Mission & Outreach

The Meal Program’s outreach efforts support people in the downtown east who cannot come to the church by providing some 340 hot meals a week off-site in the surrounding neighbourhoods. This includes such places as: Moss Park, Moss Park Consumption & Treatment Services, Regent Park Community Health Centre, Allan Gardens and other spots where unhoused people gather.

The Meal Program hires harm reduction workers/peers whose expertise lies in reversing overdoses and de-escalation of potential conflicts. The peers have lived or living experience, meaning they have been unhoused or have/had addictions. Since the Meal Program began, it has invested time with its peers to ensure their wellbeing and accompany them on their journey. The Meal Program views this as part of its spiritual mission.

With Saint Luke’s redevelopment on the horizon the Meal Program is actively looking with the church for a new site so that it can continue to serve all those in need who turn to us.

After the Covid Pandemic (2020-2023), increasing numbers of refugees and international students from Africa found their way to Saint Luke’s. Proximity again was one factor. Some of the shelters that catered to refugees are close to Saint Luke’s. Word circulated in the hostels and shelters that folks would be welcomed at Saint Luke’s.

At the Saint Luke’s Annual Meeting in August 2024, the congregation reflected on this long history of welcoming newcomers and the current increase in numbers from Africa and made the decision to become more intentional about this aspect of our life. The Annual Meeting took the decision to initiate a “Ministry with Newcomers.” Ruth Silencino was hired as half-time co-ordinator as of January 1, 2025.

The Ministry with Newcomers operates a number of outreach programs to provide support to newcomers to Canada including a weekly Newcomers Drop-in on Mondays from 4pm to 7pm.

Another major dimension of the Ministry with Newcomers has been our relationship with the African Centre for Refugees for whom Saint Luke’s has been providing free office space since October of 2024. The African Centre for Refugees provides support for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) who have fled persecution and discrimination on the African continent due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the course of 2024, discussions were held with Regent Park Community Ministry that led to the development of a collaborative model for the Downtown East Community Ministry Collective between Regent Park Community Ministry (RPCM) and Saint Luke’s United Church. Both the Board of RPCM and the Church Council of Saint Luke’s reviewed and endorsed the proposal. 

In 2025, we continued to live into that collaboration. The model builds upon the unique strengths and shared mission of both ministries to foster a more impactful and sustainable faith-based presence in the Downtown East neighbourhood of Toronto. 

The collaboration between us includes:

• RPCM assisting Saint Luke’s in engaging more actively in advocacy initiatives;
• Saint Luke’s providing meeting space for RPCM’s programming, training, and education events;
• Both ministries offering worship and spiritual nurture opportunities (e.g. Bible study, training in harm reduction, etc.) at various locations and times during the week, open to members of both RPCM and Saint Luke’s;
• Rev. Angie Hocking, the Minister at Regent Park Community Ministry, preaches several times a year at Saint Luke’s;
• Collaboration among staff including joint projects on advocacy, community training, education, and worship.