As one of the church's largest and richest presbyteries, East Toronto occupies an interesting spot on the landscape. Even though it was only created in 1949 (when the Presbytery of Toronto was divided into east and west), its history includes some of the oldest churches of the denomination in Canada. Despite its fabled past, the presbytery is in the midst of change. Encompassing a downtown portion of the city as well as its northern and eastern outskirts, the demographics of East Toronto aren't quite what they once were. Originally a destination for immigrants from the United Kingdom, the bustling city has grown to include immigrants from non-European countries, changing the community's makeup as well as the people in the pews. Toronto is the most multicultural city in Canada and the presbytery's 25 congregations reflect that fact.
East Toronto includes five ethnic congregations — two Chinese, one Mandarin, one Formosan and one Taiwanese. (Geographically speaking, there are also several Korean congregations in the area, but formally they belong to the Western Han-Ca Presbytery.) Chinese, Toronto, holds English and Chinese services with music in both languages, and two Sunday schools. It also offers a long list of fellowship programs for all ages and stages of life, including a sports group and a drama group called ACTS — Acclaiming Christ Through Stage, that performs in the church and in the community.
It was through the vision of Thomas Eng, minister at Chinese, Toronto, that Celebration North was born. Celebration has a large Asian contingent, but is English-speaking. Although they don't have their own building, the church's minister, Peter Ma, has led the congregation of about 75 adults since its inception in 1996. Ma is devoted to reaching those who do not go to church. He proclaims that attendants need not worry about violating protocol. "We assume very little background in knowledge of the Bible and faith matters, and we try to make it a service that is approachable, honest, sincere and authentic," said Ma. "We're more informal than formal, and we offer contemporary worship." Small groups for married people, singles, young couples, women, and families are offered, as is an ESL class.
Ma said although the church's niche is Asian ministry he would one day like to attract other ethnic groups. "It doesn't matter what kind of congregation we become ethnically," he said, "but that the cultural barriers are bridged and obstacles are taken away so people can come and worship." Ma said congregation members have to be culturally sensitive to everyone, by minimizing inside jokes and not speaking in other languages without explaining to others.
Gateway Community Church is one congregation that does this well. It has almost always included a significant mix of cultures. Its worship services are tailored to appeal to the diverse backgrounds and denominations represented there. Since its beginning, the congregation has focused on outreach to the community, with a variety of groups using the church for special events.
Glebe supports communities in other countries by selling fair trade coffee. The church doesn't make any profit from the sales, but uses it to raise awareness of the need to pay coffee farmers a fair wage for their product. Fair trade coffee helps support the wider community where plantations are located, as portions of the profits are reinvested in community programs and infrastructure.
Knox, Spadina, established in 1820, offers weekly ESL classes and dinners, and multi-language Bible studies. They're currently trying to install an elevator for greater accessibility. The current building was built in 1909, but when the first church was built, Toronto (then called York) was a town of only 1,200. Knox' current multicultural location can't erase its rich, Scottish history, beginning with its minister in 1945, Robert Burns. Burns brought a passion for evangelism and mission and was instrumental in the formation of several churches in the Maritimes and Western Ontario. Along with good friends (and good journalists) Peter and George Brown (a Father of Confederation), they created the Banner, a paper to support the Free Church in Scotland. The publication later became the present-day Presbyterian Record. Burns' successor, Alexander Topp, had a hand in stationing George Leslie Mackay, one of the first ever missionaries to Taiwan. Topp was also instrumental in uniting all Presbyterian congregations under the PCC in 1875.
The presbytery is also ministering to groups who are marginalized because of poverty, various disabilities, or sexual orientation. Many of the presbytery's congregations support Evangel Hall, an inner-city mission providing food and shelter to the city's homeless. The presbytery also runs several Out of the Cold programs. Known as "the church with a heart in the heart of Toronto," St. Andrew's, King Street, was one of the first Toronto congregations to operate this program, led by congregation member and journalist Stevie Cameron. Out of the Cold offers warm meals, and sometimes a warm bed, during the winter months to those who have nowhere else to go. The initiative at St. Andrew's has been so successful that it is often used as a model and training centre for other congregations wanting to develop their own homelessness projects. St. Andrew's is one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in Toronto, established in 1830. St. Andrew's associate minister, Rodger Hunter, is director of Boarding Homes Ministry, where volunteers visit boarding homes around the city, providing fellowship, friendship and ministry. It is a project supported by several congregations.
Glenview, established in 1925, held its first services in a theatre and now has a building that seats 650 people. Glenview's written history refers to the first sermon given by Rev. H.E. Abraham, during which he said, "No Christian heart can by itself do Christian work. Should righteousness be crowned, it calls forth a united effort." The congregation presently supports Evangel Hall, Portland Place, Out of the Cold, Armagh, Backdoor Ministry and Boarding Homes Ministry. They also hold an annual event called Yonge Street Shares, where about a dozen of the top restaurants in the city serve samples of their food at the church. Held in June, the congregation raised $18,000 this year to support these ministries.
Rosedale was built on mission involvement. One year prior to having its own building in 1909, the congregation responded to an urgent appeal for $3,000 to build a church in China. Its commitment to outreach hasn't stopped since. It supports many of the programs listed above and also partners with a rural congregation. Rosedale provides the funds to plant and harvest grain for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. And in an effort to respond to the controversies and tensions among the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths, Rosedale is holding a lecture series on fundamentalism, with speakers from these three traditions.
Calvin Church, which celebrated its 80th anniversary on June 12, holds regular community breakfasts, operates a food bank and opens its doors to the community on weekdays for those seeking a quiet place for prayer and reflection. And, in a spirit of unity, Calvin shares worship services during the summer with nearby Deer Park United — the very congregation that was created when deflecting Presbyterians left for the United Church in 1925. In the church's newsletter, Calvin's minister, Ian McDonald, reflected on this practice. "In worshipping together, we will be reminded that in spite of having taken divergent paths, we are truly more alike than we are different, and that unites us more than divides us."
For Your Inspiration — fyi — is a downtown mission project of the presbytery, ministering to people who feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in traditional church settings.
A hot seat for controversial debate, the presbytery is engaged is wrestling with ways to appropriately and faithfully respond to its diverse community. East Toronto has raised the same-sex marriage issue — both within presbytery and to the General Assembly. Its most recent question — presented in Edmonton at this year's assembly, was prompted by fyi's Jane Swatridge, who needed guidance when asked to marry a gay couple. General Assembly reaffirmed its position that marriage is between one man and one woman, and ministers are therefore not permitted to officiate over other types of unions. (See the July/August issue for full coverage.)
East Toronto has accepted the challenge of ministering to an increasingly wide array of cultures, traditions and social groups by widening its arms to welcome all. "Making small changes in the right area can make a big difference," said Ma. "They don't have to be huge, but if they're in the right place, they can have a big impact."
