EDGEy Conversation: The Rev. Sun Do Hyun of Grace United Church, Meadow Lake, SK  EDGE’s Zoë Chaytors recently chatted with Rev. Sun Do Hyun of Grace United in Meadow Lake, SK. This community of faith has a lot on the go!
The Saskatchewan government eliminated public bus service in the province in 2017, creating an issue for people who had relied on that service to travel to larger towns and cities for medical appointments. Sun Do talks about how Grace United quickly saw the adverse effect that government decisions have on community members without access to reliable transportation, the money to cover a high taxi fare from Meadow Lake to a larger community, or the confidence to drive their own vehicle in a large city.
A small group within the community of faith decided to do something to help, and the Volunteer Medical Transportation Service was born. In its early days, the volunteer drove either their own vehicle or the client’s vehicle, and the client paid for fuel, parking, and the driver’s meal.
Like so many community support services, this one was suspended once COVID hit. But when the demand for it didn’t stop, Grace United started looking into grants to purchase its own vehicle with a Plexiglass separator between the driver and the client, so that they could continue to operate the service. With the help of Embracing the Spirit grant and other grant money from the federal government, they were able to get a long-term lease on an appropriate vehicle and reopen the service with 12 volunteer drivers in April 2022.
Sun Do is one of the drivers, and calls volunteering for the program an “interesting and meaningful experience.” He tells Zoë that he enjoys the opportunities to get to know community members, to hear their stories and to share his own. He’d like to partner with other communities to expand the driver program, to see it used for additional social support purposes (like transferring homeless individuals between shelters) and to bring more drivers on board.
The Volunteer Driver Service isn’t the only ministry that Grace United has started in the past year. Their youth café runs on weekdays after school for community youth who are looking for fun activities and a snack. The community of faith also offers an evening worship monthly for families with young children.
Sun Do is grateful that, even in the stress of the pandemic, Grace United found a way to stay active with mission and service. He is happy that the congregation has seen that there are grants and resources available to try new things, as long you “try to find a way of moving forward with passion and purpose.”
Watch Zoë’s full EDGEy Conversation with Sun Do!
[Image credit:Canva]
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EDGE In The Media! Check out October’s issue of Rupert’s Land News for a profile of EDGE written by Alison Brook-Stark earlier in 2022!
Rupert’s Land News is the official publication for the Anglican Diocese of Rupert’s Land. It solicits writers from both inside and outside of the Diocese, and thus publishes a range of opinions. Find out more about it![Image credit:Canva] |
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Exciting Education Opportunities at EDGE this November  Is your community of faith ready for a new direction? Develop the skills you’ll need alongside other changemakers this November!
Innovators planning to change, grow or add a ministry will want to learn from Chris Rotolo about how a Theory of Change supports that process.
A Theory of Change is your ministry’s story of how you believe change will unfold. Working on your Theory of Change: - Stimulates creative thinking
- Strengthens your effectiveness
- Provides a solid framework for evaluation
- Helps you demonstrate the impact you envision.
A Theory of Change helps you align your congregation and community to your larger mission and helps them understand their role in achieving it.
Past participants (including Embracing the Spirit) have found the Theory of Change workshop helps them with: - Planning, implementing, and evaluating programs
- Storytelling
- Public relations
- The covenants involved in applying for and receiving grant money.
The Theory of Change Workshop is delivered over seven synchronous Zoom sessions: November 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20. 2:00–3:30 p.m. EST.
All work between sessions will be online and asynchronous. Experienced participants should plan for at least 7 hours of work, consisting of self-paced reading, activities, and online discussion, for each of the two modules covered per week. Those that want to explore the topic further, should contact Chris Rotolo upon completing the workshop.
Price: $50. Register and find out more.
Registration for November’s cohort of Leading Adaptively is also now open. In this three session Zoom course (November 2, 16, and 30, 7:00–9:00 p.m. EST), you’ll discover ways to lead adaptively with skills you already have. You’ll encounter the core theory of Adaptive Leadership in a vibrant new way. And you’ll come away with usable practices to reinvigorate your leadership journey.
The course covers:- The six core competencies of leadership
- How to understand and change to organizational culture of your congregation
- How conflict is a leadership resource you can steward wisely
Course leader Clara King has spent 15 years studying adaptive leadership, and nine years as a Priest leading adaptive change in the Diocese of Calgary and beyond. Clara’s dynamic, hope-filled facilitation style will refresh, empower, and energize you for the journey ahead!Visit the ChurchX website to register. Cohort size is limited to 40 people and the spots will go quickly, so register early if you’re interested! If you need a bursary to cover the course fee, or if you’ve received an Embracing the Grant, please email Sarah at slevis@united-church.ca.Price: $125[Image credit: CHURCHx] |
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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. |
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