Social Justice Concerns

Indigenous People

Territorial Land Acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge that the land we are gathered on today is First Nations’ territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Attawandaron, and Wendat peoples. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. We also want to offer respect to our neighbouring Indigenous nations, including the Metis, Cree and Inuit amongst many others. Our necessities of life are here and our work today is possible because of the stewardship of the 7 generations who came before us.

Our Creator
Our Creator who dwells in the sky world
Your name is sacred.
Bring us your kingdom and let your will be done on mother earth and in the sky world.
Give us today the harvest of your land.
Forgive us for what we have done wrong.
Forgive those who have done wrong to us.
Don’t let us be led into wrong doing.
But let us walk the good path with a good mind.
You are our everything and you are everywhere.
You are powerful and you dwell in glory.
Before, now and forever.

Photo: Orange Shirt Sunday - September 25, 2022

National Indigenous Day of Prayer -  June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Indigenous Ministries supports the Indigenous Peoples of Canada (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) spiritually, socially, economically and politically. We recognize that the purity of the land base provides for all our needs. As active participants in the life of the church, we strive for reconciliation with the Anglican Communion and work towards Indigenous self-determination.

More information on the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, their work and many other resources may be found at: https://www.anglican.ca/im/

Navajo Beauty Way Prayer “Walk in Beauty” from the women of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland. Blessing led by the Rev. Canon Cornelia Eaton at Sheep Camp, Navajoland.

Prayers, an adaptation of the Great Thanksgiving. Led by Ms. Judith Moses and Mr. John Haugen, members of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples.

Homily by the Rt. Rev. Chris Harper, Bishop of Saskatoon

The Strawberry Story, written by the late Canon Ginny Doctor, read by Donna Bomberry.

One particularly inportant resources is Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen lands, Strong Hearts. The purpose of this one hour long film is to respond to the calls to action by helping to provide education and insight into the racist foundations of many of our property and other laws still in existence to this day.
https://www.anglican.ca/primate/tfc/drj/doctrineofdiscovery/

Other resources:

• Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada
• First Nations University of Canada
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports
• National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls
• Canadian Encyclopedia

In 2019, St. Anne's hosted a Blanket Exercise and were pleased to have 29 people join us for this event.

Hunger

In 2021 St. Anne's grew some fresh food for the local Byron Cares Food Bank. A greenhouse was supplied to the church by Business Cares London and the London Food Bank.  In 2022 we continue this project with thanks to Green Horizon Sod Farms/Big Yellow Bags and Home Hardware Komoka for their donations to help us restart the greenhouse operation. Many thanks to the people behind these organizations for caring enough about their neighbours to support this effort!

Volunteers will spend time caring for our garden beds several times a week from May until the end of September, weeding and watering as needed so the plants have good ventilation and moisture. You can also sign up for harvesting when the crops are ready to deliver to Byron Cares. Signing up to help will continue this year with internet based SignUp.com. Reminder emails are sent out so volunteers know which task to do.

Or you can:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com: https://signup.com/go/mQNdEHJ
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

A pdf formatted guide to working in the greenhouse is available and updated for 2022. Everyone from the community is welcome to participate. 2021 was a season of learning for us and we will putting those ideas into practice in 2022. If you are interested in participating or have questions, please send us a note.

 St. Paul's Daily Bread Program, a registered charity, is an ecumenical social service provider supported by over 50 London and area churches of various denominations, a number of service and fraternal organizations and hundreds of caring individuals on a regular ongoing basis. The Daily Bread Program is available to anyone need in the community who is in need and is one of the few agencies in London that offers emergency financial assistance in crisis situations pertaining to shelter and/or utilities cut off as funds permit.

Human Trafficking

The Trap, created by the Ontario Government, simulates the realities of being targeted, recruited, and exploited by a sex trafficker. It is designed to be used as part of a discussion facilitated by an adult, helping you teach your kids about human trafficking in an interactive, impactful way.

Courage for Freedom is one organization working to increase awareness of this practice of human sex trafficking and its presence along the 400 series highways and have a Project Maple Leaf intitiave to spread the word - https://courageforfreedom.org/solution/projectmapleleaf/  Can you spread the word?

In 2019, 14 members of the congregation attended a public rally in July to learn more about what can be done to decrease human trafficking. It was both informational and inspiring.

Internationally, human trafficking, bonded labour and slavery are still very prevalent in some parts of the world. The International Justice Mission (IJM) - https://www.ijm.org/ - partners with local authorities in 24 program offices in 14 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power against people who are poor. IJM is a global organization partnering with local justice systems to end violence against people living in poverty.

An article in Christianity Today about an IJM opearation to end slavery on Lake Volta.

Outreach at St. Anne's

Outreach Projects Group - as of June 2022
You will recall at our Vestry meeting in January that we unanimously passed a motion to use one-time funds for both capital needs and initiatives in outreach. To that end a review committee and process for outreach submissions was established and to date, we have received four submissions that have now been approved by Parish Council for a total of $2,400 for the 2022 allotment of $7,000:
1. Healthy Snacks to Northview - $400
2. Sending Children to Huron Church Camp - $500
3. Engaging in social activities with three gentlemen and their staff who live on Halls Mill Road, a home which houses three medically fragile adult individuals operated by Participation House.- $500
4. Ongoing support of the greenhouse and providing food for the Byron Cares Foodbank. Also, adding two 4'x3' elevated garden beds to the area behind the hall to both expand production capacity and encourage participation from people who may have mobility challenges. - $1000.

The Huron Hispanic & Migrant Farmworkers Outreach Ministry - February 2022 letter

The Huron Hispanic & Migrant Farmworkers Outreach Ministry is a new initiative in the diocese of Huron commencing in spring 2022. The first phase of this outreach ministry will begin in Norfolk County. We are seeking donations of men’s clothing such as pants, sweaters, T-Shirts, warm jackets, socks, gloves and toques. Items should be in the small to large size category, clean and in good condition. The collection place in London is the Parish of St. Michael & all Angels Church, 397 Springbank Drive, London,

All donations would be appreciated by March 28th.

Past efforts

2020 and 2021 were challenging years for outreach givenhow COVID-19 closed churches. In 2021 we were able to provide backpacks and other supplies to the Byron Northview Public School along with Advent gifts of warm socks, mitts, hats scarves, etc.Nutritional snacks have also been provided for children arriving at school without a meal.

We continue to develop our conection to a Syrian family new to Canada in 2020 and as they welcomed a daughter in 2021.

St. Anne's supports the Byron Cares food bank and a $500 donation was made thanks to the Christmas Star initiative in December. We also tried our hand at growing food for Byron Cares in a small greenhouse provided to us through the London Food Bank and Business Cares London.

In 2019 we continued to gather gifts of backpacks and supplies in September and warm hats, socks, mitts etc during Advent for Christmas distribution at the local school. We also participated again in the creation of a number of Shoeboxes for women living in shelters here in London with several teams of parishioners also serving meals at Inn Out of the Cold in St Thomas. At the encouragement of the ACW financial gifts were made to Merrymount ($1000) and El Sistema South London ($1000). The Hostess group raised funds so that we could contribute to the work of Life Spin ($500) and Inn Out of the Cold ($300), as well as collecting egg cartons for the Daily Bread at St Paul’s. A further gift was made to Inn Out of the Cold ($200) to further their work.

Combined with funds raised by the children of the parish at the Spring Sale and the Bazaar, we were able to make a $350 gift to the PWRDF purchasing, one cow, a goat, seeds for farmers, and 40 chickens for distribution to those living in Africa in very difficult circumstances. These gifts will change their lives. In addition to this, after a number of years, we were able to send $4,050 to the PWRDF towards a Cuban Water project.

In addition to this, items not sold from the Spring sale were donated to Mission Services for families in need. As well books were donated to CPRI for their fundraisers. The Library raised funds to send cards to those at Parkwood and support their programs (see Library report for more details about this) with a certain percentage of the funds raised by the sidespeople’s Pancake Dinner also going to Outreach.

Our heavenly pie ladies (and some gentlemen, numbering 20 or so) not only made pies to support the church, but also hosted the two Seniors’ Luncheons that took place each year, as well as making pies available from time to time for pastoral support, and inviting some of our young friends from Northview over to learn the fine art of pie-making.

The ladies of the prayer shawl ministry kept knitting, creating shawls that would surround the recipients with love and prayers; and Laurie H. continued to organize and send the Bales north to Indigenous communities twice a year. Collections were made for St Monica’s house and blankets were crafted for the London Children’s Hospital Trauma Unit.

We made space for the VON to hold their twice-weekly exercises for seniors as well as providing a room for an ALANON group’s weekly meetings. We also hosted two separate Tuesday evening groups for Ability Through Drumming classes. The badminton group also continued to meet regularly in our Parish Hall.

In 2019, we hosted a Blanket Exercise and were pleased to have 29 people join us for this event. Our Social Justice page has more information on our parish's acknowledgement of Indigenous matters.

Also, 14 members of the congregation attended a public rally in July to learn more about what can be done to decrease human trafficking. It was both informational and inspiring.

We were pleased in 2019 to have raised $4,050 in support of Water Filtration systems in Cuba, as initiated by our deacon Ken B. As well through supporting a visit to our pollination garden, we did provide students at our local public school with opportunities to learn more about the pollination garden and how it helps to safeguard the integrity of creation.

We were able to connect to our local school and to provide for them a gift in the amount of $500 towards the purchase of equipment to support children’s learning about sustaining the earth.

We were able to invite students to our pollination garden to share with them how these kind of gardens support butterflies and bees in their pollinating efforts. There are additional funds left for the beautification of the gardens.

PWRDF is an important outreach arm of the Diocese of Huron www.pwrdf.org

St. Paul's Daily Bread Program, a registered charity, is an ecumenical social service provider supported by over 50 London and area churches of various denominations, a number of service and fraternal organizations and hundreds of caring individuals on a regular ongoing basis. The Daily Bread Program is available to anyone need in the community who is in need and is one of the few agencies in London that offers emergency financial assistance in crisis situations pertaining to shelter and/or utilities cut off as funds permit.

Anglican Church Women (ACW) - The Bale
St. Anne's gathers donations of suitable, gently used washable clothing, sheets and towels and toiletries and sends them to the northern Diocese of Keewatin for the many individuals, families, communities and programs (safe shelters, rehab, and hospital) who rely on several agencies for support. The Diocese of Keewatin includes 45 parishes in the central region of Canada straddling the border of the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario and comprising over 900,000 sq kilometres.