GTC - INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
JOANNE'S STORY
While we usually feature stories connected to our Toronto affiliations and community partners, once in a while we feature stories of our Grace Toronto Church missionaries or testimonies of congregants who have family in other parts of the world.
This time we are invited to hear the testimony of Joanne, a Grace member, whose family lives in Tigray. We recognize that civil war is messy and there are many sides involved in this conflict. In Joanne's testimony, you'll hear her heartfelt cry about the devastating situation in Tigray and her suggestions for ways to help. To read it, follow the link to this document.
AFFILIATE AND COMMUNITY NEEDS
Find ways to love our neighbours in partnership with our affiliates and other organizations serving the community.
SERVING - FOR INDIVIDUALS
Pregnancy Care Centre
- Will you join Grace Toronto's team and walk 5km with us this Mother's Day weekend (May 8th-9th)? Or consider graciously donating to our team? When you walk (or donate), you provide HOPE to families and reaffirm the value of human life. The PCC exists so that women can thrive without seeing abortion as their only option.
- Click here (link) to sign up for the Grace Toronto team or to donate and support us!
Safe Families
- Would you consider joining the Safe Families GTA Leadership Council?
- Safe Families Toronto is looking for individuals who share the vision of the organization and desire to serve using their unique expertise and experience to support and guide the local Chapter. This document gives an overview of the Leadership Council roles and responsibilities. There will be an upcoming information session regarding the leadership council on April 7th, 2021. The information session will be a great time to learn more about the role and answer any questions you may have.
- If you would like to attend, please contact Serena (here).
- Sign-up to become a “Family Friend” to a segregated family in our city.
- Family Friends provide: love to parent(s) through encouragement; security and peace to parent(s) because they know someone sees them and cares about their well-being; knowledge and information they may not have; access to our extended church network; a shared desire for the security and well-being of their children; the Gospel hope of Jesus Christ; and possibly other tangible or service-based needs according to your comfort level and time.
- If you are interested, please contact Serena (here) for next steps.
SERVING - FOR GRACE GATHERINGS
Safe Families
- Together, sign-up to become “Family Friends” to a segregated family in our city.
- Family Friends provide: love to the parent(s) through encouragement; security and peace to the parent(s) because they know someone sees them and cares about their well-being; knowledge and information they may not have; access to our extended church network; a shared desire for the security and well-being of their children; the Gospel hope of Jesus Christ; and possibly other tangible or service-based needs according to your comfort level and time.
- Interested members of your GG will attend a virtual information session, fill out an application, and complete the online training required by Safe Families. For more information, contact Serena (here).
TANGIBLE NEEDS
Adam House
- Winter boots needed for two new residents. See donation details (link).
Light Patrol
- Tarps needed as this season gets particularly wet.
Pregnancy Care Centre
- Needed items for new mothers/parents: baby clothing, diapers (sizes 1,2,3), wipes, formula, gently-used furniture (crib, car seat, stroller, etc.), and new or gently-used maternity clothes.
- To arrange drop off of these items, please refer to: https://pccfriends.ca/in-kind-donations/
Yonge Street Mission
- Hygiene products needed
- Food needed: starch (rice and pasta), condiments (ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard)
- Chocolates and bath towels needed for Easter.
- Please call 647-466-1865 or email eedwards@ysm.ca to arrange a donation drop off.
For more information contact: rosemarie@gracetoronto.ca
PRAYERS
Help love our neighbours by praying for them and the organizations that serve them.
+ ADAM HOUSE
Prayer for the residents who are waiting for their refugee hearing that their cases are heard with compassion, and the residents who have been accepted that they may find jobs and community in which to put down roots. May God open doors for them and help them thrive in Toronto.
Prayer for the staff and volunteers to be sustained and encouraged, that they may continue to share Christ's love to those who find themselves in the awkward situation of having to flee their home and seek a new life in a foreign land.
+ LIGHT PATROL
Next month the Light Patrol team undertakes their strategic planning process, where they set out ministry goals and activities for the next couple of years. Please pray for wisdom and unity through this process that they would have a clear sense of where Jesus wants to lead the team.
Prayer for strength and encouragement for the team as well; they have had some really great ministry opportunities, but it has also been tiring: the constant changes, missing the volunteers, having Bianca on mat leave.
Prayer for the youth, that Light Patrol would continue to find ways to connect and support them, and that God would draw them close.
+ PREGNANCY CARE CENTRE
Prayer for expectant moms who are facing a challenging job market, that they may feel God’s peace and see God’s provisions for them and their child.
Prayer for one particular mom who worries that if she does not find a job to support her and her unborn baby that abortion will be the only option as she then would feel that she is unable to parent. Pray not only that she can find a job, but that the right people will come around her to support her and that she doesn’t feel alone in this pregnancy.
Prayer for the expectant moms who have suffered miscarriages. Pray for the PCC staff and volunteers as they come alongside these women to support them during these challenging times.
Praise for the members of our church who are wanting to connect and walk alongside these moms and help bring them into community. Pray that as they do, these women will learn who God is and God’s love for them.
+ SAFE FAMILIES
Prayer that God would call members of our Grace Toronto community to find room in their homes, hearts, and lifestyles to become a Host family for a child in need of a safe place to stay.
Prayer that the staff and volunteers would find strength and motivation in the sacrificial love of Christ as they sacrificially love and serve children and parents in need of mercy and compassion.
Prayer that Safe Families Canada would become a place of refuge in Toronto for families who have nowhere else to turn in times of isolation and crisis.
Prayer that God would support, comfort, and provide for the needs of families who struggle in isolation, now more than ever. Single mothers are carrying the full burden of parenting without any time to recharge.
Prayer for a smooth transition as another staff member temporarily fills the position of executive director for Safe Families Canada.
Prayer that the right people would decide to join the GTA Leadership Council and that they would be unified in their vision for the advancement of the Safe Families movement throughout Toronto.
+ FIGHT4FREEDOM
Street outreach has re-started! Please pray for impactful presence and conversations with individuals met during street outreach.
There are a number of interns this school term. They are all assisting on various projects that add to the growth and development of F4F. Pray that their internship time with F4F would be a valuable experience for them.
+ HOMELESS CONNECT TORONTO 2021
Due to Covid, Homeless Connect Toronto has switched from one big event at the end of October to four smaller pop-up events over the year. The first two pop-up events will be held on April 21st and 29th. Please pray for the organization of these events, that they meet the needs of the guests and provide for their safety.
VOLUNTEER OPENINGS
PREGNANCY CARE CENTRE
PCC is looking for female volunteers to assist staff when meeting with clients, connecting with clients through email or phone calls, and/or assisting with administrative tasks such as housing or job searches on clients' behalf.
+ Details
Location: Downtown (U of T Campus)
Once-a-Month Commitment: Tuesdays or Thursdays; afternoons (3-6pm) or evenings (6-9pm)
If you are interested, please contact Rosemarie Friesen: rosemarie@gracetoronto.ca
FIGHT4FREEDOM
Fight4Freedom is an organization that works in the GTA with women, children and men enslaved in the sex trade. In addition, they offer aftercare, advocacy, and referral support to individuals who are ready and able to transition into alternate work.
- Freedom Fighter Conference is online this year and it's free! F4F hopes to empower people with Biblical tools and encourage them to continue the work of fighting for the freedom of the individuals trapped in the sex trade and trafficking industry in Canada and around the world. It's going to be on April 22nd to 24th.
F4F is currently recruiting qualified individuals.
+ Details
Street Outreach
Commitment: minimum 1 year, weekly outreach
Outreach time: Fridays from 10:30pm-2:30am (usually it doesn't take up the whole 4 hours)
Through our street outreach ministry, we continue to journey with women in Toronto who are involved in sex work and often face challenges related to housing, substance use and mental health. During outreach time, we walk around the neighbourhood where it's known to have sex-work-related activities. We approach individuals with gifts and try to start up conversations. We listen as they share stories about their upbringing, relationships and long-distance parenting. From these stories, the common narrative that often emerges is one of intergenerational trauma perpetuated by cycles of criminalization and structural violence – many share about growing up in foster care, getting recruited into the sex industry, using street drugs to self-medicate, having 3-8 children apprehended due to addictions and then being incarcerated for drug possession. We continue to pray that our relationships with these ladies would allow us to speak truth and hope into the narratives that distort their sense of worth and identity. At a systemic level, both our ministry and survivor care departments are working with community partners to provide survivors and individuals who would like to exit with health support and to develop sustainable employment opportunities.
Club or Parlour Outreach
Commitment: minimum 1 year, monthly outreach and prayer gathering
Outreach time: one evening a month between Monday to Thursday for outreach; one evening a month for prayer and gift bag preparation; meet up time varies between 6-9pm; each outreach usually is within 3 hours time
Each club or parlour outreach team goes to the same strip club or parlours every month. The team approaches a club and asks entry permission from the club manager. Once allowed access, the team will go to the main area and approach individuals working there with gifts and try to start up conversations. For parlour outreach, the team approaches a parlour and tries to start up conversations with the individual who answers the door. We listen as they share stories. Same as street outreach, we continue to pray that our relationships with these ladies would allow us to speak truth and hope into the narratives that distort their sense of worth and identity. At a systemic level, both our ministry and survivor care departments are working with community partners to provide survivors and individuals who would like to exit with various support and to develop sustainable employment opportunities.
NOTE: Volunteers may encounter nudity during outreach. It is an asset to be bilingual in English and Chinese for parlour outreach.
If you are interested, please contact Rosemarie Friesen: rosemarie@gracetoronto.ca