On November 19th, 2022, the ACW of St. James’ Church in Port aux Basques held their annual Fall Sale. There was a great selection of baked goods, a craft table, a toonie bag table, and a flea market. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our sale.

Quiet Day

On November 30th, the ACW of St. James’ Church in Port aux Basques held their “Quiet Day” in the Memorial Centre. There were approximately 25 ladies in attendance. The morning started with a service of the Holy Eucharist led by the Rev’d Jane Allen, and the Rev’d Kay Knott delivered a reflection on “The Success of John’s Ministry.” After the service there was a lunch, and then the ladies decorated the hall for Christmas, and got loot bags ready for when the ACW visits the residents on extended care unit at the hospital. It was a wonderful day of fellowship.

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Aware of the depth and breadth of the prayers found within that book, but that so many of them were rarely used because they were not easy to find, Mitchell set to work categorizing more than 500 hundred prayers from the BCP, the Book of Occasional Offices and other sources. He organized them according to when they might be needed, seeking to make them more accessible. “I wanted others to discover the richness of the Anglican prayer tradition and to have easy access to the beautiful prayers that have sustained the people of God for generations.”

These Our Prayers is for clergy and lay people alike. Whether you’re anxious about finding a job, recovering from an illness, mourning a loved one or preparing for a journey, there’s a prayer in this collection that has stood the test of time. The book also includes tips for creating or customizing your own prayer, and how to build your own at-home liturgy. The book has now been revised to include prayers for King Charles where applicable.

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Mitchell is a graduate of Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He was ordained priest in 2002 and has served in several parishes in the Diocese of Toronto, currently as the sixth Rector at St. Olave’s, Swansea.

These Our Prayers can be ordered from Lulu Publishing for $22.99 plus taxes and shipping, or for pickup at St. Olave’s for $25 (if you happen to be in the area!). Visit the website: stolaves.ca/these-our-prayers for links and details.

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Registration began at 4pm, but a number of ladies arrived before then as they couldn’t wait to see old friends and make new ones. Excitement grew as more and more ladies arrived, were welcomed, registered, and were assigned their rooms. Everyone was not only physically hungry for the great meals we knew we would be offered, but also spiritually hungry for what God had to offer us throughout the weekend.

The first assignment for the team was not only registration, but also setting up a worship space that would become the chapel for the weekend. It included an altar, space for our music team, and seating for all ladies.

After a delicious meal (prepared by the staff) and some getting connecting and reconnecting with one another, everyone gathered at the chapel for our opening worship. Each lady was given a song book prepared by one of our committee members, Veronica Rogers, for their use throughout the weekend. Songs/hymns were chosen by the committee members in consultation with members of our music team. Our theme chorus was “Open My Eyes, Lord. I want to see Jesus.” From the moment the worship began, it was evident to everyone that we were on “Holy Ground,” and that the the Holy Spirit was moving among us.

Following worship, we gathered in the conference room for ice-breakers, singing, laughter, and fellowship. To complete the evening, there was more food, card playing, singing, and sharing (which went on into the night).

Saturday was a very busy day. Following breakfast and our morning worship, Rev’d Hannah began her first of 3 sessions, speaking to us about “listening to God and growing in grace.” Her talks were very inspirational, at times emotional, and very thought provoking. She was certainly a blessing to us all as our guest speaker. She gave us many lessons to take away with us. Thank you, Rev’d Hannah! Our day also included a prayer walk.

In preparation for our supper on Saturday, the members of the committee took it upon themselves to beautifully prepare the dining room (with the staff’s approval and support) for the ladies to enjoy a very relaxing meal. Everyone was so pleased and appreciative

Following our nightly worship, everyone, despite the time of day, was rearing to go. There were many skits, much singing, laughter, and fun. It began in the conference room and then moved to the area in front of the fireplace, with more singing and even a few dances, while others chose their favourite card games.

On Sunday morning, we gathered for the Holy Eucharist with Rev’d Hannah as our presider and preacher. Our day concluded with a delicious cold plate supper, prepared by the kitchen staff. With many hugs, a few more tears, and some reluctancy, we left to go back home.

A great debt of gratitude is extended to the members of our planning and organizing committee; Marilyn Rogers, Veronica Rogers, Marilyn Dowden, and Daphne Parsons; thanks also to our diocesan staff, and the staff at the Lions Max Simms Memorial Camp, for making the weekend such a joyful and wonderful experience for us all. Thank you to those who captured the many beautiful moments for us on your cell phones.

We extend many thanks and much appreciation to our music team for the many ways they blessed us through music and song: Major Donna Anstey, Marilyn Rideout, May Feltham and Gertie Hodder. You made such a good team in so many ways. Thank you to Lorraine Morgan for entertaining us with her beautiful voice and music as well. Your joy was contagious!

To the staff at Lion Max Simms Memorial Camp, we want you to know that you are loved and appreciated. You go every step of the way to make us feel welcomed and comfortable. You have become like family to us.

To all our ladies that attended: thank you for coming. You were all a blessing to each other in so many ways. You shared both laughter and tears. As someone said, “ I came here as a stranger, and I am going home as a member of a whole new family.”

Last, but certainly not least, and above all else, we give God thanks for our wonderful Women’s Weekend of 2022, and pray that we will have the opportunity to gather again in 2023!

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One such short story was about a man who had nothing. He was hungry and cold, in a town that was not very well off. He decided to go to the centre of town and build a fire. He put a pot of water on to boil and added some stones to the pot. This of course, was unusual in the town centre, so other villagers were curious about what he was doing. The first villager to stop asked him, “What are you cooking?”

The man replied, “stone soup.” The villager said he had never heard of stone soup before and asked if the soup was good. The man replied, “the soup is really good but would be better if it had a couple of carrots.” The villager said he had a couple of carrots and gave them to the man. Another villager passed by and asked what the other two were doing. Again, the response was they were making stone soup. The man said that the soup would be better though if they had a couple of potatoes. The second villager said he had some potatoes and gave them to the man making the stone soup.

One by one, more villagers came to inquire about the pot of stone soup and each villager had something small to add to the soup. Eventually, the man who had nothing but stones to eat, with the help of his fellow villagers, had a great pot of soup! All the village had a great pot of soup! Without knowing it, each villager had contributed out of curiosity and together, they all created something great for everyone!

When our churches were built, we had to have a parish in every community because we were so isolated. We had to go by boat to another community or walk miles and miles. Today, most people have at least one car and if you live in a city there are buses and taxis available. Very few people have no transportation these days. Even though the price of gas is expensive, no one thinks twice about going to another community or area to purchase groceries so why wouldn’t we travel to go to church?

We have so many churches that are almost empty because of declining attendance. What do you think would happen if we all came together to support one church in an area instead of trying to keep a church going in every community? In St. John’s we have more than five Anglican churches to try to keep running. Imagine if we pooled our resources and all went to one building! All those Anglicans together as a group, praising God and his Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ! 

People in society are saying that the church is dying, but I disagree! The church isn’t dying: it’s just too spread out for the times. In Jesus’ time, people went to him, and he travelled around to speak to them. Our world has changed a lot since most of our churches were built, but we haven’t changed. People still have deep faith but maybe it’s time we made our own “soup” with churches to ensure the survival of our desire to worship together as a group of fellow Anglicans!

God bless you all!

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Initially the workshop was designed to be parish-led, but in June 2019, PWRDF invested in training nine facilitators from across Canada, dedicated volunteers who are passionate about truth and reconciliation, to deliver the workshop. In August 2022, three more facilitators joined the ranks, to meet the growing demand from Anglicans wanting to learn more about the history and legacy of colonization. Tom Mugford, a lay canon in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, appointed by Bishop Sam Rose to lead Indigenous Ministries and Advocacy, was trained in Ottawa with Karen Luyendyk and Audrey Lawrence. Mugford and Lawrence are both Indigenous, bringing non-Settler perspectives and voices to the team. 

When the pandemic hit and congregations were unable to gather, our facilitators were sidelined. At first, it seemed like a daunting task to replicate the tangible and visceral feelings of walking on the giant floor map of Canada, the centrepiece of the workshop.

But as the pandemic took hold in 2021, and with the devastating discovery of unmarked graves next to residential schools, so too did the desire for greater understanding and reconciliation. “We realized we needed to create a virtual version for groups to use online, and that could complement the in-person workshop down the road, when pandemic restrictions lifted,” says Rumsey.

The map is still front and centre in the virtual presentation. But instead of laying the names of Indigenous groups on the floor, the names appear on the map on the screen while participants read them over Zoom. As the facilitator guides participants through the waves of immigration coming to Canada over the centuries, arrows swoop in with text to populate the map. The virtual workshop also makes use of video technology and resources that were sometimes unwieldy or optional in the original version.

Today PWRDF is revving up to launch the Mapping Exercise 3.0, a new and improved in-person version that combines the best of the original workshop with some of the video pieces of the virtual workshop for groups that are able to gather in person. The online version will still be offered.

Mugford, a beneficiary of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, first learned of the Mapping Exercise through Archdeacon Charlene Taylor, a former Diocesan Representative for PWRDF. She had been asked to recommend someone to the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada to join the facilitator team. “Knowing my connection and personal history she recommended me,” says Mugford. “So I attended a meeting with Suzanne Rumsey and [PWRDF Volunteer Coordinator] Kim Umbach and thought I could handle it.” Yet Mugford admits he went to the training in Ottawa with some trepidation. “You can sometimes feel very vulnerable when going into these kinds of settings, not knowing what you’ll be presented with, but all my fears were gone right away.”

There’s a word Mugford likes to use: reconcile-action. “It means actually doing something,” he says. “PWRDF has created a very tangible education piece for the country. You as the settler get to see your place in this history of Canada, and that’s important too. People are inspired to continue their learning but don’t leave traumatized. They develop a sense of empathy and understanding, versus pity. You learn to make a difference in the world and use your privilege. Reconciliation is not about pointing fingers, it’s acknowledging where we are as a country and where we are as a church.”

Mugford is a parishioner at St. Mark’s Anglican Church in St. John’s but visits various churches in his role at the diocese. Baptised by Bishop Sam in June 2002, he sees Indigenous spirituality as “part of the Anglican tradition, not in addition to it.”

To learn more about the Mapping Exercise or to book one for your parish or community group, visit pwrdf.org/mapping-exercise.

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“The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a community of churches on the way to visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship, expressed in worship and in common life in Christ. It seeks to advance towards this unity, as Jesus prayed for his followers, ‘so that the world may believe.’ (John 17:21) … WCC is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, …” (quoted from the World Council of Churches website, www.oikoumene.org)

Each year, whenever possible, I take part in the services for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, although I will admit to being somewhat ambivalent about it, though not about gathering ecumenically for worship. My ambivalence is around what Christian unity actually means. Perhaps because I grew up with it, I appreciate the Anglican expression of worship and though I may not always agree with every aspect of our organization, overall, I am quite comfortable with the polity as expressed by the Anglican Church of Canada. I know that the same is true for those who grew up in other Christian denominations. Each one is a different expression of the same faith and each one authentic in its own right. So the idea that we would all be one denomination has never seemed realistic. But that was what I thought was understood by Christian unity. 

That is, until I attended the World Council of Churches Assembly last September. I now have a whole new appreciation for the ecumenical movement and for what we mean by Christian Unity. Many things impressed me at that assembly, not the least was the variety of expressions of worship that we experienced daily. It was not just in the various languages—with several languages in each service—it was also in the form of worship, in the music and hymns, a kaleidoscope of faith expressions from every part of our globe. 

It was also clear that, although we came from different traditions, with different forms of organization and ways of governing ourselves, we were in fact united in our worship of God and in our service to our world. While there was much that divided us, there was even more that drew us together—our concern for our planet and for climate justice, our desire to fight for justice for all people, our seeking reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, our hope for a world where there is both gender equity and gender justice. This was evident in the conversations we had, in the motions we made, in the statements we issued. I was heartened by all that and more. 

This was a different kind of unity. It was not the unity that I had understood in the past but it I like it much more. I also believe it is a move of the Spirit and totally achievable. 

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God is the creator and sustainer of all life, from the first life form to each of us. How life came from non-life is still largely a scientific mystery. Genesis 2:7 tells us that, “God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” This language is figurative because we know from other Bible passages that God is Spirit with neither hands nor lungs.

God used pre-existing materials when he created Adam. God used all the cells, DNA, atoms, molecules, hydrogen, protons, neutrons, or electrons to create Adam. Adam is described as being formed from the dust of the ground—an image of lowness.

God is the source of life. He gives life to all things (Genesis 1:11-28). The life that God gave to humans was different from that which he gave to animals. Adam also has been breathed into by God—an image of glory. As a living being, he has a special relationship to God by virtue of the divine spirit. In other words, he is a combination of natural material and life-giving power from God.

Some Christian leaders saw good reasons to believe that humanity’s physical form was descended from other animals. According to John Stott, “Adam’s body may well have evolved from hominids.” (Essentials, 1988, p. 97)  It is hard to say just when hominids became biblical humans. Does it really matter how God created Adam?

In I Corinthians 15:22-23 and 45-49, the Apostle Paul is dealing with physical death. In I Corinthians 15:45-49, Paul associates human mortality with the creation of Adam, not with his fall. In other words, Adam was not born immortal. For more information, please read Gordon Fee’s comments on I Corinthians 15:45 (The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1987, p. 789). Then, Adam sinned against God. His spiritual death (alienation from God) was a penalty of his disobedience. His mortality will be reversed only with the bodily resurrection.

All humans share in Adam’s natural mortality. People born before the giving of the law in Exodus, were evildoers but did not break the law. They died spiritually as a consequence of their evil doings. Others, born after the given of the law, die spiritually as a penalty of their sins.

Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead during his earthly ministry. Yet, he never blamed human mortality on Adam. He explained that God could work through illness, natural disaster, and death and also used them to call people to repentance (Luke 13:1-5; John 9:1-3, 11:3-4).  Please note that Jesus, though sinless, had a mortal body that could be killed. He did not die as a consequence of personal sin. He died physically on the cross as a penalty of human sins.  Jesus took our place to die on Good Friday.  He brought life through death (Colossians 1:15-20).

God created humans to have a personal relationship with them. Humans depend on God for both physical and spiritual life. After the fall of humans, God provided the way of redemption and salvation through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-8). What was lost at the fall is reclaimed on the cross. Romans 5:12-21 tells us that spiritual death is reversed by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross and our justification through faith. For more information, please read Q & A #652 “Death and Punishment” (Reasonable Faith with William Lane Craig, October 13, 2019).

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An Ecumenical Service was held at St. Peter’s Church in Upper Gullies on November 8th to support Ukrainian families who have settled in Newfoundlandsince the Russian invasion in February. Representatives from various churches were in attendance along with a number of new immigrants who made the trip to Conception Bay South for the service.

St. Peter’s was pleased to collect a significant amount of winter clothing and supplies that will be distributed by the Association for New Canadians. Over 1000 Ukrainians are thinking of making a new home in Newfoundland. Pictured is Tetiana Pavliuk of the Association for New Canadians, and The Rev’d Bill Strong, of St. Peter’s, along with clothes that were collected for Ukrainians in Newfoundland.

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