Dear Friends,
After an excellent Synod Council meeting on Saturday, Mary and I jumped in the car and drove down to Boston to watch our daughter run in the Boston Marathon. It was amazing! To see her whiz by us, working to beat her personal best time, in the company of so many amazing athletes, was an awesome moment for us. She has worked so hard to do this, and we could not be prouder.
The “running verses” of the Bible were on my mind, which compare the Christian life to a long-distance run, requiring energy, fortitude, stamina and endurance. We are invited to train for, and then to practice, our personal best discipleship and faithfulness along the twists and turns of life: “… let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
So I was equally proud to learn this weekend the results of the Bishop’s Appeal for Jamaican Relief & Restoration. As you know, I wrote my Friday letter back on Feb. 27 with the request that some of your Lenten almsgiving go toward a relief effort for Jamaica in the aftermath of last October’s Hurricane Melissa. You responded with perseverance! In fact, although the short and focused eight-week appeal officially ended last Friday, every day the mail delivers more generous cheques. We had asked for $50,000. As of writing, the total stands at $64,594. To God be the glory! And because Synod Council and the FaithWorks Allocation Committee approved a dollar-for-dollar matching challenge grant of up to $50,000, this will bring the total amount for relief and reconstruction in Jamaica to $115,000!
Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike Jamaica. The scale of loss there is staggering, with 54 deaths, many injuries, and homes, infrastructure and livelihoods wiped out. Half of Jamaica’s houses of worship have been damaged or destroyed. When I spoke to the Bishop of Jamaica, the Rt. Rev. Leon Golding, earlier this year, I was overwhelmed by the needs he described. I knew that we in the Diocese of Toronto must – and could – assist our siblings in the Diocese of Jamaica. You clearly agreed.
I am told that 17 of our parishes, 184 individuals and our beloved Sisterhood of St. John the Divine all made heartfelt and generous donations. People have sent in their gifts from every corner of our Diocese – from $20 to $2,000. I want to single out the parish of St. Paul, Newmarket, which raised an incredible $9,000. Amazing! It has been an outpouring of love and support to a devastated island. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
There are so many Anglicans in our Diocese who come from Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. This campaign has been especially personal for them. I want to extend my deep appreciation to three of our priests – the Rev. Canon Kenute Francis, the Rev. Douglas Barnes and the Rev. Rory Honeyghan – for their leadership and encouragement.
And I want to express my appreciation to our stewardship team at the Synod Office for their organizational support. Peter Misiaszek, Peter Mentis, Atif Hasni and Melissa Doidge have all been wonderful in stepping up and joining this leg of the race.
All of our funds raised will now be forwarded to Alongside Hope for distribution through its established partners in Jamaica.
This Sunday’s reading from the Book of Acts tells us how the earliest Christians, “all who believed, … would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:24-25)
Let us continue to run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Reverend Andrew Asbil
Bishop of Toronto
