Welcome to November CONNECT View as Webpage

In this update...

• November Voices of Hope/Voix d'espoir - Quebec

The latest Alongside Hope News...

• World of Gifts campaign makes gift-giving easy!
• Donate to Light for Mozambique and bring solar suitcases to health clinics
• National Gathering 2026
• Diocese of Toronto comes through with $120k for Jamaica hurricane response
• Helping farmers in the Philippines prepare for climate change
• Raising children to use their voices for change in Zambia
• Support for volunteers

Upcoming events and resources

• Spend your Hallowe’en night with the Rev. Ros MacGregor!
• Introducing Alongside Hope's Advent resource
• Read the November edition of Under the Sun
• Praying with Alongside Hope resource by Suzanne Rumsey
• Order your Alongside Hope Christmas cards
• 2026 Annual Report available in English and French
• Bring 2026 Annual Resources to your church

Voices of Hope can be shared in English or French in your parish as a bulletin insert, read as an announcement, or included in an e-blast.

This month, learn about Alongside Hope's work supporting 
Indigenous partnership in Quebec.

NEWS

World of Gifts makes gift-giving easy!

During this season of hope, give the gift of clean water, food, healthy babies, dignity for women and girls, emergency relief and peace. Right now, thanks to a generous donor, all gifts are matched 1:1 up to $100,000. Gifts through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are matched up to 4:1 by the Government of Canada.

Planning a World of Gifts fundraiser with your group?

Check out our Parish Toolkit for resources to help with your fundraising. Tell us about your campaign and we’ll send you two customizable posters and two sticker sheets to help you promote your fundraiser.

Bring light to remote health clinics in Mozambique

Imagine giving birth or delivering a baby in the dark. That’s the reality for many health clinics without reliable electricity. Since 2016, Alongside Hope has installed 115 Solar Suitcases in Mozambique, making childbirth safer for babies and moms. We’re now fundraising for 25 more. Each $6,500 unit includes medical grade lights, a fetal Doppler, charging ports, headlamps, a rooftop solar panel, as well as installation and training, bringing health care to clinics any time of day. Read impact stories and find parish fundraising resources.

National Gathering 2026

From October 22-24, Alongside Hope board members, diocesan representatives, youth council members and staff came together for three days of listening, learning and sharing. We were delighted to welcome our partner from the Diocese of Brasilia, the Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Espiuca. It was a time to deepen our connections, exchange ideas, and renew our shared commitment to the work ahead.

Want to know more about volunteering with Alongside Hope? We’d love to connect!

Whether you're curious about volunteering with Alongside Hope, already supporting our work through your parish or diocese, or interested in engaging young people in global justice and faith in action, we invite you to connect with our team! 

Connect with Kim Umbach
Volunteer Coordinator 

Interested in volunteering with Alongside Hope, or already involved and looking for support? Kim offers virtual office hours for anyone wishing to explore volunteer opportunities, share ideas, or receive guidance and encouragement with their activities and initiatives. Book office hours with Kim.

Connect with Sarah Bird
Youth Engagement Coordinator 

Interested in engaging youth and young adults in faith, justice, advocacy, and meaningful action? Connect with Sarah to explore intergenerational resources for your parish or community, discover opportunities for youth engagement, or learn more about Alongside Hope's Youth Council and how young people can get involved. 

NEW – Monthly Gatherings for Diocesan Representatives and Youth Council

We are delighted to introduce a new monthly virtual gathering that will bring together Alongside Hope's Diocesan and Territory Representatives and Youth Council members from across Canada. Held on the third Tuesday of every month, starting November 17, these gatherings will create space for connection, conversation, collaboration and shared learning. This time will also help staff better understand how Alongside Hope can support and resource volunteers through additional training, and experiential learning opportunities. 

While the monthly gatherings are specifically for Diocesan and Territory Representatives and Youth Council members, we are excited to share this initiative with our wider community of supporters. It reflects our ongoing commitment to nurturing meaningful relationships, strengthening volunteer engagement, and ensuring that those who give their time and talents feel connected, valued and supported. 

Together, we are building a vibrant, connected, and hope-filled community of volunteers, working alongside our partners to create a truly just, healthy and peaceful world.  

Read the latest news

• When Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of Jamaica, Bishop Andrew Asbil of the Diocese of Toronto issued a Lenten challenge. The result? More than $120,000 to support the rebuilding plan.
• Tropical storms and cyclones in the Philippines can damage crops and destroy farmland. A new project is aiming to increase farmers’ resilience.
• The Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Program provides sports equipment and menstrual hygiene products to improve the lives of young people.

EVENTS

Saturday, October 31 at 6 p.m.ET

Ros MacGregor’s Broomstick Ride for Light for Mozambique

The Rev. Ros MacGregor — recently named an Alongside Hope Honorary Associate for her years as a diocesan rep in Montreal — celebrates her October 31 birthday by raising funds for Alongside Hope. This year, join her and Sister Dorothy online as they "hold the world in mind, one place at a time," flying around the world in prayer. Every pledge goes toward a solar suitcase — $6,500. Make a pledge and they'll swing by your door for a flypast, writing your name in the sky.

Thursday, November 12 at 1 p.m. EST

Introducing our Advent 2026 resource

What does it mean to walk alongside God when the ground beneath us feels unsteady and our communities feel fractured? This Advent season, Brittan Hudson will explore “active waiting”— a holy, gritty posture of expectation that engages with uncertainty and difference, to become the ground for change. Meet Brittan at our Advent webinar and learn more about the resource. Learn more about the resource.

RESOURCES

Read the November issue of Under the Sun

Under the Sun is Alongside Hope’s newsletter, distributed to Anglican Journal subscribers three times a year. In this issue, you’ll learn more about the role that volunteers play, including from our Youth Council, our Diocesan Reps and our partners.

Praying with Alongside Hope:

A devotional resource by Suzanne Rumsey

In the early days of COVID, staff of Alongside Hope (then PWRDF) were sent home, churches closed their doors and the world shut down. Led by Public Engagement Program Coordinator Suzanne Rumsey, Praying with PWRDF was born as a way to stay connected to our supporters. The Alongside Hope community joined together on Zoom for music, prayer and fellowship, at first weekly, then bi-weekly and then monthly. Six years later, the community that grew out of despair became a gift of hope to us all. In this resource, Rumsey has created 12 devotionals aligned with the liturgical year, stitching together favourite prayers, reflections and music from the last six years.

Join our team!

Help expand opportunities for global impact

As a supporter of Alongside Hope, you know that lasting change happens through strong partnerships. We're looking for a volunteer Foundation Researcher to help identify grant opportunities that can support the work of our partners.

If you enjoy research, are curious, detail-oriented, and want to make a tangible contribution from home, this could be a great fit. You'll help uncover funding opportunities that can strengthen programs, expand impact, and support communities as they pursue their own goals and priorities. The time commitment would be approximately 5-10 hours per week, remotely.

Your research could help unlock new resources for communities working toward a more just, healthy, and peaceful world.

Interested? We'd love to hear from you. Contact Alongside Hope’s Volunteer Coordinator, Kim Umbach, at Kumbach@Alongsidehope.org

Christmas cards are now available

Celebrate the hope of Christmas with two new watercolour designs: "O Night Divine" (a caribou under the Northern Lights) and "Our Dear Saviour's Birth" (Joseph and Mary with the infant King). Cards come in packs of 12 — a minimum donation of $25 per pack is recommended (tax receipt eligible).

Orders can be placed online or through your parish representative, or by contacting Anslim Hameed at (416) 822-9083 or ahameed@alongsidehope.org

Read our 2026 Annual Report

The 2026 Annual Report was included in your October Anglican Journal and is also available online. Physical copies can also be ordered at info@alongsidehope.org.

Bring our Annual Resources to your church

Alongside Hope is pleased to present a new suite of informational resources to bring Alongside Hope into your parish or community. Order brochures, placemats, bulletin covers, cards, offering envelopes, and prayer cards (new this year!) to share the good news of our partners and programs.

Alongsidehope.org