Our Baptismal Covenant – the promises we make at baptism – call us to God’s mission in the world. With God’s help we are called to:

• Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves.
• Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
• Safeguard the integrity of God’s creation and respect, sustain, and renew the life of the earth.

We live this out through outreach, education and advocacy, both as individuals and together as a community of faith.

I Z Z Y  D O L L S

 St. Andrew’s ACW Group has been busy over the past few months creating Izzy Dolls, some of which are pictured here.  Until last year, we were not aware of the Izzy Doll project although it has been going on for many years. When it was brought to our attention, scraps of yard that we thought couldn’t be of any use were soon on our knitting needles, creating these little dolls that would give so much comfort to children all over the world. This was started by Master Corporal Mark “Izzy” Isfeld with a bunch of dolls sent by his mother. The dolls are a legacy to Master Corporal Mark “Izzy” Isfeld, who lost his life in Croatia on June 21,1994. If you are interested in learning about Izzy Dolls, I recommend that you go to Youtube.com and look at the video “The Izzy Doll Story.” It is such an incredible story! If you would like to join us in our Izzy Doll project, please speak to me or any of our St. Andrew’s members and we will get you started.   By  Dorcas Sheppard                                                                                  

Refugee Sponsorship

In August we sponsored one refugee, and we are currently working towards sponsoring a refugee family. You can learn more about this important initiative here.

Flemingdon Park

Sunday non-perishable food offering for the Flemingdon Food Bank.

St. Cuthbert’s contributes to initiatives that support the community of Flemingdon Park, near Eglinton and Don Mills, a multicultural neighbourhood that serves as the first home for many new Canadians.

We support the Anglican Flemingdon Park Ministry, which offers a Skills Training to Access Resources program for adults, as well as an after-school program for students in grades K to 12. Recently we have supported their Access to Fresh Food project which helps residents grow their own food in plots and containers in the summer.

St. Cuthbert’s has supported the Flemingdon Park Food Bank for many years. We collect and deliver fresh bread from Cobs Bakery and Epi Breads in Leaside, as well as non-perishable food donations from Sobey’s, the community and parishioners. You are invited to add non-perishable items to your weekly grocery shopping and bring them on Sundays, or assist with food deliveries.

Moorelands Community Services

St. Cuthbert’s has a long history of supporting Moorelands Community Services. Moorelands works with children and youth affected by poverty, providing them with experiences to help strengthen their confidence, competence and character at leadership programs and day camps. We support Moorelands by providing Baby Bundles of new baby clothing, blankets and toiletries for new mothers in need, and we share our abundance in their Christmas Sharing program.

Other Activities

St. Cuthbert’s at the Mayor’s Cleanup.

We are involved in a number of other outreach activities in our local community and beyond.

New Circles Community Services is an innovative agency driven by volunteers that offers clothing services, community referrals and skills building programs to residents in the Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park and Victoria Village neighbourhoods. Twice a year St. Cuthbert’s holds clothing drives for New Circles.

Emily’s House Hospice  is the first pediatric palliative care hospice in Toronto. If you are a knitter, your creative talents would be welcome to join other parishioners who knit slippers and baby hats.

Faithworks is the annual appeal of the Diocese of Toronto. Our donations support Anglican-affiliated ministries such as prison ministry, food security initiatives, and support, training and residential programs. Faithworks also supports the Primates World Relief and Development Fund (PWDRF) – the Canadian Anglican response for emergency relief, refugees, development and justice in the world.

Advocacy, Education and Witness

Members of the community joined us to ring our bell for missing and murdered aboriginal women.

St. Cuthbert’s participates in education, advocacy and awareness activities about issues such as clean water for the northern community of Pikangikum, the plight of murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls, and climate change.

St. Cuthbert’s also has  an Environmental Study Group to deepen our understanding about climate change and greening our property.

You can learn more about the Canadian Anglican Church’s public witness for social and ecological justice online.

More information

For more information about participating in any of our outreach and advocacy activities, please contact our Outreach Committee  through the office, and check our What’s On weekly newsletter and bulletin boards for more information about these activities and others during the year.