizing follow-up processes Improving welcome materials Renewing welcome spaces Improving the after-service experience Improving signage (indoor and outdoor) These ambitious, somewhat general, priorities are now being broken down into tangible goals and implemented by key volunteers and staff around our church community. Here are some updates that track against them: Bolstering the greeting ministry: On February 5 we held a greeter training session and saw a great turnout of some 25 people. It was wonderful to be able to equip people with a brand new manual, explain Knox policies and procedures, and do interactive training on Leading with Care, the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s policy for ensuring a climate of safety for children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Greeters responded positively, and we plan to hold another training next fall. (There is still room on both greeting teams if you’d like to join!) Standardizing follow-up processes: The monthly First Steps lunches with staff continue to be an excellent on-ramp for newcomers and we’re seeing a positive response. We’re also seeing many people reach out to us afterwards, and a new shared inbox system has made it more efficient to respond to emails quickly and to do so as a team. Improving welcome materials: The new contact cards have been well used and they’re now easier to find around the church beside drop-off boxes. Our Communications Director Peter de Koning has been leading this initiative. We have been keeping track of responses and we found that of those collected since September, 89% said they found out about Knox through a personal invitation! This is a great reminder to all of us that priority 1, Mobilizing all Knoxites to be more welcoming, really is the most important, and many of us are already sharing God’s love in this way. Thank you for being a welcoming church, Knox, and being open to more of this goodness. More updates will follow in the months ahead.
Events
International Student Outreach
Registration You can register online at knoxtoronto.org/formation The cost is $20 per adult, and $10 per child.
In conjunction with the Knox World Mission Conference, our spring Formation Day will be focused on God's mission. We will be hosting three, day-long discipleship tracks: Nikki Toyama-Szeto on the Biblical Foundations for Social Justice Understanding your Muslim Neighbour Evangelism for Ordinary People
Kids Age 2-12 are invited to participate in a special program with our Children's Ministry team. Nursery care may be available for infants from 0-2, based on need. Please register early so we can properly accommodate all the kids!
Schedule 9:30 - Worship 10:00 - Teaching session 1 12:00 - Lunch 1:00 - Teaching session 2 3:00 - Closing
Saturday, May 6 9:30am - 3pm
