Canadian Anglicans have donated a whopping $73,000 to the Council of the North through the Amazing Grace Project. The project encouraged all to sing “Amazing Grace” on Nov. 23 and send in their filmed rendition to the national office, where they were included in a ten-minute compilation video. Each “Amazing Grace” singer was also encouraged to donate a toonie to support ministry in Canada’s northernmost dioceses.
The Amazing Grace Project is proving to have been a resounding success, with close to 450 videos received so far and more than $18,000 raised in support of ministry in the Canadian North.
A deluge of “Amazing Grace” videos is flooding Church House from all parts of the country. Nov. 23 was Amazing Grace Sunday, when Anglicans from across Canada sang “Amazing Grace,” filmed it, and sent (or are sending) their renditions to the national office. The videos will be made into one compilation video, to be put online by Christmas. Individual singers were also asked to donate a toonie to support northern ministry through the Council of the North.
Sing because it is a lovely hymn steeped in a fascinating history.
Sing as a symbol of the unity of the church in Christ.
Sing in prayer and support for the Council of the North.
The Amazing Grace team at General Synod has been sending out lots of ideas to keep the creative juices flowing for Nov. 23. On this special Sunday, all Canadian Anglicans are encouraged to sing “Amazing Grace,” film their rendition, and send it to the national office so it can be included in a compilation video, to be put online by Christmas.
When the Rev. Lon Towstego heard about the Amazing Grace Project, he knew it would be an easy sell at the Nanaimo Correctional Centre. The Rev. Towstego, a former motorcycle mechanic, is chaplain at the medium security prison, where he counsels, teaches, and leads services for the 240 residents.
The Rev. Rob Towler is not a fan of Willie Nelson. Yet this Kitchener, Ont. priest changed his cell phone ring tone to Willie Nelson’s twangy version of “Amazing Grace,” so that every time his phone goes off, he donates a toonie to the Council of the North, the 10 financially supported dioceses in Canada’s north.
Down a dusty dirt road, past a barbed wire fence, inside a simple brick building, a group of eight men and women sing the hymn “Amazing Grace.” They sing soulfully–slowly but loud, and with big smiles.
On August 6, 1993, Archbishop Michael Peers, then-Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, stood before the National Native Convocation in Minaki, Ont. and apologized for his church’s involvement in residential schools. The Anglican Church of Canada had helped administer around three dozen schools between 1820 and 1969, and many students had suffered emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
On a sunny summer day, Lynne Samways Hiltz, wife of Archbishop Fred Hiltz, the Primate, ventured out to the Scarborough Bluffs alongside Lake Ontario. With the help of Anglican Video staff, she recorded her own contributions to the Amazing Grace Project, where all Canadian Anglicans are invited to sing “Amazing Grace,” on or before Nov. 23, 2008. The purpose of the project is to celebrate our identity as Canadian Anglicans and also to raise funds for the Council of the North. Learn more here.
On Nov. 23, all Canadian Anglicans are invited to sing the hymn “Amazing Grace,” wherever and whenever they can—in their church, on a boat, in a trio, or with a crowd of noisy teens.
After 10 days, four cities, and lots of tears, the Remembering the Children tour has wrapped up. The Aboriginal and church leaders’ tour stopped in Ottawa, Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg to promote the work of Canada’s upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools.
“Remembering the Children” has been a sombre tour: stories of abuse in residential schools, apologies from churches, and a commitment to a long and difficult walk of healing. But when the Aboriginal and Church leaders made their second stop in Vancouver March 5, there was evidence of real hope.
On March 2, church and Aboriginal leaders kicked off the Remembering the Children Tour to promote the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools. More than 450 people gathered at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que. for an emotional evening of cultural presentations and speeches.
Q: What’s green and orange, and chock full of Canadian Anglican news?
A: The new email newsletter from the national office, Info! News from General Synod