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Bulletin Board

Bulletin Board June 25

Bulletin Board is the Diocese’s bi-weekly e-bulletin for clergy and lay leaders. To subscribe to Bulletin Board, sign up online. To submit an item, email editor@toronto.anglican.ca.

Diocesan Business

Diocesan Centre to observe summer hours
Between Canada Day and Labour Day, the Diocesan Centre will close at 2 p.m. on Fridays.

Watch out for spam emails
Churches and clergy in the Diocese have recently been targeted with convincing spam emails pretending to be from Bishop Andrew Asbil asking recipients to buy gift cards on his behalf. This is a common scam, and the Diocese is aware of these emails. Don’t reply or click on any links.

Diocesan email addresses rolled out
The Diocese is giving each congregation three diocesan email addresses: one for the incumbent or priest-in-charge, one for the churchwardens and one for the parish administrator. For more details about why the Diocese is doing this and what it means for your congregation, see the Q&A document. Your congregation should have already received instructions on how to set up its email addresses. If you have any concerns, contact Tracey Gordon at tgordon@toronto.anglican.ca.

Diocesan Events

Save the date: Lay Anointers Refresher Day
The annual Lay Anointers Refresher Day for currently licensed lay anointers is scheduled for Sept. 28 at St. James, Orillia. The day provides an opportunity for learning, worship and meeting other anointers. Registration will open in late June and close on Sept. 23. The cost is $30 at the door. For more details, see the Lay Anointers page or contact the Rev. Jo-Anne Billinger at jbillinger@rogers.com.

Registration open for outreach conference
The annual Outreach & Advocacy Conference will be held on Oct. 19 at Havergal College, with the theme “Grounded and Growing in Christ: Church as a centre of resistance and hope.” Participants will explore how the Church can counter injustice with strategies of resilience and hope. Youth age 11 and older are particularly invited to attend the youth-focused workshop in the morning and youth-friendly options in the afternoon. The cost is $30, or $15 for students or the unemployed. Learn more and register on the Outreach Conference page.

Save the date: Social Media Sunday
An annual tradition in churches around the world, the 2019 edition of Social Media Sunday is scheduled for Sept. 29. This is a day to demonstrate the power of social media to bring God’s love into the digital world, grow relationships, invite friends to see what God is doing in your community, and help each other feel more comfortable with sharing our faith online. For more details and ideas, download the Social Media Sunday backgrounder.

Register now for youth retreat
Registration is open for the annual ReCharge fall retreat for youth in Grades 6-12, with the theme “How to get closer to Jesus through our prayer life.” It will take place on Sept. 13-15 at Muskoka Woods. The cost is $105 for the first 100 people who register and $149 after that. Sign up online.

Area Events

Parish celebrates 40 years of summer chaplaincy
St. George, Sibbald Point is holding a service of Evensong on July 7 at 3 p.m. to celebrate 40 years of summer chaplaincy to Sibbald Point Provincial Park. Bishop Riscylla Shaw, a former summer chaplain in the Parish of Georgina, will officiate. Past summer outreach chaplains are warmly invited to attend. Confirm your attendance to parish@parishofgeorgina.ca by July 2.

Scarborough churches invite teams to scavenger hunt
On Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Anglican churches in York-Scarborough are hosting the first Scarborough Steeplechase scavenger hunt and inviting their friends and neighbours to participate. Contestants will travel to 10 churches, navigating their way through an undisclosed course with only the clues they win at each church to guide them. Anyone, including minors accompanied by a guardian, is invited to register by Sept. 1 with a $25 donation to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. For more details, see Holy Trinity, Guildwood’s website.

External Events

Liturgy conference explores the Sending
Liturgy Canada presents “God Sends Us in Mission,” the fifth event its Renewing Liturgy series, on Sept. 28 at All Saints Lutheran Anglican Church in Guelph. This conference will help to restore the Sending as an essential act in the Eucharistic celebration. The cost is $35 per person ($25 for students), or $125 for a team of up to five people. To learn more, visit the Liturgy Canada website.

Resources

Bishop Curry talks posted on YouTube
Last month, Bishop Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church spoke at Clergy Conference about making disciples in the Jesus Movement. Both of his talks have been posted on the diocesan YouTube channel.

Archives provides advice on transferring parish records
The diocesan Archives welcomes the transfer of archival records from parishes. For guidance on what records are considered archival, review the Parish Records Retention Guidelines. If your parish would like to transfer records now or in the future, contact Claire Wilton, archivist and privacy officer, or Sue Halwa, archives assistant. Parishes and organizations should complete and email a records transfer form before arranging for records to come to the Diocese because:

  1. It provides better documentation and accountability for all records transferred to the Diocese.
  2. It gives the Archives an indication of what materials parishes wish to send. Once the staff receive your form, they can advise whether the materials need to come to the Diocese, be retained by the parish or be disposed of, and whether they fit with the Diocese’s collecting mandate.

Print out, complete and email the records transfer form to archives@toronto.archives.ca when you’re planning to send materials.

Parishes reminded of health & safety responsibilities
The Diocese is concerned about the health and safety of everyone who works or comes in contact with the Diocese, its parishes and ministries. Much of the Church’s ministry is accomplished through volunteers, but parishes and ministry facilities are also workplaces for workers, which means they must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), Workplace Safety Insurance Act, Workplace Hazardous Material Information Systems and other relevant legislation. The health and safety General Information for all Parishes booklet is a good place to start to help priests and churchwardens implement these laws. It outlines rights, responsibilities and requirements under the OHSA. There are also templates available for parish training. To learn more, visit the Health & Safety page.

Next Reach Grant deadline announced
Is the spirit of God prompting you to try a new ministry idea to reach those not currently served by traditional church? Do you have the time, the people and the vision? Do you need some help with resources? Let us help you achieve that missional vision with a Reach Grant. Submit a proposal to reach@toronto.anglican.ca by Oct. 11. Visit the Reach Grants page for more information.

Candles available free
St. Aidan, Toronto has a refillable oil Paschal candle and four oil altar candles available to give away free. Please contact staidan@eol.ca or call 416-691-2222 if interested.

Job Postings

Parish seeks associate director of music
Christ Church, Deer Park is seeking an associate director of music who will make sure liturgies are enhanced through diverse and eclectic sacred music, in collaboration with the director of music. This position consists of 8-10 hours per week and will be remunerated commensurate with experience. This is a contract position from Sept. 1, 2019 to Aug. 31, 2020. To apply, submit a cover letter, resume and references to Matthew Otto, director of music, at music@christchurchdeerpark.org by July 5. Interviews will take place on Aug. 2 and 3. For more details, see the job post.

Human resources advisor wanted
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund is seeking a human resources advisor at 5-7 days per month to support its human resources needs. For more details, see the job post. To apply, submit a resume accompanied by a letter detailing your experience and the reason for your interest to pwrdf_careers@pwrdf.org by 5 p.m. on Aug. 12.

Parish seeks Sunday School coordinator
St. Timothy, North Toronto is seeking a Sunday School coordinator to begin in early September. This is a paid part-time position, approximately four hours per week from September to June. For more details, see the job post. Apply by July 31 with a cover letter and resume to office@sttimothy.ca with the subject “Sunday School Coordinator.”

Nominations sought for General Synod committee members
Are you interested in offering your skills for the ministry of the General Synod through its coordinating and standing committees? Every three years, the meeting of General Synod elects members to the committees that oversee the work and planning of its ministries. These committees should represent the diversity of the Church, and for the most part those elected don’t need to be members of General Synod. Nomination forms, along with descriptions of the work of the committees, are available online on the General Synod website.