About Us
Knox United Church is located in the village of Sutton in the Town of Georgina, the northernmost community in York Region and a prime south central Ontario tourist destination. Situated on the beautiful south shore of Lake Simcoe, the area is blessed with great natural beauty, beaches, parks, and wildlife nature reserves.
At the heart of the community is Lake Simcoe, the fourth largest lake in Ontario and the jewel in the crown of our community. Sutton and Jackson's Point offer a lifestyle that attracts both young families and seniors alike, offering the benefits of living in a rural setting and small town atmosphere with the amenities of a larger urban center.
Ministry Personnel and Staff
Minister: Rev. Kirsty Hunter
Office & Finance Administration: Karen Wilson
Custodian: David Ellis
Musician – In search at this time
Collaborative Ministry
Knox United Church is entering into a Collaborative Ministry Agreement with nearby Virginia United Church. Both congregations will maintain their unique identities, while sharing a minister—75% for Knox and 25% for Virginia. We anticipate that while each community of faith will continue their own activities and worship life, there will also be opportunities to share programming such as study groups or common social justice endeavours. This is an exciting new venture that in hopeful anticipation, we will be begin with new ministry leadership.
Governance
Knox United Church is governed by a Council and Ministries, in accordance with our Constitution. The current Council Chairperson is Anne Pegg. The mandates of the ministries are as follows:
Worship – to gather the Congregation in regular worship and praise of God, which is celebrative, challenging, and inspiring. This ministry works closely with the minister and lead musicians.
Fellowship and Pastoral Care – to care for one another and to welcome all persons and help them to participate and give leadership to the ministry and activities of the church. This ministry ensures, together with the ministerial staff, that pastoral care is provided to all members and adherents of Knox on an ongoing basis.
Outreach and Social Justice – to raise within the congregation an awareness of the spiritual, social, and physical needs and struggles in this community and the world, helping the congregation to understand and address them in caring and supportive ways. Also, to inform the congregation about social justice issues and to promote appropriate action and response.
Christian Development – to help all persons in the congregation to know God’s love as it is revealed in Jesus Christ, to grow in their understanding of the Christian faith, and to be involved in the mission of the church.
Stewardship – to lead the congregation in understanding and appreciation of Christian Stewardship as a natural and thankful response to God and to manage the short and long- term financial obligations of Knox.
Administration – to be responsible for the oversight of the financial affairs of the Congregation including the preparation of the budgets and regular financial reports to the Knox Council and to be responsible for the receipts and disbursements of funds on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the Knox Council and the congregation.
Property – to be responsible for: the church building and surrounding property, the building cleaning and custodial staff, the office facilities and supplies, the equipment required by other groups, committees and ministries, the allocation fo space for church and outside activities.
Ministry & Personnel – to provide a confidential setting for consultation with and support and assessment of all ministry personnel and staff persons at Knox.
Trustees – to hold title to all real estate property and trust funds of the congregation.
Community Building through Fundraising Events
Knox holds community roast beef dinners, pork roasts, concerts, and dinner/dances that are well attended by people across Georgina. These are great opportunities for community building while raising significant funds for the mission and ministries of Knox. The participation of many local residents is much appreciated by the congregation and especially by those who put in much hard work to make these events possible. We look forward to resuming these events post-pandemic. You can find our events under the “Events” tab in the drop down menu in the upper right corner.
Sharing our Building
Because Knox is the largest church in Sutton, large community events such as memorial services or ecumenical services may be held in the sanctuary and related fellowship time in the auditorium. In exercising good stewardship of our building resources, we are pleased that several groups have in the past or currently are using our building when it is not needed for congregational purposes. These include:
Lakeshore Community Fellowship – meeting for worship each Sunday afternoon. (During Covid, while Knox is worshipping on Zoom, Lakeshore Community Fellowship is worshipping at Knox on Sunday mornings.)
Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon – meeting weekly
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Sutton Guides and Brownies
Other groups such as yoga and tai chi occasionally contract space as well. See Facilities for further information about arranging use of building.
