UPDATE! Parish Development Grant Recipients - Celebrate

On Sunday, December 2, The First Sunday in Advent, members of the Parish Development Grants Committee: Dr. Tellison Glover; Rev. Shirley Stockdill; Colleen Butterley, ODNW and Sarah Andrusco each visited one of four parishes that had received Grants for 2019.

Approximately $100,000 is made available by the diocese annually to assist parishes in developing their congregations, parish programs and infrastructure. Grants are given to parishes that have come up with and/or established programs that will build, grow and develop their parishes in ways that are exciting, creative, engaging and sustainable.

Recipient parishes are: St. Mary the Virgin, Sapperton, St. Hilda, Sechelt, The Anglican Parish of the Church of the Epiphany, Surrey; St. George, Maple Ridge and All Saints', Burnaby.

Committee members attended the principal celebration of the Eucharist and in a brief ceremony, presented a certificate and described the process by which the grants are awarded. Members of the parish who had worked on the grant application were invited to receive the award certificate.

In the first photo above we see the vicar, the Reverend Justin Cheng; committee member, Sarah Andrusco a parishioner at St. Francis, Caulfeild; and vicar's warden, Mildred Johnson. Sarah presented the certificate to Justin and Mildred in recognition of their parish's receipt of a $4,500 grant to produce seasonal music concerts. All Saints' is very much involved in the community music scene of their South Burnaby neighbourhood.

And many thanks to Gerry Parrott of St. George, Maple Ridge for submitting this video of Colleen Butterley, ODNW a member of the committee and a parishioner at St. Stephen the Martyr, Burnaby explaining the Parish Development Grant process and presenting rector, Rev. David Edgerton with a certificate signifying the parish's receipt of a $20,000 grant from the Diocese of New Westminster. The funds will be directed to hiring a Music Ministry leader and a Youth Ministry Coordinator. Thanks to Alecia Greenfield for submitting photos of Rev. Edgerton anointing younger members of the parish on this the first Sunday of the new church year and of Colleen presenting him with the certificate.

St. Hilda's received $20,000 for a feasability study related to their property and building and 'Epiphany' received $5,000 toward contracting a new website and some video production to help communicate information about the building of a new church on the existing parish site. St. Mary the Virgin, Sapperton received $8,500 for 2019, which is the second year that the parish has received funding to support their rapidly growing children's and youth ministry programs.