Can you believe it? We’ve been offering summer programming for local community kids at Kingsview for the last 14 years! From Camp Asphalt to Camp Sunrise to Studio 15, this ministry has grown and changed from a drop-in sports program to a full-fledged arts & recreation day camp experience.
The programs were first designed to draw local youth of all backgrounds into constructive, healthy outdoor activities during the summer months. Camp Sunrise shifted to offering a more organized day camp experience for a wider age-group that included games and arts & crafts, using mostly local school & park facilities, before using Kingsview church as its home. The Studio 15 summer camp evolved out of this environment and, with help from funding partners including World Vision Canada, Studio 15 has now contributed to meeting the needs of more than 250 children, youth and families in our neighbourhood over the last 4½ years.
This year Studio 15 is partnering with 2 other local churches, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian (HumberHeights), St. Phillip’s Anglican, and Frontlines, a local Christian agency, to offer a larger scale day camp at Kipling Collegiate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. It’s designed to serve a diverse community of local children & youth from various cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds; an optional Christian discipleship component will be available to interested participants.
Another seasonal ministry is the Bike Shop. We started the bike repair ministry in 2007 after noticing that kids in the neighbourhood were riding around on bikes with flat tires, no brakes, broken pedals, etc. We took a couple of tool boxes, an air pump and some tire repair kits down toDixonParkand were overwhelmed by the number of children & youth that responded!
Since then the ministry has grown, largely through the efforts of local ministry volunteers and partners, including The Bicycle Depot on Albion Rd. For a period of time, through the 2008-12, seasons we had a physical location in the garage at #11 Kingsview, and the ministry benefited greatly from that stability and a part-time student employee. Bike clinics have been offered at different times, and in various locations, including March Break and the summer season, at local parks, and on-site at Studio 15. This resilient ministry has continued to provide free bicycle, maintenance & repairs,, training and safety promotion to local children & youth.
For 2015 our new initiative is a mobile Bike Shop! Generous donors have provided an enclosed trailer that will allow us to travel to different neighbourhoods in Etobicoke, and have all of our tools & parts in a self-contained unit. Also, for the first time, we have a full-time summer student working on the project. We start on July 6, and regular hours will be Monday to Thursday from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting). If you’re interested in volunteering, contact Pastor Darrin for more information. Praise the Lord for faithfully providing for these important ministries, and keep them in your prayers!