Blessing for church head office

Blessings to you who answer the phone, connecting people with one another

Blessings to you who make coffee, sharing the gift of hospitality

Blessings to you who process donations, enabling the spiritual discipline of giving

Blessings to you who share prayer concerns, encouraging the spiritual discipline of prayer

Blessings to you who file T3010 reports, doing what is right in the sight of God and of people

Blessings to you who perform these duties with gentleness and patience, modeling ministry guided by the Spirit

Blessings to you who keep track of schedules, turning plans into action

Blessings to you who arrange for insurance, permits and transportation, becoming the hands and feet of the church

Blessings to you who update church websites, helping people whom you may never meet

Blessings to you who labour amongst spreadsheets, invoices and receipts, ensuring ministry happens in many places

Blessings to you who sort out HR issues and policy updates, nurturing and maintaining the community and its leaders

Blessings to you who connect with people beyond the church, bearing witness to your faith

Blessings to you who are counted as ‘overhead’ and not recognized as essential to ministry, because your gifts matter

Blessings to church head office people, wherever you may be.

May you find encouragement and meaning in your work today.

Amen.

- Lori Guenther Reesor 

SCHEDULE

Tuesday June 27th to Monday July 3rd – General Synod, Calgary, Alberta (includes travel time)

Tuesday July 4th to Wednesday July 12th – Vacation

As of July 1^st, 2023

Lawrence Roche, Diocesan Financial Controller

 financialcontroller@nspeidiocese.ca 

902 406-8987

Soren Himmelman, Diocesan Archivist

archives@nspeidiocese.ca

902 406-8982

It is a good for congregations to discuss the 'why' for connecting with new people in our community. If we are simply wanting to be the loving hands, feet and heart of Christ, people will sense it. On the other hand, if we are building relationships so we can 'save our church' or have more people to work on committees, they will soon see through to this motive too.

Clarity about our purpose helps us join what God is doing in our neighbourhoods, with a sense of humility and loving service. Read more in, 4 Shifts for More Authentic Community Engagement, written by Dan Pezet, published by Lewis Centre for Church Leadership.  

Take a look at the most recent copy of the ACW Newsletter Here

SOUL FOOD?

VCM Conference keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Dawn Davis emphasized the importance of practicing spiritual disciplines in this swiftly changing season of Churchland. These devotions aid in listening to the Spirit and getting our faith (re)rooted. They may also be incorporated with Council and Committee meetings, as a way to help discern our next steps in missional ministry.

Are you curious about learning and experiencing some of these faith practices?  Let us know, we may host a series of Zoom sessions with special guests. Some examples are Anglican Prayer Beads, Wild Worship, Examen & Ignatian Spirituality, etc., etc. 

 SPRING/SUMMER BOOK CLUB - "Why Gather?" Sit on your deck, put your feet up and share in discussion about a great missional book.  Join on Zoom and explore perspectives about flourishing ministry.

Our Spring & Summer Book Club is TUESDAYS, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.  Starts May 16 and runs until July 11.  Join in any time and as you are able to participate.  Open to anyone from any church or denomination.

Our book is:  Why Gather?: The Hope and Promise of the Church, by Martha Tatarnic, Rector of St. George’s Anglican Ch., St. Catharines, ON (published 2022).  

  REGISTER HERE: Summer Book Club Registration

Join St. Luke’s, Dartmouth, for this year’s Say Yes! to Kids campaign as St. Luke's supports therapeutic play and counseling services offered to children at Bryony House. You can help children who have experienced domestic violence to explore challenging emotions, deal with unresolved trauma, and improve their overall emotional well-being through play-based therapy. Every gift to St. Luke’s Say Yes! to Kids 2023 campaign will show the women and children of Bryony House that they are part of a loving, supportive community that is deeply committed to healing and well-being.

Donate here or donate to the Team Captain, Marjorie’s link 

If contributing with a cheque is preferable, here’s how: A cheque is payable to the Anglican Foundation of Canada, with Bryony House in the memo line, and addressed to the: Anglican Foundation of Canada, 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2.

PARISH OF NEW GLASGOW

The Parish of St George’s in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, is seeking an experienced full-time Interim Rector with strong management, people, and pastoral skills for a two-year contract position.  As an interim priest and transformational leader, St. George's is an exciting opportunity for you to join this community of faith as we take an intentional time to seek spiritual and organizational renewal, to rediscover our identity, and to revitalize our mission. 

Parish of Tangier

The Anglican Parish of Holy Trinity Tangier is seeking a half-time rector. Our parish is located on the scenic Marine Drive (Highway 7) on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.. Our Parish serves communities from East Ship Harbour in the west, to Sheet Harbour in the East, to Beaver Dam, and Mooseland in the North.

For more information please visit our career postings page HERE. 

The Parish of Holy Trinity Emmanuel, located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia is seeking a half time rector. Holy Trinity Emmanuel has recently experienced new growth. We are an energetic, enthusiastic caring church family, a diverse parish, including and embracing all people, willing to try new and innovative expressions of ministry. We have a history of community involvement in Dartmouth North. We are looking for a Rector who is welcoming. A person who is interested in both the spiritual and physical growth of the church and the broader community.   Mission Statement: “We are a welcoming community, a people of God. Together we will live the gospel through our worship services, fellowship programs and outreach ministries.” 

For more information, please visit our career postings page HERE. 

The Anglican Parish of St. Martin's in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, is searching for a full-time rector. The parish church, Grace Anglican Church at 5533 Hwy. 3, Chester Basin, and the Rectory in Western Shore (less than 10 minutes away) are located in a beautiful, seaside, rural area of the southwestern region of the province.  It is within an hour of the capital city of Halifax and international airport and central to many areas of the province. "We strive to be a healthy, caring, and hopeful community of faith for Jesus Christ"

For more information, please visit our Career page HERE.

Since 2021 the people of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have partnered with the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) to grow the Say Yes! to Kids (SYTK) movement, which to date has provided nearly $90,000 in youth-focused funding in our diocese.

Together we have given generously to this annual campaign and our churches have acted courageously and creatively, using the funds raised to support young people in a variety of ways. From summer camps to youth retreats to combating youth homelessness, and more, SYTK has challenged and encouraged us to be creative and compassionate.

This year, I am proud to say that NS and PEI continues to be a leader in the SYTK movement. We have five fundraising teams—more than any diocese in Canada! With only two weeks to go in this year's campaign, I am encouraging everyone in our diocese to support one of the NS and PEI teams. Any gift, large or small, will help to grow a brighter future for young people today.

Click on the images below to give to one or more of these teams!
 

St. Luke’s Dartmouth – Bryony House (Goal: $5,000)
Raising funds for therapeutic play and counseling services at Bryony House, a 24-bed shelter that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence and abuse experienced by women and their children. 
 

NS and PEI ACW – Brigadoon Bound! (Goal: $5,000)
Supporting Nova Scotia’s Brigadoon Village, the largest pediatric medical camp facility in Canada. 
 

St. Paul’s, Halifax – Youth Retreats (Goal: $5,000)
Raising funds for seasonal retreats to ensure the pastoral care of young people at St. Paul’s stays fresh and vibrant.
 

Cathedral Church of All Saints – Fun & Games! (Goal: $5,000)
Supporting extra-curricular activities for refugee children. Helping to increase opportunities for newcomer youth.
 

Christ Church, Amherst – Family Ministry (Goal: $2,500)
Raising funds to create a unique monthly worship opportunity, with a meal and fellowship time, that brings children and adults together. 
Please give generously to our Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Say Yes! to Kids teams this year!

Thank you!

The Rt. Rev. Sandra Fyfe
Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island 

P.S. You can also mail a cheque payable to the Anglican Foundation of Canada with the name of the team you wish to support in the memo line to: 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2. Or write "NS and PEI" in the memo line and your donation will be shared with all five teams. 

The Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) is a 5-year, $70 million initiative ending on March 31, 2024. It was created as part of the Government of Canada's Food Policy for a healthier and more sustainable food system in Canada.

Program objectives
The program is aimed at community-based, not-for-profit organizations with a mission to reduce food insecurity by establishing and strengthening their local food system.

The program's primary goal is to help increase food security through investments in infrastructure needs.

This intake of LFIF mobilizes an additional $10 million announced in Budget 2023, to provide grants to help increase food security through investments in infrastructure needs. The impact of which must be targeted and immediate, and must be directly related to addressing food security and increasing the accessibility and distribution of healthy, nutritious and ideally local foods within community(ies). Learn more here. 

Come and explore Godly Play practices for supporting children’s spirituality and creating a Godly Play environment. Experience Godly Play stories, tell a story by heart, and receive feedback as part of a supportive learning community.

More information to follow. To explore information and past events, see Godly Play Maritime 

The Net News Summer schedule will be July 19th and August 16th

The Rev. Dawn Léger, a PhD candidate at Martin Luther University College, is conducting research on creative practice and sense of vocation among Anglican Church of Canada clergy (deacons, priests, and bishops). She is seeking clergy who regularly engage in a creative practice (at least 30-60 minutes a week or 2-4 hours a month on average). Interviews will be conducted via Zoom Microsoft [DL1] Teams, and will take approximately 90 minutes, and will be recorded. In-person interviews are possible within Halifax Regional Municipality.

If you are interested and able to participate, please contact Dawn at lege9330@mylaurier.ca.

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Board (REB# 10013454).

About Dawn

Dawn is a pastor, Anglican priest, spiritual director, educator, and a lover of art and artists. Dawn practices contemplative photography and painting from her home in Halifax, NS. She is always listening for the lessons that artists have to teach us as humans and leaders. She is concerned with clergy well-being, particularly facing the challenges of 21st century churches. 

Thank you.

In order to protect our Parishes (Insurance-wise) going forward; it will be a wise investment of time for each Parish to provide me with a list of Cemeteries in the Parish. When responding with particulars, please include Parish Name and #, Cemetery Name and Civic address. If you would kindly respond to office@nspeidiocese.ca with the subject line “Parish Cemeteries” -all assistance is much appreciated. 

Peter Flemming

On Monday, July 3rd at 10 am a Memorial Service for the late Wanda Robson will be held in the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax. Wanda, a prominent Canadian and Nova Scotian civil rights leader and advocate, died in February of 2022 at the age of 95. She and her surviving husband, Joseph, were married at the Cathedral. She will be laid to rest in the family plot, with her sister, Viola Desmond. A reception will follow the service in the Great Hall. A new commemorative stone, descriptive of these two amazing women, is to be erected in Camp Hill cemetery and announced at the reception.

Courses: 

Theological Foundations

Follow this link to register:  https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/theological-foundations-tickets-554357627587 

Preaching Foundations - Weekdays July 17th to July 28th 9:15am - 12:15pm

Follow this link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/preaching-foundations-tickets-554441227637

See all courses Here: AST Continuing Education Courses

Events:

See AST Events Calendar Here AST Events Calendar

At our Diocesan Synod this spring the youth and family ministry VSST officially launched the Welcoming Families in Worship; Audit and Reflection Guide. Several of the parishes went home with paper copies of this reflection guide. But if you would like access to a digital pdf copy, that can be found Here!

The Welcoming Families in Worship resource is here for all parishes to utilize as we think intentionally about what it means to create and host a welcoming space and culture in our parish community for families (both those who are weekly attendees and those who may only come seasonally or for a baptism or other life event). It includes thoughtful questions for each parish as you consider your own context of family ministry. 

"This resource exists to help parishes equip themselves so that, when families join them, they can be prepared. Although many of the parishes would already consider themselves welcoming, expressing this welcome requires some hard thinking and some hands-on prep work, and you may not know where to start. This is an “audit.” It is a tool for helping you assess your current practices more clearly, and for suggesting directions of growth." 

If you know anyone in your congregation who works with children's or family ministry, this may be a super helpful resource to take a look at- please share this link with them! Or if you would like a printed copy contact: youthandfamily@nspeidiocese.ca 

Thank you to all those who worked this past year to help put this resource together! Your efforts are much appreciated!

Cape Breton Summer Camino

Dates: Sun July 16 to Sat July 22 (5 days’ walk)

Location: Celtic Shores Coastal Trail, Troy Station to Inverness

Facilitator: Dr Matthew Anderson

North Shore Storytelling Camino

Dates: Mon Aug 21 to Friday Aug 25 (3 days of walking)

Location: North Shore, Pictou to Tatamagouche area

Facilitator: The Rev. Nicole Uzans

Labour Day Long Weekend Camino in Cape Breton

Dates: Thurs Aug 31 to Mon Sept 4 (3 days of walking)

Location: Celtic Shores Coastal Trail

Facilitator: Dr Matthew Anderson 

Click here to find out more details!

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 June 24th to June 30th, 2023

Nova Scotia                    $0.9105

Prince Edward Island   $0.9076