Schedule

Tuesday, October 27^th - Thursday, 29th - Clergy Conference, Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville

Friday, October 30th - Day Off

Sunday, November 1st - Parish Visit - The Cathedral Church of All Saints (9:15 and 11 am)

Monday, November 2nd - Day Off

Tuesday, November 3rd - Friday, November 6th - Regional Visit - Chebucto Region: Tuesday - One-on-one time with clergy (morning and afternoon); Regional Fireside Chat and Shared Meal, St. Paul's Halifax

The word 'disciple' is being revived in congregations as church leaders adopt a new emphasis on nurturing people in living out their baptism. So much more than an ancient word in the New Testament, being a disciple is simply being an 'apprentice' of Jesus. It's about rediscovering the 'walk' and 'talk' of our faith.

Read more in this article by Dr. John Bowen, who teaches and coaches leaders throughout the Anglican Church of Canada: Discipleship in Everyday Life: How does it work?

A great cloud of witnesses surrounds us—grounding our daily lives in the ancient and living call of God through Jesus.

A flourishing church is rooted in a simple, life-giving truth: we do not walk the path of faith alone. Across time and space, Christians of old and newer times have modelled and greatly influenced us to live fully into God’s call. To anchor our reflection this All Saints Sunday, we lean into four pillars of our shared Anglican tradition:

+ Prayer & Spiritual Disciplines

+ Christian Education & Study

+ Worship & Sacramental Life

+ Giving, Serving & Stewarding

R O O T E D & R E A C H I N G  •  M I C R O - P R A C T I C E

The Fellowship of the Spirit

Focus: The Communion of Saints (Spiritual Connection)

THE PRACTICE Acknowledge the unbroken spiritual connection uniting all members of the Body of Christ today. Take time this week to name those who have gone before us—teachers, mentors, and forebears—whose lives illustrated Christian principles and encouraged our faith.

TRY THIS AT HOME Set aside 10 minutes of quiet reflection. Read through the names of mentors, family members, or historical figures who shaped your spiritual foundation. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for their witness and for the grace that binds the living and the departed together.

PARISH REFLECTION How might our daily choices change if we truly lived as though surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, treating our faith not as an isolated individual pursuit, but as a shared inheritance passed down through generations? What is one action our parish could take to connect with the next generation?

Friends, as you settle into your pews today—All Saints Sunday—take a moment to look at the bulletin insert in your hands. Today we remember that we do not walk the path of faith alone. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—from the saints of old to the quiet mentors, family members, and friends who shaped our own spiritual lives.

Today’s insert features a special micro-practice to help us carry this gratitude home: a simple rhythm of reflection to name those who went before us and consider how we live out our own call. I encourage you to take it home, read through it, and let it deepen your walk with God this week.

Friends, connecting Sunday worship to daily life can be done in simple spiritual habits. This plug-and-play series provides short, actionable faith practices designed for immediate use across four key channels:

• Sunday Leaflets: Print-ready, vertical half-sheet inserts formatted for a single center cut.
• Parish Newsletters: Compact text snippets ready to drop straight into print or digital updates.
• Social Media: Short, focused prompts formatted for quick Facebook posts.
• Parish Meetings: Instant devotional openers to ground Parish Council or committee discussions.

Each insert includes an optional 30-second pulpit announcement so the presider can introduce the practice on Sunday morning with zero advance preparation.

New installments arrive in your inbox every Tuesday and will also appear weekly in The Net News.

They are also posted on our Diocesan webpage as 'Downloads' - www.nspeidiocese.ca/pages/flourishing-faith

Questions or ideas? Contact us directly at missiondirector@nspeidiocese.ca.

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  

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.

Churches are exhausted by reactive management, cycling through endless program trends while community trust and volunteer engagement continue to erode. In this free webinar, Ejay Tupe, Director of the Toronto Urban Missions Hub and PhD researcher in Contextual Theology, cuts through the noise by returning to the classical identities of the Church as a “good neighbour” and a “hospital.”

Drawing on historical strategies and insights from cognitive sciences, this session examines how congregations can move past survival mode to build genuine resilience and a healthier internal culture. Leaders will explore actionable frameworks to anchor their ministry in time-honoured models that foster healing, safety, and effective local impact amidst rapid cultural transition.

Register here to secure your spot: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/ab309455-71df-467d-b13d-5b107ff2324e@6fe4cbca-6e48-4325-97b9-ac1947191557

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 brings the following social justice-oriented events and dates to the attention of all in the diocese:

In the Shadow of Cornell: How NS Universities are Addressing Persistent Rape Culture

The Department of Women's and Gender Studies and MSVU student services are hosting a sexual violence prevention panel.

Date: Wednesday, November 4th

Time: 12:00 pm

Location: McCain Centre Room 302, Mount Saint Vincent University

Navigating the Legal System & Community Supports After Violence, Victimization & Loss

Date: Thursday, November 5th

Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Location: Weldon Law Building, Dalhousie, Room W 305. Hosted by the Elizabeth Fry Society

Beyond Punishment: Rethinking Our Response to Gender-Based Violence Panel Discussion

Date: Thursday, November 5th

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Location: Halifax Central Library, Sponsored by the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Storytelling In Film: Challenging Racism, Breaking Silence, Inspiring Change

Film Screening & Community Conversation with guest panelists, including Senator Dr. Wanda Thomas Barnard

Date: Saturday, November 7th

Time: 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location: Halifax Central Library, Paul O'Regan Hall

International/World Days of Interest

Nov.2 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

Nov.6 International Day for Preventing Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Nov. 9-15 International Week of Science and Peace

Nov. 10 World Science Day for Peace & Deve

Nov. 16 International Day for Tolerance (UNESCO)

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