Crosstalk — October 2022

Crosstalk

Anglicans march in the revived Pride Parade

BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS

Anglicans in the diocese celebrated the return of the Ottawa Pride Parade on Aug. 28, marching again after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Veteran organizer Ron Chaplin told Crosstalk that as the group waited for the parade to start a few people asked him about this history of Anglican participation, and he shared his memories with us.

Chaplin began worshipping at St. John the Evangelist on Elgin Street in 1993, and he recalled that sometime soon after that, the parish decided to set up a table to serve lemonade and cookies to people as the Pride Parade passed by the church. “We did that at least once for Pride and at least once for the AIDS walk….It was kind of a tentative start.”

And then one year, he got a call from Alex Munter, who was a city councillor at the time. “Ron, do you know about those guys who picket the Pride parade every year?” he asked. Chaplin knew exactly the people Munter was referring to—three guys who “always had placards quoting some of those clobber passages from the Bible.

Ron Chaplin rallied participants.

 Pride Parade, p. 3

Demand for day programs grows as city respite centres close

BY DAVID HUMPHREYS

The pandemic has changed the way social services are delivered in the city, and Anglican Diocese of Ottawa day programs are poised to play a key supporting role.

“What we do really well is helping people remain stable, so they are able to maintain their housing,” says Rachel Robinson, executive director of the day programs, Centre 454, The Well and St. Luke’s Table.

This supportive role—providing food, showers, guidance—accounts for 80 percent of the staff’s time and energy. “These are people with a lot of challenges and they need a lot of support,” Robinson says.

The City of Ottawa closed one of three Respite Centres, set up

with pandemic funding, in August and two others are scheduled to close. They provided a full range of services to both the precariously housed and the homeless.

The closures put the focus back on community providers like the day programs. The city’s response has been to set up “service hubs,” the first of which has opened on Catherine Street.

The hub offers help in navigating the social services system but relies on community providers for basic needs like food, showers and cots to rest.

The hub routinely refers clients to the day programs, and they have the experience and facilities to respond. Renovations at St. Luke’s to install showers and expand the

kitchen were completed last year. The showers and the kitchen are in constant use today. The same is true of “respite cots” at St. Luke’s, St. Alban’s and The Well.

The current arrangement which is still evolving is badly needed but it’s not solving the underlying problem of poverty, Robinson says. The real solution is more very low-barrier housing and supports to keep the people housed.

There’s no way a person can survive on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, she says. “You can’t afford housing. You can’t eat.”

She sees a need for low-barrier housing, run on a not-for-profit basis. “Let’s try to be hopeful and positive that we can achieve this in

the coming years.”

The day programs work closely with the Somerset West Community Health Centre, which does extensive research on housing need in the city.

The combined staff of the three programs has remained stable at 30 throughout the pandemic.

But every member of the staff has contracted COVID, and Robinson says it has slowed their capacity to deliver services.

Meal service has been maintained, with St. Luke’s cooking 100 breakfasts daily and receiving another 100 from Food for Thought, an agency created in 2019 to deal with food insecurity. The Well has continued to produce about 60 breakfasts and lunches daily for its clientele of women and children.

FROM OUR BISHOP

We are free to make our path into the possibilities we see before us

BY THE RIGHT REVEREND SHANE PARKER

After the Lambeth Conference ended in early August, I travelled up to Edinburgh for a vacation in the County of Sutherland in northwest Scotland. The cooler weather, freshening sea-breeze, rugged mountains, and varied coastline were a welcome relief from the thick, hot air and parched earth of southeastern England (and the unrelenting schedule and complexities of Lambeth).

Sutherland is a sparsely populated part of Scotland, and as you travel north the roads get more and more narrow and twisty, with only a single lane in many places. To allow vehicles to travel in both directions, there are “passing places” carved into the landscape wherever possible. The passing ritual is very methodical and social: if you see a vehicle coming your way, whoever can pull over first does so, and hearty waves of “thank you” are exchanged as the vehicles pass by. Humans are generally observant of these courtesies, but sheep largely ignore them and wait until collision is imminent before frantically bolting out of the way.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, well over 5,000 families in Sutherland were summarily evicted from their homes and farmland by wealthy landowners who wanted

CLERGY NEWS

The Rev. Carol Hotte, Priest-inCharge of St. Paul’s, Renfrew, will retire effective Oct. 9, 2022.

The Rev. Joan Riding, Priest-inCharge of All Saints, Greely, and St. James Anglican Church Leitrim in Ottawa, retired on Sept. 4, 2022. The Rev. Nash Smith will lead weekly worship and offer pastoral oversight until Oct. 30, 2022.

to use the land for sheep farming, which was much more profitable than having tenants (profit over people). This brutal practice became known as the “Highland Clearances” and led to many emigrations to Canada, America, and Australia. Many other people were resettled along the craggy coast, in tiny crofts (subsistence farms), or to work in the fishing industry. Sudden, rapid, unwelcome change, in any event.

As we approach our Synod in late October, we will be making major decisions about the life and ministry of our diocesan church, which will lead to significant changes. Unlike the poor, vulnerable tenants of Sutherland who were at the mercy of overlords, we, as the people, clergy, and bishop of the Diocese of Ottawa have worked hard together

to listen, respond, shape, revise, and propose what we feel God is calling us to do at this time.

We have been attentive to one another and to the Holy Spirit as we drafted three proposals which are intended to strengthen, nurture, and inspire our parish ministries in every part of our diocese—rural areas, villages, towns, and cities. The proposals are saying we feel called and prepared to address urgent questions that face us and to creatively use our collective resources to give new shape to our parish ministries so they can thrive. We are ready to step away from being changed to guiding change, so we can share the Gospel of love from a place of strength and hope.

The photograph accompanying this column was taken in Sutherland

on Faraid Head, by the Kyle of Durness, facing due North. To the left is the foreboding headland of Cape Wrath, and on the far side of the channel is the wide, open North Sea. The tide has just gone out, leaving the bright sand untrammeled—inviting you forward to make your own path into the vista ahead of you. It is a place that breathes possibilities and opens your spirit of hope and adventure.

I believe we are in such a place as we look to the future of our beloved diocesan church. In the three proposals coming before our Synod, God has opened up a new vista for us, and we are utterly free to make our path into the possibilities we see before us.

The Rev. Victoria Scott was appointed as the Incumbent of Ascension Anglican Church, effective Aug. 23, 2022.

Faraid Head in County Sutherland, Scotland

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

Anglicans show up to celebrate diversity at Ottawa’s 2022 Pride Parade

“I thought about it for about five seconds, and I said ‘I know just the person.’ He called Gillian Wallace, a fellow St. John’s parishioner at the time.

“I put her and Alex in touch with each other and away she went. She got a small group that produced their own placards and their own Bible verses and they walked in the parade. And the minute they saw those guys…., they were on them like bugs to fly paper and just stood next to them. … That was the first St. John’s contingent in the parade, and it was kind of done for that purpose. And over the years they kept that up,” Chaplin said, noting that he didn’t see any protestors this year.

He was part of a core group that started a chapter of Integrity, a North American organization of LGBTQ+ Anglicans and allies. “We organized a monthly eucharist, and Integrity had a budget, and so it was decided that there would be an Integrity contingent in the Pride Parade. The chapter paid the registration fee and would send out an invitation via email to parishes to join in and identify themselves and march together in the parade.” That continued for several years until Chaplin says that Integrity wound down as more and more parishes became accepting of gay (LGBTQ+) participation in parish life. When the Ottawa chapter closed, Chaplin became a one-man organizing committee, registering the group in the parade each year.

Another big step came in 2015. After General Synod, when Bishop John Chapman announced that he had made the decision to authorize the marriage of same-sex couples in the diocese, Stephanie Boyd, the diocesan communications officer,

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called Chaplin with the suggestion that with the bishop’s decision, Anglicans should be marching as the Diocese of Ottawa. “I said that’s a great idea, and she produced the banner that we have been using. But I just kept on registering the group and organizing, showing up on the day of the parade with the banner. I would send out the invitation to parishes to join in, and over the years there were more and more parishes who would show up.”

Chaplin estimates there were a half dozen parishes participating in the parade this year. That’s less than in the past, but it is understandable after the two-year interruption of the parade. The committee only decided to go ahead with this year’s parade in May, which is much later than usual, he said.

Looking to the future, Chaplin said he is trying to create a succession plan for others to take on the responsibility of organizing the Anglican contingent. “All it requires is to go to the website, sign the group up, send a cheque and show up on the day of the event,” he explained. Individual parishes could sign up on their own, but this just makes it easy for everyone to show up, he said. “It’s a great way for parishes to demonstrate to the LGBTQ+ community that they are welcome in their churches.”

Crosstalk acknowledges that we publish on traditional Anishinàbeg Algonquin territory. We recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries.

“Do you know someone who could organize a counter protest?” Munter asked.

“I would send out the invitation to parishes to join in, and over the years there were more and more parishes who would show up.”

RON CHAPLIN

The Rev. Caroline Ducros (above) and marchers from St. Albans (below) enjoy the parade.

PHOTO: RON CHAPLIN

Diocesan Synod to focus on Shape of Parish Ministry motions

BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS

The 142nd session of Synod will meet in-person from Oct. 20 to 22 for the first time since 2019.

It will begin with an opening Eucharist at Christ Church Cathedral (which will also be live streamed) on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Synod will convene on Friday Oct. 21 until noon on Sat. Oct. 22 at the St. Elias Centre (750 Ridgewood Ave., Ottawa).

A key focus of the Synod will be consideration of three proposals that have resulted from the Shape of Parish Ministry consultations (SPMC) that began in 2021 with the creation of parish profiles. Customized toolkits for each parish were designed to help parish clergy and leaders explore their individual situations and share thoughts and ideas about the shape of parish ministry across the diocese.

Throughout the consultations, the SPMC team heard that parishes are challenged by volunteer fatigue, property and administrative responsibilities, finances, aging congregations, and evangelism. But it also reported that “parish clergy and lay leaders are inspired to work together more, reach more people, enrich their discipleship, clarify and support shared lay and clergy leadership. They are ready to change in order to grow and serve.”

From these discussions, the SPMC team developed three proposals (as reported in the September issue of Crosstalk). Following online and inperson meetings to discuss them at the end of June, the proposals were further revised over the summer and presented to Diocesan Council in September.

Here are some excerpted highlights of proposals, revised to incorporate feedback, that Synod will consider.

Proposal One Strengthening for the future

This proposal seeks to clarify understanding of different models of parishes; to consolidate activities wherever possible to strengthen overall parish ministry; and to promote collaboration and use of collective resources in ways that support and enable parishes.

Clarifying the different types of parish structures (single point, multi-point, area, pastoral and chapel) and various “life-cycle” processes parishes may go through (creation, disestablishment, amalgamation, chapel designation).

Consolidating parish ministry

The consultations revealed a significant number of parishes and congregations who believe they are in a time of transition and are open to moving into a different kind of parish structure. Many others are wondering about the possibility of being in transition sometime in the future. About a dozen parishes appear to be in a place where immediate action can be taken to consolidate, and Bishop Shane has already begun conversations, in consultation with parish leaders and territorial archdeacons, with a number of those parishes.

Motion P1A requests that a guide be created to help parishes discern when the time is right to move to a different parish structure and urges parish leaders who have discerned that the time is right to begin active conversations with the bishop and their territorial archdeacon to make changes as soon as possible.

Motion P1C urges staff and relevant diocesan bodies, under the guidance of the bishop, to take action to stimulate innovation and collaboration between parishes.

Collaboration and interdependence

Participants in the consultations expressed a strong desire to become more collaborative and interdependent by uploading some responsibilities to Ascension House and to centralize or regionalize some other functions.

Mitigating financial demands on parishes

Motion P1D asks Diocesan Council to strike a task force to conduct a review of Parish Fair Share. Any recommended changes would be brought to Synod 2023 for approval.

Based on a review of untapped sources of financial relief, Motion P1E asks that Synod approve the use of dividends from undesignated and bishop’s discretionary trusts held in the diocesan Consolidated Trust Fund to contribute to the overall, shared costs of parish ministry.

Areas for improvement

Many functions are duplicated across the diocese without added benefit, while opportunities to share resources and take advantage of bulk buying are missed.

The bishop and staff at Ascension House have identified several areas where improved support or options for relief can happen: property and asset management, financial and administrative services and human resource management (including some support for volunteer recruitment and management).

Proposal Two

Lifelong formation — nurturing parish ministry

This proposal focuses on building capacity to equip parishes for ministry by establishing a program of modules for parish advancement; providing guides and regular training for people in parish leadership positions; and establishing resource pods of people with interest and expertise in various areas who will share information with the diocese as a whole.

Parish advancement

Knowledge and resources gained from participating in the School for Parish Development for several years can be built on and expanded into a diocesan parish advancement program, designed for parish teams of clergy and lay leaders. The parish advancement program would include several modules that address key areas such as building trust and community; thinking strategically; assessing needs; managing change; and effective stewardship.

Parish leadership training Consultations revealed a desire for increased training and support for parish leadership, to ensure people have the technical skills and knowl edge needed to fulfil their respon sibilities. There was particular concern with regard to the work and responsibilities of treasurers, war dens, head servers, parish adminis trators, music directors and parish council members.

Motion P2B asks staff and relevant diocesan bodies to prepare up-todate resources and regular training sessions for parish leadership roles.

Resource pods

Intentionally creating “resource pods,” which gather people (lay and ordained) around areas of common interest and expertise, can offer a means to provide mutual learning and support to all members of the diocese. The Shape of Parish Ministry consultations identified many areas that would benefit from resource pods, such as children and youth, adult education, rural ministry, pastoral visiting, evangelism, food security, and mental health advocacy.

Resource pods would share best practices and failed experiments, discover opportunities for collaboration (especially on issues that cut across different pods), and offer the gift of collegiality.

Motion P2C asks that a working group be tasked with responsibilities related to creating resource pods to be completed and presented to Diocesan Council in March 2023.

Proposal Three

Engagement with the world: new worshipping communities and contextual mission

This proposal looks forward to engaging with the world by establishing new worshipping communities tailored to include people the church is not currently reaching and by doing contextual mission (learning how to share the love of God in an age where many have given up on religion, where there are many kinds of religions, and where many are wary of religion.)

New worshipping communities

Three groups are identified as people who might respond to new worshipping communities in some parts of the diocese: young adults, global Christians, seekers and those who have left the Anglican church or other churches. There is good reason to believe that creating new worshipping communities is a good way to foster renewal in many parishes.

Motion P3A asks that Synod declare its commitment to the strategic priority of engagement with the world through developing new worshipping communities and contextual mission, and that a working group appointed by the bishop conduct one or two pilot projects in 2022 and prepare a detailed plan of action, including a time of intentional prayer and discernment, to be presented for adoption at Synod 2023.

Funding

The “Second Century Fund” is an existing trust held by the diocese of approximately $1.5 million. Its original goal was to help to expand parish ministry in the new millennium. It could be dedicated to creating new worshipping communities.

Motion P3C proposes that the existing “Second Century Fund” held by the diocese in the Consolidated Trust Fund be renamed the “Future Fund” and be dedicated to the funding of new worshipping communities and contextual mission, and that a proposal for how this fund is to be used and further developed be brought to Synod 2023.

How does your garden grow?

BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS

This harvest season, parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle in Ottawa may be marvelling at how things have grown around their church.

This past summer was the second year the church hosted a community garden on its property. About half the plots are tended by St. Thomas parishioners who volunteer their time to grow fresh produce for the food bank. The other half of the plots are privately held by people in the neighbourhood. “We don’t charge them for the plots, but we require that they give 10% of what they grow to the food bank,” explains Derwyn Sangster, chair of the parish stewardship committee. “They are quite happy to do it. Some of them give a lot more than 10% because they find they are growing more than their family can eat.”

The food bank loves it when we turn up, he adds. “We have had a long-standing association with the food bank, so moving to the community garden last year was a natural extension of our interest in the food bank. ….It’s fun, and we’ve made some good friends.”

They added new friends again this year. The community garden caught the eye of people who were looking for a location for an Alta

Vista Community Farmers Market.

“They got in touch with us, and we now have had a farmer’s market operating every Saturday since the end of June, right on the front lawn of the church beside the community garden.”

PHOTO: DERWYN SANGSTER

Rural parishes in the diocese rally to support Ukrainians

BY DAVID HUMPHREYS

St George’s South Alice is a small church with a big heart. It counts a congregation of 15 very active members as a good Sunday. The congregation came together to organize a barbecue that raised $6,000 to support Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country.

They didn’t have a venue for a sitdown event. Complying with health regulations they made it a take-out over two evenings based at the location of the Alice General Store.

St George’s, a member church of the Parish of the Valley, serves a rural area west of Pembroke. “The community here was very generous,” says Wanda Hilts, lead volunteer for the event. “It was just wonderful.”

The fundraiser benefitted from a single donation of $1,500 and a total of about 1,900 small cash donations.

Nine volunteers did the cooking and serving of made-to-order dinners. Hilts and her husband saw television news coverage of the efforts by St James Carleton Place to support a local charity, Ukrainian Diaspora Support Canada (UADSC),

in bringing Ukrainians to Canada. They decided to lend a hand.

Meanwhile, Anglican Church Women (ACW) at Holy Trinity Pembroke, held coffee hours and lunches to raise $2,147.75, bringing the total contribution from the Area Parish of the Valley to $8,147.75.

It’s part of more than $30,000 that has been raised by rural parishes in the diocese to support the displaced Ukrainians.

After overwhelming support in

the spring for a local couple who set up the UADSC charity, St James Carleton Place became a distribution centre for clothing and supplies for arriving Ukrainians.

By the fall, St James was able to sell some of the excess stock while still maintaining enough for continuing arrivals. This raised about $7,000 that was donated to the UADSC cause.

St Paul’s Almonte raised $1,700 through two Ukrainian Easter Egg

decorating workshops. Partnering with the Centre for Creative Living (CFCL), St Paul’s provided the space and three instructors donated their time. The 48 participants were asked to make a donation through Carebridge Community Support which at the time was handling donations for the UADSC group.

“This was an excellent opportunity for us to engage with our community, introduce people to our church and work together to support Ukrainian refugees,” Rev. Jonathon Kouri says.

As reported in June Crosstalk the Parish of Huntley in Carp raised $13,460 that was directed for aid to Ukraine through the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF).

Ukrainians fleeing the war are eligible under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) for a one-time non-taxable benefit payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child (age 17 and under). They do not qualify for refugee settlement programs.

A group of parishioners interested in promoting reconciliation with Indigenous peoples also took the opportunity to add a land acknowledgment to the sign for the community garden. Their handsome wooden sign was handcrafted by a skilled parishioner. Parishioners have also added an Indigenous garden featuring the traditional three sisters crops of corn, beans and squash.

PHOTO: ARCHDEACON BRIAN KAUK

“Many women who access Cornerstone experience what it is like to have a home for the very first time. We are the only women-only shelter system available in Ottawa. I can say confidently that we are the Cornerstone of hope for so many women seeking shelter.”

Building a Community of Hope Virtual Event, Silent Auction and Tour

October 21, 12:30 - 1:30

Join our virtual tour of the Community Ministries, featuring seven social service agencies partnering with Today 4 Tomorrow to care for vulnerable people in our communities. This is your opportunity to experience the impact of these agencies, meet our dedicated sta , program participants, and volunteers, and hear their

As the pandemic continues, the Community Ministries are doing their best to take care of the most at-risk people while trying to keep up with increasing expenses such as the cost of food and basic hygiene supplies. At the same time, government Covid-19 emergency support programs are phasing out. The homeless emergency in Ottawa has been made so much worse by the pandemicmore people are living in poverty, unsheltered, or sleeping rough, and there is a growing mental health crisis.

Mayor Jim Watson, City Councillor Catherine McKenney, Broadcaster/Entrepreneur Kathie Donovan, and Bruce Nicol, President of Tartan Homes, will be joining Bishop Shane Parker and other community leaders to celebrate the Community Ministries and the hope they bring to people’s lives.

Today 4 Tomorrow (T4T) partners with the Community Ministries − seven social service agencies offering respect, dignity, a sense of belonging and the assurance that somebody cares. The Community Ministries include four drop-in day programs, a network of shelters and housing for women, programs to help refugees settle in Ottawa and surrounding areas, and access to virtual professional counselling and therapy. The pandemic has shown the adaptability of these agencies to provide services and hope to vulnerable populations in Ottawa and surrounding communities. Every day the Community Ministries extend a helping hand to impoverished, traumatized, and displaced people. I am asking you to help make hope a reality for people facing extremely difficult challenges in their lives.

Join us on October 21 and see how your support has enabled the development of new programs that are now in place and the challenges of maintaining them in a post-pandemic world.

The number of people accessing our services has continued to increase. Building a community of hope together during this time of transition is more important than ever before!

Cornerstone Housing for Women is a network of women’s shelters, including temporary and permanent housing. Every day, Cornerstone helps over 230 women who are fleeing violence, struggling with trauma, and battling addictions.

“Currently, during the pandemic, we are seeing more and more people close to St Luke’s Table sleeping outside. We are trying to do everything we can to help them through this tough time.”

Essential services for those experiencing precarious housing and homelessness

I come to Centre 454 for help and counselling. The counsellors are very good, and they help us out a lot. They have seen it all and know how to help the poor.”

— (Participant)

More people are seeking respite from the streets and turning to four drop-in day programs for crisis intervention, counselling, and the basic things all of us deserve for human dignity. Centre 105 serves hot nutritious breakfasts three days per week, provides access to laundry, and hands out hygiene supplies to people facing poverty and food insecurity in Cornwall. Centre 454, St Luke’s Table, and The Well partner to offer nutritious meals and access to respite cots, washrooms, showers, and laundry while providing safe gathering places for men, women, and children in Ottawa.

The only network of shelters and housing support in Ottawa specifically for women

− Sarah Davis, Executive Director

“Imagine what it would be like to be without a home, or if every day you had to worry about where your next meal would come from. People in our community are facing these challenges all the time. In 2022, as we move closer to an endemic world, the number of people accessing our services is rising, and the need to continue providing hope has never been more urgent.”

− Kathie Donovan, T4T Supporter

Building a community of

The Rt. Rev. Shane A.D. Parker Bishop of Ottawa

You can make hope a reality by helping the Community Ministries serve as many people as possible!

—Rachel Robinson, Executive Director

Help protect our most vulnerable people. Please take a minute to make a gi .

to the generosity of so many people, in 2020 we raised $79,000 to help Centre 105, Centre 454,

Women, Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre

St Luke’s

precariously,

mental health issues.

serve people

challenged

the tour you will experience the positive changes that

now in place to serve the most at-risk people in our

“As we move into the third year of a pandemic, the OPC continues to support those in the community experiencing profound crisis, loss, and grief. Since March 2020, the number of people asking for counselling services has quadrupled. Thank you for supporting us as we navigate these lifechanging times.”

Counselling support for those who lack resources

“ The number of people asking for counselling support has doubled. We are working to capacity nding resources, supporting people, and responding to the mental health crisis before us. ”

The Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (OPC) offers virtual counselling support to people experiencing family crisis, depression, loss, grief, and other human issues. The isolation and uncertainty of the present pandemic have increased the need for mental health services. The Counselling Support Fund was set up to allow people to donate financial resources to help pay counselling fees for those who could not access counselling services, and the need for these services has continued to increase during the pandemic.

An anonymous donor gave a gift of $100,000 to support the Community Ministries through Today 4 Tomorrow.

By participating in our event and supporting our Community Ministries, here are some of the people you will be helping.

When asked why she made this gift she said,

Providing a safe community for refugees

“ You gave me that hope, that ght, that extra push I needed. You have literally changed my life.”

“

“When I was a young woman, I was a single parent and I had five kids to raise and support, so I understand what it is like to be poor. I gave because I know these ministries are doing God’s work –serving and caring for vulnerable people.”

For a long time, I didn’t live anywhere. I didn’t have any hope of having a place to call home. Now, I’m nally at home.”

The Refugee Ministry Office supports families, parishes, and community groups as they strive to sponsor refugees fleeing from perilous experiences in their home countries into welcoming communities in Canada. Men, women, and children now relocated to our communities are supported as they move forward into new and more hopeful lives.

“I lost hope that I could sponsor my family until I found the Refugee Ministry Office at the Diocese. The process of sponsoring them to come to Canada became very quick and efficient. My family is settling into their new community in Canada very well. It is home for them now.”

“I grew up on the streets and got into crime, drugs and alcohol. At that time in my life, I connected with Centre 454. They have been with me through so many hard times providing support and helping me choose hope.”

—(Participant)

Thanks

Please give now and help our Community Ministries thrive and continue to serve the people who need it most.

“I recently tucked in a large grown man with a blanket. He looked up at me and smiled like a little boy. He was at peace knowing he could get some sleep for the next few hours.”

Liz, Day Program Staff

Thanking people who remember a parish in their will

St. Thomas the Apostle in Ottawa’s Alta Vista neighbourhood has found a way to promote legacy giving.

The parish stewardship committee had been including an insert about legacy giving in the church’s annual stewardship campaign each fall, but “rather than just reminding people once a year, we decided we would try to do something a bit more visible,” Derwyn Sangster, chair of the stewardship committee, explained.

St. Thomas had the names of parishioners who had remembered the church in their wills going back to 1960. With approval from parish council, they asked a parishioner who is a skilled woodworker (but who prefers not to be named) to create a plaque that would feature all of the names and the year of their gifts. A small name plate is commercially produced for each person. Once the plaque was hung on the wall, the parish found there was an additional benefit. “One or two people have since died and remembered the church in their will, so we have had a little mini-ceremony during the service where the name of the individual was read out and remembered and that person’s name was symbolically put up on a new little plate on the plaque,” said Sangster. “It was an opportunity for the priest to draw attention to legacy giving, this particular person’s gift and to talk a little bit about the value of legacy giving as an ongoing component of people’s giving.”

Diocesan refugee ministry prepares for a busy year

BY DAVID HUMPHREYS

The diocese’s Refugee Ministry is busy after a pause caused by the pandemic and a government-level logjam.

Two Afghan families, sponsored by the Community Alliance of Refugee Settlement (CARS) in Perth, a partnering group of the ministry, arrived in Perth in August. Another two families are on track for settlement to Ottawa. They include a prominent Afghan television news anchor who is among the most vulnerable to persecution.

These families are being settled under the special Operation Afghan Safety Program that is making about 3,000 cases available to Sponsorship Agreement Holders of which the Diocese’s Refugee Ministry is one. The program will be open to applications at least until next year.

At the same time, the Blended Visa Office Referral (BVOR) program has become more active. Under the program Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides lists of candidates for settlement to Sponsorship Agreement Holders, inviting them to participate.

“I hope we’ll be busy from now on,” Ishita Ghose, case manager at the Refugee Ministry, says. The ministry has filed two applications under the BVOR program and expects to do more.

One of the applications is partnered with the Interchurch Refugee Group (IRG), an independent charity supported by five churches, including Epiphany Anglican in Gloucester.

Ghose, who works with Safiyah Rochelle as a team in the ministry, encourages parishes to contact the ministry office if they are interested or want more information. The big advantage for BVOR sponsorship now is that the government is providing up to six months’ worth

of cost-sharing funding based on rates of the province’s Resettlement Assistance Program. Sponsors can choose to support a family or a single person from the lists provided by IRCC.

The government recently announced an additional $800,000 to expand resettlement services in eastern Ontario. The Refugee Ministry is a member of the Refugee Network of the Eastern Ontario and Outaouais Region of the United Church of Canada.

The diocese partners with “constituent groups” like CARS and IRG to sponsor refugee families. The groups may be parishes and community groups and may include family members of refugees. They raise funds to support the refugee families financially for their first year and also provide settlement activities.

PHOTO: DERWYN SANGSTER

Ishita Ghose

Safiyah Rochelle

Centre 105 gets greener with its new water station

BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS

In recent years, one of the ways Centre 105 has cared for the people in need in Cornwall has been to provide bottles of water, especially essential during the heat of summer. In 2021, the Centre received donations of and gave out about 10,000 water bottles, executive director Taylor Seguin told Crosstalk The environmental impact of all those plastic bottles was a concern but COVID health restrictions made other options difficult.

This year, however, Seguin said he and the staff wanted to find another way. They decided to collect and distribute reusable water bottles and to find a way to provide water to refill them.

They had previously approached the City of Cornwall to see if their location at Trinity Anglican Church could be the site for an outdoor water station. The City has installed a few along the waterfront and bike path in Cornwall to provide accessible drinking water. “We reached out to the City again and asked if there was any possibility. They got back to us and said it’s just financially not possible. It’s a huge project, and it has to connect with a water main.”

Seguin was excited, however, to get a call the following week from a City official who said that the

mayor would like to come for a visit to Centre 105. “He came and said ‘We love the project. We love the idea of trying to reduce waste. What about an indoor water station?

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That’s something we can do.’ And I thought, “Wow, what a surprise. I thought this was going to be totally dead.”

Installing an indoor water station is still a big project, so Seguin is grateful the City is spearheading it and providing the funding. “We just get to enjoy it when it is done,” he said.

Centre 105 collected about 600 reusable water bottles. Various businesses and agencies donated blocks of 50 or 100 and individual people donated them one or two at a time. “It all adds up,” says Seguin.

Centre 105 has about 150 regular participants, so they gave everyone two reusable bottles to start with. During the summer while waiting for the water station to be installed, the staff provided water to participants in the program from big camping jugs of ice water at the Centre.

The water station will be just by the Centre 105’s side entrance. It will keep a running total of the amount of water dispensed and how many plastic bottles it has replaced.

“One at city hall that’s been there for a few years had saved 20,000 water bottles,” Seguin said. ““This is busy building. There’s so many different groups in here, not to mention the church itself. It’s going to be pretty wild. I think we are going to be shocked.”

Executive director Taylor Seguin points to the water bottles Centre 105 used to rely on to supply water to those in need.

PHOTOS: CONTRIBUTED

Youth offer arts performances for seniors

BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS

As a member of the leadership team of the Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa Girls’ Choir and a junior organ scholar, high school student Aleesha Katary regularly helps fill the cathedral with music. During the pandemic, she and her friend Ally Guo found a way to bring music and other arts performances to many seniors in their homes and long-term care residences.

Their Arts for Seniors project began at the Believe Leadership Club at Katary’s school Earl of March. “In this club, students are meant to create a project which involves a passion that they have and a problem that they would like to solve,” she told Crosstalk. A year into the pandemic, Katary and Guo thought about how isolated seniors were. “We decided that it would be a nice idea to host virtual concerts for these seniors to enjoy from the comfort of their [own] home.”

Katary said one of the most difficult parts of the project was connecting with seniors’ care centres and residences. The first 20 she contacted didn’t respond or said no. “I then reached out to my

organ teacher, and she helped me to get in touch with a few facilities that might be interested, and after [that], we were able to get a little momentum.

“After finding the retirement homes, we had to find students who were willing to participate in our concerts. We advertised online, in our school, and obtained 10 to15

PRAYER MATTERS

Way of Life

BY PAUL DUMBRILLE

People sometimes ask: “How can I lead a Christian life when faced with the busy demands, temptations and choices involved in living in today’s world?” Christian writers through out the years have suggested that we establish and follow a Rule of Life. For me the phrase Way of Life is more useful. The first Chris tians were known as followers of “The Way” (Acts 9:2). What might a Christian Way of Life look like?

Regularity and Accountability

In today’s culture, the busyness of life, instant communications, con stant interruptions, and seemingly endless choices, make it difficult to establish any sort of routine. While we can’t control the world around us, we can control our reaction to it.

our spiritual sanity and growth,

A Prayer for Diocesan Synod

was especially valuable during the pandemic when many other opportunities to do volunteer hours were shut down or limited.

Response to the concerts has been very positive, Katary says. In addition to sending the concerts to retirement homes, “We’ve sent these concerts to teachers (to share with their elderly relatives), family members, and any other seniors that we know of. One of our teachers reached out to us and gave us a lot of support; explaining that our concerts really cheer up her mother.”

CBC Radio also heard about the project and interviewed the girls on air.

“When we send our concerts to the retirement homes, we get a note of thanks from them each month, which really gives us the motivation to keep going with this.”

performances in the first concert!”

The concerts continued on a monthly basis and are archived on YouTube.

The project also provides an opportunity for the high school students to accumulate the 40 hours of volunteer time they need as a requirement to graduate. The chance to do online concerts

Katary and Guo took a break from the monthly concerts over the summer, but Katary says they will be starting up again in October, and this year, they hope to do a live in-person concert in the holiday season.

Find Arts for Seniors at: https://allyaleeshapassion.wixsite.com/ artsforseniors

we can put some regularity into our prayer life, our way of learning, our fellowship life, and our worship life. Regularity and self-discipline do not mean rigidity. We need to be accountable to God, to ourselves, to others we know, to the Church, and to the world we live in.

The Way of Prayer

A Christian Way of Life includes a regular time for quiet prayer. We are all unique; consequently, the ways in which we regularly practise prayer will be different. Regular times of prayer and meditation are an essential ingredient in a Way of Life.

The Way of Study and Reflection

St. Paul said, “Have this mind in you which is in Christ Jesus.” A Christian Way of Life involves nurturing our mind, seeking the truth through study and reflection. Prayerful studying Scripture, and the writings of others, is essential to spiritual

Holy God, the navigator of our souls, hear us as we hold up before you the Synod of our Diocese. Be with us in our yearning to chart a new course together, inspired by the presence of your Spirit.

growth. There are many resources available these days, but discipline and care are needed to choose those things that are useful for our inner growth.

The Way of Fellowship

The Way of the Christian Life is not a solitary endeavour. It involves the fellowship, encouragement, and companionship of others. Probably the best way to practise the Way of Fellowship is to be part of a small Christian fellowship group. Such things as participating in a regular Bible Study, being part of a Prayer Group, belonging to what the Cursillo Community calls a Group Reunion, are good ways of regularly praying, learning from each other and encouraging each other.

The Way of Worship

The Christian life leads into the whole experience of the Body of Christ; a Way of Life always in

Give courage to our Bishop, all of our leaders, and each of us, as we move forward with your blessing.

For all we do, we do to your glory, in Jesus’ name.

Paul Dumbrille is diocesan representative to the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer.

cludes the corporate worship of the Church. The Christian who estab lishes a Way of Life comes to the li turgical acts of the Church (worship) with the fervour that makes them spiritually alive and also ignites the faith of others.

The Way of Christian Action

The Christian Way of Life is not solely one of belief and trust in God; it is the way of getting beyond ourselves and serving others. It is a Way of responding to the needs of others and showing the world what the Christian response is to the troubles and needs of those less for tunate than ourselves. Our Mission is to help others and to bring the Christian message of love, reconcili ation, and peace to those whom we encounter.

One can find a more extensive discussion of “The Way of Life” on the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer website at: https://anglicanprayer.org/index.

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PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

DIOCESAN ARCHIVES

What is the name of this place?

BY GLENN J LOCKWOOD

Here we view a classic shot by photographer William James Topley of a significant Anglican house of worship in Canada’s capital. Its name? It all depends on when the photograph was taken. If before 1908, we call it Grace Church, Ottawa. But from that year forward it increasingly came to be known as Saint John the Evangelist Church, Ottawa.

The roots of Saint John the Evangelist parish go much further back than that. In 1860, when there was still only one parish in the City of Ottawa, Christ Church was still located at the western limits of the city, whereas the larger population resided in Lower Town, and there was promise of the Sandy Hill area being developed once parliament moved to Ottawa from Québec. The congregation of Christ Church (later the cathedral) built a stone ‘chapel of ease’ on Sussex Street at the corner of George Street which it also used as a school room.

Bishop John Travers Lewis by 1871 perceived that Ottawa as capital would soon outdistance Kingston, and began working to have a Diocese of Ottawa created out of the northern and eastern sections of the Diocese of Ontario. Coming to prefer residing in Ottawa as opposed to Kingston, Bishop

chapel came to be known as Saint John’s Church.

In the early 1900s the federal government prepared to expropriate Saint John’s in preparation for building the Connaught Building, when the stone church happened

to burn down. As the congregation had no hope of rebuilding on their existing site, they chose to amalgamate with Grace Church— the structure we view here—which had been built in 1890 at the intersection of Elgin and Somerset streets. The amalgamated congregation came to be known by the name of the older parish.

By whichever name it was known—Grace or Saint John’s—the church at the corner of Elgin Street and Somerset was distinguished by

a number of features. It was built of red brick on a foundation of cut grey Gloucester limestone. Its features included a landmark tower with battlements, and angled buttresses on the upper tower. All buttresses and pointed windows were capped or distinguished by Ohio freestone, there were vents in dormer gables on the roof and transepts. This church was distinguished by four features it possessed and one it did not. First, it was one of only two Anglican churches in the diocese built with a baptistery (the square structure to the right of the main entrance). Second, it may well have been built with the earliest purposebuilt parish hall in a parish church (on the far right). Third, the large west and chancel windows featured double-layered stained glass in order to add to the realism of the scenes portrayed in them. Fourth, the very narrow side windows lining the nave together with the dark wood paneling made for a very dark church interior. If there were bats in the large belfry, they remained undisturbed for over a century, as a bell was not installed until 2001.

Documents the Archives collects for parishes include parish registers, vestry reports, service registers, minutes of groups and committees, financial documents, property records (including cemeteries and architectural plans), insurance policies, letters, pew bulletins, photographs and paintings, scrapbooks, parish newsletters and unusual documents.

Diocesan

CALENDAR

Oct. 1

Emotion Commotion

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at All Saints’ Westboro (347 Richmond Road, Ottawa) Kid-Safe Productions together with sponsorship from the Anglican Foundation of Canada are proud to present a musical play for children and families, teaching mental health practices for children. No registration required.

Email: kidsafeproductions@gmail.com More Info: kidsafeproductions.org

Oct. 2 Walk for the Centretown Emergency Food Centre

1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. walking along the scenic Queen Elizabeth pathway

At 1:30.p.m., things start with live music from a barbershop quartet and guest speakers Ottawa councillor Catherine McKenney and Emergency Food Centre manager Diana Mahaffy at Jean Pigott Place, City Hall. At 2:20 p.m., the Sons of Scotland piper band will lead the walk. All proceeds go directly to the Centretown Emergency Food Centre.

Oct. 2

Autumn Leaves Yard Sale and Outdoor Café

9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at St. Thomas, Stittsville (1619 Main Street Stittsville)

Everything outdoors: Jewelry, books, housewares, clothing, toys, Christmas and crafts. Outdoor café serving tea, coffee, hot chocolate and muffins.

Silent auction and bake sale later online.

Phone: (613) 831-0968 More Info: stthomasstittsville.ca. Raindate: Saturday, Oct. 15

Oct. 23 to Nov. 1

Online Auction at St. Aidan’s

The virtual portion of St. Aidan’s Yuletide Bazaar will feature an assortment of timeless treasures and practical goods for you to bid on. Log in and find the items that speak to you. Get a head start on Christmas shopping.

Nov. 5

Yuletide Bazaar at St. Aidan’s 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Aidan’s (934 Hamlet Road, Ottawa)

We can’t wait to welcome you! Visit www.staidansottawa.com for further details.

The Cathedral Labyrinth Guild • Fall 2022 to June 2023

Nov. 26

a.m.to 2 p.m., with registration until the Friday before at the Cathedral A half-day introduction and experience into the mysteries of the labyrinth, followed by lunch. Fee: $30:00.

Jan. 11, Feb. 8, Mar. 8 7 p.m. on ZOOM. Book Club on The Path of the Holy Fool:

How the Labyrinth Ignites our Visionary Powers by Lauren Artress.

Apr. 22 (Earth Day)

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. half-day programming, lunch and action (or joining others taking action), with registration until the Friday before. Fee: $30.00

26 Program to be determined

Exploring the mysteries of the labyrinth

The Cathedral Labyrinth Guild plans to offer a varied program to “Explore the mysteries of the labyrinth,” over the coming months. The guild also intends to encourage labyrinth programming in the diocese, foster the development of a network of labyrinth leaders and users in the area, and to offer the opportunity for learning and lived experience.

Guild member Gwynneth Evans spent one week in Chartres, the mother cathedral of labyrinths from June 27 to July 2 attending a workshop with the theme of “Unlocking your gifts: the labyrinth as a portal to your soul’s calling.” It was led by the founder of Veriditas, the Rev. Dr. Lauren Artress and Catherine Anderson, a Soulcollage facilitator trainer and photographer. “Many had told me how rich the experience would be, but I never imagined being moved so deeply by the experience of living within a stone’s throw of the cathedral in this medieval town; of spending hours in the cathedral and its surroundings with a group of about 30 persons, who

were mostly American and very creative seekers and facilitators; and of the strange experience of making a soul collage card (above) during the previous afternoon that exactly anticipated our night walk into and through the candlelit crypt, and then ascended the stairs into the empty nave where we walked the labyrinth in darkness and silence, except for a few musicians, the organist, some candles and the lighted altar. It was unforgettable and lifechanging.”