On behalf of The Dale, I am very pleased to announce that we are expanding! As of the beginning of June, Pete Nojd will be joining our staff team as a Community Worker. We are thrilled that Pete, his wife Frances, and their four children will now be a part of our community.

Along with the Nojd family, we have the pleasure of enfolding the congregation that Pete has been pastoring over the last year and a half: Rendezvous Church. Rendezvous was started by Scott Rourk about ten years ago and has been tended to by many over that time. I know that the decision to close has not been made lightly. I want to honour the long, good work of Rendezvous, and give space for its community to both grieve and adjust to this new reality. Change, however good, is hard. I am grateful for and affirm that, as Pete wrote in a recent announcement of his own, we have “come to the conclusion that God has been at work to bring us together”.

Rendezvous had its last service yesterday and will be joining The Dale on June 2nd. Our folks are already planning ways to make everyone feel welcome- rumour has it there will be a banner and a cake! We invite you to pray that each person who joins us, including Pete, Frances and their children, quickly feel a sense of belonging.

Pete’s role will include supporting our existing programming, mentoring individuals, sometimes teaching on Sundays, and taking up the task of fundraising (something every member of our staff team must do and is admittedly a step of faith). We have identified that as our relationships deepen in the community, so does our need to be present. Having a fourth staff member only grows our capacity to do this beloved work. It also creates space for us to imagine and establish additional programs. There will be room, just as there is for Joanna, Meagan and I, for Pete to carve out jobs that are unique to him.

There will soon be a bio of Pete up on our website. Until then, a little about him: Pete grew up in Brampton, is passionate about and called to Parkdale, loves being a husband and father, has a MDiv from Tyndale University College & Seminary, and is an avid fan of all sports. When Pete first arrived in Parkdale, he contacted us about building a partnership and very quickly began steadily volunteering at our Monday Drop-In. He has already developed many relationships at The Dale and is a very kind and humble presence.

Please join me, Joanna, Meagan, our Board of Directors, and the entire Dale community in saying, “welcome!” We are excited for this next leg of the journey.