Church Giving Grew
in 2007 the average “religiously active” Canadian gave $1,038 to a place of
worship compared to $887 in 2004, according to new research. That’s a 17
per cent increase compared to a Canadian average increase of nine per cent
(from $400 in 2004 to $437 in 2007).
statistics Canada and Canadian charities work together to produce such
surveys every few years. The latest report, released in June at www.statcan.gc.ca,
is Caring Canadians, Involved Canadians: Highlights from the 2007 Canada Survey
of Giving, Volunteering and Participating.
in general, the survey concludes that rates of donating, volunteering and
helping are largely unchanged since 2004. about 84 per cent of Canadian adults
donated money during 2007, whereas 46 per cent of the population did some
volunteering.
Churches and other places of worship were the largest beneficiaries, receiving 46
per cent of all donated dollars, followed by health organizations ( 15 per cent) and
social services organizations ( 10 per cent). most of the volunteer hours went to sports
and recreation, social services, education and research, and religious organizations.
The top 10 per cent of donors (those who contributed $1,002 or more annually) accounted for 62 per cent of the total value. most are religiously active older
folks. The top 10 per cent of volunteers (those who contributed 421 hours or
more in 2007) contributed 52 per cent of total hours. n –BILL FLEDDERUS
drama ministry Expresses Community
Lyf Stolte was a to last year’s Passages of
“green around the Everett Manning. The
gills” actor when play was both the first
he accepted the chal- full-length production
lenge of creating a drama and the first written by a
ministry at Sanctuary. Sanctuary member: Shan-The downtown Toronto non Blake, a University
church comprises every- of Toronto English major
one from street people who’s also directing this
to CEOs. With that type year’s The Drawer Boy.
of demographic, Stolte “It was a true expres-quickly found one-off sion of our community
lyf stolte: without an audi-
projects rather than a through vignettes and
ence, there is no play.
weekly program was the some of their stories,”
way to go. explains Stolte.
“If we had a project with a specific Another of Sanctuary’s members,
timeline, it worked well in our commu- one of the actors in this year’s play, is
nity,” says Stolte, who graduated from also working on a script. “To go from
Alberta’s Rosebud School of the Arts not having acted in one play five years
a year before he became Sanctuary’s ago to trying his hand in writing a piece
actor-in-residence. – we’re excited to produce it for him.”
When he started five years ago, his Everyone at Sanctuary gets involved
goal was to stage a full-length produc- either on stage, behind the scenes or in
tion by the end of a five-year period. the seats. “Without an audience, there is
Productions, including David Ives’s no play,” says Stolte. To meet its mem-
Words, Words, Words and two Christo- bers’ needs, Sanctuary sets aside 10 free
pher Durang plays, An Altar Boy Talks seats each performance so everyone has
to God and Entertaining Mr. Helms, led an opportunity to see the play.
Recommended Resources
Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions: A
Comprehensive Introduction to Religions of
the World by James a. Beverley (Thomas
nelson, 2009). Covers more than 200
religions, sects and cults.
Hope for Wholeness: The
Spiritual Path of Freedom
From Depression by sharon
Fawcett (navPress, 2008).
lessons learned from a difficult nine-year struggle.
Fresh and Re:Fresh: Church
Planting and Urban Mission
in Canada Post-Christendom
edited by len hjalmar-son with Brent Toderash
(Baker, 2009). stories and
thoughtful reflections from
12 church planters.
Goodbye Generation by
david sawler. a church
planter in Glace Bay, n.s.,
offers a journey into the
stories, thoughts, hurts,
struggles and lives of the
many young adults who
are leaving the church
today (Ponder Publishing,
2009).
One Hen by Katie smith
milway. introduces the idea
of microlending to children ages seven to
12 (with a pullout for younger kids) by
telling the story of Kojo, a boy in Ghana
who buys a hen with a few borrowed
coins. milway grew up in vancouver and
has worked in a dozen african countries
(Kids Can Press, 2007).
Seeds Scattered and Sown: Studies in the
History of Canadian Anglicanism, norman Knowles, ed. (aBC, 2009). Three
chapters cover the years 1578 to 1945.
six others cover missions, identity,
women, First nations, theology and
liturgy, and General synod.
“Theatre is an expression of community,” says Stolte. “Every piece plays
a part. Without one of those pieces you
don’t have a production.
“It’s the same as community. We’re
all important. We need each other.”
–ROBERT WHITE
