The post Licensed Lay Ministers and Eucharistic Assistants’ Conference appeared first on Anglican Life.

Attendees were treated to a spectacular display of locally made quilts as well as the magnificent Cathedral building. Music was provided by the church organist Sharon Whalen and some of the choral scholars from the church choir. Tea/coffee and a selection of treats were provided in the crypt. 

The 120+ quilts in the show were provided by anyone who was interested in entering a quilt, whether they were the creator or were the owners of the quilt. There was a wonderful mixture of colours, themes, sizes and styles of quilts and quilted items. Eastern Edge Quilt Guild included more than 16 quilts intended for the “Quilts of Valour “ program. These quilts will be presented to veterans and injured military personnel.

The Cathedral itself was a great background for the quilt display. For some of the attendees, this was their first time inside the building, and they were amazed by the quilts, the music, and the architecture of the building—not to mention the light coming through the stained glass windows. 

The attendees said that they eagerly look forward to next year. We have already started planning for next year’s event, and hope to build on this year’s experience. 

Be prepared to mark your calendars for 2023’s “Quilts @ the Cathedral.”

The post Quilt Show at the Cathedral in St. John’s appeared first on Anglican Life.

This is to inform you as members of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador that the Board of Management brought forth a motion to close Lavrock permanently and divest ourselves of it.  This was not done lightly but following a review of the financial state of our diocese. The amount of work that needed to be done on the site was impossible to do without a significant investment of funds. There was little choice left but to close it permanently. This motion was accepted by the Executive Committee of the diocese.

Since the motion was carried, we have been seeking new potential owners, but to this date we have seen some interest but no firm commitment. We have a realtor who is assisting us to find new owners.

Why is the centre sailing into the sunset?  Many of you will be disappointed by the decision made by the Board of Management, but others will be excited about it. We cannot blame it all on COVID-19 or the financial situation of the diocese. Many of us have seen this day coming for many years, but the pandemic and current finances have sped up the process. The biggest problem which we have faced over the past number of years was that parishes or the diocese were not using the centre in the way we should have. Recently, only two parishes in the diocese have been using it on regularly basis. The other church groups using it have been the Diocesan ACW and DAMA. Other people using the centre are what we called “external groups.” We are not in a financial position to continue providing this type of service. We have no one to blame for this closure other than ourselves; we now are seeing this ship sail by us for the final time.  Lavrock will be gone forever and we will never have another site like we have enjoyed for the past 32 years. 

A number of years ago, we lost a couple of big supporters who were using the camp on a regular basis. The Army Cadet and the Cursillo movement were some of our big supporters. The church camps were cut to three weeks, and only operated during the summers. These things and more added to the problems that helped us to make a decision to close the camp. Without the help of our outside groups, we would have been closed for some time. The diocese tried to keep it going, knowing the writing was on the wall, but we had to make a decision that was best for the diocese at this time.

It is a sad day in our history as a church. But we know that God will open other doors to provide a place for our youth and adults to enjoy community and the things that Lavrock had offered for over 32 years.

Thank you for your support over those years and for giving of your time to help people to grow and have the experience of coming together and camping.

I want to thank the Board of Management for their hard work and commitment to Lavrock over the years, to the bishops who have served this diocese for the past 32 years and who have supported Lavrock through some difficult days. To those who have used the centre for many different reasons: we thank you for your support. Thank you to Mr. Todd Martin, Manager, and his team who have worked hard to make the centre self-supporting. Unfortunately, we had so much against us over the past few years. 

Personally, I fought to save our centre for a number of years, but the time had come to make this motion to close it permanently and divest ourselves of it. We have lost the centre and this church will not have another place like the properties and grounds or the pond we had at Lavrock. Sorry to see it go but now we must move forth in faith and trust that all things work together for the good.

The post Lavrock Camp and Conference Centre appeared first on Anglican Life.

This beautiful church has long been a focal point as one enters into Francois. One hundred years later, the people of the community still take pride in their church which is a very warm and inviting place.  As we remembered the past, we gave thanks for the present, and we are looking to the future with hope and trust in God, who promises to be with us wherever we are and through all the events in our lives. No matter what the future holds for us, God is with us!

The post 100th Anniversary of St. Simon and St. Jude Church in Francois appeared first on Anglican Life.

In the photograph below, we can see three ladies cutting the cake. Left to right, they are:  Ivy Collier, Mary Pope, Classie Marshall. These ladies are all 90 and over in years of age and still are active members of our ACW.

The post 124th Anniversary of the ACW, Port aux Basques appeared first on Anglican Life.

The post Together To Gather appeared first on Anglican Life.

With each new beginning there are new plans, new hopes, new possibilities.

And I love a new beginning—a new start. It is sort of like when your computer, phone, or tablet acts up, and you press restart and (most times) all gets sorted and you begin again. And I love this about our life of faith; we have restarts built into our liturgical year with Advent and Lent in particular, but we also have built into each liturgy when we confess our sins—the things done and undone—and share the peace of a fresh start.

Life at Queen’s College is also full of new beginnings and fresh starts. This Advent we will be doing a weekly podcast on the lectionary with invited guests sharing their thoughts on the readings and possibilities for preaching. “The (Be)coming of the Lord: Preaching the Promise and Challenge of Advent” will be available on our Facebook and YouTube pages. (https://www.facebook.com/queenscollegenl and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2xZJDX8aVYCwllquav4wGw/videos

In January we will be doing another “new thing”. We are offering an Intensive course as a means of preparing for Lent. “Call of the Cross: Preparing for Lent in a time of cultural and climate crisis” can be taken as a regular 3-credit-hour course, or as an audit. We are offering a special audit rate for those who have a leadership position in their faith community (clergy, lay ministers, Bible study leaders, etc.) of just $100. The audit will give you access to all of the classes and materials without having to do any of the papers or assignments. As a part of the January 27th class of this course, we will also be offering a free workshop, both in person and online, on preparing liturgies for Lent with the Rev’d Canon Dr. Boyd Morgan. This is part of our goal to provide affordable, accessible learning to all who are interested. For more information see our webpage: https://queenscollegenl.ca/

We have also been busy “restarting” things that we have not been able to do during COVID, such as in person gatherings and community meals. It is wonderful to see how our online interactions have maintained our community and built new friendships, and how quickly we connect now that we are in the same physical space. We already know so much about each other. It is important to note that this “restart” of in person gatherings does not mean we no longer connect online. These different types of interactions help feed one another. Some communication is better in one medium than another, and some folks flourish in different modes of interaction. 

So let us all flourish as we continue to begin again.

The post Let Us Begin Again appeared first on Anglican Life.

I like all the trimmings of a commercial Christmas. I spend a couple of evenings driving around town looking at the lights and decorations which people have displayed. Some houses are completely decked out and it’s obvious that hours of work have been dedicated to making the home beautiful. The spirit of Christmas appears to be alive and well!

However, for Christians, the spirit of Christmas begins with Advent. Four Sundays before the birth of Jesus Christ, in church we are told about the journey that Mary and Joseph took before the birth of their precious son. Each Sunday brings us a little closer to the birth of the Son of God. Each Sunday, a candle is lit to signify the Light of the World coming. By Christmas Eve there are four candles lit, and these candles create a significant amount of light. On Christmas Eve, we light another candle to represent the birth of Our Lord and Saviour. He comes to us, not as a grown man, not as a great warrior but instead as a defenceless baby. Jesus is born and is completely dependent on his earthly parents to grow and thrive as a human being. Just like the rest of us, Jesus comes into the world unable to fend for himself and reliant on those around him to keep him safe and sound.

So, what do these two visions of Christmas have in common? How does the commercial Christmas fit into the Christian Christmas?

I think the “spirit” around Christmas is the main link between the religious and secular Christmas. Christians feel the anticipation of the birth of Jesus during Advent. God sent his Son to save us from evil. Jesus comes to us as another promise from God that he is always with us. Jesus is born a human so we can relate to God on a different level. Jesus comes to give us hope and security that God knows exactly how we feel. This baby is God’s gift to Christians to help us to further feel the spiritual connection with “Our Father who art in heaven,” as we say in the prayer that Jesus taught us. This reminder every year, this spiritual connection, helps keep Christians in the “spirit” of Christ all year around. Our Christmas lights may only last the month of December but the Light of the World that Jesus represents lasts all year for Christians and this is the Spirit of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit upon which we keep in our hearts each and every day!

God bless you all and have a great Holy Christmas. 

The post The Spirit of Christmas appeared first on Anglican Life.

There are many facts I could give you about John and Kathy and their lifetime of service and ministry. They arrived in New World Island in 1964 with the intention of remaining for only a couple of years, but they soon found themselves creating a home where they would stay and serve for some 58 years.

Dr. John was the local doctor with a passion for gardening and accordion music. He set about collecting sod and soil as he visited his patients until he was able to create the garden of his dreams. He has been active in many community organizations and often provided music for worship.

Kathy was theologically educated at Union Seminary in New York City, and brought a wealth of knowledge to her roles in the church.  She provided lay ministry in the parishes of Twillingate and Gander Bay for many years.  She had leadership roles in the diocese and often led retreats.  They are passionate about rural Newfoundland, about boating, learning, and exploring.

But none of this information gets to the heart of who they are and the impact they have had on all those who have known them.

I have a picture of myself, Bishop John Watton, and Kathy Sheldon at our pre-ordination retreat May 1990. I may not remember everything Kathy said to us that day, but I remember the impression she made. I often would say that when I grow up, I want to be Kathy Sheldon. She has a gift of hospitality combined with a keen intellect. She just seemed to know things and she always seemed to be learning new things. And whenever you dropped in to see Kathy and John, they always seem to make time and to be fully present to you.

I think that is the thing. They have a way of making you feel welcome and valued and cared for.  They make time and space for folks to be. They listen and respond. They push when they have to, but are also gentle in spirit. They are human and humble and refreshingly honest. They have a gift of being fully present with you, that is not to be underestimated.

I am sure they will be very much missed in the parishes of Gander Bay and Twillingate, but I have to say that I am excited to welcome them to St. John’s, where I still hope to pop by for a visit and to be welcomed and challenged. There is still so much for me to learn, so eventually, when I grow up, I can be just like them.

The post Kathy and Dr. John Sheldon—The Kind of People You Want to Be When You Grow Up appeared first on Anglican Life.