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Place of Meeting
Oh, the joys of summer
Toronto United Mennonite Church July 2014
The TUMC retreat, with the Saturday night campfire, marked the start of
the summer season for many members of our congregation, with a mix of
quiet prayer and song, Taize-style, rest and relaxation, fun in the water,
conversation, good food and all the traditional camp stuff – like silly skits
and songs around the campfire. More inside.
Place of Meetingis the meaning of the Huron word
“toronton,” from which our city
gets its name. Fittingly, it can also
mean “plenty” or
“abundance.”
Place of Meeting is also the
monthly newsletter of Toronto
United Mennonite Church. May
you find plenty here to enjoy and
ponder. Opinions expressed are
those of the writers and not
necessarily of the congregation
as a whole.
Contributions of all kinds are enthusiastically received, throughthe mail folder in the lobby or at
Next deadline Sept. 2, 2014
Have you discovered the all-colour online version of Place of
Meeting, complete with liveweblinks? Check this month’s
issue out here: issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/
pom_july_2014l
You can also request an emailsubscription to the colour versionin PDF form or a monthly link tothe current online issue. Please
send a request [email protected]
Editor: Doreen Martens
Seen around TUMC
Place of Meeting page 2
Junior High kids lead the service on June 1; young string players accom-
pany provide rich accompaniment on June 8; children’s time on July 6.
By Jan Kraus
Did you know? Space Task Force 3 (SPF3)
members Chair Bob Thiessen, recording sec-
retary Jan Kraus, Carolyn Loewen and Richard
Ratzlaff continue to consult and work even
through the challenges of summer schedules.
Other people have been regular supporters and
contributors to STF3 meetings including architect
Melana Janzen, Christy Langschmidt and Doug
Pritchard. STF3 meetings regularly included
“guests” who spoke to specific questions and con-
cerns of the committee.
Starting with the September 2008 Living out our
Values and Identity statement, many different
people have contributed their time and talents to
making our values visible.
This has included self-reflection and conversa-
tions focused on our congregational life including
worship, education, hospitality and networking.
We also listened for God’s voice calling us to
share our resources, time, energy and talent with
our community and the wider world.
Many different mission options were explored
and the congregation has now chosen to focus on
assisting victims of human trafficking. As we
have explored new horizons we have continued to
work closely with our current partners and neigh-
bours.
Many TUMC people have been involved through
committee meetings, Soup & Sophia gatherings,
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 3
Decision made, now it’s time for work!
Board meetings, AGM, fundraising campaigns, written re-
ports, architectural blueprints, telephone interviews and one
on one conversations.
Currently much work is going on “behind the scenes” as
people continue to work on alterations of the drawings to
meet the budget and space modifications, prepare designs
for 6 Lark renovations, prepare paperwork for city permits,
meet with city counselors, meet with mission partners, com-
municate with current partners and inform neighbours.
We encourage you to read the reports, study the architectural
drawings and offer your comments and questions to any
member of STF3.
In addition we invite you to prayerfully listen for God’s
leading as together we respond to God’s call to share our
time, energy and talents.
Options for naming 6 Lark Out of the loop?
After reviewing many submitted suggestions for a name for the
shelter to be located at 6 Lark, the working group has narrowed
down the choices to four: Lark Centre, Vida Centre, Aurora
House and Esther Centre. Background for each of these
choices is posted at church. Attendees on July 6 and 13 have
been given the opportunity to cast their votes (three votes per
person, to be placed any way you like). Those unable to attend
either Sunday are invited to contact Mary Klein with their sub-
mission.
Draft minutes from the June 8 con-
gregational meeting are posted at
tumc.ca for your review and com-
ments to the TUMC Board. You need
to log- ‐on with your user ID and pass-word to get to the Congregational
Meetings page.
Place of Meeting page 4
Prayer Letter:Bock Ki Kim and Sook-Kyoung Park
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 5
Prayer Letter
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Prayer Letter
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Prayer Letter
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Milestones
The past month has been one of many
welcomes. On June 3, we celebrated the
safe arrival of three new babies in our
congregation with a shower: Eli Natha-
nial, with parents David and Damaris;
Isaac Joel, with parents Joel and
Heather and (not pictured) Brynn Car-
olyn with parents Kendell and Clark.
On the same day, we welcomed Ethan
Vanderleek as our summer intern, left.
On June 8, we had the joy of receiving
Peter Haresnape into membership, with
Doug Pritchard serving as his faith part-
ner (below).
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 9
This year’s retreat wascentred on learningabout and experiencingreflective prayer andsong in the style of theTaize ecumenical com-munity in France, led bysummer intern EthanVanderleek and associ-ate pastor Michele Ri-zoli. A beautiful settingand equally beautifulmusic captured thequiet attention even oflittle ones.
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting page 10
Retreats are always a de-lightful time of relaxation,playing games together,swapping around babies,and good conversation thathelps us grow closer as afamily of faith. Right, Florence Heise whips upsome hot chocolate for arriving campers on Fridaynight; Saturday morning,Michele Rizoli offers somereflections on her visit toTaize.
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 11
Taste and See, like the signsays: Good food is always afavourite part of the SilverLake retreat, and this yearwas no exception. Fromtacos to ice cream cones toyummy breakfastcasseroles, we ate heartily.
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting page 12
It was a cooler weekend thansome adults might havehoped, but the kids took fulladvantage of the sunshine andthe warm pond to enjoy somecrazy fun – especially inkayaks – in the water andsand.
Thanks to Michele Rizoli forphotos top left.
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 13
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting page 14
Whether it was working together,playing games, learning some newskills or just teaming up to pull thedinner bell, we found lots of ways toenjoy being together.
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 15
Hilarity ensued around the campfireSaturday night, with fun songs andskits, ending in “Unity.”
A slice of Taize at Silver Lake
Place of Meeting page 16
Some parting shots from Silver
Lake 2014.
Place of Meeting July 2014 page 17
Ending the year with a splash
The GERMS (junior youth) ended the school year with a
great pool party and barbecue (and at least one feat of
gymnastics) at the home of Harold and Tobi Thiessen.
Photos by Michele Rizoli.