anglican church of canada – diocese of algoma thunder bay...

Anglican Church of Canada – Diocese of Algoma Thunder Bay – North Shore Deanery

Together in Hope Committee

September 7, 2016 1

TOGETHER IN HOPE COMMITTEE – SECOND INTERIM REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Together in Hope Committee was formed in July of 2015 at the request of some parishes concerned about their future viability. It is a lay-driven committee, consisting of lay representatives of all parishes in the City of Thunder Bay (the City) and West Thunder Bay and the Ven. Deborah Kraft, Archdeacon of the Thunder Bay – North Shore Deanery (the Deanery) of the Diocese of Algoma (the Diocese). The job of the Committee is to report on the situation of the Anglican parishes (Parishes) in the City and West Thunder Bay, including the wishes of the people, and to make recommendations going forward. The Committee is advisory only; it has no decision-making powers. This Second Interim Report contains a large amount of information gathered by the committee about the situation of the parishes, including a Church Buildings and Facilities Evaluation, Financial Information and Parish Statistics. It also sets out the Organizational Models under consideration for Parishes. It is hoped that this report will be widely circulated and stimulate discussion about the future among Anglicans in Thunder Bay and West Thunder Bay. Feedback to the committee is welcome and Town Hall meetings are being held in all Parishes. Based on the information in this 2nd Interim Report and the feedback we receive, the Committee will make a Final Report, including Conclusions and Recommendations, to Deanery Council by the end of 2016, and its work will then be complete.

Together in Hope Committee Second Interim Report

September 7, 2016 2

CONTENTS 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 3

2. Background Information……………………………………………………………….. 3

3. Goal and Objectives……………………………………………………………………. 4

4. Parish Information………………………………………………………………………. 5

1 Current Organizational Models…………………………………………………… 5

2 Church Building and Facilities Evaluation……………………………………….. 6

Table 1 – Parish Facilities Information

3 Parish Missions and Ministries……………………………………………………. 8

Table 2 – Signs of Parish Vitality/Growth and Missing/faltering Ministries

4 Financial Information………………………………………………………………. 11

Table 3 – Parish Financial Performance (Appendix A)

Table 4 – Parish Apportionment and Stipend Arrears (April 2016)

Table 5 – Parish Loans from the Archbishop Wright Building Fund (July 31, 2016)

5 Parish Statistics…………………………………………………………………….. 11

Table 6 – Parish Statistics (Data source: 2015 Vestry Reports)

6 Challenges of Clergy Recruitment and Retention………………………………. 13

7 Organizational Models Under Consideration for Parishes…………………….. 13

5. Church Beyond Re-Organization: Revitalization / Renewal? ................................ 14

6. Conclusions and Recommendations…………………………………………………. 15

7. Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………….. 16

8. Signatures……………………………………………………………………………….. 16

Appendix A…………………………………………………………………………………… 17


September 7, 2016 3

1. INTRODUCTION

The Together in Hope Committee (the Committee) was formed in July of 2015 at the request of parishes concerned about their future viability, because of challenges in the availability of “time, talent and treasure.” It is a lay-driven committee, consisting of lay representatives of all parishes in the City of Thunder Bay (the City) and West Thunder Bay and the Ven. Deborah Kraft, Archdeacon of the Thunder Bay – North Shore Deanery (the Deanery) of the Diocese of Algoma (the Diocese). The job of the Committee is to report on the situation of the Anglican parishes in the City and West Thunder Bay, including the wishes of the people, and to make recommendations going forward, as described in Section 3—Goal and Objectives. The Committee is advisory only; it has no decision-making powers. This fall, Town Hall meetings are being held in all parishes. Based on the information in the 2nd Interim Report (copies of which are available) and the feedback from these meetings, the Committee will make a Final Report to Deanery Council by the end of 2016, and its work will then be complete.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A decline in church attendance leading to inadequacy of the resources needed to sustain a healthy congregation is not unique to Anglican parishes in Thunder Bay. In Muskoka Deanery, 40% of churches are going to close in the next 2 years.1 In Sault Ste. Marie, 2 parishes (St. Matthew’s and St. John the Evangelist) are proceeding with a merger with team ministry. They have chosen a new name for the combined parish, Emmaus. They will be meeting at St. Matthew’s for the time being and are exploring the possibility of a new building.2 Other mainline denominations in Thunder Bay have experienced church closures/mergers: e.g., First United, closed 2010; Knox United Pruden closed 2014; Immanuel Lutheran closed 2015; First Baptist closed 2014, with the congregation meeting in church without walls. In recent years, the number of local citizens declaring the Anglican faith has declined significantly. In 2001, there were 10,765 self-identified Anglicans in Thunder Bay3; in 2011, there were 8,940 self-identified Anglicans in Thunder Bay4, a decrease of 17% in 10 years.

1 Diocese of Algoma, Anglican Church of Canada, Bishop’s Recommendation for the Reorganisation of Ministry in Muskoka. 2 Diocese of Algoma Website Announcement, July 7, 2016, https://algomadeanery.com/2016/07/07/a-new-community-emmaus-anglican-church/ 3 Statistics Canada http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/datasets/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=67771&PRID=0&PTYPE=55496&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=56&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= 4 Statistics Canada NHS Profile, Thunder Bay, CY, Ontario, 2011 http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3558004&Data=Count&SearchText=Thu


September 7, 2016 4

Church attendance in Canada is down in all age categories.5 According to a report by Reginald Bibby, the percentage of Canadians who never attend religious services has increased from 20% to 40% between 1975 and 2011.6 Most of our parishes now have average Sunday attendance under 100 (See Table 6 - Parish Statistics). In a publication by the Alban Institute pertaining to smaller congregations in the USA, Alice Mann, its Senior Consultant, asserts that:

many smaller churches share a need to find alternatives to a “conventional” ministry model—one which pre-supposes that each congregation will have its own separate facility and be served by a full-time, salaried, seminary-trained pastor. While there are some exceptions (including small churches that draw routinely from endowment funds to maintain a full-time clergy position), congregations with an average weekly attendance of less than 100 usually find it difficult or impossible to support a full-time pastoral position from their own resources7 (emphasis added).

3. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

This section presents a statement of the goal and objectives of the Committee. It has been significantly revised from that published in the 2016 Report to Vestries issued to parishes on January 8, 2016, to more accurately describe the purpose of the Committee.

1 Goal

Facing a decline in resources of time, talent and treasure, the parishes of the Thunder Bay – North Shore Deanery (the Deanery) have formed the Together in Hope Committee to: Recommend sustainable organizational models for the parishes of the Deanery that will enable Anglicans to experience the love of Jesus and to share the faith through caring and service with others in the communities of the Deanery and beyond.

2 Objectives

• Inventory parish resources (May-June, 2016):

o Financial status/projections o Facilities—including capacity and deferred maintenance o Membership statistics and trends for the churches in Thunder Bay o Service attendance and associated data—per diocesan guidelines

nder%20Bay&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Religion&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 5 Statistics Canada, Frequency of religious attendence, by age, 1985 to 2005, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-630-x/2008001/c-g/10650/5201030-eng.htm 6 Reginald W. Bibby, Religion and Spirituality Remain Pervasive, Project Canada Surveys, Statistics Canada, April 8, 2012. 7 Alice Mann, The Smaller Congregation—Pathways in Challenging Times, The Alban Institute, 2009.


September 7, 2016 5

o Parish ministries and missions, including missing and faltering ministries o Current organizational models

Provide interpretation of results as they relate to recommendations. Assess parishes in terms of those ministries and missions that are essential for a vital parish and the time and talent resources that are necessary to sustain its vitality.

• Prepare and submit a second interim report (July-August, 2016). • Review content and conclusions of the second interim report with parishes at

“town-hall” meetings (September-October, 2016).

Consider the potential to share resources for services, ministries/missions, and use of facilities.

• Establish criteria for rating the vitality and sustainability of a parish based on

the aforementioned information (October-November, 2016).

Develop and document recommendations for organizational models that are appropriate for the sustainability of the parishes of the Deanery. Incorporate feedback from parish “town-hall” meetings.

• Arrange periodic, multi-parish special services (3rd TIH service scheduled for

November, 2016).

Build relationships among parishes. • Prepare and submit a final report (November-December, 2016).

Incorporating information from the interim reports, parish feedback from “town-hall” meetings and input from individual parishioners, and recommendations.

4. PARISH INFORMATION

This section presents various categories of information pertaining to both individual parishes and general issues. This information will serve as the basis for recommendations made by the Committee. 1 Current Organizational Models

St. George’s Part-time St. John’s and St. Luke’s Multi-point with full-time incumbent (interim

arrangement that will expire December 31, 2017) St. Mark’s and St. James’ Multi-point with full-time incumbent St. Michael’s Full-time (vacant) St. Paul’s Full-time St. Stephen’s Part-time St. Thomas’ Full-time


September 7, 2016 6

2 Church Building and Facilities Evaluation

Al Chisholm (St. John’s) and Scott Martin (Committee Chair) have met with parish representatives on site to review the condition of each church building and, where applicable, its rectory. A report has been prepared for each parish containing the information obtained during the review. Reports are available from parish representatives. Table 1 (see page 7) summarizes key information from those reports.


September 7, 2016 7

Table 1 Parish Facilities Information

Accessibility2 Capacity

Ramp

/lift Wash -room

Annual Cost (CAD)

Deferred Maintenance5 Parish Seating Hall1 Rectory Utilities3 Maintenance4 Est. Cost6 Projects7

Thunder Bay North

St. George's 100 80 ✔ 14,500.00 2,000.00 25,300.00 Rvw roof

structure; replace furnaces.

St. John's 246 NA ✔ 25,600.00 2,100.00 10,000.00 Kitchen

upgrade.

St. Michael's 350 240 ✔ ✔ ✔ 23,000.00 7,400.00 55,300.00 Foundation drainage; electrical upgrade; replace boilers; rectory windows & doors.

St. Stephens 104 89 ✔ 8,300.00 900.00 19,150.00 Replace

furnace. Sub-total: 800 71,400.00 12,400.00 109,750.00

Thunder Bay South

St. Luke's 180 120 ✔ 23,700.00 2,700.00 17,000.00 Hall roof.

St. Paul's 500 NA ✔ ✔ 30,500.00 12,800.00 18,000.00 Repl nave carpet.

St. Thomas' 350 156 ✔ ✔ ✔ 27,200.00 1,000.00 67,600.00 1952 addn

roof; replace 2 doors.

Sub-total: 1030 81,400.00 16,500.00 102,600.00 West Thunder Bay

St. James' 80 60 ✔ 4,400.00 1,700.00 2,800.00

St. Mark's 128 101 ✔ ✔ ✔ 12,200.00 6,100.00 14,200.00 Rectory roof.

Sub-total: 208 16,600.00 7,800.00 17,000.00 Grand total: 2038 169,400.00 36,700.00 229,350.00 Information obtained in discussion with parish representatives. NA indicates that information is not available. Notes:

1 Non-fixed seats with tables.

2 Rectory not included.

3 2015 fuel; electricity; water/sewer; telecommunications; safety & security; property insurance; property tax (rectory).

4 Materials and contract labour (volunteer time is not evaluated).

5 "Deferred maintenance" denotes repairs to or replacement of a building component that

has reached the end of its service life. Includes rectory.

6 If a cost estimate is not available, a WAG (wildly-aimed guess) has been made. 7 Deferred maintenance work estimated to cost over $5,000 (each).


September 7, 2016 8

3 Parish Missions and Ministries

In most of the churches, “missions” are viewed as outreach work, while “ministries” are viewed as the internal activities of the church and, as defined by the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, are “a form of Christian service effected by a lay person”. This is a brief review of Parish Mission Statements, Outreach Missions, Internal Ministries and concerns about capacity (time and talent). Parish Mission Statements While the statements vary a great deal in presentation there are several words used in common such as caring, sharing, nurturing, and welcoming. Most of the statements include references to community or environment. This includes both the community within the church and the larger community external to the church. All the statements reflect a faith-based manner to achieve this such as “…strive to follow Christ’s teaching…”; “… proclaim, celebrate and be a living witness to God in Jesus Christ…”; “…living and serving in Grace to the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”; “…reflecting God’s love of all creation, revealed through Jesus Christ our Lord.”; “… nurture spiritual lives as we share God’s love.”; “… seek to follow Jesus joyfully…”; “joyfully continuing the work of Jesus.”; and “…called to bring our Lord’s grace, love and peace to everyone.” Outreach Missions All parishes contribute to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), the Mission to Seafarers, The annual Deanery BBQ at Shelter House, and Camp Gitchigomee. Several parishes contribute to national and international groups such as World Vision, Lifewater Canada, the Diocese of the Arctic, special fundraisers for Zambia and Medical Equipment Modernization Opportunities (MEMO). The majority of our missions are within our local area. It is impressive to see the amount and the scope of the volunteer work undertaken. The projects cover all ages from children and youth in the Boys and Girls Club, the Underground Gym and the St. James School Healthy Snacks to the elderly with monthly services in each of the Homes for the Aged. Much of the outreach is directed towards food distribution such as the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA),the Thunder Bay Food Bank, the Rural Food Bank, Current River Food Bank, St. John’s Food Cupboard, and St. Thomas’ Giving Centre as well as Shelter House, the Dew Drop Inn and Grace Place. In addition, our parishes help with other causes such as the Faye Peterson Transition House, Dilico, the John Howard Society, Elevate NWO, and Christmas Cheer. Women of the four churches in the north ward of Thunder Bay work with women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCiC) to address poverty in the city of Thunder and annually present a substantial bursary to an individual entering college or university. The number and scope of the missions is large and they require a differing degree of involvement from the various parishes. Some parishes focus more on one mission while still maintaining a lesser commitment and involvement with some others. For example, St. Luke’s’ major focus is Camp Gitchigomee, St.


September 7, 2016 9

John’s manages a food bank, St. Thomas’ a Family Giving Centre, and St. George’s a school snacks program. All these missions take time, energy, commitment and, in many cases, funding. We did not attempt to add up the number of people involved or the number of hours spent. There are some commonalities among the churches in these outreach programs (e.g., Shelter House and Dew Drop Inn; serving the local community of each parish).

Internal Ministries

All the churches include the usual ministries of Altar Guild, Lay Readers, Eucharistic Assistants, Sunday School, Home Visitor, Prayer Chains etc. Some but not all include Bible Study groups and Anglican Church Women (ACW) groups. In addition to these are social activities such as craft groups, card nights, men’s breakfast, and special suppers. These vary in numbers with some church having several and others very few. Most churches have some form of fundraising such as yard sales, teas, fish suppers, pancake suppers. Again, this does not capture either the number of people involved or the hours spent. Concerns about Capacity for Mission and Ministries While there appears to be a great deal of activity at all the churches, there has been concern expressed about decline in some activities. In the past year, ACW groups at two churches have disbanded; fundraising activities have decreased in a couple of churches and some special events such as men’s breakfasts are no longer happening at one church. Two churches identified the lack of midweek services and one church identified the possible decrease in most of the lay ministries such as greeter, lay readers etc. At the present time there is a great deal of Mission and Ministry activity by a relatively small number of people. It is difficult to project how long this will continue since one often hears the terms “burn out” and “lack of capacity” being mentioned when new or even established events are discussed. Yet it is generally considered that a healthy church is one with outreach so in consideration of any new model of ministry in Thunder Bay, the missions and ministries will be an important component. In conjunction with the foregoing description of missions and ministries, Committee members were asked to identify the top three signs of vitality/growth for their respective parishes, as well as three concerns about missing or faltering ministries. Submissions are presented in Table 2 (see page 10).


September 7, 2016 10

Table 2 Signs of Parish Vitality/Growth and Missing/faltering Ministries

Parish Top Signs of Vitality / Growth (can include outreach) Missing or Faltering Ministry Concerns

St. George’s • ACW Active and healthy • 3 active Lay Readers and 1

Eucharistic Assistant • Outreach Committee

• No Worship committee • No Screening in Faith Committee • Stewardship, Screening, Property all

taken care of by the Wardens St. Stephen’s • Liturgy Committee active

• Deeply committed parishioners • Well attended Pasta Suppers – for

food and fellowship

• No ACW • No current lay reader (but two in

training) • No visitation team

St. John’s • 2 honorary assistants • midweek afternoon socials • continuing search for funding for

accessibility and outreach through technology

• No ACW • Natural Church Development

committee on hold • Only one lay reader and none in

training. St. Michael’s • Active youth ministry w paid leader

• Lenten discipleship book study (Feb / Mar 2016)

• Congregational development workshop with Jay Koyle (Nov 2015)

• Worship Committee inactive • No Lay Readers-in-training • No visitation team

St. Paul’s • Food for the Soul ~ mission of growing as a spiritual growth centre

• Strong First Nations ministry (4 First Nations Diocesan Lay Readers)

• Young families with children

• Status quo attendance and offering • No ACW • More services than ever but smaller

Altar Guild

St. Luke’s • Camp Gitchigomee, Grace Place, gardens & green space

• Weekly email updates and Facebook page w sermon postings

• Hospitality including fellowship/coffee hours

• Few discipleship opportunities, little demand

• Smaller number of older congregants wearing multiple “hats” (few doing most)

• Members of ACW, choir, altar guild not being refreshed

St. Thomas’ • Family Giving Centre • Youth Group • New Incumbent

• ACW & Altar Guild faltering (both because most are elderly)

• No Thursday Morning Service • No Saturday Evening Contemporary

Services St. Mark’s • Shelter House, Grace Place, Rural

Food Bank • Vacation Bible School & other

activities for Youth • Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study

• Exhausted ACW • No Sunday School Teacher • Aged congregation (lack of

volunteers)

St. James’ • Shelter House, Grace Place, Rural Food Bank

• Vacation Bible School & other activities for Youth

• Fund raising for the Rural Food Bank

• No Sunday School Teacher • No nursery—ad hoc volunteers care

for kids • Aged congregation (lack of

volunteers)



4 Financial Information Financial performance evaluated for 2014 and 2015 from data published in parish vestry reports and supplied by the Diocese is shown in Table 3—see Appendix A.

Indebtedness of parishes is shown in Table 4 for apportionment and stipend arrears (as of April, 2016) and in Table 5 for loans from the Archbishop Wright Building Fund (as of July 31, 2016). Table 4 Parish Apportionment and Stipend Arrears (April 2016)

Table 5 Parish Loans from the Archbishop Wright Building Fund (July 31, 2016)

5 Parish Statistics

Statistics for each parish are presented in Table 6 (see page 12).



Table 6 Parish Statistics (Data source: 2015 Vestry Reports) Parish Total

members on Parish Roll

Average total attendance at Sunday Service (including Sunday School/Nursery children & staff and service participants)

Children and Sunday School

Number of Active Youth (whether or not there is a youth group)

Number of Homebound Parishioners

Thunder Bay North

St. George’s 63 30 4 teachers; 5 pupils

1 2

St. John’s 98 50 1 teacher; 5 pupils

2 25

St. Michael’s 294 87* 4 teachers; 27 pupils

15 13

St. Stephen’s

172 35 2 teachers; 4 pupils

2 6-7

Subtotal for Thunder Bay North

627 203 About 41 pupils

20 active youth

46-47

Thunder Bay South

St. Luke’s 317 62 6 teachers; 43 pupils

on register, average

10-14 weekly

1 16

St. Paul’s 580 142 (incl. Saturday

5 p.m.)

5 teachers; 24 pupils

Youth group meets

weekly, 9 youth

are active

20 - 25

St. Thomas’ 203 97 4 teachers; 15 pupils

9 20

Subtotal for Thunder Bay South

1100 301 About 49 pupils

19 active youth

56-61

West Thunder Bay

St. James’ 107 21

n/a 1 3

St. Mark’s 144 36 1 teacher; 4 pupils

3 7

Subtotal for West Thunder Bay

251 57 4 pupils 4 10

TOTAL for City of Thunder Bay and West Thunder Bay

1978 on Parish

Rolls

561 Average Sunday

attendance

About 94 pupils

43 active youth

102-109 Homebound

* based on Jan. 1 – June 30, 2015



6 Challenges of Clergy Recruitment and Retention

For each organizational model, an ordained priest or a team of priests serves as the incumbent. If an incumbency is vacated, which becomes increasingly likely as present incumbents advance in age, the parish will convene a Concurrence Committee to review the Bishop’s nominees to fill the vacancy. In that event, a parish in Thunder Bay is faced with the following constraints: • The pool of candidates willing and able to relocate (sometimes with spouse

and children) to this region is limited; • Most candidates, especially “younger clergy, who can bring youthful energy

that has a chance of connecting with a future generation of disciples”8 will prefer a single-point, full-time situation;

• An income stream sufficient to support the incumbent for at least five years should be assured.

• Often, the successful candidate must relocate to Thunder Bay, at significant cost to the parish.

7 Organizational Models Under Consideration for Parishes

The Committee is considering which organizational models foster vital and sustainable parishes. Those models are: Single-point, full-time clergy A single parish provides full-time incumbency. This is the model promoted by the Diocese as most conducive to growth. Multi-point, full-time clergy Two (or, conceivably, more) parishes/congregations each utilize the incumbent on a part-time basis. The combination of part-time charges provides full-time incumbency. Typically, time demands placed on the incumbent and the costs of ministry are shared proportionally. Merger of parishes Two (or, conceivably, more) parishes merge to become a single parish. One church building remains open, or a new facility is acquired, to accommodate the combined congregations. The incumbency is a single-point, full-time situation; it may also be possible to finance team ministry. Single-point, part-time clergy A single parish provides part-time incumbency in accordance with its financial resources.

8 Diocese of Algoma, Anglican Church of Canada, Bishop’s Recommendation for the Reorganisation of Ministry in Muskoka, p1.



5. CHURCH BEYOND RE-ORGANIZATION: REVITALIZATION / RENEWAL ?

Our Current Model of Ministry—primarily Sunday Morning worship and various missions throughout the week—is not working particularly well; if it were, we wouldn’t have a TIH committee! So it begs a few questions: If we simply reorganize, will the current trend of diminishing resources continue? Should we change, or at least broaden our model of ministry in an attempt to effect revitalization / renewal? Is that realistic or achievable? The answer is probably “it depends” and “possibly”…….. There are lots of helpful resources “out there” to guide parish leadership in renewal possibilities but Alice Mann, author of the paper “The Smaller Congregation – Pathways in Challenging Times” (Alban Institute)9 suggests that setting a goal of growth [revitalization] to a size where full-time clergy are affordable may be “wishful thinking”. This is particularly the case when long-term trends of decline have been evident for years/decades [such as many of our parishes]. This trend is not easily reversed, and usually signals that the congregation’s sense of identity and purpose is no longer a viable foundation for congregational vitality and viability; a fundamental change is needed. So what fundamental changes to our sense of identity and purpose are necessary to trigger renewal/revitalization? If we “roll up our sleeves” and try harder—won’t that just get us more tired? Above all, we need to honestly examine our motives—what are they? Duty? Guilt? Inertia? The Great Commission? Embracing our belovedness—by God and by others? And is there really a hunger for change & growth—spiritually, numerically…….? This is something each congregation will have to wrestle with through prayer and dialogue and their sense of how they can get on board with God’s mission. In her book “Christianity for the Rest of Us”, Diana Butler Bass10 visited numerous main-line neighbourhood churches, and discovered many vibrant spiritual communities that have common “signposts” of renewal such as hospitality, discernment, healing, justice etc. In her words: “The churches I visited had not closed their eyes to change. Indeed, they were wide-eyed congregations in which new things were happening, lives were being transformed, and grassroots communal actions offered new possibilities for the body politic. None of the congregations…practiced business-as-usual-church. All were reaching toward a future they could not fully see—a future of faith, hope and love.” And that ”….. change was not always easy, and churches were not perfect—but embodied courage, creativity, imagination and risk.” We recall that many parishes of the Deanery did a study on this book a year or two ago—as part of the “Shaped by a Living Hope” parish assessment exercise implemented by the diocese. Was there any fruit or a fundamental shift in any parishes? What happened? Has any parish other than St. Michael’s had a workshop

9 Alice Mann, The Smaller Congregation—Pathways in Challenging Times, The Alban Institute, 2009. 10 Diane Butler Bass, Christianity for the Rest of Us, HarperCollins, New York, 2006.



with Jay Koyle? Are parishes making use of these resources to help effect renewal? A straw poll suggests not. Why not? Jay Koyle recommended (email communication) to our committee that rather than examine why we “go to” or “join” a church, we should ask “why a church.” In the preface of the St. John the Evangelist Assessment Report11, the church is described as existing “to live in the midst of the world as a sign, witness and foretaste of God’s promised Kingdom.” Going to or joining a church implies a building and a formal organized structure, regular attendance at services and events. However, looking at why the church exists in the first place takes us far beyond the building and the organizational structure; it asks us, as one writer says, “to go and be” not to invite others “to come and see,” and to practice discipleship. A link between “why we go” to church and “why a church” is perhaps the concept of community, whether that be the sense of community that we look for and experience within the church as a member of a church or as a member of a church living and working in the larger community in which a particular church participates. The Church of England’s report Released for Mission: Growing the Rural Church12 points to the important role of the church within a community and the transactional benefits of members to both church and community. While churches in Thunder Bay may not be considered rural, they are still important components of their neighbourhoods, and the principles of this report could be applied as steps towards renewal. One more of many other resources to guide parishes toward renewal is the article “Twelve steps to church growth”—the Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi (Diocese of Montreal, May, 2011). But ultimately, renewal / revitalization takes time, energy and focus and should not/cannot be primarily by the incumbent. Each congregation will need to wrestle, pray, and engage in deep fellowship to discern what their part in God’s mission will look like. We invite, no, implore all to do so.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The purpose of this, the Committee’s 2nd Interim Report, is to present information about the parishes provided by parish representatives, and to stimulate consideration of its content and discussion thereof by parishioners. With reference to Objectives in Section 3, in its Final Report the Committee will draw conclusions from the parish information presented in this report and the results of parish Town Hall meetings, and will make recommendations for organizational models for the parishes in Thunder Bay. The Final Report will also contain a brief statement of the key facts for and feedback from each parish.

11 Diocese of Algoma Congregational Development Officer, Shaped by a Living Hope Assessment Report (St. John’s Thunder Bay), undated. 12 The Church of England, Released for Mission: Growing the Rural Church, [https://www.churchofengland.org/media/2148423/gs%20misc%], 2015.



7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to the members of the Committee, who have provided information regarding their respective parishes and have participated diligently and prayerfully in the deliberations and activities of the Committee. Please feel free to contact committee members with any questions or suggestions you may have. Members are: St. George’s Ingrid Koropeski 345-1701 [email protected] & JoAnn Meakin 344-3964 [email protected] St. John’s Marg Boone 345-2184 [email protected] & Jim Green 767-5267 [email protected] St. Luke’s Jim Sutton 622-6263 [email protected] & Marjorie Tutkaluk 622-2033 [email protected] St. Michael’s Scott Martin—Chair 344-7818 [email protected] St. Paul’s Deborah de Bakker 345-0353 [email protected] St. Thomas’ Bonnie Shipston 577-6098 [email protected] & Megan Torfe 622-6146 [email protected] St. Stephen’s Janet Morgan 683-6722 [email protected] West Thunder Bay Brent Sand 939-2768 [email protected]

Also greatly appreciated is the enthusiastic support for the work of the Committee offered by Archdeacon Deborah Kraft. Archdeacon Kraft has attended a portion of most Committee meetings during which she has provided useful information and sound advice. Al Chisholm of St. John’s parish is commended for having initiated condition reviews of church facilities and for having developed a comprehensive checklist for that purpose. Finally, appreciation is expressed to those parishioners who gave of their time to meet with the facilities review team and to provide the information necessary for completing the checklist.

8. SIGNATURES

This report is respectfully submitted on behalf of the Committee by the undersigned,

Scott Martin Chairperson—Together in Hope Committee of the Thunder Bay – North Shore Deanery of the Diocese of Algoma.



Appendix A Table 3 - Parish Financial Performance 2014 2015 2014 2015 St. John's St. Luke's Income

Envelopes & EOP 123,612 118,201

126,509 123,217 Fundraising 17,690 17,544

0 446

Other Income 0 0

1,018 216 Interest 0 0

2,704 1,288

Total Revenue 141,301 135,745 130,231 125,167 Expenses

Rector 50,943 37,740

71,613 76,760 Music Program 6,367 4,800

6,660 6,715

Admin 3,996 5,594

15,314 14,916 Property 30,615 28,442

15,065 27,299

Apportionment 33,421 32,423

30,727 31,478 Other Expenses 5,151 6,526

17,098 25,691

Fundraising 3,375 2,775

Apportionment adj. for arrears Total Expenses 133,867 118,300 156,477 182,859 Net Revenue 7,434 17,445 -26,246 -57,691 West Thunder Bay St. George's Income

Envelopes & EOP 114,040 104,420

45,234 46,722 Fundraising 6,059 3,685

3,919 2,878

Other Income 63,639 12,441

11,870 15,448 Interest 0 0

195 190


Rector 65,351 64,950

23,723 24,133 Music Program 3,860 4,400

3,070 3,300

Admin 12,912 7,505

680 667 Property 23,300 15,709

16,352 16,895


16,719 11,439 Other Expenses 60,146 4,000

1,848 4,208

Fundraising 0 0

0 875 Total Expenses 193,620 122,197 62,392 61,517 Net Revenue -9,882 -1,651 -1,173 3,721



Appendix A Table 3 - Parish Financial Performance

2014 2015 2014 2015

St. Thomas' St. Paul's Income

Envelopes & EOP 207,199 198,917

279,279 276,702 Fundraising 36,776 3,435

0 0

Other Income 48,594 29,986

9,306 6,641 Interest 3 3

4,089 3,032


Rector 64,483 64,029

79,650 82,147 Music Program 10,825 9,200

17,760 13,334

Admin 25,007 22,828

43,389 46,797 Property 62,020 31,730

54,188 49,154


71,732 71,249 Other Expenses 73,361 41,401

23,214 20,122


0 0 Total Expenses 294,839 226,996 289,933 282,803 Net Revenue -2,267 5,345 2,741 3,572 St. Michael's

St. Stephen's

Income

Envelopes & EOP 135,432 143,981

57,832 68,544


13,342 12,979 Other Income 0 19,133

15,183 12,418

Interest 612 1,206

1,408 879 Total Revenue 155,155 179,075 87,766 94,820 Expenses

Rector 80,667 61,328

39,959 40,470 Music Program 9,373 10,760

2,945 3,181

Admin 15,839 26,377

475 800 Property 25,646 20,017

10,136 12,502


21,380 15,197 Other Expenses 7,250 23,131

14,700 27,550

Fundraising 1,552 891

3,093 20 Total Expenses 171,644 179,736 92,688 99,720 Net Revenue -3,343 -661 -4,923 -4,900 Notes:

These figures are for comparative purposes and have been adjusted so that all churches are reporting the same income and expense items, in a similar manner.

Expenses are shown in the year in which they were incurred, rather than in the year in which they were paid. Rental income has been shown as a net income figure. Some items were not shared among all churches and so were not included.

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