Lunch and learn with national Faith, Worship and Ministry committee
The General Synod Faith, Worship and Ministry (FWM) committee invites New Brunswick Anglicans to join them for lunch and conversation on Sunday, March 8, at Cathedral Memorial Hall in Fredericton. The national committee will meet at Villa Madonna in Rothesay March 6 and 7, and travel to Fredericton to worship at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday morning, March 8. On-line registration for the luncheon is necessary by Thursday, March 5, to ensure sufficient meals. Read the story.

The Diocesan School of Church Music

Choir School 2009 will be held at Rothesay Netherwood School July 5 - 12. The midweek service is July 9, 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s, Rothesay. The final Festal Evensong is July 12, 3:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Saint John.

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Appointments

Hazel MacKenzie of the Parish of Minto and Chipman was appointed vice-chair of Diocean Council on Jan. 17.

The Rev. Karman Hunt is appointed Regional Dean of York for an initial one-year term beginning Feb. 15.

Condolences

to the family of the Rev. Charles Nisbet Patrick Blagrave who died peacefully on Friday, February 20, at home in Rothesay. The Funeral was held at St. Paul's, Rothesay, this morning at 11. Please keep his widow Jackie, their children David, Margaret, Mark and Tim, and their families in your prayers.

Surgery
Bishop Claude Miller will return to his office in late March.

Prayer for Synod
Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding: be present with those who take counsel at Diocesan Synod in Saint John in June 2009 for the renewal and mission of our parishes, diocese and your Church in this place and beyond. As your disciples, teach us in all things to seek first your kingdom to your honour and glory. Guide us to what is right and grant us both the courage and patience to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Bishop's 2009 Deanery Visitation Schedule (tentative)
Shediac — February
St. Andrews — April
Fredericton/York — May
Fredericton/York — June
Kingston/Kennebecasis and Saint John — September

Appointments and Announcements
View An up-to-date list of Bishop's appointments and announcements.

Temporal Transactions

Open incumbencies

* Appointment process status:
     H - On hold
     T - Transitioning
     P - In parish profile preparation
     E - Accepting expressions of interest
     I - In the interview process
     A - Awaiting appointment

Diocesan openings
The Nominating Committee currently invites nominations for the following diocesan positions:

• Diocesan / Synod Nominating Committee (chair)
• Diocesan Council (member - Saint John Archdeaconry/lay)
  
• Diocesan Council Administration Team (chair)
• Investment (sub) Committee (member)
• Human Resources Committee (clergy member)
  

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RCL Lectionary (Year B)

Sunday, March 1
First Sunday in Lent (violet)
Propers 286; Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-9;1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15;
Preface of Lent

Cycles of Prayer
Missionary area of Macau — (Hong Kong), the Rev. Simon Fan

Visit these links:
Anglican Cycle of Prayer
Provincial Prayer Care
Diocesan Intercessions

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Books needed

The Rev. Peter Mills, formerly of this diocese, seeks four copies of the confirmation preparation book Faith Confirmed. If you have a copy or copies you are willing to pass along, please contact him at <idaandomemee at nexicom.net>. He will cover the cost of postage.

Praying with our Partners: A Canadian Supplement to the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, 2009

Corrected links from Feb. 17 E News

Task Force on Rural and Struggling Parishes

Read the report

Budget Support Task Force

Read the report

National Church Stewardship Planning Study

Read the study

Clergy College 2009
Online Registration

Bishop's letter

Information Brochure

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Feb. 28, 10 a.m. - 12 noon St. Andrews Greater Chapter meeting, Christ Church, Pennfield. Clergy, wardens, treasurers, synod delegates and alternates are encouraged to attend in order to prepare for synod in June.

Feb. 28, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. A Lenten day of reflections on Christian living, based on the hymns of Francis Ridley Havergal, at Trinity Church, Charlotte Street in Saint John. Hosts David Goss and Jim McKenna. Lunch included in $10 registration. Fee payable on the day of the program, but advance registration to attend is necessary by 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 through <gosswalk at nbnet.nb.ca>.

March 1, 10 a.m. Opening service of the Church of the Resurrection (Parish of the Nerepis and St. John), 20 Macdonald Avenue, Grand Bay. A new faith community designed for you. Transportation can be arranged (call the church office — 506/738-3474). Child care is available. Refreshments follow the 10 a.m. service

March 2, 12:15 p.m.  From Heartbreak to Hope: Timely talks for Lent and Easter from Bishop Bill Hockin and Dr. Barry Craig, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Queen Street, Fredericton. Lent features Famous Last Words, today it is “Father, forgive them” with Bishop Hockin. Everyone is welcome.

March 2, 4:30 p.m.  Finance Committee, Synod Office board room.

Visit the Diocesan Web Calendar of Events

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PWRDF Responds to ACT International Appeal for Gaza
PWRDF has contributed $30,000 to the ACT appeal, earmarked for Al Ahli Arab Hospital of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. The Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City was founded in 1882 and provides health care services to refugees and residents. Under normal conditions, the hospital cares for 4,000 patients and 30,000 outpatients each year and provides a number of other very needed services to the community. All of these programs have been threatened by the current circumstances. For more information, and for ways to donate to this emergency, please check out our website.

Visit Diocesan PWRDF or PWRDF National

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March 6-8 The General Synod Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee, Villa Madonna, Rothesay.

March 7 Annual Chili/Chowder supper (4:30 p.m.) and auction (5:30 p.m.) at the Christ Church hall in Bloomfield (Parish of Central Kings). Tickets $5, preschoolers free. Door prizes. Sponsored by Christ Church ACW. Auction proceeds for mission outreach.

March 8, 1 p.m.  Luncheon and conversation with General Synod Faith, Worship and Ministry Committee, Cathedral Memorial Hall, Fredericton. Advance registration required by March 5.

March 31, 8:30 a. m.  Respectful Workplaces and Healthy Congregations workshop led by workplace consultant Sally Wells DiCarlo at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton and sponsored by its Spiritual and Religious Care Department. Registration before March 10: general $30: Spiritual and Religious Care members $20; students $10. After March 10: general $40; members $30; students $10. Registration information from <spiritual.religiouscare at rvh.nb.ca>.

July 5-12 The Diocesan School of Church Music, Choir School 2009 at Rothesay Netherwood School. The midweek service is July 9, 7 p.m. at St Paul’s, Rothesay. The final Festal Evensong is July 12, 3:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Saint John.

Visit the Diocesan Web Calendar of Events

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The Bishop of British Columbia seeks a half-time rector for the Parish of Pender (North and South) & Saturna Islands. Information from <isecker at bc.anglican.ca>. Deadline for application May 1, 2009.

Camp Brookwood will accept applications for camp counsellor positions until Saturday, Feb. 28. Contact Mary Lee Phillips <mlphilip at mccain.ca>. Interviews March 14.

Job listings for the Canadian church.

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'Stay the course' in Burundi, UN envoy advises Canadian Anglican delegation
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Feb. 24, 2009

Bujumbura, Burundi

Canada and the rest of the world need to “stay the course with patience and more humility” when looking at Burundi and other African nations that are “building their own yardsticks” for what constitutes peace and stability after decades of civil war, a United Nations official here has said. Read the story.

Colombian activists ask Canada to walk away from free trade agreement
by Leigh Anne Williams
Anglican Journal
Feb. 23, 2009

Four leaders of a social justice coalition in Colombia have traveled across Canada for two weeks warning Canadians that the free trade agreement that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe signed in November will make Canada a party to human rights violations and political violence in Colombia. Read the story.

Anglican delegation moved by visit to Burundi
by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal
Feb. 23, 2009

Bujumbura, Burundi
Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, expressed the support and solidarity of Canadian Anglicans for the people of Burundi as they continue the difficult task of rebuilding their nation still plagued by more than a decade of ethnic-based civil war. Read the story.

HIV-positive Ugandan priest is 2009 Niwano Peace Prize winner
by Peter Kenny

Ecumenical News International
Feb 20, 2009

The Rev. Gideon Byamugisha, a Ugandan who became the first known African cleric to declare publicly he was HIV-positive, breaking stigma-induced silence that often hampers combating the illness, has been awarded the Niwano Peace Prize. Read the story.

Catholic-Jewish ties tested as Pope prepares for Israel visit
by Anli Serfontein

Ecumenical News International
Feb. 20, 2009

Trier, Germany

The Central Council of Jews in Germany is to take part in the country's annual Christian-Jewish "Week of Fraternity" after first expressing scepticism because of a controversy surrounding the Vatican's lifting of the excommunication of a breakaway bishop who has denied that Jews died in Nazi gas chambers. Read the story.

Resources to act for Zimbabwe and Gaza
Feb. 20, 2009

General Synod Web

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has urged all Anglicans to act for peace in Zimbabwe and Gaza. In his reflection on the recent Primates' Meeting (held Feb. 1 to 5 in Alexandria, Egypt), he highlighted the primates' call to observe Feb. 25, Ash Wednesday, as a day of prayer for Zimbabwe. He also highlighted their call for all governments to pursue a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Read the story.

Truth and Reconciliation commissioners gather advice for their successors
by Leigh Anne Williams
Anglican Journal
Feb. 19, 2009

Truth and Reconciliation commissioners Jane Brewin Morley and Claudette Dumont-Smith came to the Anglican Church of Canada General Synod office in Toronto on Feb. 13 to consult with an ecumenical group that helps the churches engage in the Truth and Reconciliation process. The outgoing commissioners are preparing information and advice for the yet-to-be-appointed new commissioners and chair. Read the story.

Muslim woman fights order to unveil, testifying in Canadian court
by Leanne Larmondin
Ecumenical News International
Feb. 19, 2009
Toronto: A Muslim woman is to appear in a Canadian court in March to contest a judge's ruling that she must unveil while testifying against two men accused of sexually assaulting her.The case pits the woman's freedom of religion - in terms of which, she says she is obliged to cover her face - against the rights of defendants to face their accuser in court. Read the story.

Anglicans in the Americas plan mission gathering
by Mary Frances Schjonberg

General Synod Web
Feb. 19, 2009

Members of the six Anglican Communion provinces in the Americas will gather February 22-27 in San José, Costa Rica, for the Conference of the Anglican Churches in the Americas in Mutual Responsibility and Mission. Read the story.

Vision 2019: your turn to tell your story
by Ali Symons
General Synod Web

Feb. 18, 2009

Now it's your turn. It's your turn to tell the leaders and the planners of the Anglican Church of Canada what you want your church to be. This is Vision 2019-a church-wide survey, a kind of virtual listening tour where every Canadian Anglican's voice will be heard, and, we promise, listened to and appreciated. You-Canadian Anglicans-are invited to discern, dream, and decide where you think God calls your church to be in 2019. What road must we travel to get there? Read the story.

Christians "in Iraq since its birth," say they want role in rebuilding
Ecumenical News International
Feb. 17, 2009
A group of Christians meeting in Lebanon have declared that people of their faith have belonged to Iraq since the nation's birth and that they are not just a minority but an essential part of Iraqi society and deeply rooted in its history and civilization. Read the story.

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What's new and updated

Praying with our Partners

VIM: The Haircut

Mission Stories: Working hard to affirm life

Mission & Justice News: Sri Lanka - Fate and Freedom of Civilians

Mission Insert: Day of prayer for Zimbabwe (Ash Wednesday, 2009)

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The difference between an offering and a collection

"Sitting at the dinner table, a boy filled his plate with the good things his mother had prepared. At the same time he filled a plate for his dog, Fido. But his mother took it and gave it to one of the other children. At the end of the meal the mother scraped off the leftovers from the various plates and put them in the dog’s dish saying to her son, “This is for your dog.” With ceremony the boy placed the dish before his dog and said, 'Fido, I was going to give you an offering but mother will only permit me to give you a collection.' 

"What does God receive, an offering or a collection?  Our offering is from our first fruits, not from what is left over."

A. LeDrew Gardner: The Lord's Offering

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