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Emergency Repairs on the Sanctuary Ceiling

When Ann was cleaning the church on Wednesday evening she heard a big crash in the Sanctuary. A chunk of plaster fell off the ceiling archway just in front of the audio-video desk.

Fortunately no one was in the room, and there was no damage below, apart from some scratches on one of the pews! Thank goodness it didn’t happen on a Sunday morning!

We are advised that this is simply a result of aging plaster. After years of expanding and contracting as temperatures swing, the ceiling that was plastered in the early 1960’s finally reached the end of its life. We are making arrangements to have all that old plaster removed and replaced by drywall.

In the meantime, scaffolding has been erected in the Sanctuary. Workers will be busy on Friday afternoon removing any further loose material, and patching up the rest so that the room is safe to use for services and the concert this weekend. Next week we expect to have a clearer plan for a permanent fix. In the meantime, expect to see that scaffolding in place when you come to church on Sunday, and know that although it’s ugly, it’s there to protect us all. Thanks for your understanding and patience as we address this unpleasant surprise.

We Dedicate Our New Accessibility Lift Sunday

The construction fence is down; the lift is assembled; the Transept is ready to be re-purposed as a meeting space again. On Sunday we are celebrating this 2-year project to build an accessibility lift in the church and finally be able to welcome people into our building even if they have difficulty with stairs.

Unfortunately the lift isn’t licensed for use yet. There are some minor tweaks that need to happen next week before we can call in the inspectors and receive permission to start using it … but nevertheless this is a major milestone and we invite you to celebrate with us.

The dream of making this church accessible began with a bequest in the 1980’s, and John McCulloch’s renovation of the upstairs bathroom in the 1990’s. In the 2010’s Paul Cutler oversaw the ramp from parking lot to lawns, and the accessible basement bathroom. In 2022 George Waller spearheaded an effort for a new government grant that allowed this final phase to happen. This has been a labour of many people, and many more donors, and we celebrate each of them this Sunday.

Because we don’t yet have a license to use the lift, please don’t come to church expecting to use it this Sunday. If you need help getting into the building this week, please call Rev. Steve’s cell phone at 416 737-8258 and we’ll find someone to help you. We truly hope that even this work-around will soon become unnecessary!

Christmas at Forest Hill

	Advent Season The four Sundays preceding Christmas are a time of waiting and preparation, Our Sunday services will begin with a special candle-lighting ceremony each week
	We're dedicating our new Accessibility Lift on December 14 Our long-awaited Accessibility Lift will be dedicated during the worship service on December 14. Join us to celebrate this dramatic change to the way we can welcome people into our building. And stay following the service for our annual Potluck Christmas party -- this year a luncheon immediately following the service
	Candlelight Communion Service   Our annual candlelight service draws lots of visitors into our building. Come celebrate this holy season with us. This year, Rev Steve who has been our minister for the past 23 years is retiring, and this will be his last time to lead worship among us. Join us to wish him well!

Moving through our Ministerial Transition

December 24 — Rev. Steve retires; the Christmas Eve service will be his last service with us

January 11, 2026 — Congregational Town Hall after worship to discuss the Living Faith Story

January 18, 2026 — we’ll hold a party to celebrate Steve and Linda’s time with us

December 28 - February 22 (or later) — Worship Committee is organizing a series of guest worship leaders to ensure that worship happens every week. Please come out and support our guests! If you’d like to be on the roster of worship leaders, please contact the Worship Committee members

Seeking a Temporary Minister — The Official Board is preparing a job description for a temporary minister who will work with us until a permanent appointment is made. We expect it might be a few months before this new person can be hired (which is why we’re arranging for guest worship leaders between now and then). This will give us some time to find the right person to help lead us through the transition

Preparing the Living Faith Story — this is the first stage of a search for a permanent new minister. We need to take some time to describe our understanding of our ministry. Who are we? What does God call us to do and to be? How will the new Accessibility Lift help shape the next stage of our ministry? What do we celebrate? What have we been missing? We need clear answers to lots of questions like these before we can search for a new minister. Morgan J. is taking the lead on this process, and is looking for folks to work with her!

Fill out the Survey Now!

Church School Sundays at 11am

September - June

In-person Church School is offered September - June. Please bring your kids with you to church at 11am. They'll go out with Ann Fraser, a certified Early Childhood Educator, about 10 minutes after the beginning of the Worship Service.

Over the summer months we take a break from church school programming, but we continue to offer basic child care with a certified Early Childhood Educator.

Thanks for Supporting our "Little Free Pantry"

Our Little Pantry is emptied and refilled almost every day of the year. Drop by and check it out!

Most people think of Forest Hill as a neighbourhood of leafy trees, detached homes and people earning high incomes. What many people do not realize is that Forest Hill is also home to people on fixed incomes, immigrants and people who do not earn high salaries. These people may live in a home on a leafy street, an apartment building or in Toronto Community Housing. A characteristic they all share is the fact inflation is creating financial stress in their lives and may be contributing to food insecurity.

Read more: Little Free Pantry 2023

Events in our Region

Our Congregation is a member of the Shining Waters Regional Council, and there are events hosted by our neighbouring congregations which are varied and exciting. Check out what our neighbours are doing!

View the Regional Calendar of Events

Musings -- weekly reflections on Scripture

We're pleased to introduce this new feature to our website.

I began writing these short essays for our weekly e-newsletter. They served two purposes: First, they gave me an initial run at the Scripture that I would be preaching on -- an opportunity to start thinking about the spiritual and life questions that the sermon might address. Second, they serve as advertising; an invitation to folks to join us on Sunday morning and see how my thinking has developed between the first take on my questions and the final sermon that gets delivered.

We've started collecting these at this website so that people who aren't already subscribed to our newsletter can get a sense of what's coming up in worship. Feel free to check back weekly to see the reflection for the week, or click here to subscribe to our email newsletter and have these delivered into your inbox every Friday

Musings are available from the main menu of our website. The one reflecting the texts for next Sunday is intended to appear on the front page of our website each week.

Rev. Stephen Fetter