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
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how do your gardens grow?
I brought my Mum to the garden today and together we harvested beans, peas, beets, onions, lettuce and even a few baby carrots! She was quite impressed. Isaac, Sarah and I are so pleased with what the Earth has produced already! It is SO neat to watch these wee little seeds turn into something nutritious and delicious. We definitely feel blessed to be a part of this growing process and rather resourceful as we munch on our greens.
So - in case you haven't sauntered over to the garden in a while, go today because your beans are probably ready! And if they're not, come to our place and we'll share...we've got lots. :)
God is quite the Gardener. All we have to do is plant a seed, and trust.
-Rebecca
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Baby Greens
Here are some photos of our Community Garden.
I noticed that some people have already been eating spring salads! I love seeing the babylike green shoots pop out of the ground.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Canadian Foodgrains Bank Corn
Hey Church!
We have some exciting growing projects on Ninth Line right now, don't we? From our Community Garden, to acres of corn for the Canadian FoodGrains Bank, we are so blessed with resources, land and a Spirit of awareness and sharing.
Here's a snapshot of our Canadian FoodGrains Bank growing project. The corn was planted at the beginning of June. By the end of the summer, this blog will be a photojournal of the crop's growth! (And any time you are heading North on Ninth Line, keep an eye out for the sign and take a look for yourself!)
Keep growing wee corn plants!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How well do we know our town?
In preparation for this week's adult Sunday School class, Arnold sent around this message... follow the links to lots of interesting information about our town... as Arnold says, what are the implications of this information for understanding our own mission "in the context in which God has placed us"...?
----------
Our church wants to make reaching out and engaging our community a priority. To continue to do that well, we need to understand both the changes, statistical trends and history of our town. (E.g., I'm almost a Stouffville "old-timer" -- 37% of the community arrived after we did in 2006). Where are the needs? What would be Good News to this community undergoing such a major change-over?
To this end I've made some significant additions to the Wikipedia entry for Whitchurch-Stouffville, with links to many very interesting and important sources (some sample links below). Please take the time to read this entry and come prepared next Sunday to share your experience/wisdom about the context in which God has placed us (and let me know what could/should be added, changed, etc.).
Have a good week,
Arnold
---
If you want to do more reading, here are some sources I found helpful (esp. because they are now all online!):
* Jean Barkey et al, Whitchurch Township (Erin, ON: Boston Mills, 1993).
* Jean Barkey, Stouffville, 1877-1977: A Pictorial History of a Prosperous Ontario Community (Stouffville, ON: Stouffville Historical Committee, 1977).
* Isabel Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900 (Markham, ON: Markham Historical Society, 1979), 289-296.
* C.P. Mulvany, et al, Stouffville, History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario (Toronto: C.B. Robinson, 1885), 202f.
* Canadian Council on Learning, Composite Learning Index 2010 Profile: Whitchurch-Stouffville, "Smart Cities," Macleans May 31, 2010.
* 2006 Stats Canada Community Highlights for Whitchurch-Stouffville (compare also 1991 and 1996 profile).
* Cf. the detailed 1878 maps, Township of Markham and Township of Whitchurch, Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont. (Toronto : Miles & Co., 1878).
----------
Our church wants to make reaching out and engaging our community a priority. To continue to do that well, we need to understand both the changes, statistical trends and history of our town. (E.g., I'm almost a Stouffville "old-timer" -- 37% of the community arrived after we did in 2006). Where are the needs? What would be Good News to this community undergoing such a major change-over?
To this end I've made some significant additions to the Wikipedia entry for Whitchurch-Stouffville, with links to many very interesting and important sources (some sample links below). Please take the time to read this entry and come prepared next Sunday to share your experience/wisdom about the context in which God has placed us (and let me know what could/should be added, changed, etc.).
Have a good week,
Arnold
---
If you want to do more reading, here are some sources I found helpful (esp. because they are now all online!):
* Jean Barkey et al, Whitchurch Township (Erin, ON: Boston Mills, 1993).
* Jean Barkey, Stouffville, 1877-1977: A Pictorial History of a Prosperous Ontario Community (Stouffville, ON: Stouffville Historical Committee, 1977).
* Isabel Champion, ed., Markham: 1793-1900 (Markham, ON: Markham Historical Society, 1979), 289-296.
* C.P. Mulvany, et al, Stouffville, History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario (Toronto: C.B. Robinson, 1885), 202f.
* Canadian Council on Learning, Composite Learning Index 2010 Profile: Whitchurch-Stouffville, "Smart Cities," Macleans May 31, 2010.
* 2006 Stats Canada Community Highlights for Whitchurch-Stouffville (compare also 1991 and 1996 profile).
* Cf. the detailed 1878 maps, Township of Markham and Township of Whitchurch, Illustrated historical atlas of the county of York and the township of West Gwillimbury & town of Bradford in the county of Simcoe, Ont. (Toronto : Miles & Co., 1878).
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Yella 2010
Allan writes from Jerusalem:
I wanted to take the time to send an update of what the Yella 2010 Learning Tour group has been up to over the first two weeks of our program, since Community Mennonite Church has been supportive of the program, and in my involvement with the program.
Week one of Yella was focused on learning about the world of Jesus. We toured the old city of Nazareth, spent an afternoon at Nazareth Village, walked the 65 km's of the Jesus Trail (lodging and eating along the way with both Jews and Arabs - check out info on the Jesus Trail here.
We visited many interesting sites like Sephoris (a Roman city of great wealth at the time of Jesus just a few miles from Nazareth). It is likely that Jesus would have spent some time here and perhaps developed some ideas around the contrasts between the empire of this world (Rome) and the empire of heaven while over looking Sephoris from the hilltop above Nazareth. We stayed a night in Cana (the sight of Jesus first miracle turning water into wine at a wedding feast). A few of us wandered into an Arabic wedding, which was fitting!. We stayed and ate the second night on a Moshav (Jewish collective or sorts). We walked over the Horns of Hittin (the sight of a great Crusader battle), and up and down Arbel Cliff (likely one of the high places that Jesus retreated to to pray and seek solitude). The last day of hiking we arrived in Capernaum (the home base of Jesus ministry in the Galilee) and stopped at some interesting sights along the way (mount of Beatitudes, the church located on the spot where tradition claims Jesus fed the 5000, and the church where tradition claims Jesus called Peter the rock on which the church would be founded), all of which provided good opportunities for reading stories about Jesus ministry. The first week provided excellent context for what Jesus would have seen, heard, experienced that gives much insight into what Jesus taught.
The second week of Yella was focused on learning about modern day Israel and Palestine. We spent 4 nights on a Kibbutz with daily activities organized by a Jewish organization that normally does "birthright" tours for Jewish YYA from abroad. We heard a Jewish Israeli perspective on the land, history, and conflict. On Thursday we moved to Bethlehem area to stay with host families and get a Palestinian perspective on the land, history, and situation through an organization that does alternative tourism for groups in the West Bank. The first week was physically challenging, the 2nd week mentally and emotionally challenging, with many stories of pain and loss intertwined with hope and the possibility of reconciliation.
Highlights for me over the past week were two meetings with people working for peace and understanding across political, cultural, and physical walls. The first was with an Israeli couple, the Shehaks, who shared about loosing their 16 year old daughter to a suicide bombing in 1996 in Tel Aviv. They journeyed through pain and anger to a place where they decided to work for peace, and have been sharing their story with Arabs, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and foreigners for many years now. They will be coming to Toronto in July and I am hoping to set up a speaking engagement for them.
Another highlight was a visit to The Tent of Nations. The story is too long to share here...suffice it to say that we heard a message of hope in the midst of conflict and pain, of understanding in the midst of walls that separate, of working together towards a better future in the midst of resignation and defeat.
The group has been great so far. Most of them are soaking up the experience. And all the time I have spent with the YYA has given me a good opportunity to share about Mennonite Central Committee and opportunities to get involved. I pray that the group will continue to learn and grow in new ways during our final week in Jerusalem (where we just arrived).
Sincerely,
Allan
I wanted to take the time to send an update of what the Yella 2010 Learning Tour group has been up to over the first two weeks of our program, since Community Mennonite Church has been supportive of the program, and in my involvement with the program.
Week one of Yella was focused on learning about the world of Jesus. We toured the old city of Nazareth, spent an afternoon at Nazareth Village, walked the 65 km's of the Jesus Trail (lodging and eating along the way with both Jews and Arabs - check out info on the Jesus Trail here.
We visited many interesting sites like Sephoris (a Roman city of great wealth at the time of Jesus just a few miles from Nazareth). It is likely that Jesus would have spent some time here and perhaps developed some ideas around the contrasts between the empire of this world (Rome) and the empire of heaven while over looking Sephoris from the hilltop above Nazareth. We stayed a night in Cana (the sight of Jesus first miracle turning water into wine at a wedding feast). A few of us wandered into an Arabic wedding, which was fitting!. We stayed and ate the second night on a Moshav (Jewish collective or sorts). We walked over the Horns of Hittin (the sight of a great Crusader battle), and up and down Arbel Cliff (likely one of the high places that Jesus retreated to to pray and seek solitude). The last day of hiking we arrived in Capernaum (the home base of Jesus ministry in the Galilee) and stopped at some interesting sights along the way (mount of Beatitudes, the church located on the spot where tradition claims Jesus fed the 5000, and the church where tradition claims Jesus called Peter the rock on which the church would be founded), all of which provided good opportunities for reading stories about Jesus ministry. The first week provided excellent context for what Jesus would have seen, heard, experienced that gives much insight into what Jesus taught.
The second week of Yella was focused on learning about modern day Israel and Palestine. We spent 4 nights on a Kibbutz with daily activities organized by a Jewish organization that normally does "birthright" tours for Jewish YYA from abroad. We heard a Jewish Israeli perspective on the land, history, and conflict. On Thursday we moved to Bethlehem area to stay with host families and get a Palestinian perspective on the land, history, and situation through an organization that does alternative tourism for groups in the West Bank. The first week was physically challenging, the 2nd week mentally and emotionally challenging, with many stories of pain and loss intertwined with hope and the possibility of reconciliation.
Highlights for me over the past week were two meetings with people working for peace and understanding across political, cultural, and physical walls. The first was with an Israeli couple, the Shehaks, who shared about loosing their 16 year old daughter to a suicide bombing in 1996 in Tel Aviv. They journeyed through pain and anger to a place where they decided to work for peace, and have been sharing their story with Arabs, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and foreigners for many years now. They will be coming to Toronto in July and I am hoping to set up a speaking engagement for them.
Another highlight was a visit to The Tent of Nations. The story is too long to share here...suffice it to say that we heard a message of hope in the midst of conflict and pain, of understanding in the midst of walls that separate, of working together towards a better future in the midst of resignation and defeat.
The group has been great so far. Most of them are soaking up the experience. And all the time I have spent with the YYA has given me a good opportunity to share about Mennonite Central Committee and opportunities to get involved. I pray that the group will continue to learn and grow in new ways during our final week in Jerusalem (where we just arrived).
Sincerely,
Allan
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