St. Tim's Finds a New Way to Serve

The parish of St. Timothy’s Edmonton has served with the Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM) as a founding member since 1978, providing volunteers and food for the Sunday lunch program at the Bissell Centre in the inner city. This has been a rewarding experience for our volunteers as they have had the opportunity to worship with and serve the community on those Sundays. 

So much has changed this year because of COVID-19. Previously, the Community of Emmanuel, a congregation of inner city residents, would gather every Sunday at the Bissell Centre for worship under the direction of Pastor Quinn Strikwerda. Once a year, on the first Sunday of December, St. Timothy’s lunch volunteers have joined in the worship service with our brothers and sisters and then served lunch to them.

In 2020, St. Timothy’s collected funds rather than food. 200 nutritious lunches were purchased, packed and delivered to the Bissell Centre to be served by the ICPM staff. Due to COVID-19 a very small group gathered to safely pack the lunches. We hope that normal operations will continue in the future so our volunteers can continue to participate in this ministry.

In addition to the purchased food, the generous donations allowed for a gift of cash to ICPM to support its valuable programs.

Please check the ICPM web page for more information about its ministry and service to the inner city.  As it will tell you, the "Inner City Pastoral Ministry is an Interdenominational Christian Ministry of Presence. In partnership with the community, and guided by the Spirit of God, we walk with the People of the Inner City of Edmonton."

Submitted by Linda Scott, parishioner at St. Timothy's Anglican Church in Edmonton