Changing blog address.

Hello Everyone checking out my blog, I am moving from a blogspot to a wordpress address for my blog.  Please find my blog at www.darrylinthecity.wordpress.com.  Thank you for visiting and in 1 week I will be up and running with the new blog site.

Peace,
Darryl

Bergen Family Update and TCM Update Letter

WINTER 2011

BERGEN

family

UPDATE

AND DARRYL’S TCM UPDATE NEWSLETTER

WORKING IN ST. JAMES TOWN

Merry Christmas

To you and your family wishing you the blessings of the season.

 z God in the City z 

Follow Me @ www.darrylinthecity.blogspot.com and www.torontocitymission.blogspot.com

Some of you may be aware that I (Darryl) began working for Toronto City Mission in September of this year.  Toronto City Mission (TCM) is one of the oldest Missions in Toronto, serving faithfully those in need in the city for over 100 years.  TCM has over the last 12 years, identified 5 areas of concern around the city and is now running preventative programs for children, youth, families and men’s and women’s groups.  I am working in St. James Town, Canada’s highest population dense area, located downtown Toronto.  St. James Town is so culturally diverse that I get foretastes of heaven, as 65 different language groups are located within a single one square block. 

Praise/Prayer Requests

Bringing our request to God knowing He will answer!

- Praise God for uniting SJT staff

- Pray for my financial support 

- Pray for connections with families

- Pray for upcoming TCM events at the Christmas celebration Dec 22 Ignite and Spike Back 

- Pray for deeper connections with

- Pray for upcoming Sr. High March the Jr. High boys and Sr. High’s Break retreat 

- Pray for continued health for Jenn Perry

And for a Family Update...

We continue to live with Lisa’s grandmother, Ruth, and enjoy sharing food, movies, lots of coffee and time with her and the many people who come for house visits. Lisa is finishing her first 4 months teaching gr. 5-8 French language at Richmond Hill Christian Academy. She has worked tirelessly at this and is hearing positive comments already from staff and parents about the huge difference in the kids as they are beginning to speak fluent French (they speak french only in class). She enjoys the commute in her RED Toyota Yaris (car featured in the new Muppet Movie)! We both enjoy living in the city, especially visiting our favorite spots located in the Beaches, Queen St. East, where we have found some of our favorite restaurants, cafes, theaters and green spaces for Bailey (our dog). We are really enjoying the culture of the city and have found some new friends who share the same through a new faith community called Reconnect. We look forward this year to celebrating our 10th anniversary, knitting, going to visit friends and family in Niagara and hosting some great home parties.

WORKING IN ST. JAMES TOWN CONT’D

Each day I have the privilege of co-directing a kids program (KIC – Kids in Community) for grades 1-6 that includes worship, games, bible lesson, homework help and computer time. The kids love this program and look forward to spending time with many of our wonderful volunteers and many of them join us in the summer for our Family Camp, and our 7-week summer day camp. One of the really neat things about this program is that once kids reach grade 7 they are able to volunteer with KIC as leaders and receive training as TLC’s (Teens Leading Community). Remarkably, I am now co-leading a small group with Sr. High boys with a Ken*, who grew up with the program and was a TLC. Ken, who grew up in St. James Town, and came to faith through our programs! This reminds me of the other programs that I am involved in, like our Sr. and Jr. High night that doubles as a drop-in/ hang out with emphasis in homework and small group/ devotional sharing time. I am amazed at the chance to work with wonderful volunteers that keep coming back year after year positively impacting these teens, giving them space to process the hard lessons that life’s doles them. You can follow some of my thoughts about volunteers in my most recent Blog post www.darrylinthecity.blogspot.com. These teens deal on a regular basis with the pressures of violence, drugs, sex and often very trying family circumstances. We go all year round with these kids and I have the pleasure of working with a local youth pastor that gives them an opportunity to connect with a local church as well. Each week I also co-direct a tutoring program for the teens. Valuable, as we support the youth by keeping them accountable to their identified educational goals, and allows us some one on one mentoring time as well. And lastly, I play basketball with the fathers and men in the community. A wonderful way to connect meaningfully with families in the community. To round out what I do in St. James Town I currently chair the St. James Town Youth Network, a collaboration of secular and Christian organizations working together to provide events and opportunities for the youth of SJT. In the few months of work I have already met an arms length of people and some I meet regularly. I am beginning to take some of our gr. 6 boys out for lunch, something they really enjoy and look forward to, already changing my dynamic with them. All of these activities are bathed in prayer as my coworkers Jenn Perry, Elita Fung and Min Soo Kang meet to pray for our families and community. I really enjoy connecting with the other sites 3 times a month to hear what God is doing in the rest of the city and serve them with prayer also.

* Name changed

TCM LOOKING FORWARD TO 2012

- Deepening relationships with students and families through programs and extra opportunities like our community potlucks that happen 5x a year

- March Break Get Away with the Sr. High, wonderful opportunity to make deeper connections

- The launch of the TCM Blog in January, I am co-editor and contributor - Spike Back and Ignite, great fundraising events raising awareness of TCM programs

- Strengthening of my basketball skills!!

If you wish to get involved further, either through sponsorship, volunteering or even sending a mission team to work with a needy community in Toronto please feel free to contact me or the office directly www.torontocitymission.com.

In all things we know that God is at work and we see him most through his incarnation, that God became flesh, lived and died and now resurrected demonstrating God with us with by his continuing indwelling spirit. We pray that you may know him this season and see that we are not alone and things can change. Here’s to believing!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

Volunteer Appreciation Hot Pot

Volunteer Appreciation Hot Pot

This week I learned the value of "the volunteer". The volunteer is an individual that gives not only of their time but also of themselves.  For those they serve see not only the time served by the volunteer but also the manner and their "being".  What we ask most of our volunteers is that they "be" present during their time with our students.  And while there are challenges to overcome in this unique partnership both benefit from the time spent and honesty shared.

We are coming into Christmas time, where need is more evident and the shortage of volunteers is felt.  Yet, it is also a time of great opportunity for giving and sharing.  An opportunity for us to take stock of what we have been blessed with and to think of the "other" perhaps even over thinking of ourselves.  What better gift to give this Christmas than to serve someone else.

It is also a time to celebrate those who serve "others" and who inspire us to greater love through sharing our time and ourselves with others in service and doing good.  I want to take a moment to give a shout out to all those who volunteer with us in St. James Town.  You mean the world to us and our students.  Thank you for giving YOU to St. James Town.

And thank you for being part of a very special occasion for us as we shared our 1st Hot Pot experience over the weekend.

Joy and Peace,

P.S. If you want to help volunteer you can find the information on the link www.torontocitymission.com   

I remember...

I remember my childhood, it seems now so idyllic.  So simple, so sheltered and innocent.  I knew my neighbours and we played all day without worry.  We didn't know many of the horrors that we see in these days in this big city.  One thing, however remains the same, bullying.  I remember being bullied when I was young.  I remember making the decision not to retaliate, not to strike back.  I remember how humiliating it was.  Yet, I also remember how my stand against violence made a small mark with elementary school friends.

Bullying remains a problem today.  We are seeing it happen with our kids in the kids program, we see it in our city with politicians, we see it in our denominations and churches, and we see it in our nations.  We remember this week those who gave their lives in various wars, whether right or wrong, we acknowledge that all life is precious and has worth.

I have a problem with war, and this week I will start a discussion with the youth on war and violence.  I wish to approach this using Jesus teaching on turning the other cheek and this is challenging stuff.  I am listening to K'Nan's "Waving Flag" as I write this and I too echo with the artist about FREEDOM.  There is a freedom in non-violence that defies logic.  I hope that I can live walking in this freedom and challenge others to live this as well.

Peace  

So glad I am not alone!

So, my first real rough day happened this week!  I had a headache by the end of it and thought, "wow, it is tough to work with kids sometimes!"  The games didn't go right, I couldn't get them to settle and I felt like they didn't get the best of me.  I know that I will not always be the best at this job and will encounter resistance but what struck me most was that even though I didn't feel the best I was still part of a team and was not alone. 

This really important fact was backed up through various means during the last week, so I have been ruminating on it.  One of my advisors brought to my attention the need for a mentor.  Somebody who will be able to not only instruct me on leadership issues but also someone who will have experience in urban ministry.  Finding this mentor will assist me in knowing that I am not alone.  Second, I realize how much bigger the ministry of TCM is and how supportive they are to each of their team.  Third, just going through 1 Corinthians and looking at the different ministries of Paul and Appollos.  Even though they performed different ministries the emphasis of the passage is on these being God's work!  God is in this ministry and this is the biggest reason I am not alone.  No matter how I feel (whether it went well or not) it is not me but what God is doing.  And for this I am greatfull. 

Thanks that I am not alone. 

Individual and the Community

My parents are on a cruise currently, sending me email postcards from the cruise ship.  I have never been on a cruise before, or on a boat for any significant length of time, so I am unfamiliar of the feeling you get from looking out around and seeing nothing but water.  I'm sure it can be an overwhelming feeling, perhaps even makes one sick!  I think the only thing that makes someone okay about going on a cruise is that though you are surrounded by water you are not alone on the journey (in fact you may find it too crowded even on an amazingly big ship).  Don't think too many people would choose for their vacation to sit in a ship for so many hours in a day and be all alone by oneself and the expansive water.  It amazes me though how secluded and individualized Canadian culture can be!  How we might choose instead of journeying life together we instead opt for the silly lonely ride, slowly driving us mad.

Theological writers have for years written on Christian community and of how the bible instructs and exemplifies the importance of the individual for community and the community for the individual.  Bonhoeffer's classic Life Together is most encouraging on the life of Christian community.  I have also come across thoughts on community this morning through Newbigin and his ideas on Christian mission.

I now have the wonderful opportunity of working in a community in Toronto called St. James Town.  My involvement in this multicultural neighbourhood has me testing out these great writings and thoughts on community.  Last week I sat with my program director from seminary and this week sat with the program director for TCM.  The one director spoke of programs and people to meet, while the other encouraged me to always ask the "why" questions (why are we doing this or that).  I am reminded that to shape community you have to be in community.  When you are in community you will also be shaped by community.

I am glad for all of those who I have already met so far and am excited to be shaped by some of them.  I realize that I am from a small town and I have need of some "inner" city education.  But more than that these people are there for the people and that is something I must learn and develop.  Adding to this also is the commitment for presence because of God's sake.  I am not just there to be there but to be Christ there.  This will have amazing rewards and many heartaches.

If you know of great stories of community (Christian or non) feel free to share them with us here, because we all need to hear about the successes to keep us moving forward in building community and experience a virtual community here online.

Blessings,

Wow, that flew by...

Ok, so it's been a few weeks since my last post, but boy have these few weeks just flown by!  I haven't forgotten just been unable to sit down with it to post.  But here I am, and it is my intention to post each Wednesday, so keep coming back!

One of the great guys in the Bible wrote of Jesus teaching that we should love each other as God loves us, and that there is no greater love than the laying down of one's life for another.  Another great writer in the Bible speaks of three lasting things in this world, faith, hope and love.  The greatest of these is Love.  These thoughts have echoed and appeared during the past few weeks and have caught me today.

Last night we experienced our first community potluck.  Wow, what an amazing event and what a warm welcome we were given by the people of this community!  But this feeling has been demonstrated over and over by grace and acceptance in these weeks past.  So gracious is the atmosphere, that I even got cheers on making my first basket last friday at the men's basketball!!

Reflecting on how harsh the world around us appears each day and of all that we fear and distrust, I am amazed by the power of a little love.  At the risk of borrowing another's great thought, "what the world needs now is love sweet love".  I hope to reach a dark, hard world today with a little bit of love.  And I pray that you would too.

Peace and Love,
Darryl