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A Tale of Two Dioceses?

It's the worst of times and the best of times

By Ana Watts
With a string of major health challenges among diocesan staff over the past year — the hospitalization of Archbishop Claude Miller twice in 2011, the tragic death of Diocesan Treasurer Fred Scott in the fall, health problems plaguing Archdeacon Geoffrey Hall, and the recent loss of acting treasurer Canon David Kierstead due to health concerns — it would appear 2011 and early 2012 are among the worst of times in the Diocese of Fredericton. With valuable downtown Fredericton property and lots of people happy to “blue sky” (imagine, dream of) its emerging possibilities, it would also appear some aspects of early 2012 are close heralding some of the best of times for the Diocese of Fredericton. The health challenges, however, have pushed diocesan administration to the brink of crisis. “When we lost Fred we lost 40 per cent of our administration capacity,” Archbishop Miller told the new Diocesan Council during its orientation meeting at the Fredericton Inn on Jan. 20 and 21. "Now Archdeacon Hall is on the sick list and will be for the next 12 to 14 weeks," the archbishop continued.  Read more.

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Condolences
• To the family of Bishop Russell Hatton, a former suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island who died on Jan. 14, 2012. A Celebration of Life service was held at Christ Church in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on Saturday, Jan. 21.
• To the family of the Rev. Canon Brian Campion of Saint John, Honorary Assistant at St. John the Baptist and St. Clement Church, who died Jan. 19, 2012. His funeral was held on Monday, Jan. 23, at St. John the Baptist and St. Clement Church, Millidgeville.

Diocesan Formation Programme
• The postponed all day session for the September - November 2011 Unit of the Formation Programme (Sacramental Theology) has been rescheduled to 04 February 2012 in Fredericton.  The Unit Description, available on the Formation Programme page has been updated to reflect the change of date and location.  The Registrar is Geoffrey Hall.  Those registered are required to attend to receive credit for this unit.

2011 Parish Returns
Parish Statistical and Financial Returns (and 2012 Officers and Contacts) are due as usual on 15 March 2012.  Visit the Diocesan Information Management (DIMS) page to download the parish return package or the information memo and working forms as separate files.

Appointments and 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

Diocesan openings

See a current listing of Diocesan Roles, Elections and Appointments on the diocesan web site.

To make a nomination or express interest in a position, contact committee chair Jack Walsworth <jwals at nbnet.nb.ca>.

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RCL Lectionary and Prayer

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Green) (Proper 4)
Propers 352; Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 10; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28; Preface of the Lord's Day.|

Visit these prayer cycle links:
Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Council of the North Prayer Cycle
Provincial Prayer Care
Diocesan Intercessions

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An on-line continuing education opportunity
From The Atlantic School of Theology
Evangelism for Non-Evangelicals
Register by Jan. 31

The Parishes of Victoria and Carleton on Saint John's west side have a new, joint website!

An Anglican Explores the Faith

by the Rev. Canon Keith Osborne, Parish of Pennfield

This brief review of our Anglican tradition, with reflections on various aspects of what it means to live as a Christian and a reflection on the Via Media of Anglicanism, will be available in February. The price is $15 and it can be ordered directly from Keith at <kenosis at nbnet.nb.ca> or 755-3520 / 755-2972, or on Amazon.ca

PWRDF WORKSHOP IN ANDOVER MARCH 3 & 4

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) grew out of the Springhill Mine disaster of 1958. A deadly “bump” trapped 174 miners, 75 of them died and the town was devastated. The Rev. Bonnie LeBlanc of the Parish of Andover, and the Rev. Bob LeBlanc of the parishes of Denmark, Madawaska and Grand Falls, both come from Springhill and grew up with stories of what the Anglican and other responses to the disaster meant to their town. Today they are both strong advocates for PWRDF and their parishes will be participating in a PWRDF weekend March 3 and 4. Bonnie and Jeanne Cronk, PWRDF representative for the Parish of Andover, have put together a program for Saturday featuring presentations by Anne Walling, Diocesan PWRDF Coordinator. She will share news of the latest PWRDF projects and resources at the Archdeaconry PWRDF Workshop in the Parish of Andover. Plenty of good food and fellowship are also included in the planning. Anne will also speak to each of the participating congregations (Andover, Denmark, Grand Falls and Madawaska) on Sunday, March 4, about why PWRDF is important.

Food for stewardship thought
The Toughest Topic: how clergy can talk to parishioners about money — and survive to preach another sermon
by Harold Percy
Can Stingy Churches Be Missional Congregations?
by David Reed

Of money and re-membering
The Ven. Dr. Michael Thompson, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, shared a comprehensive vision of stewardship within the context of the Baptismal Covenant at a recent synod of the Diocese of British Columbia.

Find the new Camp Brookwood website!

Anglican House

BOOK SALE
Final week!

Until Jan. 28 save a minimum of 10% on all books and
Receive up to 25% off the sticker price of select books already in stock.
The more books you buy, the greater the savings –
Buy 3 and receive a 20% discount.
Buy 5 and receive 25% off! (on books priced more than $10).  
Includes children books!
And don't forget our "second-hand" section.
COMING SOON!
In response to popular demand
We are expanding our selection of boxed cards and greeting cards. This new section should be complete by the end of January!

Anglican House/Diocesan Resource Centre/Ten Thousand Villages
116 Princess Street
Saint John

506/693-2295

<angbk at nbnet.nb.ca>

Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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Jan. 26 10 a.m. - noon Council Stewardship Team, Synod Office board room.

Jan. 28, 8 - 11 a.m. Community Breakfast at St. Luke's Church Hall, corner of Metcalf Sreet and Lansdowne Avenue, Saint John. Eggs, sausages, home fries, toast and beverage. $5 per person. A joint presentation of St. Luke's and the Saint John Y's Men, with proceeds to St. Luke's ministries.

Jan 28, 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p. m. NB Cursillo Secretariat meeting, Christ Church Parish Church, 245 Westmorland St., Fredericton.

Jan 29, 2 - 3:30 p.m. Miramichi area Ultreya, St. Mary's Church, 207 Wellington St., Miramichi.

Jan. 30, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Fredericton area Ultreya, Christ Church Cathedral, Church Street, Fredericton.

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Midwives Improve Lives for Mothers and Children
Jan. 24, 2012
By Simon Chambers
PWRDFCommunications
PWRDF and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) worked together to support maternal and child health and preventive health programs in Bangladesh as part of PWRDF’s CIDA-funded health sector program. In 2008, when the program began, a survey showed that three quarters of the women and children in the villages covered by the program were up to date in their vaccines. The survey also showed that midwives were a great resource already in the villages and could, with training and support, greatly contribute to enhancing the quality of health care received by pregnant women, newborns, and children. Read more.

Diocesan PWRDF | National PWRDF

As an instrument of faith, PWRDF connects Anglicans in Canada to communities around the world in dynamic partnerships to advance development, respond to emergencies, assist refugees and act for positive change.

Feb. 21, 3:30 - 6 p.m. Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, St. Luke's Church hall,Temperance Vale — pancakes, beans, sausage, brown bread, and desserts. Adults $7, children $3, family $18. Sponsored by St. John's and St. Luke's ACW. 

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Camp Brookwood Staff 2012
Camp Brookwood will accept staff applications for the 2012 camping season until Feb. 10, 2012.

Camp Medley Staff 2012
Camp Medley will receive staff applications for the 2012 camping season until Jan. 30. A camp job lets you spend the summer outside, having fun and impacting many lives. Applications are available now and the deadline is Jan. 30, 2012. For more information, contact Liz Harding <liz at campmedley.ca>.

Job listings for the Canadian church

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Lutherans in Saxony allow gay pastors to cohabit with partners
by Ruby Russell
Ecumenical News International
Jan. 24, 2012
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the east German state of Saxony ruled on Jan. 21 that gay pastors will for the first time be allowed to cohabit with their partners. "I hope that Christians will endorse in the community of our Church the decision by the church leadership," the Lutheran Bishop of Saxony, Jochen Bohl, said in a statement. "I am sure that homosexual people with whom we are joined in the community of the church will be accepted as sisters and brothers in faith." The decision came after discussions in Dresden among leaders of the Lutheran Church in Saxony, and was largely based on a report by the working group "Homosexuality in biblical understanding." Read more.

A Life of Success
by Gary Nicolosi
Anglican Journal
Jan. 23, 2012
The Rev. Fred Craddock is a remarkable southern preacher in the United States, who says this story really happened. Dr. Craddock was visiting in the home of his niece. There was this old greyhound, just like the ones who race around the track chasing those mechanical rabbits. His niece had taken the dog into her home to prevent it from being destroyed because its racing days were over, and Dr. Craddock struck up a conversation with the greyhound: Read the conversation and more.

Childhood illness taught her compassion
by Leigh Anne Williams
Anglican Journal
Jan. 20, 2012
Gwendolyn Gresham, a former editor of The Saskatchewan Anglican monthly diocesan newspaper, died of cancer on Dec. 2, 2011. She was 49. Gresham became the associate editor of The Saskatchewan Anglican in early 2001. She was managing editor from March 2002 until April 2005. “Gwendolyn was very proud of what she did at The Saskatchewan Anglican,” said her husband, retired Archdeacon Richard Spencer, mentioning that she oversaw a redesign of the paper. Her chief passions were writing and photography, and she worked in oceanography, journalism and documentary film-making, including the DVD series Canada Remembers, which honours veterans. Read more.

Churches in Sudan encounter more hostility after south's independence
by Fredrick Nzwili
Ecumenical News International
Jan. 20, 2012
Christians and churches in Sudan are facing increased restrictions and hostility, since the secession of the southern part of the country six months ago, according to some church leaders. The leaders are highlighting arrests and abduction of Christians and threats directed at clergy, while warning of more challenges when the country implements Sharia (Islamic law). "Restrictions in Sudan are not new, but we are worried things are getting harder since the secession of the south. With Sharia law we expect things to get even harder," the Rev. Mark Akec Cien, the Sudan Council of Churches, deputy general secretary of the told ENInews on Jan. 20 in a telephone interview. Read more.

U.S. Jewish-Catholic dialogue on religious identities
by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Jan. 20, 2012
Jewish and Catholic leaders agree that much work lies ahead in accurately presenting the religious identity and practices of each other’s communities in their respective religious education textbooks. “Much of today’s religious education in Jewish schools still focuses too closely on the mistreatment of Jews in the past,” said Rabbi Arnold Samler of the Jewish Education Project of New York City. “Even though Jewish religious schools are required by state law to teach about other religions, there are no consistent standards to help guide teachers in this important project,” he added. Samler spoke in December at the semi-annual consultation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues at New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary. The consultation was co-chaired by Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta and Rabbi David Straus, Mail Line Reform Temple, Philadelphia. The topic for the meeting was “How Do We Teach about Each Other’s Faith Group in Our Religious Schools?” Read more.

Classic Anglican videos available online
by Ali Symons
Anglican Church of Canada
Jan. 20, 2012
Anglican Video has dug into its archives and digitized another batch of classic long and short features, each covering a different aspect of life in the Anglican Church of Canada. The videos-on baptism, Indigenous Peoples, sexual misconduct, and a former Primate-are available for free viewing through the Anglican Church of Canada's website. Several can also be downloaded and used as resources for local communities. Read more and access the videos.

Risking frostbite, Anglicans bless waters
Ali Symons
Anglican Church of Canada
Jan. 24, 2012
In most parts of Canada, January isn't the greatest time to hang out by open water. It's cold, it's windy, and if you stand still too long, your face will freeze. Yet it's worth the discomfort if you're there for divine purposes. Such was the case for some Indigenous Anglicans who this year picked up the Eastern Orthodox tradition of the Great Blessing of Water. The outdoor event happens on or close to Jan. 19, the feast of Christ's baptism known as "Theophany." Read more.

U.S. churches free to hire and fire clergy
by Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com)
Jan. 18, 2012
In a landmark decision for churches, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a "ministerial exception" allows congregations and religious groups to hire and fire ministers free of federal employment discrimination laws. The unanimous Jan. 11 ruling — in a case closely watched by religious-liberty organizations — involved a teacher who had been fired from an Evangelical Lutheran Church school in Michigan. The teacher, the equivalent of a minister in the school's employee classification, sued the school after she was fired for insubordination, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in her favour. Although the case only involved one employee at a Christian school, the constitutional principle in the case could have broadly impacted churches. Observers considered it one of the most significant religious freedom cases to reach the high court in decades. Read more.

Poll reveals mixed picture of Mormonism
Anglican Journal
Jan. 18, 2012
With a Mormon candidate the frontrunner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, The Book of Mormon a hit musical playing on Broadway and polygamy-centred TV shows such as Big Love and Sister Wives, America is in the midst of what some have called a “Mormon moment.” Now a new survey from the Washington-based Pew Research Center explores how adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (LDS) themselves feel about the media spotlight, the election campaign and their place in America. The poll finds a mixed picture. Many Mormons feel they are misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted as part of mainstream society. Yet, at the same time, a majority think that acceptance of the LDS is rising. Overwhelmingly, the poll showed, they are satisfied with their lives and content with their communities. And most say they think the country is ready to elect a Mormon president. Read more.

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Mission and Justice relationships


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The Generosity Chronicles

Generosity – a Mother’s Call
By Michelle Hauser
Manager of Annual Giving
Anglican CHurch of Canada
Jan. 24, 2012
When I started this blog in the Spring I touched briefly upon the generosity conflict that I inherited from my family of origin. The inaugural post was read by approximately one person—and I do believe that person was me—so please don’t mind if I revisit this briefly since it will be new to most of you. My sister and I spent a good deal of our childhood caught in a tug of war between a father with a nomadic, magnanimous spirit—who appeared to be most fulfilled when emptying his pockets and giving everything away—and a mother who was desperately trying to provide her children with the necessities of life. Mom worked tirelessly to move our family a few small steps forward, only to find that my dad preferred to stay behind. Read more.

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A wholesaler sent a letter to the postmaster of a small midwestern town. He asked for the name of an honest lawyer who would take a collection case against a local debtor who had refused to pay for a shipment of the wholesaler's goods. He got this reply:   

Dear Sir: I am the postmaster of this village and received your letter. I am also an honest lawyer and ordinarily would be pleased to accept a case against a local debtor. In this case, however, I also happen to be the person to whom you sold inferior goods. I received your demand to pay and refused to honor it. I am also the banker you sent the draft to draw on the merchant, and I sent that back with a note stating that the merchant had refused to pay. If I were not, for the time being, substituting for the pastor of our local church, I would tell you fully just exactly what I think of your claim.

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