Bulletin Board is the Diocese’s bi-weekly e-bulletin for clergy and lay leaders. To submit an item, email editor@toronto.anglican.ca.
Diocesan business
Protect yourself from phishing scams
Cyber criminals are finding increasingly innovative ways of sending phishing emails to obtain personal and financial information from individuals. They are now even spoofing email addresses to make them appear as though they’re from legitimate organizations, such as emails that use the toronto.anglican.ca domain. The Synod Office will never send emails requesting financial information, direct payments links or updates to our banking information.
If you receive any suspicious emails asking for your personal or financial information, or any emails impersonating the Diocese, forward them to Loretta Manuelpillai, our IT administrator, at lmanuelpillai@toronto.anglican.ca for further investigation. If you receive an email that appears to be from the Diocese, but you want to verify its authenticity, call Rebecca Scott, senior accountant, at 647-578-9765.
Diocesan events
Season presents slate of workshops
Starting this fall, the Season of Spiritual Renewal will offer workshops to help strengthen and encourage churches. Some are geared to clergy, some to lay leaders of various ministries and some to everyone wanting to grow and be renewed in their faith. Visit the Season of Spiritual Renewal pages for details on the fall workshops. Registration will open on Aug. 27. Some workshops have a limit on the number of registrants, so sign up early. For more ideas about how your church can engage in this Season of Spiritual Renewal, visit the Spiritual Disciplines for Renewal page.
Save the date: Outreach conference
This year’s Outreach & Advocacy Conference, “Communities of Resistance and Resilience,” will take place virtually on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This year’s lineup includes keynote speaker Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation, along with workshops on creation care, overdose prevention in community, deconstructing myths around homelessness, ending poverty for people with disabilities and more. Registration will open in early September.
Emancipation Day plaque to be unveiled
Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada have chosen St. James Cathedral as the location for the installation of a commemorative plaque marking celebrations of Emancipation Day. On July 28, the cathedral community will observe Emancipation Day at its 10 a.m. Eucharist. Guest preacher Denise Byard will speak on the topic “Emancipation Day and what it means as seen through the eyes of an 8th generation African-Canadian woman.” Following the service, the plaque will be unveiled in Snell Hall.
Celebration kicks off Season of Creation
The first diocesan event to celebrate the Season of Creation will be a Eucharist at St. James Cathedral on Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. Parishes are invited to bring prayers and symbols telling the story of their particular place in Creation. You can find a guide to parish participation on the Creation Care page. The Season of Creation will close with one or more Hiking Church events outside Toronto on Oct. 5 – more details will follow in upcoming SJAC updates and on the Creation Care page.
Workshop considers bullying in churches
What happens when a house of faith is fractured by the behaviour of one of its own? How do we love even the hardest to love among us, and at the same time set appropriate behaviour boundaries? What does bullying in our midst tell us about the health of our congregation? Lay leaders and clergy are invited to “Transforming Bullying & Tough Congregational Dynamics,” a workshop with Dr. Betty Pries on Sept. 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Thomas, Brooklin. Register online. The cost is $45, which includes lunch.
Bus trips explore Black history
Learn more about Black history in Ontario this summer by joining a day trip to Black heritage sites:
- Aug. 3: the Old Durham Road Black Pioneer Cemetery in Princeville and the site of the Negro Creek Settlement, en route to the Emancipation Day Festival in Owen Sound. Register by July 31.
- Sept. 14: the Sheffield Black History Museum in Clarksburg and the Heritage Community Church in Collingwood. Register by Aug. 9.
Each trip will depart Toronto at 8:30 a.m. and return around 6 p.m. Contact the Rev. Canon Claudette Taylor for more details and to register. The cost of each trip is $65, payable by cheque or e-transfer to the Church of Epiphany and St. Mark.
Diocese offers payroll training
Diocesan staff will hold Zoom workshops on payroll training for parish leaders, especially those responsible for processing payroll at the parish. The dates are:
- Oct. 16 from 6-7:30 p.m. Register online.
- Oct. 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. Register online.
Both sessions will cover the same content: employees vs. independent contractors; T4 vs. T4A; CRA remittances; payroll source deductions; processing payroll for supply clergy; clergy residence; EHT/WSIB remittances and annual returns; and taxable benefits. For more information, contact Keri Stilling at kstilling@toronto.anglican.ca.
External events
Spiritual centre offers retreats
Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls has released details about upcoming retreats and workshops this summer and fall. Visit its website for more details.
Overdose day events planned
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) on Aug. 31 is a day to commemorate without stigma those lost to drug overdose and to raise awareness of the need for harm reduction measures. For information about IOAD events, visit overdoseday.com. Among the events to be held in communities within the Diocese are:
- Peterborough: Aug. 30 from 1-4 p.m. at Millenium Park. People are invited to share photos of loved ones who have been lost due to the drug poisoning and overdose crisis by email to aparisien@onecityptbo.ca to be used in a tribute banner.
- Barrie: A Vigil of Hope and Remembrance on Aug. 31 in front of Barrie City Hall, starting with a community meal at 6 p.m. and speakers at 7 p.m., followed by a silent vigil.
Event advocates for Grassy Narrows
The Grassy Narrows River Run will take place on Sept. 18 in downtown Toronto starting around noon. Generations of the Grassy Narrows First Nation have suffered the ongoing physical, social and economic costs of mercury contamination of the Wabigoon River in the 1960s and 1970s. Grassy Narrows has launched a lawsuit against the federal and provincial governments for failing to protect them from or remedy the mercury contamination, and another suit demanding consultation before a mining claim is granted or renewed on their territory. Learn more and register online.
Job postings
Cathedral seeks missioner
St. James Cathedral is seeking to appoint a full-time canon missioner to lead evangelism and discipleship, lay ministry and pastoral care. See the full job post for more details. To apply, email your cover letter and resume to Serena Li, dean’s assistant, at sli@stjamescathedral.ca.
Parish seeks nursery worker
St. Cuthbert, Leaside is currently looking for a creative, enthusiastic and dedicated part-time nursery worker. See the full job post for details. To apply, email the Rev. Canon Janet Read-Hockin at stcuthbertleaside@toronto.anglican.ca with a cover letter and resume by Aug. 2.
Parish administrator needed
St. George Memorial, Oshawa is seeking a parish administrator to work closely with the priest and leadership teams in planning and carrying out the day-to-day operations and administrative tasks for the parish. See the full job post for more details. To apply, submit your CV, along with two professional references, to churchwardens@stgeorgesoshawa.org by July 26.
Burlington parish seeks music director
St. Matthew on-the-Plains in Burlington is seeking a part-time (16 hours a week) music director to work collaboratively with the rector in assisting the people of God to worship and pray. See the full job post for more details. To apply, email office@stmatthewburlington.ca with a CV, two references and salary expectations.
Diocese seeking executive director
The Diocese is looking for an executive director, who will work closely with the College of Bishops, diocesan directors, and Synod Council to ensure that diocesan goals are achieved and there is an effective management of resources. See the full job post for more details. To express interest in this opportunity, email your cover letter and resume to hr@toronto.anglican.ca.
Diocese seeks property resources specialist
The Diocese is looking for an experienced property resources specialist who will be responsible for managing the operations of diocesan-controlled properties and consulting with parishes on deferred maintenance, building assessments and capital planning. See the full job post for more details and apply to hr@toronto.anglican.ca.
