Forging a stronger FAUC-FNC relationship

As we move into a new year, the ties between our congregation and the Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre continue to grow stronger. That shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, the FNC is a vision of the church, stemming from our proceeds from the sale of the Armour Heights church property in the late 1980s.

Rev. Christopher White and FNC Executive Director Naomi Shafler have been working together to develop joint initiatives that will benefit both groups. We saw that in the successful, lively Family Dance in October. Expect to see additional innovative joint programming in 2012.

In the church’s review of the FAUC-FNC relationship carried out last year, there were some candid questions asked about the role that costs should play in church’s support of the centre. With that in mind, there are three recent developments you should be aware of:

1. In December, the Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre board, chaired by Kristy Duncan of the congregation, voted to donate $6,000 to the church, expressing the hope that the church would acquire a defibrillator. Our Property Council’s capital requests for 2012-2013 include a defibrillator.
2. The FNC has increased its monthly contribution to the church by $100, representing a $1,200 increase in 2012.
3. The FNC also financed the construction of the new coat racks on the landing near the west entrance.

Kristy says the FNC continues to “look forward to further strengthening the relationship between our two organizations in mutually beneficial ways.”

UPDATE (Jan. 21, 2012) — The FNC has presented the church with another cheque, for $222.25, from art sales during 2011. The collaborative Breakfast with the Artist series was particularly successful with one local artist — Jill Klaehn of our congregation — selling eight paintings. Watch for the breakfasts again this year (breakfast with artist Brigitte Nowak is on January 28, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.)

Lizzie White in video

In this morning’s sermon, Christopher White talked about the busy life led by his daughter Elizabeth. That busyness is all the more remarkable when you consider some of the challenges she’s faced in the past 20 years.

The  Ontario Hospital Association recently posted a Hospital of Sick Children profile of Lizzie that was shot a few years ago. It looks at an innovative valve used to alleviate Lizzie’s heart problems. Coincidentally, the surgery was done by Dr. Lee Benson who lives several blocks from the church.

Poppies Grow on the front lawn

A year ago, local artist Marybeth Duggan, designed and created large poppies for St. Timothy’s Anglican Church. Each plastic flower bore the name of a serviceman in the congregation who died in the Second World War. It was Marybeth’s way of “moving the Honour Roll from inside to streetside.”

The initiative was so successful she decided to expand it 2011, including recognition of the 11 local boys from Fairlawn United and the 14 from St. James-Bond United who were killed serving their country. All 25 poppies were ‘planted’ early today and will remain on the church’s lawn for Veterans’ Week until next Sunday.

The foot-wide red poppies are made from materials kindly donated by Rona and Home Depot. The wire stems are struggling to hold up the large poppies, but nurseries currently aren’t carrying heftier bamboo stakes. If you are a local gardener with stakes you might like to loan to the project, we’d certainly like to hear from you. Let me know.

You’ll also find Marybeth Duggan’s poppies sprinkled around the neighbourhood this week. She has expanded her St. Timothy’s project to add poppies to the front of the houses where some of those who made the supreme sacrifice lived. At least three of those homes are now owned by members of our congregation — Doug Knights & Kathy Magladry, Mark & Jan Ogden, and June Rowe.

Our Honour Rolls include the following who died while serving: from Fairlawn United Church

• Hugh A. Grant, 19, died October 25, 1941
• Peter M. Fleming, 24, died October 5, 1942
• W. Ralston Roberts, 31, died July 5, 1943
• Ernest A. Cannon, 20, died September 4, 1943
• Harold R. Wright, 21, died December 4, 1943
• James W. White, 20, died May 4, 1944
• George C. Molesworth, 32, died January 16, 1945
• Kenneth A. Miller, 23, died February 15, 1945
• Donald A. Standfield, 21, died March 7, 1945
• Jack O. Stewart, 23, died March 15, 1945
• Henry R. Crowther, 18, died September 26, 1945

and from St. James-Bond United:

• A. Gordon WIlliams, 28, died June 7, 1940
• Jack W. Mosey, 23, died March 9, 1942
• Andrew A. McNaughton, 20, died June 1, 1942
• John W. Kerwin, 24, died July 16, 1942
• Clifford C. Maw, 28, died September 3, 1943
• James R. Bradley, 21, died September 16, 1943
• Harold J. Young, 26, died April 21, 1944
• Bruce Black, 22, died June 3, 1944
• Norman H.V. Brown, died June 6, 1944
• Alexander M. Smith, 21, died July 11, 1944
• James A. Smith, 27, died July 21, 1944
• George A. Chapman, 24, died August 5, 1944
• Harlan D. Keely, 24, died April 16, 1945
• George Bain

We thank Marybeth for this wonderful gesture to remember those from our congregation who lost their lives fighting for freedom.

Gift Cards raise a grand

Nine months ago, the church began offering gift cards to the congregation as a purchasing opportunity that also represents a donation to Fairlawn. As of this week, the donations through the cards surpassed $1,000.

Forty-nine people have placed orders for 642 cards since the Share Your Support With Gift Cards program began last December. Some people are using gift cards to cover basic purchases of food, fuel and clothing. Others are using them as wedding and office gifts.

The cards are a wonderful way to share funds with the church at no extra cost to you. It’s an ideal solution to your gift buying — particularly with Christmas approaching. Find out more about it at http://fairlawnavenueunited.ca/gift_card_fundraiser.htm.

A big thank you to Allan Hux and the Share Your Support team who are coordinating the growth of this wonderful initiative. You’ll find them each Sunday at Coffee Hour, eager to let you know more about the program.

Fairlawn Neighbourhood Review submitted

The Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre is a vision of our church, developed through proceeds from the Fairlawn/Armour Heights merger in the mid-1990s as an outreach to meet community needs. It remains one our visions today, and a thriving one at that.

Last winter, Executive Council requested a review of the FNC relationship – something we hadn’t actually done since the centre opened – with an emphasis on how well it’s working, how it has evolved and how it can be strengthened.

The report was submitted to Council in the early summer, thanks to the work of the review team: Sheila Corkill, Katherine Dalziel and John Wettlauffer. It’s available on the church website at: http://www.fairlawnavenueunited.ca/FNCreview.pdf

As our church activity starts to pick up again this fall, we’re looking at strengthening the collaborative approach in the relationship, an initiative begun by Rev. Christopher White and FNC Executive Director Naomi Schafler. The report includes a look at costs in the relationship, providing an opportunity for further discussions that will best serve the mission of both the church and the centre.

Note: The financial statements of the Fairlawn Neighbourhood Centre are available in the FNC office.

A summer of audiovisual, boilers, ducts and more

You’ll find quite a number of changes have been taking place in our church building over the summer.

What’s the most noticeable change?
The new audiovisual system is in place and received its first test drive at the service on the Labour Day weekend. The centrepiece is the large screen that rises up on the north wall of the Chancel. It displays an image from a powerful ceiling-mounted projector, while two smaller projectors provide images in the wings. Three flat screens serve the choir, minister, presiders, readers, etc. The cabinet for the control console should be completed before the end of September and will adjoin the current sound console.

So, can we expect to see a full multimedia experience this month?
Putting the audiovisual system into action is a work in progress as we endeavour to make it fit the Fairlawn context and make sure it’s authentic and will enrich our worship. We’re looking for help with this evolution. Interested in getting involved?

What are the other noticeable changes?
You’ll see our new Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) ducts running along the east and south walls of the Assembly Hall. Controlled from a unit in the storage room beside the kitchen, they will transfer the heat from warm exhaust air to the incoming air supply. Other ducts and grills are apparent in the Gymnasium ceiling and along the south wall of the Birtch Room where some additional drywall work in the south west corner will hide most of it when completed. The new systems will provide fresh air in a more energy efficient way than opening windows and doors. The gym has four new radiators between the windows; they replace the old head-height rads that posed a hazard for the Monday basketball players.

You’ll also  see additional thermostats. In the old system, we had a thermostat in the Birtch Room that controlled most of the church. If someone left a Birtch window open in the cool weather, the control would frantically pump heat throughout our building. You can imagine the expense. The new system will have 14 digitally programmable thermostats where they’re needed most, including the Sanctuary, Assembly Hall, Gym, Fellowship Room, Birtch Room, Library, Toddler Room, Creche, Organ Pipe Room, CE Office, Music Director’s Office, Senior Choir Room and Youth Room.

Any changes that can’t be seen?
Yes — the big one. We’ve installed two new high efficiency boilers. Either one has the potential to heat the church on all but the coldest days, which is reassuring should one kick out or require repairs.

When will the heating project be completed?
We hope the duct work, final piping connections and physical cleanup will be completed as quickly as possible this week or next, because use of the building is back in full swing this month. There are additional energy efficiency improvements still to be addressed. They include adding a vestibule to the west entrance lobby, double glazing the glass-block wall at that entrance, and installing new windows in the west and east wings.

What has helped to make these large projects possible?
We’re particularly grateful to Tom Clarke, Chair of the Property Council, who has spent most days this summer at the church ensuring the work was being done efficiently and economically. As Chair of Executive Council, I can’t thank him enough for his diligence and energy.

Dona, Laura and Ben leave for Africa

Youth Minister Dona Slater, along with Laura Schlee and Ben Blackford will be leaving for Uganda early tomorrow morning. By Friday evening (Uganda time; it’s seven hours ahead of us) they’ll be in the capital, Kampala.

As a result of the Youth Groups’ fundraising efforts during the 30 Hour Famine, the Fairlawn youth were eligible for World Vision Canada’s Trip Of A Lifetime contest. They were one of three fundraising groups to win the opportunity to go to Uganda and see first-hand how World Vision’s money is being used to make a difference.

You can follow their journey by visiting http://www.famine.ca/youth and clicking on the Follow the Trip of a Lifetime button. There should be postings from the group starting about August 20.

You can also follow the journey by reading stories about the trip in the Toronto Sun. Reporter Teviah Moro of Sun Media is with the group and will be filing stories. Although he’ll also be in Kenya to see the famine relief work being done there, he’ll be rejoining the young people early next week. If I hear about any additional specific links during the trip, I’ll add them to the bottom of this post.

In all there are six young people and three leaders from Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba joining World Vision staff and the Sun journalist. Highlights of the trip are:

• August 20 — a trip to Jinja near Lake Victoria to see the source of the Nile at Ripon Falls
• August 22 — visit a water pump project in central Uganda (#4 on map)
• August 23 — meet with young people who are survivors of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group in northern Uganda; also visit a school
• August 25 — visit a nutrition and food security project (#2 on map)
• August 26 — a final day in Kampala

UPDATE, Aug. 20 — A story about the group appeared in the Orillia Packet & Times.

UPDATE, Aug. 29 — Another story by Teviah Moro featuring Fairlawn’s Ben Blackford and Laura Schlee. Also a video of their visit to a village that now has its own well thanks to 30 Hour Famine funds.

UPDATE, Aug. 31 — Dona and Laura are interviewed on Sun TV.