A a y a o t f u u w J S c a m p t L

lmighty God, giver ofll good gifts, look uponour church with grace,nd guide the minds ofur selection team ashey search for a new andaithful servant to leads. Gracious God, helps to find the one whoill lift the name ofesus Christ as God andaviour and who willare for your people andlign our vision andinistries with your

urposes. We ask thishrough Jesus Christ our

ord. AMEN.

Table of Contents

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................... 5

2. WORSHIP, LITURGY AND MUSIC .................................................... 6

3. LEARNING AND SPIRITUAL NURTURE AND DEVELOPMENT .......... 8

4. CONGREGATIONAL HEALTH .......................................................... 10

5. MUTUAL SUPPORT AND FELLOWSHIP ......................................... 12

6. PASTORAL CARE .......................................................................... 14

7. HUMAN, PHYSICAL, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES ...................... 15

Human Resources .................................................................................................................. 15

Staff ............................................................................................................................................................... 15

Members ....................................................................................................................................................... 15

Lay Leadership ............................................................................................................................................. 16

Physical Resources ................................................................................................................ 17

St. John's Church, 81 Queen St., Lakefield ............................................................................................. 17

Rectory, 77 Queen Street, Lakefield ........................................................................................................ 20

Chapel of Christ Church, 62 Queen Street, Lakefield ............................................................................ 20

St. Mark's Warsaw, 106 West Street, Warsaw ....................................................................................... 21

St. John’s Finances ................................................................................................................. 22

Donors ........................................................................................................................................................... 23

Parishioner Contributions .......................................................................................................................... 24

Other Sources of Income ............................................................................................................................ 26

Where The Money Goes .............................................................................................................................. 26

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8. OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR MISSION FIELD ............................... 27

General Characteristics of Our Community ....................................................................... 28

Income Levels ......................................................................................................................... 29

Employment ............................................................................................................................ 29

Religious Affiliation ................................................................................................................ 29

Ethnic Diversity ....................................................................................................................... 30

Housing .................................................................................................................................... 30

Food Security .......................................................................................................................... 31

Educational Institutions......................................................................................................... 31

Health Care.............................................................................................................................. 31

Recreational Opportunities ................................................................................................... 32

Churches and Parachurch Organizations ........................................................................... 32

Service Clubs and Societies .................................................................................................. 33

Community Needs .................................................................................................................. 33

9. OUTREACH AND EVANGELISM ..................................................... 34

10. PRESENT REALITY AND FUTURE VISION ...................................... 38

Growing Forward Together .................................................................................................... 40

11. OUR NEW PRIEST ......................................................................... 42

12. APPENDICES ................................................................................ 43

1. Executive Summary

The Parish of Lakefield is seek llowers of Jesus as we strive to join with what God is tches over a beautiful semi-rural area that is a gatewcombined population of over 2borders on the city of Peterblocated on the traditional terri

Our parish church is St. John earlier Christ Church as the Anthe responsibility of St. John’s houses a community museum.

St. John’s is a pastoral-size chuchurches. In the face of declinin 2016 to find new ways to reseason of strategic planning anmissional as priority objective

Scripture informs us that Chri28:19). In order to be intentiongrow our church, St. John’s inincreasing membership, improand mission. The project is cuour feasibility report for a grastaff member to help achieve we will be submitting the fundof the project to be completed

St. John’s is attempting to moalso introducing changes to adtwo distinct Sunday services. AServices (p. 185). Since 2016, tmore varied and contemporaryhave had an unsettling effect othe 10:30 a.m. service to be a m

The task ahead is challenging, Spirit, we are confident that Stnumber of community membeleader who has a deep love fomodel how to love, live, and le

“We

ing a new Incumbent who can help us grow as fo already doing in our community. The Parish stre

are a worshipping community sent to love,live, and lead like Jesus.”

(Vision Summary)

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ay to cottage country, yet close to urban centres. The community has a 3,000, approximately half of whom are senior citizens. To the south, it orough (population over 82,000). The Parish acknowledges that it is tory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg.

the Baptist Church Lakefield. St. John’s opened in 1866, replacing the glican church in Lakefield. Christ Church is now a Chapel of Ease under and in addition to hosting a small number of services in the summer it

rch that is facing challenges like those confronting many other Anglican ing attendance and donations, the congregation voted overwhelmingly

turn the Church to a state of health and sustainability. This initiated a d visioning that identified discipleship, leadership, and becoming more

s.

st wants his church to grow (“Go therefore and make disciples…”, Mat. al and strategic in developing the environment through which God will itiated a project called Growing Forward Together with the goals of ving financial sustainability, and growing its members in discipleship rrently in its first year of a 7-year plan. In 2018, the diocese accepted

nt request for funds that would allow us to hire an additional full-time the project’s goals. After incorporating input from the new Incumbent, ing application for the funds to allow the plans for the remaining years .

ve forward in ways that are consistent with our Anglican heritage and apt to the new reality in the community around us. Currently, there are t 9:00 a.m. the service is Holy Communion from the Book of Alternative

here has been a deliberate effort to have the 10:30 a.m. service include forms of liturgy and music than the early service. However, the changes n some members of the congregation. There are some who would prefer ore traditional service.

but through reliance on prayer and discerning the prompting of the Holy . John’s will be able to proclaim the Good News of Jesus to an increasing rs in the years ahead. We see our new Incumbent as an action-oriented r Jesus combined with strong relational and team-building skills that

ad like Jesus.

2. WORSHIP, LITURGY AND MUSIC

Sunday 9:00 a.m. Service

This service offers a traditional Eucharist using the Book of Alternative Services and primarily traditional hymns accompanied by organ or piano. The order of service is printed in the bulletin and pew books are used. There is no choir. For the first half of 2019, the average attendance at this service was 15.

Sunday 10:30 a.m. Service

At the 10:30 a.m. service, a friendly greeter at each of the two entrance doors, provides a warm welcome to everyone as they arrive. Sidespeople, situated at the doorway to the nave, hand out the bulletin, offer assistance, and answer any questions that arise. Over the last few years, there has been an attempt to make this service more varied and less traditional than the 9:00 a.m. service. As a result, a mix of contemporary and traditional Eucharist liturgies have been used, including Irish, BAS, New Zealand, and Kenyan liturgies. The first Sunday of the month is a Healing Prayer service, with two prayer teams offering prayer to individuals during communion. Occasionally, there has been a Teaching and Praise service without communion, including a greater number of songs; from time to time there have been opportunities for congregational interaction and for congregants to share their faith journey during this service. After the opening of the service, there is a Children’s Time which may include a short story, song and a prayer then the younger children depart for Junior Church.

Sud

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ectively gather us o worship each day as one in our

h with praises and thanksgiving.

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6

years, music at this service has also become more varied. Many talented musicians take turns playing worship music each Sunday with a variety ent accompaniment including flute, piano, organ, guitar or keyboard. In

a woodwind and brass band provides the music at this service several ear. Some of the musicians provide vocal leadership for the hymns or rary songs they play. In past years, there has occasionally been a choir

ent or Easter service. The order of service is printed in the bulletin and ervice is projected using a PowerPoint presentation on screens in the back of the church. Following worship, everyone is encouraged to come er hall for refreshments and fellowship. For the first six months of 2019,

ge attendance at this service was 46.

ith them. Matthew 18:20

Summer Services

For the past few years, there has been only one service at St. John’s during the summer months (part of June, all of July and August). This 10:00 a.m. Holy Communion service replaces the 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services for these months. Additionally, during the summer months, four 8:30 a.m. services of Holy Communion occur at the historic Christ Church, Chapel of Ease using the Book of Common Prayer

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and accompanied by a pump organ. In addition to visitors, most members who normally go to the 9:00 a.m. service at St. John’s attend these services and are truly charmed by the significant historical backdrop of Lakefield’s first church.

Weekday Service

A Thursday Eucharist service has traditionally taken place at 11:00 a.m. in an informal setting in the Rashleigh room in the basement of the church hall. This multi-use room serves as a small chapel for those who choose a midweek service. Typically, there have been 3-5 people who attend this service.

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3. LEARNING AND SPIRITUAL NURTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

St. John the Baptist, Lakefield has a history of helping people learn about Jesus and to develop spiritually. Under our last Incumbent, the Church slowly, but deliberately, made important progress toward a renewal of faith, deepening discipleship, and increased sense of mission. This journey of re-vision has involved a number of different initiatives, including book studies, discipleship groups, two National Church Development (NCD) surveys (see Congregation Health for details), breakfast meetings, seminars, annual parish retreats, the formation of a Leadership Team supported by a professional external church consultant, many small group book and bible studies which centered on various aspects of discipleship and church renewal.

This journey began with several book studies on Jesus and the missional church by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. This was followed by studies of books by Michael Breen on Jesus’ mission and God’s covenant and kingdom as well as his commandment to make disciples. This led to the creation of two consecutive (each a year long) discipleship huddles. Subsequently, there was a study of the book Divine Renovation by Fr. James Mallon, which provided impetus and guidance on how to make the changes necessary to become a church of missionary disciples.

A number of other books and videos have been studied in groups or individually. Books that have been examined include Emotionally Healthy Spiritually by Peter Scazzero, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster, ReMission by Gary Comer, and several by Max Lucado including Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World, and You’ll Get Through This. Two home study groups watched videos and discussed Andy Stanley’s Christian and another discussion group watched his Follow series.

One Sunday last fall, a “Discipleship Fair” highlighted a selection of discipleship-oriented books and videos for personal and group use. This resulted in two additional groups watching and discussing the video series Fruitfulness on the Front Line by Mark Greene; this series shows how to make a difference for Christ through regular interactions with people in everyday life. Two bible study groups have met regularly in homes, a nursing home and at the Church over the years looking at many of the books of the New Testament. We have also held yearly retreats that have focused on various faith-related topics. All these activities have contributed to increased knowledge of Jesus, personal growth, deeper spirituality and better sense of mission.

In the spring of 2018, the congregation was encouraged to test out a trial run of a new small group initiative, called Life Groups. Three home groups were started. The purpose of these Life Groups is to transform participants by strengthening an individual’s faith, strengthening relationships by loving and supporting one another, and reaching out to the broader community. The groups are intentional about having spiritual conversations and

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following Jesus. In order to support these groups, the Church has subscribed to RightNow Media, which provides instant online access to thousands of videos of bible studies, training, and conference sessions. This material is available to be used by all Life Group members but is also available to be used in any church initiative.

During the fall months of each of the past two years, St. John’s has offered an Alpha program. Those who attended the 2017 Alpha were mainly faithful members of our congregation or another local church. Some anecdotal information suggests that at least some of these Alpha attendees experienced significant spiritual renewal as a result of their participation. The 2018 Alpha was designed so parents could attend the regular Alpha program and their children could attend a simultaneous specially designed program that introduced in a “kid friendly” manner many of the same topics as their parents were learning about and discussing. The intention was that this format would allow the family to continue the discussions at home. Regardless of whether this occurred, this format allowed parents to attend without having to arrange childcare and the children learned important information about the Christian faith.

Even though there are very few young families in regular attendance, St. John’s continues to be committed to helping children and youth learn about Jesus, worship, and Christian faith. The Junior Church (Sunday school) program provides many opportunities to help children learn and grow in faith. Due to the small numbers, Junior Church is a mixed age gathering ranging from post-nursery age to early teen years. The program includes bible story instruction, worship, play and a snack. For five years ending in the spring of 2018, St. John’s ran a “Family, Faith and Fun” program similar to Messy Church. Family, Faith, and Fun was held bi-weekly on Saturday

mornings and involved both children and their parents/grand-parents. It provided an opportunity for children (and their caregivers!) to learn about the Christian faith. It was an engaging, active program that included music, stories, crafts, and games. Each session closed with a simple, kid-friendly meal together.

In the recent past, there have been a small number of adolescents engaged in the life of the Church. We have endeavoured to help these young people learn about the faith and stay involved by having them participate as servers, readers, singers, greeters and helpers with Junior Church. Several years ago, three adolescent girls were provided with confirmation training and were subsequently confirmed. One other is now nearing that age and has expressed interest in confirmation. Due to the small numbers, it has not been possible to have an ongoing youth group. At times, some of our youth have met with larger groups of youth at the Lakefield Baptist Church.

In cstrivleadspirdiscchuremmem

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en Jesus came to them and said, “All thority in heaven and on earth has been

ven to me. Therefore go and make sciples of all nations, baptizing them in theme of the Father and of the Son and of the

oly Spirit, and teaching them to obey erything I have commanded you. Andrely I am with you always, to the very end

onclusion, St John the Baptist is a church that is ing to implement its vision of loving, living, and ing as Jesus did. It is serious about nurturing itual development and raising up disciples who make iples. Although the journey toward becoming a rch of missional disciples has been started, there ains important re-equipping to be done to allow bers to traverse the challenging paths ahead.

the age”. Matthew 28: 18-20

4. CONGREGATIONAL HEALTH

St. John’s is making a concerted effort to become a healthier church. One perspective on the health of a church can be gained from Natural Church Development (NCD) surveys. The congregation participated in two NCD surveys over the previous two years. The first, in March 2017, showed that our overall score was 39, substantially below the national average (50). Loving Relationships (43) was our highest quality characteristic in 2017; the minimum factor at that time was Inspiring Worship Service (21). This survey provided empirical support for our view that St. John’s was not as healthy as possible in areas beyond finances. Although the results showed that we needed to make improvements across all the quality characteristics, it was especially evident that we needed to focus considerable attention toward improving the worship experience. As a result of this survey, changes were made that were aimed at improving congregational health.

The second NCD survey, completed in November 2018, revealed a significant increase in the overall score to 52, just above the national average; this improvement was a result of increases across all eight quality characteristics. Gift-based ministry (61) was the highest characteristic and Inspiring Worship Service (45) was our minimum factor. Thus, our Church is substantially healthier now than it was in early 2017 (see Figure 1), indicating that our efforts to become a healthier church have already yielded positive results. Nevertheless, further changes are required to improve NCD ratings, especially in relation to Passionate Spirituality, Inspiring Worship Service, and Loving Relationships (see Appendix 1 for additional NCD details).

Thdearsh

at one is like a man building a house, who dug eply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood ose, the river burst against that house but could not

ake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48

10

11

Figure �: Natural Church Development Dynamic Progress from ���� to

����

From a different perspective, a healthy church is one whose members reflect the demographics of the community around it. Like many Anglican churches in the diocese, St. John’s congregation does not reflect the age distribution of the local community. We are an older congregation with very few regularly attending members under the age of 45, few under 60, and a considerable number over 80 years old. Also, we have a much higher percentage of women than men who attend regularly. Clearly, St. John’s needs to work to grow its membership, and appeal to a broader age-range than represented by current members.

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5. MUTUAL SUPPORT AND FELLOWSHIP

Mutual support and fellowship occur at St John’s in a number of ways. There is an invitation to meet over coffee and refreshments after the 10.30 a.m. service on Sunday morning. This is an informal way to get to know members, as well as newcomers and visitors. There are always lively conversations and interesting discussions. A roster of individuals provides the refreshments (looking after set-up and clean-up).

The Anglican Church Women (ACW) meet twice monthly for worship, learning and service. Worship includes activities such as devotions at monthly meetings, an ACW Sunday service in November, and providing a lunch and speaker series during Lent that is well-attended by members of the community. Learning occurs through bible studies and

events such as deanery meetings. Service includes catering clothes for children. This small group of dedicated workers kmembers if needed.

There are several other groups that meet regularly to work on pimportant components of their gathering. A creative arts grouartists to exchange ideas and experiences, and to foster and eother’s company. There are two quilting groups that meet regusew quilts that are already pieced together; much fellowship anand stitch the quilts. A second group meets once a month to seto be machine quilted and distributed to people going througraiser also provides a fun atmosphere to get to know others.

Le fa m sh ar h p ex 9-

t love be genuine; hate what is evil, holdst to what is good; love one another withutual affection; outdo one another inowing honour. Do not lag in zeal, bedent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in

ope, be patient in suffering, persevere inrayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints;tend hospitality to strangers. Romans 12:

meals, mission trips, as well as making and sending now each other well and know they can call on other

articular tasks, but where support and fellowship are p meets twice monthly, providing an opportunity for ncourage each person's art, as well as to enjoy each

larly. One small group of women meet weekly to hand d support occurs as they sit around the quilting frame w together quilt pieces that are subsequently sent off h cancer treatment. In addition, the occasional fund

13

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13

rmal small groups, including Life Groups, provide a special way of getting to know people in a relaxed setting in ple’s homes and provide an opportunity to learn more about the Christian life.

many years, lay members have administered two “card ministries.” One of these, supported by the ACW, sends s with spiritual messages to parishioners who are ill, injured or bereaved. Often included with a card are phlets or cheerful messages. For the other ministry, another lay volunteer sends fellowship greetings at times of

hdays and anniversaries. These are sent either by email, or by postal mail, the latter supported by a special rch fund for cards and postage.

6. PASTORAL CARE

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the recent past, pastoral care at St. John the Baptist has been ainly left to the Incumbent to arrange and carry out, with assistance m a lay member. Pastoral care has been primarily offered to those

greatest need, such as those who are in hospital, ill, shut-in, or nfined to a nursing home or in a senior’s residence. Regular Holy mmunion has been provided at Peterborough Retirement sidence, where a number of parishioners reside, as well as at kefield Extendicare nursing home. At Christmas, communion has en taken to as many as possible of those who are physically unable attend services. However, the exact number and nature of pastoral re contacts is unknown.

ere are two main challenges for pastoral care at St. John’s. Given e large proportion of parishioners who are older, it can be a allenge to find sufficient time to address all the pastoral care ues that exist. Secondly, home and hospital visits can be difficult

accomplish due to communication issues; for example, often the iest does not find out the needs in a timely manner or the priest tends a location only to find out that the parishioner has been ken to an appointment and is therefore missed. This can be scouraging to both parties. Some parishioners have expressed a sire for a greater level of pastoral care. Given these issues and the

rge number of elderly parishioners, St. John’s could benefit from a view of its approach to pastoral care.

nd the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as ou did it to one of the least of these who are members f my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

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7. HUMAN, PHYSICAL, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Human Resources

Staff

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. John’s has a small staff to support the Incumbent and the urch. A part-time administrative assistant works in the church fice three mornings a week (9 hours/week). In addition to rforming general administrative duties, the administrative sistant does bookkeeping and acts as the Church’s treasurer. A rt-time custodian (7 hours/week) keeps St. John’s facilities

ean.

Volunteers Volunteers are key to St. John’s being able to carry out its ministries. In 2019, over 90 volunteers have contributed to the life of the Church; approximately two thirds are members of the Church and the

e Church’s parish list indicates that about 140 people are embers of St. John’s. Average Sunday attendance decreased m 150 in 2001 to 57 in 2016. In both 2017 and 2018, average

tendance was 60. Average attendance from 2010 to 2018 is own in Figure 2. There have been a small number of weddings, ptisms, and funerals during the last few years. There have en approximately 10 new members join St. John’s over the last e years; however, some of these have since moved.

15

remainder are community members, either from other churches or those who have no church affiliation. Together, volunteers in over 50 different positions contribute well over 10,000 hours each year of volunteer time to St. John’s ministries.

Figure �: Average Sunday Attendance

from ���� - ����

Lay Leadership

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Consultant To assist with the strategic process of planning for growth, St. John’s engaged the services of Fordelm consulting. From 2016 to 2019, a consultant worked closely with the Leadership Team, led a series of congregational meetings, identified priorities and helped draft a feasibility report for a grant application for new initiatives.

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e Churchwarden’s of St. John’s form the legal corporation of the urch for all legal and business agreements (by virtue of ovincial legislation). Therefore, St. John’s Incumbent’s Warden d People’s Warden together play a significant role in the ministration of the Church. Often, St. John’s has volunteers who t as deputy wardens and assist the Wardens with Church siness. Because of the high demands of the Churchwarden sition, St. John’s has had difficulties in recruiting church

embers to take on this role.

St. John’s, the Advisory Board provides support to the Wardens d Incumbent in the smooth functioning of the Church. The lationship between Advisory Board members, Wardens and the cumbent is collaborative, consultative, and team-like.

Leadership Team works on planning and implementing changes cessary for St. John’s to be a healthy, sustainable church mmunity. This team was formed in 2016 and consisted of the cumbent and three seasoned, engaged, and spiritually mature lay ople. The team meets regularly and lay members of the team

ay be assigned by the Incumbent to take on specific tasks. In 19, St. John’s vestry decided that the Leadership Team should be aintained until the Church has a new Incumbent.

Physical Resources

St. John's Church, 81 Queen St., Lakefield

Technology The worship space is equipped with a Phoenix PT 316 Custom 3 manual, 46 stop digital organ with all the bells and whistles (installed in 2005), a Yamaha Clavinova piano and an audio-visual system. The sound reinforcement system includes a 16 channel Allen and Health mixing console. The projection system consists of two mounted LCD projectors (installed in 2011) which display images on 80 inch screens. One of these powered, remotely controlled, retractable screens is located at the front of the nave and a second is at the back. Projectors can be connected to a laptop computer either in the chancel or at the back of the nave.

A video monitor in the Regent street

St. John the Baptist Church, completed in 1866, was built in the gothic revival style. This charming granite stone building is a prominent landmark in the village of Lakefield. It is located at the corner of Queen and Regent streets, which is one of the most visible street corners in the village.

Over the years, the church building has undergone important renovations and structural additions. Yet, the worship space retains its historical character. It boasts beautiful stained-glass windows, a large central three-panel window in the chancel, and four in the nave. The original fixed wooden pews, with kneelers have been fitted with cushions and allow seating for approximately 150 in the nave. The front of the nave is flanked by a hefty oak pulpit on the left side and a brass lectern and electronic organ on the right. Pipes from the previous 1910 organ were retained to frame the new digital organ, giving it a heritage feel. A solid limestone baptismal font is located in front of the pews on the right side of the nave.

The chancel is an elevated platform, three steps above the nave. In 2019 this area was renovated to allow for more flexible use of the worship space. To integrate the sanctuary within the chancel area, choir pews were removed, the altar rail was moved to the top of the original chancel steps and a hardwood floor was installed. The altar can be moved in the chancel as needed. Two vestibules are located on either side of the nave; the left consists of a modest sacristy, while the right serves as an emergency exit and provides access to the basement through a trap door.

The main entrance to the worship space is through two solid oak swinging doors which lead from the foyer to the back of the nave. The foyer and bell tower were added to St. John's in 1884. In 2010, the structure housing the church bell was struck by lightning, causing a number of stones to crash through the roof of the foyer. The bell tower was restored and the church bell is still functional. On the occasions that it is rung, the bell can be heard throughout the village.

foyer displays an automated loop of slide announcements to anyone who enters.

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The parish offices are equipped with high-speed internet and wireless internet is available throughout the parish hall.

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e worship space is heated by two natural gas furnaces (installed in 14 and 2017) located in the basement below the nave. In the mmer, the building's thick stone exterior helps to keep the worship ace cool. In warm weather, four nave and two chancel windows ay be opened to provide fresh air, and hot air escapes through two erestories in the nave. Throughout the year ceiling fans are used to rculate air and assist in temperature control.

1953 to accommodate the needs of a changing parish community, two-storey parish hall was added and the Church foyer was

odified to connect the worship space to the parish hall. The parish ll was enlarged considerably in 1989 to provide spaces required for e ministries of a growing, vibrant parish. The additional space ovided a much larger kitchen, as well as office space and meeting oms. An elevator (installed in 2012) connects the upper and lower vels of the parish hall with the foyer. Two washrooms off of the yer service the entire facility. Entrances to the building are off ueen and Regent Streets.

e upper hall functions as the main meeting space for ngregational events. It can hold up to 135 people and can seat proximately 90 when set up with tables and chairs. A commercial

tchen is connected to the upper hall. It contains two cooking nges, a refrigerator, microwave and commercial dishwasher along ith utensils, dishes, glassware. The parish offices are also located the upper level of the parish hall. The administrative office ntains work space for St. John's administrative assistant and ministrative resources including church records, office supplies d a multi-function colour photocopier-printer. Adjoining the ministrative office is the priest's office. This private office contains

desk, bookshelves, a small seating area and a closet.

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State of Repair

The lower hall is an open multi-use space featuring three largewindows and a large mural of notable biblical scenes. On Sundaysthe lower hall is used for Junior Church. On Tuesday mornings theparish-run Lakefield Community Food Bank uses this space todistribute food. A separate room on the lower level of the parishhall is used by the Lakefield Community Food Bank for foodstorage. A second small storage room on the lower level of theparish hall is used primarily for Junior Church and ACW suppliesand houses a second photocopier. The Rashleigh Room is a multi-use room on the lower level of the parish hall that can serve as achapel. The Quiet Room is an informal space in the lower level ofthe parish hall. Filled with natural light from a large window, anddecorated with a mural and comfortable couches and chairs, thisspace is ideal for personal contemplation, prayer, or smallmeetings. The lower level's utility room houses a natural gasfurnace (installed in 2016) which supplies heat to both levels ofthe parish hall and provides access to the elevator for

The church buildings are in a good state of repair, but will continue to need diligent annual maintenance to keep them from deteriorating. The stone building is prone to water damage. In 2019 the exterior stones of the chancel were re-pointed and new flashing was installed to prevent water leaking into the building. Plaster repairs in the chancel were also completed. Further plaster repairs are needed to the back wall of the nave. Walls which have had plaster repairs still need to be painted. Anticipated repairs in the next 5 years include: new roofing (the existing shingles, installed in 2008, are starting to come loose), flooring in the upper hall, and painting of the exterior parish hall.

maintenance.

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Rectory, 77 Queen Street, Lakefield

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e Parish Rectory is located next door to St. John's Church. This handsome two-storey brick home was ilt in 1875. The ground floor has a large living room with a corner fireplace, a large dining room also with

corner fireplace, a two-piece bathroom, a kitchen and a storage area. The kitchen is compact with large ndows and lots of natural light and has an adjacent pantry. The second floor consists of four bedrooms d a four-piece bath.

er the years, many changes and upgrades to this home have taken place including high-efficiency natural s furnace (installed in 2016) and water heater, 100 amp electrical service with a breaker panel, copper umbing, and high-efficiency windows.

tdoor spaces consist of a small fenced yard and a spacious front porch. The gravel driveway provides rking spaces for two vehicles, side by side.

e rectory is currently being rented on a month-to-month basis. The lease contains a clause which

hapel of Christ Churc

dicates that the rental agreement can be terminated if a new Incumbent wishes to live in the Rectory.

d pulpit and the original m

20

h, 62 Queen Street, Lakefield

elodeon reed organ from St. John's.

rist Church, the first church in Lakefield, opened on Christmas day 1854. This picturesque church ilding, built from locally quarried limestone, overlooks the Otonabee river. Christ Church quickly became o small for its growing congregation and in 1864 the decision was made to build a new church nearby. nce the new church, St. John's, was completed in 1866, Christ Church remained in use as a parish hall, for nday school classes and as a village meeting place. After a new parish hall was added to St. John's in 54, Christ Church sat empty for years and fell into disrepair. Since then, Christ Church has been tensively renovated and restored. It has been fitted with reproductions of the original pews, altar rail

St.

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day, Christ Church is designated as a chapel of ease of the Parish of Lakefield. It is used primarily as ammunity museum to honour the pioneers that established Lakefield as a thriving community. Christ Churchmmunity Museum (CCCM) is a not-for-profit registered charity operated by a volunteer committee. Under anreement with the Parish, CCCM rents Christ Church for $1 a year and oversees the operation, maintenance, andstoration of Christ Church and its associated burial grounds. CCCM covers the costs of electricity, heating, andass cutting for Christ Church (there is no running water at Christ Church). The Parish holds worship services atrist Church periodically throughout the warm months. Christ Church is also available as a venue for smallddings.

e historical burial ground around Christ Church is no longer an active cemetery. Burials in this cemetery tookace from 1855 to 1886. Although church records show that there were 108 burials in the graveyard, many of theaves were unmarked. Restoration of tombstones that had deteriorated due to age, neglect or vandalism hasen completed by CCCM.

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Mark's Warsaw, 106 West Street, Warsaw

. John’s Lakefield is currently responsible for the building and property of the fomer St. Mark's Warsaw which istuated in the village of Warsaw. The property is about 5 acres in size and contains a de-consecrated churchilding and an active cemetery. The cemetery is operated by a board which reports to the Incumbent andurchwardens of St. John the Baptist. St. Mark's Church was built in 1854 and became part of the Parish ofkefield in 1923. St. Mark's operated as a chapel of ease from 2012 until 2018 when it was de-consecrated. In18, the Incumbent and churchwardens of the Parish of Lakefield began the process of returning this property toe Diocese of Toronto.

St. John’s Finances

Finances At A Glance

Financial Holdings

Capital Funds

Special Ministries

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Donors

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e recognize the generosity of our parishioners and members of our local community and we areateful to the many people who give to support St. John's. Donations come in many forms: regularnday offerings collected from parishioners, donations from visitors, monthly automatic bank-account

ansfers from church members, and financial gifts to specific ministries

2018, a total of 238 people and organizations made financial contributions to St. John's. Individualancial contributions vary in size as donors are encouraged to give as they are able. Figure 3 showse number of donors by the total amount given for the years 2016-2018.

Figure �: Number of donors across total annual donation categories

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Total Donation ($)

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ke good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve e another with whatever gift each of you has

Lionreceived. 1 Peter 4:10

. John's faces the financial challenge of a small, dedicated group of people working to sustain the going operations of church ministry while maintaining and modernizing historical buildings. St. John’s confident that, as long as we are, to the best of our abilities and understanding, moving along the path d has planned for us, the parish finances will not be an impediment to continued ministry at St. John’s.

23

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th parishioners and the local community have consistently shown a willingness to financially support ecial ministries promoted by the Church, whether those are ongoing programs such as the Lakefield mmunity Food Bank or irregular programs such as the Guatemala Mission which does not occur every year. appreciable portion of the donations to the Lakefield Community Food Bank comes from donors who are t members of St John's. Figure 4 shows a breakdown of the various types of donations. The largest category

parishioner offerings; the next largest categories are donations to the Lakefield Community Food Bank and e Guatemala Mission.

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

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Figure �: Donations by category (����-����)

out 60% of the funds needed for our day-to-day operations are collected from parishioners. Figure 5 showstal parishioner offerings from 2012-2018. Although the number of parishioner donors has declined since12, there has been a gradual uptrend in the average donation per donor. Table 1 lists average amount ofrishioner offerings between 2012 and 2019.

Table �: Average annual parishioner offering per donor

Year

2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012

# of Donors 83 83 82 74 95 101 110

Average $1,267 $1,241 $1,112 $1,302 $1,091 $1,002 $950

24

Donation

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The amount that p2018 St. John’s mon monthly income fr to month, there is month. Based on anticipated by $8, Incumbent. This an consider what the

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igure �: Parishioner offerings (���� – ����)

arishioners give varies throughout the year such that over the seven-year period from 2012-thly income from this source has varied between $4,200 and $11,900. Figure 6 shows St. John’s

om parishioner offerings from 2012-2018. Although there is variability in offerings from month a very consistent pattern in the proportion of the total yearly offerings that is received eachthis pattern, the projected parishioner offerings in 2019 will total $93,000, which is lower than000. Some of the anticipated 2019 shortfall is likely the result of the parish being without anticipated shortfall has been communicated to parishioners who have been asked to prayerfully

y each can do to help make up for the shortfall.

gure �: Monthly parishioner donations (����-����) as a

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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25

percentage of annual total.

Other Sources of Income

Where The Money Goes Investments St. John's has a sizable financial reserve, the generous bequest of a former parishioner, which has been invested in the Diocese of Toronto's Consolidated Trust Fund. As of December 2018, our church investment funds totaled about $485,000. St. John's relies on the interest from its investments to help pay for the expenses of its day-to-day operations. Interest from investments amounts to about $20,000/year. While we do not plan on drawing down the invested capital, our investments provide us with a substantial cushion.

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r budgets, approved each year by St. John's Vestry, reflect theide range of activities and ministries carried out by St. John'sr the 2019 budgets see Appendix 2). Financial accounts aretegorized as operating funds (day-to-day operations), capitalnds (building maintenance/repair funds, equipment andrnishings), and designated funds (special ministries).

e 2018 revenue for St. John’s day-to-day operations was73,959 and expenditures were $169,230. Budgeted revenue fory-to-day operations in 2019 was $174,950 and anticipatedpenses were $177,441. The Parish is disciplined in its day-to-y expenditures. Regular operating costs are mostly forrsonnel (Incumbent, administrative assistant, custodian - 61%),

aintenance and utilities (12%), diocesan allotment (9%), andministration (8%).

r capital revenue covers building maintenance/repair funds,uipment and furnishings. The balance at the end of 2018 was1 299.44 and the anticipated expenditure and revenue for 2019ere $11 500 and $6 800, respectively.

ecial ministry activities vary from year to year and the size ofe special ministry budgets vary accordingly. In 2018, thesecluded FaithWorks, Lakefield Community Food Bank, ourission to Guatemala (not every year), Lakefield Refugeeonsorship Program, music ministry, Rector’s discretionarynd, ACW youth and Junior Church. The 2018 expenses for St.hn’s special ministries was approximately $132,000. The totallance of funds designated for special ministries was $66, 086 the end of 2018.

pendix 3 shows a stewardship review for 2017 in terms of howembers’ treasure (donations) and time was utilized for inistry during that year.

26

Annual income consists of donations from parishioners, visitorsand the local community, interest on investments, rentals, andfundraising activities. Rental income is from leasing the rectory($18,000/year) and renting the church hall to various otherorganizations ($8,000/year). In some years special fundraisingactivities may produce $4,000 or more in additional income.

8. OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR MISSION FIELD

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27

n’s is located in the village of Lakefield (population 2,753) which is part of Selwyn Township. This traditional territory of the Mississauga Anishinaabeg. The closest urban centre is the city oforough (population 82,094) whose northern boundary lies approximately 8 km south of Lakefielding Lakefield Road. Curve Lake First Nation borders the northern portion of the parish.

arish of Lakefield is semi-rural. Parishioners primarily live in Selwyn Township (population 17,060)uro-Dummer Township (population 6,709), which are the two townships immediately north of thef Peterborough. These townships have a combined land area of 774.6 square kilometres. Theal location of Lakefield in relation to these townships is shown in Figure 7. St. John’s is the onlyan church in these two townships (hereafter referred to as our community).

Figure �: Lakefield in relation to Selwyn and Dour-Dummer

Townships

gh St. John’s members primarily reside in the townships of Selwyn and Douro-Dummer, a smaller of our members live in the northern part of the city of Peterborough. Most of these peopled attending St. John’s when they lived in the Lakefield area. Also, there are several families whost beyond the western or northern boundaries of the two townships. The distribution of members’nces is shown in Figure 8.

Figure �: Markers indicate the location of residences of

members of St. John’s

General Characteristics of Our Community

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r community has had a low level of population growth in recent years. According to Statistics Canada, Lakefield d a 2.9% population growth from 2011 to 2016, comparable to the change in the city of Peterborough (2.8%). wever, there was less growth in population over this period for Selwyn Township as a whole (1.3%) and there

as a slight decrease in population for Douro-Dummer Township (-1.4%).

is area has one of the highest proportions of older individuals in the country. Approximately half of the pulation is aged 50 or over as shown in Figure 3. Just over half of the population are females (50.3% versus .7% males). Most people (90%) live in owner-occupied residences and only about 10% live in rental commodation.

e residents of our community generally have a good educational background. The 2016 Census revealed that r Selwyn Township residents who are age 25 to 64, 24.4% have a university education at a bachelor level or ove and 30.3 % have a college or non-university diploma or certificate. For 25.2%, their highest educational tainment is a high school diploma. These values are close to those for Canada as a whole, as well as similar to ose for the city of Peterborough. For residents of Douro-Dummer Township who are age 25 to 64, 19.6% have a chelor level education and an additional 31.5% have a college or non-university diploma or certificate. For

28

.1%, high school graduation is their highest level of education.

Figure �: Age Distribution Within Our Community

Income Levels

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2.0

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usehold income levels in our community areoderately high. The 2016 census indicated thate 2015 median household total income foruro-Dummer Township was $80,352 and forlwyn Township it was $79,349. Therresponding value for the city of Peterborough

as $58, 127 and the average for all of Canada was0, 336. For one-couple households with children,e average median total household income was16,173 for Douro-Dummer and $118,682 forlwyn, compared with $103,352 for Peterborough,d $112,545 for Canada.

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ployment

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ere are two main industries in Lakefield that e important employers. At peak times, Savage ms, which makes sporting rifles, and SGS kefield Research, which provides metallurgical sting and a variety of analytical services, gether employ over 600 people.

ere are numerous small businesses throughout r community, particularly in Lakefield, idgenorth, Ennismore and close to the terborough boundary, as well as along the adways between these locations. Many sidents of the area work in Peterborough and a eable number commute to jobs beyond the terborough area.

ligious Affiliation

ere is a relatively low level of unemployment inr area at the present time. According to Statisticsnada, the unemployment rate for theterborough metropolitan area (which includesr two townships, Peterborough city, twoditional townships, as well as two First Nationsmmunities) for June 2019 was 5.3 per cent. Thiste was slightly below the national (5.5%) andovincial averages (5.4%).

cording to the 2011 census (the last census for ich religious affiliation is available), 69% of the pulation of the Peterborough census

etropolitan area indicated that they were ristian. The next largest percentage (28%) were ose who indicated they had no religious filiation. Thus, 97% of the population indicated at they identified as either Christian or having religious affiliation. The percentage of

Ethnic Diversity

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The population of our community is not as ethnically diverse as is typically found in urban centres within the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. According to the 2016 census, 80.2% of respondents from Selwyn Township and 81.3% of respondents from Douro-Dummer Township indicated European ethnic origins, with the vast majority of these from the British Isles. Approximately 4% of respondents from both townships indicated North American Aboriginal origins. All other ethnic origins were less than 3% each. For approximately 94% of respondents, English was the only language that they knew. An additional 6% knew both English and French.

30

Housing

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storically, two of the original townships within our mmunity (the Douro section of now Douro-Dummer wnship and the Ennismore section of now Selwyn wnship) were originally settled primarily by Roman tholics from Ireland in the 1800s and the remaining ctions of the townships were primarily settled by otestants from the British Isles. Although these ttlement patterns were discontinued long ago, the uro and Ennismore areas continue to have larger mbers of Roman Catholics than other parts of our mmunity.

sus said to them again, ‘Peace be with u. As the Father has sent me, so I send

2016 there were a total of 9,430 occupied private dwellings in our community, with over 94% consisting of ngle-detached houses.

e price of houses in our area has been climbing steadily in recent years. The average price of houses in terborough city and county reached an all-time high of $ 469,313 in August 2019, an increase of 11.6% from gust 2018. Although house prices in the area are above the national average (excluding Toronto and ncouver) of approximately $391,000, they are significantly lower than in Toronto where the average price for

three-bedroom detached house is now over $1 million and lower than in other parts of the Greater Toronto ea (GTA). As a result, there has been some migration from the GTA to our area due to the lower cost of using. This has been particularly the case for retirees, but the lower cost of housing coupled with a low employment rate also makes the area attractive for young families.

e increasing cost of housing has resulted in a shortage of affordable housing for those with lower incomes. though there is some geared to income housing, there are long waiting lists for such accommodation. melessness is usually not visible in our community, probably because those who are homeless likely

igrate to Peterborough or other larger centres.

ristians in our community is slightly higher than for e province as a whole (65%) and the percentageth no religious affiliation is also somewhat higher an the 23% for the province as a whole.

Food Security

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Health Care

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in most other regions, limited financial resources nstrain the ability of some families in our mmunity to buy food. There are two food banks in r community that address these needs. The idgenorth United Church operates a food pantry at allows clients to receive food once a month. The ain food bank for our area is the Lakefield mmunity Food Bank which operates from St. John’s d is an important ministry of the Church. The

ourish Project, which is an initiative of YWCA terborough Haliburton, also contributes to food curity in the area. The collaborative initiative aims connect diverse stakeholders across the terborough region and to engage them in the ocess of building community and opportunity rough food. The project has established a mmunity garden in Lakefield. As well, the Nourish oject has presented free cooking workshops at St. hn’s.

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ducational Institutions

There are excellent health care facilities in the area. Lakefield is home to the Morton Community Healthcare Centre which is a not for profit incorporated facility that provides primary healthcare to local residents and seasonal visitors to the region. As of 2019, there are 8 physicians associated with this centre; there are also other health professionals and allied healthcare specialists connected with the facility. Also, an additional three doctors work out of the Chemong Medical Centre in Bridgenorth.

Many other physicians and healthcare facilities are located in Peterborough. Acute care is available at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), a hospital that has more than 400 inpatient beds. It offers a wide range of services, including specialized programs in renal, stroke, cardiac, cancer care, vascular surgery and mental health and addictions.

Lakefield Community Care provides services that support health and wellbeing for seniors (age 60+), adults with physical challenges and caregivers. Their programs allow people in the community to maintain their independence and dignity.

ere are two elementary schools (grades JK-8) in kefield (Lakefield District Public School and St. ul’s Roman Catholic School). French immersion is fered at Lakefield District Public School. Both blic and Roman Catholic high school students are sed to Peterborough. As well, Lakefield College hool (LCS), a highly regarded residential private hool with an Anglican affiliation, is located mediately north of Lakefield and serves students grades 9-12. HRH Prince Andrew attended LCS for e term as an exchange student in 1977 and ntinues to be involved with the school. Trent iversity with over 7,500 students at its terborough campus is located at the northern edge the city of Peterborough and immediately south of e eastern boundary of Selwyn Township. Fleming llege is located in the southwest section of terborough close to Highway 115.

Recreational Opportunities Churches and Parachurch Organizations

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ere are numerous recreational opportunities in our mmunity. First and foremost are the wide variety of tivities that are available due to the wonderful tural features within our community, such as the

kes, rivers, parks and large undeveloped areas. cal trails provide extensive opportunities for lking and cycling. The Lakefield Trail is a 5.5 km trail thin Lakefield and it connects to the Rotary eenway Trail which is a 22 km multi-use rail trail tween Lakefield and Peterborough where it nnects with the Great Trail (formerly the Trans nada Trail) which crosses the country. Our lakes, ers and streams offer many recreational portunities, including boating, swimming, canoeing, yaking, and fishing. The Trent-Severn Waterway, a pular recreational canal system that links Lake tario with Georgian Bay, not only passes through kefield but also links a number of lakes in our mmunity. The Ontario Speed Skating Oval located Lakefield provides recreational skaters and speed aters from across the province the opportunity to ate outdoors each winter on a 400-metre track. The wartha Nordic Ski Club offers an excellent system of oss-country ski trails just 20 minutes north of kefield.

ere are many organized sports activities for all ages. ere are three ice arenas for hockey and skating

akefield, Ennismore, Douro) as well as two curling ks. For children and youth there are organized

ams for hockey, softball, soccer, and lacrosse. In the mmer, there are many camps available for children.

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Ba(Cch

ere are a number of other churches located roughout our community. In Lakefield, there are 6 her churches, one each from the following nominations: Roman Catholic, Baptist, United, esbyterian, Pentecostal, and Brethren Assemblies. ditionally, Youth for Christ has a Lakefield branch lled Lakefield Youth Unlimited. There is a good rking relationship among these churches, as well as

th Lakefield Youth Unlimited. There are not only gular meetings of the clergy, but there has been a ng history of cooperation among the churches for ecific events. For many years, the Lakefield urches have cooperated to provide a Good Friday alk of the Cross through the village, stopping at each urch for a Passion reading, followed by a combined rvice in one of the churches; the venue for this rvice rotates each year. Additionally, the Lakefield urches work together to enter a Christ-themed float the annual Lakefield Santa Claus Parade. As well, a mmunity choir is formed each fall for the annual mmunity Christmas Carol Service. For the past veral years the Lakefield churches have participated Pentecost in the Park, an outdoor joint celebration Pentecost.

addition to the Lakefield churches, there are other urches throughout our community. These churches clude five United (Youngs Point, Bridgenorth, arsaw, Wesley, and Fairview), two Roman Catholic (St. artin’s Ennismore, and St. Joseph’s Douro), one ptist (Gilmour Memorial), one Pentecostal auseway Assembly, Ennismore) and an unaffiliated urch (Selwyn Outreach Centre).

Service Clubs and Societies

There are a number of service clubs operating in our community. These include: Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield (B.E.L.) Rotary Club, Ennismore Optimist Club, Douro and District Optimist Club, Lakefield Golden Years Club, Lakefield and District Lions Club, Lakefield and District Lioness Club, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77, Peterborough Power and Sail Squadron, Society of St Vincent de Paul St Paul the Apostle Lakefield Conference, St. Martin’s Knights of Columbus, Warsaw and District Lions Club.

As well, there are a number of societies that focus on specific areas of interest. These include Lakefield Historical Society, Smith Ennismore Historical Society, Lakefield and District Horticultural Society, Lakefield Agricultural Society, Lakefield Animal Welfare Society, Bridgenorth Business Association, Bridgenorth Beautification Committee, Ennismore and District Horticultural Society.

Community Needs

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cently, two local organizations have assessed e needs of the community. The Peterborough mmunity Wellbeing Plan, initiated by the City of terborough, set out to improve the quality of life r people that live in the City and County of terborough and Curve Lake First Nation. The an was developed following a series of mmunity consultations, interviews, surveys, and rkshops in Peterborough city and county and

e plan was finalized in 2018. The plan identified ur Priority Areas, each with a number of entified issues: 1) Supporting Democratic gagement with issues of the need for

ansparency and commitment; indigenous gagement; policy and process needs: mmunication, wards, adaptive planning; tools bsite, social media training. 2) Improving Basic eds with issues of the need for affordable and cessible transportation; financial literacy; hubs provide gathering spaces and collaborations; pports for youth; social assistance reform; verty reduction. 3) Employment to Earn a Good

ving with issues of coordinating the employment ctor; community benefit through agreements d social procurement; city as a model employer rough hiring diversity, stability, training and a ing wage. 4) Supporting a Healthy Active Life ich included the issues of the need for activity d community centres (rural, youth, and seniors); e and accessible wellbeing activities; walking

frastructure (snow removal/lighting, etc.); cycling frastructure.

33

In Lakefield, the United Church initiated a series of community round table events as part of a visioning exercise to determine how that church could help address community needs. The need for public transportation between Lakefield, rural areas and Peterborough was identified as an important issue. Issues related to the closure of Lakefield District High School and the opening of a new public school at the former high school location were also discussed. Other issues discussed included the Lakefield Community Food Bank, a benevolent fund, housing security issues, mental health needs, the need for parenting skills and marital support groups, as well as safe places for youth to meet.

Discussions at these assessments of community needs revealed that despite the many events that occur in the community, there are individuals who feel isolated and lonely. It was noted that events and activities geared to these individuals have been organized, but these have typically received sparse attendance. This provides the community with the challenge of how best to help those who feel isolated and without support.

9. OUTREACH AND EVANGELISM

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34

n’s is active in supporting individuals and families in need. hurch is recognized in the community as a caring church that s those beyond its own members. Community members and esses have provided excellent support for St. John’s ives that are aimed at helping those in need.

John’s initiative that has received generous support is the ield Community Food Bank; this ministry has been a med resource for over 40 years. The Food Bank, which tes out of the lower level of St. John’s parish hall, is open Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and es both fresh and non-perishable food to clients. In 2018, kefield Community Food Bank provided food for an average households or 85 people (68 adults and 17 children) each It is a member agency of Kawartha Food Share which ies much of the food distributed each week. The Lakefield unity Food Bank receives widespread financial support from

churches, businesses, and individuals in our community. teers who help with the Food Bank each week include many e who are members of other churches or have no church tion as well as some clients who receive food.

ay Morning Coffee Time is another outreach ministry. ning at 7:30 a.m. each Tuesday morning, coffee and tea are d in the Church’s upper hall to those who volunteer at the Bank, as well as to the many recipients who come early and or the Food Bank to open. This ministry was started by St. last incumbent and his wife and is now led by three church ers. The Tuesday Morning Coffee Time leaders not only re coffee and clean up, but deliberately interact with the bank clients in a caring manner and engage them in rsations which are sometimes casual and other times touch ep issues or needs. As well, one of the ministry leaders from to-time brings crafts for all to do; this has resulted in the g of Christmas ornaments, dyed eggs, decorated

rbread and other crafts. Over the years, many friendships been made with those from the community; as well, this vour has created a network that shares information about rces and opportunities (e.g. about housing, employment, ins, etc.) as well as about hardships, family stories, vements and joys. The Tuesday Morning Coffee Time try leaders pray for those they meet.

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. John’s helps to meet the needs of young people in themmunity through it’s close working relationship with Lakefielduth Unlimited (LYU). A former Incumbent, the late Rev. Petershop, was instrumental in having Youth for Christ set up LYU assatellite branch in Lakefield. For several years, our previouscumbent served as a member of the LYU Steering Team and ay member of the congregation has also served on this team forer ten years. From 2010-2017 St. John’s partnered with LYU toovide an after-school program for elementary school childrenich was held at St. John’s. This program was also supported by

FaithWorks grant for five years. The program came to an endcause of implications of a change in location of the public

ementary school in Lakefield. St. John’s continues to partnerth LYU for numerous other initiatives. For example, in early 2019. John’s learned that some students at the public elementaryhool were going without lunches due to limited familysources. As a result, the Lakefield Community Food Bankrked with LYU to ensure the necessary food supplies wererchased and delivered to the school each week.

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lrison and you visited me. Matthew 25:35-36

ae

other ministry of St. John’s has recently helped a family of fugees come to our area and become settled as newcomers. In rly 2016, St. John’s accepted the Lakefield Refugee Sponsorship oject (LRSP) as a ministry of the Church after being approached r help by a group of individuals from the community who sired to bring a refugee family to Canada. Although a small mber of St. John’s parishioners are directly involved with this

itiative, the majority of those involved have no other affiliation ith the Church. The collaborative efforts of this ministry sulted in a mother and her three children coming to our area in 17. In June 2019, LRSP brought this family’s husband/father to nada, reuniting the family which had been separated for seven ars due to being in refugee camps in different countries. This inistry will continue to provide some financial support to the mily at least until June 2020.

r I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty nd you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger nd you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave meothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in

35

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ere are many other ways that St. John’s supports outreach initiatives. The annual treach budget provides funds for a variety of local, national, and international eds. Each year the ACW also disperses money raised through fundraising to various ganizations or individuals needing support. The Church’s Prayer Shawl Ministry akes beautiful hand knit or crocheted shawls and distributes them to people periencing extraordinary life circumstances (e.g., trauma, injury, surgery or the loss loved ones), brides and newly baptized babies. The St. John’s woodwind and brass nd has played at The Regency Seniors Residence and at 40 Rabbit Street (an fordable housing building for seniors). In May 2019, the Church sponsored a mmunity-oriented information session about the reality of human trafficking in our ea. The Church supports reconciliation efforts as recommended by the Truth and conciliation Commission.

. John’s reaches out beyond Canada in several ways. Beginning in 2006 St. John’s rtnered with the Arms of Jesus Children’s Mission to serve the people of Guatemala.

ver a 12 year period we have had seven short-term missions go to work at a mission Paramos, Guatemala. Additionally, we support Operation Christmas Child annually filling shoe boxes and delivering them to the regional collection site.

36

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37

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St. John’s, our church facilities are a resource ed by our community. We supply meeting ace for a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous oad to Recovery), for a quilts for cancer group, d for the YWCA Nourish project. The St. John’s eative Arts Group allows some of our members o are artists to form relationships with artists m the community and the Church provides a ace for them to practise their craft. We rent ace to two dance studios who teach dance to ildren; this allows us to interact with parents d their children who would not normally enter r building.

e Church has taken a low-key approach to angelism in recent years. Typically, we let the mmunity know who we are and what we do by omoting St. John’s events and ministries and viting the community to join us. For example, celebrate our 150th anniversary in 2016, we ovided free tours of the church, allowing the mmunity the opportunity to view the beauty of r church, peruse historical documents as well meet volunteers who explained the history of e parish from 1854 to the present. The local pers report on church activities and special ents. St. John’s has provided the community portunities to explore the basics of Christian

ith through Alpha courses. Since the 1990s, the urch has run the Alpha course numerous es, most recently in 2018. Nevertheless, an

portant issue for St. John’s is whether we can arn how to be more effective in sharing the od news of Jesus Christ with those in the mmunity who know nothing about him.

10. PRESENT REALITY AND FUTURE VISION

St. Joh Augus object progre comm vision live, a Appen

The Pa state partic most respo outrea offere indica memb the m John’s

38

n’s is a small church with big plans. We see ourselves as playing a vital role in our community. Int 2016, we made the decision to become a growing, healthy and sustainable church. Our primaryive is to share the love of Christ with increasing numbers of people so that God’s kingdom becomesssively more visible and people are encouraged to join with what God is already doing in ourunity. We have begun the process to achieve that goal. We have recently developed an overall statement which is summarized by the sentence “We are a worshipping community sent to love,nd lead like Jesus.” As well, we have developed a worship vision, and a discipleship vision (seedix 4).

rish Selection Committee consulted members of St. John’s to determine how they see the currentof our Church and they provided important insights into the present reality. About 40 membersipated in this process. In response to the request to provide one word to describe St. John’s, thefrequent replies were that this church is welcoming and friendly (see Figure 10). Similarly,nses to the question of what St. John’s does best resulted in responses such as welcoming,ch, fellowship, and growing in faith (see Figure 11). Although there were mainly positive responsesd to these questions, some responses indicated issues that need to be worked on (e.g., someted that St. John’s was cliquish, or closed-minded and that we criticize and disagree). When churchers were specifically asked to identify the one thing that St. John’s should improve upon, by far,ost frequent response given was communication, as shown in Figure 12. (To address this issue, St. has appointed a volunteer Communication Coordinator.)

Figure ��: Words Used To Describe St. John’s (larger font size

reflects greater frequency)

39

Figure ��: Words Used To Describe What We Do Best (larger font

size reflects greater frequency)

Figure ��: Words Used To Describe What We Can Improve Upon

(larger font size reflects greater frequency)

Growing Forward Together

We have starteSt. John’s oversupported by we need an aengagement, arevenue to funmulti-year gra This submissiofunding. The da sizeable por

The overall puthat we can aobjectives:

1. To rea

2. To equ

For surely ILORD, plansyou a future

d an important initiative, the Growing Forward Together (GFT) project, which aims to grow a 7-year period. This project was the result of a season of strategic planning and visioning an external consultant. Through this process, we determined that to help St. John’s grow dditional full-time staff member to provide leadership in discipleship and missional s well as to provide leadership in music. However, we do not currently have the operating d such a position. Therefore, in 2018, we submitted a feasibility report to the diocese for a nt from the Ministry Allocation Fund (MAF) to help pay for this position as St. John’s grows. n received support from our diocese and we were encouraged to submit a full request for iocese has provided us with a coach to help with this task and we have worked to complete

tion of the application.

rpose of the GFT project is to return the Church to a state of health and sustainability so chieve our vision as expressed in our vision statement. This project has four specific

ch a larger number of people through our worship services.

We will grow the Church in numbers so that average regular service attendance increases from 60 to 120 by the end of the seventh year of the project.

We will improve the overall worship experience, including the music in our worship services, so that each service appeals to a different segment of our overall membership.

ip members for discipleship.

We will have a congregation who are comfortable journeying on a path that deepens their faith and leads to them sharing their faith in natural ways during their everyday interactions.

We will have increased number of leaders for ministry and mission and have a cohort of disciples who will be actively engaged in raising up new disciples.

know the plans I have for you, says the for your welfare and not for harm, to give with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

40

3. To

4. To

During this by working are making finalized un

The task ah has met sim have now. was initiate years. The John’s may about to en just waiting

better serve people in our community and beyond.

Our members will be actively serving our community in new ways out of their deep desireto serve God and to share the love of Christ with their neighbours.

We will substantially increase the prominence of St. John’s in our community and distinguishourselves as a vibrant and loving church.

Our goal is to increase annual donations by 79% over 7 years, including increasing thedonations per donor as well as the number of donors, so that we balance our operatingbudget without relying on legacy funds (while increasing our paid staff complement by oneFTE).

expand our resources available to support ministry and mission.

We will increase our paid staff by one full-time-equivalent (FTE) to provide increasedleadership for discipleship and mission, as well as to provide music leadership.

We will increase the commitment and contributions that our members make to St. John’s interms of offerings of their time, talent, and treasures.

Our goal is to increase annual donations by 79% over 7 years, including increasing thedonations per donor as well as the number of donors, so that we balance our operatingbudget without relying on legacy funds (while increasing our paid staff complement by oneFTE).

interim period without an Incumbent we have continued to move forward with the GFT projecton a series of “Year 1” initiatives that do not require additional funding (see Appendix 5) and wegood progress in implementing those initiatives. However, the MAF grant application cannot betil we have a new Incumbent who embraces this project.

ead of us is substantial. However, we are determined to meet the challenges ahead as St. John’silar challenges before. In 1977, St. John’s had approximately the same Sunday attendance as weWhen a new Incumbent started and began enthusiastically talking about Jesus, a growth cycled. Aided by the dedication of subsequent Incumbents, this period of growth lasted for over 20data from our latest NCD survey, attendance records and financial offerings suggest that St.have halted the pattern of decline that lasted for about 15 years. Thus, we believe that we areter the initial phase of a new growth cycle. We have a vision of where we want to go and are for a new Incumbent who is passionate about Jesus and can provide momentum to this cycle.

41

11. OUR NEW PRIEST

Ask, find; everysearcwill b

Wde

ideally,

and it will be given to you; search, and you will knock, and the door will be opened for you. For one who asks receives, and everyone who hes finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door e opened. Matthew 7:7-8

e are a congregation who love Jesus and are looking for an Incumbent who also loves Jesus and has a ep faith in God. We see our new priest as being someone who:

helps us apply Scripture to our everyday living.

inspires us to move to a deeper level in our faith journey.

will partner with us to hold us accountable,

will be an energetic, people person, having strong relational and team-building skills that model how to love, live, and lead like Jesus.

will help implement our current vision, yet as we travel together will help us to continually discern God’s will so the vision can be modified accordingly.

having been transformed through Christ, will help others encounter the transforming power of Christ.

will be an empowering leader who is able to build a community of disciples who are enabled in gifting and released for ministry.

enjoys life and has a good sense of humour.

will foster the organic development of new ministries which cannot be imagined at this time.

will collaborate with parishioners and those outside our church

is a caring listener who is also forgiving and committed to pastoral care.

42

has experience with leading congregational change and missional engagement.

43

12. Appendices

44

45

Appendix 22019 Budget St. John's Operating Accounts

REVENUE EXPENSE

OPERATING REVENUE 5000 OPERATING

Envelopes - Initial 100 5028 Fundraising 300Envelopes - Regular 101000 5032 Misc. Expense Account 0Open Offerings 2500 5099 TOTAL OPERATING 300Special Offering - Easter 700

Special Offering - Thanksgiving 250 5100 DISCIPLESHIP & EDUCATION EXP.

Special Offering - Christmas 3900 5102 Christian Education 5790Total Offering 108450 5106 Bible School 0Gifts - Donations 5000 5108 Youth Group 0Gifts - Organizations 1950 5110 Parish Retreat 2500Gifts - Organizations (internal transferst) 3000 5112 Screening in Faith 150

Fundraising 4000 5199 TOTAL DISCIPLESHIP & EDUCATION 8440

Kitchen Supplies 100TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE 122500 5204 Maintenance - Church 3000

Maintenance - Church: Internal Transfer

DISCIPLESHIP & EDUCATION 5206 Maintenance-Equipment

Christian Education 600 5208 Maintenance - Rectory 400Bible School 0 5210 Maintenance - Elevator 4000Youth Group 0 5299 TOTAL PROPERTY EXPENSE 8000Parish Retreat 1000Screening in Faith 0 5300 COMMUNICATION

TOTAL DISCIPLESHIP & EDUCATION 1600 5302 Communication 400

5399 TOTAL COMMUNICATION 400PROPERTY

Maintenance Revenue 300 5400 MISSION & OUTREACH

TOTAL PROPERTY 300 5402 Parish Outreach 6120Parish Outreach - Internal Transfer

COMMUNICATION 5404 After School 0Communications 0 5406 Come Cook With Us 0Total Communications 0 5408 Misc. Outreach 0

5499 TOTAL MISSION & OUTREACH 6120MISSION & OUTREACH

Parish Outreach 2200 5500 PASTORAL CARE

Parish Outreach - Internal transfer 150 5502 Pastoral Care 200After School 0 5599 TOTAL PASTORAL CARE 200TOTAL MISSION & OUTREACH 2350 5104 Junior Church 870PASTORAL CARE 5602 Church Music 0Pastoral Care 0 5604 Chancel Operations 425

46

TOTAL PASTORAL CARE 0 5606 Altar Flowers 10005608 Family Faith & Fun 350

WORSHIP & LITURGY 5610 Worship & Liturgy 1000Junior Church 0 5612 Wedding Expense 0Chancel-Operations 0 5699 TOTAL WORSHIP & LITURGY EXP. 3645Altar Flowers 1000 5700 ADMINISTRATION

Wedding Revenue 500 5702 General Expense 0Family Faith and Fun 0 5704 Regular Envelopes Expense 400Worship & Liturgy 250 5706 Diocese Allotment 16000TOTAL WORSHIP & LITURGY 1750 5708 Synod Delegate Cost 300

5712 Bank Charges 230ADMINISTRATION 5714 Insurance Premiums 7000Rent -Use of Hall 8000 5724 Kitchen Supplies Expense 350Rental Rectory 18000 5726 Professional Fees 5085Bequest Interest 20000 2851 TOTAL ADMINISTRATION EXP. 30665Warsaw Reimbursement-Internal transfer 450Office Revenue 0 5800 WAGES & BENEFITS

TOTAL ADMINISTRATION 46450 5802 Rector's Housing Allowance/Tel 19836.975804 Clergy Car Allowance 1870

UTILITIES 5806 Our Portion Rector's Benefits 19692.97Internal transfer 0 5808 Rector's Proffessional Development 450TOTAL UTILITIES 0 5810 Rector's Stipend 48509.83

5812 Supply Clergy Remuneration 1610TOTAL REVENUE 174950 5814 Wages - Office 8500

5816 Sexton/Cleaners 51005818 Musicians 05824 EI Expense 645.315826 CPP Expense 216.415830 Misc Expense 05899 TOTAL WAGES & BENEFITS EXP. 106431.5

5900 UTILITIES

5902 Gas - Church 35005904 Hydro - Church 32005906 Water - Church 13605908 Telephone - Church 16305918 Realty Taxes - Rectory 3150

Water Heater Rental 4005999 TOTAL UTILITIES EXP. 13240

TOTAL EXPENSE 177441.5

NET INCOME -2491.49

47

CAPITAL and DESIGNATED ACCOUNTS 2019

Capital Accounts Budget 2019

Capital Funds Building-Income 10,000.00

Capital Funds Building-Expense 6,000.00

Capital Funds - Building ( Internal Transfer)-Income 1,500.00

Equipment and Furnishing- Expense 800.00

Total $18,300.00

Designated Funds Budget 2019

Faithworks-Income 900.00

Faithworks- Expense 900.00

ACW- Income 6,000.00

ACW-Expenses 6,000.00

Food Bank- Income 39,900.00

Food Bank-Expense 36,500.00

Music Ministry (hymnB., Juior C)-Income 0.00

Music Ministry (hymnB., Juior C)-Expense 400.00

Quilters Guild -Income 0.00

Quilters Guild-Expense 1,500.00

Rector' Discresionary-Income 500.00

Rector' Discresionart- Expense 500.00

Rector' Discresionary Internal Transfer -Income 500.00

ACW Youth-Income 500.00

ACW Youth-Expense 500.00

Junior Church-Income 60.00

Junior Church-Expense 0.00

TOTAL DESIGNATED FUNDS $47,860.00

TOTAL $66,160.00

A

48

A Stewardship Review

for

St. John the Baptist

Anglican Church

Lakefield

For the Year 2017

ppendix 3

49

A Stewardship Review for

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church

We are a community of disciples of Jesus Christ who have embarked on

the mission of revealing God’s kingdom. Together, we grapple with the

big issues of life, learn about Christ’s teaching, grow as we obediently

follow Jesus and fulfill his commands to make new disciples. As

imperfect people, passionate about following Christ, we invite others to

join us on this life changing journey.

We regularly gather to joyfully and reverently worship God and share in

his Word and Sacraments, warmly welcoming all who gather with us.

Our diversity in life experiences and preferences in style of worship

enrich the way we honour and thank God together. We rely on God for

strength and direction so that all our actions are informed and enabled

by prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.

We enthusiastically embrace our role as ambassadors of God

reconciling and renewing work in the world. We engage with others

around us to develop deep, authentic relation- ships that reflect the love

of Christ. In compassion and humility, we serve others in our local

community and beyond by helping them meet their needs and by

offering hope.

In this review of our stewardship, we can see how we have responded

over the past year with our time and treasure. The activities have been

grouped into five main areas of ministry as follows:

Worship Discipleship and Education Mission and Outreach Pastoral Care

Fellowship and Communication

Our Christian stewardship requires each of us to examine prayerfully

our commitment of time, talent and treasure for God’s work. It is an

expression of our faith and thanksgiving.

Fellowship and Communication

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be

devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above

yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in

prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice

hospitality. Romans 12:9-13

From our vision statement: “We engage with those around us to

develop deep, authentic relationships that reflect the love of

Christ.” Engaging people in the life of the parish is an important

ministry. This is done through regular gatherings and special

events. We also share our parish life through communications

such as the new ReVision letter and our website.

This area of ministry includes:

ACW Quilters St. John’s Art Group Lunch on Regent Lenten Lunches Coffee hour Greeters Website ReVision newsletter Parish breakfasts Card ministry Weekly bulletin Events TV Monitor

No. of volunteers: 71

No. of volunteer hours: 5,339

2017 Budget: $17,609

50

Pastoral Care

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least important of

my followers, you did it for me. Matthew 25:40

From our vision statement: “We enthusiastically embrace our role

as ambassadors of God’s reconciling and renewing work in the

world.” Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit we seek

to carry out the work of pastoral care within our community and

the broader community we live in. Prayer ministry is offered every

Sunday and healing services are held monthly.

This area of ministry includes:

Prayer ministry Visiting Support at times of crisis Counseling Prayers of the people

No. of volunteers: 20

No. of volunteer hours: 611

2017 Budget: $30,660

Worship

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the

door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one

who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7: 7-11

From our vision statement: “We regularly gather to joyfully and

reverently worship God and share in his Word and Sacraments.”

For more than 150 years, people have gathered in this beautiful

building to worship God, to rejoice and give thanks for all our

blessings, to confess our sins and seek and receive forgiveness,

to pray for others as well as ourselves and share the sacrament

of Holy Communion. Besides our regular gatherings on Sundays,

we can worship God at a midweek service or with families on

Saturdays twice a month.

Liturgy

Music Chancel Flowers Junior church Family, Faith and Fun Readers, Intercessors, Sides people, Eucharistic

assistants, Projection/sound

No. of volunteers: 126

No. of volunteer hours: 3,632

2017 Budget: $53,543

51

Discipleship and Education

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on

earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and

of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have

commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of

the age”. Matthew 28: 18-20

From our vision statement: “Together, we grapple with the big

issues of life, learn about Christ’s teaching, grow as we obediently

follow Jesus, and fulfill his command to make new disciples.”

Discipleship and education is carried out through a variety of

activities at St. John’s for all ages.

This area of ministry includes:

Vacation bible school Parish retreat Bible studies Preparation for baptism, weddings Screening in faith workshops

No. of volunteers: 15

No. of volunteer hours: 853

2017 Budget: $41,592

Mission and Outreach

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me

drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you

clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you

came to me. Matthew 25:35-36

From our vision statement: “In compassion and humility, we

serve others in our local community and beyond by helping them

meet their needs and by offering hope.” The people of St.John’s

are committed to helping others through a variety of ministries, so

that we might serve our Lord, through serving others.

This area of ministry includes:

Food bank Tuesday morning coffee hour After-School program Lakefield Refugee Sponsorship Program Guatemala Mission FaithWorks Operation Christmas Child (shoeboxes) PWRDF Host for Road to Recovery Prayer shawl ministry Host for Quilts for Cancer Christmas hampers and Easter market ALPHA

No. of volunteers: 99

No. of volunteer hours: 5,502

2017 Budget: $28.998

52

Appendix 4

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church Lakefield

Vision Statement

We are a community of disciples of Jesus Christ who have embarked on the mission of

revealing God’s Kingdom. Together, we grapple with the big issues of life, learn about

Christ’s teaching, grow as we obediently follow Jesus, and fulfill his command to make new

disciples. As imperfect people passionate about following Christ, we invite others to join us

on this life-changing journey.

We regularly gather to joyfully and reverently worship God and share in his Word and

Sacraments, warmly welcoming all who gather with us. Our diversity in life experiences and

preferences in style of worship enrich the way we honour and thank God together. We rely on

God for strength and direction so that all our actions are informed and enabled by prayer and

the power of the Holy Spirit.

We enthusiastically embrace our role as ambassadors of God’s reconciling and renewing

work in the world. We engage with those around us to develop deep, authentic relationships

that reflect the love of Christ. In compassion and humility, we serve others in our local

community and beyond by helping them meet their needs and by offering hope.

Vision Summary

We are a worshipping community sent to love, live, and lead like Jesus.

53

A Five-Year Vision for Worship

(where we see ourselves in 2022)

St. John’s Community gathers for inspiring worship using three different worship styles,

targeting diverse cultural needs yet providing for a full sacramental life within each setting.

These worship experiences include:

1. An early service on Sunday morning using a traditional liturgy and music style that provides for a traditional Anglican experience.

2. The second service on Sunday morning is more contemporary in its language and musical expression and uses a variety of liturgies, including contemporary forms of both Eucharist and Morning Prayer. Junior Church is offered during this service except during a monthly family service where children participate.

3. Another gathering for worship occurs at a time other than Sunday morning to provide an alternative time and experience of worship and is designed specifically for those who would not be culturally acclimatized to a Sunday morning worship experience.

These ‘congregations’ gather as one several times a year for shared worship together.

Each service provides opportunities for the sharing of testimony and witnessing to what God

is doing in our lives. There are opportunities for various members to preach, lead, etc., as

their gifts are identified and encouraged. The teaching and preaching includes topics that are

relevant to daily experience.

St John’s has increased its staff, which provides support for the variety of musical

expressions in the services as well as preaching support. Many forms of music are utilized in

worship and those gathering at each service view the music as enhancing the worship of God.

St. John’s has recognized the need for, and planned, the renovation of the worship space to

allow for greater variety in liturgical and musical expression.

54

Discipleship Vision

This is who we will be by 2022

The St. John’s community recognizes that it has a fundamental responsibility to make disciples, that is, to move its members toward Christlikeness. We embrace discipleship with passionate enthusiasm, joyful thanksgiving, and effective action.

There is a well-developed and clear pathway that leads people to becoming more mature disciples. Our gospel-centred approach to discipleship has three important components:

1) establishing and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus;

2) engaging in meaningful, healthy relationships with other members of our community of believers so that together we become more like Jesus;

3) joining with other members in mission-oriented activities that serve others beyond our own church community.

There are four ways in which we engage in discipleship at St. John’s:

1) Individual Spiritual Development – members engage in individual reading and learning activities that promote increased knowledge of the Bible and its relevance to their lives, as well as an improved prayer life.

2) Mentoring – more spiritually mature and experienced members mentor others in faith; this is often a one-on-one activity

3) Program – short-term content-based sessions occur that are focused on a curriculum or other content; these often have a topical or seasonal emphasis (e.g., advent, lent, etc.)

4) Discipleship Small Groups – these small groups are missional-relational in nature and led by two or more experienced members; the emphasis is on developing transformative relationships through small group activities and sharing life together.

Within each of these four modes of discipleship, there are on-ramps to the discipleship pathway that allow people of different maturity levels and different generations to access activities that help to move them toward increased Christlikeness. We recognize that becoming more Christlike is not a goal just for our own personal growth and maturity, but the purpose is to encourage us to live out our mission in the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone. Church members enthusiastically engage in activities that allow them to mature as followers of Christ who make disciples.

The effectiveness of this discipleship pathway is evident in a number of outcomes. A high percentage of the congregation regularly participate in the discipleship opportunities that are offered. There is clear evidence that people are growing in their love for God and for one another. There has been an increase in the fruits of the Spirit evident among members. There has been an increase in participation in the life and mission of the church. Scores on the Natural Church Development Survey’s Passionate Spirituality factor have increased. There are enough skilled leaders available to provide all four discipleship modes to an increasing number of individuals, to carry out the church’s evangelization and ministry projects, as well as to fill all the administrative positions in the church.

Newcomer

One of theattenders. with newcoincreasing the Positioenhance thintroduce n

Member R

In additionattend morcomplemendeeper friecreating threcruit a Coccasional

Pastoral C

In a healthPastoral Casome pastothis an areaprotocols fcontacts.

Stewardsh

Stewardshidecisions wresources tproportionongoing finper giver/faannual offestewardshiproviding e

A

ppendix 5

55

Growing Forward Together Plan Year 1 (March 2019-March 2020)

Retention

best ways for St. John’s to grow is to convert newcomers to our Sunday services to regular At our day-away in November 2018, participants identified that we could improve our interactions mers. Therefore, an objective for the next year is for us to introduce a set of initiatives aimed at

our retention of newcomers. We plan to create the position of Newcomer Coordinator (i.e., create n Description and recruit someone for this position), develop a welcome package for newcomers, e interactions of our greeters with newcomers (revise the Greeter Position Description and ew Greeter Training), and conduct systematic follow-up with newcomers.

etention

to adding new people to our numbers, it is important that we encourage occasional attenders to e often and to become active committed members of the parish. Also, we want to maintain our t of regular members. By improving our connections with occasional attendees, we hope to grow

ndships so that they are better connected to St. John’s. Therefore, over the next year we plan on e position of Retention Coordinator (i.e., create a Retention Coordinator Position Description and oordinator), analyze our parish list, develop and implement a strategy for better connecting with attenders, and enlist any required helpers (e.g., may need drivers).

are

y church, members care and support one another. One important way for this to occur is through a re Team that visits and engages those who are ill, shut-in, or have other challenges. Although ral visits are presently occurring, participants at our day away in November, 2018 identified that that requires further attention. Over the next year, we plan on researching the best practices or or pastoral care, recruiting a pastoral care team, facilitate training, and increase visiting and other

ip

p involves the use of our time, talents, and treasures for God’s service. It means making wise ith all the resources God has given us. Our faith community requires human and financial

o address both temporal and spiritual needs. We are called to offer gifts that are planned, ate and sacrificial in support of the work of the church. The most efficient way of providing ancial support to the church is through weekly offerings. At St. John’s, our average annual giving mily in 2017 was $1185 compared to the diocesan average of $1325. More importantly, our rings are not able to cover our regular expenses. Therefore, a goal for the next year is to initiate a p campaign by recruiting a Stewardship Advocate, reviewing available stewardship resources and ducation to the congregation with the aim of “closing the gap”.

56

FaithWorks

FaithWorks is an initiative of our diocese that aims to build communities of compassion and hope by supporting ministries to those in need locally, regionally, nationally, and around the world. Funds raised provide food, shelter, support, and care for those who are homeless, newcomers and refugees, at-risk women, children, and youth, Indigenous Peoples, as well as those impacted by HIV/AIDS. The Diocese encourages parishes to set a FaithWorks campaign goal of 5% of total offerings. In 2018, St. John’s contributions to FaithWorks totalled less than 1% of our total offerings. Our vision statement says “In compassion and humility, we serve others in our local community and beyond by helping them meet their needs and by offering hope.” Therefore, increasing our contributions to Faithworks is an important way that will help us to achieve this desire. Our objectives for the next 12 months are to find a FaithWorks Coordinator and to increase our FaithWorks contributions to $4,000 (of which we will be able to retain 15% for our outreach).

Communication

We currently do not have an overall plan of how we will communicate relevant information to both those within our church (internal) and to our community (external). As a result, we are not communicating effectively. To grow, we need to be able to keep our members well-informed and to share our message of hope internally and externally. In Year 1, we will develop a communication plan that ensures that someone is responsible for coordinating our communications and that we have people to carry out each of the required tasks. The focus for the year will be to revive our newsletter, develop brochures, update our website and keep the content current and attractive.

Project Management

Project management involves planning and organization of resources to achieve specific goals or objectives. Your Growing Forward Together Committee has prepared a plan for the first year of our project aimed at growing St. John’s into a healthy, sustainable church over the next five to six years. The plan that follows maps out specific initiatives for the first year, who is responsible for ensuring their implementation, and the time-frame for accomplishment of each initiative. Over the year, the committee will monitor the implementation of the plan, track progress, and make necessary adjustments. The committee will consult with the Wardens and keep the congregation informed of progress.