Emily Walker, the PWRDF intern in the 2020-2021 diocesan Youth Internship Program, recently received the Eastern Synod Leadership Award for Exemplary Service to the Wider Community from Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).
Emily is an enthusiastic person who believes one must love their neighbour as themselves. That belief motivates her to be very involved in the community, and it was that devotion to service that the ELCIC recognized with the award in June.
When not going to university, working as a lifeguard or participating as an intern with the Anglican Youth Internship Program, Emily is a volunteer coordinator at St Philips Lutheran Church in Etobicoke, Ont.
St. Philips is focused on addressing food insecurity in its community. The church has been delivering fresh produce to 100 families during the pandemic. Emily has a vision of a community built through justice, stories, connections and joy.She would love to create a space in the community for people to laugh, share their life stories and advice. She would love a world where people are treated equally as God treats all of us equally with his love. Her award from the ELCIC came with a $500 gift, which Emily contributed back to the neighbourhood table at St. Philips.
Deanery of East Ontario — Church of the Nativity, L’Orignal