Synod guests paint a bright picture

of diocesan ministry

And bring good news about the Camp Medley accreditation

By Ana Watts

Several guests at our 131st Diocesan Synod held in Fredericton Oct. 28 and 29 painted a panoramic view of our church with details about some of the special ministries in our diocese — youth camping, parish nursing, and the emerging parish development ministry. Camp Medley director Liz Harding brought more than her famous passion and enthusiasm for youth work and camps to synod, she brought the good news of Camp Medley’s accreditation by the New Brunswick Camping Association. “This is the first time in history Camp Medley has achieved the high standards of camping practices demanded by the New Brunswick association, and with that accreditation comes accreditation from the Canadian Camping Association as well. We will be proud to put that on our brochure.”

She reported at a time when attendance is falling at most youth camps in New Brunswick, numbers at both Camp Medley and Camp Brookwood are creeping up. “We find God at camp through fun, relationships, programs and worship,” she said. But she added that Camp Medley is not entirely devoted to youth any more. The shoulder seasons see a lot of adult groups using its modern facilities. “We need to keep involving all generations in this work together, we have a rich life to share. This year all the weekends were booked until the end of October.”

This fall Liz and Canon George Porter helped camp staff establish Medley Church, a Fresh Expression of Church held in Cathedral Memorial Hall on the third Sunday of each month from 2 until 5 p.m. “It is a time for socializing, teaching, worship and breaking bread together and open to all those in high school and above. No Medley connection is required and there is no limit to the “above” age, but keep in mind this is a youth-led church, George, Shawn Branch and I provide only adult leadership support. We had an average of 26 people at the first two services and nobody has complained about three hours of church yet!”

Isabel Cutler and Nancy Wiggins, nurses at Christ Church Cathedral and St. Margaret’s Church in Fredericton respectively, presented an overview of Parish Nursing in our diocese. A congregationally driven ministry, it links health and healing of the body, mind and spirit with our Christian faith. “It brings us to a deeper level of commitment to care and support of church family members and beyond,” said Isabel who has an on-site office in Cathedral Memorial Hall. Her monthly blood pressure clinic not only monitors the physical needs of her patients, it enables her to assess how they are faring generally. Sometimes they need a referral to their GP and occasionally she schedules a mid-week follow-up if she thinks it is necessary. Regular health information sessions address all kinds of issues, from wellness and exercise to chronic conditions like diabetes. Like the monthly afternoon tea, these are much more than medical and social events, they are opportunities to love, support and care for those in the congregation who are bereaved, lonely and isolated. “It is an opportunity for us to sit along side these people,” she says.

Globally there are 15,000 active parish nurses. In Canada there are somewhere between 70 and 100 representing 13 denominations. In the Maritimes there are 15 parish nurses and 11 more are in training. In New Brunswick there are 15, three of them Anglicans serving Trinity Church in Saint John as well as the Cathedral and St. Margaret’s in Fredericton. “We do not replace existing health care, we supplement it by filling in some of the gaps,” says Isabel. “We often know our church families from birth until death, we have a built-in structure of volunteers and sometimes we are the only resource available in an area. And we are certainly cost-effective.

“Our vision for the future is that every church will have a health ministry and access to a parish nurse. Individual parishes may not have resources to hire a parish nurse, but perhaps they can partner with another parish, or another church. There are parish nurses of every denomination and we can work together. Please invite a parish nurse to come and speak to your parish. You can contact me at pn@christchurchcathedral.com.”

In addition to leading a profound Bible study on fruitfulness, the overall theme of the synod, David Edwards spoke about his new role as Parish Development Officer.

“My primary function is to work with parishes or groups of parishes in order to help us think through the issues we face and how we might respond,” he said. “Evangelism is one beggar telling another where to find bread. Our goal is not to make our churches mega churches, but communities in which people are loved and cared for. If I spend the next two years in an office in Anglican House, shoot me. That’s not where I am supposed to be.”

He believes we need to begin by knowing who we are, through scripture, history and community. “If I have learned anything in my time at Stone, it is the importance of scripture – it sits at the root of what we are about. Scripture tells us the story of a God who blesses people who turn backs on him, people who realize they got it wrong, people who repent, are forgiven and restored. That is the overarching theme of scripture. Until we understand that we don’t understand the essence of our faith and what God has for us.

“And I strongly believe as Anglicans have to take the history of the parish seriously. When I hear the word parish, I don’t think of the people who show up to worship on Sunday morning, they are the congregation. They are important to be sure, but the parish is a line on the map and the people who live within the parish boundary. We are servants in our areas, we are called to be servants and to put our community and the people in it first … People are desperate for community. Sometimes these people are broken, have addictions and other burdens, but we all have a brokenness, and Jesus Christ, through his cross, is the healer.”

Ana Watts is Diocesan Communications Officer

15 November 2011
Diocesan Communications