F A I T H L I N E S

16 November 2022

FaithWorks Sunday is 20 November


In this issue

A visit to One City Peterborough

$100,000 Matching Challenge Grant


Visit faithworks.ca for more information

and to view our video library


Donate today at faithworks.ca

or scan this QR code
“Abundance and grace call us to be generous and trusting”
The Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
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Our Diocese celebrates FaithWorks Sunday on 20 November

The Reign of Christ

 

The Diocese has designated the Sunday of the Reign of Christ as FaithWorks Sunday annually. This is to highlight the mission of FaithWorks as an expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. Parishes may choose to designate another Sunday as their FaithWorks Sunday according to their calendar. 

 

By celebrating FaithWorks Sunday we can draw attention to our collective effort as a Diocese to help those struggling for food, shelter, safety, community and dignity.



Our Ministry Partners are located across the Diocese. They operate on a scale beyond that which any one parish can support. Our Diocese, through FaithWorks, hopes to offer them a stable and reliable source of funding so they can be the hands of God comforting the most vulnerable among us.

 

Every donation, by a parish or individual, is an important part of the support FaithWorks offers those in need.

 

Please visit our website, faithworks.ca, to watch a video or read about the mission of FaithWorks.

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The following article about

our ministry partner,

One City Peterborough,

is an example of the work that your donation to FaithWorks supports.

My visit to One City Peterborough

by Peter Mentis


During the lockdowns of the past two years, I had done what I could to research OCP, mainly through their website. Here is the introduction.


"One City Peterborough is a nonprofit charitable organization. We operate on the belief that everyone belongs and it is together that we flourish.

To that end, we focus on supporting those who have experienced homelessness and/or criminalization towards their full inclusion into the community. 

Some of our programs look to create stability and increase wellness for those experiencing criminalization and homelessness, such as housing, employment and support programs; some of our work focuses on advocating for systemic change such as challenging laws that criminalize individuals; and some of our work addresses immediate needs, such as survival gear for folks sleeping outside." (onecityptbo.ca)


This would not prepare me for the eye-opening visit that Rev. Christian Harvey, Co-executive Director, would lead me on. We began with a tour of the main house where the offices are located. Along with the administrative offices were two special rooms.

There is the art therapy room. By helping the participants to develop their creative side, the art therapist helps them peer into their inner self, explore their feelings and come to greater self-awareness and healing. There is also the simple joy of learning to draw and paint!

(Peter Mentis and Rev. Christian Harvey pictured)

There is also the music room. It is a popular place to enjoy a tune, meet with friends and release the tension of the day in a healthy way. A wide variety of instruments are available for participants to enjoy. I'm sure there is never a dull moment here.

(Peter Mentis and Rev. Christian Harvey pictured)

Rev. Christian also took me to visit one of their homes that is currently being renovated to better serve senior ex-prisoners who are struggling with mobility issues and other effects of aging, while struggling to find food, shelter, and a job.

What was most moving for me was a room being created for prisoners in palliative care, that is, those who are in prison and near death. In prison, as you near death, you are assigned a cell in isolation, often without windows. Worse than dying so alone, the myth in prison is that if you die in prison, you automatically go to hell. How terrifying this situation must be as the end draws near.

So, One City Peterborough is negotiating with Corrections Canada to allow palliative care prisoners to be transferred to their seniors’ home and die with others around them in a room with big, beautiful windows overlooking a garden.

I have been taught that a person is considered palliative if they are within 6 months of dying. Corrections Canada would like to release a prisoner to One City Peterborough’s care for only the last week of their life. OCP is negotiating for 2 weeks.

This is just a glimpse of my visit to One City Peterborough and what FaithWorks is about. Allowing someone to pass their last week or two in this life with some humanity, compassion and hope for eternal life is what your donation to FaithWorks supports. It is an expression of God’s love and mercy.

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Doing a little more

can make twice the difference.

$100,000

Matching Challenge Grant for 2022

- don't miss out on this opportunity to help -

We are at 50%

and have a ways to go!


A generous donor has offered a $100,000 matching challenge grant for all new and increased donations. This means for every dollar raised over last year’s amount, by an individual or parish, FaithWorks receives an extra dollar. We encourage you to make a special effort this year.


Donate today at faithworks.ca or use the QR code

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Support the S P I R I T G A R D E N
The Diocese of Toronto is responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Call to Action #82. It calls for the installation of Residential School Monuments in each provincial capital. The Spirit Garden at Toronto City Hall will be a place for teaching, learning, sharing and healing. You can donate by clicking here:
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PWRDF is supporting international and local partners providing emergency relief to Ukrainians.


You can donate by clicking here

PWRDF @ FaithWorks

and designating your gift to PWRDF

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FaithWorks Sermon or Presentation

To assist and inspire, you can arrange for a sermon, presentation or visit by representatives of our ministry partners, the Director of Stewardship Development, Peter Misiaszek, or me, by contacting the FaithWorks Speakers Bureau at
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If you wish to highlight your Parish's events in support of FaithWorks, please forward the details to faithworks@toronto.anglican.ca
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FaithWorks Videos

The FaithWorks website, faithworks.ca has been updated with new videos to promote FaithWorks. There are short, medium and long videos to include in your parish's online presence or in-person gatherings.

To download any of these videos to use online, contact faithworks@toronto.anglican.ca
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Peter Mentis (he/him)
FaithWorks Campaign Manager

135 Adelaide St. E.
Toronto, ON M5C 1L8
416-363-6021 ext. 242
1-800-668-8932 ext.242
We build healthy, missional Anglican communities that engage faithfully with the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that my office resides on the territory of sovereign Indigenous Nations, the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat. I acknowledge especially the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Toronto Treaties.

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