See below for a list of volunteer openings:

Firstly, our long time community workers Guy and Nicki Freeman are moving on to minister with Youth for Christ in Haliburton/Kiwartha, Ontario.  Guy started in his new role this month and Nicki is staying on until the end of the school year.  We are grateful for their faithful and passionate service over the last 6 years and pray God’s blessing on their new endeavor.

Secondly, we have been running summer camp at Chinese Gospel Church Scarborough (CGCS) for the past two years and would like to expand ministry at this site as well.  Bridletowne Park Church and Chinese Gospel Church Scarborough are both part of the Steeles–L’Amoreaux neighbourhood.  In the 2006 census the City of Toronto listed Steeles-L’Amoreaux as one of the 13 Priority Areas. Priority areas have a “higher than average number of at-risk populations: visible minorities, recent immigrants, and lone-parent families”. (Backgrounder, 2006 census Update on Social risk Factors in the City’s 13 priority Areas). Steeles-L’Amoreaux is no exception with visible minorities making up 79.9% of the population. 

We are pleased to announce that we have hired Tim Yuen as a part-time Community Worker for the Steeles-L’Amoreaux Site.  Tim comes to us with a wealth of experience working with children and youth.  His experience in Chinese churches and his knowledge of both Cantonese and Mandarin will be an asset to his role here.  The children who attended Sonshine Day Camp at CGCS were mostly Chinese. They came from hard working families, some whom speak little to no English.  Being able to translate Bible teaching and activity instructions into Cantonese and Mandarin will allow the children to receive the full impact of God’s teaching and love.

Steeles-L’Amoreaux facts:

• Unemployment rate ages 15+ is 9.3% (compared to City average of 7.6%)
• Visible minorities make up 79.9% of the population
• Visible minority groups:
• Chinese (47.2%)
• South Asian (14.5%)
• Black (6.5%)
• Filipino (3.8%)
• Other…
• Low income after tax 21.8% (compared to City average of 19.4%)
• In one local elementary school: 221 of the 248 students have a primary language other than English

By Jennifer Perry (Community Worker – St. James Town)

I can still remember watching the building burn. I stood outside the school where we run our after school kid’s program, and watched the flames consume the balcony of one of the units. I can only describe it as a surreal experience. All I could do was pray. I knew the building well. This government housing building, located at 200 Wellesley St. E. housed about five of the families that we at TCM have a direct relationship with. In my mind I was quickly thinking about each one, praying for their safety.

The sense of helplessness I felt that night was overwhelming. My eyes were glued to the 24 hour news station. Hours went by and still the flames burned. I just fell on my knees and kept praying.

The next day I received both good news and bad news. The good news was that no one was killed. The bad news, the entire building was evacuated, leaving hundreds searching for somewhere to live.

Over the next couple of days I was relieved to find out that every one of our families was either staying with friends or in a hotel room. Unfortunately, many other residents took up home in the nearby community center.

The residents were not allowed into their apartments for over a week, leaving many without enough clothes or supplies to live normally. We saw this as a great opportunity to share God’s love. We gave the families we work with gift cards to offset the cost of having to pay for a hotel room, food and clothing.

My colleague and I spent a lot of time just emotionally supporting the families that were so deeply traumatized by the experience. I held moms and children as they cried on my shoulder. One of the girls in our program cried because she missed her pet cat.

I knew that God had placed us in this community for a reason. While we couldn’t do much to solve the housing issue, we were able to help out the families we work with both financially and emotionally.

I want to thank you all for your prayers during that time. Through that emergency, we were able share God’s love in very tangible ways. As a result of the crisis, we were able to really deepen the relationships we have with many of the families in the building.

 As of right now, more than half of the residents of 200 Wellesley St. E. are back into their apartments. This includes all of the families that TCM minis-ters to. However, many more people are still displaced from their homes. Please continue to pray that the work on the building would be completed soon, and that improvements would be made to the structure so that there is no risk.

Let me give you a little background about the two of us.  I served as a youth pastor for more than 8 years before God called me to be a missionary to an inner city community in 2001, joining my wife who had already been serving in that ministry for the previous 6 years.

We are very excited about what God will be doing through the two of us.  Our desire and vision is to be “salt and light” in the Malvern community through programs such as:  After School  Kids Club, Tutoring Program, Youth Mentorship Group, Mom’s Support Group, Community Outreach Dinners, etc..  We desire to be the reflection of Jesus not only through the word of God we proclaim, but more importantly, through our life testimony.

Location
View Willowtree in a larger map

Programs

BLiNG (Bring Love in Girls)
EPIC Tutoring
Junior High Drop-In
Highschool Drop-In
Sonshine Day Camp
March Break Day Camp
Lester Wealth Management for KIC

Willowtree Staff

Shelby Hall Community Worker shall@torontocitymission.com	Eliot Kim Community Worker ekim@torontocitymission.com	Natalie Williams Community Worker nwilliams@torontocitymission.com

The highlight of my summer would be walking with the kids whether on a field trip, to the church or back to the Willowtree community. The walks were one of the greatest ways to have quality time with the kids and really get to know more about them. I was so blessed that God opened channels of communication for the kids to share aspects of their life that they would not share during the camp day. Eugenie Choi

Instantly when I thought of the highlight of my summer my mind flashed back to family camp.
Getting to know the mothers up there was really cool for me. Kyrsten Howat
The highlight of my summer comes in smaller moments: Jersey sharing her ice cream with
Tanya, Marcus laughing with joy at how much fun he had at Kidstown, Jessica being invited to
join the “cooler girls” in their group for once, Tanisha sharing her excitement at trying to be-
have well… it’s all of those tiny moments that I’ll remember and take with me. Elizabeth Huyer
Small group was my highlight because it was here that I really connected with my group of
kids. They made up cheers for us, told stories, laughed (a lot), experienced a new level of inti-
macy with us and were listened to and learned more about God. Melissa Lai

So many! Where to start? I think my favourite moments were when the kids sang their hearts
out to God during “singspiration”/worship times. There’s something very special about kids
singing “Jesus, you’re my superhero”! I imagine God is smiling Jacqueline Leung

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us
as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
Ephesians 5:1-2

Location
View Malvern in a larger map
Programs
Women of Hope: English Class and Healthy Baking
KIC (Kids In Community) Afterschool Program
EPIC (Education Provided In Community) Tutoring Program
March Break Camp
Sonshine Day Camp

Malvern Staff

Eric Song Volunteer Engagement Coordinator esong@torontocitymission.com

T

Location
View Larger Map
Programs
GED – Schooling for Single Moms
Daycare (GED)
Bible Study (GED)
Tutoring (GED)

Jane/Finch Staff

Emily Slotegraaf Community Worker eslotegraaf@torontocitymission.com