Grace folk love to socialize, and we can’t wait to get back into full swing. Our social year is punctuated by many annual events:
Burns Dinner
Our Burns event is a celebration of all things Scottish. The evening is filled with Highland dancing and music, bagpipes, the Address to a Haggis, a fabulous Scottish meal, Scotch nosing, and much laughter!
Caribbean Dinner
Music, dancing, jerk chicken, rice and peas, and mac & cheese pie. Our Caribbean night is a celebration of the people and culture of our parish that bode from those beautiful islands. Everyone is invited to the party.
Mardi Gras Pancake Supper
Our Mardi Gras Pancake Supper is the party on the Tuesday (Mardi) before Lent where we use up all of the extra fats (Gras) in the cupboard to make pancakes, It is always a blast with stacks of pancake, crepes, sausages, New Orleans jazz, and friends.
Karaoke Night
Sometimes we just like to get together and have fun! Karaoke night is one of those moments where we come together in fellowship for its own sake.
Rummage Sales
It’s been said one person’s refuse is another’s treasure. That is the heart and soul of the rummage sale. You just never know what you are going to find at these events. There is always at least a little something for everyone who shows up… you just don’t know what it will be.
Parkway Concerts
This is a way we connect with local musicians as well as our own, to invite them to showcase their talents and share their love of music with a wider audience. We are always looking for new musicians in the community to get involved.
Christmas Bazaar
An array of Christmas treasures, crafts, and endless baking. What is Christmas without the annual church Christmas bazaar? Stocking stuffers and those yummy treats that you can only seem to find once a year are all here waiting for you.
Outreach
Outreach takes place in many forms at Grace. Sometimes it is as simple as fundraising for regular or sudden needs in the community or the wider world. The Markham Food Bank was founded by members of Grace and many still volunteer there. Our Food Bank collection box is at the front door and donations from anyone in the community are accepted. For years we have hosted a monthly meal open to all called ‘Lunch with Grace’. We have sponsored refugees from Syria and Iran through AURA and they have become part of our family. Every Christmas we support children with gifts through Moorelands in downtown Toronto. The Santa Sacks are for many children the only gift they receive. Grace folk also regularly donate toiletries, clothing, winter gear and masks for the homeless. We support our Anglican partners at All Saints, Sherborne St and Holy Trinity, Eaton Square. During the pandemic we focussed our attention on helping to get people vaccinated, We founded Markham Vaccinates and thanks to our co-ordinator Ray Lai were able to book over 6000 appointments and help 4500 seniors locally. This turned into a wonderful ecumenical venture as we worked with other churches to drive people without transport. At Grace we also do outreach via education and advocacy. Whether it is writing letters to government leaders asking for clean water for all First Nations reserves, inviting speakers to educate us on issues, or advocating for affordable housing, we like to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open to the needs around us.
