THANKS TO YOU

BY CHRISTINE HILLS PWRDF Public Engagement Program Officer

A Different Kind Of Steeplechase

On June 10, parishes in the Scarborough Deanery (Diocese of Toronto) came together for the Scarborough Steeplechase Scavenger Hunt. Manita Swati, PWRDF Senior Advisor, Planned Giving and Major Gifts, opened the race at Holy Trinity Guildwood. Eight teams completed skill-testing tasks at each church before moving on to the next location, visiting 12 churches in all and ending at St. Timothy, Agincourt. A closing celebration followed and Bishop Andrew Asbil and his wife, Mary, were on hand to hand out prizes. After a close race, the first place finish went to St. Jude, Wexford, while Church of the Holy Wisdom claimed second place and third place went to St. Timothy, Agincourt. In total, the event raised more than $700 for PWRDF projects and programs, and also raised awareness about PWRDF programs.

WHEN WE ASSEMBLE, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN

In June, PWRDF Executive Director Will Postma delivered an interactive presentation to the many generous delegates from the Anglican Church of Canada at Assembly 2023, held in Calgary. Later that day, Dave Toycen, a delegate from the Diocese of Toronto, spoke about the crisis in Sudan and invited delegates to donate to PWRDF’s East Africa appeal, part of the Humanitarian Coalition campaign whose matching period was ending that night. Delegates flooded the PWRDF booth and website eager to answer the call. In total, $4,838.60 was donated and matched by the Government of Canada and will augment PWRDF’s $35,000 allocation to the Act Alliance work in Sudan. The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a member of the Humanitarian Coalition, and PWRDF’s membership in the Foodgrains Bank allows donations to PWRDF to be matched.

Banking On It

St. Paul’s Essex donated the proceeds of their ‘Thank You Bank’ for the month of May to support PWRDF projects and programs. Thank you bank contributions were brought to the 183rd Diocese of Huron Provincial Synod in May and were added to the offering at a worship service, during which PWRDF Huron presented to members regarding their ministry and shared how they have seen Christ in their mission through the years. These donations were part of the more than $16,000 collected for PWRDF at that service, which will be used to support PWRDF programs nationally and around the world.

A Baby Blanket Boost To Buy The Whole Farm

For Lent 2023, St. Paul’s Westdale in Hamilton (Diocese of Niagara) enthusiastically chose to support PWRDF’s Buy the Whole Farm initiative. They created special donation envelopes that were sent to all parishioners along with a letter. Weekly eblasts were sent out, PWRDF “Buy the Whole Farm” posters were on display and a diorama of plastic farm animals sat on the Narthex table. As the appeal was coming to a close, a parishioner raffled off three knitted blankets, topping up the funds received. By the end of Lent, the funds received for this project supported the purchase of four farms from PWRDF’s World of Gifts. Said organizers: “We thank God for blessings received!”

Spirited Souls

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

PWRDF Parish Representative Barbara Stewart, and Verger Jane Kirkpatrick of St. George’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Ontario knew they wanted to make a difference, and they sure led with a fine example! Their goal was to raise $1,590, enough to support PWRDF’s World of Gifts “Buy the Whole Farm” three times. One of their creative promotions was a skit starring Barbara and ‘Farmer’ Jane. Barbara asked Jane if she had any goats, pigs or rabbits and ‘Farmer’ Jane said she did not, as she could not afford animals to enrich her farm. After vigorous fundraising, they raised enough money to purchase nearly 10 farms! Congratulations and thank God for these spirited souls!

Formerly

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