Another helpful quote as we think carefully about our vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ to be faithful and responsible, year-round stewards of our blessings:

“Father, enliven the Church for its mission that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.” – A New Zealand Prayer Book

Those who know me well know I love helpful, thought-provoking quotes. I used many from various sources for 21 years as senior national gift-planning officer of the Anglican Church, in synods, diocesan executive meetings, parishes, and special conferences, which of course includes serious thought about stewardship 101 in all its twelve-month a year focus…and so did our devoted, energetic lay and clergy stewardship officers who worked so very faithfully with me across the country—with significant, encouraging results in many diverse communities, dioceses and life-changing programmes.

Once again we are preparing for a “new church year or season” in real life…plans for autumn programming, renewed focus on ministry with and for the elderly, youth choirs and gatherings of all sorts, and (hopefully and realistically, from what I gather other interesting and creative gatherings) and special interest in the sharing of one’s gifts, energies, talents, resources, and frankly, a new sense of togetherness, of community…now that (hopefully) the pandemic is for the most part behind us…and we have learned much from that experience…including a renewed sense of searching for community, of family, of the importance of streamed services and outreach to the most vulnerable in our communities. It’s time to re-group and give thought to what God is calling us to do as a diocese, our parish communities, and ourselves.

St. George’s Cathedral, for one example, our mother church, has planned a “Fall Fair of September Volunteer Recruit Event” in September, following a choral Eucharist…an opportunity to meet and learn about various groups and guilds…with the hope that everyone may find a way to share our God-loaned gifts for the well-being of others. It’s a time to welcome and re-welcome and encourage people to think creatively about their own ways of participating…given, perhaps, new time commitments, ideas, searching for community…the list goes on, as we grow in our commitment as disciples and changes in life’s circumstances. Then, later in the autumn, we will have an opportunity to look at our annual and life-long fifinancial plans and commitments…including reviewing our annual pledges, pre-authorised giving (which has been proven to be very efficient and successful for everyone in Canada…and especially helpful when, annually, parishioners are given the opportunity to renew and perhaps increase their commitment in 2025—as Thanksgiving for God’s gifts. A good time to do this is planned for All Saints time, including Remembrance Day, and in preparation for Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical (and budget-planning time and re-evaluation of life’s priorities).

Early in October, a diocesan-wide estate planning series of seminars will be held with valuable regionally-based events! Check with the Wednesday eNews Weekly for details…a welcome addition to the three very helpful articles prepared for our Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation by our solicitors for personal, parish and diocesan use readily available from the Diocesan Foundation and Synod offices.

One of our guest speakers some years ago in our diocese and the Cathedral was Kennon L. Callahan, a well-respected author and champion of congregational growth and development. Here is a quote we might want to consider as a diocesan family: “The congregations who do the best in church finances have a rich, full, abiding compassion for mission. They are motivated by a theology of service, not a theology of survival. Their compelling, driving spirit is one of striving, serving, loving mission.”

Here is a good summary of what Christian stewardship (in all its forms) really means: “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received–only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.” St. Francis of Assisi.

The post Challenge to us in our diocese—Autumn and beyond! appeared first on Dialogue.

With these words, The Diocese of Ontario was conceived in 1854 by Bishop John Strachan, but it took eight long years of struggle to bring it into being in 1862. And the struggle goes on.

One hundred seventy years later, the diocese finds itself facing different, but not dissimilar challenges in a dramatically changing cultural landscape, and in a demanding fiscal environment. How can we lead with courage, fearlessly – summoning the passion and conviction of our forebears – and respond to the complexities we face with all the ingenuity and creativity that God has given us? We believe the answer lies in our united and collective support for the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation…and support of our parishes and diocesan-based programmes as well

Bishop Strachan and his emissaries journeyed vast distances over primitive roads, across rough waters in frail vessels. The 21st century has new and equally challenging obstacles to the delivery of ministry. For example, a dramatically changing society has brought about a vastly different Sunday and weekday worship experience in this century from that experienced in the days of Bishop Strachan. The evolution of new technologies and the explosion of administrative demands on parish ministry, an ageing population, and increasingly high expectations of parish clergy for effective ministry all pose demands…and creative opportunities.

Such challenges can diminish our energies and erode the health and vitality of our ministry, but only if they are not addressed with clarity and vision.

The Foundation is one vehicle to help us come together as a faith community, to set the stage for our vibrant mission and ministry, for the next one hundred seventy years. Walk with us on this journey, and with our ecumenical and community partners, and we trust that as you explore our website, follow us through today’s wonders of communication, and use your imagination, you will grow in your enthusiasm and willingness to support the work of the Foundation and that you will share our passion for new ministry in God’s service.

It took a long time to establish our Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation, first proposed with foresight by Bishop George W. Bruce in 2003, together with a group of senior diocesan lay and clergy leaders. By 2009, all the legal hoops and planning were met, and fund-raising began through individual and parish memberships in a new, independent charitable organization, supplemented by a substantial legacy gift, memorial gifts, a bishop’s dinner, and a revenue-sharing agreement with General Synod, leading to a successful diocesan appeal, Love in Action. To date, $273,031 have been made by the Foundation to parishes, diocesan and community groups for a wide variety of ministries and programmes, ranging from accessibility grants to support for new parish thrift shops and our Anglican-Roman Catholic refugee support group, DOORS. Archdeacon Bill Clarke, president, sums up the purpose of the Foundation: “Our Foundation is here to help generous people support the imaginative visions of others for ministries in the Diocese of Ontario.”

Eric Friesen, broadcaster, writer and speaker on music, culture and faith, a supporter of the Foundation and People’s Warden of St. George’s Cathedral, sums up the purpose well: “I have been captured by a double vision for the Foundation: to support and revitalize our parishes in both creative and practical ways, and then, with this Foundation strengthened, to serve our broader community in the kinds of missions which are crying out for support. Since we live in the federal prison capital of Canada, we have a special responsibility to enhance the spiritual and material lives of inmates, and the need to support and root new immigrants here should also be a priority. All of this and more we can do with your parish and individual support.”

“Fearless Generosity” annual appeal, inviting parishes and individuals to become members, will help made additional grants available for a wide variety of ministries and programmes throughout 2024 and beyond. Application forms for memberships and grants are available on the Foundation website, www.dioceseofontariofoundation.ca or by contacting Archdeacons Bill Clarke or John Robertson by email: foundation@ontario.anglican.ca. Please see our advertisement in this edition of Dialogue for more information.

The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well

– Sir William Osler

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You have savings and investments, but interest rates fluctuate and sometimes your month-to-month income doesn’t keep pace with rising prices. What’s more, you know your investments have to last your lifetime.

It’s a dilemma, but there is good news. You may be able to make your gift and improve your cash flow at the same time.

A charitable gift annuity is an arrangement under which you make a contribution to a church or charity and receive, in return, guaranteed payments for life. The amount of these payments depends on your age and the size of your contribution, but they will likely be significantly higher than you are receiving from your present investments, and the annuity arrangement is guaranteed. It will continue as long as you live, no matter what happens to the economy or changing interest rates. If you are married, you may choose a joint-and- survivorship annuity which continues as long as either spouse lives.

Your gift annuity brings you a special bonus at tax time: a sizeable portion of your payments will be tax-free. While older annuitants will receive payments that are totally tax- free, or close to it, all donors are entitled to a donation receipt at the outset that will result in a tax credit.

Consider one example: (see also our display advertisement in this edition of Dialogue) Muriel Chan, age 78, contributes $ 10,000 for our diocesan Foundation to share with the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area for assistance to vulnerable local residents. Muriel receives a lifetime annuity of almost $ 800 (8%) per year – 91% of which is paid out tax free. She is also entitled to a donation receipt for $ 2,500.

To arrange your gift annuity, you sign a gift agreement with our Foundation that authorizes us to use a portion of your contribution to purchase an annuity from a licensed insurance company that pays the amount stipulated in the gift agreement every month. Five percent of your contribution is allocated for the present ministry and mission of the Foundation. The balance of your contribution, retained by the Foundation after purchasing the annuity, will be used as you direct. You may specify whether you wish it to be available for immediate use or invested until it reaches the size of your original contribution. In consultation with us, you may also specify which particular programme, project or ministry your gift will support, as Muriel has done in this example.

Gifts that meet minimum requirements may be used to establish funds which continue to provide support for the diocesan Foundation or its partners in perpetuity.

 We would be pleased to explain the gift annuity in greater detail and answer your questions. At your request, we will prepare a personalized illustration showing the annuity and tax consequences from whatever contribution you are considering. We encourage you to review the illustrations in this edition of Dialogue with your own financial and tax advisors, and when you are ready to proceed, we’ll assist you in the arrangements.

The Charitable Gift Annuity (sometimes referred to as The Gift Plus Annuity or Reinsured Annuity – given the role licensed Canadian insurance companies play) is your opportunity to make a generous gift to important and often life-changing ministry, and to do yourself a favour at the same time!

“But do not neglect to do and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:15, 16)

The post A gift that gives back: “the Gift Plus Annuity” appeared first on Dialogue.

“Gift-planning, planned giving, legacy gifts are all part of a growing emphasis on annual financial support for churches, hospitals, universities, and thousands of not-for-profit charitable organizations in Canada.”

For example, Mary has decided it is high time she made an appointment to consult a lawyer about having a will drawn up which would reflect her interests and priorities in life…a document which reflects her experiences and hopes for the future through her active church, the local community foundation, and her happy years at university. She is considering a fairly substantial portion of her estate, perhaps 40%, to be shared equally with her local church and the Diocese of Ontario Foundation. She also wishes to assist her two grandchildren as they prepare for university, just like her grandparents helped her, perhaps 40% as well, with the balance being a gift to a younger sister who has had some health challenges. She is certain a lawyer will help her to achieve these goals  and provide her with information about powers of attorney and the whole matter of who will be the Executor or Estate Trustee.

Mary knows how important it is to have a valid will, one which if circumstances change, she can review and change. She knows of a neighbour who suddenly died in a car accident at an early age and did not have a will, apparently thinking he would organize one someday. The resulting legal and emotional problems only compounded the loss of a fine friend.

The incumbent of Mary’s church recently quoted a passage from Luke 12, which certainly made her think about the responsibility (and opportunity) of taking legacy giving seriously…now.

“[Jesus] told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger one, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Wills are very important. Every adult should have one, hopefully prepared by legal counsel. It is, frankly, thoughtless and irresponsible not to take this seriously.

Gift planning also includes many other ways of being generous. Bequests are the most important way of making a thoughtful gift…generally today, 85% of gifts come by way of a bequest.

We are grateful to Roy Conacher, QC, a director of the Foundation, for inviting his colleague, Alexandra Manthorpe, a Wills & Estate lawyer at Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP in Kingston, for preparing a series of three articles (to date) on gift planning in some very helpful detail, as legal information and not legal advice. Please check the Foundation website, or contact Archdeacon John Robertson for print copies of the articles, available at no cost and designed for wide distribution throughout our diocese. 

The post Gift Planning 102: appeared first on Dialogue.

That’s how I discovered Luke’s Place Kingston, centred since its founding in 2018 at historic St. Luke’s Parish, Kingston. That’s when I originally met Greg Westlake, a very active former RCAF pilot and lay leader in the Diocese of Ontario. He is the treasurer now of this newly incorporated not-for-profit registered charity, with its own CRA number.

Luke’s Place Kingston has a dream: An ecumenical group focused on providing affordable places to call home for people with intellectual challenges. The directors, now a board of 17 members, have done their homework well, including research and partnership with consultation with community groups and specialists in the field. This includes, among others, leadership with a community/housing facilitator with Community Living Kingston and District (see website).

The dream, now almost a reality, is to construct and support a building in the Kingston area that will be designed specifically for the overwhelming housing needs of local residents. Initial fund-raising goals of $ 50,000, now well on its way, will cover upfront costs and help to obtain mortgaging for a small apartment building based on a well-designed model: 1/3 tenant pay market rent; 1/3 tenants pay 80 % of market rent; and 1/3 tenants served by Community Living Kingston and District (rents geared to income).

The challenge: People who have an intellectual disability are often discriminated against, suffer from loneliness, and cannot find housing that they can afford. Individuals now on provincial Ontario Disability Support Program only $ 522 per month as their housing allowance. The average Kingston-area monthly one-bedroom rental cost is currently  $1,300-$1,400.

I submit this project should be a priority in the ministry and programme of our diocesan life and deserves our support.

For further information, contact Irene Watt, chair, iwatt@kos.net or lukesplacekingston@gmail.com or call (613) 546-5791 and leave a message. Financial support, including monthly contributions, can be arranged with treasurer, Greg Westlake, telephone (613) 536-8811.

Why donate to Luke’s Place Kingston?

People who have an intellectual disability are often discriminated against, suffer from loneliness and cannot find housing that they can afford.

With supports, they have wonderful gifts to share with the community.

The post Luke’s Place Kingston appeared first on Dialogue.

– The Book of Common Prayer (1979), The Episcopal Church, page 445, at the conclusion of the “Thanksgiving for a Child” Service

Oh, how I wish this thoughtful, pastoral rubric were part of our Canadian liturgical resources—The  Book of Common Prayer of 1962, The Book of Alternative Services (1985), and excellent additional alternatives and options for trial use, available both in print and online. Just imagine if this American sound teaching were part and parcel of parish and diocesan life in Canada—and taken seriously by every leader committed to a way of life of year-round creative and visionary stewardship. Imagine if the leaders of our various foundations, ecumenical community groups, and not-for-profit organized programmes made this teaching a prime focus for secure, future funding.

This teaching is not by any means new.  In the Book of Common Prayer of 1549, yes, 1549, as part of the “Visitation of the Sick” rite (leaving it a bit late, mind you), we have these poignant words:

”And if he have not afore disposed his goods, let him then make his will. (But men must be often admonished that they set an order for their temporal goods and lands, when they be in health.) And also to declare his debts, what he oweth, and what is owing to him, for discharging of his conscience, and quietness of his executors.”

Gift-planning, planned giving, legacy gifts are all part of a growing emphasis on sound financial support for churches, hospitals, universities, and thousands of non-for-profit charitable organizations in Canada. Annual giving, special one-time gifts for particular projects or emergencies, are still important for the well-being of on-going life of our society. But legacy gifts, or the gifts of accumulated assets to be precise, are vitally important as the work of non-governmental groups becomes increasingly significant and essential.

I write now as a specialist in the ministry of gift planning, having served for many years as senior national gift planning officer of the Anglican Church of Canada. I learned as a parish priest, first, that an understanding of full-time stewardship is the basis of everything else….the sharing of our gifts of time, energy, abilities, and financial resources, as a response to God’s gifts and blessings to us. Good and faithful stewards strive to make a difference in people’s lives, responding especially to Our Lord’s command, “love God and our neighbours.” For baptised Anglicans, this means in some detail, living out our Baptismal Covenant (cf Anglican Church of Canada–The Ministry of All the Baptized).

In parish life, our Sunday offerings help to meet the expenses of looking after a church building and property, the costs of providing effective ministry and service and to paying a share in the life and programme of the diocese and General Synod, The Primate’s Fund, and so forth. Increasingly parishes are asked to help local community groups and vulnerable people, especially during times of crisis. But as these expenses rise, other sources of funding will depend on legacy gifts, including bequests (hence the importance of having a valid will, reviewed regularly with professional assistance), consideration of the tax benefits of gifts of listed securities, gifts of life insurance (either new for the church specifically or ones already in place), charitable gift annuities (especially for seniors), and other forms of gift planning.

The Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation has on its website some material which outline various ways of taking seriously the wide ways of sharing financial resources, with further information prepared by a lawyer who specialises in this aspect of legal counsel to be included in 2023.

Here is a good summary of what this aspect of Christian stewardship really means: “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received—only what you have given: a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.” 

– St. Francis of Assisi.

The post Gift planning 101 appeared first on Dialogue.

TENS was founded in the late 1990s by General Synod in partnership with the Episcopal Church,  our own diocese and several others in Canada and the States resulting from a series of successful international stewardship conferences. It is an association of church leaders who understand, practise, and proclaim God’s call to generosity. TENS’ vision is to provide training and resources for stewardship leaders across both national churches and beyond.

For more information and specifically how to access the resource library with our diocesan code, please contact committee member Archdeacon John M. Robertson, mobile phone 613.329.7540 or email, jrobertson@ontario.anglican.ca. Also, check the TENS website www.tens.org  or contact J. Davey Gerhard III, Executive Director, davey@tens.org.

Another helpful resource is provided through Gillian Doucet Campbell, Engagement Leader, The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Diocese of Nova Scotia & PEI. Office 902.406.8978 or cell phone, 289.808.5370. Gillian is convenor of a multi-diocesan stewardship network, formerly the Ontario Stewardship Network, founded largely by leaders of our own diocese of Ontario in cooperation with several other dioceses in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario and General Synod in the late 1990s. Recently posted to Nova Scotia from Niagara, Gillian sends out frequent newsletters inviting participants to share in online webinars and Zoom meetings in a variety of stewardship related topics, including gift planning. This is a welcome continuation of many worthwhile in-person day-long conferences held twice a year or so in Kingston, Canterbury Hills (Niagara) or Toronto.

Additional information about the work of our diocesan committee, please contact The Rev. Trish Miller chair, rev.trish.miller@gmail.com, mobile phone 613.640.0728 and/or The Ven. Wayne Varley, Archdeacon of Ministry & Programme, staff support to our committee, wvarley@ontario.anglican.ca Telephone 613.544.4774 ext. 138.

The post Wealth of Year-round Stewardship resources material readily available for parishes appeared first on Dialogue.

“Father, enliven the Church for its mission, that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.”

-A New Zealand Prayer Book

A number of years ago, while serving as the senior national stewardship and gift planning officer of General Synod, my colleagues and I in our travels across Canada often used this short prayer to help focus on what parish life should really be about.  

In those far off days, stewardship education was ideally a year-round priority for parish and diocesan life, along with a good example shown by General Synod. In cooperation with our friends in the Episcopal Church, General Synod and several dioceses, including ours, co-sponsored four international stewardship conferences at the Kanuga Conference in North Carolina, with a large gathering of enthusiastic lay and clergy participants, including in every case two primates and Episcopal presiding bishops, as well as many diocesan bishops. When the dollar exchange rate became so challenging, we moved to Toronto and had three wonderful, similar well-attended events with strong episcopal support, outstanding speakers and small-group leaders. Years later, slightly older and experienced participants are now wondering, why can’t we do this again? Where is pro-active stewardship education (in all its fullness)  in the life of our church?

One of our guest speakers was Kennon L. Callahan, a well-respected author and champion of congregational development – who also visited our diocese soon after one of the international conferences. I will never forget his thoughtful and profound statement: “The congregations who do the best in church finances have a rich, full, abiding compassion for mission. They are motivated by a theology of service, not a theology of survival.  Their compelling, driving spirit is one of striving, serving, loving mission.”

He began his teaching, typically, by addressing the anxiety parish leaders often have about

finances, as if that were the real reason we had churches in the first place – to meet an operating  budget by Dec. 31st of each year. Needless to say, Dr. Callahan focused on the purpose and mission of a parish community and diocesan family. He stressed the absolute necessity for parishioners and diocesan leaders to be serving members of their communities, leading by example to develop and expand creative ministries, projects and programmes to benefit those who were outside the four walls of a church…especially the most vulnerable people in our midst, regardless of age, background, or circumstances.

Some of us had Dr. Callahan’s stirring words in mind when we established the Anglican Diocese of Ontario Foundation in 2003, leading to our first disbursement of funds in 2009. Since then we have awarded $ 246,031 to help parishes and community groups define their purpose and mission through creative and visionary projects, ministries and programmes. The impact statements and reviews received from those to whom grants were given have in every case referred to a heightened awareness of the meaning of service, reaching out in love and acceptance, especially to those who were the most vulnerable and at risk. The thought given to a proposed project, a grant request and approval, and the beginning of something new and worthwhile, led in turn to a revitalisation of many aspects of parish and community life. People began to understand more fully, “this is what church and our community group should be all about”, a community family serving others rather than serving a budget.

Our Foundation can help. With the support of ideally every parish and generous parishioner, along with our friends in the wider community, we can make a difference…often, a life-changing difference. We look forward to your active participation with us.

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