Monday, August 30, 2010
Allan on IVEP
Allan from our community has written a great description of his work with the International Visitor Exchange Program - read the article here, and follow the links for more information.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
thoughts as municipal elections approach...
Here's an article Arnold has written, which we expect will be published in the next issue of the Stouffville Free Press:
Municipal elections are coming soon. Does the church have anything to contribute?
Recently Community Mennonite Church in Stouffville took time to reflect on the needs of our town. We take seriously the Bible’s call to be stewards of the earth and to care for the welfare of our city - in particular, for the needs of the hungry, the outsider, the homeless and the imprisoned. We were very aware of the changes Stouffville has experienced since its beginnings - after all, Stouffville’s founding settlers were Mennonites! Today our town is a fast growing, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community with unique opportunities and complex challenges. Here are a few of our reflections in advance of the municipal election:
Regarding the “outsider” -- or better, the “newcomer”: In 2009, 19% of Gr.3 children in one of our newest schools were born outside of Canada, and 28% were effectively bi-lingual (the first language learned at home was other than English). This is a wonderful gift to our community and should be nurtured. While York Region District School Board will offer 81 language classes as part of its International Languages Elementary Program in 2010-11, we noted that none of these classes will be offered in Stouffville. Hopefully candidates for the school board will address this. Candidates for town council should also be asked for their most creative ideas that embrace the gifts and needs of our town’s new multi-cultural reality.
Regarding the “Poor”: The “long-form census” of 2006 indicates that the median monthly payments for rented dwellings in Whitchurch–Stouffville was 15% higher than the Ontario median, and the average value of homes was 66% higher than the provincial average. Since then soaring housing costs in the region have resulted in a 28% rise in Food Bank use between January 2008 and January 2010. For lack of lower-income housing, the poor leave our community: in 2006, only 4% of residents were in a low-income bracket, compared to the provincial average of 11%. Which candidates have a vision for the poor, e.g., plans for more social or mixed-income housing? What can regional council do better?
Regarding the “Creation”: We live on the environmentally sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine, on the headwaters of the Rouge River, and on the Lake Simcoe watershed. We are to be stewards of this land--for God’s sake and for the sake of future generations. Thankfully, the next phase of our town’s growth is governed by stricter provincial environmental regulations than were in place for Phase One. Vigilance will be crucial: almost all of our neighbouring municipalities have established Environmental (or Watershed) Advisory Committees, and give them high profile on their towns’ respective websites. Whitchurch-Stouffville dismantled its advisory committee some years ago.
Environmental advisory committees can be a nuisance for a town bent on growth. However, a quick survey of our town’s history shows environmental mismanagement devastated the town’s economy once in the early 1900s (deforestation) and also its health and well-being in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, when Toronto’s liquid industrial waste was dumped into an unlined pit above the Stouffville’s main aquifer (north-east of Hwy. 48 and Bloomington Rd). Which candidates for our next council have a vision of sustainable growth? Which candidates will make environmental leadership a signature feature of their campaign—and of our town?
These are a few questions for candidates that come out of the perspective of our faith community. We think that good discussion on these issues will be important for the long-term wellbeing of our town and its residents.
Some of our church members are new to Stouffville and some are descendents of the town’s original settler families. Yet we share a common faith commitment to ask and speak for the needs of the newcomer, the poor, and the creation. We hope to be a place where passion for Jesus and justice meet and take root.
If you are new to Stouffville and looking for a faith community--or simply curious--you are welcome to visit us. We have chosen not to build a structure, but we meet in rented facilities at Parkview Village Auditorium (9th Line) at 11 am. You can also visit our blog at www.communitymennovoices.blogspot.com .
-Arnold Neufeldt-Fast
Municipal elections are coming soon. Does the church have anything to contribute?
Recently Community Mennonite Church in Stouffville took time to reflect on the needs of our town. We take seriously the Bible’s call to be stewards of the earth and to care for the welfare of our city - in particular, for the needs of the hungry, the outsider, the homeless and the imprisoned. We were very aware of the changes Stouffville has experienced since its beginnings - after all, Stouffville’s founding settlers were Mennonites! Today our town is a fast growing, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community with unique opportunities and complex challenges. Here are a few of our reflections in advance of the municipal election:
Regarding the “outsider” -- or better, the “newcomer”: In 2009, 19% of Gr.3 children in one of our newest schools were born outside of Canada, and 28% were effectively bi-lingual (the first language learned at home was other than English). This is a wonderful gift to our community and should be nurtured. While York Region District School Board will offer 81 language classes as part of its International Languages Elementary Program in 2010-11, we noted that none of these classes will be offered in Stouffville. Hopefully candidates for the school board will address this. Candidates for town council should also be asked for their most creative ideas that embrace the gifts and needs of our town’s new multi-cultural reality.
Regarding the “Poor”: The “long-form census” of 2006 indicates that the median monthly payments for rented dwellings in Whitchurch–Stouffville was 15% higher than the Ontario median, and the average value of homes was 66% higher than the provincial average. Since then soaring housing costs in the region have resulted in a 28% rise in Food Bank use between January 2008 and January 2010. For lack of lower-income housing, the poor leave our community: in 2006, only 4% of residents were in a low-income bracket, compared to the provincial average of 11%. Which candidates have a vision for the poor, e.g., plans for more social or mixed-income housing? What can regional council do better?
Regarding the “Creation”: We live on the environmentally sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine, on the headwaters of the Rouge River, and on the Lake Simcoe watershed. We are to be stewards of this land--for God’s sake and for the sake of future generations. Thankfully, the next phase of our town’s growth is governed by stricter provincial environmental regulations than were in place for Phase One. Vigilance will be crucial: almost all of our neighbouring municipalities have established Environmental (or Watershed) Advisory Committees, and give them high profile on their towns’ respective websites. Whitchurch-Stouffville dismantled its advisory committee some years ago.
Environmental advisory committees can be a nuisance for a town bent on growth. However, a quick survey of our town’s history shows environmental mismanagement devastated the town’s economy once in the early 1900s (deforestation) and also its health and well-being in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, when Toronto’s liquid industrial waste was dumped into an unlined pit above the Stouffville’s main aquifer (north-east of Hwy. 48 and Bloomington Rd). Which candidates for our next council have a vision of sustainable growth? Which candidates will make environmental leadership a signature feature of their campaign—and of our town?
These are a few questions for candidates that come out of the perspective of our faith community. We think that good discussion on these issues will be important for the long-term wellbeing of our town and its residents.
Some of our church members are new to Stouffville and some are descendents of the town’s original settler families. Yet we share a common faith commitment to ask and speak for the needs of the newcomer, the poor, and the creation. We hope to be a place where passion for Jesus and justice meet and take root.
If you are new to Stouffville and looking for a faith community--or simply curious--you are welcome to visit us. We have chosen not to build a structure, but we meet in rented facilities at Parkview Village Auditorium (9th Line) at 11 am. You can also visit our blog at www.communitymennovoices.blogspot.com .
-Arnold Neufeldt-Fast
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