Elisabeth Grant, now a member of Beaches Presbyterian Church, started her Christian journey as an Anglican. In fact, her father was an Anglican minister. He eventually left the ministry and became a probation officer.
Meanwhile, after finishing high school, in Peterborough, Ontario, Elisabeth moved to Toronto to attend the Toronto Bible College (now Ontario Bible College). She graduated with a Bachelor of Religious Education and hoped to land a job at the Children’s Aid of Metropolitan Toronto. But the young Elisabeth was informed she did not have “enough life experience.” In order to gain sufficient experience to qualify for a C.A. job, Elisabeth decided to volunteer for a Mennonite organization. They offered three postings, in far-off locations. Elisabeth opted for a gig, in Omaha, Nebraska and found herself working as a maid, in a locked ward, in a psychiatric hospital. “I was punched. My hair was pulled. The Mennonites had set me up in a place to live, so I felt I could not pull out,” Elisabeth says. “Also I had gone with a friend from Toronto and I worked with a team of neat people.”
After her initiation, by fire, into real life, Elisabeth returned to Toronto and worked for the Children’s Aid at a hostel for run-away youth – a job that required her to be on duty 24 hours a day. Elisabeth’s next position was at a Salvation Army children’s home on Broadview Ave., in Toronto. With all this life experience under her belt, Elisabeth eventually moved to the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec where she worked for 25 years.
By chance, Marlene Barnett arrived, at the Baptist facility, to fill a contract position. She and Elisabeth became fast friends and after Elisabeth had major surgery, Marlene “took her in.” Marlene, a long-time member of Beaches Presbyterian, also took Elisabeth to church. “That was 19 years ago. I liked the people there, the freedom of worship and the music,” Elisabeth says.
After a working life in the social services sector, Elisabeth is now semi-retired. She works three mornings, a week, in the church office and has a small business as a personal concierge. This involves services such as taking seniors to appointments, house sitting and dog walking.
Elisabeth is also an elder, at Beaches, and head of the hospitality committee. “We have a great women’s group. Every two months we have a potluck and for three to four hours we discuss our faith, lives and concerns – like a support group.”
Often Elisabeth takes a quinoa salad to these potlucks, a far cry from the old-fashioned homey ham and scalloped potatoes that were a mainstay of Anglican church suppers when she was growing up. From those years Elisabeth, also thinks fondly of her mother’s potato salad. She admits she has not been able reproduce the delectable flavour of her mother Jean Sutherst’s unique potato salad.
Beaches is suffering, like most Presbyterian churches in the Toronto area, from dwindling membership. The church survives partly because the building is let out to sundry community groups, such as the Boy Scouts, but, mostly, because the current members are on the young side and tend to be creative and energetic. Currently the congregation has committed to sponsoring two young men who are refugees from Iran. They arrive in Toronto in December, according to Elisabeth.
However, the major event of the year, at Beaches, is the annual Christmas fundraiser. This centres around an atmospheric reading of Charles Dickens Christmas Carol . This year, the reading takes place, at Beach Presbyterian Church, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. Admission $25.
ELISABETH GRANT’S QUINOA WITH TOMATOES
1 cup quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil. 1 onion, finely chopped. 3 cloves of garlic, minced. Salt and ground pepper.
2 cups vegetable stock. 4 plum tomatoes seeded and chopped. ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil.
METHOD:
Put quinoa in a sieve and rinse well with cold water.
Heat oil in sauce pan, with a tight-fitting lid, over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes to soften. Add garlic, a pinch of salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Saute for 1 minute more. Add stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.
Stir in quinoa and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and liquid absorbed. Remove from heat and sprinkle tomatoes on top. Cover and let stand for five minutes.
Using a fork, gently stir in tomatoes, grated Parmesan and half the basil, fluffing quinoa as you stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve sprinkled with shaved Parmesan and remaining basil. (Serves 4)
