THE THIRTY YEARS (1950-1980)

Community Service at St. John's

The story of our parish's community service work is in large measure a reflection of the Church's position within the community.

The great congregations of the first half of this century were evidence of the central role of the local parish in everyday life. With­in our own parish, our large facilities provided people with not only a spiritual focus, but also a form of social service centre. The clerics of St. John's gave not only spiritual guidance, but earthly assistance as well, youngsters trained their bodies on the equipment in our gym­nasium; the local Home and School Association held its larger gather­ings within our walls; and our auditorium trembled to the raucous sounds of theatre productions, parish celebrations and political meetings.

As the decade of the 1950's dawned, it probably seemed as if all of this would go on forever. St. John's continued to be able to support Anglican mission projects in general, while at the same time making its own special efforts; in 1954, for example, the parish purchased a car for the use of Allan Challacombe at his mission in Watson, Saskatchewan.

As the decade came to a close, however, a disturbing trend was becoming evident. The so-called "flight to the suburbs" by long-established parish families was beginning to take its toll on the size of our congregations - and the new families moving in were, by and large, of the Roman Catholic or Greek Orthodox faiths. In concert with this problem was the more general secularization of society, the Church's loss of importance as a centre of community life. Certainly this was a direct result of the tremendous post-war development in public social service agencies and facilities. Our aging structure could not compete with spanking new public buildings; neither were we able to offer the range of services which governments were now providing.

New recreational and leisure patterns also challenged our traditional role, for the community at large increasingly preferred television evenings and cottage weekends to Bible study groups and church at 11 a.m. Yes, things were changing rapidly by 1960. And yet institutions are by nature creatures of habit: they open their eyes to change slowly, and react even more so.  Credit must therefore be given to Canon Bagley, who, in 1964, sounded a warning that our Church must renew its emphasis on community service.

But of what kind? One answer came some three years later, when the Advisory Board met with a representative from the Metro Social Planning Board to discuss how we could best serve community needs.  The establishment in early 1968 of a Community Affairs Committee resulted from this meeting. It soon was investigating two possibilities: a day care centre and a senior citizens' organization.

The work of this committee was encouraged by the new rector, Mr. Summerhayes, who saw the Church's responsibility to its com­munity as of prime importance. During his tenure, the parish increas­ingly "reached out" to the people surrounding it: a parish represen­tative sat on the board of the Wardle-Stewart Social Service Centre; a committee to study the mission of the Church was established; Saturday and Sunday programmes for mentally retarded children were begun; and a renewed effort to have the local community utilize our facilities was made. Two magnificent efforts of stewardship were launched during these years, both growing out of the needs identified by the Com­munity Affairs Committee.

The first, the Beaches Friendly Visitors, was begun in the spring of 1970 at St. John's under the direction of John A. McCaughan and Jack Mcllroy. This organization's purpose was to bring companionship and help to the elderly and shut-ins through periodic visitations. Several churches participate in this worthwhile activity, which at this writing still flourishes.

The second organization resulted from the growing number of one-parent families and of families in which both parents work.  The After-School Programme come into existence in 1971 to provide seven to twelve-year-olds with a "place to call home" when their parents were unavailable.

With financial support from a Federal Local Initiatives Programme grant, the Mennonite Church, and later, from the provincial and municipal governments, the programme burgeoned to include as many as one hundred and seventy-five children and a staff of professionals.  Un­fortunately, the work had to be terminated in 1976 when funding became unavailable, but we had shown that St. John's was indeed reaching out to those around it.

Meanwhile, the church's buildings continued to be the site of meetings - meetings for the V.O.N., Spectrum, A.A., the Kew Beach Players, the Norway Home and School Association, candidates for political office - well into the 1970's.

Unfortunately, what also con­tinued was the decline in the condition of our facilities and in our ability to support them. It became apparent that they would soon no longer be attractive even to those groups who still used them. And so the decision to bring down the walls of the Parish Hall in 1976 was made. It was a courageous and, in retrospect, wise decision, for the consolidation of our facilities has not merely meant that we can continue to serve those around us. It has also once again led us to re-evaluate, on a more careful and selective basis, how we can best serve.

At present, we are home for active Scouting work, a mothers' group, and a social reorientation group, and for the various organiza­tions and committees that work within the Church. We have helped to receive into Canada some of the beleaguered refugees from South­east Asia and are supporting a family through their time of adjust­ment here. Our parking lot and remodeled crypts provide excellent facilities for those who use them.  But we can do more.  With our renovated quarters, with the sense of renewal that has came with our rector, Mr. Van-Lane, and with additional expert staffing in the future, we may not only reach out to the community but, once again, make them one with us in Christ.