Anglicans across Canada are encouraged to celebrate Anglican Foundation Sunday, either on May 1 or another Sunday in the Easter season. Founded in 1957, the Anglican Foundation is the community foundation for Anglicans in Canada and has distributed more than $26 million to support the life and ministry of the church.
“The Anglican Foundation has helped hundreds of people, parishes, and organizations,” said Executive Director the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Rois. “The foundation has given them a hand up to start a project, a renovation, and more recently, innovative projects in music, art, drama and dance.”
Recent foundation-supported projects include an eco-farm at the Sorrento Centre in Sorrento, B.C.; an intercultural recording project at St. Benedict’s Table, Winnipeg; and a youth theatre collective-Roots Among the Rocks-that toured Canada last summer.
Resources for Anglican Foundation Sunday can be ordered by mail or downloaded as PDFs. They include a bookmark, bulletin covers, a resource for preaching, and a musical setting for Psalm 67, specially commissioned from Eric Robertson, a Juno- and Gemini-winning composer and church organist. This psalm will eventually be included in a Canadian psalter that is being funded by the Anglican Foundation.
Canon Rois is especially excited about the youth resource for Anglican Foundation Sunday. It highlights verses and activities that encourage generosity, including a “cookie crumbles” object lesson.
The resource also introduces the Anglican Foundation Kids Helping Kids program where young people can join for only a toonie (two dollars). With membership, they receive a certificate signed by the Primate, a membership card, and a Kids Helping Kids pin for their backpacks. All toonies will be pooled into a Kids Helping Kids Trust that will be directed to projects that help children, including outreach projects, arts camps, or buying books for a church school.
Anglican Foundation Sunday was established in 2010 by the House of Bishops. Canon Rois hopes that this day will encourage people to participate in the life of the foundation, whether as donors or as applicants.
“It’s an exciting time for the Anglican Foundation,” she said. “It’s exciting to be involved with a wonderful organization that is making a positive difference for people out there.”
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