Diocese of Ontario Foundation: serving others

“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.