TRINITY EVANGELICALLUTHERAN CHURCH

619 SHERBOURNE STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO M4X 1L7TEL: (416) 921-9417

January 31, 2003

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour.

Following the service on Sunday, January 26, about 20 folks responded to an open invitation to begin a discussion about the existing and future outreach ministry of our congregation. We called this a Mission Vision and Planning meeting.

Over the past two years our church has been the centre of several new outreach opportunities within our community and we believe that now is a good time for us to evaluate these and attempt to develop a unified mission vision. Philip Pakrul, our congregational chairman, commented that this was a "good first step at planning for future growth and outreach at Trinity." We believe this will help us maximize the effectiveness of our outreach in attracting and discipling the unchurched and in giving our congregational leadership a clearer idea of how best to allocate our time and resources.

At our meeting we first asked what kind of outreach has happened in the past that we would like to thank God for. Our long-time members that were present, especially Harry and Aini Johst, helped us identify some of these. There were efforts to reach out to the people of the newly built St. Jamestown housing development, informing them about our church and inviting them to attend services were recalled. There was also a significant ministry of visiting patients in the various hospitals. A Sunday school program with about 50-60 participants was another highlight. Over the years this church has been home to ministry among a number of ethnic immigrant groups such as Germans, Estonians, Chinese and Koreans. A prayer of thanksgiving was offered for these opportunities that God gave our congregation to serve its community and for the pastors who faithfully helped lead these efforts.

Next we did some dreaming as we thought about what would be our personal best-case scenario or vision of what our church could be like in the future. How might we envision our church faithfully serving our Lord five, ten, or 20 years down the road? Some responses included: A full church with multiple services, a mom’s and tot’s outreach, a multi-ethnic leadership, a Chinese ministry and small group meetings. We envisioned a handicapped-accessible church, a church with parking problems and requiring new additions. We envisioned a church that enables its members to use their talents and spiritual gifts, a church with a dynamic and innovative outreach ministry, which uses the arts effectively to communicate the Gospel, which attracts youth and young adults, which has a concern for the neighbourhood -- including Rosedale and the Condo’s along Bloor Street. We saw a church that is visible and present in the community, that is intentional in building a sense of community; one that uses technology effectively to reach out and that is involved in partnerships with other outreach ministries in the community.

Are you excited about such a church? I believe that a church whose members are capable of such mission-visioning is an exciting church to be part of. The above responses are by no means exhaustive and we shall certainly add to that list as we go along.

At our next Mission Vision and Prayer meeting scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 16, following the service, we will talk about what needs to be done in order to move forward in our mission vision for Trinity. We will also hear from various members on what is presently happening at Trinity and what needs they see. We will also try to get a sense for what outreach ministries should be a priority in the short term. We hope you will be able to join us.

Wishing you a blessed Epiphany season,

Pastor Gerhard Wilch