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Bulletin Board

Bulletin Board July 27

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

Diocesan business

Nominations sought for General Synod members
The Nominating Committee of the Diocese is calling for nominations for members of General Synod. The next session will be held in July 2022. All members of diocesan Synod are entitled to make nominations of any members of Synod. See more details about the requirements. Nominations must be submitted to Pamela Boisvert, Secretary of Synod, at pboisvert@toronto.anglican.ca by Sept. 8, 2021.

Archives closed for the summer
The diocesan Archives is closed to visitors and research inquiries until Aug. 31 so staff can undertake inventory work and other much-needed projects. Urgent inquiries, including requests for certified copies, will still be processed, but all others will need to wait until the Archives re-opens. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. For more information, contact Claire Wilton, Archivist and Privacy Officer, at cwilton@toronto.anglican.ca or 416-363-6021 (1-800-668-8932) ext. 219.

Diocese holds anti-bias and anti-racism workshops
The Diocese is committed to a diverse and inclusive Church. As one step in that commitment, we’re undertaking anti-bias and anti-racism training throughout the Diocese. We have contracted a Hamilton-based firm, Co: Culture Collective, to lead this important work on our behalf.

Phase 1 of Co: Culture Collective’s work involved community listening sessions, in which the experiences and concerns of historically marginalized communities were heard. These sessions formed the basis for developing the curriculum for Phase 2, the anti-bias and anti-racism workshops. We are now embarking on this phase of our work together.

Over the past few weeks, the bishops, chancellors and Synod Office staff have participated in the two-day ABAR workshops. In September, Diocesan Council will engage in this training, followed by the clergy of the Diocese between September and November, and then the rollout of the parish workshops in 2022. When this training becomes available to you, please plan to participate fully.

If you have any questions about this initiative, don’t hesitate to be in touch with Bishop Kevin Robertson, the Diocesan Diversity Officer, at krobertson@toronto.anglican.ca.

Parishes reminded to reset email accounts during transition
All parishes are now using standard diocesan email accounts for correspondence with the Diocese. When a priest, administrator or churchwarden leaves the parish, you can contact Tracey Gordon at tgordon@toronto.anglican.ca so she can reset the account, lock out previous users and set a new password for future use. This will eliminate the need to remember and pass along the credentials and will also ensure the security of the mailbox.

Diocesan events

Cathedral shifts live stream service time
Until Labour Day, the weekly Sunday live stream from St. James Cathedral will start at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m. You can watch each service live or after the fact on the diocesan YouTube channel.

Church redevelopment series continues through August
The summer webinar series Common Ground and the Common Good: Church Redevelopment in the Diocese of Toronto continues with:

  • Aug. 4: Graham Cubitt, director of projects and development at Indwell, a Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities supporting people seeking health, wellness and belonging
  • Aug. 18: Roberto Chiotti, LEED-certified architect and member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals, on how parishes can incorporate ecological considerations and sustainable design into potential redevelopments

Both events take place from 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom. The series will conclude on Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon, when clergy and lay leaders of parishes ready to take the next step are invited to the final workshop, “Getting to Base Camp.” Visit the Events section of the diocesan website for links to register.

Save the date: Outreach and Advocacy Conference
The annual Outreach and Advocacy Conference will take place by Zoom on Oct. 30, with the theme “Re-membering and Re-making Community.” This free event will include a welcome from Bishop Andrew Asbil, a keynote address from the Rev. Gerlyn Henry and an opportunity for collective prayer and worship. Workshops will cover a variety of topics, from supporting essential workers, to growing food security, building alliances for environmental advocacy, supporting affordable housing options, and making churches places of belonging for transgender people. To see the poster and get the latest updates, visit the conference web page. Registration will open after Labour Day.

Kids invited to in-person camp
Holy Trinity, Guildwood is hosting an in-person summer camp for kids from grade 1-6 from Aug. 9-13, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will include music, games, science, crafts, stories and more, connecting prayer and service in the world. Registration costs $50 per child. Sign up by July 31 by contacting denise@trinityguildwood.org or 416-261-9503.

Area events

Event series explores reconciliation
The deacons of the Parkdale-West Toronto Deanery and York-Credit Valley present the second season of “A Reconciliation Walk,” a series of conversations that aims to be open to the voices of Indigenous people through stories, movies and discussions and guide participants in genuine reconciliation. This year’s theme is “Every Child Matters.” The first event will take place on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. with a discussion of the film We Were Children. Registration will open in late August. The other dates in the series are Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Jan. 13 and Feb. 10­­­.

Resources

Free upright piano available
An upright piano, recently refinished, is available free to any parish that needs it. You must arrange transportation from the Weston-Langstaff area of Woodbridge. To learn more, call 416-656-7917 or 647-718-2613.

Job postings

Manage of finance and administration wanted
St. John, York Mills is seeking a manger of parish finance and administration responsible for strategic direction and planning for a vibrant church community. The management responsibilities are multi-faceted, with accountabilities across human resources, parishioner engagement, office administration, information technology, risk management and finance. For more details, see the full job posting. Submit your application to doug@hart-realestate.com by Aug. 15.