The blessings of courage for Christmas

A message from Archbishop Claude Miller
This Christmas I wish you peace and joy — the peace that passes all understanding, and the joy that came down from Heaven to be born in a stable in Bethlehem. And I hope you have a tree, some treats and turkey too. But most of all I hope you will share with others the precious gift of your love of Jesus and his many blessings.  Read the full message.

Christmas reflection and blessing from the Primate
Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada
In her book, “Awaiting The Child: An Advent Journal,” Isabel Anders writes on Christmas Eve, “The ordered sequence of the weeks has brought us to the bedside of this babe, to the declaration that this child is indeed the Christ Child, the one toward whom all our waiting and expectations has been directed.” In the same reflection, she reminds us that beyond the festival of Christmas is the season of Epiphany—“a further revealing of Christ, his purposes for us and for the world.” The word that holds the sequence of these seasons together is, “Come.”  Read the message.

Synod office holiday hours
The Diocesan Synod Office will be closed Dec. 24 through Jan. 4. There will be minimum staffing Dec. 29-31.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

This is the final edition of E News for 2009. The next edition will land in your in-box on Jan. 5, 2010.
 

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Appointment
The Rev. Roderick Black, rector of Bathurst, was appointed to ministry and pastoral oversight as priest-in-charge in the Parish of New Bandon, on Nov. 1, 2009.

Hospital patient privacy policy affects spiritual care providers
Health Care Facilities in Zone 2 (Saint John area) recently implemented a Provincial Department of Health regulation that limits admission questions to: Are you affiliated to a faith tradition or community? and Do you wish a clergy/faith group leader visit?
If patients answer no to these questions, their names will not appear on any visitation list for community spiritual care providers or on the Chaplain’s Patient Care list. They will receive no spiritual care from the community or from the health care facility. Although they can change their response to yes upon request at a later time.
Please respond yes to these questions if you want a clergy visit while in hospital or any other health care facility.
Clergy, please bring this issue to the attention of your parishioners.

Levee Cancelled

The Bishop's New Year Levee will not be held as planned, however the New Year's Day celebration of Holy Communion at 11 a.m. in Christ Church Cathedral will still be held. Archbishop Claude Miller would be pleased to see you at that service.

Parish Returns

2009 Parish Return and 2010 Officers and Contacts working forms have been posted to the Diocesan web site, available for download as a package or as separate files in PDF format.  Please remember that Returns are due by 15 March 2010.  Visit the Diocesan Information Managment System (DIMS) login page for those links.
 
Announcements
View an up-to-date list of diocesan appointments and announcements.

Temporal Transactions

View an up-to-date list of property transactions within the diocese.

Open incumbencies

* Appointment process status:
     H - On hold
     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 positions:

• Diocesan / Synod Nominating Committee Chair
• Investment sub-committee (one member)
• Human Resources Committee (two lay positions)
• Nominating Committee Member (one lay and one cleric)
  
  

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RCL Lectionary (Year C)

Sunday, Dec. 27

First Sunday after Christmas (White)

Propers 276; 1 Samuel 2:18–20, 26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12–17; Luke 2:41–52;
Preface of Christmas

Cycles of Prayer
Ysabel — (Melanesia) the Rt. Rev. Richard Naramana

Sunday, Jan. 3

Second Sunday after Christmas (White)

Propers 277; Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 147:12-20; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:(1-9), 10-18;
Preface of Christmas

Cycles of Prayer
The Anglican Church of Australia, the Most Rev. Phillip John Aspinall, Archbishop of Brisbane & Primate of Australia

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

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Marriage Courses
St. James the Less in Rothesay offers the Marriage Course and the Marriage
Preparation Course beginning Sunday evening, Jan. 24th. Information and registration. to sign up online.

Items for clergy
Ecclesiastical effects belonging to the late Canon David Genge are available to the clergy. They include a Communion set, vestments and other articles. If you are interested in these items please contact the Rev. Keith Osborne at <kenosis at nbnet.nb.ca>.

"A Christmas Gift" and "Lessons and Carols for Christmas"
These two newly created programs for the London Internet Church, based at St. Stephen Walbrook are available on-line. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London are among the speakers.

Work and Creativity Retreat
The Companioned Spiritual Formation Team invites you to this retreat led by retired Bishop Bill Hockin at Villa Madonna Retreat House in Rothesay March 5-7. Registration is $168 single, $248 double, contact Canon John Cathcart <john.cathcart at anglican.nb.ca>. Bursaries are available (contact Canon Neville Cheeseman <neville.cheeseman at nb.sympatico.ca>. The event begins with supper at 5:30 p.m. on Friday evening and ends with lunch on Sunday.

Anglican-Lutheran Biennial National Worship Conference

Taking Care of the Neighbourhood: Worship as Public Work for the Common Good with speakers Dr. Sallie McFague, Mr. Douglas Todd, Bishop Mark MacDonald, and Pastor Karen Ward. July 4 - 7, 2010, Vancouver School of Theology, Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Dec. 28, 2 – 4 & 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.  Blood Donor Clinic, Coverdale Rec. Centre, 50 Runnymeade Rd., Riverview.

Dec. 29, noon – 4 p.m.  Blood Donor Clinic, Paroisse Sainte-Anne-des-Pays Bas, 665 Priestman St., Fredercton.

Dec. 30, noon – 4 p.m.  Blood Donor Clinic, Moncton Lions Club, 55 Mark Ave., Moncton.

Dec. 30,  5 – 8 p.m.  Blood Donor Clinic, Island View Lions Club, Quispamsis.

Jan. 4, 4-6 p.m. Companioned Spiritual Formation, Synod Office board room.

Jan. 4, 5-8 p.m. Blood Donor clinic at Sunbury West School, Fredericton Junction.

Jan. 4, 5 and 6, 2-4 & 5:30 -8:30 p.m. Blood Donor clinic at Fredericton Inn.

Jan. 5, 2 p.m. Council Parish Support Team, Synod Office board room.

Jan. 5, 4:30 p.m.  Finance Committee, Synod Office board room.

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PWRDF Christmas message 2009
From Cheryl Curtis
PWRDF Executive Director
Christ is here amongst us – this is the message of Advent and Christmas.  Imagine, Christ our Saviour, comes to us as a baby – a messy, demanding, vulnerable baby – not as a king, and certainly not as a typical leader.  Read the message.

More PWRDF links:

PWRDF New Brunswick Blog
justgeneration.ca.

Diocesan PWRDF

PWRDF National

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Jan. 30, 7 p.m. Dessert reception and silent auction fundraiser for the Cathedral Belize mission team at Cathedral Memorial Hall, Church Street, Fredericton.

March 5-7, Work and Creativity Retreat led by retired Bishop Bill Hockin at Villa Madonna, Rothesay. Registration $168 single, $248 double, contact Canon John Cathcart <john.cathcart at anglican.nb.ca>. Bursaries are available (contact Canon Neville Cheeseman <neville.cheeseman at nb.sympatico.ca>.

April 20-22, 2010, Clergy Spouse's Conference, Villa Madonna in Rothesay. Please reserve these dates.

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Interim Provost
Queen’s College, St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, seeks an interim provost for a two year term beginning July 2010. The successful applicant will be an Anglican priest who has enjoyed a successful parish ministry and earned a graduate degree, preferably at the doctoral level. Applications and nominations should be sent with curriculum vitae by Feb. 15, 2010 to < assistant_dsown at nfiaibn.com>.

Rural Ministry Coordinator

The Diocese of Edmonton seeks a full-time priest to develop its rural ministry initiative under the direction of the bishop. Applications should be sent to Bishop Jane Alexander <bishop atedmonton.anglican.ca> by Jan. 31, 2010.

Job listings for the Canadian church.

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Unto us a child is born
A Christmas Message from the Anglican Journal
May this wonderful Christmas season of love and peace last throughout the year.
The staff of the Anglican Journal wish you every blessing and thank you for your continued support and generosity giving us the opportunity to share news of the church throughout Canada and the Anglican Communion.
Merry Christmas one and all.

Minister suggests 'zero tolerance to anti-Semitism' behind funding cuts to Kairos
by Leigh Anne Williams
Anglican Journal
Dec. 19, 2009

When Kairos, a Canadian ecumenical social justice organization, got the bad news on Nov. 30 that its application for $7.1 million in funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was rejected, the reason given was that Kairos no longer fits CIDA priorities. But while Kairos was still seeking a further explanation and a reversal of the decision from Minister of International Co-operation Bev Oda, a very different explanation was offered in a speech that Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney gave this week in Israel. Read the story.

Blessing for an Olympic celebration
Anglican Journal
Dec. 18, 2009
The Rev. Andrew Wesley, an elder who provides spiritual care in the aboriginal community through Toronto Urban Native Ministries, helped the city officially welcome the Olympic torch on December 17. As crowds gathered near city hall to await the arrival of the torch, he opened the celebrations with a prayer in Cree. Mr. Wesley is the assistant curate at Church of the Redeemer in the diocese of Toronto.

KAIROS responds to federal minister’s comments on anti-Semitism
General Synod Web News
Dec. 18, 2009
The Minister of International Cooperation, Bev Oda, has been telling KAIROS, Parliament and the Canadian people that funding to KAIROS was cut because its work did not fit current Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) priorities of economic growth, food security and children and youth. On Wednesday, however, a completely different reason was given in a speech by Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration. Addressing the Global Forum to Counter Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem, Minister Kenney described his government's fights against anti-Semitism and, as an example, said the government had "defunded organizations ... like KAIROS for taking a leadership role in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign" against Israel.  Read the story.

Project offers active clergy global exposure
by Ali Symons

General Synod Web News
Dec. 17, 2009

The Rev. Andrew Twiddy will spend his sabbatical as a guinea pig of sorts. In January he and his family will jet off to Belize as the first participants in the Continuing Education for Global Ministry program, which places active Anglican Church of Canada clergy with an international partner for three months. Read the story.

Lowest people on earth have highest priorities from COP15 talks
by Peter Kenny
Ecumenical News International
Dec. 17, 2009

Copenhagen: Tuvalu people are as low as you can get. They are also out of sight on world maps as they belong to such a tiny country, which is, however, a glaring example of the looming danger of climate change. Tuvalu national, the Rev. Tofiga Falani, is in Copenhagen for the United Nations climate conference, and when he opens his arms the length of the span represents the highest point above sea level in Tuvalu. Read the story.

Christian pilgrims mean Bethlehem's inns are packed, says mayor
by Judith Sudilovsky
Ecumenical News International
Dec. 17, 2009

Bethlehem, West Bank: There is no room at the inn at Bethlehem this Christmas as the city's hotels are fully booked, something mayor Victor Batarseh attributes to the efforts of Christian churches abroad to bring pilgrims to the city. "This is a trend through the work of churches and their special travel agencies," Batarseh told journalists on 16 December, the day after he lit the Bethlehem Christmas tree to the cheers of hundreds of local residents packing Manger Square. Read the story.

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John 3.16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

From the Ven. John M. Robertson, National Gift Planning Officer, Department of Philanthropy
Anglican Church of Canada

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The Sunday before Christmas an artistic little boy drew a sophisticated nativity scene for his Sunday school teacher. Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, shepherds, wisemen and various domestic animals were all in attendance. In a back corner of the stable, though, there stood a box-shaped object the teacher couldn’t identify.
“What is that in the corner, Eric?” he asked.
“Their television, of course!” came the reply.

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