IN TOUCH - Happy Easter - Easter Issue I - April, 2021 - St. Marks ...
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IN TOUCH
St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church Newsletter – 1 Greenland Rd., North York, ON M3C 1N1 416.444-3471
Easter
Issue I – April, 2021
Happy Easter
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Christ is Risen…He is Risen indeed!
Happy Easter to you all! In the midst of all that’s happening around
us I hope that this Easter season has been spiritually enriching in
your own way and you’ve had the chance to reflect deeper on your
faith experience and commitment to God.
If you’ve been wondering when church gatherings will be happening
again, you’re not alone. It’s been one year since we first went into
lockdown. Not much has changed since then other than our plans
(and hopes) to get the COVID-19 vaccine shots soon. I hope
everyone who is eligible right now to receive it has gotten it already
or has made arrangements to do so. But in light of the rising case count in recent weeks and the
growing concern over the virus variants it’s not advised at this time for churches to reopen. Having
spoken to many of you, I know that there is much anticipation to come together and worship and
fellowship in person again. Of course, there’s nothing that can substitute face-to-face contact
especially when it comes to congregational worship. We all miss being together. We’ve all had to
exercise a lot of patience and perseverance in the face of this historic pandemic. But I think we can
begin to see the light at the end of this tunnel. More and more people are being vaccinated, and
therefore protected from infection. And once this protection is widespread enough and health officials
deem it safe to gather again, then we’ll do just that.
In the meantime we have arranged to have monthly virtual coffee hour by Zoom every third Sunday.
You can join either by computer or telephone. For instructions on connecting you can contact your
elder or Wayne Bryan. These virtual coffee times have been a chance to “see” one another, chat, laugh,
and catch up on recent happenings in each other’s lives. So don’t forget to mark the third Sunday in
your calendar.
The Lent and Easter season has invited us to reflect deeply on God’s work in us and the world in Jesus
Christ. We confront our faults, sins and the many ways we have fallen short of God’s will for our lives.
We bring our focus onto Christ who has sacrificed all for us that we might be saved, redeemed,
reconciled and transformed.
It’s this transformation theme that I’ve been ruminating on recently. Since December there’s been a lot
that’s happened all around us even if we’ve felt inactive in our lifestyle under the lockdown. The
drama of the US elections brought into sad view how divided people are and how easily people can
spew out racist, divisive rhetoric including those who claim to be Christian. A version of this racism
has been seen here in Canada with multiple incidents of violent attacks against the Asian community.
Our world is in dire need of transformation now, if ever there was a time for it. The kind of
transformation that God calls us to is serious, deep and all-encompassing. It goes beyond simply a
superficial change—to go from being “not nice” to “nice.” It runs far deeper than merely making
different choices and treating people better. The cross of Easter draws us up close to the depth of our
sin and holds up a mirror to us. In it, we see the extraordinary love of God that Jesus sacrificed himself
to give us. That love extended forgiveness—forgiveness that was demonstrated in Jesus dying for us.
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The cross symbolizes the death of sin, of alienation from God, of hate, of prejudice, of pride, of any
notions of destructive power or superiority that separates us from one another. When we die to all these
things, then we can live again in newness because Christ has opened up the path, the path that leads to
God.
When we truly know God’s love and God’s will for us, then we are committed not only to our own
transformed living but also the transformation of the world the way God intended. We live by a new
command of love that reaches down to the deepest depths of our consciousness. This isn’t about
merely making surface changes to how we talk, think or treat one another. We learn to live from that
deepest place of our spiritual reckoning and awareness, and commit ourselves to wholly new ways of
representing God’s heart and desire in this world. We embrace our common humanity and accept one
another as Christ accepted us.
The spiritual writer, Richard Rohr, has a wonderful quote: “Most of us were taught that God would
love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers
change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love.” Easter rips open the portal so
that we may experience this love, and thereby desire to undergo change and be both the recipient of
and the channel for new life.
The promise of Easter is presented to us; and the gift of Easter transformation is made available to us.
Receive it, embrace it and live it now and forevermore.
Happy Easter!
Daniel Cho
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Clerk's Corner…Easter 2021
This has been a difficult year for most of us as we struggle to
maintain distance, wear masks, endure lockouts and remain in
bubbles to avoid the COVID 19 threat. At the same time, we
get frustrated when we hear about people denying the science
and going unmasked and traveling against the guidance of our
health scientists and the government.
It is ironic that people have used science to attempt to debunk
Christianity, and beliefs of other faith-based religions, and now
people are trying to challenge science because it is an obstacle
for them when they ”just want to have fun” and ignore the
health science directives.
The Lenten period is an opportunity to reflect on who we are
and where we are going on our journey with Christ. I
remember my two favourite moments in the Messiah Oratorio; the chorus early in part 1 “For unto us a
child is born”; taken from Isaiah. I first heard it in Montreal when I attended a worship service at my
fiancé’s church a few weeks before our wedding. The Isaiah passage is one of great hope for the world.
The other moment for me is the air in Part 3, from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “The trumpet shall
sound”, another passionate message of hope in dark times. It is one of those pieces of music that is
always in my head!
This year we are starting to get our hopes up because of breakthroughs in health science and the
remarkable development of vaccines which are now being given to designated groups. Our government
has promised a full inoculation program by September and with it the belief that we will no longer
have to fear the virus as a death sentence, but we will still have to live with it.
As a church community we have experienced change though the virtual worship services and
fellowship hours. We celebrated our 66th Anniversary with a guest minister, The Rev Amanda Currie,
who came to us virtually from Saskatoon.
We are planning to introduce “live streaming” of our worship service later this year. This will give us
more flexibility and enable us to provide live worship for those who are shut in and unable to attend. It
will also offer a more visually stimulating form of worship for the congregation. We must also plan for
vacation time for our minister, organist, and video team to ensure they don’t suffer from burnout. This
has been a challenge as the structure of our services does not support vacations. As a result, we plan to
present two reruns in early April to give the crew a well-deserved rest.
The Protocol Team will be meeting soon to review the city and provincial COVID rules impacting
churches. They will make a recommendation to Session concerning opening the church to worship
services. I suspect that St. Marks’ will remain closed for the immediate future until a large percentage
of vaccinations have been completed in Toronto.
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We continue to watch and pray for our refugee family. They continue struggling to maintain their
health while facing one of the worst areas for COVID cases, as well as racial tensions within India. We
hope that the immigration process will move forward quickly.
As we rejoice on Easter Sunday, we need to remember those in our community and beyond that need
our help and support. How can we connect as individuals to each other and to those near us in acts of
kindness and support? This is another challenge for us.
That challenge is addressed in the words of the late Bill Wither’s great song, “Lean On me”.
Please swallow your pride if I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs that you won't let show
You just call on me brother (sister) when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on
May the God of hope fill you with such peace and joy in your faith,
that you may be filled with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Bill McGowan
Clerk of Session
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Letters of Thanks
The following letters of thanks are from the recipients of the 2020 Session Capital Fund
Dear all: seniors and others in the community, who are
unable to come to the food bank.
We recently received your kind letter and
generous donation. I wanted to extend thanks to Again, a very big thank you for helping those in
St. Mark’s for extending your generosity to our our community who experience food insecurity
mission. I can’t tell you what a difference your put food on their table, and for your ongoing
donation makes, not only to the sustainability generous support of our work.
of our mission, but also in boosting our spirits.
Kind regards,
It has been a very hard year for everyone, and
many Canadian charities were unable to Dorothy Boothroyd, Co-Chair,
continue (and not just small ones like ours). The Community Share Food Bank Inc.
There were moments when we were truly
worried that we would not be able to continue.
But God’s grace is enveloping, and goodness
To the Committee:
lurks around every corner. The fact that your
congregation thought of us at a time like this is
We gratefully acknowledge receipt of your
a magnificent gift, both material and spiritual.
donation to Community Head Injury Resource
2021 is looking brighter. We have had to get services.
creative about how we serve our community of
We thank you for selecting CHIRS as your
marginalized people living in low-income
charitable agency of choice.
housing. We’ve stayed in touch with letters and
Sincerely,
phone calls, and in some cases we’ve been able
to do some distanced visits outdoors while Hedy Chandler, Executive Director
wearing masks. Now we are in another CHIRS
lockdown, but we know there is an end in sight.
Thank you for being part of the community that
has helped us to look forward in hope.
Dear Friends:
Many, many thanks, all blessing,
This letter comes to you in gratitude for your
Kate McGee
recent generous donation to Flemingdon Park
Boarding Homes Ministry
Ministry.
Your gift goes directly to ensuring the hungry
are fed and the socially isolated feel the warmth
Dear Friends at St. Mark’s: and sense of belonging in community. We
simply could not do what we do without the
I am writing to you once again with much
generosity of our donors and supporters.
gratitude for your support of Community Share
Food Bank. We are so appreciative of your Thank you again.
generous donation of $700.00. This money With kind regards,
will be used to purchase milk, eggs and fresh
Martha Lozada
produce to enhance the hampers for our clients.
Flemingdon Park Ministries
In partnership with Better Living, we continue
to prepare hampers for delivery to vulnerable
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Dear St. Mark’s: Thank you so much for your ongoing and
faithful support.
Thank you so much for supporting your local
May we all know God’s blessing and
growing project! You are a vital part of a
deliverance in 2021.
movement of Canadians working together to
help end hunger. Sincerely in Christ’s service,
Through our projects, small-scale farmers are Jon Wyminga
learning new farming methods that produce Cariboo Presbyterian Church
more food for themselves, their families and
people in their community. This in turn allows
them live up to their God given potential.
Dear Friends at St. Mark’s:
You also make it possible to provide food to
people living through devastating war, natural Thank you for your recent donation to ARISE
disasters or environmental catastrophes. The Ministry. Your generous gift will be used to
food they receive strengthens their bodies, provide programs and services that will
knowing that the crucial help came from empower individuals who have experienced
complete strangers who care, refreshes their exploitation. We are grateful for your support,
spirit. particularly during this challenging time.
The strength of our work together is the ARISE Ministry empowers individuals
commitment of people like you. By living that involved in the sex trade to reclaim hope in
commitment, more people and communities their lives. By providing outreach, case
around the world have enough to eat. And they management and spiritual care, supportive
thank you, profoundly. relationships are established, hope is fostered,
and futures are reclaimed.
Wishing you please and grace,
Due to COVID-19, we have had to reimagine
Andy Harrington, CDO ways aspects of our ministry, and your support
Canadians Foodgrains Bank allows us to continue to provide hope.
We hope you are keeping safe and well. From
all of us at ARISE Ministry and those we
support, Thank You!
Dear Friends of the Cariboo Mission:
Rev. Deb Stanbury,
Executive Director, ARISE
We are so grateful for your support.
Dear St. Mark’s Folk,
The pandemic has meant that our overall
income for this mission was much lower in You continue to me a mission-focussed
2020 than we anticipated. Fortunately, it has community of faith, passionate about making a
also means that our overall expenses were difference for those most vulnerable, as the
much lower too. While we are unable to meet hands feet and heart of Jesus. Thank You!
in house churches, the dramatic reduction in
travel has resulted in considerably lower fuel Rev. Dr. Harris Athanasiadis,
expenses. As a result, we are thankful to the Chair, ARISE Board
Lord and to you, our supporters that we
finished 2020 with a balanced financial
statement.
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Virtual Worship Schedule We Remember….
10:30am Friday, April 2 Doris Kotowska
March 22, 2020
Good Friday
Kathleen Hogg
Service of meditation on Jesus’
April 6, 2020
Seven last Words from the Cross.
Colin Campbell
April 7, 2020
St. Mark’s Elder Emerita
10:30am Sunday, April 4
Easter Sunday
The Session is pleased to report that
Celebrating the Resurrection of
Glenna Finch, in recognition of her
Jesus Christ.
dedicated and passionate service as an
Elder at St. Mark’s Church, has been
appointed as an Elder Emerita.
Glenna was ordained at St. Marks in
November 1981 and served as an active
leader on Session. She retired from this
position in 2019 after successfully
advocating for the resurrection of the
Board of Managers.
COVID
If you are having trouble connecting with Virtual
Health Ontario to get your COVID vaccine
appointment, please contact the office. We
have a resource, prepared to assist you.
Also, if you need help to get to your Mondays, April 12, 19, and 26
appointment, please contact the office as 7:00 pm
well. Please contact Rev. Daniel Cho
for further information.
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