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Annual Report to Toronto Conference AGM
TORONTO SOUTHEAST PRESBYTERY 2010-2011
Just as there are signs of new life all around us as winter turns to
spring, Toronto Southeast Presbytery shows vivid signs of becoming a
life-giving body for doing God’s mission. During our first year, we focused on
how to enable efficient teamwork. In our second year, we have been seeking ways
of enabling and supporting good, faithful and healthy
communities of faith within our pastoral charges and providing opportunities for
cross-congregational initiatives. The Presbytery Executive, Teams and Committees have been striving to
carry out their mandate faithfully as they support, care for and supervise
congregations who seek to live out God’s mission in the world.
In our journey through 2010 to now,
we value the messages of transformation
heard from our friends, colleagues and partners. As we began this new journey,
we dreamed big dreams and as we work to implement our vision, we are mindful of being the church in, with
and for the world. Our plenary Agenda Planning Team has
incorporated ecological/global/local
justice issues through the faithful work of the Justice and Global Issues, and Inter
Church and Inter Faith Teams while
focusing on our conviction and spirituality.
Presbytery has also paid keen attention to intercultural ministry during
the plenary and in pastoral relations work.
In the midst of challenging
congregational situations, Presbytery has listened attentively and acted
faithfully while supporting, empowering and supervising, with passion and
compassion. To improve our
effectiveness Toronto Southeast Presbytery chose an alternate option of quorum
for the plenary and for consistency with other courts of the church, changed
the name of the Admission Team to the E&S Committee. Through the team work of the Mission
Strategy, Pastoral Relations, Pastoral Oversight and Finance and Property Teams as well as the Communications and
Mission Outreach Teams, the Presbytery has been
able to act quickly with a plan for support and guidance for congregations and a mission
strategy for the future that is informed by the situations of the present.
We have
engaged the mandated education for ministry personnel on Racial Justice and
Sexual Harassment so that we can continue to work as one body with just
relationships. During our meals before the plenary, we have been building
relationships and sharing stories. We have been hearing the bustling sounds of life in
the sharing of visions on God’s mission, attentive
listening to support one another, and enabling effective communication.
We have
also been listening to small voices that talk about emerging areas of mission
and ministry, engaging intercultural experience, reaching
out to the global village, and nurturing our young people. All these speak of our openness to new possibilities
and we are confident this will enable us to strive for
ways that create the Presbytery anew and lead us to transformation in the world.
Our journey as Toronto Southeast
Presbytery has been one of witnessing to transformation through the Spirit, and
rising to the challenge to create new ways. We as Presbytery are moving into deepening our trusting relationships with congregations. We realize that there is no ready-made answer – but we can journey together to create new ways with God’s help. As we venture into our
journey of becoming, we must not avoid
taking risks. What is required in this fast
changing world is to invent, with our
prayer, new ways for change. “In our Church, no work is too small. All are God’s work.” (Peter Short) As we value small hands and small voices, we
are moving forward to bring our hopes
and dreams into vision to become “today’s church for tomorrow’s world.”
Respectfully
submitted,
John
Young-Jung Lee Peter
McNaughton
Chair Secretary
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