Georgina
November 19, 2008 05:30 PM
John Slykhuis
This year’s recipient of the YMCA Peace Medallion, Pastor Shawn James, has always felt the “giving heart” in this community and that generosity of spirit has inspired him, he said.
Mr. James, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Pentecostal Church in Keswick received his medallion at a ceremony held in Cayley Hall, Roches Point Monday night.
“I really feel a lot of potential in this community,” he said. “One of the things that’s always drawn me here is its giving heart and I think that goes unnoticed a lot of times.”
What did not go unnoticed, however, is Mr. James’ extensive volunteer contributions, which created “positive social change” in the community — a main criterion for being awarded the YMCA Peace Medallion.
Over the years with the Keswick church, he has forged strong links between York Regional Police serving with the community liaison committee and through the Power to Play Community Kids program in association with Jericho Youth, Town of Georgina and Cornerstone.
“Our No. 1 goal there is just to provide a safe place for kids to come together and play.”
The program is in its second year.
Working on the police community liaison committee, he heard a lot about youth issues in town.
“I don’t like to be a person who just reacts to things, so we came up with the idea of the race league,” he said.
And so, he created the Georgina Race of Champions, a unique event at Cedarvale Lodge that connects kids with seniors through a radio-controlled car NASCAR racing program.
Initially, he had to go to members of the business community to raise funds to get started.
“When I went around and presented the idea, people could have laughed in my face, but they didn’t,” he said. “They embraced the idea.
“I mean, $250 per car is a lot to ask from people. To see that many join in support was great.”
He ended up with a dozen cars.
The program was a learning and sharing experience for both the youth and the seniors, he said, adding to the regular church services already being held in seniors facilities by youth groups.
“I wanted the connection to go deeper than that.”
Both young and old loved it.
It even drew out a 90-year-old resident who rarely left his room.
Last year, Cornerstone moved from its former 19th century, traditional style church building to the newly-vacant liquor store on Simcoe Street in Keswick.
Shelves of alcohol were replaced with seating for the congregation and concoctions for various intoxicants with bibles and hymn books.
It made for the occasional amusing moment when an unwitting liquor store patron, unaware it had relocated, strolled in.
“It was hilarious to see people coming in, thinking it was the LCBO,” he said.
“The first few Sundays, we had some people come in on a full blown service with their heads down and I’m on the platform watching them. There is this total look of shock on their face.”
Mr. James was blown away when he was told he won the medallion, he said.
“Our heart is in service,” he said. “That is our No. 1 motivation. Both my wife Stephanie and I have grown to love Georgina. We were called here.”
While volunteering with the church prior to becoming senior pastor, Mr. James had worked for a time at Baldwin Airport in ultralight fabrication and flight school plane maintenance.
He was just a few hours short of his pilot’s licence when the call of Calvary Community Church in Barrie took priority.
He served there as assistant pastor for three years before coming back to Keswick for a year, then accepted a position in Sudbury for six years, then back to Keswick and Cornerstone.
The couple has three children, Denise, 13, Sarah, 8 and Scott, 4.
“This giving heart I’ve talked about and I’ve felt in this community over and over again really inspires us to dream,” Mr. James said. “I really want to have Cornerstone be a church that dreams and dreams about connecting for the community and caring for the community before we try to preach any message.
That’s what I try to live my life by.”