Knox Blog
Welcome to the Knox Blog. We use this space to keep you up-to-date with our ministries and leaders, whether it be through news and encouragement or prayer requests and reflections. We hope it helps you stay connected with our community.
May 17, 2011
It doesn't look like much... yet.
At the moment, it's just mound of dirt chopped out of the lawn on the south side of the sanctuary. Like many DIY projects, it certainly doesn't reflect the time and effort that went into creating it. But with a little sunshine and watering, we're hopeful that in a few weeks we'll have our first community garden!
A group of cheerful volunteers broke ground. Some knew a lot about gardening, and some didn't know much at all but wanted to take advantage of a lovely May afternoon in the sunshine. They dug out the space, put down soil, and planted peas, spinach, and lettuce, which you can already see spouting in the picture above! Soon beans, marigolds and more vegetables will join these sprouts.
We're optimistic that our little garden, with a little watering and sunshine, will yield some delicious produce we'll be able to share together. Stop by to have a look (it's just outside the fellowship entrance doors) or speak to Erika Flemming to get involved!
May 2, 2011
Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank Ends for the Season
Well, 26 weeks, some 4,000+ meals (and at least as many dirty dishes!), and tons of groceries later, we said goodbye to our guests this past Tuesday and wrapped up the 15th season of our program. It has been the businest year ever in terms of both the numbers of youth who came each week and the range of activities and supports we've been able to provide. We will thank them more personally at our volunteer dinner on May 10, but we would like to express our heartfelt thank our volunteers, those from the church and those from the community. Everyone pitched in and worked side by side to set up, make and serve food and clean up at the end of the night. Our many guest/volunteers have challenged us, taught us and tested us, but they have also surprised and delighted us with their dedication and sense of ownership for the program.
Thank you to the shoppers who quietly take care of purchasing the food we need, both for the dinners and the food bank, and to the cleaning crew and dishwashers who toil in the hot kitchen, always with a smile. And thank you to the many in the congregation who hold us up in prayer and support us with financial donations and food contributions. We will miss everyone over the summer months, and look forward to meeting again in the fall. One of our community volunteers has expressed her thoughts about the program and its volunteers with this poignant quotation from an unknown author: "Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them he cried, "Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?" God replied, "I did do something. I made you."
April 27, 2011
Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank
Well, just one more dinner ahead and it seems we are just going to keep growing right up to the end! There were plenty of new faces this past week to make up a very large crowd. All in all it was a pleasant night, most of the regulars are getting as sentimental as we are about the summer break. We did have a loud and aggressive altercation at the end of the evening between two regulars from two different groups, sadly it resulted in their being barred for the last week. We thank you so much for supporting us with prayers and donations, and we are so grateful to God for providing us with our amazing volunteers (from Knox, the surrounding neighbourhood and even the streets) who cook meals, serve food, clear tables, shop, sort and repackage food donations, wash dishes, take out garbage and recycling, sweep and mop floors, and most of all, provide a friendly face to the 120-150 youth who come here to spend their Tuesday evenings.
February 7, 2011
Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank
Despite dire warnings of a winter storm, more than 120 youth decided to join us for dinner this past Tuesday, and almost all also took advantage of the food bank. We're pleased to hear stories of some of the youth deciding to go back to school, and others applying for jobs.
Despite the high numbers, and our unique mix of volunteers (some are from Knox, but most are from all over the City and a large number are past and current program guests), the overall mood is happy chaos throughout our Tuesday evenings. It is interesting to watch street kids teasing "corporate" workers and senior ladies, and to overhear them asking some of our younger adult volunteers what they do and how they got their jobs. For most of the youth, this one night of the week is the only time when they actually interact with people outside of their own economic and social demographic. It can only be a good thing to enable these very different worlds to meet once a week! God is working in many ways through these small moments when people connect with each other.
Thank you for your financial and prayer support, and for your generous donations of food to the food bank.
January 24, 2011
Prayer Requests from the Search Committee
In the January 13 search committee meeting, primary focus was given to praying. The search members identified a number of areas for personal, group and corporate prayer.
We encourage you to join us in prayer for:
• The search committee be open to new ways, working effectively together
• Harmony of purpose • Discernment for the search committee and the congregation
• His care over our current leaders & staff during our time of vacancy
• A time of renewal for Knox
• Demonstrating patience in letting Him work
• God causing the right applicants to come forward
• God preparing the future senior minister
• Accurately reflecting our love, commitment and aspirations for Knox during candidate interviews
• His timing in the selection and appointment process
January 11, 2011
Knox Youth Dinner and Food Bank
Happy New Year! We had quite a busy time over the holidays, with very little reduction in the number of people coming for dinner and groceries. A small but intrepid group cooked up 8 turkeys into turkey dinner for 90 on December 28, and we managed to pull together enough small gift bags so that everyone received some treats and a warm hat or gloves. Thank you for your support of donations, funds and prayers! This past Tuesday we had just over 100 youth for a pasta dinner, and all signs point to a very busy January. January is traditionally when we reach our peak in terms of numbers, so we expect to see well over 100 youth each week for the next while.
We have many items of praise: We are thankful to God for providing for our needs through his people and various community organizations. We are grateful for our wonderful volunteers, an eclectic mix of about 25 youth/guests, a good number of people from the community surrounding the church, all mixed in with some of us from the congregation. We got the happy news that one of our long-time guest/volunteer couples got engaged over the holidays. It is extremely rare for the youth in this group to seriously consider a marriage commitment, so this is an item for praise. We also learned of some pending and promising job interviews and some exciting plans to return to school. We are also encouraged to see how, as far as we can tell, our two young families are managing surprisingly well with their happy, healthy babies. Please pray for other youth who are struggling with mental illness, depression and discouragement. It can be hard to stay positive in these dark winter days; all the more so when you are broke, hungry and have no family support. Please pray for wisdom and clarity as we do what we can to provide a tiny bit of support to so many.
Program needs: Our needs at this time continue to be for food of all kinds, small household items in good condition (pots and pans, basic utensils, towels, sheets and blankets are always in demand), grooming items of all kinds, egg cartons, plastic or cloth bags. We have very limited space for clothing, but winter coats, boots and sweaters in good condition are always welcome. At this time we really do not have space or a demand for other clothing. You can drop your donations in the donation boxes around the church, or look for Bill or Vicki Wood on Sundays, or contact the church office.
