Following are ways St. James works in Canada and the world:
Each year, St. James contributes to a national church fund called Presbyterians Sharing, which supports mission and ministry within Canada and globally, such as:
- Encouraging and equipping congregational renewal and development;
- Supporting chaplaincy, remote, urban, refugee, inner city, and native ministries within Canada; and
- Sending mission personnel to work with international partners.
Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D):
Presbyterian World Service and Development – an agency of The Presbyterian Church in Canada – has been supporting development projects and providing emergency relief response in the global community for 65 years.
Working with Canadians and partners overseas, PWS&D seeks to develop and implement programs that work to help communities overcome poverty, recover from emergency situations, and provide new futures of hope for vulnerable people.
With its partners, which include churches and international development organizations (secular and faith-based), PWS&D seeks to transform communities by promoting justice, health care, human rights, emergency relief, clean water, refugee sponsorship, food security and agriculture, peace, sustainable living, and the integrity of creation. People and communities are supported according to their need and regardless of their faith.
St. James regularly contributes to the work of PWS&D through creating awareness and financial support. In recent years, our Sunday School kids have shown great initiative organizing various activities to raise funds for PWS&D projects.
Bird of Paradise Ministries (Rwanda):
The Rwandan genocide in 1994 took too many lives and left others in the situation of abject poverty; especially, the elderly who became homeless. The Bird of Paradise Ministries is a Christian, not-for-profit organization in Rwanda whose objective is to provide shelter and care to the elderly of Rwanda. Their mission is to:
- To build the first care/ residential home for the vulnerable elderly.
- To provide all the basic necessities to those who need a helping hand, social interaction and spiritual needs.
- To restore and maintain the dignity which the elderly deserve.
- To give relief to those youngsters who usually care for the elderly, so they can be free to be children and focus on their education.
Samaritan’s Purse – Operation Christmas Child
Each November, many people at St. James like to participate in Operation Christmas Child. Colourful shoeboxes are filled with donations of school supplies, personal hygiene items, toys, and treats and are shared with children in need across more than 100 countries.