Centre Place

Centre Place Centre Place produces free original online content including history, philosophy, and theology lectures. Please continue to join us online.

Centre Place produces free original online content including history, philosophy, and theology lectures; meditation resources, music, and more. Our international community of learners and spiritual seekers is LGBTQ+ affirming, non-dogmatic, & interfaith. Our facility in downtown Toronto is currently not hosting in-person events. Find out more at www.centreplace.ca.

Is the Kingdom of God something that will come at the end times? The Gospel of Thomas 113 says it’s already here, like a...
10/08/2026

Is the Kingdom of God something that will come at the end times? The Gospel of Thomas 113 says it’s already here, like an ultimate reality that we simply fail to see. How do theologians make sense of a Kingdom that is already here but still coming? How do we learn to see this hidden reality?

As we spend our second week considering the Gospel of Thomas, we will also ponder the idea of God’s Kingdom as meaningful, rather than literal. What must we do to see it? How can we bring it about?

We invite you to share this hour of reflection, prayer, meditation, music, and fellowship with the Beyond the Walls global community on 📅 Sunday, October 11, 2026. You can participate via live video as usual or join us in person at: 💒 320 Richmond Street East, Suite 101, Toronto, ON M5A 1P9.

10/06/2026

An earlier version of Mark? A later expansion? Or just a modern forgery?

10/04/2026

Why did Jesus speak in parables to describe the Kingdom of God rather than offering straight answers?

10/04/2026

Why did Jesus speak in parables to describe the Kingdom of God rather than offering straight answers?

The Gospel of Thomas preserves a saying of Jesus not included in the New Testament that compares God’s Kingdom with a woman carrying a jar of flour, unaware that it was spilling onto the road behind her, so the jar was empty when she opened it at home. Although this parable is found only in this non-canonical text, some scholars consider it more likely to preserve an authentic saying of the historical Jesus than many sayings found in the canonical gospels. This will be our focus scripture on Beyond the Walls this Sunday.

What insight might this saying reveal for our ministry and mission today? What are we spilling behind us without noticing? What impact might that be having in the lives of others?

Join us to explore these and other questions together as we share communion 🍞🍇 with everyone participating from around the world. 📅 Sunday, October 4, 2026.

This year we are focusing on witnesses of God’s revelation beyond the four canonical gospels, including the letters of Paul, Hebrews, and the letters attributed to James, Peter, Jude, and John. We will also read Acts, Revelation, and some important early Christian texts that were not included in the canon: the Didache (or Teachings of the Twelve Apostles), the sayings Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Prelude: 1. Berceuse from Escenas Poéticas by Enrique Granados
Greetings: John Hamer — Toronto Centre Place
Call to Worship (Gospel of Thomas 1-3): Jen Fischer — Kent, Washington
Opening Hymn CCS 72: “Gather Us In”
Invocation: Lauren Carr — Blue Springs, Missouri
Testimony: Tracy Miller — Lakeland, Florida
Global Welcome: Leandro Palacios — Toronto Centre Place
Focus Scripture (Gospel of Thomas 82, 96-97): Jen Fischer
Sermon: Jake Christensen — Chelsea, Michigan
Communion Hymn CCS 523: “As We Gather at Your Table”
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Closing Hymn CCS 654: “Go Forth”
Sending Forth (Gospel of Thomas 33): John Hamer
Postlude: IV. Gigue from Suite in G Minor (HWV 452) by George Frideric Handel

All music performed by the Beyond the Walls Choir and Michael Karpowicz.
Late Edition Host: Noelle Gaffka

Here is the online version of our Beyond the Walls bulletin for October 4, 2026.
10/04/2026

Here is the online version of our Beyond the Walls bulletin for October 4, 2026.

A letter discovered in 1958 mentioned an ancient text with secret teachings of Mark the evangelist, including an expande...
10/02/2026

A letter discovered in 1958 mentioned an ancient text with secret teachings of Mark the evangelist, including an expanded story connecting the youth who flees without his garment during Jesus’ arrest with the disciple Jesus loved and raised from the dead.

Did "Secret Mark" really exist? Was it an early form of the canonical Gospel of Mark, a later Gnostic expansion, or just a modern forgery? What might this and other lost gospels tell us about the diversity of early Christianity?

In this live presentation, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place examines what is known about “Secret Mark,” including theories that the letter attributed to Clement is itself a modern forgery. We also look at the broader context of lost gospels known only through limited quotations or tiny surviving manuscript fragments.

📅 Tuesday, October 6
⏰ 7:00 PM EDT

Why did Jesus speak in parables to describe the Kingdom of God rather than offering straight answers?The Gospel of Thoma...
10/01/2026

Why did Jesus speak in parables to describe the Kingdom of God rather than offering straight answers?

The Gospel of Thomas preserves a saying of Jesus not included in the New Testament that compares God’s Kingdom with a woman carrying a jar of flour, unaware that it was spilling onto the road behind her, so the jar was empty when she opened it at home. What insight might this saying reveal for our ministry and mission today? What are we spilling behind us without noticing? What impact might that be having in the lives of others?

Join us to explore these and other questions together as we share communion 🍞🍇 with everyone participating from around the world. 📅 Sunday, October 4, 2026.

09/29/2026

Why are there so many strange geographical references in the gospels?

09/27/2026

How do we recognize gifts of God in us and in others? If we feel called to share our gifts so that others may be blessed, are we supposed to change our lifestyle by abstaining from certain foods, relationships, and other things we enjoy? This Sunday we reflect on these questions focusing on the letters to Timothy and Titus, traditionally attributed to Paul, which offer pastoral advice to a generation of Christians divided by disagreement during challenging times, not unlike our own today.

At the end of the first century, the letters of the Apostle Paul had begun to be seen as authoritative. They were collected and read as scripture by Christians in emerging proto-Orthodox communities. Other early Christian groups were divided: most Gnostics approved of Paul’s writings, but Jewish Christian communities rejected them because of his position that they should cease to observe the Law of Moses.

In the early 2nd century, a leader decided to write several new letters in Paul’s name, in order to warn proto-Orthodox Christians against the teachings of both Gnostic and Jewish Christian groups, and to give authoritative instructions about church structure as it was developing. These letters took the form of pastoral advice given to two companions of Paul: Timothy and Titus.

In the First Epistle to Timothy, the author imagines the kind of counsel he believed Paul would have given to one of his younger companions — what should he do to be a good minister of Jesus Christ? The advice includes making time for spiritual training and setting a good example for others. Above all, the author advises “don’t neglect the gift that is in you” (1 Timothy 4:14). This remains good advice for us today as we seek to be good ministers and faithful disciples.

We invite you to share this hour of reflection, prayer, meditation, music, and fellowship with the Beyond the Walls global community on 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026.

This year we are focusing on witnesses of God’s revelation beyond the four canonical gospels, including the letters of Paul, Hebrews, and the letters attributed to James, Peter, Jude, and John. We will also read Acts, Revelation, and some important early Christian texts that were not included in the canon: the Didache (or Teachings of the Twelve Apostles), the sayings Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Prelude: Medley of Heritage Hymns by RLDS Women
Greetings: John Hamer — Omaha, Nebraska
Call to Worship: Kevin Thompson — Dallas, Texas
Opening Hymn CCS 307: “Let There Be Peace On Earth”
Invocation: Joy Vogel — Saltillo, Mexico
Living Church Lesson: Pat Marmoy — Tempe, Arizona
Global Welcome: Leandro Palacios — Toronto Centre Place
Hymn CCS 376: “For Such a Time”
Focus Scripture: by invitation
Sermon: John Williams — Chesterfield, Missouri
Meditation on the Message: Leandro Palacios — Toronto Centre Place
Closing Hymn CCS 249: “If You Only Had Faith”
Sending Forth: John Hamer — Omaha, Nebraska
Postlude: Seguiriya from 5 Danzas Gitanas, Series 2 (Op. 84, No. 5) by Joaquín Turina

All music performed by the Beyond the Walls Choir and Michael Karpowicz.
Late Edition Host: Noelle Gaffka

09/27/2026

How do we recognize gifts of God in us and in others? If we feel called to share our gifts so that others may be blessed, are we supposed to change our lifestyle by abstaining from certain foods, relationships, and other things we enjoy? This Sunday we reflect on these questions focusing on the letters to Timothy and Titus, traditionally attributed to Paul, which offer pastoral advice to a generation of Christians divided by disagreement during challenging times, not unlike our own today.

At the end of the first century, the letters of the Apostle Paul had begun to be seen as authoritative. They were collected and read as scripture by Christians in emerging proto-Orthodox communities. Other early Christian groups were divided: most Gnostics approved of Paul’s writings, but Jewish Christian communities rejected them because of his position that they should cease to observe the Law of Moses.

In the early 2nd century, a leader decided to write several new letters in Paul’s name, in order to warn proto-Orthodox Christians against the teachings of both Gnostic and Jewish Christian groups, and to give authoritative instructions about church structure as it was developing. These letters took the form of pastoral advice given to two companions of Paul: Timothy and Titus.

In the First Epistle to Timothy, the author imagines the kind of counsel he believed Paul would have given to one of his younger companions — what should he do to be a good minister of Jesus Christ? The advice includes making time for spiritual training and setting a good example for others. Above all, the author advises “don’t neglect the gift that is in you” (1 Timothy 4:14). This remains good advice for us today as we seek to be good ministers and faithful disciples.

We invite you to share this hour of reflection, prayer, meditation, music, and fellowship with the Beyond the Walls global community on 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026.

This year we are focusing on witnesses of God’s revelation beyond the four canonical gospels, including the letters of Paul, Hebrews, and the letters attributed to James, Peter, Jude, and John. We will also read Acts, Revelation, and some important early Christian texts that were not included in the canon: the Didache (or Teachings of the Twelve Apostles), the sayings Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene).

ORDER OF WORSHIP

Prelude: Medley of Heritage Hymns by RLDS Women
Greetings: John Hamer — Omaha, Nebraska
Call to Worship: Kevin Thompson — Dallas, Texas
Opening Hymn CCS 307: “Let There Be Peace On Earth”
Invocation: Joy Vogel — Saltillo, Mexico
Living Church Lesson: Pat Marmoy — Tempe, Arizona
Global Welcome: Leandro Palacios — Toronto Centre Place
Hymn CCS 376: “For Such a Time”
Focus Scripture: by invitation
Sermon: John Williams — Chesterfield, Missouri
Meditation on the Message: Leandro Palacios — Toronto Centre Place
Closing Hymn CCS 249: “If You Only Had Faith”
Sending Forth: John Hamer — Omaha, Nebraska
Postlude: Seguiriya from 5 Danzas Gitanas, Series 2 (Op. 84, No. 5) by Joaquín Turina

All music performed by the Beyond the Walls Choir and Michael Karpowicz.
Late Edition Host: Noelle Gaffka

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320 Richmond Street E/Unit 101
Toronto, ON
M5A1P9

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(647) 348-7755

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