Spring 2015
Lent & Easter Worship
Wednesdays in Lent:
February 25 to April 1
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
March 29– Palm Sunday
8:00 a.m. Holy Communion
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
March 30 to April 1 – Holy Week
7:30 p.m. Quiet reflection and
personal confession
(optional)
April 2 – Maundy Thursday
7:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist and
stripping of the altar
April 3 – Good Friday
10:00 a.m. The Passion Story
April 5 – Easter Sunday
8:00 a.m. Holy Communion
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Worship Services
Every Sunday:
8:00 a.m. Quiet Communion
Last Sunday of the Month:
10:00 a.m. Morning Praise
All other Sundays:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
St John’s York Mills
Anglican Church
19 Don Ridge Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M2P 1H3
Phone: 416-225-6611
Fax: 416-225-6081
[email protected] | www.sjym.ca
www.facebook.com/SJYMAnglicanChurch
RECTOR’S REFLECTIONS
Sabbatical: adj. Of or appropriate to the Sabbath; [1] seventh year in which
Israelites were to cease tilling and release debtors and Israelite slaves , [2]
period of leave granted at intervals to university professor, teacher,
missionary, etc. for study, travel, approximately every seventh year. [Oxford
Dictionary]
As you are all well aware by now, I am taking a brief three month sabbatical
after Easter, returning in August. My primary hope is to gain some
perspective on my leadership role at SJYM and in particular to help me
discern how best to chart the waters ahead over the next few years.
Although we have seen some growth in the parish, I believe largely due to a
renewed commitment to our children’s ministry and to the welcome
committee, I am confident that there are other areas where we can
improve. Part of the struggle is that our Canadian society is largely
influenced more and more by secular values. Thus building a vibrant faith
community is an ever increasing challenge.
Unlike many churches that are literally on major streets and can often rely
on “walk-in” traffic, we at SJYM do not have that luxury. It is striking how
few people even know that our Church exists and this is an ongoing
problem. Despite new signage in the neighbourhood, we all understand that
Church growth is infinitely more complicated than providing proper
advertising.
It seems clear that there are many churches that are indeed growing, some
more rapidly than SJYM and it is my desire to study and reflect on what
some of those success stories are. For example, should we focus on
bringing thoughtful and inspiring speakers to SJYM, helping us to grow
personally and corporately? Should we commit ourselves to providing
quality marital and counselling services to the community? Should we
develop more educational and spiritual practices unique to the men/women
in our parish? (Research clearly shows that men and women experience
and worship God differently.) Could our very liturgy be a deterrent to
growth or is it our great strength? Clearly the non-denominational churches
are growing in Canada more substantially than most of the liturgical
mainline churches such as ours. Is there a way for us to offer a greater
variety of worship services without fracturing the present goodness
currently within our walls?
Clearly this is a complex subject and there are people who study, write, and
reflect on these topics full-time. I do not have that luxury but feel that it
would be time well spent for me to speak with academics, bishops, and
especially successful clergy as to what is working for them, what is essential
for continued growth in this increasingly complex world. I am also looking
forward to a more sustained and deliberate prayer life as I am confident
Continued on page 2
Rector’s Reflections
Continued from page 1
that our Lord may have some things to say about this
topic as well!
For these reasons I am taking this time apart to reflect,
pray, read, study, and talk to people that I may provide
more effective leadership to you the people of SJYM. My
prayer is for your continued spiritual growth, and it is my
hope that my obedience to this task will help bring that
prayer to fulfillment.
God’s Richest Blessings,
Rector, SJYM
DEACON CATHERINE’S DIARY
Dear friends in Christ
Although I am not there to share in this Lenten and Easter
Season please know that you are in my thoughts and
prayers.
I look forward to returning to my diaconal duties after
Easter, when I will again be assisting with the liturgy,
visiting Cedarhurst, leading the Monday afternoon bible
study, attending the Blown Away Children’s Ministry
Conference, and seeing all of you.
As we begin the Lenten and Easter season, I pray that you
and your families will feel God’s presence, His love, His
comfort and support. May you be blessed with good
health, lots of happiness, and joy in the Lord.
Rev. Dr. Catherine Keating, Deacon
MEET JIM PARRISH,
DEPUTY WARDEN
I was born and raised in Toronto, beginning in Leaside
where I was baptised at Leaside United Church. My family
moved to the York Mills area in 1955 and joined Trinity
Presbyterian Church, where I was confirmed at the age of
13. My church service began there as a pianist for the
junior Sunday school. I attended Harrison Road Public
School and York Mills Collegiate.
In the early 1970s, my parents, Eleanor and Don, and I
joined St. John’s and were confirmed into the Anglican
Church in response to the welcoming Anglican ministry of
Canon Jim O’Neil and Archdeacon Terence Crosthwait. My
wife Vicki (nee Anglin) and I were married in 1983 at
Timothy Eaton Memorial (United), with Jim O’Neil copresiding. My family and I have been involved in many
facets of St. John’s life over the years. My father and I
served as sidesmen. Our children, James and Kristine,
were baptized and confirmed at St. John’s and were part
of the Sunday school, youth groups, and Handbell choirs.
Vicki has had many roles, and I continue to serve as a
Eucharistic minister.
I attended U of T from 1967-78, graduating with degrees
in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering and then
Medicine. During that time I was part of St. John’s Server’s
Guild and Head Server from 1972 to 1977 under the
guidance of Rev. Margery Pezzack. After residencies at
North York General and Sunnybrook hospitals, I joined
Bayview Medical Centre in 1980 as a family physician, and
during my 34 year practice treated many St. John’s
parishioners and clergy. I retired in December, 2013, and
now enjoy more time for travel, tennis, swimming, tai chi,
gardening, reading, and involvement at St. John’s.
I am honoured to be an appointed deputy warden and
look forward to serving St. John’s in this capacity.
Jim Parrish
The Link is published 4 times per year by
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Editor: Patricia Smith
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FROM YOUR WARDENS
Looking back at life at St. John’s since the end of the
renovation, beginning with the re-dedication of the
sanctuary on November 2, and culminating in the four
wonderful services on Christmas Eve and Christmas
morning, we are struck by the enthusiastic spirit of our
congregation and the renewed commitment to God’s
work that we feel in our community, both within our
church and without.
Wonderful things are happening at St. John’s in
Children’s Ministry, in the Welcome Ministry, in the
Barnabas group, and in the music program. The people
who offer us coffee and goodies on a Sunday morning,
the tech crew who bring us the wonderful audio-visual
content of our services, the Ringers and Chimers who
raise money for worthwhile outreach charities, our
hardworking verger and sexton, the staff and volunteers
in the office, and so many more people are all part of the
vibrant fabric that makes up our church.
If you want to get involved in church life, there are many
opportunities, no matter your skill set or your time
limitations. We want you as a parishioner of St. John’s to
take advantage of the spiritual nourishment that is offered
here, but we would ask also that you re-dedicate yourself
this year to God’s church and to the life of our community.
Speak to any of the clergy or wardens if you want to be
involved and have not yet found your spot. If you cannot
help physically, your financial support and prayers are also
needed as we head into the first full year of our renewal.
As we look ahead to a busy year, with preparations for the
anniversary year of 2016 gearing up and possible Phase
Three renovations happening, we would like to take this
opportunity to introduce you on these pages to the
leadership at St. John’s. If you have concerns which are
not pastoral in nature but which you would like to bring to
the attention of the wardens or members of Parish
Council, please do not hesitate to do so. We represent
you and we want to hear your opinions.
Work is still going on in the aftermath of the renovation;
not everything is in place yet and not every detail has
been worked out. Keeping that in mind, we are still
pleased to hear your ideas and listen to your concerns. On
Christmas Eve, we introduced a new 4:00 p.m. service for
families with very young children. If you were at that
service, please let us know what you thought. For those
who attended our later traditional Christmas Eve services
and Christmas morning service, we are interested to know
if those services met your spiritual needs. Please know
that we welcome dialogue with you at any time.
As we enter 2015, let all of us at St. John’s re-dedicate
ourselves to knowing Christ and making him known.
Your Wardens
Churchwardens
Deputy Wardens
Sylvia McConnell
People’s Warden
Max Dionisio
(elected)
Mo Bent
Rector’s Warden
Jim Parrish
(appointed)
Suzanne Sutherland Hugh Moore
(elected)
(appointed)
Other Members of Parish Council
Synod Delegates: Max Dionisio, Para Sathi, and Peter Raynham
Members-at-large (elected): Charlotte Orser, Michele Church, and Damien Benedict
Members-at-large (appointed): Peter Miller, Petra Rattray Green, and Giovanna Sirianni
Treasurer: Martin Block
“BEING PRESENT” IN GOD’S PRESENCE
When I was a very young boy, I remember being given a
small, fold-up box at the beginning of Lent at my home
church. After assembling this quaint little box, I was
instructed to insert a quarter into it daily. After forty days
of feeding the cardboard containers with loose change,
the money I’d set aside was then put towards my church.
To this day, I’m still not entirely sure what the purpose of
the exercise was. Perhaps it was meant to teach us
“young’uns” that Lent was about tithing. Maybe it was
instructing us how to be financially savvy at an early age.
Or it might have been an attempt to turn us all into good
little fundraisers for the church. Whatever the objective,
it left me scratching my little red-haired head and asking:
“What does giving all my quarters, er… my mother’s
quarters to the church have anything to do with God?”
Have you ever been asked the question: “What are you
giving up for Lent this year?” Many of my acquaintances –
both “churched” and “unchurched” – see Lent as a time to
“give something up” or, conversely, “take something up”.
To some, the season of Lent and the secular New Year are
interchangeable: both present an opportunity for new
beginnings or a “fresh start”. Lists of resolutions are penned
and personal goals with deadlines are set in hopes of
rebuilding a more fulfilling life. Some of these goals include:
abstaining from eating chocolate, going to the gym more
often, or taking a “break” from Facebook. Don’t get me
wrong. I avoid consuming sugary foods, I lead a physically
active lifestyle, and I require time away from social media
once in a while. But when we say that we’re “giving
something up” or “taking something up” in the name of
Lent, I’m always taken back to that place of asking: “How
does this have anything to do with God?” After many years
of thought, discussion, and prayer, I’ve arrived at a rather
satisfying conclusion: it has everything to do with God!
I feel I am in God’s holy presence the most when I am
living in the present, in the now, in every God-given
moment. By the same token, I feel most distant from God
when my mind and heart are fixed on matters of the past
and/or the future. Jesus was on to something when he
asked his disciples: “Can anxious thought add a single day
to your life?” (Matthew 6: 27; Luke 12: 25). This helps
explain why I felt so spiritually disconnected from that
curious Lenten “piggy bank” exercise in my youth: the
emphasis was more on some goal in the future and less
on the daily journey in the present.
We all perceive God and experience God’s presence in
different ways. For me, some of my most profound “God
moments” occur when I’m going about my daily activities.
Currently, one of my greatest joys is cooking. While I often
strive to create meals that are both healthy and “look good
enough to eat” (literally!), for me, the most enjoyable part
of the process is collecting and then admiring all the
different ingredients that God has created for me to use in
my cooking. I admire how they look, how they smell, how
they taste, and what they feel like in my hands. I ponder
how they were grown and cared for, what part of the world
they came from, and how they came to be in my
possession. All of these thoughts, feelings, and sensations
are rooted in the present moment – the “red-hot minute” –
and I give thanks to God that He’s gifted me with the
physical senses to fully appreciate what He has created and
provided for me. Saint Paul sums it up pretty well in his First
Letter to the Corinthians: “So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1
Corinthians 10: 31).
I also experience God’s presence when I’m being
physically active. For the past year-and-a-half, I’ve been
practicing Bikram Yoga at a hot yoga studio located near
my home in the Beaches. For those not entirely familiar
with the practice, Bikram Yoga classes run for 90 minutes
in a room heated to 40 degrees Celsius and consist of the
same series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises.
(This is not unlike the Anglican order of service, which is
comprised of a sequence of recurring liturgical items.)
While Bikram Yoga offers a multitude of physical benefits,
it also teaches us how to quiet the mind by focusing on
our breath; by turning our attention to how we’re
breathing, it’s encouraging us to be present, to (literally!)
“Live and move and have our being” (Acts 17: 28) in the
“here-and-now”. You see, the breath is God’s first – and
perhaps his most significant – gift to humankind: it is
what gives us life! The Book of Genesis tells us: “Then the
LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living being” (Genesis 2: 7). By contemplating
God’s life-giving breath, I can’t help but consider the
other ways in which God has blessed and continues to
bless my life. It fills me with a sense of wonder and
peace. The prophet Isaiah said it best when he wrote:
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on
you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 23: 6).
And, of course, it wouldn’t be an article from your music
director unless I said a word or two about music!
Creating music, whether playing for a religious service or
at a recital, is an activity that exists only in the present.
As both a church musician and organ recitalist, many
hours of my life go into planning and preparing all kinds
of liturgical and concert music; yet, plan and prepare as I
may, the act of making music always occurs in the
present, in the now! Every musical performance,
recorded or live, read off a score or improvised, is a
creative and interpretive expression of the moment.
When I play the same piece of music more than once, no
two performances are the ever same: each performance
is unique and unfolds in the present! If you take a look at
the Psalms, you’ll notice that not only are many of the
verses written in the imperative but also in the present
tense: “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout
aloud to the Rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95: 1); “Sing to
him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful
acts” (Psalm 105: 2); “Praise him with the sounding of the
trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him
with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and
pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him
with resounding cymbals” (Psalm 150: 3-5). The Psalmist
doesn’t want us to sit around and wait to lift up our
praises to God in song: clearly, he wants us to sing and
make music to God right now, this “red-hot minute”!
With the season of Lent right around the corner, I’m
reminded of a sermon that was preached on Ash
Wednesday by the rector of my previous parish. His
sermon began and ended with the words: “Lent is not a
diet!” Tongue-in-cheek as it was, the preacher’s point
was that Lent should be a time of seeking God and
drawing closer to His presence… and what better way to
experience His presence than by seeking Him out in the
present, right here and right now. Our very own band
leader, Rob Ellis, often refers to “Ordinary Time” in the
church calendar as “Extraordinary Time”… and to that
end, I invite you to seek the “extraordinary” in the
“ordinary”; the divine in the mundane; and the “Alpha
and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and
the End” (Revelation 22: 13) in the here and now.
Patrick Dewell, Music Director,
your Brother in Christ
CHRISTIAN FOR A REASON
Michael Coren is a British-Canadian columnist, author,
public speaker, radio host, and television talk show host.
remains connected to the ecumenical scene in Canada
and beyond.
His articles and speeches often include stories of his own
personal spiritual journey. Coren's father was Jewish, as
was his maternal grandfather. His maternal
grandmother came from a family of Welsh coalminers
and converted to Judaism. Coren converted to Roman
Catholicism in his early twenties while still living in
England, but that didn't last long. He said that he had
"converted to an institution." He eventually converted
to evangelical Christianity in the 1990s, after
a conversion experience as an adult, which was greatly
influenced by Canadian televangelist Terry Winter. In
early 2004, Michael embraced Catholicism again. He
cites St. Thomas More, C. S. Lewis, Ronald Knox, and his
godfather, Lord Longford, as spiritual influences, and
He hosted the television talk show The Michael Coren
Show on the Crossroads Television System from 1999 to
2011, when he moved to the Sun News Network to host
an evening talk show, The Arena with Michael Coren. He
has also been a long-time radio personality, particularly
on CFRB radio.
Michael has written more than ten books, including
biographies of G. K. Chesterton, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan
Doyle, and C. S. Lewis. His latest books include: Why
Catholics are Right, and Hatred: Islam’s War on
Christianity.
Come hear him speak at St. John’s York Mills, on Monday,
March 23 at 6:30 p.m. It should be an interesting event!
THE MCCOLLUM FUND
On November 25, 2014, the Trustees of Archdeacon A.C.
McCollum Fund met to review ten strong applications. This
year, the committee decided to award a $5,000 bursary.
After much discussion, we selected three students to share
the bursary. All awardees attend Wycliffe College and are
currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity. The co-chairs wish
to thank all the members of the committee for their hard
work in reviewing the applications.
John Sundara (awarded $2,000)
I am currently a student at Wycliffe seminary and a recent
recipient of the McCollum scholarship. I hope to become a
postulant in the Diocese of Toronto. Naomi, my wife, is also
a lifelong Anglican from Alberta and a part-time student at
Wycliffe while she continues working full-time in a Christian
university ministry. Born and baptized in Chennai, in the
(Anglican) Church of South India, I grew up in a very multireligious context with Hindu and Muslim neighbours. As
well, studying at a Hindu private school helped me
appreciate other religions and faiths, but more importantly,
it helped me deeply understand and love Christ’s
uniqueness. My family immigrated to Vancouver when I was
in high school. I attended St. Cuthbert’s (Anglican Church of
Canada) and was confirmed in the Diocese of New
Westminster in 2004. I was the youth worker at St.
Cuthbert’s for 5-6 years. Around that time I was also a premed student at UBC, and involved with Power to Change
(P2C), an interdenominational Christian university ministry
that emphasizes Bible study, outreach, and discipleship. It
was a very spiritually formative season, especially since
many of my classes emphasized a very secular and
unexaggeratedly anti-religious perception of the world
devoid of a practical relationship with God, and definitely
not God in Christ. After graduation in 2007, I interned with
P2C, which led to my joining staff with P2C for a few years,
helping students find real faith in Christ and live out God’s
Word in their contexts. As you can tell, Med School was not
really the next step after my time at UBC. Much of this was
because I sensed Christ drawing me to follow him by
participating in full-time ministry.
Now, being a student at Wycliffe, I
am sensing a further call to
ordained ministry and am
prayerfully seeking how I can
continue being faithful and
obedient to our Lord. I am in the
process of being accepted as a
postulant in the Diocese of
Toronto. I thank you for your generous bursary to help
Naomi and me pay for my fees as I follow the Lord.
Elizabeth Martin (awarded $2,000)
Elizabeth Achimah (Martin) is a Masters of Divinity Student
in the pioneer stream at Wycliffe College. She is passionate
about joining God's heart for
those in the neighbourhood who
do not know God's love. She has
offered contextually based youth
mentorship programs in various
churches in Toronto. She is now
working with the Church of the
Resurrection to explore the need
for Anglican ministry in the St.
Clair/O'Connor area. She is
currently leading a team to start
a youth drop-in, Side Door, which
seeks to provide a safe
environment for youth to explore questions of life over
board games, art, sports, and conversation. In her free time,
she can be found hanging out with her cat Shalom, cooking
food from around the world, playing the guitar, or working
on some kind of writing project.
Stephen Monk (awarded $1,000)
I have attended Wycliffe College as a part-time
student since 2010. I’ve discerned my ministry for
almost ten years. I originally thought that my role
was as a Permanent Deacon,
serving my parish and the
community. Prayer, service
to SJYM, my studies, and
further discernment have led
me to discover that my
calling is as a full-time priest
in the diocese of
Toronto. SJYM has a history
of church planting and I hope to continue that
tradition—not building a congregation from nothing
but taking a struggling parish and helping it to go
through the transformation that St John’s has gone
through. I hope that you can take part in this
transformation by praying for me. I thank SJYM for
the faith that it has in me by awarding me this
bursary. I hope to do you proud.
Max Dionisio,
McCollum Fund Co-Chair
SECOND CHANCE
St. John’s will be hosting an
event for young adults called
“Second Chance” on Saturday
February 28th at 5 pm.
St. John's York Mills Anglican
Church will collaborate with
other local churches in North
Toronto that are Anglican and
ecumenical to host a free
event for young adults over 17
to come as they are and
encounter the love of God.
This event is for people to get
away from the busyness of the
world and just worship God.
Our mission is to build up
people of power who can
effectively seek change in
communities with a strong
biblical foundation. Faithbased institutions should be
relations-based and focus on
building communities with
Jesus at the center.
The night will consist of a free
dinner, 2 young adults’
worship bands, a testimony
and guest speaker. When we
launched this in November we
had approximately 65
attendees.
We encourage people to come
and to bring friends.
If you have any questions,
concerns, or would like more
information, please contact
Chantal Sathi.
Blessings and Love,
Chantal Sathi
[email protected]
SLEEP OVER AT SJYM—THE INSIDE STORY
On a Sunday morning, along with all the other
announcements, we sometimes hear about our youth
groups that have slept over in the church the night
before. This news is usually delivered by sleepy-eyed
youth leaders that I assume spent more time awake than
asleep.
I know what it’s like to come to morning services when
the church is filled with light, with the sounds of children
chattering, and with conversations going on everywhere.
Coming into the church for meetings in the evening, the
church is hushed and it takes on a more sombre
countenance. There is a different feeling about the place
at night. It got me wondering what it would be like to be
in the church all night long.
So on the morning of Sunday, February 2nd, I met some of
the kids who had spent the night at the church and asked
them what it was like to sleep over. I didn’t have a
chance to speak with all of them; however, Declan, Katie,
Jacob, Matthew, Emmanuel, Sarah, and Jessica gave me
the low down.
They all agreed that sleeping over in the church was great
fun. After watching the movie Facing the Giants they
played games. Apparently food plays a big part of the
evening. There was pizza, pasta, and chicken fingers.
Carbs are apparently a key ingredient to the success of
the event!
I asked them, “What was it like?” They told me it was
dark, scary, and spooky. These observations may have
been influenced by the youth playing hide ‘n seek and
cops and robbers. Running along the corridors with only
the red exit signs glowing added to the overall ambiance.
“Where did you sleep?” I asked them. The boys slept in
the Marsh room and turned the lights out well after
midnight. The girls slept in Chantal’s office.
Have you seen those rooms? They are good enough for
office space, but hardly the lap of luxury (or even modest
comfort) for getting a good night’s sleep, I would imagine.
So, when I spoke with the young people on Sunday
morning, they were getting organized for the service amid
the excited chatter of the night before. The youth woke
up around 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning and prepared the
soup for our Souper Bowl Sunday event. The seafood
chowder was delicious, which is testament, I’m sure, to
the energy produced by the in-take of carbs and the
endurance of youth.
So, my curiosity satisfied, I personally commend Chantal
and Nathan for hosting these events and I thank them
most sincerely for making them such a fun event for our
youth. Great job you two!
Suzanne Sutherland,
Deputy Warden
A Kaleidoscope of Chords and Colours
MusicFest 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
A fun-filled music concert for all ages
3:00 pm
An amazing mix of
English Handbells, Chimes, Band, Organ,
Percussion, Guitars, Sax,
Piano and Voices
Doors open 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: Adults $15 / Children $5
416-225-6611 or [email protected]
12TH ANNUAL SILENT FILM NIGHT SERIES
The popular Silent Film series continues in its 12th year
with screenings on Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m.
and Saturday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Each night, internationally-acclaimed silent film
accompanist William O’Meara will provide improvised
accompaniment on the organ. Admission is free.
Donation proceeds from the evenings will be directed to
FaithWorks.
On Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m., we will be
presenting the comedy For Heaven’s Sake (1926, 58
minutes) starring Harold Lloyd.
In For Heaven’s Sake, Harold is a young, carefree
millionaire who unwittingly makes a donation that is
used to start a Christian mission led by Brother Paul in
the poor part of town. Harold is initially indignant when
he learns that his name is associated with the mission,
but he soon falls in love with Brother Paul’s daughter,
Hope. To impress Hope, Harold goes to great lengths to
The 2015 Silent Film series will continue on Saturday,
April 18 at 7:30 p.m. with the screening of another
comedy. The current plans are to present on April 18 The
Navigator (1924, 59 minutes) starring Buster Keaton.
Please join us for the silent movie screenings on
Saturday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April
18 at 7:30 p.m. and be sure to invite your friends.
Lychgate welcomes
Kathy Knowles
Director of Osu Children’s Library Fund
attract members of the pool hall gang to the mission.
When Harold and Hope announce their engagement,
Harold’s wealthy friends try to prevent him from
marrying beneath his station. Harold, though, is
determined to marry the woman he loves.
The leading film critic Leonard Maltin gave For Heaven’s
Sake a rating of four stars out of four and described the
movie as “screamingly funny”.
The Osu Children’s Library Fund is a Canadian not for
profit charity that brings the love of reading to children in
Africa. In 1989, Kathy’s husband accepted a position in
Ghana, Africa. She noticed that the local children did not
have the opportunity to read storybooks, so she started a
reading circle under a tree. The children loved it, and so it
‘grew’ into the ‘Library Tree’. Since then, the Osu
Children’s Library Fund of
Canada and the Osu Library
Fund of Ghana have built 7
large community libraries in
Greater Accra and have
helped to create more than
200 libraries in Africa.
Kathy has won many awards from around the world,
including the Governor General’s Medallion Award.
Kathy will join us on Thursday, March 12 at
8 p.m.. All St. John’s parishioners are welcome. There will
be a sign-up sheet so we know how many for coffee.
LENT: A SEASON FOR LISTENING

...
Listening - A Lenten Practice
This year as we move towards Easter, we hear the
invitation to focus on Listening. Deep Listening is a
wonderful practice during Lent as we prepare for Easter.
Rather than giving up something that shouldn’t be a part
of our life and then taking it back with enthusiasm at
Easter, rather than disciplining ourselves in a ways that
subtly strengthen our egos with a sense of our own
willpower, rather than doing the digging work of selfreflection, take the time to focus on Listening.
In the scripture, we read Mark 9:7 where God speaks to
the disciples and tells them to listen to Jesus. That short
passage of scripture can be enough for many days or
weeks! We must figure out how to take that word - listen
- seriously and be wise on what and who we listen to. Do
you hear the voice of Jesus? Do you listen to the internal
tapes, the demands of the world, the pressures from
others ... or do you listen to the voice of love who came
into this world because of love for all of us?
The Practice of Listening
Some practices that I have found helpful in growing to
listen more deeply:


Breathe – and pay attention to it!
Slow down, be attentive to present moment and
present place. (See The Good and Beautiful God, pg.
190, for exercises.)
 Listen to myself
 Listen to my body – aches, pains, tension – What
do you, my body, want to say to me?
 Listen to my emotions – What is moving through
me?
 Listen to my mind – Observe the pace and
content, without engaging or judging it.
 Listen to others
 Be attentive to their body language, their words,
their emotions, and their hidden codes.
What are they saying to me? Seek clarity - ask
them - are you saying ...?
 Listen to Spirit of God
 God speaks to us through our location, through
our bodies, emotions, and thoughts, through
other people, and through sacred texts, music, or
prayers. Open your heart to hearing God speak
through many avenues.
 Learn to hear your Master's voice, the voice that
will call you "Beloved", "Good Enough", "My Own
Child".
 Don’t listen to any voice that condemns you.
(Romans 8:1)
 Listen for voice of the one who came to earth out
of love for you.
 LISTEN – with ears to hear with your heart.
Learn More about Listening
Some books I’ve found helpful on learning to Listen:
1. Brad Jersak: “Can You Hear Me?”, Monarch Books
2006: Jersak teaches about listening prayer, offering
many true life stories and prayer exercises based on
scripture and encountering God.
2. Henri Nouwen: “Life of the Beloved”, Crossroad
Publishing 1992: Trying to explain his faith to a nonChristian friend, Nouwen teaches all of us to hear
more deeply and live more truly from God’s name for
us. We are Beloved.
3. Michael Nichols: “The Lost Art of Listening”, Guilford
Press 1995: A classic and fundamental book on why
and how to listen to others.
4. McMahon and Campbell: “Rediscovering the Lost
Body-Connection within Christian Spirituality”, Tasora
Books 2010: Very practical and transformational. It
helped me learn to listen to what God is saying to me
through my body.
5. James Bryan Smith: “Good and Beautiful God”, IVP
Books, 2009: This book requires some investment of
time with soul-training exercises, but people of our
congregation who have worked through this book
have found it illuminating and helpful.
Offered by Anne+
For Lent 2015
NEW CIRCLES’ NEW LOCATION NOW OPEN!
As previously reported, New Circles was very busy in 2014
obtaining City by-law approvals and making plans to
relocate to 161 Bartley Drive, which is near Victoria Park
Avenue and Eglinton Avenue East in Victoria Village. We
are delighted to announce that they are now open and
are once again able to accept donations of gently used
clothes, shoes, and accessories for children, teens, men,
and women (http://newcircles.ca/move2014). Donations
are accepted at their side door, located on Hobson
Avenue. Please ring the doorbell and a New Circles
representative will be happy to assist you with unloading
your donations.
The new site is much larger, and within the next month
will be ready to significantly improve this fine
organization’s capacity for service delivery:
 The space for our clothing service will be much
bigger. This will now be set up as a Winners-style
department store, and will create a more professional
retail setting for clients.


An expanded waiting area with kitchenette, internet
café, and children’s play space is available.
Two fully-equipped classrooms to support our new
certificate-based retail and office skills training
programs, as well as language tutoring and friendship
circles, are now open.
New Circles would also appreciate receiving financial
support to help in developing these new programs and
facilities, and Carol Ball would also welcome any
volunteers who could help them with the large amount of
moved items that need to be sorted out. To make a
donation, simply make your cheque out to “St. John’s
York Mills Outreach” with “New Circles” on the memo
line and leave it in the collection plate or at the office. If
you want to drop off a clothing donation at the church,
please leave it with the office or contact Carol at 416-4880125 to arrange for pick up.
Scott McDougall
SHROVE TUESDAY
On Shrove Tuesday, February 17, a feast was provided by
the Men’s Supper Club, with the support of the
FaithWorks and Outreach Committee. The men of the
Supper Club were in the kitchen cooking up a feast of
pancakes, butter, syrup, ham and fruit! Sixty people
enjoyed a tasty meal and good conversation.
FaithWorks to help with
their work in the Diocese
and beyond (through
PWRDF and the Anglican
Appeal). A total of $386.00
was raised!
In addition to their contribution of time and talent, the
Men’s Supper Club funded the cost of the meal so that
every penny of the free will offering collected will go to
Your hosts thank you for
supporting their passion in
all that FaithWorks does!
St John’s York Mills Anglican Church • 19 Don Ridge Drive • Toronto, Ontario • M2P 1H3
Phone: 416-225-6611 • Fax: 416-225-6081 • [email protected] • www.sjym.ca
www.facebook.com/SJYMAnglicanChurhc