F A I T H L I N E S
28 April 2021

Please Support FaithWorks' Eastertide Appeal

Visit www.faithworks.ca
for more Information or to Donate
In this Issue:
You are invited! - May 28 - An Evening of Celebration & Appreciation
Congratulations FaithWorks from The Dam
Looking back 25 years - The Common Sense Revolution
Virtual and Video sermons available
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You are Invited!
Friday 28 May
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
on Zoom webinar

An Evening
of Celebration and Appreciation



Please register in advance at:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8htcFAkGSJWajj2Y1j0Rqg

Join us for this Special Event!
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Dear Friends,
 
Thank you for partnering with The Dam in your 25th anniversary year. This year's support seems extra special to recognize something beautiful in the midst of difficult times. There is much to celebrate. There is hope in the midst of lockdowns. There are ways to still do meaningful ministry.

I got a new recipe for yummy mac and cheese. My son told me that it was okay, but he preferred Kraft Dinner. It reminded me of a story from The Dam when Laura and Sam told me that they had made fake Kraft Dinner. What is fake Kraft Dinner? It is when you grate cheese to add to the macaroni instead of using the cheese packet. They were so proud of their invention, having no idea that there could be something beyond their normal experience of Kraft Dinner.

While there is fun and laughter in discovering that there is food that isn’t pre-packaged, the learning about what is real love and fake love is much harder. For Rebecca, it is normal for her mom to tell her that she isn’t good at anything. Maybe Rebecca’s mom thinks that it is love to keep her from becoming prideful. The discovery that real love is encouraging takes longer to learn about than a session in the kitchen grating cheese.

As we come towards the hopeful end of lockdowns and isolation, there is hope that we can one day be in the kitchen again teaching the basics of healthy eating. Yet whether we are meeting youth online or in-person, the long reaching discovery of healthy love is still happening in mentoring times, text messages, and teaching times.

Thank you for continuing to support youth who need places like The Dam to discover they are the real thing, completely worth being loved well.

Carol Reist
Executive Director 
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. . . LOOKING BACK

Exerpt from 'We who are One Body'

The creation and impact of FaithWorks as a dynamic response to the needs of the marginalized in the Diocese of Toronto and beyond.

by Susan McCulloch

"In 1995, the "Common Sense Revolution" created an unprecedented demand for social services and changed the face of poverty in Ontario for the foreseeable future. Overnight, the plight of the urban poor could no longer be avoided. Human beings who once were the invisible residents of "skid row" now staked their claim on corners throughout the downtown core. This was the era in which the Out of the Cold program was created as a temporary response to homelessness until a more systemic solution could be implemented. Archbishop Terence Finlay joined other clerical leaders in urging newly-elected Premier Mike Harris to find ways to achieve a balanced provincial budget that included adequate funding for the poor, the hungry and the homeless. When no aid was forthcoming the faith community struggled to meet the demand.

"At the Diocesan level, from 1968 until 2003, the Community Ministries Board (CMB) provided guidance, oversight and funding to a wide range of outreach and social justice programs. Its emphasis was very much on economic and social justice with an Anglican context."

"However, by the early 1990's, the Church had entered an era of fiscal uncertainty brought about by a wide range of factors."

"Outward-focused mission and ministry was jeopardized through the pending loss of up to $1.6 million in revenue generated through Faith in Action."

to be continued . . .
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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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Virtual and Video Sermons available
We are only gathering virtually. The Director of Stewardship, Peter Misiaszek, and I would normally be visiting parishes in person to speak of FaithWorks. Why not virtually!!! If you would like one of us to speak to your parish during your online Sunday worship please contact FaithWork Speakers Bureau at fwspeakersbureau@toronto.anglican.ca

If you would like the pre-recorded video of my sermon promoting FaithWorks (11 minutes) or the 20th Anniversary of FaithWorks video
(2 minutes) for your Sunday morning services, please email me so that I can make them available to you.
Coming soon - the 25th Anniversary of FaithWorks video!!!
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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.