What is up you guys welcome back to another one if you are new to the channel I am Goldpony and today we are in the all-new 2020 Subaru Outback courtesy of Apple Subaru in York PA And so I am quite excited to be in this one today of course because it was fully redesigned for the 2020 model year And there is a new 11.6 inch tablet style interface kind of like a Tesla look to it That's also very sweet two available engines for the 2020 outbacks And this of course marks the start of the sixth generation of the outback. So for all of those reasons Let's go ahead and jump right into this one and as always let's start with pricing And so but as you may expect there are several different trim levels available for the 2020 outback first one being the base that one starts at 26,645 dollars, then you have the premium starting at 28,895 limited starts at 33,445 dollars Touring will start at 37,345 on ex addition XT. That is actually the one we're in today That one is going to start at 34,895 dollars limited XT starting at 37,745 and touring XT for 39,695 and so in case you guys didn't know when it comes to those trim levels anything with an XT after it That is going to be the more powerful turbocharged engine setup Speaking of there are as I have previously mentioned two different engine setups for the 2020 outback first one being a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated horizontally opposed Subaru boxer engine putting out 182 horsepower at 5,800 rpm 176 pound-feet of torque available at 4,400 rpm power of course sent to all four wheels through Subaru's Legendary symmetrical all-wheel drive system that power sent to the ground through a linear tronic CVT actually with paddle shifters So we will be testing those out in a little bit here But all in all it gives you MPG numbers coming in at 26 in the city 33 on the highway taking regular Unleaded fuel 87 octane that is so that's gonna save you a little bit of money at the pump there too But then there is the other engine setup the one we have today It's open this particular engine is going to be a 2.4 liter turbocharged and intercooled again horizontally opposed to brew boxer engine putting out 260 horsepower at 5,600 rpm 277 pound-feet of torque available from the power band of 204800 rpm power again sent to all four wheels through a linear tronic CVT with paddle shifters giving you MPG numbers 23 in the city 30 on the highway once again though regular unleaded fuel well done Subaru for not requiring or recommending Premium that is pretty cool, but having said all that you guys know what we always do next Let's do a quick little acceleration test and actually we'll do it with the paddle shifters So we can knock it all out in one shot here But to put it actually in full manual shifting mode without the outback shifting for you simply slide the shifter to the left That is gonna be that manual mode and it is defaulting to fifth gear right now since I'm cruising at 40 miles per hour But let's go ahead and do a quick little acceleration test with the paddle shifters I'll tell you how quickly they react and we'll see how quickly we can get this turbocharged engine setup here up to speed Okay All right paddle shifters definitely react quick and as with a lot of turbocharged engines You definitely feel the pull up in the higher rpm range not so much when you first get on it But definitely it gets up and goes once you get higher up in the RPMs there So that is pretty nice acceleration But so that is always to go along with that acceleration braking is equally important So up front you will find 12.4 inch ventilated front discs in the back 11.8 inch ventilated rear discs as far as the braking feel goes that's been perfectly fine for me so far my short test drive today Touching on suspension and handling a little bit. You will find a four-wheel independent raised suspension Up front McPherson strut front suspension with the stabilizer bar in the back a double wishbone rear suspension once again With the stabilizer bar But I think probably one of the coolest things about the outback at a lot of Subaru is there is something called X mode and then this really cool tech advanced outback we have today X mode can be accessed through the 11.6 inch tablet style display screen I'll get more into that later But what that X mode is actually going to do is increase the all-wheel drive system engagement It uses enhanced control of the VDC system to reduce individual wheel spin essentially giving you better traction in different conditions Like snow and like mud and dirt and stuff like that So kind of a beast of a system if you plan on going off-road in your Subaru as many do but in addition to that since we do have The onyx edition the onyx edition is the one trim level of the outback That takes that X mode one step further giving you different Driving mode so to speak I guess you could say giving you things like snow and dirt mode and deep snow and mud mode That deep snow and mud mode. I can't tell you how many times I have needed that over the past few years here in Pennsylvania we do get some deep snow every now and then so that would have been absolutely amazing But that is specific to the onyx edition that we have today So that is pretty cool But of course not going to be testing any of that out today because we are just at the start of fall here in PA But what I will be testing out one of the first things I noticed in the outback is the ride quality is super smooth Almost luxury like and I haven't read any other reviews by anybody else on this car quite yet Or I haven't watched any review videos either, but this is an insanely smooth ride in the 2020 outback Very impressed there as far as cabin noise goes you guys could probably hear I'm quite loud right now I don't mean to be but a lot of the exterior wind noises and outside noises are not filtering their way into the cabin So cabin noise is definitely on point as well without a doubt steric feel is a it's it's okay It's pretty much as expected. I do prefer a little heavier weighted steering wheel But it is an outback so it's not expected to be like a race car style feel to it So no issues there. It's as expected and touching on visibility. I honestly can see just fine out the back So visibility once again completely on point, but that is about it I am going to touch on as far as performance goes Let's make our way to the exterior because the exterior of the 2020 outback actually has been slightly revised for 2020 So let's start by checking out the front All right, so now taking a look at the exterior as I have mentioned there is a slightly revised front end for 2020 A couple little subtle differences like the grille for instance that is going to be a slightly different shape Not really all that much of a change there, but still slightly different additional black matte cladding I'm not sure how much you guys can tell with this being a black Vehicle I guess you could say but in previous generations a lot of that was more body colored But the matte black cladding kind of gives it a more rugged appearance more rugged look so to speak So I kind of like it actually a lot of that matte black cladding I don't like home vehicles, but it actually looks right at home on the outback So no issues there for me taking a look at the headlights led headlights are actually going to come standard On every single trim level of the outback well done Subaru for that If you went with the limited or touring trims though, you're going to find led steering responsive headlights meaning When you're going around a bended night, maybe the headlights will swivel based on your steering angle better illuminating What's around the corner so you don't go hitting any wildlife or deer or anything like that That is a pretty cool safety feature in itself But automatic feature is going to come standard on all trim levels of course meaning when it starts to get dark out The headlights will turn on automatically for there led fog lights are going to come with the premium trim level and up You guys can see those found in the matte black cladding there So they're going to be down there for you and as far as ground clearance goes because that is one of those things Subaru always likes to boast about being a more off-road type of brand 8.7 inches which honestly for uh for this vehicle It is quite a bit more of most of the competitors if not all of them So that is definitely impressive as well But perhaps the only thing in my personal opinion I wish they would have done with the outback at least with the turbocharged engine setup Is to give it a nice ram air style hood kind of like the wrx has so Would have been nice to have that air fed into the intercooler sitting right on top there Underneath the hoods though. Anyhow, that's just my little opinion But make your way to the side roof rails are actually going to come standard on every single trim level Along with rear privacy glass as well There's also going to be chrome window surrounds even on the black onyx edition that we have here today So that is going to be there for you one of the cool things about the outback is there is outback lettering Found on the side skirts that's just going to come with every single trim level But that's something that's kind of always been there a nice little subtle touch there, but I do like it I think that's pretty cool. Now taking a look at the side mirrors one of the cool design elements I first noticed is that those chrome windows surrounds they actually tie in with the side mirrors because as you guys can see It just keeps on going and kind of acts as like A shard of chrome that the side mirror sits on I guess you could say it is a pretty cool look to it But black side mirrors are going to come with the base trim level Body-colored side mirrors with the premium unlimited You're going to find satin chrome finish if you want with the touring and of course a crystal black finish with the onyx trim That we have today So it's what you're looking at right now But if you were looking for the integrated turd signals that's going to come with the premium trim leveling up And you will find power folding side mirrors with the touring and yet another cool feature With the side mirrors is if you guys could see that little Subaru emblem there watch this if you open and close the door There is a little led light within that. I thought that was one of the coolest things ever So when you're getting in the car at night, you have a little led light to better help illuminate Where in the heck the door handle is on this black exterior when it's dark at night So I don't know. I think that's pretty cool But anyways zooming out and taking a look down at the wheel setup now 17 inch aluminum alloy wheels are going to come with the base trim level and the premium If you want with any of the other trim levels though You will find 18 inch aluminum alloy wheels all varying in design For instance this onyx trim it is going to have a specific wheel design comparatively speaking to the other trim levels as well So that is one thing I wanted to mention and Making our way now to the back first thing I wanted to mention is if you look up top there You will find a shark fin antenna Always have to mention that rear spoiler with an integrated brake light will come standard on every single trim level Just below that rear window wiper once again every single trim level there LED tail lights once again every single trim level well done Subaru for that. That is pretty cool Also matte black cladding to tie in with the front you guys could probably see that there And honestly if they didn't do this it wouldn't look right So I do like that they put it in the back just to tie it in with the front just for that reason alone But just below it all you will find dual exhaust outlets kind of tucked away I'm always a fan of the exposed exhaust outlets, but it is tucked away here on the outback So you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip It's open now since we all round back when it comes to opening that rear lift gate to open that rear lift gate There actually is a button on the key fob So that is one option But it is a hands-free power lift gate if you were to go with the limited trim level and up if you wanted that Future but once opened up cargo capacity is going to come in at 32.5 cubic feet If that was not a no space for you However, there is a 60 40 split bump in the cubic fitness up to 75.7 Which is actually kind of almost SUV like cubic fitness for instance my three row suv and that's a three row has an even 80 cubic feet So for a two row outback 75.7 is honestly quite impressive there But once you are back there you will find a cargo area cover if you went with the premium trim level enough There's going to be plenty of grocery bag and tie down hooks. That's going to be for all trims Also some underfloor storage once again found for every single trim level And there's going to be rear seat back release levers as well to try to make folding down those rear seats a little bit easier for you But then make your way up to the rear leg room. That is going to come in at 39.5 inches So for reference, I'm an even six feet tall. This is how much space I have back there But there's your passengers actually they do get quite a bit back there Heated rear seats are going to come at the limited trim level and up and those buttons will be located just underneath the rear ventilation That is what you are looking at right now But by the way rear ventilation is going to be found for those rear passengers as well Along with dual rear usb charging ports so they can charge up the smartphones or tablets and stay connected That's pretty cool rear center armrest with cup holders Of course can be found as well and there are front rear seat back pockets Little extra storage back there too But now let's make our way up to the front here because there's plenty going on the front Of course six way manually adjustable driver seat will come with the base trim level 10 way power adjustable driver seat with the premium And for every single other trim level you will get power driver and passenger seats Memory settings are going to come with the limited trim level and up They will be heated front seats with the premium and up and if you want with the touring you're going to find ventilated Front driver and passenger seats as well and take a look forward at the steering wheel It is tilt and telescoping for all trim levels It will come leather wrapped for the premium trim level and up and heated if you want with the touring By the way that heated steering wheel will be optional on the limited if you wanted to go that route too But perhaps by one thing about the steering wheel, I don't know why this bothers me But there's a bunch of lime green stitching, which I absolutely love Found throughout the outback at least in this onyx trim level that we have today. It's on the back doors It's on the front doors. It's just above the passenger side glove box However, it is not found that stitching color is not found on the steering wheel It is kind of a gray stitching that is found on the steering wheel as opposed to the lime green So I would have liked to see the lime green. Maybe that's just my opinion But either way, let's go ahead and make our way to the startup Let me start by showing you guys the key here Everything is going to be found on one side of the key There is lock unlock and again that button to pop the rear hatch and by the way the unlock button That is going to be the Subaru logo in the middle there in case you were curious But there is a push button start if you were to go with the limited trim level enough So therefore that is what we have today So all I am going to do is simply put my phone on the right there and press that engine start button Which is located just by the driver's right knee and so but then once started up tachometer is going to be on your left Speedometer is on your right. There is a small digital display front and center giving you things like a digital speedometer How many miles per gallon you're getting at any given time? There's some navigation information up there as well as well as what gear you're in But you can control a little bit of what is on that digital display There are some buttons kind of tucked away on the left side underneath the steering wheel there But any who the real information is going to be found on the infotainment screen But before we get to that let's touch on overall interior quality Power moonroof is going to come with the touring trim level and up is actually going to be optional on all other trim levels But the base so if you wanted to power moonroof on any of the trim levels But the base you got it if you wanted it also up top since we're up top right now There's an overhead sunglass holder that is going to be found on all trim levels as well Dual zone climate control can be found on the premium trim level enough and actually just below that There is an electronic parking brake as well So that is going to be located just in front of the shifter along with an auxiliary port and two more usb charging ports as well But overall the interior is 100% on point with the outback I have homelink controls for up to three different garage doors just underneath the rear view mirror there There's a little cubby space just on top of the passenger side glove box I absolutely love that and by the way if you were curious it does not have a plastic bottom in that cubby space It is a rubberized bottom So if you were to put something there and go off-roading it is less inclined to slide around with that rubberized bottom That's pretty cool too And again with the green stitching love the lime green stitching found throughout in this on extreme level that we have today You do have a couple cup holders found directly behind the shifter there as far as the rear center armrest goes There is a 12 volt power outlet found within that little cubby area just underneath of that So a good bit of space actually down there as well And there are actually two different sections to that rear center armrest There is a rubberized bottom on the top section So that's pretty cool too and if you were to turn on the interior lighting here There is actually led lighting on the interior So I found that pretty cool Little compass found in the upper right hand corner of the mirror and I could go on and on honestly The interior is definitely on point, but perhaps the best part about the new 2020 Subaru outback interior Is the available 11.6 inch color touch screen display Which will come standard on the premium trim level and up Base trim level is still going to give you that dual 7 inch color touch screen display is what's going to be found on previous generations But the 11.6 inch one is really where it's at either way though You get bluetooth and audio streaming either way you still get android auto and apple carplay Meaning if you have a smartphone simply hook it up to the outback You have free navigation through your smartphone as well as the ability to like and dislike your Pandora songs And there's a couple other apps you can check out as well through that but Factory navigation system is going to come with the touring I figured that was worth mentioning because this is a Subaru If you take it up in the mountains, you might not be able to use your smartphone So touring trim levels where you're going to want to be out there and honestly I could take a whole video just going over this 11.6 inch color touch screen display high resolution It is one of the best tech displays I've experienced to date and I haven't tested over tesla by the way So that one is being excluded, but I have a feeling that's going to be pretty sweet too But this one has just about everything you could possibly want and playing around with it Just in my short time in my short little test drive today You do get used to it quite quickly It may seem a bit overwhelming with the large screen and everything when you first start messing around with it But you do get used to it. Trust me. It's just like a regular tablet or a smartphone So if you can get used to that you can get used to this but it is essentially like an app style layout You can check out your car's info up there again Your x mode settings are going to be up there as well including that deep snow and mud mode since we have the onyx edition today I think that's super cool And it can all be controlled by using pinch and swipe gestures essentially again Just like a tablet or a smartphone and of course you can check out your radio settings up on that display screen as well And by the way when it comes to the sound system, we always have to test that out Base trim level is going to give you four speakers premium trim level and the onyx actually that we have today It's going to give you a six speaker sound system And if you want with the limited or the touring trim levels Those two trims are going to give you a 12 speaker harmon card and surround sound system with 576 watts, but since we have the onyx We do have the standard six speaker sound system today So what do you guys say? Let's go ahead and turn on the radio. See what we got playing this morning And let's test out the clarity this one actually for a six speaker sound system that had a Credible amount of bass. I was very surprised actually so actually with the six speaker sound system and quite impressed There's definitely no issues there But so then last thing on the tech display at least I wanted to mention is when you do put the outback in reverse You will find a rear view camera for every single trim level Letting you know who or what is behind you, which is always Is going to lead us into safety It's the first thing I wanted to mention when it comes to safety is the Subaru outback did get a IIHS top safety pick plus Which is the very highest designation very highest rating you can get from IIHS So honestly, that's really all you need to know when it comes to safety But continuing on front side inside curtain airbags drivers knee airbag as well in the back You're going to have latch aka the were anchors and tethers for children Also rear child door locks back there But in addition to that all trims will also give you adaptive cruise control with lane centering a pre-collision braking system Lane departure and sway warning link keep assist high beam assist And if you want with the limited or touring trim levels Those are also going to add a blind spot warning system with rear cross traffic alert Lane changes assist and reverse automatic braking. I hope that is about it for this one you guys Thank you so much for watching feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen there If you like be sure to hit the subscribe button and the bell notification button if you're in the new car reviews That is what we do here on this channel And I do appreciate all your smiling faces watching this video and I will see y'all in the next one Stay gold


Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in the house today to speak about this government's treatment of the LGBTQ community. From the thrown speech where the word lifestyle was used and the removal of LGBTQ families and voices from the health and phys ed curriculum, we seem to be going backwards. Human rates are traveling back in time as well. EGAL, a national LGBTQ rights organization, were set to open a legal clinic to provide inclusivity training to 70-some legal clinics on Ontario, a worldwide first. But under this government, that funding is now may be cut. Legal clinics on Ontario freely admit that they are not equipped to respond to the needs of their equity-seeking clients. Mr. Speaker, the legal system has always presented significant challenges for the gay community.   Until that time, and even to this day, my community has endured harassment, discrimination, violence, physical abuse, psychological oppression, and hate propaganda. Gays received the right to marry in 2005, but not surprisingly, provincial and federal conservatives have tried to revoke that right. Note Alberta's attempt to use the notwithstanding clause here.  Mr. Speaker, while this government proudly parrots the slogan for the people, they certainly don't include LGBTQ people. Member Stateman is the member for Barry Innisfil. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This weekend, I was very excited to visit Herbert's Boots and Western Ware in Innisfil to congratulate them on their 60th year of business. They had lots of activities and draws for their loyal customers and a great tent sale. Herbert's has been open since 1958, when Mr. and Mrs. Elsner opened in Alston, Ontario, where they began selling boots, and then they opened up a second location in my riding of Innisfil. They used to sell clothing to local farmers and folks from all around Toronto, but people from all around Ontario were quick to discover that Herbert's was the place to go to find the right pair of Western boots. They now have the two locations just off of Highway 400 on Innisfil Beach Road. And Mr. Speaker, I'm sure you're wondering if I was able to find myself a pair of boots. And I'm excited to let you know that I bought a great pair of brown leather cowboy boots, and I encourage everyone to stop by into Herbert's to support our local business. Thank you. Thank you very much. The Member for York Southwest. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. October is the month we celebrate Islamic heritage in Ontario. The Muslim community has been present in Ontario and in Canada since the country's founding in 1867. We celebrate together to promote, educate, and share with our fellow Canadians the reach Muslim heritage and contributions to society. These are contributions in science, humanities, medicine, astronomy, architecture, history, and other disciplines that have greatly benefited human progress. It is the month we recognise the important contributions that Muslims make in Ontario as part of the vibrant social, economic, political, cultural fabric of our province. Islamic Heritage Month brings people from all backgrounds together and provides positive vibes, especially since there are so many misconceptions in society about Islam. Muslims have been contributing to all aspects of Ontario's prosperity and diverse heritage for generations. Islamic Heritage is about creating positive understanding for the Muslim community and sharing this with our neighbours. I encourage every member to take part in the events in your area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Member Statements, Member for Markham Union Bill. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring forward a celebration. That is the second most important one to Chinese after Chinese New Year. The Mid-Autumn Festival 2018 was last Monday, 24th of September. Mid-Autumn Festival to the Chinese is celebrated when the moon is full. And Chinese people believe a full moon is a symbol of union, harmony, and happiness. Also called Moon Festival or Moon Cake Festival, Mr. Speaker. It is celebrated when the moon is believed to be the biggest of the year, fullest, and that's why moon cakes are the most mid-Autumn food in China. They are in tradition. Chinese pastry and Chinese people see in the roundness of the moon cake as a symbol of reunion and happiness. Mr. Speaker, this last weekend, I had the chance to attend a few Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations and participate with friends, families, colleagues in the festival and games. There was good food and loss of lives. Our government encouraged family times as such by putting money back into a taxpayer's pocket in order to spend it along with their time amongst family. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Member Statements, the member for Windsor to come see. Thank you, Speaker. Last Friday, I joined the member from Essex and the member from Windsor West at a roundtable discussion regarding social issues in the Windsor and Essex County region. It lasted more than three hours because of the number of people who came to present to us. Hiatus House, for example, is a shelter for abused women. They've handled more than 3,000 crisis calls last year. Their occupancy rate averages 95 percent. They've housed 309 women with 222 children. When they've been full, they've turned away 146 women and 118 children. To save money, they've already turned full-time positions into part-time contract jobs. The downtown mission is ground zero for a growing homeless population. Their average stay is 53 nights and housing average of 80 people a night. The Unemployed Help Center is busier than ever. Their food bank was seeing more people in the past year. Speaker, we heard of a senior on a limited budget who came to the food bank for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Why? Because she had a dental emergency, which left her with little or no money to put food on the table that week. Rents are going up. People are paying 70 percent and more of their income to remain housed. The greatest fear we heard over and over again was that the new government will be making further cuts to social agencies and programs. This isn't fear-mongering. This is the reality of what we're hearing from the people in the margins of society. And Speaker, I agree with them. They need more help, not more cuts. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for King Vaughn. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we mark the beginning of Autism Awareness Month in this country, I want to reaffirm our government's commitment to restoring human dignity and respect to Ontarians with autism. They deserve to have a government that will give them hope, invest in their children's future and enable them to achieve their full potential. Last Thursday, I joined my colleague, Minister Tobolo, in Vaughn to raise critical funds for families with children with autism at the Waves of Changes for Autism Fundraising Gala. This organization raises funds to give a hand up to those families who need our support to ensure that their kids can receive the therapy and the treatment they need for their loved ones. Over $250,000 has been raised to date from this value-based charity assisting over 70 families in need. Our community in King Vaughn is blessed with deeply generous people who care about the most vulnerable in our society. On behalf of our Premier and Government, we express our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible volunteer team of Waves of Changes for Autism, including their founders, Ellen Contardi and Loredana de Acovo, and their entire dedicated committee for making a difference and leaving a legacy for these children. I'm eternally grateful for their compassion and generosity. Your Government is grateful, and everyone in this House says thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. Today, October 1, 2018, the NDP Government in Alberta makes history with their minimum wage of $15 per hour coming into effect. Here in Ontario, our $15 minimum wage is set to take into effect on January 1, 2019. Over 1.7 million Ontario workers are counting on this Government to honour the commitment, and overwhelming majority of Ontarians support a $15 minimum wage and better laws to protect workers. However, Premier Ford and the Minister of Labour are now saying that they will cancel the minimum wage increase. The Ford Government is defending corporate interests over people's interests. They are representing the interests of the 1%, not the millions of Ontarians who want fair and decent wages and to be able to live with dignity. It's no surprise that the Government is listening to big businesses like Lobloss who let's not forget recently admitted to being part of a 14-year scheme fixing bread prices and others like the billionaire heirs of Tim Hortons who are all predicting doom and gloom. You know, we've heard this been before, a decade ago when minimum wage increased to $10 an hour. As expected, minimum wage was actually good for Ontario's economy. Speaker, no one in Ontario should be working full-time and still live in poverty. At a time when big businesses, corporations are making record-breaking profits, we simply cannot ask hard-working Ontarians to accept a wage freeze. Speaker, it's time this Government put people over profit. Thank you. Member Statements, the Member for Mississauga, Malton. Good afternoon, Mr Speaker. Today I'd like to take this time to recognize one of my good friends, Deepak Bhatt. Same first name as mine. Guinness World Record Holder and Limca Book Record Holder. Deepak has a special trait on a single grain of rice. Deepak can craft images of many dignitaries. He has written as many as 389 letters on a single grain of rice and 148 letters on a single sesame seed. Mr Speaker, all this is completed with bare eyes and zero, and I say zero use of technology. I applaud Deepak's creativity and skill. Being a talented artist with a steady hand is an accomplishment. But to be able to execute his craft on such a small scale without the use of magnifying aid is truly remarkable. Mr Speaker, today through this statement I'd like to take the opportunity to recognize all the artists who, of course, I believe with the grace of God and some people call it luck, have all this extraordinary talent. I truly believe that these artists with their hard work, discipline and persistency are creating memories for the generation to relish. Mr Speaker, once again I would like to congratulate Deepak who would be here soon and is currently stuck in a traffic. Thank you Mr Speaker. Member statements? Member for Mississauga, Aaron Mills. Thank you Mr Speaker. I rise today to recognize the Knights of Columbus Council 9612 from the Santa Maximilian Colby Polish Barrage. For their donation made to the Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Hospital in my writing Mississauga and Mills last Saturday. Their donation was made towards the mental health care zone. Generous donations such as this help improve the experience of patients in Mississauga. On behalf of the PC Cocos and my colleague MPP from Mississauga Center who worked closely with the Polish community and all of Mississauga MPPs I would like to thank the Knights of Columbus Council, Grand Knight Merck Ruta, the Polish community and all reverent fathers for their spiritual guidance, morals and support to Mississauga and to Ontario. Mr Speaker, we made a promise during the election to make mental health a priority. That's why this government and the Minister of Health have committed $1.9 billion in mental health, addictions and supportive housing. Matching the federal government funding. That's $3.8 billion Mr Speaker. This is the biggest provincial commitment to mental health in Canadian history. We will develop a comprehensive system-wide strategy for mental health and addiction that provides service to Ontario in need and deserve. Thank you very much Mississauga. Thank you very much. That concludes our time for Member Statements.


I've become persuaded by a version of Platonism. The universe seems to be composed of concrete and abstract things, and the abstract things seem to exist separate from our individual minds. For years, I've been making anti-Platonist arguments. One of my most popular articles, No Chairs Do Not Exist, sketches out a conceptualist position, which claims that the famous chair-ness of Plato isn't an ethereal platonic form, but rather its conceptual criteria situated within our own minds. It seemed to me that all abstract stuff was situated within the mind. But now I think conceptualism is incorrect, or at least incomplete. This change of mind happens since coming up with my theory of indirect interaction, which allows objects in multiple ontological categories to effectively interact with each other. If there is a distinct mental and physical realm, then perhaps there's a platonic one as well. So, for the past couple of years, I've been playing Devil's Advocate with myself. And to my horror, the Devil eventually persuaded me I now think some kind of Platonism is a better theory to explain how the universe operates. Abstract things seem to be as fundamental as concrete things. Not only might chairs exist, but chair-ness probably does as well. Let's begin by calling abstract things abstracta for simplicity. First of all, it's hard to understand what abstracta are, because you can't point to them. They're hard to clearly reference since they don't look like anything. They don't take up space, so we have to be content understanding this concept without directly observing what it references. I'll try to illustrate the idea, then rephrase it several ways from several different angles. Abstracta are things like patterns, connections, and most importantly, relations. Any metaphysical theory needs to explain the existence of objects and their behavior across time, and it turns out, relations are essential to explaining the behavior of objects. Note for idealists reading or listening to this article, you can substitute the word object for, quote, areas of experience, and the argument still holds. The general idea is this. The universe comes bundled together. There are individual objects and concrete things, and there are relations among them. These relations are abstract and independent from our minds. Concrete objects in the world are not isolated from one another. Their states affect each other. Their states are related, and these relationships have a real metaphysical existence. Individual objects by themselves are not sufficient to explain their own behavior across time. Their behavior is determined in relation to other objects. Were concrete objects completely isolated from one another, then their behavior would be different. Therefore we have to posit the existence of the concrete objects and their abstract relations. We observe that the fundamental building blocks of the physical world, let's call them atoms, get unified into larger objects, meaning their behavior is different than if those individual atoms existed without any relation to each other. I've previously argued that this unification is done by the mind. Now I believe the unification is also done by the universe. You can think of relationships like glue. Fundamental units of matter are glued together, their states are interrelated, and this relationship exists in addition to the fundamental units. To grasp these abstract relations, it's helpful to break apart the physical world down to its most fundamental components. Take any physical object, break it apart, and you'll end up with smaller pieces. Break those pieces apart and you'll end up with even smaller pieces. Keep breaking things down and eventually you'll end up with atoms and molecules, which you can break apart into subatomic particles and so on. The key question is this, at some point do you ever reach indivisible units? Or can you keep breaking things down ad infinitum? For purposes of this article, let's say that there are indeed fundamental indivisible units at the bottom of everything. Let's say we can completely reduce the physical world down to different arrangements of these indivisible units. At this base level of analysis, there's a further interesting question here. What is the difference between these individual units and the space that they occupy? What is space at this fundamental level? For purposes of this article, let's posit the following. The most fundamental units of the physical world are identical with units of space. They are atoms of space. They don't occupy space. They are space. You can call this theory geometric atomism. At the bottom of everything, there are only units of geometric space in particular states. You can think of it like an extremely fine resolution Minecraft world where indivisible blocks form all other complex structures. So regular, large-scale atoms like helium would be ultimately reducible to a pattern of units in space in a particular state. To keep this model simple, let's say that the geometric atoms can be on only one of two states, on or off, empty or full, zero or one. This allows us to represent patterns of atoms as sequences of zeros and ones. For example, empty space might be represented as just a bunch of zeros, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, while an atom of helium might look like zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero, one, one, one, one, zero, zero, etc., or a chair might be something more complex like zero, one, one, zero, one, one, one, zero, one, one, one, one, one, zero, one. Lots more ones. You get the idea. Different objects are different patterns of geometric atoms, but since the metaphysics of space is not the subject of this article, just treat geometric atomism as the model for the physical world that will help illustrate the point about abstract things. So in this model, what is a chair? Well, at first glance, it appears that a chair is just some pattern of atoms, it's not something in addition to the atoms. The whole chair is not greater than the sum of the parts of the chair. The whole is the parts, it's just a shorthand way to reference all the parts. I like the way that myriological nihilists like to phrase it. A chair is just atoms arranged chair-wise. In this theory, the word chair merely references some patch of space which contains a pattern that meets our own conceptual criteria for being labeled as a chair and nothing more. My personal favorite example of this that I've used in my previous writing is constellations. Without any humans, would there be constellations of stars, would there be a big dipper that exists in addition to the individual stars that compose it? It seems unlikely, while individual stars might have some mind-independent existence, their unification into the big dipper is something that minds do. I've previously claimed that this unification of parts into holes is always a mental function, and in the mind-independent world there would be no such unification, but now I see this argument is incomplete, it misses something very important. The behavior of those atoms across time. The real-world behavior of composite objects implies that the universe unifies parts into holes too. Abstract relations are not all created by the mind, some of them are actually discovered in the universe. Consider a metal spring. Let's reduce it down to a purely geometric form, a pattern of ones and zeros. As the spring is compressed, that pattern of ones and zeros changes, and as the spring returns to its original position, that pattern also returns. Notice, when the spring is compressed, it doesn't fracture into a trillion isolated atoms. The atoms instead have a particular behavior, and their positions are determined in relation to each other. The ones and zeros change across time, depending on the neighboring ones and zeros. The individual atoms alone do not determine their own behavior, they're stuck together in a kind of composite system with many interrelated parts. Now, critically, these relations are not like the relations of stars and constellation. Distant individual stars do not seem to affect one another's states, but the atoms of a spring do affect each other's states. So the universe, not our minds, seem to unify the atoms of a spring into some composite object whose behavior is different than if the individual atoms weren't unified. You could say it this way, a hundred ones next to each other behave differently than a hundred isolated ones that are unrelated, therefore the fundamental units themselves are not sufficient to explain their own behavior. While our minds do glue seemingly unrelated things together, like the stars and the constellation, the universe also seems to glue things together, and this glue is a bunch of abstract relationships that exist independent from our individual minds and take up no physical space themselves. In fact, there seem to be many relations and connections in the world. A tree's top and bottom, for example, are related. When the state of the roots changes, the state of the leaves change. Two ends of a stick are related. When one gets pushed down, the other rises up. Families too act like composite objects. The state of the husband affects the state of the wife. Where they isolated individuals without relations, their states wouldn't affect each other. So whether or not some set of individuals qualifies as a, quote, family might actually be a metaphysical question. Do the states of the individuals in question affect the states of the others according to our abstract criteria of family-ness? Do they behave like a family? If not, then regardless of the last names of those individuals, they are not unified into the composite object known as a family. There are in fact billions of people on earth whose states don't affect me so I'm not unified into some composite object with them. Through this lens, even nations seem to behave like composite objects. The atom of society, if you will, the individual human, is affected by the state of others who are glued together into a nation. These humans' lives would be different, for better or worse, if they weren't glued to each other. Though this doesn't square too nicely with my current libertarian philosophy, factually speaking my state is affected by the state of other people who consider themselves part of the same nation. I find myself part of a larger system, whether I like it or not. The universe seems to be a relational system and this applies both to physical objects and to humans. Let's return to the metal spring example and compare these two statements. Statement number one, springs are just atoms arranged spring-wise. Statement number two, springs are just atoms, period. Now there's clearly a difference between these two statements. What is it? What does the first statement convey that the second does not? The concept of arrangement or you could say structure, form or shape, the pattern of atoms. Their states and relationships analyze together rather than individually. A spring actually cannot be described by simply stating X number of atoms existing. That's not enough information. Springs are X number of atoms arranged in a particular way. To use more traditional language, this is like the difference between matter and form. Well actually in the context of historical philosophy, matter and form probably meant something different but in contemporary English these two words convey the correct concepts. Matter is the atoms and form is their arrangement. Form is a bundle of abstract relations and we can distinctly reference both matter and form. The universe apparently treats form as something in addition to the matter. It's a unique, relevant feature of the universe that actually affects how things behave. If the form of the matter changes, its behavior changes. Thus, there is a real metaphysical difference between a trillion atoms arranged this way and a trillion atoms arranged that way. In fact, the difference between physical objects is precisely their atomic arrangements, geometric structures of the fundamental objects in the physical world. But why should units of matter behave differently when they're in different arrangements? I don't know but that's the way the universe seems to operate. We might consider physics then, the study of exactly which geometric structures yield which behaviors. Consider the position of an individual atom. We can imagine that it might have some absolute position in space, perhaps identifiable by X, Y, and Z coordinates, but the universe doesn't seem to care too much about absolute position if such a thing exists. Relative position seems to be what matters, an atom's position in relation to other nearby atoms. It's changes in relative position that yield different behavior. It's as if the universe is saying, when atoms are arranged this way, then render out this state. And when atoms are arranged that way, render out that state. So it is a mistake to consider objects in the universe as being in a state of radical metaphysical independence. They are not. They are glued together. Their states are unified. And unless solipsism is true, it's not our own minds doing the unification. Notice, when we talk about relative position and relative arrangement, these aren't concrete objects themselves. They aren't atoms. They're not composed of atoms. They don't weigh anything or look like anything. These are abstract, and yet they seem to be some integral part of the universe's operation. Because I think they're both abstract and mind independent, I'm calling this metaphysical status platonic. Part of the reason I've been so skeptical of Platonism is because I've never been able to fully make sense of the concept of platonic forms, the infamous chair-ness that Platonists like to talk about. I also couldn't understand how our human minds might interact with these ethereal platonic forms since they're supposed to be explicitly non-mental. But now, thanks to my theory of indirect interaction, I have a workable analogy. But let's start with what we know. Before theorizing about the platonic realm, we can say this, that at the very least, chair-ness can reference our own conceptual criteria for determining whether we label something a chair. That criteria does exist, and it's unique to each of our minds. We can imagine edge cases where something that doesn't qualify to a chair to you might qualify as a chair to me. However, chair-ness might also reference something else. Let's call it universal criteria. Just like we have abstract criteria that determines whether or not something gets the label of chair, the universe seems to have some criteria for determining the behavior of things that we call chairs. So in that sense, the chair-ness in our minds might actually correspond to chair-ness in the universe. A chair is simply an object, a unique pattern of behavior, a particular output state or pattern of outputs across time. If the atoms of the universe stand in particular relation to each other to form the structure that we call a chair, then the universe will output a unique state, keeping those atoms glued together in a very specific way. The best analogy, I think, is to computer code. You can imagine universal criteria as like computer code, which says if criteria A is met, then output state B. So chair-ness would be that part of the universe's code that determines when atoms behave like chairs or when atoms are unified in a unique way that we reference as chairs. And this is how chair-ness might exist completely separate from any actual chairs. The code can still exist if A even B, but since there might not be any A, there might not be any B. Consider the dinosaurs. Let's say that a dinosaur is a particular structure and pattern of behavior of atoms across time. So when dinosaurs exist, it's as if the universe is running the dinosaur program. If in 2020, atoms were arranged in that way that constituted a live dinosaur, then would we see those atoms behave like a dinosaur? If so, then we could say that the universe's code for dinosaurs still exists even though there are presently no dinosaurs. The program is still out there even if it isn't running. Now let's call the code for dinosaurs, quote, dinosaur-ness, and suddenly, Platonism makes sense. What is the Platonic dinosaur-ness? Well it's that part of the universe's code, which determines when some arrangement of atoms is to behave like a dinosaur. And notably, there don't need to be any actual dinosaurs in order for this Platonic form to exist. If we understand Platonism this way, the contrary position actually seems bizarre. Anti-Platonism would imply that the universe could no longer produce dinosaurs. So even if atoms were arranged exactly like they were back when dinosaurs existed, those atoms wouldn't act like dinosaurs. The universe somehow couldn't run the dinosaur program or output any dinosaur states. To me it seems more reasonable to think that even if all the dinosaurs go extinct, the code for dinosaurs would still remain. Another intuitive example is 3D printing. There's a clear difference between a computer file, which contains information about how to build a physical object, and the physical object itself. The file is just a bunch of ones and zeros. Well actually to be precise, it's not just ones and zeros. It's ones and zeros in a particular arrangement, in this case that arrangement is the whole point. But you won't find a physical object inside the code. And yet somehow it contains enough abstract information to be able to construct a physical object from it. Like Platonic forms, this code exists separately from any printed structures. Even if the code is never instantiated into a physical object, that abstract information, the form, the structure, the pattern, it still exists. Let's entertain the idea that fundamental units can indeed get unified into composite objects. We run into a famous problem, it's called the special composition problem. Exactly when does this unification occur? Under what circumstances do fundamental units suddenly get treated as a whole thing? I think the easiest resolution to the special composition problem is this. New objects are composed whenever the universe treats fundamental parts as interrelated. Since it's precisely the universe doing this unification, it's not our minds doing it, which means we don't know beforehand exactly what structures will yield unique behavior. I can't tell you some simple rule, it's a matter of empirical inquiry. Whether or not X and Y are related is not discoverable by examining X or examining Y in isolation. Has to be X and Y's state changes that are observed together across time to see if there are any discoverable patterns. For example, a tiny asteroid trillions of light years away probably doesn't form an object with my thumb. Their states appear to be unrelated. The asteroid can do anything, move anywhere, change its structure, but it won't affect my thumb. However, my fingers and thumb do appear related, the states of my fingers affect states of my thumb. There are quite a large bundle of relations between them, such that the universe outputs their behavior as a composite object that I reference as my hand. My hand shares many further relations with my arm, which shares many relations with the rest of my body. Hence, the universe treats the parts of my body as very tightly bundled and not isolated from each other, so my body might also qualify as a composite object. Prosthetics are actually an interesting example here. Is a prosthetic a true part of the body? Well, in this model it depends on the tightness of its relations, so a removable prosthetic arm has far fewer relations to the body than a hip transplant. The universe treats the hip transplant as an integrated part of the body as a whole, but it doesn't treat the removable arm the same way. Thus it seems reasonable to say the hip transplant is a true part of the body, while the removable arm is not. We could even say, while the arm is attached, yes it acts like a part of the body, but when it's removed it becomes a separate object. So our own conceptual criteria to say, well X is a part of the body and Y is not might actually correspond to universal criteria. As this article has demonstrated, there seem to be mind-independent relationships that are discoverable in the world. They are a distinct feature of the universe that can be referenced separately from any concrete objects. They aren't physical things, they don't weigh anything, you can't see them. They're abstract. But what exactly are abstract things? I see two possibilities. Abstract things could either be mental or platonic in nature. That might initially seem odd to say that mental things could be mind-independent, but within the framework of divine conceptualism it actually makes sense. Abstracta might exist separate from our own personal minds. But still exist within the mind of God. In the same way that chairness is our own conceptual criteria inside of our minds, the universal chairness is also conceptual criteria, but it resides inside the mind of God. The abstract categories, forms, patterns, and relations that we have direct access to are all mental objects. They might correspond to the abstract categories, forms, patterns, and relations that are mental objects inside the mind of God. Within the divine conceptualist paradigm, we don't even need to posit that this mind of God is personal. We might simply define the mind of God as all of the human mind-independent abstract stuff. It's the universe's categories. The mind of God is what glues individuals into groups. This fits rather nicely into the pantheist worldview I explained in my article, Understanding God as Nature or the Universe. The other option is if abstract things are platonic, explicitly non-physical and non-mental. They would resign in their own unique ontological realm, the realm of forms. Perhaps this is where information and the laws of physics reside as well. The trouble with the realm of forms is we can't say too much about it, since our minds aren't in that realm by definition, and they must behave according to different rules. By labeling abstract stuff platonic, that might just be a placeholder word that means it's in another realm that we don't have access to. To the extent we have direct access to it, it's mental, not platonic. I don't know whether abstract or platonic or mental, both theories seem beautiful to me. Regardless, I have become persuaded that my previous position was incorrect and that abstract relationships are a real feature of the universe.


Okay, welcome back everyone. We will continue. We were talking about encouraging partnerships and if leaders can encourage partnerships in whatever is already going on in the city, plus there can be some new things that can be started, you know, it will be a great blessing to the city. So, how can we have partnerships and things that are already going on? Maybe there are programs where the poor are being ministered to. There's some feeding program for or there can be some kind of an education program that's going on for slum children. There could be, you know, some such activity that's already going on. The leaders can encourage their congregations, maybe individuals in their congregation or there can be some ministries that are involved in this area. They can look at how they get sort of, if you can use the word cross-pollinate to bring in expertise, whatever each one has, to make that stronger, okay, to make that program more effective. Pastors and leaders can work towards partnerships that will strengthen the initiatives that are already existing. So, one of the things that I can talk about is, this is not in the context of city-wide, you know, city-wide church, but we have these Christian mission hospitals across India and from time to time, we keep seeing how we can strengthen them in whatever it is that they need.   Yeah, we had an initiative where we went and we found out, okay, they needed help in certain areas. I don't know all the areas that they were helping, but one area was they wanted their space to be made better. So, a team of young people had gone from our church and they had painted, you know, that mission hospital. They had done some creative painting over there and it was such a blessing. And also, because we're a church, we can equip spiritually. There was a short-term Bible college which was run in the campus of the hospital because several, you know, the Christians who were living close by, they did not have these resources and such opportunities. So, people from ABC Bangalore were sent to teach, you know, week after week and believers from across that region could gather in the hospital and the hospital had given permission to do this. So, we could engage in spiritual equipping, right? And there are other times where I know when people have needed, you know, some sort of help in technology or they have needed some help in managing the human resources, we are trying to extend support because there's something that they are very good at. Recently, during the COVID relief, we had one category for community hospitals. So, there were mission, quite a few mission hospitals that had applied and the report, the COVID relief report is still on our website. You can go and look it up. They were granted, you know, certain amounts of money to buy equipment to help them during this pandemic season. So, you know, there is something that an organization is good at and they are doing it really well, but they might need help in various areas. They might not have finances.  Now, other organizations which are good at these things, they can step in and they can say, hey, what is being done? Let's say, a feeding program for the poor. It's a good thing that we're doing for the city.  So, when the body of Christ in the city comes together and, you know, they serve together, we can have a better impact. So, whatever programs are going on right now, the leaders, the pastors can look at a way to collaborate and strengthen them. Maybe there are some, you know, Christian organizations which focus on special things, okay? And some churches are also strong in that area. For example, Christian marriages, Christian marriages. Yeah, thank you, Guendee, for that question. I'll come to that point soon. Christian marriages. Maybe there are some Christian organizations that do seminars, okay, on strengthening Christian marriages. And then there are a couple of churches also which are good at this particular subject. Now, these two can collaborate, right? They can collaborate and they can offer a program which maybe the other churches would be open to and, you know, go strengthen other churches in this very area. So, things like that. These kind of things can be done for collaboration sake and it will be a blessing to the body of Christ. Now, please excuse me, class, I just sought this chair. Sorry for wasting your time on this, but yeah. Okay, so collaboration of this kind would really help. Now, if it's not about expertise, if it's not about action in a particular area, maybe there are churches that are, you can use the word rich, okay, or they have money, they have resources, they can look at churches that are struggling. Like for example, now COVID season, we know that so many churches have struggled. People have left the churches, you know, there's not been enough money to take care of the pastors' families, right? So all these things have happened. The churches that do have the capacity, they can just go ahead and, you know, maybe give an offering to the churches that don't have or let's, you know, there are quite a few churches that want to build, you know, they want to construct their, even a basic facility, a hall where they can meet and they can worship, but they don't have the money, okay. In North India, a lot of pastors meet in homes, but it's not allowed, right? In some regions, it's not allowed to meet in homes, they can get into trouble for having gatherings in a home setting and they really need a hall, but nobody is willing to rent out their hall. So there are pastors who are struggling for, you know, they are struggling for a structure, a building. So the ones that are richer, we can extend help to those who don't have. Now this can happen even within a city. Just look, just ask, just find out what the needs are. Now after COVID, maybe churches are struggling to restart, they can't pay the rent anymore because they've not had an income for two years. So maybe we can help them that area. So financially, giving financially can help strengthen the churches in their physical needs, it can help them spiritually, maybe they need some resources to run their Sunday services, they can buy that. So if we are not collaborating for the sake of a cause, offering our expertise, we can at least offer financial help to churches and that also will strengthen the work which is going on in our city. We could spiritually equip, you know, other churches in the city and this can be through sermons, publications, podcasts, whatever, anything that God has given us, we can bless others with that. So these are all ways of strengthening the work of God that's already going on. People are already engaged in different things. We want to make it better, we want to make it effective and similarly, we could look at starting some new initiatives. So new initiatives meaning there could be a new problem that arises in a city and believers, leaders can look at a new way of addressing that matter, bringing people who have the skills to work on that and you know, have a vision, a goal, set a mission and then go ahead and start working in that area. So these are all things that we can engage in. Now what are some of the challenges? Now when it comes to churches collaborating on existing programs, you know, we have to make it very clear. The boundaries have to be established because the fear that a lot of pastors might have is okay, yeah, we are running this program but we are running it like this. This is our vision. What if somebody comes and they dilute what we are doing? So there are clear boundaries that are set that can be discussed, that can be agreed upon and maybe even put that down in writing. It always helps to put it down in writing, maybe send an email and say, hey, okay, we had this discussion. We've agreed that this is what we are going to do. You are going to share this content and we are going to share this content and if there is some kind of a financial thing agreed on, put that down also because later on we don't want to get into trouble and it starts relationships. So these are the challenges that pastors are always afraid of, that relationship will get spoiled or the project that they've been running in a certain way, that will get diluted. But as long as we discuss and be clear on our agreement and also when pastors have a kingdom mindset, these things can be resolved and also we can work together. Now, if anything new is being started, then that also is difficult because let's say, five churches, they come together and there is a flood in a certain place and they want to do something about it. They want to provide money, they want to provide food material for the people who have been affected by the flood. Now, since this is a new project, administratively, how are the churches going to work together? That has to be very clearly defined, otherwise there will be confusion. So what is the vision? What is the mission? How long will the project run? Who is responsible for handling the finances? Who are the candidates that we are going to help? What is the criteria to select those candidates? How will the money be sent to them? So, you know, discuss all these things administratively, who will do, who will transfer the money? So when we have the administrative side, very, very clear, we can avoid a lot of confusion when there are new initiatives that are started. So that is something that we must bear in mind. I'll just come to the questions here. So Kennedy is asking, how do they consolidate their funding when handling this para-church activity between APC and other churches? Okay. So Kennedy, are you asking about any project which we have run? Do they have a financial kitty? Yeah, so depending on the program, there is an arrangement. There's always an arrangement, Kennedy. Okay. And it varies from program to program. I can talk about the COVID relief program, which happened recently, which was a collaboration of churches actually. But in this program, what we had decided was that APC will run the program, meaning the process of the program will be completely, you know, it'll be the way APC decides. Okay.  We had a team who are making the verification calls. So the process was completely our decision. And in terms of money, what we said was, we said that, let me set up this COVID relief fund and we invited churches to give in the money. Okay. So there was no specific amount which was asked of them, whatever they were willing, they could send. So some of the churches sent in the money that they could. And yeah, APC put in the money that, you know, they wanted to. And that whole fund, that entire fund, right, that was used to meet the needs of the people. But here's the other thing, you know, transparency, how much money is coming in, how much money was received for the program. You know, it was, it was on the website, like real time. So, you know, that provides confidence for everyone who's involved. Okay, this much money is required, this much money is available, so much money, you know, or you get what I'm saying, right? So the availability of funds and the use of funds is out there for everyone to see. And then we have the accounting as well. So from the accounting side, everything was accounted for. And even right now, it's on the website, you know, how the money has been used, how much money came in, how much money was, was sent to the people. And if anyone wants to see the accounting part of it, they can always email us and ask us. And it will be, you know, we, it is available for people to go through. So that is the kind of transparency that was maintained. So does that help, Kerali? Yes, thank you. It was last time, right? I had phone calls last time that they had some surplus, right? They even donated to other judges in your locality. When was this? You did mention, I think they're in use of COVID period, right? They did raise some surplus. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It really passed me and like, it was so encouraging. Yes, yes, yes. Dispatch on national time. Correct, correct. Yeah, thank you, Kerali. That is separate from COVID relief. That was at the beginning of the year, I think 15 lakhs of amount was given to local churches to restart their churches, because we had a surplus. So after discussion with the board and all, an amount of money was set aside and it was given away. So that's, that's different. Yeah, correct. Okay, so I think we have addressed can these questions sufficiently coming to Srikumar Global Leadership Summit. Yeah, Bill Hybles can be considered one of this. Okay, yeah, yes, Srikumar. That's a collaboration, isn't it? Do you want to shed more light on it? I just want to know that whether it is, it can be considered or not, that's why. Yeah, yeah, it can be considered and they are primarily making an impact on the marketplace. Yes, yes, that's right. Leadership principles and work-related things. Yeah, that's right. Thank you. Yes, yes, yeah, thank you. So that's also a partnership. Okay, right. Yeah, let's continue. So we looked at collaboration and impacting the city. It can be done through new initiatives or it can be done through old initiatives, but the key thing is to maintain those boundaries and have the understanding between the churches. Okay, so as long as that is in place, I think we don't have to worry about pastors fighting with each other and all that. Okay, now, moving on to city-wide unity gatherings. Okay, there's a scripture in this section from Sam 15, it says, gather my saints together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. So gathering of God's people in a city, but that can be very powerful. It can be really powerful. There are some examples of cities where something like this was practiced and they saw a mighty breakthrough. Generally, I go back to the transformations, testimony that came in from places like Kali in Colombia, where there was a lot of crime, drug trafficking, murder, but the city-wide church decided to come together for prayer meetings. And when they started these prayer meetings, eventually they saw a change in the crime rate, like the crime rate fell and there are actually articles that you can go read up on what happened after the these city-wide unity gatherings took place. So churches from the city, they came, they had sessions overnight, they had prayer and they had fasting times together and worship times together and all of that. So God can touch the city. As Second Chronicles 714 says, that if we seek God, if we turn from our wicked ways, we humble ourselves before God, then God can do mighty things in the city. So when churches come together, yes, God can move, but it's also a picture of our unity. It's a sign of us being together and it's good to have such programs in a city. These are unity gatherings. So what can be some of the challenges? Unity gatherings are definitely needless to say that they are wonderful, but what can be some of the challenges? Some of the challenges can be that pastors may feel insecure. They may feel that, my church, we're doing really well, but then there are these other churches who have better technology and better feel of their services. What if my congregation comes to know about those services and once they know that there are better ways of doing church, what if they leave me and they go join the other church? So the insecurities that pastors have, that can be an issue. Whenever we talk about unity gatherings in the city, one of the things that the leadership can do is they can discuss among themselves and they can say that, okay, we will speak to our congregation. We'll tell them, look, this is about us getting together as brothers and sisters in the city for the blessing of the city and to bless one another and even the pastors can discourage if people are coming from other churches. So you can say something like, please remain faithful to your own congregation or something like that. So then if that is sorted, then I think the pastors will be a little more comfortable to have meetings like this where people gather together. Then pastors also might be concerned that whatever they've taught their people, what if something erroneous that's going on in another church that affects my people. So moreover, these citywide gatherings are for a limited period of time and the program which is planned, it's focused on the common faith that we have because when we see Ephesians 4, it says that God has given the five-fold ministry offices for the equipping of saints for the maturing of saints and then we see that God wants to bring us to the unity of the faith. So that is the reason the church is being echoed. So the unity of the faith can still exist among people of different denominations and different types of worship in the Christendom because as I told earlier, what we believe about salvation, what we believe about God remains the same. And in these gatherings, the format can be such that we are focused on the unity of the faith and we don't bring up any other matters and we just keep it at that level. So people come together, worship together, pray together for the blessing of the city and that's about it. They go back. So where is the question of indoctrinating the other congregation with something different and some of the practices that can be followed in these unity gatherings is that simple format and style where we keep it limited to pray for the city and blessing one another. We can also think of having communion, introducing communion into the unity gatherings because what is communion? Communion is being at the table of the Lord and as the body of Christ, when we all partake of the communion together, you can imagine how powerful acclamation of the wiggly of the community taken up in these unity gatherings. Also, we must bear in mind that people are coming from different, depending on the city, like if you take up Bangalore, people here speak a couple of languages, some common languages are there. So if you just conduct the unity gathering in English, everyone may not be able to participate. So if there's a unity gathering, then it would need to be English, maybe translated to Kannada and maybe translated to Tamil also because there are a lot of people who speak Tamil. So things like that. We'll have to plan the format in such a way that it edifies the body of Christ and also other things. Now, if we only sing the latest songs, everybody may not be edified by that. So maybe we can have some Kannada songs, we can have some Hindi songs, we can have some Hills or English Hills. So we have to make sure that the gathering of the citywide body is edified in that program. So we plan the format in that kind of a way and also it would be good if we keep it as a unity gathering and only Christ is exalted. So which means that there will be a lot of Christian leaders in our city who we want to honor and definitely they would have done a sacrificial work and they would be stalwarts in our city and yet if we don't elevate any of the leaders, I think it will be better because it will be true to its call of being a unity gathering. So those format can be kept very simple, just worship, prayer, intercession, blessing over the city, sharing, the breaking of bread and that's about it. So no pastor, no minister, nobody to be elevated. So that way it will not be about focusing on any human being but it will be about focusing on Christ. So this is something recommended for a unity gathering in a city. And then the next section here is about the entire citywide church working on impacting the, all the areas of the city. So before we go into that, any other thoughts about these unity gatherings, do any of your cities already have it? You could please share and then we can touch on the next point. And as I told you in the last class, we've had this in Bangalore. At least I have witnessed it lately. I haven't seen any maybe because of the COVID season but yeah, we've had, we've had such events here in Bangalore. Yeah, if you would like to share from your country or your city. Okay, I'm just going to get a question here. He says, how do you celebrate your success stories at ABC? Okay, can you just expand on that? I didn't quite get your question. It seems you're doing a good job there, but just as a matter of motivation and encouraging into others, how do you celebrate or how do you share your story? Okay. Now that you have, you have five of them, right? Now that, now that you have five, after the like, you have to add that part in seconds. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, good question, Kennedy. Thank you. So, it happens formally and informally. Formally would be that it is communicated during the Sunday service before the service starts, you know, the small segment where you can make some announcements. It's communicated then. Or informally is, you know, we are, most of us here, we have these WhatsApp groups. Every location has its WhatsApp group. Every team has its WhatsApp group. So then information gets circulated in that way in an informal way. And yeah, another good way of celebrating any success story or testimonies is, you know, now that technology is possible, you can have a page. So for COVID relief, that's what we did. We had a page of testimonies. So when testimonies came in, it was added to that page and anyone could go read it. And it would strengthen them to see what God was doing in people's lives. So just some, some ways. Yeah. Is that okay, Kennedy? Okay. Great. Great. Sure. Yes. Okay. So Samuel says there was one in Sikkim recently, where all churches came together to meet the new CM of Sikkim. Okay. Very nice. The old CM was in office for 25 years, but it became a disaster. Okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah, Samuel. I don't know if I can ask you for details, because this is being recorded. Yeah. But yeah, you want to say something? We can't hear you. Can you hear me now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, now we can hear you. And so I wasn't present, but all the reports that I heard was mostly there was almost a contest for the airtime. So different leaders had to come and give a small speech and I don't know what the purpose of that speech was, but different churches were given some airtime. But unfortunately, most of them ran like if they were supposed to speak for five, 10 minutes each, they ended up speaking 25 minutes each. And it was mostly about reports of how, what, what and all the churches had done. So they were, they were kind of, I think it almost became like a contest of which church had done more work in Sikkim. So I was wondering what the CM must have walked away with from that meeting. And he, he sat, he listened to everything and then he, it was a good thing he gave the work, thanks, and he went away.  I mean, they didn't fight openly, but it was most like, you know, my church did this, my church did this. So everyone, you know. Yeah, that's, yeah. So, yeah, that's, that's unfortunate. You know, and that's why we're saying that as far as possible, if in the format we keep it about, you know, just worshiping the Lord, not necessarily, you know, give churches or leaders an opportunity to share something about themselves or about the ministry, that would be great. Because then there's a, there's limited time, right? And it's so difficult to organize a unity gathering. I remember one unity gathering, which happened maybe 10 years back. And people had come from different churches, and it was organized in a ground. And it was just so huge and to be able to pass on the communion elements was such a task. Okay. So as it is, organizing these meetings will be very, very difficult thing. So the simpler we keep the program, the better people are coming, they're spending that time. No, they're spending the energy resources to be there for that whatever one hour or two hours. Just imagine, you know, depending on the size of the city, or the body of Christ in that city, we were talking about parking for those many people, paying for the venue, you know, having ushers, putting out chairs, and making all the preparation. So keeping in mind that everyone is expending their energy. We want to really value that effort and keep it very focused so that nobody is disappointed. People are coming to worship the Lord to pray for the city, to bless one another. And we do our best to keep the format that way. And that will be an incredible blessing. Okay. So yeah, thank you. Thank you for sharing. Samuel, anyone else just want to add to the conversation here? Yeah. So for an event like this, again, finances is a big deal. It must be planned in a wise way. Okay. So every church has to be clear on the amount of money that they're putting into it. And then the collaboration, right, of the churches, like, we all have to know how it's going to be used. And another thing is, there must be a clear report on how the money was used. And the transparency is required. Whenever any partnership or collaborative work is done, it is good to be absolutely transparent about the funds that are being utilized and to give a report on how they were utilized. Okay. So that accounting has to be maintained. And that will also add to the prolonged unity and collaboration of churches. But if that area is neglected, there can be a lot of issues if the finances are not handled properly in these collaborative efforts. So we can just bear these things in mind if ever, or whenever we are a part of programs like this, we can just help in organizing them in a proper way so that it really serves its purpose. Now let's move on. The next section here is about the citywide church serving the city. Okay, serving the city. So now, as we've said, every local congregation brings its own impact because God has called each one of us with a certain vision. Now, if all the churches work together, we can see transformation spiritually, socially, in the marketplace, and also in the physical areas. So spiritual transformation, what does that mean? So it can, it is collaboration. It is collaboration for spiritual growth. So for us to see that spiritual transformation, how can churches and believers collaborate? Now I have heard of prayer groups. In fact, one of the very famous and close to my hope, there's a tech park. And in that tech park, I've had friends from other churches, and I also know people from my own congregation. Now, these people, they have booked a time in their whatever, you know, board room or whatever space they have for meeting. They've booked a time, something like once a week, and people are from different churches, and they've taken permission also to just come together to spend time in prayer. Okay, they pray for their company. They pray for their tech park. They pray for, you know, the surroundings. So things like that. Are these people from various churches? Yes, they're not from the same church, but they're bringing a blessing to the city because they're united in their cause and in their purpose. And again, you know, I know my, some of my friends are part of these Bible studies. And it's a pleasant thing. So far, I've never heard them complaining that oh, so and so is from that church. And, you know, these people are from another church and this doctrine, that doctrine though. It's very simple. They gather together. They pray together. They pray for one another. They share a simple word, encourage each other. And that's about it. But these small groups are a blessing to the city. So spiritual transformation, we can come together, despite us being in different local congregations, we can pray, we can bless one another. We can also have, you know, local churches and ministries working together. We already said, you know, when it comes to spiritual aspects that we are blessed with, we can share that, maybe certain teachings that we have, we can share with somebody else or they can be some efforts with regard to evangelism. So churches can collaborate. I told us about that part to change event. Things like that. Things to do with evangelism, things to do with discipleship. People can collaborate and serve the church. So spiritually, the, serve the city, spiritually, the city is blessed. They can also be, you know, times of spiritually, spiritual warfare. That makes up a huge part of when it comes to impacting the city. So gathering as pastors, gathering as leaders, gathering as various congregations in the city. When we come, when we pray regularly for the long term, we pray for the city. These kind of things will make a huge impact on the city. So wherever, in cities where you have things like this happening, it will be a blessing. Now, that is the spiritual aspect. How can the body of Christ bring about social transformation? You know, whatever we talked about earlier, we can understand the current situation of our city. And there might be issues that we want to pick up poverty or education, corruption, oppression, things like that.  So in that sense, when people join hands, we are able to do more for the society, marketplace, marketplace. Again, I think recent few years back, there was this program called as lead talks, where they invite people from various walks of life and just to inspire people for the marketplace. Okay. And the speakers are from many churches, many different churches, but they are trying to make an impact on the marketplace now. I thought that was a good example of a collaborative effort of, you know, people of God coming together to speak about the principles from God's word and examples, the real life examples of people who follow those principles and who've done well in the workplace, right, politics. There were people who spoke from the area of, yeah, politics and business and education and so many fields. And that made an impact. Now, that's an example, but, you know, the seven mountains, there are the seven mountains which influence society, arts and entertainment, media, business, education, government, family, religion. If we can have godly people making an impact on all these mountains, that will make an impact on the city at large. So individuals, ministries, congregations can try to collaborate in some way to make an impact. Now, apart from that physical transformation, okay, physical transformation has to do with the city, maybe there are issues with the, let's say, the infrastructure, right, of the city. A particular city, it's possible that they have a settlement where there are a lot of poor people. Now, how to address that? The churches may want to get together and approach the civic authorities and, you know, see for some changes in the policy that can be made or they can contribute, they can offer their support in some way, let's say financially. They want to give some kind of money for the building of homes or they want to offer help, right? Like, we will build those homes, something like that. So physically also, there are many aspects in a city that the church can work towards. What about health and hygiene, that is something or transportation, water, different things that you pick up as important for that city, you could help. So that's an area where the church can make an impact. Again, I'm just leaving it open. If you have examples from your city, then you could please share that. And before that, Kennedy has a question. He says, please talk about the church and the state partnership. Church and the state partnership. So I think what I said now applies to that. Look, Kennedy, that we approach the civic authorities and we offer whatever we can. So if that is prayer or if that is finances or like physical help, then we can collaborate in that manner. What about masking on things like legislation, right? Legislation. Yeah, I thought I was meant to understand that in a place like India, having or receiving that is an offense.  So what's your take on that? Yeah. So you see, as normal citizens, we have a voice. And if you're specifically asking about the voice of the church, I think yes, the church does have a voice. And now recently, in fact, I'm going to that next section here, which is a united response to persecution. Times of persecution we have seen churches have written to authorities, their local authorities, and they've said that we are not doing anything that is against the Constitution. And so we want your support. So the church does has a voice, Kennedy. And yeah, we write to our authorities, we go by the Constitution, and whatever it is that we can, we can propose we do that to rise up against maybe a wrong policy that might come in place. So that's how it works here in India. Is there any other person who wants to add to what I just said? So Kennedy understands the Indian system better. Like recently, there was one incident of not one incident, many incidents of opposition in churches, like while the services were going on, people of a particular mindset, like they went and they disrupted the churches. And when that happened, I think the Catholic Church in that place, I don't know exactly which church, but one of the large churches, they initiated and they wrote out this letter to the authorities. And then the other churches joined together. The other churches joined together and they all declared a day of rally. So all the churches together, they walked from one point to another to go meet the authorities there to give them a letter, like in a peaceful way to give them a letter and just to request for protection because they were not doing anything that was against the Constitution. So yeah, in this way, we kind of respond to situations. What about the things like anti-conversion laws, you know, they're very strange to us, you never heard of things like anti-conversion laws. And I think that Prabhakar, I don't know if you're in this position, one of the Prabhakars, the one RO. Yes, yes, yes. So this is all, it's a little tricky, Candy, and help me to answer here. But I can tell you this much that it's not like the Christian voices are quiet, you know, on the other side, we have, we have people in the legal system, we have those who are very well aware of the Constitution, we have bodies like, okay, I'll share a name, there is a group called the ADF, you can look it up, ADF International, which is actively involved in addressing matters of persecution. And they are also at a level where they can, they can appeal, right, they can appeal for certain laws not to be passed. So they're rallying, basically they're rallying for to, I mean, you can just look it up, they're doing a good work and they're doing it at a very high level. So ADF International is a good organization. Is it the Alliance for Defence? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alliance, defence of faith, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, correct. So they are very active, they are very active, they are helpful in educating the grassroots level pastors on their rights, and also educating them on the wrong practices, you know, sometimes pastors get into trouble because of doing things the wrong way. So the government is not to blame. But organizations like this, they, they inform the pastors on the right way of doing things and being legally correct, because we are, we are citizens of the land and we have to keep the law. Okay, so all these organizations are also there can be. So there is a voice that there are activists, there are, you know, people who are fighting for the right policy at the highest level. Okay, and I know of a very dear friend, a pastor of ours, I should say, of our APC team here who is doing excellent work for pastors who are stumbling at the grassroots levels. And in fact, he's done so much work that recently he decided that he will pursue LLB, which is a course in law also. So he's a pastor, but currently he's studying law to familiarize himself with the Indian Constitution. So he's in a better position to help pastors. So yeah, in this way, there's a lot going on. There's a lot that is happening. Yeah. Okay, great, great. So yeah, some good discussions there. So yeah, we come, we come to an end of the class as well as the content in our notes here. So let's just wrap it up. We'll pray and we will close. If there are no additional things that we want to discuss, we can always do that in the next class.  Yeah, just leave it open. Can I pray? Yes, yes, Shri Kumar. Dear heavenly father, we thank you and praise you and honor you for this wonderful day. Father, we bless your holy name, O God, Master. Father, we pray that Father God, every word what we learned today, O God, Master, let it deeply rooted in us and Father God, let we walk in unity and let our focus should be on the, on the, how to build the kingdom of Father God. We pray that Father, pour out your love more and more in us. Let me not be discouraged because of the bitterness, because of jealousy, because of the things which is not happening the way how we are thinking of God. Father, we pray that Father, we need the Holy Spirit more and more so that we can be encouraged so that we can prepare ourselves. The body of Christ can be strengthened by the power of God. Thank you for using your servant of God, Father God, bless her and Father God, strengthen her. Thank you, Father God, preparing each one of our heart, Lord Master, and we believe that Father, whatever we learn today, O God, let me able to utilize it so that Father, we can be united together and Lord Master, we can be useful vessels for the kingdom of God. Thank you once again for answering our prayers. In Jesus' time, we pray. Amen. Thank you for the prayer, Shikumar. If I could just add something, I think I'll just switch off the record.