No Unpaid Leave at Wynford
National office staff were told in March that an unpaid week off for 2011 will not be necessary. The week was part of the church’s plan to make up for a budget shortfall due largely to a decrease in givings to Presbyterians Sharing.
“While Presbyterians Sharing showed a decrease at the end of 2010, that was offset by restraint in expenditures from the office,” said an email sent to staff by the management team. The resulting $103,000 surplus meant the $55,000 that would have been saved in salaries and utilities was no longer needed.
The management team—the church’s principal clerk, the chief financial officer and the general secretary of the Life and Mission Agency—recommended to Assembly Council last November that the week off not be implemented in 2011 if budget numbers were healthy. The council’s finance committee reviewed the figures in March, and accepted the recommendation. -AM
Seniors Get New Residence
A new seniors’ residence in St. Lambert, Que., will be a site for cooperation among local churches. The project is targeted at the English-speaking community in St. Lambert—something Rev. Barry Mack, minister at St. Andrew’s, St. Lambert, suggested, noticing that elderly anglophone parishioners were having difficulty finding a place to live. Mack approached Fergus Groundwater, a member of the congregation and chairman of the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Homes Foundation (an independent organization).
The congregation will be involved by drawing the various churches in St. Lambert into ecumenical ministry at the building’s Heritage Gardens, which will feature a “green” rooftop dining area—the first of its kind in the area. An ecumenical chapel will incorporate elements from the Lutheran church that once stood on the grounds, and artistic projects will link the various churches to the residence. The 93-unit residence is slated to open in November. – AM
Geddie Hosts Arts Retreat
Extreme winter weather didn’t stop 30 people from attending Camp Geddie’s Discover the Arts retreat in February. Located in Nova Scotia, the camp has been holding theme retreats for 13 years.
The retreat focused on prayer through creativity. During worship, participants reflected on scripture using clay and mosaics. Dawn MacNutt, a local artist and sculptor who attended Camp Geddie as a child, shared her insight with the group. “Dawn offered great passion and genuineness to prayer in art form,” said Audrey Cameron, Geddie’s executive director.
Three local crafts people offered instruction in photography, painting and woodcarving. “By the end of the afternoon, self-portraits were hanging on walls, wood shavings filled the room
and red-cheeked photographers were comparing shots they had taken in a walk around the site,” said Cameron. – AM
TRC Wants Staff Stories
The federal government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is asking former teachers and staff of the country’s residential schools to share their memories.
“Residential school staff can provide us with a unique insight into the operation of the schools, the relationship between students and staff, and the day to day challenges of working in difficult circumstances,” said Justice Murray Sinclair, the commission’s chair, in a letter to churches.
“A better understanding of the experiences of former staff will help us prepare a more comprehensive history of the residential school system.”
The TRC will arrange for an interview with an experienced statement-gatherer. Participants are assured their stories will be treated with respect. Interested individuals can contact Helen Harrison: helen.harrison@trc.ca or 613-947-1093; or Stephen Kendall, the PCC’s principal clerk, at skendall@presbyterian.ca
News Bites
• Evangel Hall Mission raised $18,000 at its Compassionate Hearts gala on Feb. 12 at the Fairmount Royal York
Hotel in Toronto.
• The Presbytery of Halifax and Lunenburg held an ‘Epiphany party’ in January, bringing 41 people to the home
of presbytery clerk Rev. Sandy McDonald for an informal social gathering. It was inspired by a discussion with delegates from the Emmaus conference.
• As the Record went to press, faculty and librarians at the Atlantic School of Theology were poised to strike if parties at a bargaining session on March 21 failed to reach an agreement.
Kairos Addresses House Committee
Kairos got a glimpse into Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda’s reasoning for denying their CIDA funding when she addressed a standing committee of the House of Commons on March 18. They were gathered to determine whether or not Oda is guilty of a breach of privilege.
Oda admitted her explanations regarding a handwritten “Not” inserted onto the letter that originally approved Kairos’ $7-million proposal had created confusion, but maintained that the proposal no longer fit with CIDA’s priorities. She noted while the application had many positive aspects, “$880,000 was to be used for advocacy, training, media strategies and campaign activities here in Canada,” saying it wasn’t “the best way to spend public funds.”
“We’re surprised she has issues with this,” Jennifer Henry, manager of Kairos’ Rights and Dignity Team, told the Record. “This is what we call, and what CIDA calls, ‘public engagement.’ It increases awareness and education of Canadians on international development issues. Best practices show this is an essential part of development work.”
“Kairos has never had a sense of entitlement,” said Corkery, speaking to the committee. “But we do expect a timely and substantial response to applications, and in this case, we didn”t get that.”
Kairos was denied funding after a 35-year relationship with CIDA. They submitted a new proposal in March 2010, but have not yet heard if it has been approved. – AM
