Toronto has become a prime destination for Baptists who want a short-term experience in cross-cultural mission. Rob Patterson welcomes queries from churches who would like to send volunteer teams to our city, and from churches who would like to host such a group. We also encourage partnerships between churches and outreach ministries within the GTA,

OUR AMBASSADORS TO LATINO AND LATINA BAPTISTS IN VIRGINIA

Sigfrido and Phyllis Ortiz of Dufferin Street Baptist Church attended the Virginia Baptist Convention in Fredericksburg, Virginia, November 16-19. They were asked to encourage the Virginia Baptists' Hispanic churches and our Latino brothers and sisters. This is a result of the partnership between the Latino Network of Virginia Baptists, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. Phyllis and Sigfrido will lead a workshop, "Living from Extravagance to Extravagance", based on what they have learned about living out the demands of the gospel in a city like Toronto, and being transformed from one extravagance to another by the Spirit of God. A team from Virginia visited Dufferin St. earlier this fall.

DRAMATIC CHANGE FOSTERS YOUTH PARTNERSHIPS IN DRAMA AND THE ARTS

Dramatic Change Youth Theatre offers full-scale stage productions by and for youth, production kits, drama ministry consulting and workshops, and other services to churches, including:

• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, (above), a great pre-Christmas outreach to young families, which churches can sponsor at their location in November.
• March Break and Summer drama intensives for ages 9-12 and 13-18, from three hours to five days. Youth receive professional instruction in drama in a faith-based context.
• Production Kits for Everyouth, the DCYT original drama which made its debut last summer, for use by one or a group of churches locally or as a touring production. Available in English, Spanish, and French.
• Facilitating a Toronto Baptist youth leaders network
• Facilitating city-wide events for Baptist youth
• Youth Arts Faith Conference (coming soon)

DCYT can supply scripts, training, director, sets, costumes, and soundtrack for local or touring productions involving 10-20 youth--think Mission Trip. The local team gets a license for unlimited touring performances for a year. Script translations available.
See sample videos on Youtube: dcytheatre. See also www.dcyt.org and Facebook group: dcyt.org. For info contact toronto@christianyouthdrama.com or Project Director Dennis Hassell (416-251-1210). Sponsored by Toronto Baptist Ministries with assistance from CBOQ (BCOQ) Special Projects.

SUMMER PROGRAMS INVOLVE YOUTH

Again last summer, Toronto Baptists put dozens of students to work in partnership with the Canada Summer Jobs program. Some led day camps and Vacation Bible schools across the city. Others were part of TBM's 2009 METRO (Mission Experience and Training Opportunity) program, based at Immanuel Baptist Church and directed by Greg Whyte. Others were part of the Dramatic Change Youth Theatre program under the direction of Dennis Hassell and supported by TBM and the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.

VOLUNTEER TEAMS BOOST TORONTO MINISTRIES

Toronto Baptist Ministries is happy to put visiting short-term mission teams to work, like the landscaping crew from Nashwaaksis Baptist Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick, who beautified Westminster Chapel.

This summer the Oasis Dufferin Community Centre benefitted from volunteer teams. In early July 2009 30 volunteers from OM (Operation Mobilization) joined Scott Rourk, the new outreach worker at Oasis, to do "spiritual mapping" of the Dovercourt Park area, to see what ministry opportunities exist there. In the second week of August, six people from Bon Air Baptist Church in Virginia helped paint the old chapel at Dufferin Street Baptist Church. (Bon Air has maintained its Toronto connections even though TBM's official Virginia Parnership was completed last fall.) The following week, cyclists from Kanata Baptist Church offered their annual bike clinic at Oasis (as well as at Frontlines in Weston). This was be the third time the group has cycled from Ottawa to Toronto.

Partnership works both ways. Six volunteers from Bethany Baptist travelled to northern Virginia to assist Herndon Baptists in a day camp, July 12-18. A team from Herndon helped with Bethany's day camp July 27-31.

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