We are a very diverse congregation in age and background. We are very proud of this and cherish it.
INTRODUCTION
Our present church building was dedicated at Easter in 1983. It is a modern church with three stories and a basement which attaches to an underground parking area. It has a wonderful, flexible worship space, modern facilities for meetings, underground parking and an elevator. It is fully wheelchair accessible.
To finance our building, the congregation granted a long term lease of a portion of the church property on which our tenant built a large office tower. St. Andrew’s receives regular ground rent from the tenant. The ground rent helps to defray some of the church’s expenses, allows us to make our facilities available to community organizations and enables us to operate a significant program of charitable grants to help the work of worthy organizations in our catchment area.
COMMUNITY PROFILE
LOCATION
St. Andrew’s United Church is located in the heart of downtown Toronto, on Bloor St. East, between Yonge and Church Streets, within half a block of the north/south and east/west subway lines. High rise office buildings, apartments, condos, a hotel, shops and restaurants surround the church.
CATCHMENT AREA – CURRENT TRENDS
Our catchment area is very diverse.
Interesting data obtained from Support for Local Ministries (SLM) of The United Church of Canada based on the 2001 Canada census include:
- Religion: There are 3,581 people or 6% of the total population who self identify their religion as The United Church of Canada.
- Marital Status: 67% of the population are single. Of these, 51% have never been married and 16% are widowed, divorced, or separated. 33% are married.
- Age: 8% are under 10 years of age; 51% are 25 to 49 years of age; 16% are 50 to 64 years of age; 12% are over 65 years of age.
- Household Income: 59% of households have income under $50,000; 16% over $100,000.
St. Andrew’s is deeply committed to providing a loving and caring spiritual home to the neighbourhood.
SUMMARY OF OUR PURPOSE & MISSION
To be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, by worship, study, witness, and outreach.
OUR VISION
We believe God calls us to be faithful disciples, receiving and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ through worship, study, witness, evangelism and outreach.
Our vision is to be a welcoming place where people can find love, friendship, acceptance, hope, compassion, forgiveness, encouragement and support.
We are committed to the mission and work of the Christian Church through The United Church of Canada and to reaching out in openness and partnership with others in ministering to the needs of our surrounding area and the wider community.
OUR PURPOSE
We are a people of God called as Christ’s Church:
- To love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to witness to God’s saving love, revealed in Christ, for all people;
- To be open to God’s spirit in Christ by praying, listening and sharing;
- To provide opportunities for worship and learning, proclamation and sacrament;
- To provide opportunities for personal and congregational growth in faith and fellowship;
- To be instruments of God’s love in the world by teaching, healing, reconciling, liberating and serving;
- To grow as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ by worship, study, witness, evangelism and outreach.
OUR CORE VALUES
We are committed to:
- the Christian Church,
- loving one another and others,
- Christian worship,
- prayer,
- shared ministry,
- the value of every person,
- celebrating our diversity,
- growth,
- outreach,
- the arts as an expression of faith and the future.
OUR CONGREGATION
Our diversity is an integral part of our self-definition as a congregation. St. Andrew’s includes seniors, middle aged people and young people. St. Andrew’s includes wealthy people, middle class people and people who struggle financially. We have people who were born and raised in Canada, in the U.S., in the Caribbean Islands, in South America, in Britain, in Continental Europe, in Asia, and in Africa. Gay and lesbian people are part of our congregation. We share and celebrate our varied backgrounds.
Approximately three quarters of us are Canadian born, the balance immigrating from the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and the USA.
ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH FAMILY
WHAT IS OUR THEOLOGY?
Our theology is liberal, Biblically based, and Christ-centered. We are inclusive, all ages participate in services, and music is an essential part of our worship.
Our worship and music are professional. Bible study and prayer groups are fundamental, Christian education for all ages is basic, and St. Andrew’s relationship with Emmanuel College is important.
WORSHIP
A defining characteristic of St. Andrew’s is strong worship. A worship service is held at 11am every Sunday. Holy Communion is celebrated monthly and on special occasions. Special services are held during Holy Week, on Christmas and Epiphany.
Music is extremely important. We have both an organ and a grand piano in the sanctuary. Our musical director has been working with us for ten years. Our choir has both paid soloists and unpaid members. The choir provides beautiful and varied singing every Sunday.
FAITH FORMATION & EDUCATION
Faith formation and education are highly valued. Every Sunday, an hour before the service begins, people gather to discuss the lectionary of the day. For Bible study sessions tend to draw 15 to 20 people on a regular basis.
Our Church school uses the curriculum “Bible Quest”. The children participate actively in the worship service relatively frequently, including being lay readers and performing the Christmas pageant.
We are also proud of our church library which continues to grow and we encourage the borrowing of religious videos for children and adults for home viewing.
PASTORAL CARE
Pastoral care is important at St. Andrew’s. The Committee continues to focus on nurturing the congregation and building a Christian community. Our vision is to be a welcoming place where people can find love, friendship, acceptance, hope, compassion, forgiveness, and encouragement.
OUTREACH
The ground rent which we receive from the office building on our land has provided us with opportunities to do many things over the years.
We support outreach organizations in our catchment area. In 2006 we distributed outreach grants totaling $90,000 to various organizations focused on shelter and housing, youth, and emergency street services in the downtown core. The majority of this money, $60,000 was distributed to organizations in small amounts ranging from $1,000 to $5,500 to help them with their ongoing expenses. The organizations include:
- Shelter & Housing Projects: Council Fire, Habitat for Humanity, Street Outreach Services
- Youth Outreach: Student Christian Movement, Central Neighbourhood Camp, Dixon Hall Camp, Lake Scugog Camp, Ryde Lake Camp, Summerhill Boys & Girls Club
- Emergency Street Services: Toronto Friendship Centre, Daily Bread Food Bank, Scott Mission, Street Health, Toronto City Mission, Yonge Street Mission
- Refugees: Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto, Working Group for Refugee Resettlement
- Ministering to the Spirit: Five Oaks Retreat, Just Us, Sunshine Centre for Seniors, Toronto Urban native ministry
We also make our facilities available to a variety of organizations. Our modern facilities, with easy access and central location, are ideal.
Sunshine Centres for Seniors has a permanent home with us and offer a program to approximately 100 seniors, five days a week, Monday to Friday. We provide space for classes and programs, and this organization also has their offices on our premises.
Every Saturday from October to April, the Red Cross uses our kitchen and facilities to serve an Out of the Cold Saturday Lunch Program.
Many other groups make use of our space – on Tuesday evenings Forte, the gay men’s choir, practices in our sanctuary. Regular meetings are held by Adult Children of Alcoholics, Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Emotions Anonymous, Chow Qigong, Girl Guides (Sparks), Toronto and Area Council of Women, and Veterans Against Nuclear Arms.
St. Andrew’s also supports the Mission & Service Fund through a unified budget approach. While some members of the congregation donate to Mission & Service individually, the Congregation has also donated $50,000 annually over the past few years. As the Pastoral Oversight Report of May, 2005 highlighted, approximately 25% of our expenditures are directed to Mission & Service Fund, World Development, and Outreach .
UNITED CHURCH WOMEN
We have a small but very active UCW, which is unusual for an urban church such as ours. Activities include providing a team for Sunday fellowship hour, sponsoring bake sales, congregational lunches, providing receptions for funerals for members and adherents if requested, and sponsoring a choir appreciation event. Our UCW has two sections, the Hunter-Page Unit and the Book Club Unit. The Hunter-Page Unit meets monthly with guest speakers and supports M&S with their offerings. The Book club also meets monthly to hear book reviews.
