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Synod Council met Tuesday, April 28th at Christ Church (Cataraqui), Kingston and online. Angie Kelman shared about the community garden in Lyndhurst which was created for food security and is supported by St. Luke’s, Leeds. In answer to the question ‘where do you look to find the constancy of God’s love?’ she read a reflection on the love of gardening and referenced Numbers 11:5. She followed this with prayer.

The agenda for the meeting was approved. Bishop William delivered his report on his extensive schedule, noting in particular his time with the House of Bishops and the work that is being completed on The Pathways initiative for the National Church. He shared that he will be visiting parishes every Sunday throughout May and June and into July. Many of the services will be for Confirmation. The bishop commended the parishes who are studying the book ‘To Love and Serve.’

The minutes were approved and with no business arising, the bishop introduced our auditor, Martin Gravelle, from Wilkinson, who lead us through the audit and stated that the diocese is financially stable and has a strong balance sheet and reflects a surplus this year. following the presentation there was discussion in Synod Council, and the motion to receive the 2025 Audit, which passed. The bishop extended the Council’s thanks to Martin for his team’s work and thanked Joyce Williams and Laura Conway for their stellar work preparing for the audit.

In the Finance Report Joyce Williams reviewed the objectives set in January to complete the audit while providing churches with what they need in a timely manner--and shared that those objectives have been met. Currently, a Finance Committee is being re-established with the goal of fostering an open, transparent and collaborative process. Next steps will be to send out the insurance packages, hire an accounting assistant, and continue the necessary work on policies and procedures.

Under new business a motion was put forward to approve a request from St. John’s Anglican Church, Sunbury, to replace their fire damaged furnace with a heat pump. The motion was carried.

Archdeacon Jane Humphreys provided reports from Diocese of Ontario Refugee Support (DOORS) noting that only 19 spots were allotted this year from IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) and that the DOORS committee had the difficult task of selecting people from many applications. She shared that World Refugee Day is June 20 and in anticipation of this day DOORS will be holding a Sponsorship Appreciation event on Wednesday, June 17 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. The location, once confirmed, will be announced in the eNews.

Regarding the Green Group and their ongoing work, Jane reminded Council that they are seeking new members. The Annual Conference has been confirmed for Saturday, September 19 with more details to follow. At the conference, Citizens for Public Justice will provide a workshop on climate change with a focus on water, especially concerning the use of water for AI and the privatization of water.

In other business, the bishop highlighted the upcoming ordination scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at St. George’s Cathedral at 7:00 pm. He also shared the exciting news that nine people from the Diocese of Ontario will graduate from Huron University on Thursday, May 14; one with a Master of Divinity and eight with a Licentiate in Theology.

Dr. Laurie Dempsie announced that Summer Fruit for Souls is planning for their annual event which will take place during the last week of July and that registration is now open.

The next Synod Council meeting will be on Tuesday, May 26 from 6 to 8 pm in person and online.

The approval of the minutes of the April 28 meeting are pending, For questions about Synod Council, please contact the Ven. Jane Humphreys, Diocesan Executive Officer, by email at jhumphreys@ontario.anglican.ca or by phone (613) 777-0540.