So Jere told me my blog is pretty weak and has no pictures so I decided that it is time.
I have been soaking up as much as I can this week. From names, to places, to great places to eat. The main things have been the situation and the people of this church. I have met quite a handful of people and they have been great and very friendly to me. It has been a great first few days and I couldn't have asked for more.
The Community
Where I am located is the northern end of Scarborough. It is quite a bit a ways from the downtown core of Toronto although it is still considered 'urban'. I live on the same road as the church literally 7 houses away from the church. Such a difference compared to Calgary where I always had to drive at least 20 minutes. I feel like Grace Yu or Chris Chan although I walk instead of how they drive. You could say I feel like Steph Tse or Kevin Tse.
So that is basically where I live in Toronto. Its very very very convenient. There is even a mall (kinda like Northhill mall) across the street so that's good too. No temptation to buy that much but has some stores that have what you need. hahaha.
Anyways, the Worship Pastor Albert was telling me some interesting facts about the Community where I am in.
1. Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world
2. Scarborough is the most multicultural community in Toronto
So... that just puts things into perspective about my church. Lots of mainland China New Canadians, lots of Carribean people, lots of senior citizens (because there is a seniors home nearby), lots of Sri Lankens as well. So that has been really interesting to see. There are also two communities that are government housing to the left and to the right of my church. So the community has quite a bit of low income people who attend.
So the variety of different people at the church has been an adjustment for me, but a good adjustment. I really enjoy meeting the people from all different cultures and I am really interested to see if their culture makes their spirituality different from mine as a Chinese boy. haha
The People
The pastoral staff have been great to me. I am mainly working with Tony Sammut (youth pastor) who has been really good at introducing me to everyone and making sure I am comfortable, well fed and keeping busy. He has also told a lot about the church, the community and just anything that I ask him. Kinda reminds me of a Jason Fan really. Its funny, I have been seeing a lot of people here who remind me of people in Calgary. They are like Toronto versions of the people of Calgary.
That's Iain Murray (Children's Pastor) and Tony Sammut (Youth Pastor)
Albert Lu
He is the Worship Pastor I have been working with. He does a lot of the Mainland Chinese programs. Its almost like a congregation on its own really. I hope to get involved in this area as time continues. He has set up a lot of things for me to do and hooked me up with my sweet place. He has been at the church for nearly 4 years and its interesting to learn from his as he has the same cultural background as me and is also ministering to a multicultural multigenerational congregation.
My Homestay
I live with a family of three. Luke and Hilary and their daughter Judith. Judith is around 18 years old and will be leaving for school in September. They have been super nice and cook me some good dinners daily. Its been a huge blessing for me to have such a great situation. I basically have a townhouse basement to myself. I have a big bedroom with a big bed, tv, couch, desk, and dresser type thing. a main foyer area, a bathroom with shower, and a full kitchen with everything. Couldn't ask for more, I was really amazed at how great it was.
The Church
The Church is very interesting in the way that it operates. The community dictates how the church is run. They have 4 main people groups who come to the church.
1. Children at risk
2. Youth at risk
3. Seniors
4. New Canadians
So this has dictated a lot of the building redevelopment that is going on. They built a new nursery that is in a safe area and has clear pick up and drop off zones to ensure safety and clear access. They are in the process of building a new gymnasium for the youth for sports programs. They have built a Seniors wing for Seniors to learn skills with computers and email etc.
So I have been meeting new people left and right and it has been good. Thanks all for your prayers, I am truly grateful and amazed at God's goodness. I keep reminding myself at how good I have it because its pretty crazy how everything worked out so well.
What I will be doing
So far I have some plans set out for me. I will be going on a short term missions trip with the youth at my church. We will be going to a First Nations Reserve where a family has already set some ground work for us to come in. I am really excited to be challenged by God in this setting and hope to be blessed and also be a blessing to the people there.
Other than that, they are hoping that I can help with promotions and communications within the church. Stuff like making the power points possibly more effective, updating the website, creating videos and images and things of that nature. I love doing these types of things so I think it will be something that I will enjoy.
I also am a part of a small group of 20ish people who are around my age and we had lunch on sunday. It was really fun and it was really easy to get along with the people there.
I am also going to be involved in some of the Youth Programs but I am not too too sure with what completely. I will keep you posted!
I have been soaking up as much as I can this week. From names, to places, to great places to eat. The main things have been the situation and the people of this church. I have met quite a handful of people and they have been great and very friendly to me. It has been a great first few days and I couldn't have asked for more.
The Community
Where I am located is the northern end of Scarborough. It is quite a bit a ways from the downtown core of Toronto although it is still considered 'urban'. I live on the same road as the church literally 7 houses away from the church. Such a difference compared to Calgary where I always had to drive at least 20 minutes. I feel like Grace Yu or Chris Chan although I walk instead of how they drive. You could say I feel like Steph Tse or Kevin Tse.
So that is basically where I live in Toronto. Its very very very convenient. There is even a mall (kinda like Northhill mall) across the street so that's good too. No temptation to buy that much but has some stores that have what you need. hahaha.
Anyways, the Worship Pastor Albert was telling me some interesting facts about the Community where I am in.
1. Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world
2. Scarborough is the most multicultural community in Toronto
So... that just puts things into perspective about my church. Lots of mainland China New Canadians, lots of Carribean people, lots of senior citizens (because there is a seniors home nearby), lots of Sri Lankens as well. So that has been really interesting to see. There are also two communities that are government housing to the left and to the right of my church. So the community has quite a bit of low income people who attend.
So the variety of different people at the church has been an adjustment for me, but a good adjustment. I really enjoy meeting the people from all different cultures and I am really interested to see if their culture makes their spirituality different from mine as a Chinese boy. haha
The People
The pastoral staff have been great to me. I am mainly working with Tony Sammut (youth pastor) who has been really good at introducing me to everyone and making sure I am comfortable, well fed and keeping busy. He has also told a lot about the church, the community and just anything that I ask him. Kinda reminds me of a Jason Fan really. Its funny, I have been seeing a lot of people here who remind me of people in Calgary. They are like Toronto versions of the people of Calgary.
That's Iain Murray (Children's Pastor) and Tony Sammut (Youth Pastor)
Albert Lu
He is the Worship Pastor I have been working with. He does a lot of the Mainland Chinese programs. Its almost like a congregation on its own really. I hope to get involved in this area as time continues. He has set up a lot of things for me to do and hooked me up with my sweet place. He has been at the church for nearly 4 years and its interesting to learn from his as he has the same cultural background as me and is also ministering to a multicultural multigenerational congregation.
My Homestay
I live with a family of three. Luke and Hilary and their daughter Judith. Judith is around 18 years old and will be leaving for school in September. They have been super nice and cook me some good dinners daily. Its been a huge blessing for me to have such a great situation. I basically have a townhouse basement to myself. I have a big bedroom with a big bed, tv, couch, desk, and dresser type thing. a main foyer area, a bathroom with shower, and a full kitchen with everything. Couldn't ask for more, I was really amazed at how great it was.
The Church
The Church is very interesting in the way that it operates. The community dictates how the church is run. They have 4 main people groups who come to the church.
1. Children at risk
2. Youth at risk
3. Seniors
4. New Canadians
So this has dictated a lot of the building redevelopment that is going on. They built a new nursery that is in a safe area and has clear pick up and drop off zones to ensure safety and clear access. They are in the process of building a new gymnasium for the youth for sports programs. They have built a Seniors wing for Seniors to learn skills with computers and email etc.
So I have been meeting new people left and right and it has been good. Thanks all for your prayers, I am truly grateful and amazed at God's goodness. I keep reminding myself at how good I have it because its pretty crazy how everything worked out so well.
What I will be doing
So far I have some plans set out for me. I will be going on a short term missions trip with the youth at my church. We will be going to a First Nations Reserve where a family has already set some ground work for us to come in. I am really excited to be challenged by God in this setting and hope to be blessed and also be a blessing to the people there.
Other than that, they are hoping that I can help with promotions and communications within the church. Stuff like making the power points possibly more effective, updating the website, creating videos and images and things of that nature. I love doing these types of things so I think it will be something that I will enjoy.
I also am a part of a small group of 20ish people who are around my age and we had lunch on sunday. It was really fun and it was really easy to get along with the people there.
I am also going to be involved in some of the Youth Programs but I am not too too sure with what completely. I will keep you posted!
I agree with Jere, your pics make the blog better. Nice post.
ReplyDelete