Page 2 Bishop’s Greeting
Page 4 Cathedral Girls’ Choir tours to Japan and Hong Kong
Page 10 Blanket Exercise Uncovers History
Page 12 Befriending the Bees
June 2019
Rising to the challenge of floods
photo:
Hong Li
BY LEIGH ANNE WILLIAMS
The spring of 2019 will be remembered for the widespread and devastating flooding that affected thousands of people in Ontario and Quebec as the Ottawa River rose to record-breaking levels. The Rev. John Stopa of the Parish of Fitzroy Harbour ministered to people in one of the hardest hit areas, including Constance Bay, MacLaren’s Landing, Crown Point, and Fitzroy Harbour. Parishioners in both of the two churches, St. Thomas Woodlawn and St. George’s Fitzroy Harbour, had flooded homes and some had to leave The waters rose to stay with family and friends in other The Ottawa River roars under the Chaudière Bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau on April 27, 2019. communities. Stopa told Crosstalk that people were coming to him and to the tornadoes that hit the area in September 2018. Response Christ Church Aylmer the church for support, but while the flood waters were still then too was overwhelming, and Braun said she had to use to rising their main concern was staying at home and making sure transport trailers to store it all. She encourages donations of hosts The Big Give sandbags and electricity were holding. “They are frustrated. cash and gift cards, which allow the centre to buy what is most They are tired, so tired, and they are worried about their The Big Give is a national needed with less storage required. homes and property,” he said, explaining that the area and day of generosity. This A similar spirit of generosity and the desire to help neighresidents who had suffered during the floods in the spring of year, on Saturday, June 1, bours was evident in the cities too. 2017 are now retraumatized. And the 2019 flooding is worse. faith communities across When Moe Moloughney, a parishioner at Christ Church, “They will come [to the church] afterwards, and then we’ll the country will hold events Aylmer, spoke to Crosstalk, everyone on her street in the riverside have a role to play,” said Stopa. “Right now, we’re there to supwhere everything from neighbourhood of Wychwood was keeping close watch on flood port as best as we can, to do whatever we can.” Parishioners clothing to kitchen items, maps and water levels. Her neighbour’s sandbagged house just brought donations of snack food for the sandbagging volunfrom furniture to car washes, down the street was already surrounded by water, but the slightteers to the churches on Sunday and to the local food bank. and from home baking to ly higher elevation of about half a metre meant her side of the “I’ve had parishioners skip church on Sunday to go sandbag, lemonade will be absolutely street was still dry. “It seems so bizarre that they are flooding which is great,” he said. “We are praying for them and the free! and we are not,” she said. The neighbours were supporting prayer chain is praying for them, and they take comfort in that Christ Church Aylmer each other. When one family accurately concluded flooding was as well. is partnering with four inevitable and switched from sandbagging to clearing out all The local foodbank, the West Carleton Food Access Centre, other local churches to host their possessions, their friends on the street helped to store their is run by volunteers. Co-ordinator Mary Braun, a member of Aylmer’s Big Give event. belongings in their homes. the St. Thomas Anglican congregation, said the response to This may be timely for all Health conditions prevented Moloughney and Kae McColl that the response to calls for donations had been overwhelmAylmer residents who have from helping with sandbagging, but she said they had coning. “It’s unreal,” she said, adding that the centre was initially been working together centrated their efforts to help in transporting sandbags from a mostly providing drinks and snacks for the volunteers sandbagtirelessly, and with boundless distribution point in their car and making food for others. ging, but that in itself was a major operation. “At Dunrobin, generosity, in flood relief She and her neighbours were planning to call in help from they picked up snacks for 400 people this morning,” she said. efforts. Come and enjoy this their families and help each other in case they needed to sandBraun was expecting the families who had to leave their day of FREE! bag their homes. homes to come to the centre for help later, as they did following See FLOOD, p. 3