Social Franchise as Pastoral Care

Two communities of faith decided to work together to buy a home care franchise, and they have become revenue positive in their first two months. The next evolution of experimentation is now happening!

This is an amazing story of communities of faith deeply discerning what social enterprise can mean to them, it is about collaborative approaches, empowering new leadership, and learning how to take that leap of faith. How did they do it? Where are they headed? Why does this make so much sense to them?

Watch the entire 20-minute story here. (If you haven’t watched a story yet, now is the time to check one out. See our full Embracing the Spirit playlist.)

[Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash.]

Night Market at MacKay United Church

At MacKay United Church in Ottawa, we’re appreciating the ways that “fun” can be one of the key characteristics of neighbourhood engagement…all thanks to a giant party in November featuring local food, wine and beer, plus live jazz.

MacKay co-hosted the first-ever Beechwood Night Market in our New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa. Lots of leadership came from an event planner in the congregation and the director of Beechwood Market (a thriving part of our neighbourhood economy and identity, promoting artisans, small businesses, and regional farmers).

The MacKay congregation welcomed the vendors into our Memorial Hall for a massively successful and fun evening of music and hospitality. About 700-900 people (we lost count!) moved and grooved to the jazz quartet fronted by Pete Woods and Emmanuel College’s Tom Reynolds (with a member of the church choir joining in for a couple of songs). An Ottawa microbrewery and a Prince Edward County winery served fine beverages. Several local food truck and catering businesses were on hand, featuring cuisines from Guatemala, Jamaica, and Tibet.

People engaged and chatted and danced and shopped. Best of all, people lingered together. Connections were made, local businesses experienced success: hospitality and music defined the entire Night Market. This was all done through the imaginative work of EDGE at MacKay United, and the creative leadership of the new ministry project, “The Kindness of Jazz.”

After this first success, MacKay and the Beechwood Market are now planning a summer solstice version of the Night Market on June 19, 2020. Drop by if you are in Ottawa!

— Pete Woods, minister at MacKay United Church

[Photo credit: Scott Bourassa]

Membership Has its Perks!

Ontario Non-Profit Network works on behalf of the non-profit sector to move the needle. They offer education events, networking opportunities, and actively advocate on behalf of the sector in conversation with non-profit organizations around the province. The United Church of Canada has a group membership which gives your community of faith free membership in this growing network.

Sign up for your free membership to access webinars, discounted rates to their conference, and to get connected and have your voice heard.

Impact Measurement Workshop

Are you planning to change, grow, or add a ministry?

Embracing the Spirit has benefited greatly from the Theory of Change process and expects it of Growth Grant recipients. But this is open to any community of faith which wishes to better understand their story and impact.

The next offering of this important workshop will be taking place from March 23 to April 12, 2020. All work will be online and asynchronous. Experienced participants should plan for at least seven hours of work for each of the two modules. Your work will include reading, learning activities, and online discussion — all done at your own pace. Those that want to explore the topic further, should contact the facilitator upon completion of the workshop.

Please RSVP to the facilitator.

The EDGE Network Theory of Change workshop has helped past participants with planning, implementing, evaluating, storytelling, public relations, and the other covenants. Find out more by reading testimonials from those who have taken the workshop.

[Photo: Freddy Fam, Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)]

Embracing the Spirit is a learning network and innovation fund. It offers funding and support for innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter.

If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! Proposal deadlines are quarterly, and due on the 15th of the month: January, April, July and October. Find out more.