Wednesday, June 23, 2010                   

PLEASE SEE (2) BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHURCH REFLECTIONS ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC JUSTICE.

1) St. Andrew's and the G20

We will be gathering for worship on Sunday morning, and encourage you to plan to be here!

We believe that it will be important to offer a public witness to our commitment to prayer and to worship, even in spite of the challenges that the G20 Summit is presenting to us.  We look forward to seeing you here!

In anticipation of the expected traffic delays, however, please plan for extra travel time on the way to church.

Parking will be extremely limited in the downtown core since there will be no parking in areas in the areas bounded by Queen Street, Yonge Street, Lakeshore Boulevard and Spadina Avenue.  The public parking garage at Wellington Street & University Avenue (the garage the church uses to provide complimentary parking during worship services) and the garage under Metro Hall will be completely closed during the summit.  In addition, parking near the designated protest area at the north part of Queen's Park will also be extremely limited.  Traffic will not be permitted on Emily Street during the summit weekend. 

Those who are traveling by Wheel Trans, and those who regularly arrive by the Emily Street doors (and parking pad) are encouraged to present themselves at the King and University police traffic check points and / or the King and Simcoe check point and explain that you are planning to attend the service at St. Andrew's Church.  We have been in contact with the Integrated Security Unit and the Toronto Police Service, both of which have assured us that worshippers should not encounter any difficulties in accessing the church on Sunday morning.

While the subway system will be running, there may also be frequent disruptions in service.  If you plan to use streetcars or the subway, please be sure to allow extra time as there may be frequent disruptions in service.

Traffic management plans are subject to change at a moment's notice should conditions such as protestor behaviour or credible security threats warrant.  Last-minute changes will be broadcast on radio and television. 

2) Resources on Global Economic Justice

With the impending meetings of the G20, and the anticipated demonstrations concerning the best ways to address issues of economic justice in the world, what does the Church have to contribute to the conversation?

The Presbyterian Church in Canada is a part of a number of global ecumenical organizations which have made statements and offered reflections on the global economic order.  These documents are worth reading and reflecting on, particularly in relation to this week's G20 Summit.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches' document entitled "The Accra Confession: Covenanting Together for Justice in the Economy and the Earth" can be found at:

http://www.warc.ch/documents/ACCRA_Pamphlet.pdf

A much longer and more in-depth document, produced by the World Council of Churches' entitled "AGAPE: Alternative Globalization Addressing People and the Earth" can be found at:

http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wccassembly/documents/english/agape-new.pdf

3)  Toonies for Tuesdays

Every Tuesday morning a dedicated group of volunteers from our congregation and community gathers together to make a delicious hot breakfast for "Out of the Cold" guests.  Lately, the number of guests at these breakfasts has ranged from approximately 80 to 130 people.

For the months of June, July and August, the "Mission and Outreach Ministry" at St. Andrew's is inviting us to collect "Toonies for Tuesdays".  Bring your Toonies to help support this worthy and important ministry in our congregation.  Please put your Toonies in the special container on the table at Coffee Hour. 

The total amount of 'toonies' donated so far is $144.00...so we're off to a good start!

If you would like to receive an income tax donation for these contributions, please save your Toonies for a few weeks in order to make a larger contribution!  We will put a supply of the blue visitor donation envelopes near the container.  Please be sure to mark your name--and your St. Andrew's donation envelope number, if you know it--on the envelope.

4)  Volunteer Interest Survey 

If you have not yet done so, we encourage you to complete the St. Andrew's Volunteer Interest Survey.  You can pick up a paper copy at Coffee Hour on Sunday, or you can download and print a copy from our website at www.standrewstoronto.org/survey.pdf 

Kristen Stout is standing by ready to key in your checklist of skills, talents and preferred activities.  By returning your completed survey, you are helping to build a valuable resource in support of volunteer programs at St. Andrew's.

5) Sunday Morning Bible Study Group

There will be no Sunday morning Bible Study meeting on Sunday, June 27th.

Throughout July, Noel Ramsey will be leading a discussion promptly at 9:30 a.m. on "Insights into Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians."  Everyone is welcome!

The Sunday Bible Study group will not meet in August, and will resume their study of Isaiah on September 12th.

6)  July Sermons at St. Andrew's

The Rev. Dr. George Vais will be preaching during the month of July while Rev. Ingram is on vacation.  During the month of July Dr. Vais will base his messages on Moses--His Birth, His Escape, His Call and His Excuses, as handed down to us in Exodus chapters 1-4.

The book of Exodus is dominated by the life and actions of Moses and arranged around two outstanding redemptive acts, the Exodus from Egypt and the establishment of the Covenant at Sinai.  In fact, Moses and these events are so fundamental to an understanding of God's plan for the redemption of humanity that it could be argued that much of the Bible is a dialogue which reacts to, explains, implements, elaborates, and completes the redemptive plan of God as it is revealed in this book.

--Lyman Coleman

7)  Presbyterians Sharing:   CANADA: Presbytery of London

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support Almanarrah Presbyterian Church in London, Ontario, which began in 2004 as a small group of Arabic speaking Christians meeting informally to pray and study the Bible together.  Almanarrah is now reaching more than 90 people and was constituted as a congregation in 2009! The youth began a weekly puppet ministry for the Sunday school – buying professional puppets, recording the plays and posting them on a website for the church kids to enjoy. The Reverend William Khaliil writes, “It is exciting to see our youth work with the Sunday school, creating a Christ-like environment in which to grow.”  Almanarrah means “lighthouse” in Arabic. Let us pray for Almanarrah Presbyterian Church, as they become a beacon, shining the light of Christ in the city of London.

8)  Online donations

We are pleased to announce that donations to the Church, and to ministries such as the 'Out of the Cold' programme, can be made online.  To learn more, please click on the button below!