Blog Archives

Are You Making Plans For Sunday School This Fall?

By Tori SmitMay 10, 2022Blog, Christian Education ArchiveChildren, Sunday School

What will Sunday school look like this fall?

Churches are beginning to talk about restarting in-person Sunday school after a two and a half year hiatus from offering regular children’s programming. Leaning into the hope that our churches will be able to gather safely and with a deep desire to get children back to Sunday school before our youngest generation misses out completely on a Sunday school experience, churches are anxious to do the best they can to restart well this fall.

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We Are Many Members, But One Body

By Tori SmitApril 27, 2022Blog, WMS ArchiveIsrael, Nora Carmi, Palestine, Synodical, WMS

This past Saturday the Synodical of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda hosted a talk with Ms. Nora Carmi, a woman who has spent the last forty years working with the YWCA, Sabeel, and Kairosto bring about peace and justice in Palestine and Israel. Nora shared stories of the courageous leadership of women from each of the three monotheistic religions during her time with us, and in particular challenged the news we hear through the media with her alternative experiences of hope.

If you were unable to attend this wonderful and informative gathering, or if you’d like to view it once again, click HERE to view this presentation by Nora Carmi

Many Members – One Body: A Zoom Event With Nora Carmi

By Tori SmitMarch 29, 2022Blog, WMS ArchiveJustice, Palestine, Speaker Event, Synodical, Women

For many Palestinians, efforts to fight off COVID-19 have presented unprecedented challenges, as closed shops have robbed them of their livelihoods, adding to the already long-standing, deep injustices of illegal Israeli occupation.

“The situation in Palestine is alarming. On the economic side, people are desperate, many without work and having difficulties feeding their children.”

Nora Carmi is a Christian Palestinian who has worked for peace and justice her whole life.

She was born in 1947 in Jerusalem into a family of Armenian survivors from the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. She experienced becoming a refugee, and since then she has faced the worsened situation for the Palestinians since the illegal occupation of the territories in 1967.

Everyone is invited to register for this Zoom event where Carmi where talk about the role of Palestinian women and their efforts to shape healthier and more just communities.

To register please email Katherine Allen by April 14 at kathanne5219@gmail.com

An Interactive Google Slide for Holy Week

By Tori SmitMarch 22, 2022Blog, Christian Education ArchiveBible Stories, Children, Family, For Download, Google Slide, Holy Week, Interactive

There are so many stories to read and hear during Holy Week; from the excitement of the crowds on Palm Sunday to the quiet of the garden where Jesus went to pray, from the shock at Jesus’ arrest to his undeserved death a day later and finally to the extreme joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Each day builds on the previous day revealing God’s deep and grace-filled love for this world.

For younger ones many of the stories we tell during Holy Week can be difficult to understand and even scary. Well-written children’s bible story books help us to share these stories from scripture with children in ways that are more accessible and appropriate for their age. For this reason this interactive Google Slide has been loaded with videos of wonderfully written and told stories for Holy Week. It is here for you to upload onto your churches website or Facebook page so families can visit each day throughout Holy Week to hear these stories together.

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Won’t You be My Neighbour?

By John-Peter SmitMarch 21, 2022Blog, Congregational Development ArchiveCare, Fred Rogers, Fresh Expressions, Neighbourhood

Thank you to Paul Hanaoka and unsplash.com for this image

Happy Mr. Roger’s Day!

It is not only a beautiful day in the neighbourhood, it is a beautiful day to go out and meet our neighbours.

Mr. Rogers was above all else a good neighbour; more important than being a teacher and entertainer of children (and even their parents), Fred Rogers sought to show us how to be the very best kind of neighbour we can be in the communities in which we live, work and worship.

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The Presbyterials of East and West Toronto: An Invitation to a Joint Meeting

By Tori SmitMarch 14, 2022Blog, WMS ArchiveEast Toronto, mission, Presbyterials, Speaker, West Toronto, WMS

Closing Is Easy – Opening is Hard: An Update

By Tori SmitMarch 14, 2022Blog, Congregational Development ArchiveChurch Reopening, Covid, Discussion, session

Thank you to Headway and unsplash.com for this photo

Wouldn’t you know it?

As soon as I uploaded the blog post on Saturday about the challenges churches are facing in deciding when and how they will reopen their church buildings I came across a great resource coming out of the Presbyterian Church USA. It is a document entitled Seeking to be Faithful Together: Guidelines for Presbyterians in Times of Disagreement and comes from their Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.

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Closing Is Easy – Opening Is Hard

By John-Peter SmitMarch 12, 2022Blog, Congregational Development ArchiveCovid, Reopening, session, worship

Thank you to Tavi White and unsplash.com for this photo

Two years ago today, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 to be a global pandemic. I remember those first days and weeks; not sure what to touch or not to touch, getting used to wearing a mask, and most of all assuming that we would all be back in church by Easter at the latest.

How unprepared we were.

This week, the Ontario government has announced that most mask mandates will end on March 21, 2022 with the remaining pandemic rules lifted by the end of April. It seems as though we are moving from a pandemic to Covid being endemic in our world.

What a long strange trip it has been.

As I have talked with friends and colleagues over the past few days and weeks, I have heard and noticed a couple of important themes.

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You’re Invited to a Zoom Gathering of the Barrie Presbyterial

By Tori SmitFebruary 23, 2022Blog, WMS ArchiveBarrie Presbyterial, Glynis Williams, International Ministries, Lily Ko, mission, WMS, Zoom

Please join

Barrie Presbyterial Women’s Missionary Society

by Zoom on

Saturday, March 5^th, 2022

10:30 a.m. (ET)

The Presbyterian Church in Canada

and Mission

including Taiwan and India

with

Rev. Dr. Glynis Williams, Associate Secretary

for International Ministries

of the Life and Mission Agency

and

Lily Ko, Program Coordinator

International Ministries

Presentation will be followed by a Q & A

To register please email

janiceterry322@yahoo.com

705-322-3038

Our Journey Through Lent: A Devotional Booklet and Interactive Slide for Download

By Tori SmitFebruary 16, 2022Blog, Christian Education ArchiveDevotional Boobklet, Free, Google Slide, Interactive, Lent

Are you looking for a simple Lent devotional resource to share with your families at home? Here’s one that’s free for download that leads participants of all ages through a complete reading of the Gospel of Mark.

The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the gospels and is considered to be the first of the four to be written. There is a sense of urgency in Mark’s gospel to get it all out there as fast as possible so people can quickly hear and know “the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1) With little commentary along the way, Mark leaps immediately into revealing Christ as the Messiah, through a wealth of parables, miracles, conversations and encounters with Jesus. If you have never read a gospel through from start to finish, Mark is a good one to begin with.

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