Ron Brophy, co-chair of the Contextual Mission sub-committee, outlined the application process at Synod last fall. “You may have great ideas for launching new ministry or building new worshipping communities, but they’re beyond your parish budget, or your parish’s context has changed over time. Your parish council has identified a great way to reconnect or re-engage with your local neighbourhood, but you just don’t have the means to do that. If this describes your situation, then you should think about a Future Fund grant. You can apply for up to $10,000, and you don’t have to match any portion of those funds.”

Information is available on the diocesan website.

Click on:

► Resources for Parishes

► Contextual Mission

► Future Fund

Applications are accepted twice per year.

Application deadlines are March 15 and November 1.

Archdeacon Mark Whittall, co-chair of the subcommittee, also encouraged parishes to apply, noting that the application process is logical and easy to follow, and responses from the review committee are quick. Reports on projects are required as follow-up.

Check the Future Fund page on the diocesan website for more detail.

The post March 2026 Future Fund deadline coming soon…. appeared first on Perspective.

Grant applications will be accepted twice per year. The first application deadline for 2025 is this month, on March 15. The second is on Nov. 1, 2025. Grant requests are flexible, ranging from under $1,000 and up to $10,000, based on project needs. Grant applications must be prepared and submitted electronically using the Future Fund application form on the diocesan website, which also provides information about the Future Fund and detailed information and instructions on how to submit an application.

The Future Fund panel offered this guidance for parishes considering projects and planning to apply for funding: “We are encouraging projects and initiatives which are local to the church’s neighbourhoods, engage with new people and demonstrate an innovative approach to the creation of new mission and ministry. We will want to know about the process your parish followed to listen to your neighbours and identify their needs and aspirations, and how your project aligns with our strategic priorities to engage in contextual mission and create new worshipping communities.”

More information is available on the diocesan website:

https://ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/for-parishes/future-fund-program/

The post The Future Fund launches — first application deadline on March 15 appeared first on Perspective.

The new arrivals generally fall into two groups. Many are Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) who have been recruited for two-year contracts in local long-term care homes. These nurses are well educated, many with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, and bring valuable experience in areas such as labour and delivery, intensive care, emergency room and cardiac catheterization labs. Here in Perth, they’re working as personal support workers while they seek to obtain their Ontario Nursing Registration qualifications.

Almost all are from India, the Philippines and Nigeria and are here alone, although a very small number have able to send for their spouses and children. According to current regulations, it may well be over a year before they can even apply be joined by their families. All of them have young children and understandably are heartbroken by this news.

Most of the other newcomers are refugee claimants, primarily from Ghana. Having initially arrived in Montreal, they quickly learned that without speaking French, there were no employment opportunities for them there while their refugee applications were being reviewed. Somehow word came to them that Perth is a small, quiet welcoming community where they could find work. Over last summer, it is estimated that about 40 Ghanains arrived in Perth. As well as supporting themselves here in Canada, the majority of these newcomers are also trying to send money home to their families in Ghana. Unfortunately, they were advised abroad to come to Canada alone to apply as refugees and that they’d be able to send for their families once the process was started. Sadly, that’s not the case, and they now anticipate being here without their spouses possibly for several years while the refugee application process grinds on.

When I became aware of this situation shortly after my diaconal ordination in May, I questioned what could be done to help all these new folks adjust to life in Canada. My research led to Linda Alexander, the recruitment and settlement officer for Lanark and Renfrew counties. We put our heads together and quickly put out a call to church and community members, local service providers and the newcomers themselves with a goal of creating a coordinated response to support and assist these newest members of our community. Out of this meeting, a grassroots organization called Open Arms Perth was formed!

One of the first pressing needs identified was that fall would soon be turning into winter, and most of the newcomers, of course, had never experienced snow. An information session on winter preparedness was created and very well attended.

Calls were put out for donations of gently used coats, hats and mitts, which then enabled Open Arms Perth to host winter clothing distributions — events, which parishioners from St. James helped with greatly. Rather than ask for donations of used boots, an invitation was sent to local churches for donations of money for the purchase of vouchers from Marks’ Work Wearhouse to help with buying new winter boots. St. James was the first church to answer that call, which consequently allowed every newcomer in need to buy new boots.

Other calls were well responded to for donations of furniture, household items and bedding. Again, parishioners at St. James were particularly generous in responding, donating bedding which also included many new, handmade quilts. As one of our donors said: ”These people deserve to receive new things too!”

In December, space at St. James was made available for the nurses to hold a special celebration. These are very hardworking people, and it meant so much for them to have a space to relax together and celebrate the Christmas season with their own foods and music.

The past months have been a time of real blessing for all involved in Open Arms — for newcomers, volunteers and donors alike. Best of all, and most touching to experience, are the new personal relationships being formed as we warmly welcome our brothers and sisters in Christ to Canada. For many their journeys have been really difficult, and we’ve been grateful to be able to help them along in some small way.

Related article:

The Future Fund launches — first application deadline is March 15

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What is contextual mission? The context for Anglican churches in the Diocese of Ottawa and in Canada has changed dramatically in recent decades. No longer predominantly Christian, Canadian society is now pluralistic, multicultural, multifaith, and largely secular, so contextual mission is about sharing the love of God in ways that help the church connect with and serve people in the wider community in this context.

Introducing two people presenting examples of their parishes’ forays into contextual mission at Synod in November, the Rev. Thomas Brauer reminded everyone that contextual mission is not about getting more people to attend church or something a parish imposes on the community. It must be “a ministry of the resurrection, a ministry of Jesus, where we enter into the community as we find it and hear the need that is there and respond out of compassion, grace and love.”

Epiphany’s wish list

Kitty Galt, the Rector’s Warden at Epiphany church in Ottawa, described a project that was inspired by a discussion following a Time of Prayer Bible study of a passage from the Book of Acts that described how a group of people in the early church did not claim private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. “Those gathered talked about what we felt God was calling us to as a community. We heard that there were several people within our parish and just outside its walls who had significant unmet needs. And we reflected that even though there were many within our parish who had resources to meet those needs, we couldn’t connect the two because it’s often difficult for people to speak up about their needs. We asked ourselves, how we could live out this calling to hold everything in common,” Galt explained.

They wondered if they could create a wish list, similar to that used by Cornerstone Housing for Women with requests for specific items the women need. Talking it through, they came up with a plan for how Epiphany’s wish list could work. “If someone had a need, such as money for groceries, a mattress, funds to register a child in a soccer club, they would send an email to an anonymous person called the wishlist coordinator. Wishes could be published each week in the bulletin and the weekly parish email. If someone could fulfill a wish, they would also contact the coordinator who would facilitate the transfer. The names of wishers and wish fulfillers would remain confidential as much as possible.”

Galt reported that from the time they began the project in May until Synod in early November, 10 wishes had been fulfilled, including a registration fee for a training course to become a new security guard for a new Canadian, a new tricycle for a grandchild, a ride to a medical appointment. “We are assessing the project to see whether it is meeting its original goal, and if not, we will adjust accordingly. We hope to be fulfilling your wishes for months to come,” she said.

Crosstalk contacted the Rev. Simone Hurkmans at Epiphany for an update since Synod and indeed more wishes had indeed been fulfilled, including:

• A winter coat for a new mother for her first Canadian winter
• Used cellphone for preteen who cares for her siblings to contact her mom while she’s on shift work
• Ladies’ tap shoes
• Used laptop for preteen’s homework needs
• Desktop monitor for new Canadian taking online classes

South Carleton Jazz Vespers

The second example of contextual mission in action came from the Parish of South Carleton. Churchwarden Dorothy Svendsen told the story of how the Rev. Allan Budzin was inspired by the long-standing jazz vespers service at All Saints Westboro in Ottawa and wondered if similar services could also attract a new worshipping community in a predominantly rural environment. “He took the risk and initiated jazz vespers, first at Holy Trinity North Gore, and then found its happy home at St. Paul’s, Osgoode. Who knew that it was the motherload of jazz aficionados in Ottawa South,” she said.

Jazz vespers is an hour of music, prayer, poetry, and reflection. The services have been held once a month (except for July and August) at 4 pm on Sundays since December 2023. The Mark Ferguson Quartet provides the music. “We have done jazz tributes to Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, The Beatles, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, Duke Ellington, and for the 100th anniversary of our church, we did the jazz music of the 1920s,” Svendsen reported. “Reverend Al provides the prayers, the poetry, and the reflections. It is a wonderful and different way to worship. We have attracted a core following and draw people from about six surrounding communities. On average, 60% of the congregation are new attendees and not regular members of our parish. Our numbers have steadily grown over the year, and we average about 55 congregants, sometimes more, sometimes less, often depending on the weather. We request a free will offering to help pay for the musicians, and we’re about breaking even.”

The reviews have been fantastic, said Svendsen. “One woman came up to me after her first visit, and she said, ‘I just loved everything about this. I love the music, I love the storytelling,’ and she said, ‘I love the reflection, and I just love your minister. I’ll definitely be back.’ I’ve even had people stop me on the street telling me how much they enjoyed it and asking when is the next one. It’s a joyous way to worship through music. [In October], Reverend Al has introduced Sunday Vespers for harp and flute at St. John’s Richmond, and 50 people attended the service. The seeds for another new worshipping community…”

More information and a step-by-step guide to contextual mission are available on the diocesan website:

https://ottawa.anglican.ca/resources/for-parishes/contextual-mission/

Your parish can also request a consultation with a contextual mission facilitator who will visit your parish, conduct workshops, help assess your proposed initiatives and assist you in completing your Future Fund Application. You can request a facilitator by email, contextual-mission@ottawa.anglican.ca

Crosstalk wants to publish more stories of contextual mission and new worshipping communities. Share your story and inspire others.

Email Leigh Anne Williams: editor@ottawa.anglican.ca

The Mark Ferguson Quartet can be heard at St. Paul’s Osgoode for monthly jazz vespers. Mark Ferguson on piano and trombone; Mike Tremblay on saxophone and flute; John Geggie plays bass; and Jamie Holmes is on drums. Above: Scott Latham plays the vibraphone. Photos: Joanne Swift

Related article:

The Future Fund launches — first application deadine is March 25

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