Together on the Journey:
A Weekly Blog 

My friends, Vestry is coming.

But I promise it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds.

I know Vestry can bring out groans in even the most seasoned of churchgoers, but hear me out. Vestry is actually really important to the life of the church.

When people think of Vestry, they generally think about the budget and taking a good hard look at the financial status of the church, and they are correct, we absolutely do that. And looking at the budget allows us to see where our priorities are and what those priorities are going to be in the coming year.

But in addition to the budget, we also look at reports from the various committees and ministries that we engage in, and we get to see how much we have accomplished in the previous year as a community. And, we get to pause and reflect and be proud of what we’ve done. And that sense of pride propels us into the next year, and motivates us to continue doing the work of loving our neighbours.

So Vestry is really a chance to look back and look forward.

And there is one part of Vestry that often gets passed over quickly but I want to draw your attention to it, and that’s the social justice vestry motion. These motions are set down by the diocese and are meant to give us a focus for advocacy for the year. They also allow the bishops to gather statistics that can be used in letters that are written to various levels of government throughout the year (e.g. 70% of our churches agree that . . .). This motion brings our collective voices together and allows us to advocate more effectively as a diocese.

This year, the social justice vestry motion is:

We, the parish of ___________ in the Diocese of Toronto,

• Pledge to honour our baptismal commitment to “safeguard the integrity of God’s creation” and
• urge the Government of Canada to honour its commitments to the Paris Accord, 2015: to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

I invite you to visit: https://www.toronto.anglican.ca/diocesan-life/social-justice-advocacy/social-justice-vestry-motion/?lang=en

Here, you can read the background information on this vestry motion, as well as action ideas and the theological basis for this motion. As you prepare for Vestry, I invite you to review these resources and ponder what it means to you and to our community.

And don’t forget to attend our annual Vestry meeting on March 1 following the 10:30am service. Lunch is provided!

– Jess