Feature

Mission to Malawi

Kathleen Gaule

Last March, five members of St. Andrew's, Streetsville, Ont., realized a dream when they travelled to Blantyre, Malawi, to see first hand the operations of the Community Based Orphan Care Centres, which is a project of the Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian. This was a big undertaking as the five paid their own travel and accommodation expenses. Each of them struggled with the decision to go: could the money be put to better use for the centres? The congregation has supported the project through Presbyterian World Service and Development for the past four years, raising in excess of $28,000; and was supportive of the five people to visit and report on what they'd seen.

Common Acts of Living

Lorraine Johnson

“One day we stuck a shovel in the ground, and we never looked back,” says Pastor Mike Mills of Advent Lutheran, Toronto, telescoping the church's speedy decision-making process into an even speedier description. “The congregation held a vote on Sunday. By Wednesday, we were mapping out plots, and by the following Sunday we were digging.” Nestled in an island of land — locally nicknamed the “peanut” — created by a split in Don Mills Road north of Sheppard Avenue in Toronto, the grounds of Advent in early spring look much like the grounds of the highrise apartments that dominate the neighbourhood. Yellow dandelion flowers poke up through the newly greening lawn; tiny blossoms on maple trees dangle from branches turning lush with leaves. But tucked among the traditional lawn landscape of this church are dozens of freshly dug garden plots. Some fan out in a circle, others line up in a neat soldier row. Some are lined with wooded dividers; others have narrow paths of grass between them. But come summer, all will be overflowing with vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers.

Sights, Sounds and Smells of India

Amy Maclachlan

As I begin to discover this country of a billion people, it doesn't take long before my mind is whirling. India is full of complexities and contradictions, of old and new, of beauty and disgust, of excess and absence. I'm travelling with three Presbyterian Church representatives: Wilma Welsh, the moderator, has been here several times before. The warm embraces and knowing smiles she receives make it seem like she is returning home. Ron Wallace, associate secretary of International Ministries, has also visited in the past, often knowing what to expect at each destination and rhyming off historical facts during long and brutally bumpy drives. And Sarah Kim, director of the Women's Missionary Society, is an India first-timer like me, hesitant as we strike out to new places, yet still enjoying what the country offers. In two weeks' time, when Sarah and I get to go home, Ron and Wilma — a moderator's work is never done! — will head to the country's north for a partner's meeting in Kashmir, where border disputes with Pakistan make the area vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

How are Presbyterians Giving?

Peter Bush

Presbyterian congregations in Canada have almost doubled their givings to missions over the last 20 years. In 1985, according to data reported in the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly, Presbyterian congregations gave $9.5 million to missions (General Assembly budget, as Presbyterians Sharing was called at the time, Other Benevolences, and Women's Missionary Society/Atlantic Mission Society). In 2005, Presbyterian congregations reported giving $18.5 million to missions. What is striking about this $9-million increase is that $6 million went to Other Benevolences, to mission projects and initiatives outside the national church budget. Other Benevolences includes local food banks, Presbyterian World Service and Development, interdenominational mission efforts, congregational short-term mission projects, and so on.

A Good Thing

Gloria Wasacase

I worked at Cecelia Jeffery Residential School in November 1959 as a counsellor. I was assigned to the senior girls (ages 12-17); there were about 25-30 in the group. We were located on the second-floor dormitory and the junior girls were on the third floor. This was the same arrangement for the boys' side of the school.

Community, Conflict and Coming Together

communications

Last month, readers got to know the Presbytery of Hamilton with its commitment to youth ministry, and vibrant, re-vamped worship. The challenges of being one of the church's largest presbyteries were also highlighted, with ministers noting that strong leadership, cooperation and building relationships with each other were hard-to-realize but important priorities. The presbytery's story continues in this issue.