Wednesday, February 17th - Ash Wednesday service (Parish of New Ross) 

Thursday, February 18th - Eastern Shore Regional Clericus and office appointments

Friday, February 19th - Reading and Writing day

Sunday, February 21st - Parish Visit/virtual Parish visits 

Monday, February 22nd - Day Off

Tuesday, February 23rd - Office/Administrative Tasks

Wednesday, February 24th - In Office

In accordance with Diocesan Canon 25, The Right Reverend Sandra Fyfe is accepting applications for the positions of the following:

Rector, Full--time, for the Parish of St. John the Baptist in North Sydney. Deadline for submitting applications is Friday, March 19th, 2021 at 5:00 pm

The Rev. Kent Greer has been appointed Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of St. Paul’s Rawdon.

Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Medical Officer for NS, held a Zoom meeting with Faith Leaders last Friday and the following is edited slightly from his follow-up email for ease of reading. There is updated information in the following areas:

To all Parish Councils and members of Parish Corporations

First, I would like to apologize if this announcement is the first you’ve seen about annual reporting and the on-going reporting of monthly revenues. We are in the midst of updating, populating, and normalizing our database of parish contacts and I recognize that our data may be incomplete. We are trying to do better.

Annual Reporting Forms for:

·         the 2020 Parochial Return

·         2020Parish Statistical Information and

·         2021 Parish Information form

Are all available on the Diocese’s website: https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/annual-filing-resources

This meeting of Diocesan Council was again held entirely over Zoom.  This is proving to be a useful and effective way for council to meet.  We are even experimenting with some of the great features of Zoom, including using the breakout rooms to facilitate discussion.  Much of the meeting was taken up with reports from staff and from VSSTs, and we used the rest of the time we had to discuss Bishop Sandra’s Covenant in Ministry. 

Please note - Owing to continued COVID restrictions, and in consultation with Chancellor James Travers, Bishop Sandra has determined that there will be no regular gathering of Synod in May 2021, and has informed Diocesan Council.  Canonically we are required to hold Synod within two years of the last Synod.  Since we held an electoral Synod in the fall, no Synod is required until September 2022.  The main reason for the decision was the difficulty of holding a Synod with multiple items on the agenda when large in large in person gatherings may still not be possible.  There is no firm date set for the next gathering of Synod.  As we see how the pandemic unfolds, we will have a clearer picture of when we can gather as Synod.  It is suggested that parishes continue to elect Synod delegates, just as in normal years with no Synod.  If you have questions, please email to bishopsoffice@nspeidiocese.ca.

The Rev. Will Ferrey,

Executive Secretary of Synod

Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

902-420-0717

SIX-MINUTE STUDY #240

COMMUNITIES OF FAITH FLOURISH DURING COVID?

New Canadian research shows how churches are faring during the pandemic. The Flourishing Congregations Institute of Ambrose University, Alberta, has several hopeful things to say related to faith communities and the key priorities for moving forward this year. Read about the component elements to thriving in ministry, how mission needs to be central to congregational life, the critical importance of continued engagement and asking probing questions. 

Flourishing Update - Feb. 10, 2021 - Signs of Life … Canadian Congregations Thriving in a Pandemic, by Dr. Joel Thiessen, Professor of Sociology.

https://www.flourishingcongregations.org/post/flourishing-update-february-10-2021?utm_campaign=4068c15a-d165-4d95-bd57-5bd4580f2d1b&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=4c071289-42b5-46d5-84ac-41e4768fb1aa

Diocesan Heating Oil Program

The Diocese of NS and PEI Heating Oil Program with Irving Oil offers Churches of the Diocese and eligible Diocesan Clergy and Diocesan Staff a discounted rate based on non-profit status. This rate is not offered to individual Anglican parishioners. For more information, please contact: The Centralized Commercial Account Manager for the Diocesan Heating Oil Program, Ms. Jennifer Bishop by name at 1-888-310-1924 or by email at Jennifer.Bishop@IrvingOil.com

The Furnace Oil price for the period February13-19, 2021,  for: 

Nova Scotia                     $0.7171 plus applicable taxes

Prince Edward Island        $0.7024 plus applicable taxes

FEBRUARY 21
 
Collieries Parish

The Reverend Dorothy Miller

The Reverend Myrna MacMullin, Associate Parish Priest, and Robert

            St. Mary’s, Glace Bay

            St. Paul’s, Port Morien

            St. Luke’s, Port Caledonia

            Christ Church, South Head

            All Saints’, New Waterford

            Church of the Good Shepherd, Dominion

March 25th - Save the Date

On Thursday, March 25th from 9am – 3:30pm Bishop Sandra is inviting clergy and postulants of the Diocese to attend a virtual retreat led by the Rev’d Dr. Dawn Davis (Diocese of Huron) and the Rev’d Rhonda Waters (Diocese of Ottawa). More details will follow, but for now please save the date and plan to join in for a day of prayer and refreshment as we prepare to enter Holy Week.

Did you know you had a dedicated section on our website just for your Parish - Find-A-Church! If you haven't already - here is the link to have a look https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/find-a-church.  This provides viewers not only your contact information, but we also hope to provide a little insight into your Parish! 

I would like to update the photos with not just pictures of your Church buildings, but more importantly the drive behind our Parishes - PEOPLE!

The following are the Services for the month of February  2021, all which will be held at St. Edward the Confessor Anglican Church, 1650 Highway No 1, Clementsport, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, all are most welcome to attend bearing in mind the Church is being fully sanitized/Social distancing is being respected….

TOPIC: Caring for People with Mental Health Challenges and Promoting Mental Well-Being in Church Congregations

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Helen Noh serves as the Associate Professor of Counselling Psychology at Tyndale University in Toronto Ontario. Dr. Noh’s area of specialization in both clinical practice and research is in the area of marriage and family therapy.

Seeking a versatile musician to provide music for worship services at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Annapolis Royal. The successful candidate should be a capable pipe organist who will enjoy leading our choir, and be able to lead with a variety of instruments other than the organ. Flexibility is a key quality. To apply, please send your resume to: Parish of Annapolis, PO Box 427, Annapolis Royal, NS, B0S 1A0, or apply by e-mail to parish.annapolis@eastlink.ca. Closing date, Monday March 8.   

Sunday, February 14, 2021,  on PEI is the start of Family Violence Prevention Week. A group of parishioners at St. Paul’s gathered to create a series of petitions that could be prayed each day during the week or be used as the Prayers of the People on one or both of the Sundays.

Here’s a link to the petitions:

https://sites.google.com/site/stpaulschurchsite/announcements-from-the-bulletin/family-violence-prevention-week

I also reworked them into the Prayer of the People for Sundays, which you are welcome to use:

https://sites.google.com/site/stpaulschurchsite/vision-and-mission/prayers-of-the-poeple

Church Bulletin DEN Prayer for the 3 Rs: Living God Where there is waste, let us bring recycling, Where there is recycling, let us bring reuse, Where there is reuse, let us bring sustainability, Where there is sustainability, let us bring justice Where there is justice, let us bring love. (Sung to the tune of Make me a channel of your peace.)

DEN Lenten Book Study Begins Wed Feb 24: Papal Encyclical: Laudato Si http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html Email: endionspei@gmail.com

Thursday Evening Gatherings Feb 18, 7 pm via Zoom:  Living a Faith that is Committed to Care for the Earth. Email: endionspei@gamil.com

Praying with the DEN Community Friday 9:30 am on Zoom. Email endionspei@gmail.com

Grab some gospel and go! 

A Lenten lunch-time opportunity to explore a scripture passage about Jesus in a relaxed Zoom gathering.

TIME: 12:10 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. 

DATES: Feb. 17 to March 31.

WHO: Anglicans from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.  

Supporting Parents: Stories That Matter

The Anglican Church Women Board extends its Annual Project 2020/21, Supporting Parents: Stories That Matter, by two months, to the end of June 2021. This means that the Board is happy to accept contributions for Supporting Parents: Stories That Matter to the end of June 2021. Thank you for all contributions to date.

For information on this month's activities at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, click the EVENTS tab on the website: www.cathedralchurchofallsaints.com