When Beach United Church decided to start the journey of becoming an affirming community of faith we realized it might involve some homework. Part of the homework is starting to better understand the 2SLGBTQ+ community; both the challenges and the joys. We’ve prepared a list offering resources both written – whether novels, non-fiction or poetry and for screening – films, tv series or documentaries or listening to a podcast. It was compiled from lists prepared by Toronto Public Library, CBC and personal recommendations.
We hope this list will encourage people to start reading and hearing stories about the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ people. The list is a work in progress and meant only to be a starting point.
You might consider adding one of these books to your book club reading list or similarly watching a documentary or film and then discussing with a friend. This is one way we can raise our awareness and walk with others, better understanding some of the challenges they face and learn how we can offer support.
When you walk with someone it makes us all stronger.
People continue to die in the streets of Toronto because of insufficient shelter space.
Please consider adding your voice to the more than 150 Faith leaders (including Rev Greg Daly) asking Mayor Tory and City Council to take immediate action. You can access more details as well as a letter template at this link.
Below is a letter from our social justice animator, Paul Dowling, to our Mayor and our local City Councillor.
Monday, January 9, 2023
It was a balmy 0 degrees Celsius this morning when I took a walk in my neighbourhood with my wife. As I felt the cold west wind blowing across Woodbine Avenue, I thought about the hundreds of people in our city that are without a home today. I thought about how it would feel to not have a place to call home, to not have a warm bed for the night, to not even have a place to get warm.
The City is facing financial challenges, I know. At the same time, I believe that in a civilized and caring society we must ensure that every citizen has access to the basics of life.
Please take the steps today to ensure that no person will have to stay out in the cold:
Work with all orders of government to develop the thousands of new homes needed for every citizen to have a safe, affordable and supportive place to live
Until then, work to ensure that there are enough beds in the shelters of the city for everyone that needs one
Until then, open up City buildings and other suitable spaces as warming centres where people without shelter can go to get warm at any time, day or night.
Please, let me know when these necessary steps will be achieved.
Sincerely,
Paul Dowling, Animator for Social Justice, Beach United Church
Please continue reading for more information on our Christmas Eve services 🎄
We welcome everyone to Beach United Church for our Christmas Eve services this Saturday, December 24th, 2022. Our Carol Service is at 7pm, and our Communion Service will begin at 10:30pm.
Please note – our building is normally fully accessible, but we have been having a mechanical issue with our automatic door mechanism at our front door. Volunteers will be on site to assist, and we look forward to having you here with us!
We have a seasonal update for you from Hastings Withers, our point person person for our Thursday Interfaith Lunch Program. Please see below for an abbreviated blog post, or download the full PDF here!
“BEHIND THE SCENES” – some aspects of how we make a pleasant and welcoming place, with good food that is safe and effective for both our guests and our volunteers:
The Free Community lunch program at Beach United re-started in October after Thanksgiving, and we have had two successful months – made much easier for both volunteers and and guests as COVID restrictions have eased. Presently, church policy requires all volunteers to be masked, and of course there are food safety protocols as well.
Policies and practices are still subject to change, and are communicated regularly to all concerned. This has led to new signage to keep volunteers up to speed with the latest requirements.
Thursday,December 1, Menu
Daily Bread Food bank provides pre-cooked casseroles and soups which just require heating.
In addition, another hot dish was prepared the previous day, a pasta dish – the picture shows finishing touches being added. And sandwiches are prepared and packaged for about half the guests who prefer a take-away bag lunch.
Before the Rush
In this picture, Nella and Barbara (below, left), having finished preparing the food are having a short coffee break before the guests start arriving. Al (below, right) and Greg (not shown) have got the dining room ready, and put up the outside canopy with chairs and a table. The canopy is a valuable addition to making a welcoming place for our guests. Even if they choose to remain outside for a take-away bag lunch, they can have some shelter, and conversation around a table. Putting the canopy up is somewhat challenging, but Al and Greg have it mastered!
9:45am Thursday Morning
Although our announced opening time is 10:00am, last Thursday, Wheel-Trans delivered two of our guests much earlier. While other volunteers are still setting up and getting food ready, Linda (below, right) is welcoming the two guests, Harry and Judy, with a coffee and pastry.
Welcoming Guests Throughout December
Although not all volunteers can be available throughout December, the Beach United Thursday lunch will still be provided regularly throughout the month (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th). And we’ll make a point of displaying this “Welcome” sign, on which guests speaking other languages added their contribution. I only know for sure that it was Patrick who added “Faite” and Li Wen who added the Mandarin word for welcome, which she explained is pronounced “hwan yang”.
