News from The Church of The Messiah

Daycare Celebrates 30th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:22:00 +0000

This year the Daycare of the Church of The Messiah celebrated it's 30th year of excellence in early education with a party and special blessing on Sunday, November 29th. The Daycare was founded as a ministry of the Church of The Messiah to the surrounding neighbourhood, and we are proud that it has continued to thrive in this capacity. In the photo, Daycare Board President Dr. Diana Heath stands with Father Tay and Daycare Manager Jennifer Adams.

Argo Game-The Real Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

COTM Youth attended the final Argo game Nov 7, 1 pm,

we had a fantastic Pioneer Reunion!!! the fun including travelling to the game, having treats,

and enjoying the "faith walk" with "Pinball and Neil Boron!!

Thanks everyone for coming and cheering on our Toronto team

Women's Bible Study

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:35:00 +0000

Tuesday evenings 7 p.m. in the Childrens Chapel, we are studying Ephesians, Encounters with God, all welcome

Theological Intern Doug Clark Joins COTM

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Douglas Clark, a student at Wycliffe Seminary, has joined the staff at Church of The Messiah for the academic year beginning this fall. Doug is a cradle Anglican born in Woodstock, Ontario, and raised mostly in the rural Southwestern Ontario. Before pursuing his call to ordained ministry, Doug served in the OPP and the Air Force. He has served Methodist congregations in Kentucky and is currently finishing his final year of the Masters of Divinity Programme at Wycliffe College. Doug has come to the Church of The Messiah as a field-education placement, and looks forward to partaking in a variety of ministry opportunities here.

Eric Osborne Hired as New Minister of Music

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:21:00 +0000

The Wardens and Rector of the Church of The Messiah are pleased to announce that they have hired Mr. Eric Osborne to be the new Minister of Music. The search for a new person to lead musical aspects of worship at the church drew many fine applications, and the committee was nearly overwhelmed by the quality of many of those expressing interest. However, Eric stood out as the best choice based on his qualifications, skill, and vocational discernment.

A native of St. Mary's, Ontario, Eric's first exposure to the organ and Anglican church music was as a boy chorister at his home parish, St. James. Since then he has studied organ with eminent Canadian, American, and English organists, and possesses a Bachelor of Music Performance degree in organ and church music from the University of Toronto, and an Associateship Diploma of the American Guild of Organists.

Between 1997 and 2000 he was the Organ Scholar at Trinity College and the Healey Willan Organ Scholar at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto. He has served at Anglican/Episcopal Churches in New York State, Alberta and Ontario.

Besides his duties as a parish musician, Eric finds time to lead workshops in church music. For six years he was the musician in residence at the Finger Lakes Conference in upstate New York. He has taught courses in hymnody, modern Anglican music, and singing. His interests in Anglican music include modern Anglican music and liturgy, psalmody, and organ performance especially the English organ tradition and North German organ traditions that influenced J.S. Bach. He has published several articles on organ history in Canada, psalmody, and enriching a music ministry. His written
works also include several anthem settings, hymn tunes, and a complete cycle of psalms for the lectionary. He has also recorded a compact disc of organ music, "The voice of prayer" featuring an 1888 Walter Spencer tracker instrument and 1919 Casavant in Owen Sound, Ontario.

His non-musical interests include cooking, iconography, gardening and English murder mysteries. He has taught courses on iconography and "writes" icons in his spare time. He is married (Sarah) and has two daughters (Clara and Sophie) and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bella.

This appointment marks the beginning of a new time at Church of The Messiah, and the staff and leadership of the parish are very excited to welcome him aboard!

Hiring New Minister of Music

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:59:00 +0000

The Church of The Messiah, an Anglican parish on corner of Dupont and Avenue Road in the Annex, is looking for a part-time Minister of Music to enrich our worship and expand our horizons by heading up our music programmes. Although small (less than 100 on a typical Sunday) we have been experiencing renewal in the last two years thanks to new clergy leadership and a renewed emphasis on mission to neighbourhood families. We are a truly diverse lot with Anglo, Caribbean, Asian, and African roots. We have a disproportionately high number of kids and have embraced the opportunity they represent.

Musically the parish enjoys an eclectic repertoire as diverse as gospel, rock, traditional Anglican hymns, chant, and African music. We have even been known to do congregational liturgical dance from time-to-time! Our Rector, Administrator, Director of Children's and Youth Ministry, and you will work in a highly collaborative way to create liturgies that are at once relaxed and deeply meaningful. This is a congregation that loves creativity and trusts our leadership. It's a warm place that will welcome your creativity and follow your lead.

We are looking for someone with a strong background in congregational singing and a keen sense of vocational music ministry. You have a heart for mission and believe that you can show people God's love through music. You can play our pipe organ, but may prefer to use our grand piano, a djembe drum, your voice, or talented parishioners. We have a small volunteer choir that has traditionally rehearsed once a week in addition to a paid Cantor whom you will supervise. There is money in the budget for guest musicians for special feasts of the church year. In the past we have used our excellent acoustics to put on concerts for the neighbourhood, and expect that music will continue to be an important tool for evangelism. The position would commence on September 1st.

We are a funky church in the heart of Toronto eager to explore God's love and mission through music. If you would like to join our team, please e-mail or snail-mail your résumé by August 10 to

Rev'd Tay Moss
240 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2J4
taymoss@churchofthemessiah.ca
http://www.churchofthemessiah.ca
(t) 416.922.4371
For more information and a full job description:
http://www.churchofthemessiah.ca/mofm.html

Spring Fling 2009 Adds Flowers and Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Every year the church holds a "Spring Fling" to plant the landscaping around the church. Like last year, this event was well attended by adults and children alike. After a day of beautifying the church and talking with neighbours passing by, the COTM crew headed over to the always-popular BBQ and Pool Party hosted by one of our families. The Rev'd Tay Moss continued the tradition of being the first one to dive into the pool with a massive cannonball. Every year this event provides an opportunity to enjoy each other's company and make a positive impact on our surrounding neighbourhood.

June Edition of "The Anglican" features COTM

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

An article in this month's Anglican newspaper reports about the new ministries arising at Church of The Messiah. The Contemplative Eucharist and Healing Prayer Service are given particular attention in the piece. These new ministries attempt to reach beyond the walls to bring the Gospel to people who do not already come to our church.

Synod 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:08:00 +0000

Every year representatives from all the churches in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto gather in meetings known as "Synod" to make collective decisions about the Diocese. This year, one of these was a two-day meeting at Durham College, Oshawa. Church of The Messiah sent our elected lay representative, Monica, as well as Fr. Tay and Rev'd Marili. Kerrie Fulton made an appearance on Friday afternoon for a workshop that she and Fr. Tay co-led about Children's and Youth Ministry. You can read more about that workshop on Tay's Blog. This Synod focused on two areas--the call for our churches to become more "missional" and a proposed change of policy in regards to blessing same-sex relationships. You can read more about these subjects on the Diocesan Website. The COTM crowd finished up the Synod exhausted but excited by all the ways in which the church is growing, thriving, and changing.

COTM at Bishop's Company Dinner 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Every year the "Bishop's Company" holds a dinner to raise money for a fund used by our Bishops to assist clergy. This year the Church of The Messiah delegation enjoyed a fun evening meeting people from all over the Diocese. One person in the group commented that it was a good thing the organizers had put us in the corner of the room, as we were having a little too much fun. Besides raising money for a good cause, the event also gave us the chance to network with people from all over our diocese. A silent auction was held, and our very own Kerrie Fulton cast the winning bid for a donated church pew.

Fr. Tay Meeting with Councillor Adam Vaughan

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Recently Fr. Tay met with Toronto City Council Member Adam Vaughan at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting was to open lines of communication between local government and the parish. During the meeting the Councillor suggested ways that the church could meet some of the most dire social needs in the neighbourhood, particularly noting the 250 Davenport Community Housing Project just Southwest of the church. Tay returned with some excellent ideas to share with people back at COTM, and was happy to see how the city and the church could work together.

"A Woman's Voice" Concert Draws Crowd to Hear Combined Choirs

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Sunday Evening COTM hosted a concert entitled "A Woman's Voice" that featured the Niagara Vocal Ensemble plus the combined choirs of the Church of The Messiah (Matthew Tran-Adams, Director of Music) and the Church of The Redeemer (John Campbell, Director of Music). The two church choirs spent the day in a workshop studying Gospel Music performance, which they then showcased at the evenings concert. Among the special works performed at the Concert was a setting of Salve Regina: Our Lady of Knock written by our own Matthew Tran-Adams, who performed the flute part. The event was well attended, and may serve as a model for future partnerships with Church of The Redeemer. Church of the Messiah was actually founded out of Church of The Redeemer, so the two parishes share a special and historic bond.

Youth Group Goes on AGO Field Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:15:00 +0000

The Church of The Messiah Youth Group spent a recent Sunday afternoon learning about Christian Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The tour, organized as part of their confirmation preparation, highlighted several pieces from the collection including works by Holman Hunt, Rubens, Bernini, and from the Thompson Collection. A member of the congregation who is earning her Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Toronto led the tour. In the first part of the afternoon the youth were asked to reflect on select pieces of work. Later, they were sent in teams on a scavenger hunt through the museum looking for specific pieces. The group enjoyed lunch in the museum cafeteria before heading home. The trip gave the students the chance to learn about how artists have explored issues of faith and how to engage those images.

Easter 2009 Celebrated With Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:30:00 +0000

This year's Holy Week and Easter Celebrations at Church of The Messiah were joyful, lively, and deeply moving. The community celebrated a solemn Maundy Thursday with a a simple supper followed by Eucharist, foot washing, and the stripping of the Altar. The Confirmation group sat vigil that night and stayed through the Good Friday service the following day. There the Cross was carried into the church and worshippers were asked to asked to contemplate the suffering of the world and the suffering of Christ. Shortly after sunset on Saturday the first Mass of Easter was celebrated with the kindling of the new fire and other ancient Christian Rites. Easter day we danced (literally) and sung joyfully to commemorate our Lord's Resurrection. Afterwards was an Easter Egg hunt. Attendance was up and the energy was abundant as our community celebrated this more important of Christian holidays!

Youth Group Sits Vigil in Church

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:01:00 +0000

On Maundy Thursday night, the Eve of Good Friday, the Church of The Messiah Youth Group spend the night at the church in immitation of the night Jesus spent with his disciples before his arrest. The group and their teaches prayed, talked, and watched movies. At one point they decided to take a processional cross with them on a long walk up to Casa Loma and back. During their walk in the city they received a number of encouraging comments from passersby. The group stayed the next morning through until the Good Friday service, where they took parts in a dramatic reading of the Passion of the Christ. The evening is one that none are likely to forget!

Our Youth Participate in Annual Evangelist Dinner at Wycliffe

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:25:00 +0000

What a wonderful evening and topic for COTM Youth to be present at. Compliments of our very own Caldwell Family our youth were able to participate in a beautiful dinner at Wycliffe College on Thursday, March 26th, with Nick Brotherwood speaking about Fresh Expressions! Our youth were very well received by everyone present and certainly enjoyed the beautiful meal and fellowship. Thank you to mentors Diana Heath and Charles Waterman for attending and also our Honorary Assistant, Rev'd Marili Moore completing the table. Hopefully next year we can fill two tables with our enterprising youth!

Father Tay Gets a Column

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Our very own Father Tay now has a monthly column in the newspaper for the Diocese, The Anglican. So far he has used it as chance to reflect on Christmas in our culture, the 9/11 tragedy, and ministry. He was invited to contribute a column after the editors became aware of his blog. "It's a really neat opportunity," he said, "to get some exposure for the parish and also to share some of the unique things we are doing here with others."

Mom's Group Forming

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Our neighborhood is full of families! We believe that giving mothers, especially mothers that stay at home with their little ones, an opportunity to gather and share each other's company is wonderful way to be of service. Our Director of Children's and Youth Ministry, Kerrie Fulton, is forming such a group this March. The first meeting will be at the church on Thursday, March 26th, from 10 a.m. until noon. Daycare will be provided by the Messiah Daycare staff while the mom's meet. We hope that this group will appeal to mom's interested in sharing time together and exploring the spirituality of motherhood.

Healing Prayer Service Started on Saturdays

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Perceiving a need to reach out to our local community with a ministry of healing prayer, our church has started a weekly meeting for people desiring prayers for healing for themselves or on behalf of others. This half-hour service takes place every Saturday at 2 P.M. until Easter. Everyone is welcome to attend. The service features a short time for hearing and reflecting on scripture and then a time for free-form prayer.

Bishop Ackah and his wife Visit COTM

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:42:00 +0000

The Bishop of the Diocese of Wiawso, in Ghana, visited COTM with his wife Margaret. The Rt. Rev'd Abraham Ackah is visiting the Diocese of Toronto seeking to build relationships between churches here and in his Diocese that could be mutually beneficial and supportive. The bishop preached about the need for those who are blessed with abundance to share with those in need. Bishop and his wife enjoyed coffee and treats after worship and shared stories about their ministry in rural Ghana.

The Church Year Kicks Off at COTM

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:40:00 +0000

After worship on Sunday (September 21) the parish enjoyed a yearly tradition at COTM: the Back-to-Church BBQ! Burgers and hot dogs were abundant as we celebrated the kick-off to a new year of church in Toronto. Kids and adults alike enjoyed the inflated "bouncy castle" as they shared stories from the summer.

Children's Chapel Mural Complete!

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:38:00 +0000

After a month of work the Kingdom of Heaven Mural in the Children's Chapel is complete! Susy Bleasby, the Artist, worked tirelessly for more than a month to create the monumental masterpiece. You can visit more pictures of the mural on the Christian Education page. We are already using the space now, but will officially dedicate the chapel at a special service at 3 p.m. on December 7. We also are pleased to accept donations to this renewal of our ministry together.

Director of Children's and Youth Ministry Hired

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:36:00 +0000

The Wardens and Tay are pleased to announce that Kerrie Fulton has been hired to be the new Director of Children's and Youth Ministry at Church of the Messiah. Hailing from the small town of Holland Landing, near New Market, Kerrie has passion for for her faith and for teaching children and young people. Her responsibilities will include developing our Sunday School as well as finding new ways for COTM to engage the spiritual needs of those living in our city.

Caribbean Night 2008 a Huge Success

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:34:00 +0000

This year's "Caribbean Night," a yearly celebration of Caribbean culture held at Church of the Messiah, was a huge success. We estimate that 200 people (fifty of them children) gathered to eat, play, and enjoy each other's company. We had steel pan music, a dance presentation, and even a fashion show of traditional African clothing. We had toys for the kids and plenty to keep the adults occupied, too! Hopefully next year we'll have even more people!

Parish Architect Presents First Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Tay Moss) — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:32:00 +0000

The Corporation of the Church of the Messiah is pleased to announce that Melena Janzen, BES, MArch, OAA, RAIC of McMinn & Janzen Architectural Studio has been retained to assist our parish with our planned building renewal. After meeting with the Rector to discuss the scope and needs of the project and then meeting again to go over initial ideas, Melana presented her first ideas to the Parish Council. She divided the project up into several smaller pieces that range in scope from cosmetic (e.g. repainting the nave and replacing the chairs) to capital (e.g. enhancing the entrance or updating exterior signs). A full description of some of her initial ideas may be found on the COTM Renewal page of this website. Melana is looking forward to meeting the congregation and developing the renewal plans further.