Welcome to Fort Massey United Church

Halifax, Nova Scotia

OUTREACH COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT – 2010

“Teach us, good Lord …to give and not to count the cost…to labour and not to ask for any reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will.”

~ excerpt from the prayer of St Ignatius ~

The following are some highlights from this year’s Outreach activities. 

In terms of international outreach, our committee members engaged in a couple of letter writing appeals. In the first instance, Ian MacDonald wrote a letter to the United Church of Canada highlighting concerns of the violence and discrimination facing Christians in India and Pakistan and asking if they were aware of the situation and if anything could be done. The United Church of Canada responded that they were aware and that the World Council of Churches had previously made a statement on the violence and intolerance in India on behalf of its member churches. The Council also sent a Living Letter Delegation to India. Living Letters are small ecumenical teams visiting a country to listen, learn, share approaches, and help confront challenges and issues with the wider world faith community. According to the United Church of Canada, the team had an opportunity to meet with interfaith leaders on issues of violence and discrimination. More recently, the United Church of Canada has been in correspondence with the Church of North India assuring them of our support and prayers and asking if there is more specific support requested. The United Church of Canada indicated they would let us know if such a request is forthcoming.

 

The second letter appeal was part of a letter writing initiative of the Church in Action committee of Halifax Presbytery. The Chair of Outreach wrote letters in support of the Chaudhry family, who are at risk of deportation to Pakistan. The Chaudhrys came to Canada because their lives were endangered in Pakistan as a result of their families’ disagreement with their marriage but were denied refugee status in Canada. They have been in Canada for over 8 years and two of their three children were born here, giving the children Canadian citizenship. The parents are both skilled people who are able to support themselves and contribute to the community. They have plans to open a Halal restaurant in Halifax and have received the support of the Halifax Greater Partnership. The Chair sent letters to; The Honourable Peter Mackay – Minister of National Defence, The Honourable Jason Kenney – Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, The Honourable Peter Van Loan – Minister of International Trade, and The Honourable Vic Toews – Minister of Public Safety, petitioning their help in allowing the Chaudhrys to stay in Canada as permanent residents under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) Community Identified Category.  The status of the Chaudry’s deportation order at the time of this report is not yet known.

 

 Apart from letter writing appeals, the Outreach committee once again coordinated a Lenten fundraising project. In past years, money raised from this project went towards supporting Easter meals and supplies for patients of the Kachere Rehabilitation Centre in Blantyre Malawi, the only rehabilitation centre in the country that provides care to children and adults with disabilities, most of whom are HIV positive or have AIDS.  Sadly, in the fall of 2009 the administrator of the centre, Simunji Mufalali, died tragically in an auto accident. As a result of no longer having a direct contact with the Kachere Centre and understanding there were concerns with the current administration, the Outreach committee arranged that the funds traditionally raised at Easter for the Kachere Centre be used to help support Simunji’s wife Martha and their 3 children. Martha responded that the funds were “gratefully” used to purchase much needed school provisions and clothing for her children.

 

 In keeping with international outreach, the committee Chair was involved in organizing fund-raising initiatives for SOAR (Sending Orphans of AIDS Relief). SOAR supports a centre in Nkobongo, South Africa that provides meals, daycare, school fees and clothing, after school care, as well as, medications, electricity and other essentials for those orphans in greatest need. In May of this year, the third annual SOAR SOIREE was held at the St. Mary’s Boat Club. Then in the fall, the Chair gave a presentation about SOAR to students at Halifax West who then organized a bowl-a-thon to raise money for the centre and who have since offered to make SOAR the recipient of all of  their fundraising projects for the next year. In addition to these efforts, the Outreach committee would like to acknowledge members of the Congregation, such as Carol Sinclair, who are actively involved in the Stephen Lewis, “Grandmothers to Grandmothers” campaign, and others who donated packages of “Just Us” (fair trade) coffee as a special initiative in support of Olivia Landry’s school, and who continue to do so for our Sunday gatherings, and to all who contributed to Haiti Relief.

 

On a local level, an Outreach song, meditation and fellowship service continues to be held once every two months at Joseph Howe Manor at which time a lunch is also provided.

 

Another of our ongoing projects, led by Teresa Orser, involves raising funds and food for the Phoenix Youth lunch program; an initiative the Congregation generously supports twice a year in May and November.

 

Sally deWolf of the Outreach committee continues to provide support to an elderly female, Muslim refugee from Uzbekistan to ensure her personal, household, and fellowship needs are being met.  In addition, the Outreach committee continues to support efforts to bring her daughter and two granddaughters from Russia to Nova Scotia.

 

The Outreach Committee continues to actively support other outreach initiatives of the Church such as; the Mission to Seafarers “Shoe Box” campaign, led by Kathy Evans; the white gift bags in support of the Brunswick Street Mission food bank; and the Advent calendar appeal organized by Colleen Estabrooks for the M&S fund.

 

The Outreach committee and members of the Congregation were also active in participating in a number of social and justice initiatives; for instance, preparing monthly meals from October to April for the Out-of-the Cold shelter and providing needed items such as toiletries, etc., offering financial support through the Session (benevolent) Fund, hosting the Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) international student ministry twice a week, providing meals and gifts at Christmas for individuals and families, visiting those in nursing homes, supporting the L’Arche community and Street Feat through subscriptions to their newsletters and personal donations, preparing meals for Hope Cottage, volunteering with Parker Street Food Bank, donating to the Brunswick Street Mission clothing bank, Christmas program and Year of Caring, and volunteering with the breakfast program, to name a few. The Chair of Outreach was also involved in organizing a one-day event at the Armouries entitled Halifax Connects. The event was aimed at helping those of all ages who are homeless or living in poverty to connect to on-site and referral-based services and resources in the HRM. The event, built on the foundation of respect and dignity, provided participants with a fun and engaging day where they received on-site access to services and resources such as hair cuts, clothing and comfort kits, wellness services including a  general medical check-up, diabetes screening, foot care, blood testing, vision care, nutrition counselling, mental health and addiction services, dental assessments, photographs, information about housing options, financial services, income assistance, education and employment, local shelters and agencies, and identification resources. In addition, participants received a wholesome and deliciously prepared meal by the World Trade and Convention Centre and were served in a separate dining room equipped with white linen table cloths, waiters, and musicians who entertained them for over 3 hours. Free bus passes had been provided to local agencies to attract clients from across HRM. Over 500 individuals and families participated.

 

 Lastly, the Outreach committee is actively involved in the work of the Brunswick Street Mission (BSM) both through membership on the Board of Directors, as well as, volunteering with the various programs and services they provide.  This year the Board continued its oversight of the various programs and services offered by the BSM including; the food and clothing banks, breakfast program, benevolent program for crisis and special needs, trustee program, tax return program, visiting health care services, and the Christmas program. In order to support the work of the Mission, the fourth annual breakfast was held at the World Trade and Convention Centre on Nov. 15, 2010.  Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Joseph Kennedy, was the guest speaker and provided a most meaningful, humorous and personal account of his perspective on poverty. I n addition, spoken word artist Ardath Whynaucht skilfully performed a poem she had written specifically for the event and members of the men’s choir, Nova Voce, introduced guests to the power and beauty of their music. Over 400 people attended and the event raised over $30,000 for the Mission.  Other fundraisers initiated by the Board this year were the screening of the film, This Beggar’s Description, at the Oxford Theatre, four cooking class dinners at the Joseph Howe Atlantic Super Store, and The Year of Caring project.  The Outreach committee extends a big “Thank-you” to all who generously supported these various initiatives.

 

Current Outreach Committee Members:
(Chair) Leslie McLean, Rev. Trent Cleveland-Thompson, Gwen Smith-Dockrill, Sally deWolf, Ian MacDonald, Angus McDonald, Anna Parks. 

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