The Labrador Planning and Strategy Conference (LPAS) is an annual gathering of clergy and lay people of the Archdeaconry of Labrador to focus on faith and ministry in our parishes, territory, and our part in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. The archdeaconry is composed of the five parishes of Labrador West, Churchill Falls, Lake Melville, Rigolet, and Southeast Labrador. Spread across 1,000+ kilometres from Lab. West to Lodge Bay, with some areas only accessible by plane, ferry, or skidoo during winter months, we do not take the opportunity to be together in person for granted.
This year’s meeting was held from September 19th -21st, at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, in Lake Melville. Friday was a travel day, as some had to drive over 500 kilometers to get there. We gathered in prayer Saturday morning to share and learn together from and among our parishes, through guest speakers and activities, and then to end the weekend officially with Sunday worship. In addition to our bishop and executive archdeacon, we were thrilled to welcome several guests this year. The Rev’d Kudzaishe Alois Manenji, a fellow priest in the parish of Forteau, a part of the diocese of Western NL, accepted the bishop’s invitation to join us in fellowship. He serves the parish there across the communities of Forteau, L’Anse au Clair, L’Anse au Loup, and Capstan Islands. Only 140 kilometres away from Lodge Bay and closer to Southeast Labrador than any parish within the archdeaconry, it was nice to meet our neighbour, “Father K,” and learn of his ministry and experience of Labrador.
Our other guests helped us to grow and learn more about the work of the Indigenous Church, and how we can support and encourage each other in our shared faith and ministry. The Most Reverend Christopher Harper, our National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, joined by his wife, Tracy, was a source of inspiration and had us weeping with laughter and tears as he shared the story of their life, his ministry, and the story of our Indigenous brothers and sisters, their faith, and identity within the Anglican Church of Canada. He told stories with humour and grace to endear and to challenge, to educate and question, to call us to prayer and to action in reconciliation. Tom Mugford, Canon for Indigenous Ministries and Advocacy, helped us reflect on our time with Archbishop Harper, and on our place within God’s creation exploring the history of Indigenous presence and Settler arrival in Canada through “Mapping the Ground We Stand On,” a workshop from Alongside Hope.
Saturday ended with a reflection on the Gospel using the Gospel-based discipleship pattern of prayer from the Indigenous Church. Our weekend ended officially with a call to action from our Archbishop in his Sunday sermon: a call to love and action in serving each other as part of God’s family, and celebrated through the ordination of Paul Saunders, who was made a Deacon. The hospitality of St. Andrew’s through the use of their space and hosting us for lunch and nutrition breaks on Saturday, and a parish lunch following worship on Sunday, was a gift to us all. Being a part of their joy in celebrating their new Rev’d Paul was a blessing.
While our clergy and delegates made their way home that afternoon, Bishop Sam, Archbishop Harper, Tracy, and I prepared to travel to Rigolet. Rigolet holds a unique significance within the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador: though there are many Indigenous people in our diocese, it is the only Indigenous parish here, and is situated within the settlement area of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and a member of the Anglican Council of Indigenous People. We flew into Rigolet on Monday morning where we toured the community, making a special visit to the local K-12 school, Northern Lights Academy, and spending the afternoon there, joining the combined Kindergarten to Grade 4’s in their Inuktitut class, and then the grade 7’s in their religion class. It was a delight to be with such friendly and inquisitive young people and watch them learning about their culture and history. The evening was spent with the community as we shared a pot-luck meal and worship, the service of Holy Eucharist being especially blessed through Archbishop Harper’s preaching and a holy time of prayer, including the laying on of hands in prayer by both bishops. It was a gift for all those in attendance to then invite our bishops and Tracy to allow us to circle them, and pray for them in their ministries.
Tuesday in Rigolet included some home visiting, a tour of the local women’s shelter, Kirkina House—of which St. Timothy’s is a partner in its operation under “The Rigolet Partnership Against Family Violence”—and a stop at the Strathcona Museum and Net Loft historic site where artifacts, records, and displays are kept. The craft shop was a popular stop along the way to see the handiwork of local craft producers. Helping at the school through the local school lunch programme was a hands-on activity that day, as hairnets and gloves were donned and we assisted in preparing honey-garlic ribs and vegetable rice in take-out containers to be distributed to all children—a twice-a-week programme ensuring all children have access to a hot, nutritious lunch.
A 30-minute flight on a Provincial Airlines Twin Otter took us back to Happy Valley-Goose Bay that evening, and early flights for the bishops and Tracy took them all home on Wednesday. Archbishop Harper’s first trip to the Archdeaconry of Labrador was jam-packed, and it did indeed include bakeapple and partridgeberry jam. Whether it was the jam or the people, or maybe both, he’s looking forward to his next visit with us…and so are we.
