Pastoral Staff Notes: April 2021
Rev. Nick, Associate Minister
This winter we were glad to walk with one person for our baptism classes as well as 3 for membership. Our 3 new members will be introduced in the coming weeks.
Through keeping up with our community members through pastoral check-ins, we know the number of people in our community who’ve contracted COVID lately has increased. It’s no doubt a sign that the third wave is severe and we should continue to love our neighbours well by following public health advice and regularly praying for those who are unable to work from home or limit their exposures.
Each week the bulletin and weekly email feature current prayer needs from our community and the world and we welcome you to join us in holding these items in your regular prayers.
Pr. Nestor, Local & Global Mission
International Ministries
Members of our ESL program and International Bible study are preparing some short videos to share their experience of our ministry. We look forward to sharing them with you within the next month. These stories are testaments of how our International Ministry has been a blessing and a mission to the nations; in fact, because we’ve been online, several of our attendees have been able to join us from their home countries such as Colombia, Japan, Yemen, and Chile.
Knox Youth Dinner & Food Bank + Grocery Hamper Update
The last day of our grocery hamper distribution will be April 27. Thank you so much to those who’ve generously supported this ministry! We supported about 30 families each week through providing basic grocery items. Thank you for the volunteers who have made this ministry possible despite the pandemic:
Arrie Pang, for coordinating the registration of recipients and ordering groceries;
Joszef Horvath, Cheantel Kirkland, Matthew Engell, Matthew Rogalski, and Nathan Jon Youngs for your regular presence on Tuesdays to distribute grocery hampers;
Michelle Gleason, Channing Sze, Jeanne Young, Atticus Sze, John, and Zion (Blue) Lyold-Gascho for patiently sorting and packing the grocery packs on Sundays;
Mike and Kelsie Near, Jeff Bloom, Anne Chow, Jacob Kvasnicka, and Sabrina and Kartik Ravi for doing grocery deliveries;
Victoria Bell Varro, for regularly buying the TTC tokens; and
Patrick Twaddle for taking the time to receive the grocery deliveries from the supplier on Friday.
After April 27, the church leadership will be formally concluding the KYDFB program and will allow the community ministry to take a time of renewal and reflection to determine what would be a refreshed and healthy community engagement that is integrated into the church life and ministry and in the context of the overall Justice and Mercy ministry direction.
Please hold those we support in your prayers. We’ll be communicating a bigger ministry update in regards to the Knox Youth Dinner & Food Bank and community outreach in the coming weeks.
Missions Sunday + Revised Missions Strategy
Our annual Missions Sunday is on the weekend of Pentecost, May 23. You can look forward to hearing from Dr. Sheela Duraisami, the Lead Pastor of Church on the Rock to preach about Diaspora Missions. In the afternoon, we’ll host our next quarterly Missionary gathering—all are invited to come to hear from and pray for our missionaries.
Save the date: Sunday, May 30 at 2pm. KWM and I will be hosting an online gathering to share and pray for some upcoming changes in our missions strategy. All the details will be available in early May.
Staff Training: Intercultural and Anti-Racism Training
In May, our staff and elders will continue Intercultural and Anti-Racism training with 2 more sessions. The goal of these workshops is to equip our leaders to form our church into a more inclusive community, to ensure we do not condone and reflect divisions and discrimination experienced by people from different ethnicities and backgrounds. After these workshops, we aim to determine any ministry steps to take to affirm our diversity.
We look forward to sharing more resources from our sessions with you. You can journey alongside us with the resources listed on our website at: https://www.knoxtoronto.org/updates/anti-racism-amp-intercultural-competency-training-resources
Pr. Frances, Interim Children’s Ministry Director
Camp hiring has begun! We are looking forward to the upcoming Virtual Camp this summer and excited to have Brianna (Bri Bri) back with us for the camp season, as our Camp Director. Sophia, Brianna and I have begun interviewing students and have been really encouraged by the passion of the students we've interviewed so far. Sophia's contract with us is up at the end of April. We are so grateful for all the ways she has led and poured into Knox Camps. We are excited for her next chapter as she prepares to get married and write her MCATs.
In March I hosted a round table conversation for parents and caregivers of teens. It was a chance to connect, chat, encourage one another and talk about discipleship at home, especially while living in the midst of a pandemic with teens who are trying to find autonomy, experiencing screen fatigue and finding this a difficult time for different reasons.
Our youth continue to meet on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. It's a great time for connecting, playing games and laughter.
I’m really thankful for all the different ways our broader church family has participated in the Kids’ Moments over the past few months: from submitting videos for Palm Sunday to sharing your short stories. Thank you for your collaboration and involvement!
Pr. Jason, University & Young Adults
This month I completed Mental Health First Aid and Suicide Prevention training. Pray for the ever real and at times difficult to notice mental health crisis that is affecting young adults and university students; people who live with depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental health crisis. Pray especially for those who are considering suicide.
Many young adults who have grown up in churches and faith communities are finding the framework for faith they’ve been given isn’t wide enough to make sense of the suffering in the world, their lived experiences, the lived experiences and stories of their friends and community. Pray they’d discover just how spacious reality according to Jesus really is. Pray that as they “deconstruct” their faith, that the “reconstruction” process will be mysteriously loving, healing and fulfilling.
Brandon Davis, Interim Worship Coordinator
The camera install in the Sanctuary is still happening, but will be pushed back due to COVID restrictions. Final work will begin after the stay-at-home order ends.
A continued thank you to all of our volunteers who make it possible for us to gather together online.
As the worship pastor hiring process extends and we anticipate leadership transitions, we are grateful that Brandon has agreed to a contract extension to the end of August.
Knox Library is Open!
While our building is closed to activities, the resources in the library remain available to you. Learn more about our library and search most of the collection on our website https://www.knoxtoronto.org/library.
Two things of notes:
Parents and caregivers, we have a great collection of children’s boardbooks and picture books!
The current gap in our online catalogue is the section with Bible commentaries. If you are looking for a resource on a specific book of the Bible, email Wendy to inquire what we have available.
Books are available to borrow through pick-up. Email Wendy Rogalski with the titles you’re interested in and we will put aside for you to pick up from the front office—wendy@knoxtoronto.org.
