Jane – Finch Church Coalition presents “Loving Our Community Into Greatness!”

BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been over 22 years since the seed of the Jane Finch Coalition has been sown, which has brought issues pertaining to this marginalized community to the forefront. On Saturday, October 21^st, it hosts an event titled, “Loving Our Community Into Greatness,” at Friendship Community Church (FFC) located at the northeast corner of Jane St and Keele St. FCC is an ideal spot as it is near the intersection of two main streets in the city.

Councilor Anthony Perruza talked about Toronto’s housing crisis. He provided a historical analysis of how the provincial government’s abandonment of affordable housing led to developers and speculators capitalizing on the scarcity by investing in expensive condominium projects that are more lucrative and financially profitable in the long run.

Mattias deDovitiis, Trustee with the Toronto District School Board and a member of the Schools and Youth team, talked about the serious issues around funding that has occurred as the provincial government reduced funding per student across the province. This has seriously impacted the quality of the Ontario public education system.

Rakocevic talked about food security. He mentioned the financial and economic challenges that many faced in these impoverished communities as they try to balance high rental costs and food expenses. This has led to a marked increase in food banks usage.

It was in 2001, that Friendship Community Church (FCC) under the leadership of Revered Fred Witteveen obtained a 3-year seed grant to spearhead the leadership of a youth program. In an attempt to foster growth and sustainability, the leadership pursued the following:

• Hire a full-time outreach worker who lives in the community.
• Partner with a parachurch organization with expertise in urban youth ministry.
• Partner with area churches who shared a similar vision and values for transformational community development ministry.

In order to accomplish these three goals, Benjamin Osei was hired by the FCC. He was a refugee from Ghana who worked with marginalized youth in the Jane-Finch area. He was deported in 2004 but came back to Canada after mainstream media publicized his case. He has been recognized for his outstanding work by the Ontario Legislature.

From a start of three churches, the JFCC expanded so that by 2004 there was an increase to nine churches representing nine denominations and one parachurch. They unanimously agreed that the Apostles Creed would be their foundational doctrinal statement. In addition, the motto “Working together for the transformation of the community” was adopted. These four values were accepted:

• Jesus directs all of our efforts for redemption.
• Healthy families are foundational for community wholeness.
• Diversity enriches our capacity for unity.
• Education empowers the community for lasting change.

The power of collaboration by the churches was recognized by the provincial government, which made available $3 million through the African Canadian Christian Network to distribute to community agencies in what was dubbed the “Summer of the Gun” in 2005 when many Blacks were killed in the Greater Toronto Area.

The following four questions have been posed as the basis to evaluate the coalition:

• Are the systems of the city being confronted and offered the potential for change?
• Are the poor and exploited of the city provided the vehicles by which they can bring about change in their situation?
• Are the middle class and the powerful given the opportunity to join in common cause with the poor to confront the systems of the city and seek their transformation.
• Is there a spiritual transformation that is going on in the city, or are the changes only social? Are the lives of both the city’s poor and the powerful being changed by God?

The Jane-Finch Church Coalition plans to continue to support this often maligned and stigmatized community through: advocacy, activism and political education.