TSA Trumpet - September 2018

TSA Trumpet With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Psalm 98:6

Kids Korner Temporary Farm Agricultural Workers Program Welcome to Rev. Anja Guignion!

September 2018

September 2018

TSA Trumpet Contents 4 .... From the Pulpit 5 .... Point of View 6 .... Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexuality Diversity 7 .... Kids' Korner 8 .... News from GC43 9 .... Search News 10 ... Planting the Seeds 10 ... Embracing the Spirit Recognition Dinner 11 ... Fundscrip 12 ... Temporary Farm Agricultural Workers' Program 13 ... Brighton Community Christmas Hamper Program 14 ... Welcome to Rev. Anja Guignion!

Cover Photo by Jony Ariadi on Unsplash TSA Trumpet - September 2018

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FROM THE PULPIT Change, isn’t it wonderful, doesn’t it excite you? Change enforces growth, opportunities to do things differently. We call Jesus a change agent, he transforms bringing life in all its fullness. That’s why we all love change, right? Change also means living in the unknown. It means trusting that we are in good hands till we know where we are going. This congregation has entered a time of change. You have a lot to be grateful for over the past ten years as you enjoyed Rev. Ken’s ministry. Now is the time to plan for the future. You are not alone in change, The United Church of Canada is restructuring as finances dwindle. Many rural congregations are becoming too small to be viable. Change often means letting go of the way things used to be.

The General Secretary of the United Church has posed five questions to help congregations deal with changing circumstances: 1. What is the unique thing or things the United Church of Canada or this congregation offers to our society?

2. Who are those next generations? Who will be the United Church people in 20 years?

3. How do we talk about faith in this incredibly secular world?

4. What activities does the world need most from us?

5. What is God already doing – have we noticed?

These are good questions to ask ourselves during this time of change. I will be your interim minister during this time and hope that you will reflect and discuss where you want to go, and where you believe Jesus is leading this congregation. I offer to support you in any way possible. I also invite you to alter the word change. What if we use the word evolve? This congregation is evolving the way it should with the help of the Holy Spirit and all the wonderful leaders that help out to the best of their abilities. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you, that you open your hearts and minds to possibilities and that this time of transition brings you closer to each other.

Know this, you are not alone. Thanks be to God.

Rev. Anja 4

TSA Trumpet - September 2018

Welcome to Trinity-St. Andrew's United Church in Brighton, Ontario. Our active congregation offers meaningful worship with a varied music program, Sunday School, opportunities for faith exploration and discussion, as well as fellowship, more traditional Bible study and educational opportunities for all ages, in a liberal Christian context. With the excellent leadership of Rev. Ken Lewis we are very blessed.

Our mission includes elder care, such as friendly visiting, and outreach activities like Friends of Migrant Workers and the Clothing Depot. Come join us in our bright, centrally located and historic space.

Trinity-St. Andrew's is an Affirming Congregation and has a policy of full accessibility for those with disabilities.

TSA Trumpet September 2018 TSA Trumpet is the newsletter of Trinity-St Andrew's United Church.

Our goal is to inform members and adherents of the activities and upcoming events in our fatih community MANAGING EDITOR Brian Ostrander COPY EDITOR Tammy Ostrander PUBLISHER TSA Public Relations & Publicity Committee Trinity-St Andrew's United Church 58 Prince Edward Street Brighton, Ontario K0K 1H0 613-475-1311 www.trinitystandrews.ca ADVERTISING Internal advertising for TSA functions is free of charge

POINT-OF-VIEW Busy! How else can I possibly describe a summer of great transitions. Tammy enjoyed her summer off and took the time to visit family out west, for a week and the balance of the time getting her head around the coming empty nest.

Kaitlyn enjoyed her summer working with Northumberland's tourism folks, until she went under the knife for her knee surgery, thereby ending her pool time!

Megan enjoyed commuting to work with me everyday (because who doesn't enjoy listening to talk radio at 6:30 in the morning while their father talks back to the radio?)

And now with all three women back to school: Tammy at Spring Valley teaching Grade 3.

Kaitlyn at Emmanuel College (University of Toronto) in her first year of her M. Div. program.

Megan at Wilfred Lauier (Waterloo) in her first year of her Undergrad.

And what did I do? Well, haven't you seen the signs?

Busy!

Brian Ostrander

External advertising inquire tsatrumpet@gmail.com Advertising in this newsletter does not constitute endorsement by Trinity-St Andrew's United Church, nor guarantee quality, value or effectiveness of any products, services or methods advertised.

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Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexuality Diversity

by Philippe Tippins Introducing Canada’s first LBGTQ2+ Museum!

Hospitality thanks

by Wendy Zinck I would like to thank all of our committee members and spouses for all your help through the summer months. Thanks also to Jean Green and Sonja Rundle for always being so willing to help us in the kitchen on numerous Sundays.

The Hospitality Committee will continue to host fellowship each Sunday after the service. If anyone would like to assist us anytime, please don't hesitate to speak to one of the committee members.

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TSA Trumpet - September 2018

CCGSD is proud to announce the start of our fundraising campaign to create the FIRST LGBTQ2+ Museum of its kind in Canada. This space is set to launch by 2021/2022 in Ottawa, and we are working to raise funds and collect queer memorabilia and stories for the space. As we are starting our fundraising campaign, we wanted to approach Organizations and institutions that have been dependable allies of Queer and Trans communities and fighting for LGBTQ2+ education. The museum will feature exhibition space, a theatre, a two-spirit healing lodge, and a community space for our partners. All exhibitions will be replicable for the classroom and educational purposes. To that end, we are hoping to forward along our sponsorship package, in the hopes that your organization will consider contributing towards funding this unique community hub.

For more information about the Museum, please check out our website (https://ccgsd-ccdgs.org/newspace/).

Kids' Korner

by Jean Finkle The wheels have been in motion since the creation of the Kids’ Korner.

The little room has taken on a new look, boasting wonderful kids’ things (size 0-6X). Thanks to Dennis Donnelly (Property Chair) and Steve Ditmar (Custodian) for the “remake” of our room. Also, thanks to Dennis and Steve, with identifying our customer parking area with signage “Clothing Depot Customer Parking”. We have appreciated receiving kids hangers and the need will be continual. Thanks to all those who helped us get started with hangers. “Ain’t we got fun?!?!” We have been blessed with many helpful hands stepping forward to volunteer with our store activities (store workers and our “rescue team”) who relentlessly step up to help us to relocate/maneuver stock from one storage unit to another. Thanks to David Farmes who handles our dollars and Dawn Donnelly who backs up David and Barb Halliday who keeps us in supplies. Never forgetting our Team Leaders and all volunteer staff.

Thanks! Our Bag Sales keep our stock turning over—making room for new and seasonal merchandise. Our sales continue to be stable and we have enjoyed much success this summer. Thanks for your support as we continue to support our local community.

News From GC43 There was a tremendous amount of work accomplished at the 43rd General Council. All the remits presented to the council were approved, the Calls to the Church from the Caretakers of the Indigenous Circle were enacted, Rev. Dr. Richard Bott was selected as Moderator, and much more! For more information visit https://generalcouncil43.ca/news

search News

by Brian Ostrander Our search has now begun in earnest. The position is advertised on our church website, Conference website and the United Church of Canada website. Also, we have sent letters to a number of clergy who have been worshipping in their current congregation for 10 or more years, just to give them a nudge. The process requires Ministers to apply through the Conference office and then we will receive confirmation that they are qualified to work for a United Church of Canada congregation. We meet again on September 13th to go over any applications received at that point and to discuss next steps.

I also want to share with you some of the results of the surveys that helped us formulate our various profiles. When we asked about discipleship, the response from the congregation was clear of the 8 questions we asked 7 received a high to moderately effective score. However, it was clear by your responses that when it came to providing opportunities for youth involvement, Trinity-St. Andrew's needed some improvement.

This of course lead us to create a ministry position description that includes: Help us to grow our children, youth and young family ministries while continuing to support our current population.

We remain prayerful and hopeful!

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Planting the seeds

by Liz Chatten These are the people that planted the flowers this spring and have looked after them all summer.

We are thankful for their hardwork and dedication.

(Jean Green, Harma Badgely, Lee Farms, Jack Edmonds. Photo by Liz Chatten)

Embracing the Spirit Recognition Dinner Embracing the Spirit update During General Council 43 we hosted an Embracing the Spirit Recognition Dinner to highlight some of the amazing stories and hopeful things that are happening across the country.

- Over 50 stories were highlighted - 25 pictures illustrating the stories were showcased in a gallery - Over 40 leaders shared their stories in person over dinner Not only were these stories heard, but they also inspired others in the room to think and talk about their own ideas. New initiatives were catalyzed, and one of the most inspiring moments was when we found out that a young leader was called to ministry through this dinner

TSA Trumpet - June 2018

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Temporary Farm Agricultural Workers' Program

by Helmut Enns I'd like to introduce you to our friend, Marlon.

For a few years now, Marlon has been fortunate to be one of the Jamaicans in the Temporary Farm Agricultural Workers Program. It's called temporary because the workers are only allowed to stay in Canada a certain length of time, and they are not allowed to request permanent resident status.

Marlon was one of the youngest workers on an orchard in the Brighton area, but this year, due to cutbacks, he wasn't asked back. Luckily he got a job near Delhi, first picking asparagus, and currently packing tomatoes.

Although he has managed to get into the Temporary Farm Workers program, his chances of coming back are not good, as he was injured on the job this summer, and there are hundreds of healthy workers eager to take his spot. Marlon slipped on muddy ground, carrying a heavy box, and severely injured his back. His employer has filled out the proper paperwork, and taken him for x-rays and an ultrasound, but the pain is significant, and he is only able to do light work.

Back home in Jamaica, the unemployment rate for young workers is around 30%. Chances of getting a job are slim, so Marlon is hoping to take back a small chainsaw, to get into the charcoal producing business, and some beekeeping equipment, to help harvest wild honey. "Hoping" is a key word in that sentence. The money he earns in Canada is his major income for the year.

We have managed to find an affordable chainsaw for Marlon, and are hoping to help with 12

TSA Trumpet - September 2018

basic beekeeping equipment. He would also appreciate a small suitcase and a vacuum cleaner. Marlon also has asked for clothes for a 4 year old boy. As he says, "In Jamaica, we don't throw nothing away". The workers marvel at the wonderful things they see at yard sales and at the clothing depot.

You may be wondering why we try to find items for these men, and why we are helping a man not even in Brighton this year. We are trying to source items because it is something we can do at next to no cost to us, but at a huge benefit to them. Marlon has "adopted" me and has made it very clear that the community-building we do in Brighton is unique, and hugely appreciated.

Many of the Foreign Workers live their lives in Canada moving from the field to a cramped bunkhouse. The group mainly responsible for Friends With Migrant Workers Brighton feels we don't really do that much, but the men tell us that it turns the time in Canada, away from children, spouses, friends, familiar food and surroundings, into a more humane experience.

We invite you to reach, in any way you can, from our position of privilege, and make life more pleasant for these friends, and for others struggling to live a life of dignity. A huge thanks must go out to all of you who have found your own way to do this. Should you wish to lend a hand with this Outreach program, by making a donation of time, of an item, or of cash, please contact anyone on the Outreach Committee.

Brighton Community Christmas Hamper Program

by Harma Badgley and Ken Laird We became involved in the Brighton Christmas Hamper ‘experience’ a number of years ago, and have enjoyed the seasonal opportunity to meet, greet, smile and laugh with many other members of this fine community while at the same time feeling the wonderful satisfaction of knowing that we are helping those families and individuals who may be finding things a little tough or lonely over the Christmas season. It has truly been an eyeopening experience for both of us, and we are constantly reminded of the generosity, thoughtfulness and the seemingly unlimited kindness of so many local organisations whether secular or religious – and individuals of all ages and stripes. Imagine the heartfelt satisfaction of distributing about 130 “hampers” each December......and these are not just one ‘hamper’ as they also consist of bags of toys, bags of clothes, and other useful items. The many scarves , gloves, socks, sweaters , hats and so on growing on our little TSA Christmas Tree in Advent find their way into appreciated gift bags for those in need. Satisfying? Yes. Worthwhile? Oh yes. Experience the ‘spirit’ of the season? Yes indeed !

The most frequently asked questions are ‘How much time is involved?’; ‘How much effort is involved?’. The simple answers are that this involves one (only one!!)meeting in early December (usually) and then three days (a few days before Christmas Day) of unpacking, sorting, selecting, packing and marvelling at all those wonderful gifts. And those three ‘days’ of physical effort can be broken down into a two or three hour shift , an afternoon or an evening or whatever. Many of you have volunteered in the past helping to fill these hampers and bags.

There is a wonderful satisfaction which comes from creating ‘order-out-of-chaos’ , and one’s initial reaction to the mini-mountains of donations may well be a sort of confusion. Like any problem, however, with the help of your fellow community volunteers, you start to enjoy the challenge of filling those baskets and bags. The ultimate feeling of sheer goodwill comes when those many bags are handed out to those who smile in appreciation and relief.

So yes, we are seeking for a new representative (or two) for TSA . While one representative is welcome, the ‘job’ is also ideally suited for two people. Think about it, and we will gladly try to answer any questions you may have so that you will know in more detail what is involved. It really is a very satisfying experience, and one which will last throughout the year

However, we are both admitting to ourselves that it is now time to hand over this particular volunteer baton to a successor who will equally enjoy the joys of representing TSA in this endeavour.

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Welcome to Rev. Anja Guignion!

We are blessed to have Rev. Guignion with us while the search committee continues their work to hire our new minister. We offer our thanks to her for sharing her many gifts with us. Rev. Anja was born in Holland and moved to Montreal, Canada, at the age of 7 where she grew up and married and where her first two children were born, 2 boys. She moved to Toronto where her daughters were born and lived for the next 30 years, getting a Bachelor of Science at University of Toronto and working in retail. Later in life she got a Masters of Divinity at Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto and was ordained moving to Meadow Lake Saskatchewan for her settlement charge where she lived for five years and returned to Ontario to work at the Colborne Pastoral Charge for the next five years. Following this she retired but continued learning, getting a diploma in Spiritual Direction, level 1 Reiki and Capacitar. She also did retired supply for ten months at St. Paul's United Church Warkworth until they found a new minister. For fun she quilts, plays bridge, and plays handbells, swims and spends as much time with her family as possible.

You may contact her through the church office or by email minister@trinitystandrews.ca

TSA Trumpet - June 2018

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TSA Trumpet - May 2018

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