By: Pastor Tim
when you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet
1 Kings 19:15b-16
A few weeks ago, I preached on 1 Kings and Elijah’s journey into the desert where God calls him into community. Like many Old Testament passages, there were so many ways I could have taken the narrative. Topics like community, succession, loneliness and even God’s providence. One that comes to mind again and again is the area of “partnership.”
In the verses above, God names specific individuals to work with Elijah. These aren’t just casual relations but true partnerships that are vital to God’s mission and plan. Some are understandable while others are as unlikely as you could ever imagine.
With Hazael, God calls Elijah to work with a foreign ruler to carry out his justice with strength and might that Elijah simply has no access to. With Elisha, God stretches Elijah’s mind to think about who will take over the ministry in the time to come. And, finally, with Jehu, the king of the southern kingdom, God invites a partnership with other worshippers of God though of a different “tribe.”
As we’ve explored ministering in Victoria Village, we’ve always known that we aren’t alone and we can’t do it ourselves. Partnering with the Hub and other agencies with the North End Partners, working with seasonal relationships with agencies like the Ontario Early Years and the Sloane Public School, have all been fruitful opportunities that continue to grow. This fall, we are excited to have the opportunity to work with Toronto City Mission, a Christ-centered organization who has worked since 1879 to bring love and hope to families impacted by poverty in Toronto. Using our space, TCM will be providing education for mothers to work on completing their high school equivalency while providing free daycare for their children.
As a church, we’re obviously excited about this opportunity to work as partners with TCM. Their heart for local ministry is evident as they seek to employ local residents as teaching assistants and child-minding services. Our youth have worked with them the last few summers. A number of our former members (Tim Yuen) and present members (Enos Choy) continue to work with TCM as staff in other locations. And this present relationship opens doors for more opportunities for us to minister together. Even if all we can provide is a space for the program and prayer for their staff, how awesome of a privilege it is for us to partner with them.
If you’re interested in more information, please contact any of the leadership. If you have time to pray (who doesn’t have time to pray?) please pray for TCM and for us as we partner together. If you have time, we’d love your help as tutors or even cooks for periodic class lunches and meals. May we as a community be anointed as we anoint others for His Kingdom.