& A NEW SUNDAY SCHOOL
CURRICULUM IS LAUNCHED.

Two and a half years after the fire which badly damaged Saint George's Round Church, the restoration of this beautiful building is halfway to completion and more than half the funds have been raised. The restoration is on time and on budget but parishioners long to write finis at the end of the biggest volunteer project most of them will ever be involved in.

The exterior was finished a year ago and, for logistical reasons, work inside is now being done from the top down. This year, the umbrella dome and the circle of paneling beneath it have been completed and the chancel ceiling has been repaired and plastered. In addition, more mundane things like fire exits, sprinkler system, an excellent heating system and a new washroom have been installed. Today, the upper level of the church is breathtakingly beautiful, but the lower sections of this elegant round building still bear the scars of fire and water, and the pews of the main floor and the gallery still await restoration.

What will it take to finish the job? The simple answer is $2.3 million. The architects and construction team could complete the restoration quite quickly, but work only proceeds as funds become available, and fund-raising takes time.

But Saint George's is not just historic architecture, it is also a thriving Anglican parish reaching out in mission to the north end of Halifax. The Rector, Fr. Gary Thorne, is committed to ensuring that Saint George's does not become simply a group of people restoring a piece of history. He recently said:

"The ministry and mission of the congregation has increased substantially since the fire .... A full time youth worker has been hired. Children and youth programmes are more extensive than ever; visiting the sick and shut-ins continues; the Saturday soup kitchen (unfortunately) continues to thrive."

In the months immediately following the fire some members of the congregation who did not support the idea of restoration migrated to other parishes. At the same time, newcomers joined the parish, drawn by curiosity, but remaining because they like the spiritual challenge offered by the inner city parish and its leader.

Literally and figuratively, there are no comfortable pews at Saint George's. Last Sunday's sermon took its focus from the fact that the street behind the church, a well known stroll for prostitutes, had been renamed Death Row with spray paint because of a number of murders it has been connected with in recent years.

But parishioners are tired of being crammed together on uncomfortable chairs in the church hall and long to return to the box pews of Saint George's. A beautiful Advent Service of Lessons and Carols which the Parish held in Saint Paul's (a nearby Anglican church) recently served as a reminder of the joys of worshipping in a real church.

Fund-raising is the engine which drives the restoration and so far $3.7 million has been raised. This includes almost three-quarters of million dollars from generous individuals. The congregation has given and pledged over $200,000 and almost 2,000 individual donors have given generous support, many of them not just once, but several times The campaign has become a very personal one. Letters reveal that donors feel they are part of the restoration team and that they are committed to the project until it is finished. In September 1996, a newsletter sent to all donors did not contain a request for money, but once more donations poured in.

At a time when Canada's national unity is threatened some donors have suggested that there are few better' ways to help than by preserving such an important piece of our national history. A moving letter from Quebec describes the writer's contribution as, "a small gift for Canada".

But finding another $2.3 million is a challenge and early in 1996 the decision was made to hire a professional campaign director. In July, Linda Crockett joined the team to manage the campaign. She has considerable experience as a fund-raiser, having worked at the Isaac Walton Killam Children's Hospital Foundation in Halifax and the Metro United Way. She is planning a comprehensive campaign which includes an approach to the corporate sector and to individuals who can afford major gifts. At present, the aim is to complete the restoration in 1998.

One way to raise money is by saving it. Hanscom Consultants Inc. is managing the project, and keeping a very strict control on spending. This has been so effective that even such major contingencies as the discovery that the main beams supporting the church were rotten and had to be replaced have been handled within the existing budget. In addition, over $200,000 has been donated in gifts or considerable reductions in price on goods and services ranging from plaster and timber to crane hire and design services.

Two and a half years after the fire, the congregation of Saint George's is a determined group of people carrying out a huge historical restoration on behalf of all Canadians. It is also an active Anglican parish maintaining its Christian mission in the north end of Halifax.

With the help of God and a very generous team of donors, the restoration will be finished in 1998-- good time to plan a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Round Church in the year 2000.

St. George's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Round Church has developed a Christian Education Curriculum for Sunday Schools based on the calendar, catechism and spirituality of the Book of Common Prayer. The curriculum is now being field-tested in a diverse selection of parishes across the county.

The development of this curriculum grew out of both the need of the parish, and the need of the Canadian Anglican Church in general. There are plenty of different Sunday School programmes on the market, but very few which meet the needs of those parishes which desire to remain faithful to the Prayer Book as the definitive expression of Anglican life.

Apart from questions of content, the Curriculum designers were also concerned with what has come to be known as "user-friendliness." Next to content and effectiveness, their primary concern was to have a curriculum which is easy to use, self-explanatory, and flexible enough to be appropriate in almost any educational context.

The curriculum is divided into four, one-year programmes, of at least thirty-two weeks of classes each. Each year presents the Faith in a unique way, the first being centered around the catechism, the second on the Christian year (the life of our Lord), the third focusing on various personalities and stories in the Bible, and the fourth teaching the history of the Church from the time of the Apostolic Fathers to the present.

The first year, based on the catechism, is a general introduction to the Christian faith. Following the rationale of the catechism itself, the year begins with baptism, and continues through the Apostles' Creed and the Ten Commandments. The year ends with a week by week reflection on the various stanzas of the Lord's Prayer.

The second year follows the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer. Beginning with a general introduction to the idea of "the Christian year", each season of the year is explained and celebrated as the Church is moving through it.

In this year of the rotation, various biblical characters and events are covered, from the story of Creation to the missionary adventures of St. Paul.

This last year devoted to Church history is currently being developed and taught in St. George's Sunday school.

It is anticipated that the Prayer Book Society will provide assistance to St. George's parish in the development of this most important area. The Society's own work in the field has been suspended and will be redirected to other youth projects.

To contact St. George's by e-mail, follow this link.

To see the St. George's Home Page, follow this link.

Honourary Architect ($1,000)
Honourary Master Carpenter ($500)
Honourary Glazier ($250)
Honourary Plasterer ($100)
I enclose a donation of $...........................

(A certificate of Appointment goes to all honourary craftspeople)

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