The time was auspicious.  A dozen years earlier the Second World War brought 40,000 temporary residents, military and civilian, to work for the government in a city of less than 180,000 inhabitants.  There were no resources for a major building program; instead temporary buildings sprang up across the city.  The rapid influx of people and overnight construction of federal temporary buildings put pressure on housing within the city and on its supply of drinking water, with people jammed into every possible space in the existing stock of city housing.

After the war was over, it was expected that the population would shrink, as the temporary population brought in by the war would leave.  Those expectations proved  wrong.  Instead, the federal government continued to expand and to hire even more employees.  The population in the next decade doubled to 400,000 as returning veterans qualified for grants to build new housing infrastructure, young couples married, and a postwar ‘baby boom’ took place.  This led to the massive annexation of adjacent areas of Nepean and Gloucester townships on which to build the massive subdivisions of new ‘Victory’ houses.

We can see some of these ‘Victory’ houses in the background, dwarfed by the main timbers of the new Saint Mark’s Church.  These houses seventy years later appear small, but they were marvels of design efficiency compared to older houses in the Diocese.  They took advantage of the water, septic and hydro services provided by the City of Ottawa.

Saint Mark’s was one of a number of large churches being planned and built in Ottawa’s suburbs from the late 1940s to the 1960s.  Even the tall hydro poles in the distance are dwarfed by the timbers of the church jutting into the suburban sky.  The bold structure must have seemed a dramatic harbinger of bold new ideas in church design to those in the young congregation volunteering to  help put it up.  So it must also have seemed to Anglicans around the diocese.

Saint Mark’s was not the only A-frame church being built in this era.  Judging from the skeleton of large beams framed against the evening sky, it may have seemed a standard A-frame design, but it proved not to be.  This photograph was taken from the back rather than the front, hence the three closest A-frames were taller than those in the nave of the church. This provided a focal point on which to place a large cross, thereby bypassing the need for a church tower.

As dramatic as the new church seemed, it marked no departure from traditional Anglican worship and ritual, with a long nave providing a processional aisle leading to the focal chancel at the front with altar, font, lectern, pulpit and choir grouped in the traditional order.   

If you would like to help the Archives preserve the records of the Diocese and its parishes, why not become a Friend of the Archives?  Your $20 membership brings you three issues of the lively, informative Newsletter, and you will receive a tax receipt for further donations above that amount.      

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As Canadians, many of us take for granted that adequate light is available when women are in labour and their babies are being born.  However, this isn’t the case the world over. Most of us don’t even ever wonder what light sources are being used to help midwives and physicians assist with safe deliveries when they are thousands of miles from a power grid. 

PWRDF is supporting an innovative project which provides the necessary power all wrapped up in a suitcase giving a “Light for Every Birth”.  This initiative provides Solar Suitcases to remote and rural health clinics in Mozambique, so that they too can have lighting during the night. And not just light… a solar suitcase is a wall-mounted unit that opens to reveal phone charging ports, a portable headlamp and a fetal Doppler to monitor baby’s heartbeat, all connected to a roof mounted solar panel.  For more details about this initiative visit our website at www.pwrdf.org.

It’s fairly certain that most people reading this right now, were born with an adequate and reliable amount of light in the room. With that blessing in mind, PWRDF is inviting everyone across our Diocese to participate in the Ride for Refuge … so that we can all share the light!

Last year the ride had to be done virtually because of the pandemic limitations. With the improving community health situation this year, participants can once again physically get out into their communities. 

Following on the theme of “Share the Light”, on Saturday, October 2nd, members of our diocese are encouraged to drive/walk/bike and meet up “halfway” with other participants from a nearby parish. At the halfway point, symbolically “Share the Light” with one another! Be creative with this — you could exchange candles, flashlights, light-themed artwork, or however you’re inspired! Be sure to take some pictures and send them to PWRDF Ottawa at pwrdf@ottawa.anglican.ca.

Your photo might find its way into the Advent/Christmas issue of Crosstalk which will feature more information about the Solar Suitcases and its impact in remote rural communities.

We are pleased to announce that an anonymous donor has come forward with a 1:1 funding match, up to $100,000. The match will apply to donations received between May 26 and September 30, 2021. 

Be sure to register soon as a participant in our PWRDF Ottawa Team, so that you can ‘share your light”!

Together, we can light up the Ottawa Diocese and provide Light for Every Birth!

PWRDF Ottawa Team Page:

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=958132&langPref=en-CA

For more information contact Rosemary at: pwrdf@ottawa.anglican.ca

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• Ensure consistent messaging
• Keep messages aligned with your parish’s vision
• Engage audiences (both internal and external)

Here are some questions to ask to get started to build your communications strategy:

What kind of communication does your congregation prefer?  For example, are reminders and updates sent by email effective?

What channels of communication get a better response? For example, do text messages perform better than phone calls?

When is the best time to send messages for maximum impact? For example, instead of reaching out just on Sundays, will a middle of the week text, email, or social media post improve engagement?

By considering the answers to these questions, you will have some helpful information to begin developing a communication plan that is aligned with your parish’s mission and vision.

Communications options to consider

Before building a communication strategy, it is important to understand the church communications options that are available. Knowing what they are and understanding how they can impact your audiences will help you craft a more effective communications plan.

There are two kinds of church communications to consider.

Internal communication is all communication that is focused on keeping church members informed, engaged, and involved. Internal church communications include updates to the congregation, pastoral communications, and communications with volunteers.  Internal communications channels include texts, emails, phone calls, announcements, and so on.

External communication is all communication that is focused on reaching audiences outside of your congregation. It aims to promote the church and its events to the outside world giving it more visibility and boosting new member registration.  Examples of external communications include social media updates about events, advertising, updates on the church website, and so on.  Typical external communication channels are social media, website, signage and posters, and word of mouth.

A good church communication strategy strikes a balance between both forms of communication and uses storytelling to present compelling and consistent messaging. Here are some links to help you to begin developing your parish’s plan:

• https://callhub.io/church-communication-best-practices/
• https://callhub.io/web-based-church-management-software/
• https://callhub.io/church-communication-strategy/

Compiled by Jane Scanlon, from CallHub

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Journeying with these young people is such a privilege! Here are some excerpts from thoughts they shared.

You can see why I love my job! 

Donna Rourke
Youth Ministry Animator

Maritsa
YIP intern for St. John the Baptist

Early July 2021, at the beginning of the week, I got a reminder on my phone saying my YIP exit interview is this week. I suddenly felt sad and didn’t feel that I am ready for this to be over yet! YIP has been a big part of my life, and I started thinking of ways and things I can offer to benefit the program! For example, being a mentor or on the panel interview etc. I just am not ready to not be part of the Youth Internship Program.

Through my YIP time, Donna has encouraged and  supported me through every obstacle until I was being heard and seen in my community. As a young person who is part of a community that adults run, it was difficult to be seen and heard as an equal, but I was treated like an equal in the end of my internship.

I grew up in a Christian family and community where no questions are asked; we are just supposed to follow the priest and what the Bible says. This year’s faith formation sessions helped me unpack my faith and be able to ask the big questions. I learned that faith is not just as simple as attending church every Sunday! And just like an onion, I was able to peel back layer by layer to get to the truth and be able to find answers to the questions that I was never supposed to ask.

In the faith formation sessions, I was able to be who I am and be true to myself. During our faith formation sessions, I learned that faith is not a room that has four walls; it is a huge playground that has no limits, and it comes in various shapes and forms and colours and heights.

Emily
YIP Intern for PWRDF

Having a mentor, a person dedicated to listening, providing advice, and bringing new perspectives is quite possibly the part of the program I will miss most. Facetiming with my mentor every couple of weeks and letting her into my world [made me feel] vulnerable at the beginning, but it was so rewarding as we both shared life with each other. To have someone looking out for my well-being, someone to also talk about the YIP program with, and to hear the faith perspectives of someone a little older than was invaluable to my growth throughout this program. …

Faith Formation sessions were grace-filled and the love put into the content of these discussions was so evident. We discussed all things, Hell, does it exist? Who goes there? How could a loving God use this imagery? We discussed what faith looks like in action. What does praying look like? What could praying look like? We discussed what beliefs we were taught growing up in church or have learned that maybe don’t serve us anymore. What beliefs do we hold with a closed hand? Which ones could we hold with an open one? A belief I know I hold with a closed hand is that I am God’s beloved. A belief I came to discover that I hold with an open hand is that Jesus was a white man, the way He is often depicted in iconography. These sessions created space for questions I was holding as a young adult and a chance to explore things I hadn’t thought about yet, allowing myself to be grounded in my faith further. This conversation was so relevant to my life that I often asked my mentor, my church friends, and my current small group the same questions. 

On Leadership sessions: Leadership sessions were SO awesome!! From sessions about confronting anti-black racism, to how to navigate casual and stressful conversations, to sessions on mental health, and gender diversity, I was always left with so much to learn and act on. These sessions left me feeling informed, empowered, and brave. The discussion questions in the Leadership Sessions were always incredibly thoughtful, intentional, and authentic, which bred fantastic discussion. In breakout rooms we were able to dream, ask, and imagine what the world might look like if we cared for our bodies and minds more, if we put aside and investigated biases, and shared God’s love with the world more. The leaders of these sessions were consistently enthusiastic about the topic bringing a contagious energy that I could always feel. 

Being able to be part of an organization doing such wonderful work like the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, was such a glorious opportunity! I was able to join a small team of young people within the organization working to share the stories of PWRDF through a podcast. I learned lessons in communicating with a team, the pace things need to happen to ensure full inclusion of all members, and how to create a podcast episode from start to finish!! It is inspiring to think back eight months ago [when I had] nothing but a blank Google Doc and now to have podcast episodes on Spotify is crazy! YIP’s consistent connection with my supervisor was also vital to my success in this placement. 

Overall, the Youth Internship was an enriching, dedicated, and fantastic program for young people to be a part of. Donna, the leader of the program, was available any time I wanted to check in, reflect on life or the things we were learning, or pray over something happening in my life. The prayer team was a powerful source of inspiration and strength, being able to exercise this faith muscle and pray for the people in the YIP community and know they were also praying for me. Every leader in the program I encountered was excited to be there and also explained concepts with relevant examples for young people. 

Naomi
YIP intern for Children’s Ministry St Alban

YIP was a positive experience for me. I learned many valuable skills that will definitely help me in future professional settings. I really appreciated the Leadership and Faith Formation sessions, particularly a session where we got to meet the bishop. What I appreciated most about that session was how approachable and how ‘near to us’ the bishop was. Bishops are often seen as being somehow ‘far away’ from us individuals, almost inaccessible. However, inviting him to one of the Faith sessions deconstructed that belief. Personally for me, one of the best parts of YIP was learning through the relationships developed with my supervisor, Donna and my coworkers. Coming back to YIP for a second year, I am looking forward to more relationship building.

Caleb
YIP Intern for KAIROS

YIP provides all interns with a safe environment where we are encouraged to share opinions with one another. 

The faith formation sessions provided a great chance for me to restore my faith during the pandemic as it gave me the opportunity to speak freely and ask questions.  

YIP has taught me how to manage my time and become more organized in a professional manner in a workplace environment  

In the midst of the pandemic YIP faith formation and leadership sessions gave me something to look forward to, by speaking with my fellow interns and learning as we went along. 

Callum
YIP Faith Formation Intern

YIP helped keep me grounded in my last year of high school, it brought stability in a chaotic time.

YIP convinced me that I am valued within the diocese and the church and I will be eternally grateful for that understanding.

Alex
YIP Intern for the Glebe Wellness Centre

For anyone who is considering going into YIP, …my advice for you would be to do it. You meet a lot of other amazing people, especially Donna. She is always there for you to support you and all round one of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. You get a lot of experience and a lot of lessons about things that you are definitely going to need in the future. I learned a lot of things. Going into YIP was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made.

Freddy
YIP Intern for the Parish of Bearbrook-Navan-Blackburn

Being a part of the YIP program this past year has had a huge impact on me. … Getting to discuss our faith and [how to navigate] difficult conversations helped me step outside my comfort zone and discuss the topics that aren’t usually brought up. Having a chance to meet other youth and my mentor kept up the social aspect of my life during a time where we all had to stay at home. The work placement was tremendously helpful as it gave me real life experience in the work field that I now can use for the future. 

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The people of Good Shepherd Barrhaven church distributed more than 200 Tim Hortons cards to to our neighbours in the mall (at retail shops, a drug store, restaurants, an eye clinic, foot clinic, a large medical clinic, and a Montessori child care centre) and to the Queensway Carleton Hospital to say thank you for serving others during this difficult time. We are having fun and those receiving the cards are so thankful, not only for the cards but that we are thinking about them and saying thank you, and we are still on our mission. This outreach ministry was in lieu of participating in the Big Give as we usually do each year but could not this year due to the pandemic. So our Big Give still went on after all!

Blessings from all of us at Good Shepherd Barrhaven Church

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The dark blue background represents the darkness of the pandemic.  The yellow border represents light, which will be when the pandemic is over.

On top is COVID 19 and under the world is the word pandemic in Hebrew, 2020. Then on the bottom is a Scripture verse from Rev. 21: 5, “Behold, I make all things new.”

There is a deep message in this banner, and it truly gave me joy making it. I want to thank a dear friend who helped and the men who climbed the ladder to hang it.

Blessings, 

Marion Bebbington
St, Michael and All Angels
Maxville

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Despite COVID restrictions, last year was successful for the Food Centre, with a dedicated staff and 45 volunteers following COVID safety guidelines. The Centre is open three days a week and served 6,105 people bags of prepackaged food in 2020. 

The Food Centre originated in 1975 and its founding members were an ecumenical group of nine churches. of the Centretown Churches Social Action Committee. Now, an ecumenical group of 22 churches, they have served our community with anti-poverty relief and social justice advocacy for 46 years. 

The Centre offers a helping hand and a smile to those with financial, social and food insecurities. Their clients are the vulnerable, the isolated and marginalized for which they provide resources for community services—where to find groceries, meals, shelters and drop-in centres. Neighbours helping neighbours at 507 Bank St. in the basement of Centretown United Church (Bank at Argyle). 

The 2021 walk is our sixth Walk for the Centre. Join the fun! Choose your own path in virtual teams and solo strolls around your favourite trail. Decorate a personal poster and take a selfie for the Walk and share them with us. We have contests with prizes on our online venue (http://centretownchurches.org/walk/). Join us to show your support for food insecurity and the Centretown Emergency Food Centre. 

Choose to raise funds or make a donation online supporting a walker or virtual team. If you are collecting money the traditional way, download a pledge form online. We will announce a drop off location online on the day of the walk. You can also send a cheque to: CCSAC, 507 Bank St., Ottawa, Ont., K2P 1Z5. Rain or shine the Walk is time to celebrate a worthwhile event. 

Elizabeth Kent
St. Matthews

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On July 18, the Rev. Cathy Davis, Interim-Priest-in-Charge, and the members of St Mary Magdalene (SMM) Church in Chelsea, Quebec, welcomed Bishop Shane Parker and Albert Dumont, Elder and Algonquin advisor to the Bishop, to celebrate the Feast of St Mary Magdalene and to bless a new community path located on the church’s land.  

In 2018, the Municipality of Chelsea, Quartier Meredith, a new housing development behind the church, and Sentiers Chelsea Trails approached SMM church with the idea of building a multi-purpose, publicly accessible community trail across the church land that would link Quartier Meredith with Route 105   and the network of community trails in Chelsea. The Municipality is committed to promoting recreational and active transportation through walking, running and cycling, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. 

At the annual Vestry meeting in 2020, days before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, members of SMM decided to practice their commitment to being a welcoming Christian community open to the needs of their Chelsea neighbours. A negotiating team comprised of Barbara Gagné, Mary Trafford and myself [Marian McGrath], was given the mandate to negotiate the terms and conditions for the construction of the path. The pandemic presented challenges.  With the unwavering support of diocesan Chancellor Henry Schultz and the professional advice of Megan Throop, the notary representing SMM, a long-term lease with the Municipality was concluded in April.  On May 19, Bishop Shane authorized the signing of the lease. Construction started shortly thereafter.

Throughout the negotiations, the SMM negotiating team was very mindful that the path would be constructed on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg, and invited Albert Dumont to bless the trail on the occasion of the Bishop’s pastoral visit.

In his pastoral message, Bishop Shane spoke about the life of Mary Magdalene and some of the myths and misconceptions associated with her persona. Bishop Shane encouraged everyone to be like Saint Mary Magdalene, “the Apostle to the Apostles” and the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus, who did not flinch or flee, and who did not abandon hope and love. He referred to the many crosses and tombs that try to destroy love and hope, including Residential Schools. In closing, Bishop Shane said: “We must not abandon or deny the power of love as it is revealed to us in the presence of Jesus, and in creation and through the lives of people who walk in the way of love.”

Prior to smudging the path, Albert Dumont shared his reflection, stating, “I would walk on it in a state of meditation with the Spirit.”  He spoke about the trail of life and the trauma and unresolved grief in Indigenous communities, and remarked, “We need to care about human beings wherever they are.”  He expressed his hope that the path would be a healing place, a place to stop and to meditate, and a place for the people to think how they could make themselves a better human being.

Bishop Shane and Albert Dumont walked the length of path together, while Bishop Shane prayed and Albert Dumont smudged.  After their walk, all gathered to join in the smudging. With the relaxing of the public health restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the blessing of the path was a joyful celebration for all to be gathered again for in-person worship outdoors on a glorious summer morning. 

Regarding his experience at SMM church, Albert Dumont remarked, “A lot of good energy was present.”

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When the Centre 105 launched the drive, the restaurant owners, who had helped with a water bottle drive in the spring that has kept the Centre supplied all summer, wrote on their Facebook page that they wanted to collect 100 boxes of cereal. But with the enthusiastic help of their customers, they collected 596 boxes.

Cindy Bartch, who co-owns the diner with Brenda Trotman, says the drive brought out the best in everyone. Because the diner was operating as take-out only during the COVID-19 lockdown, Bartch says they had plenty of room to start displaying the cereal boxes they were collecting as a drop-off location for the drive. “We had a house built…And anybody that came in to get take out would ask ‘What’s that?’ and then they’d bring some. It was amazing.”

Other local businesses got involved. “[The owner of] Green Acres Snow Removal came with 20 boxes and told us she was challenging other people. Then a roofing company brought some and Shiny Bud brought some. And it just went crazy. We were just flabbergasted. Our customers are just awesome…. Mike from Mike’s Mobile Pressure Washer, he came in with 50 boxes. And it doesn’t matter if it is 50 or one, it is the idea that they are just doing it.” 

Once that mountain of cereal boxes was collected, customers also volunteered to help deliver it to Centre 105 in their trucks. “It took a few trucks to bring it over. The guy that helped bring it over came back and said, “Oh my God, I couldn’t believe it. There are kids sitting there with their parents waiting for this cereal.”

Bartch thought the kids would like what they saw. “People brought cereal that I’d never seen before, like blueberry Cheerios. I couldn’t believe all the different types, so these kids are going to freak out over it. It was really awesome cereal. People brought oatmeal and porridge.”

Centre 105’s program director Taylor Seguin told Crosstalk that the Centre had received another 150 boxes from other donors, so with the 596, from the Village Diner, they had a grand total of just under 750 boxes. “We were able to donate 50 boxes to each of the other food agencies in the city of Cornwall (The Agape Centre, Salvation Army Food Bank, and St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank).” He says the agencies in Cornwall work together co-operatively to support vulnerable individuals and families.

“The Village Diner is an incredibly strong and generous supporter of Centre 105 Drop-In Day Program,” said Seguin. “Their team donates 20 loaves of bread to Centre 105 every week and have been doing so since the beginning of the pandemic, in March of 2020. Although they are a small team, running a small restaurant during these difficult times, they still support their community.”

Bartch said they are happy to help Centre 105. “They feed anyone who is hungry. We think they are just awesome.” She added that they want to continue to help as long as they are able. “We’re in there like a dirty shirt,” she said with a hearty laugh.

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