Amidst the tall trees and tranquil shores of Georgian Bay in Penetanguishene, Ont., members of First Church are counting their blessings — and extending those blessings to others. Thanks to a friendship between the church's minister, Dr. Gerard Booy, and missionaries in Mozambique, the congregation is helping build a classroom for students in the small village of Gurué in northwestern Mozambique. "Living in Canada, we're fortunate," said Mary Sheriff, chair of the missions team that coordinated the project, "but do we realize it? This was a chance to get to know each other more, and our community more, and to learn about others living elsewhere."
Seventy per cent of Mozambique's population lives below the poverty line, making it one of the poorest countries in the world. With the literacy rate sitting at about 48 per cent, education is of paramount importance. Through letters and conversations with Anthonie and Elsabé Welman, Dutch Reformed missionaries working in Mozambique since 1996, the congregation decided to launch Mozambique Day on Sept. 25, with proceeds going towards building and supplying a classroom. "It generated real excitement," said Sheriff. "Whenever we asked for help, people just came forward."
Booy went to theological college with Anthonie Welman in South Africa, and later they were ministers in neighbouring congregations. Since Booy came to Canada about four years ago, he has shared his stories of Africa with the congregation. It was only a matter of time before he spurred people to action. They chose to help Chabwe School, with nearly 100 grade 1 and 2 children and only one teacher. Desks, chairs and a blackboard were badly needed items — as was as a well-constructed classroom that could keep students dry in the rain. "The congregation really embraced the idea," said Booy. "There was huge enthusiasm right from the start."
A silent auction, musical entertainment, a barbeque, face-painting and a fish pond for the kids and video presentations on Mozambique were all on tap for the day. The relatively small congregation hoped it could raise about $1,000 for the cause, but thanks to the generosity of church and community members (which together totalled about 250), the event brought in five times that amount. "We realized how talented we are and how fortunate for having the membership and leadership that we do," said Sheriff. "You often don't feel a part of the cause you're giving to, but with this, we did. You saw that happening all day, with the smiles, the conversation, and the absolute shock when we counted the money!"
The event also featured displays of each congregation member in order to facilitate the getting-to-know-each-other-better process. Little-known facts are now segues into conversation. Instead of rushing home after church, members linger to talk with each other. "The $5,000 was just a bonus," said Sheriff.
The church has received thank you letters from the children they helped, and receive updates from the Welmans on the school's progress. The missions committee will decide what to raise money for next depending upon the reports. "Everybody did such a wonderful job," said Sheriff. "It certainly was a team effort. It brought out enthusiasm we didn't even know was there!"
"One of the great things to come out of this is the awareness of the situation," said Booy. "Coming out of Africa and having seen the poverty and how many people don't have the opportunities we have, raising awareness of that was a big thing. It also brought people together, and there was very definite spiritual growth."
Celebrating spiritual growth and serving the community are two things Grace Church, Calgary, are in the midst of. The congregation is commemorating 100 years with celebrations lasting for 100 days from February to May. The plans have been more than two years in the making. "The anniversary steering committee reflected on what we could do if we had no restrictions on money, manpower, or where God will take us," said Bob Ermter, chair of the committee. "For the next three meetings, we accumulated ideas and created a bold venture — there were no limitations on anything."
Their ambitious plans paid off when they booked the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for a February concert. The orchestra's conductor was so pleased with the church's own musical talent, that she invited the choir and six of Grace's soloists to take part. Nearly 900 spectators packed the church. Not forgetting about Grace's younger crowd, the church also hosted a Christian rock concert that attracted 200 youth on a Saturday night, some of whom led a youth service the next morning.
Such high-profile events aren't the only things going on at Grace. The congregation is also commemorating years of mission work and outreach. They have a total of 24 projects on the go. One of them saw 56 members leave for Tijuana, Mexico. Travelling by bus, they built three homes for needy families, complete with water purification systems.
The congregation also operates a service to shut-ins, where volunteers pick them up for church, head to their homes to talk, or take them to appointments. Volunteers continue to help the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, through which they have served 72,000 meals to those in need. The project has operated every month for 13 years. Grace also hosts an Inn from the Cold program, where homeless individuals can find a warm bed for the night, a breakfast in the morning, and a brown-bag lunch.
To further reach out to those in need, Grace's women have knitted 120 quilts to distribute in Mexico and to local women's shelters. The congregation also operates Grace House — a safe place for young women who are in the Servant's Anonymous rehabilitation program (designed to help women involved in prostitution or victims of sexual exploitation).
Other special events include Bring a Friend to Church, where every member is encouraged to bring someone along for every week in the celebration, and Guess Who's Coming for Supper, where members take turns hosting and attending dinners or lunches at each other's homes. The festivities also feature a women's fellowship weekend, a youth sleepover, a family night, a centennial hall of history, a 100-day prayer book created by two congregation members, a master class of music, a potluck attended in period costumes and a grand banquet in May to culminate the celebration.
"This has caused and created excitement in our church," said Ermter. "We're helping wherever we can in our community."
