Executive Director Message

Dear friends of Toronto City Mission,

Happy belated New Year to you, and warm greetings from Toronto City Mission! I hope you were able to take some time over the holidays to refresh, renew and rejuvenate. Further, I hope you are ready and eager for the opportunities and challenges that await you for 2024!

It is an exciting time here at TCM! This month we welcomed new field placement students from local colleges, a new year-long intern, and one of the moms in our Role Model Moms program has achieved academic excellence by successfully completing her GED certification! Moreover, Outreach Workers are busy hosting children's and youth programs in each of our ministry communities. We ask that you keep our Outreach Workers in your prayers, as they endeavor to teach, mentor, model and joyfully lead programs. Pray also that they continue to build healthy, and trustworthy relationships with parents.

As we live these early weeks of the year, we are reminded that winter is the harshest and coldest season. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. As we spend more time indoors, this gives all of us considerable opportunities to reflect on the year gone by and also approach this coming year with greater purpose and intentionality.

As we begin another new year, we need to strive to be more hopeful about the world around us. The story of Joshua gives us pause for thought. As Joshua was about to lead God’s people into the promised land, he of course had reasons to be fearful. He had a huge assignment ahead of him, and was well aware of the hazards he and his people would be up against. He required God’s encouragement. Similarly, for us, a new year brings plenty of questions. What will our marriage be like? Will I have good health? Will the economy improve? Will there be any unexpected personal trauma? Will there be natural disasters? And will there be peace in the world? God, our extraordinary encourager says to us “do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” As whatever will happen in the coming year is definitely not left to chance. But rather God is in charge, and He promises to stay close to us,” the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) God follows these encouraging sentiments with a related passage in Matthew 28:20, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So as we look at the year ahead of us, may we look forward with the hope and encouragement God lovingly provides for us!

Friends, thank you for your prayers and continued support of Toronto City Mission! May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, and may the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace. 

Joyfully in His Service,

Elliott Shin | Executive Director

Executive Director Perspective

Warm Greetings from Toronto City Mission!

Many of us are slowly awakening from hibernation after a long winter. As the temperatures get warmer and the days get longer I am reminded that there are many things about spring that teaches us about renewal and rebirth. Renewal in God’s creations in nature, as each year at this time we begin to enjoy flowers blooming, birds happily chirping, and new life developing all around us. And rebirth in springtime as we have just celebrated our resurrected Christ! And to top it all off, we are now just a couple of weeks into daylight savings time where we literally “spring” an hour forward.

I am delighted to report that we have had an outstanding start to 2023! The momentum we gained from hosting in-person Christmas Celebration dinners in each of our ministry communities last December (for the first time since 2019), has superbly carried over through the first 3 months of this year! If anything, the momentum has accelerated. Our regular school year programs are going exceedingly well. Our Outreach Workers continue to provide exceptional programs, as they host children, youths and parents into our programs and into their lives. We had a terrific week of March Break day camp, and at the end of the week we hosted youths from all our communities for a day of good food, good fellowship, and a thoughtful Bible-based discussion. 

Further, staff enjoyed an overnight retreat as we spent valued time together in prayer, worship, discussion, fellowship, and of course delicious food! It definitely was a much needed time to retreat from the city to reflect, renew, refuel, and recalibrate as we prepare for the final couple months of the 2022-23 school year. Finally, at the end of March we hosted for the first time in 3 years, our annual Spikeback Against Poverty Fundraiser. This was a delightful day of physical activity (volleyball), reacquainting with old friends and meeting new ones. We thank the teams that participated, and were blessed to have eclipsed our fundraising goal!

We look with anticipation to the months ahead of us. Our course we desire to carry with important relationship-based programs as we share God’s love. But, we also aim to persistently rejoice in our relationship with God, we desire to daily reflect Christ’s example to those around us, and we aspire to regularly rest in God’s loving care. 

Thank you friends for your continued support and prayers for TCM’s ministry. We are encouraged and buoyed and sustained by your kindness and thoughtfulness, and we rejoice in your partnership! 

“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field
to everyone.”

— Zechariah 10:1

In His Service,

Elliott Shin | Executive Director

Happy New Year From Toronto City Mission !

Greetings everyone, Happy New Year!

While many choose to celebrate in different ways, here at Toronto City Mission we wish to begin 2023 by expressing our thankfulness and appreciation to God for His leading and guidance over the past year. We also want to express our dependence on Him as we look forward to the days, weeks, and months ahead of us!

We welcome you to join us in having Christ as our focal point in everything we do and say. We thank the Lord for providing TCM another year of opportunities to faithfully serve the communities we so dearly love.  We pray that in the coming days, our service and efforts to families impacted by poverty will lead to deeper relationships, deeper engagement, and deeper and more frequent opportunities to share God’s love in word and deed. 

We thank you for your partnership as you keep our Outreach Workers in your prayers. These are our front-line staff who do the “heavy lifting.” From teaching and mentoring, to leading, serving, planning and guiding, our Outreach Workers are the pulse of our ministry, as they give of their time, energy, and heart to the families they enthusiastically, devotedly, and lovingly serve. May they be regularly refreshed and renewed from their dedicated relationship with God!

Did you know that the month of January is named after the Roman god Janus? Janus had two faces, one face looking backwards and the other forwards. The beginning of the new year is always a time to review the past year and make plans for the future. The past cannot change, but we can certainly learn from our mistakes. The Bible teaches that our most hopeful future is in God’s loving hands.

Philippians 4:4-7 provides for us with 3 Godly goals for this year.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

First and foremost, we are reminded to rejoice in our relationship with Him (v. 4), secondly, we are asked to reflect Jesus’ gentleness (v. 5), and finally, we are prompted to rest in God’s loving care (v. 6-7). 

So, as we begin the new year, may these reminders from Philippians resonate and may they be applicable to each of our lives. Thank you for your continued support in bringing hope to families impacted by poverty!

In His Service,

Elliott Shin | Executive Director

God's Promise of Being Our Provider of Rest

This school year the children who attend the Toronto City Mission after school “Kids in Community” program will learn about many of God’s wonderful promises made to us. One such important promise is that God is the provider of rest.

Matthew shares with us in chapter 11:28-29: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

we desire to share with the children that Jesus came to heal and lift up those who were suffering and experiencing pain and discomfort.

This is a wonderful reminder Matthew teaches not only to the children at our programs but to us as well. This is an open invitation from our Redeemer Jesus. Regardless of our plight in life, if we are worn-out, drained and struggling, He promises to give us rest during these very fragile times. 

I am excited our Outreach Workers will have the opportunity to communicate to the children the wonderful truth that Jesus promises that when they are troubled, confused, tired, hurt, unhappy or anxious, if they turn to Him, He will help them and give them rest. Further, we desire to share with the children that Jesus came to heal and lift up those who were suffering and experiencing pain and discomfort. What a wonderful promise we are blessed to share!

In verse 29 the “yoke” mentioned is a wooden or iron frame which joins two oxen for the purpose of pulling a cart. Here, Jesus lovingly invites us to share the burden of our troubles, doubts, and fears with Him, as he is always willing to help us cope with and manage them. This is an open invitation communicated to us by Jesus who is forever “gentle and humble in heart”.

Finally, the invitation to “come to me” is a promise from Jesus and encompasses no boundaries or restrictions. His promise is not to turn anyone away. There is no need to stand in the distance because Christ calls ALL to draw close to Him just as we are. For He alone can lift the heaviness of our lives which weighs down our burdened hearts. He alone can heal the broken-hearted and set the captive free from the hefty burden of our troubles and difficulties. And His invitation promise is open to ALL who will simply believe in His name.

We are so encouraged and blessed by God’s promise of providing us rest! Please keep our Outreach Workers in your prayers as they share this incredibly important message to the children who attend Toronto City Mission programs.

May you always find rest in God’s loving promises!

Amen.

Happy New Year from Toronto City Mission!

Written By: Elliott Shin | Executive Director

Over the past couple of weeks, you have probably heard numerous people talk about their new year’s resolutions. Experts on television or social media may have made bold predictions for the upcoming year. Further, your Pastor or others around you may have talked about their hopes for a better, safer, healthier, more peaceful, and God-focused 2022. 

Irrespective of how you are feeling as we begin 2022, we pray that this coming year may be a time filled with joy, excitement, celebration, triumphs, and big and small victories. However, above all else, we hope that this year will be a season where you are able to put time, attention, and importance on your personal relationship with God!

Although our year has started with a partial lockdown due to higher Covid 19 infections, Toronto City Mission is hopeful, grateful, optimistic, and eager to discover the plans God has set out for us. We understand that we love, value, and engage in our communities not from our own personal agendas and perspectives, but rather from the wonderful and flawless plans that God has set out for us.

We take heart to Colossians 4:5, “ be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” We know that God will present us with abundant opportunities to value, love, and be His witness to those we serve, but often we let them slip away because we lack the wisdom to see them for what they are.  Join us as we pray that this coming year, we will be blessed with the wisdom to be able to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. 

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” (Oswald Chambers-My Utmost for His Highest). On behalf of the staff and board of Toronto City Mission, allow me to take this occasion to thank you for your continued prayers and support of our ministry. Wishing you a year where your love for the Lord grows leaps and bounds!

In His Service,
Elliott Shin