2023: FAITH continues to have The “12 Weeks of Giving” focused Thanksgiving to Christmas. Collecting different items each week for Community Care. Plus all year round support too.

Mitten Sock Tree collecting various items distributed to 6 local charities every Christmas.

We support Trinity Lutheran, Fort Erie with their Mom’s Boxes.

Mens Breakfasts 2 or 3 times each year.

“Take Out or Eat In” Chilli Supper in the Fall for Out of the Cold and Beef on a Bun in the early spring for a selected local charity.

HOLY HUMOUR Zoom Service, 2021 was prepared by the Niagara Leadership Team. Six ELCIC Churches participated with 35 members attending. The music, sermon and humour was most enjoyable. We look forward to further Zoomed participation services. Thank You to all participants.

2020-2022-We may  be a small church but, continued to make a big impact on our Community, during Covid-19 and the restrictions we  completed outreach in new ways. Our Faith Team continued to prepared the Out of the Cold dinner on the 3rd Saturday of each month at Queen Street Baptist. We held 3 “drive by” Food Drives for Community Care in 2020 and 2021. Our Christmas “Mitten Tree” shares over 500 items and cash with 6 Local Organizations to assist with each Christmas Season.

Thank You to All who contributed to “Palm’s for Sunday” and to donations to Community Care- St Catharines. Faith collected 87 lbs of food and $1,140:00.The Altar Guild distributed 70 Palms,11Children’s Easter Bags with Children’s Newsletters and 38 Faith ELC Easter Newsletters! 

Chilli Supper, ANNUAL Fund Raising Event for Out of the Cold

In 2020 following the Covid Guide Lines Faith had a Take Out Chilli Supper in support of “Out of the Cold”.It was a tremendous success. Went very smoothly and with sales and donations raised $1,401:00 for the cause. Sincerest Thank You to the Faith Family, Friends and the Community!

Once again on Thursday November 28th 2019 Faith hosted a Chilli Supper to support the “OUT of the COLD” Program  We raised $ 530:00 to support this important community out reach.

On Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church prepared and served a chili supper on December 5 2013. This is an annual fundraising effort held to provide financial assistance to the Out of the Cold Program and this year to Community Care as well.  We are very pleased to announce that the dinner was well attended and supported with proceeds amounting to $1331.00! These funds will be evenly distributed to both of the charities as mentioned. Special thanks to the volunteers, Harvest Barn Country Market, 1179 Fourth Avenue, St. Catharines for their generous donation of delicious pies and to Faith Life Financial for their matching grant donation.

Pancake Supper, ANNUAL Fund Raising Event

Last held in 2019.

On Tuesday March 4th 2014, (Shrove Tuesday) we offered a pancake supper in our church hall. As always it was well attended and everyone left well fed. All proceeds collected are being forwarded to funding our new altar guild sink. (each year supports a different project or charity) Thanks to all who attended as well to all who volunteered their time in making this event a success.

Lutheran-Mennonite Forgiveness-Reconciliation October 27, 2013

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, 31 Agar St, St. Catharines, initiated and organized a joint service of forgiveness and Reconciliation between the Lutheran and Mennonites to close the strife between them which had first started in Germany almost 500 years ago. Pastors and Lay members of the two churches formed a Planning committee which started working earnestly in February 2013, planned all the details prayerfully for nine months and presented the final service on the Lutheran Reformation Sunday on October 27, 2013 at Grace Mennonite Church, 677 Niagara Street, St. Catharines at 3-5 pm.

The final joint event of October 27, 2013 was a wonder of wonders! Grace Mennonite Church was filled to brim with an expectant congregation and a lively Choir. Annie Schultz (Mennonite) opened the Service with a magnificent Piano Prelude followed byA Mighty Fortress by Martin Luther as Bette Rempel (Lutheran) led the congregation and Pastor Waldo Pauls(Mennonite) projected it on the Screen.

Tilly Chandulal opened the service with prayer and welcomed the mixed congregation of 174 including a mixed volunteer Choir of 45. The speakers, Waldo Pauls, Douglas Schweyer, David Brubacher, Julio Romano and Rudi Dirks, spoke on the subjects: “Why do we need to talk,” “A Joint History,” “The Meaning of Forgiveness,” and “Where do we go from here.”

The third talk included a dialogue and foot-washing between Luther and Menno in heaven. The whole congregation walking up the aisle for Communion presided over by David Brubacher and Matti Kormano, and assisted by Pastor Doug Schultz and Tilly, was a poignant time of experiencing the presence of Christ. Guests had plenty of food and new friends during Fellowship time.

The Rubicon has been crossed without strife; there is no official wall between the Lutherans and Mennonites even though we still have some unresolved problems. The Condemnations of the Anabaptists are still in the Augsburg Confession book although only as a relic of the past, with no relevance to the present; hopefully, these may be removed later. The Anabaptist-Mennonite forebears forgave their Lutheran persecutors, God has healed our painful memories, and we are looking forward to fellowship and friendships between the two churches.

As baptized members of the one body of Christ, we can live together as a family in the Niagara region and elsewhere and learn from each other. We can witness to Christ to the glory of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, towards peace that transcends all differences.

Tilly Chandulal, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Catharines, Ontario