Grace Presbyterian, Calgary, is a growing congregation in the heart of the city. The downtown church with a membership of almost 600 grossed $24,000 last year with its annual Christmas cake fundraiser. The popular project sells nearly 5,000 pounds of cake to parishioners and non-church goers alike. Going strong for about 40 years, the cakes require a mammoth amount of ingredients, including 100 kilograms of sugar, 145 kilograms of butter, 270 kilograms of raisins, 454 kilograms of almonds and 250 cartons of eggs.
The dough is prepared in the church kitchen, taken home by individuals to bake, and returned to the church for packaging, pricing, and selling. Cakes are sold at their annual bazaar, and are shipped around the world. "When I first came, I thought, 'this is rather archaic'. I didn't think many young people were into Christmas cake," said Grace's minister, Victor Kim. "But it's not just about the Christmas cake. It's about the fellowship within the church, and about mission and outreach."
The fundraiser begins in September. Hundreds of volunteers know the system so well that the process operates with "military precision", according to Kim, as supplies are unloaded into the church basement, including the hall, kitchen and gymnasium. Huge scales and giant mixing machines are brought in, and the process of organizing and baking the thick, heavy cakes begins as soon as the materials arrive.
The proceeds go to Grace's numerous mission and outreach programs. One of the programs the congregation is especially committed to is the Mustard Seed Street Ministry in downtown Calgary, which provides numerous services for the homeless. For 13 years, parishioners have prepared meals once a month in Grace's kitchen and transported them to Mustard Seed. Fifteen volunteers currently help with the project, adding to the 20,000 hours of labour banked by the congregation over the years. Grace's members have donated $50,000 since its involvement. "The people are committed to this," said Kim.
The congregation is also active in Calgary's annual ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) walk. Betty's Run, named after a woman who died from the disease, sees about 50 people from Grace participate each year. They regularly raise about $5,000 for the cause. The congregation has participated for about five years, showing solidarity with one of their elders who died from the disease.
Since the walk is held on a Sunday morning, Grace's participants start off with a moment of prayer and meditation. The prayers often draw other runners, making it a witness to the congregation's faith and social commitment. "They finish the run and then come to church," said Kim. "I can always tell who was running because they come in their t-shirts and are all sweaty!"
The commitment of the congregation to minister in unique and meaningful ways stems from the church's mission when it was first built 100 years ago. Planted as a new church to meet the needs of the people living in what was then the outskirts of Calgary, the congregation continues to serve the community it inhabits — despite big changes in its demographics. "The scope of our work has changed, but the nature of it hasn't," said Kim. "Our mandate is still to serve our community."
The congregation at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Chatham, Ont., has its own idea for raising funds and piquing the curiosity of the community. Members of the small church bake meat pies — beef one time, turkey the next — six times a year. The pies are so popular that they have standing orders for those who eagerly await the homemade treats. Going strong for about 25 years, the pies are the church's largest fundraiser. Last year, more than 1,300 pies were sold at $2.25 a piece, bringing in nearly $2,000, after expenses. The money is used for outreach to the 12 different charities supported by St. Paul's, as well as maintenance needs that the church otherwise couldn't afford.
Pauline West, president of Anglican Church Women at St. Paul's, has been a part of the program since its inception. "It's about companionship," she said. "Many people, who may not come to other meetings, get involved in this. We support the church, and we're a family working together."
