Trent-Durham Area Day 2011

The annual Area Day for the Trent Durham has become a major highlight in that largest geographical Area of the Diocese. This year’s event once again drew over 300 people, enhancing that reputation even further. It was held on Saturday, March 5^th, at St. Peter’s, Cobourg.

The program for the day was held under the creative (literally) theme of ‘The Tapestry of Life; Bringing the Threads Together.’  This analogy was illustrated by a tapestry woven through bringing together many threads of different colours, each provided by one of those attending and representing their life as Christians with differing attributes.  Each delegate had received upon arrival a short piece of coloured thread that, during the day, was skilfully woven into a tapestry by Martha Scott from the Parish of Lakefield.  The completed work was displayed at the closing Eucharist.  

The Day included some 30 workshop sessions on a very wide variety of topics. These ranged from broad church matters of vision and organization, such as ways of measuring the health of a parish based on systems of Natural Church Development presented by Bill Bickle, who works with churches on the National scale, to matters of personal faith such as prayer and meditation in which one session, by Marilyn Metcalfe, involved a 600 sq ft. portable labyrinth plus prompts for different subjects on which to meditate. Between these extremes were sessions focused on such topics as music and Sunday schools for smaller churches, on ‘Messy Church’ involving ways of catering to families unable to fit traditional Sunday morning services into their busy lives and one on ways we can work with low income and marginalized people, and much more.

Well-attended sessions included two by Bishop Nicholls on ‘Words to Live By’ that focused on the Bible, including a practical model for study of the New Testament, and one by Fr. Ed Cachia who recently became an Anglican priest after 20 years as a Roman Catholic priest. In a moving and entertaining way he traced the evolution of his thinking and the decisions that resulted from it.

A children and youth program took place alongside the adult program.  Nine children who came with their parents were also involved in the ‘Tapestries of Life’ theme through working on special individual weaving projects developed by Jan Stapleton, St. Peter’s Church School Director, and through other activities accommodated in the well-equipped Sunday School rooms.

In the closing Eucharist at which Bishop Nicholls was the celebrant, she stated “I am overwhelmed by the willingness of so many people in the Area to come together to be refreshed...this was a day in which I hope you saw the vibrancy of the church...I hope you have a sense of new enthusiasm and a deeper sense of trust in God.”  The service, based on an Anglican Kenyan liturgy, featured some uncommon music directed by Doug Cowling of St. Philip’s, Etobicoke.

Delegates were well cared for in terms of catering. Breakfast for arriving delegates was supplied by Faithworks to which Trent Durham had been a major contributor towards 2010 being the best year ever. Thanks to the Area for that success was given by Peter Misiaszek, Director of Stewardship Development for the Diocese, during the introductory gathering. Lunch saw a change from previous years and consisted of a wide choice of box lunches for all delegates that drew rave reviews.

Tributes were paid to the excellence of organization behind the event by an Area Day committee chaired by the Rev. Steve Smith of St. Luke’s, Peterborough . Heather Burton of Trent Durham staff was described by Smith as “The power behind it!”  A large number of volunteers, including some 40 people from St. Peter’s membership, as well as that church’s excellent facilities contributed to the remarkable success of the day.                                                                                                            Jim Weller