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THE BISHOP'S OFFICESchedule Thur. Jan. 16 – Staff Meeting and Epiphany Party (Office will be closed from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm); Parish online meeting, Planning for The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine visit, and Diocesan Times Meeting (evening) Fri. Jan. 17 – Appointments in office; monthly meeting with Director of Mission and Ministry Development Sun. Jan. 19 – The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service at 4:00 pm. Guest Preacher: The Most Reverend Brian Dunn, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth Mon. Jan. 20 – Day off Tues. Jan 21 – Vacation Day/Travel Wed. Jan. 22 – Funeral for the Rev’d Canon Dr. Eric Beresford, Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto. Obituary can be found here. Bishop Sandra’s Itinerary January 19 The Cathedral Church of All Saints for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service at 4:00 pm. Guest Preacher: The Most Reverend Brian Dunn, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth January 26 Saint Benedict Roman Catholic Parish (45 Radcliffe Drive) for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service at 3:00 pm. Guest Preacher: The Right Reverend Sandra Fyfe February 2 Parish of Annapolis Royal February 9 Parish of New Germany February 23 Parish of Rawdon March 2 Parish of Horton Announcements Bishop Sandra has accepted the resignation of the Rev'd Mark Marshall as Rector of The Church of the Apostles effective March 31, 2025. At this time Mark will move into retirement. Bishop Sandra is pleased to announce the following appointments: The Rev'd LCol Bev Kean-Newhook as Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of St. John's Halifax effective January 12, 2025. Openings Rector, 3/4 tme, Parishes of Musquodoboit and Ship Harbour Rector, full-time, The Parish of St. Francis by the Lakes, Lower Sackville |
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FROM THE SYNOD OFFICE |
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MISSION, MINISTRY and WORSHIP |
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New Year. New Start.NEW YEAR. NEW START
Congregations in 2025 will see an evolution of ministry in a number of interesting ways. Whether it is collaborative partnerships, creative technologies or leveraging church property, there are changes emerging. Read more from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership's article, 7 Trends Impacting Church Leadership for 2025, written by Jessica L. Anschutz, Ann A. Michel and Doug Powe.
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CHARITABLE RECEIPTS: 'THANKS FOR GIVING'
Tax receipt time is a fabulous opportunity to communicate well with your congregation's givers.
Be sure to THANK PEOPLE for their generosity. You are preparing and sending out an envelope anyway, why not include an inspiring message and continue to build the relationship?
Tell donors how your church makes a difference in the community, region and the world! Express your gratitude for their gift. Share about your ministry dreams for 2025 and explain how they can easily continue to support your efforts. This may also be a time to encourage your PAR (monthly electronic transactions) folks to consider an increase in their giving. Send along the information required to do that. Also, CanadaHelps has safe, easy, trackable regular giving options too. www.canadahelps.org
(NOTE: Make giving to your church as EASY as possible. Provide simple instructions about 'how'. Give them several options.)
Read about best practices for charitable receipts in, How to Write The Best Thank-You Letter for Donations + Three Templates and Samples, written by Tatiana Morand.
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The Connectors SEVEN
The Connectors is a group that journeys over the course of 12 months to explore fresh approaches to flourishing ministry. It involves reflection, prayer, discussion, study, goal-setting, trying out missional initiatives, mutual peer support and more!
This peer learning community begins in early 2025 for lay and clergy participants who want to explore discerning prayer, deep dive discussions, engaging readings, goal-setting, mutual support and encouragement. The Connectors SEVEN is a group of up to 10 eager pioneering-type people who gather monthly for 10, two-day sessions (a mixture of residential retreats and Zoom meetings). This is a skill-building environment for faithful Anglicans who want to reach out to others, but aren’t sure how. Participants in this cohort are a gift and asset to a local parish and their community. All costs are covered by the Diocese. Facilitators are: Kim Lively, Parish of Oakfield & Fall River; Bishop Ron Cutler (retd); Lisa Vaughn, Director of Mission and Ministry Development. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS … ... are willing to lean into their growing edges and take risks. ... commit to participating in all the sessions and an average of 3 hours per month of study, reflection and discernment/visioning for themselves and their congregation(s). Additional time required for missional initiatives. Application deadline for The Connectors SEVEN is Friday, February 28, 2025. INFO & SIGN-UP HERE: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ConnectorsSEVEN (Got questions? E-mail: missiondirector@nspeidiocese.ca or call: 902-789-4840.)
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Listen. Learn. Experiment. Connect.
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Good Grief - Guiding Light TrainingTuesday, January 21 - GRIEF with Rev. Canon Dr. Jody Clarke, Professor of Pastoral Studies, Atlantic School of Theology. (90 minutes) During the evening, we will look at how grief moves and lives in our lives as people with some responsibility for the spiritual health of our communities and in the lives of those with whom we minister. We will examine popular myths about grief, uncover those events in life that cause grief to come flooding back, and how we can respond to loss with empathy and grace. Tuesday, January 28 - FUNERAL FOLLOW-UP & MISSION Join Rev. Canon Lisa Vaughn (60 minutes), Director of Mission and Ministry Development, to explore ways to support grieving families and their loved ones after a recent death. Hear about simple and low-cost approaches to continue to minister to those who mourn. From special church gatherings, to compassionate greetings, grief-support groups and more, learn about best practices and resources for funeral follow-ups. |
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DIOCESAN EVENTS |
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YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRY |
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Calling All Potential Youth Delegates for Diocesan Synod!Got questions about Synod and what it's like to be a youth delegate? Join us for an informal Q+A with Bishop Sandra, Archdeacon Katherine Bourbonniere, and Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator Allie Colp on zoom to hear more of what Synod is all about and the role that youth play within it. Bring whatever questions you've got and we will find you some answers. This session is open to youth, parents/guardians, clergy, and lay leaders. |
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Community Roots Info SessionsCurious about whether the Community Roots Day Camp program might be a good fit for your parish this year? Join us for an information session on zoom to hear more about the program and ask any questions you may have! The session will be about an hour, with time to hear a bit more about the program and also to ask any questions that you may have! We're offering three opportunities for you to join the conversation (Click the link to register for one that works for you!): If you want to come but none of these work for you please email youthandfamily@nspeidiocese.ca. |
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Welcoming Families Monthly ChatJoin us for an informal opportunity to connect with others who are finding ways to intentionally welcome families into the life of their churches! Bring your stories, your questions, your ideas, your challenges, bring whatever you've got! No need to commit to every month, but we'd love to have you there whenever you can make it! Our first one is February 6 at 2 pm – hope to see you there! |
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WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE DIOCESE |
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FAITH & FELLOWSHIP ACROSS CANADA |
