Schedule

Wednesday, October 21st - Administration; Online Meeting

Thursday, October 22nd - Online Mentor's Meeting

Friday, October 23rd - Clergy Conference Preparations

Saturday, October 24^th - Mother's Union Rally, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Middle Sackville; Funeral for The Reverend Faye Forbes, St. Francis by the Lakes Anglican Church

Sunday, October 25th - Parish Visit - St. Peter's, Birch Cove - 75th Anniversary Service

Monday, October 26th - Day off

Tuesday, October 27^th - Clergy Conference, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville

Announcements

Bishop Sandra is pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Mel Malton as Priest-in-Charge for the Parish of Rawdon, effective October 1, 2026.

There is a growing interest in redeveloping church properties, removing pews and creating flexible space in order to better serve the local community. Whether it is seeking a new revenue source through a partnership, finding ways to use the building for more than just Sundays, or installing a kitchenette and washrooms, many leaders in our Diocese are reimagining their property. 

Read, Five Tips for Churches Considering Property Development, by Mark Elsdon, from RootedGood, as published by the Lewis Centre for Church leadership. 

Parish leaders are often looking for practical, easy ways to help people connect Sunday faith with everyday life. Here is this week's ready-to-use "Flourishing Faith In Daily Life" mini-resources.

The topic is: The Stewardship of Time
Focus: Giving, Serving & Stewarding

Download any of the 2 pdf version options here:   

FULL PAGE - Oct. 25 - Full Page BULLETIN INSERT - Stewardship pdf

SINGLE & DOUBLE HALF-PAGES - Oct. 25 - Half Pages - BULLETIN INSERT - Stewardship pdf

November 8^th is Remembrance Sunday, a time to honour the sacrifices of Canadian veterans and others who work for the cause of peace. In fact, Veterans' Week in Canada is Nov. 5 to Nov. 11, 2026. This is a great opportunity as a church to engage others in the neighbourhood with meaningful activities and worship times.  

Explore these resources:

Church of England - Prayers for Remembrance - https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/funerals/after-funeral/prayers-remembrance

 Canada Veterans Affairs - https://veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day-veterans-week

Royal Canadian Legion - includes prayers ('Plan a Ceremony'), links to ceremony music, etc. -  https://www.legion.ca/remembrance/remembrance-day

Indigenous Veterans Day - Nov. 8 (honouring First Nations, Inuit, and Métis contributions) - https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/indigenous-veterans

United Church of Canada - https://united-church.ca/worship-special-days/remembrance-day

What: Free webinar.

When: Wednesdays in October - 2 p.m. (Atlantic time) 

Who: Hosted by the Diocese of Rupert's Land in partnership with Black Anglicans of Canada

Register  

Facilitated by TENS: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship.

Learn more about the ministry of legacy or planned giving and how it can help your congregation build a sustainable future. Supporting the Church You Love, for Generations to Come: Your Legacy. God’s Mission.

Join The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa for a practical conversation about planned and legacy giving—for those considering their own legacy and those helping to advance stewardship and giving in their church or organization.

For INFO and to REGISTER  

This low-cost annual Volunteer Conference offers practical training and inspiring ideas for non-profits on things related to welcoming newcomers, applying for grants, and ways to engage the wider community. 

Keynote speaker is Annika Voltan, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Management Department at Saint Mary's University, Halifax. Annika has worked across government, nonprofit, business, and academic sectors and is recognized for her expertise in social innovation, community building, systems thinking, and cross-sector collaboration.

2026 Volunteer Conference is Monday, November 23 - 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - at Delta Hotel, Burnside/ Dartmouth, N.S.

Earlybird pricing: $40 until October 25.

Regular conference fee: $75

Registration closes November 16.

 Workshops include:

• Preparing to Apply for Government Funding 

• Getting Started with AI: An Everyday Guide for Basic Use 

• Inclusion and Diversity in Volunteering

• Mobilizing Your Community

• Better Writing Isn't the Answer: The Secret to Winning Grants 

• Preventing Burnout

• Rural Volunteering: Opportunities & Challenges 

• Reaching Out 101: Tangible and Intentional Promotion and Outreach  

• Youth Voices in Volunteering 

• Navigating Change: Guiding Nonprofits through Uncertain Times

• Welcome Works: Volunteers Helping Newcomers Thrive 

• Measuring Impact: What Changed Because We Were There?

For info and to register:  https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/volunteering/volunteer-conference

You are warmly invited to join the Diocese of Fredericton's Advent Book study - Wednesday evenings on Zoom, starting Dec. 2nd.  The text is Eleanor Sanderson’s Walking with Angels: The Archbishop of York’s Advent Book 2026.

For details and to register visit:  https://nb.anglican.ca/events/advent-book-study--1032/2026-12-02

Join us at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, from Friday evening, April 30 to Sunday noon, May 2, 2027. Step away from routine to ponder, pray, and savour God’s presence through reflective presentations, optional small groups, and Saturday evening sacraments based on an upcoming featured book.

Attendance is capped at 100 people. Registration opens in early December—making it an ideal Christmas gift—with pricing set at $190 for Early Bird, $215 for Regular, and $115 for Offsite.

Missional Imagination Conference 2027

Beyond survival, a call to missional faithfulness

• Thurs., January 28 (evening)
• Sat., January 30 (morning/afternoon)
   

Hosted on Zoom with Anglicans across Canada.

REGISTRATION opens in mid-November. 

Many churches today feel as though they are simply trying to survive—managing declining resources, ageing congregations, and an increasingly complex world. Even for missioners and church planters working in these challenging contexts, the reality is demanding. But the gospel has never called us merely to survive. It calls us to be faithful disciples, attentive to where the Holy Spirit is already at work, and courageous enough to join in God's mission with imagination and hope.

Join in practical teaching and sharing of inspiring real-life stories of missional communities. Watch for updates on our dynamic speaker line-up, panel discussions and more!

"Mission is finding out what God is doing and joining in." – Rowan Williams

The Missional Imagination Network is a partnership among the Anglican Dioceses of Fredericton, Kootenay, Niagara, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Toronto. The Diocese of Niagara is the administrative sponsor.

There are just *so* many things that youth and young adults are navigating, so many questions for them to figure out, and so much pressure to have it all together. 

So we're inviting youth and young adults, aged 16 to 21, to join a cohort to step away from all of the pressures of day to day life for a FREE weekend retreat and then six months of regular online gatherings for prayerful listening in community. 

Find out more here: https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/finding-our-paths-together

Are you interested in dancing for (and with!) God during this celebration service? 

We are inviting dancers of different experience levels and ages to join us for up to three spiritual dances.

These dances will be part of the liturgy at the November 30^th celebration, so dancers need to be available in person at in Halifax that evening.

There will be a practice(s) according to our availability, and also an opportunity to learn via video for those who want more practice time. Interested in learning more? Please email Archdeacon Katherine Bourbonniere at office@churchofsaintandrew.ca.

On November 30 at 6 pm our diocese will gather in All Saints Cathedral, Halifax, to celebrate with an exuberant service of Holy Eucharist the 50

anniversary of our Church ordaining women to the priesthood. And because that date also happens to be the 6th anniversary of Bishop Sandra's consecration as bishop, an event that had no real public celebration as it took place under Covid restrictions, we will also celebrate her ministry among us.  A reception will precede the worship.

We hope every parish in the diocese will join in preparing for this celebration. More information will be coming throughout the summer, but here are some of the ways to get involved: 

• Make a list of the women ordained in or from your parish and female rectors – and also those who felt called and were not welcomed into ordained ministry; those stories are part of the fabric too. 

• Collect the stories of these women, and those who supported them

• Create artwork depicting your parish’s women clergy and stories (a template and instructions will be sent out in advance so these are the same size and material; these will be gathered and hung in the Cathedral for the service)

• a collect will be sent for prayer during October and November)  

• Host a parish watch party for the national celebration being held November 25 in Victoria

• If you are too far from Halifax to attend, host a parish watch party for our diocesan celebration. 

We are making resources available to assist those who want to attend the national celebration in Victoria and need financial help to do so; please contact Lawrence Roche at financialcontroller@nspeidiocese.ca if you ware interested in going. 

And watch for further announcements about ways to participate in this grand celebration!

Join the Arts & Theology Committee and AST Continuing Education for an icon writing workshop with iconographer Fernanda Cota Gonzalez. Learn the rich symbolism, tradition, and techniques of this ancient sacred art as you write your own icon under her guidance.

Join us, November 6-8, in the AST President's Lodge.

Friday - 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.;

Saturday - 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.;

Sunday - 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

All skill levels are welcome; materials will be provided. Limited spaces are available; claim yours with the link below. 

About the Iconographer

Fernanda Cota Gonzalez is a Catholic iconographer whose journey to sacred art began with a profound spiritual conversion in 2019. After entering the monastery of the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Campeche, Mexico, she discovered her calling in iconography—an ancient art form rooted in prayer and reverence. Now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she creates icons, teaches workshops, and leads retreats to help others encounter the beauty and spiritual depth of this sacred tradition.

Register your interest here: https://astheology.jotform.com/262505302601948 

Anglicans Powering Potential reminds us that there are two histories and cultures being recognized and honoured this  month of October: Mi'kmaq and Islam.

Mi'kmaq History Month

With the 2026 theme, We Are Healing, people across Mi'kma'kik are invited to reflect on healing as a lifelong journey - one rooted in understanding ourselves, our histories, our relationships, and our connectedness to one another.

Here is a unique collaboration that promises to be very engaging:

A Concert of Living Languages | Yiddish and Mi'kmaw Song

October 25 | 7:30 pm

Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour St., Halifax

This unprecedented collaboration features live performances from artists creating vibrant new works in Mi'kmaq and Yiddish musical traditions and languages.

A Concert of Living Languages features:

• Morgan Toney, Juno Award-winningMi’kmaw songwriter and fiddler
• Yene Velt String Ensemble and Burial Society, Montreal-based klezmer quartet
• Rachel Kimmelman and Lucas Tennen,local artists and King’s alumni
• Gina Burgess, award-winning Halifax violinist; post-show Q & A moderator
  RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE

Islam History Month 

Canadian Islamic History Month was first established in 2007 to recognize the rich heritage and contributions of Muslim Canadians, while fostering dialogue, understanding, and inclusion across communities. The theme for 2026 is Islamic Calligraphy: A Living Legacy of Faith, Art, and Expression. 

Learn more at: https://www.slamichistorymonth.ca/ and 

https://www.islamnovascotia.ca/

See what your parish offers in the way of prayer programs, contemplative gatherings, or quiet prayer times.

 Explore prayer gatherings from other parishes, perhaps not available at your church, or held at a time more convenient for your schedule; in person and on ZOOM.

Fall updates