Flanking the ever-growing Yonge St. corridor, northeast of Toronto, Oak Ridges presbytery is an anomaly in the Presbyterian church. "I think we're in a growth mode," said Rev. Sam Priestley, minister at St. Andrew's, Markham. "Many communities have a large number of young families and couples moving in, and we endeavour to minister to them."
Retirees, hoping to escape the city's frenzy, are adding to the growth. Two years ago the presbytery gained 103 adherents (for a total of 3,082 members). All of its congregations stand on their own, and only one of the 21 charges lies completely vacant (although several are staffed with student or interim ministers or led by associate ministers).
St. Andrew's, Markham, can trace its roots to the "saddlebag ministers" who travelled to farms and communities on horseback prior to 1827. Once a month volunteers make 12 loaves of sandwiches for Toronto's Evangel Hall.
The congregation also has a minister of new development and a director of youth ministry. The huge growth in the district is too much for one minister to carry. A team ministry is needed to forge and nurture relationships.
Thornhill Church was established in 1849. After growing substantially since that time, congregation size has settled at about 250 members (with 125 in attendance) and 30 kids in church school.
The monthly dinner and movie night features a homemade meal, fellowship and discussion following movies like Hotel Rwanda, Bruce Almighty and The Gods Must be Crazy. Participants discuss how God and faith are presented in popular culture.
The church's social justice group keeps the congregation apprised of current issues and campaigns. It recently spearheaded an initiative to promote fair trade coffee. And thanks to a grant from the presbytery's youth ministry committee, the church owns floor hockey equipment which the members use for inter-generational hockey games at the church. Thornhill has also taken on a project linking the congregation to a mission in Malawi. Members sent a shipment of learn-to-read books to Ekwendeni Hospital and are raising money to build a daycare centre for the hospital's orphan care program. They also hold a community outreach luncheon for seniors twice monthly, where 40-60 seniors gather to listen to a guest speaker and to eat together.
Thornhill's Rev. Heather Jones said although the church sits in an affluent neighbourhood, there are pockets of low-income housing. "There are significant needs right on our doorstep, right in our community," she said, "and we're struggling with how to reach out, provide service and support, and to integrate them into our community of faith."
St. Andrew's, Newmarket, was formed in 1874. It is a hub of activity, with presbytery-wide events, educational workshops and outreach to children and families. Their Sunday school sometimes uses a learning centre model, where they recently completed a six-week unit on HIV/AIDS. One of the centres involved creating a model African village. "About 10 children returned week after week to work on the village," said Dorothy Henderson, a diaconal minister and associate secretary for ministry with children, families and youth at the national church. "That was their passion. Others tended to move around to the sewing centre, art centre and puzzle centre. They will never forget that experience, I'm sure."
The presbytery's mission committee held a Young Faces of Mission event last fall at St. Andrew's. Despite miserable weather, seven young adults shared their mission stories with more than 100 participants. "I was delighted to hear a young person say, 'I really got what people were saying…they started out thinking they could change the world, but ended up being changed themselves,'" said Henderson, whose husband John is the minister of St. Andrew's. "It was so encouraging to see the work done by such young people."
St. Andrew's donated $40,000 to Presbyterian World Service and Development last year, collected carloads of clothing and toiletries for Evangel Hall and gave $7,000 to Canadian Foodgrains Bank thanks to a local growing project. They also hosted an In From the Cold program.
The presbytery has also planted a church at Keswick, and has $150,000 ready to start a building project. "The presbytery works together that way," said John Henderson, who is also clerk of presbytery.
New buildings are common in Oak Ridges. Woodbridge was established in 1874, dedicated in 1877. Currently the congregation is worshipping in a high school while awaiting their new building.
Rev. David Sherbino, minister at Woodbridge and a professor at Tyndale University, watched the congregation teeter towards closure when he arrived 10 years ago. Now it is a growing and developing church with about 145 people on Sunday. "One of the exciting aspects of our church life is the missional focus we emphasize," said Sherbino. "A number of our congregation members have served in various mission ventures and this year 13 from the congregation will spend three weeks in Malawi working on a project that supports AIDS orphans.
"It is our intention to not focus solely on ourselves and the demands of a multi-million-dollar building project but to see the bigger picture and the work of the kingdom."
As for growth, Markham Chinese has already built and paid for the first phase of its building and is starting the second, and St. John's, Bradford, just moved and built a new sanctuary.
Chapel Place, Markham, was founded in the 1970s and was the first Arabic congregation in the PCC. Today it has Arabic and English services, with the English congregation growing after moving to its own building in 1991. One of the church's main aims is to minister to and provide pastoral care to the Arabic-speaking community in the Toronto area, and to equip them to minister to their families and communities beyond the congregation's reach. The congregation is currently about 200-strong, and they recently inducted a new minister.
Homesteading Presbyterians, dating back to 1820, gave rise to Caven, Bolton. Today, there are many groups to get involved in-two youth groups, a women's fellowship, Vacation Bible School (which welcomed 60 kids last year), an extensive church library (with its own librarian), Alpha and various committees. The website will soon have sermons available to download, and currently offers daily devotions and a children's page with educational online games and activities.
St. Andrew's, Beeton, hosts community dinners to raise money for local causes, while Keswick Church (known as "Kespres" to members) holds several annual fundraisers, including a golf tournament and barbeque. Keswick offers worships that blends the traditional with the contemporary, and they mail information packets to visitors, or to those simply wanting to know more about the church before attending. Unionville (which was forced to close after church union in 1925 but was reopened in 1990) offers numerous opportunities to get involved, including line-dancing classes. Members also collect stamps for Leprosy Mission Canada, and deliver sandwiches and other supplies to Evangel Hall twice a month.
Richmond Hill Church has numerous annual events – including a pancake breakfast, big-band night, barbeques and participation in the community's heritage day – and offers Bible studies, youth groups, several women's groups, Scottish country dancing classes and a Religion-In-Life course for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, who can earn a badge for their studies.
The congregation is one of the oldest in York County, and its Sunday school, which began meeting in 1811 in a log schoolhouse, is the second oldest in Ontario. The church's official beginning is noted as 1817, when parishioners met in Abner Miles' store and tavern. The first frame church was built in 1821 on land given by Abner Miles' son, James. The Miles' family burial ground also became part of the church site. Abner's 1806 grave marker is the cemetery's oldest.
In order to educate and support both the ministers and the congregations the presbytery will be holding an instructional weekend this month on how to add a praise band to worship. This continues the presbytery efforts, that include workshops on Leading With Care and developing active youth programs.
The Presbytery of Oak Ridges will continue to reach out to visitors, nurture its members and support meaningful ministries, but as communities on the immediate outskirts of Toronto continue to burst at the seams, one wonders if even more can be done. "The challenge is, how do you grow?" asked John Henderson, although he says the presbytery is a healthy one. "I'm living in a community that has grown by leaps and bounds, but the church has not kept pace – and it's not only in Newmarket, but all over."
