Anglican Life April 2016

8/19/2019 Anglican Life April 2016

1/16

1 APRIL 2016

in Newfoundland& Labrador

A Section of the A NGLICAN JOURNAL

NEWFOUNDLAND& LABRADOR

April 2016

Alleluia!

Christ Has Won The Victory!© Renata Se dmakova/Shutterstock


2/16

APRIL 20162


Archbishop Cofn’sEaster Message

“If you don’t likechange you will likeirrelevance a lot less”

Young Sam camehome from school onthe last day before theEaster recess. To hishorror he saw his GermanShepherd, Rex, with hisnext door neighbour’sbunny, Boris hangingfrom his mouth. Boriswas dead.

In despair and fearSam figured that if theneighbours found outthat Rex killed their Boristhey would hate him

forever and that he hadbetter sleep with one eyeopen.

Sam quickly deviseda plan. He retrieved theoversized Boris, stuffed itinto a bag and dropped itoff in the local dumpster.

He then headed tothe nearby pet shop andbought a rabbit whichhe gauged to be areasonable replacementfor the dearly departed.Back in the neighbour’syard he sl ipped thenewly acquired rabbitin the open hutch. Laterthat evening a knockcame at Sam’s door andopening it he found hisneighbour bearing thenew rabbit in his arms.

“Look!” squealed theneighbour, “YesterdayBoris was dead and we

buried him three feetunder in the back yard.Today we come homeand find that he is notonly alive and well, buthas grown new teeth andshed a few pounds. It’s amiracle….and we will callher Precious.” Oops!

Among other things,the resurrection accountsin all four Gospels areamusing in that thesightings of Jesus area l m o s t i m p o s s i b l eto recogniz e—Marysupposed him to be the

gardener, the witnessesin the Upper Roomtook him for a ghost orwraith, while the menon the Emmaus Roadwalked and talked all daywithout recognizing him.Thus we gather that the

Easter body was unlike

the man they had known.The body that came outof the tomb is unlikethe body that entered it.While we may be lost atthe sight of him, we areconsoled by the othersenses.

In the Upper RoomJesus eats their food

from their table on theirplates, and through this

they come to know him.In the B & B at the endof the Emmaus Road,he breaks bread and itdawns on them that he istheir Lord. On the beachat the North end of theSea of Galilee, the sight

and smell of charbroiled

sh awaken their sensesto him. According toJohn, Mary recognizedhim at the sound of hername. For Thomas, itwas the sense of touch.

Easter becomes areality as the disciples’senses awaken. Thisa w a r e n e s s o f t h e

presence of Jesust h r o u g h s m e l l i n g ,

tasting, and eatingquickly takes them backto the meal they sharedbefore his trial. Fromthen on, they and we,through imbibing andingesting, living off thekingdom, meal by meal,

enjoy and feast on the

miracle of bread andwine…”we in him andhe in us.”

The core of the Eastermystery is a matter oftransformation. Not amagical replacementof overweight Boriswith delicate Precious,s o m e t h i n g o l d f o rsomething new, butan innovating changefrom deep within givingbirth to fulfillment andcomplet ion. Go andtell the good news ofeverlasting love lest we

become irrelevant.

“More than we can askor imagine,

More than we couldever desire;

Out of the dust God’sbuilding a kingdom,Like wine from the

press, like bread fromthe fre.

And we cry Glory!”

G. Light

Common Praise, #86

Happy Easter,

+ Percy

C a m i n o d e E m a u s b y L e l i o O r s i © W i k i m e d i a C o m m o n s

Mission Trip to GuatemalaShirley Wicks of St.

Bartholomew’s Church

of Jackson’s Arm, alongwith 11 other residentsof various places inNewfoundland, will betravelling to GuatemalaFebruary 27 - March5, 2016. They will beserving the Arms of JesusChildren’s mission, aCanadian NGO ChristianCharity Mission, whichseeks to better the livesof poor children and theirfamilies.

The team will beworking and interactingwith the children in the

Arms of Jesus school,and teaching and playingsports with the children.They will also work toimprove the physicalcondition of the school.

The team will also beconstructing 8–10 homes

in outlying areas. Thesehomes are donatedt o t h e mo s t n eedyfamilies; all materials aredonated by individualsor organizat ions ofNewfoundland.

The team will becarrying hockey bagsof various items such asmedical supplies, schoolsupplies, knitted toys, andhats, pillowcase dresses,and clothes for all ageswhich will be distributedto the poor.

The Arms of Jesus

Mission has a sponsorshipprogram which all of theteam members are apart of which includesone or more children.The sponsors have an

opportunity to meet thesechildren while they are in

Guatemala, and spendtime with the sponsorchildren.

Article and photographs byShirley Wicks

Pictured at right, Shirley Wicks on a previous trip to Guatemala.

Pictured below is the ACW from St.Bartholomew’s with their pillowcasedresses


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3 APRIL 2016


The kneeler as it was before the repairs

Repaired Kneeler at Cathedral in St. John’sArticle byJoyce King

A History of theKneeler at the High

Altar

“The kneeler wasoriginally worked inneedlepoint by membersof the Altar Guild 1898 –1899. Mrs. Bert Job wasthe work Convenor at thetime, and Mrs. WilliamJob financed the costof the material. Someof those who workedon the kneeler were,Mrs. W. and Mrs. B. Job,Miss Clara LeMessurier,Mrs. Hayward and herdaughter, Mrs. AnnieH a y w a r d a n d M i s sHarvey, daughter of a

clergyman.” This noteis quoted f rom theChristmas Messenger in1983, written by Mrs. W.Noel, who had been amember of the Guild for60 years.

In the spring of 2012,

the President of the AltarGuild, Mrs. Joyce King,and the Dean, JosiahNoel, agreed to havea consultant come toinspect the kneeler,which was badly wornin the space underneaththe brass railing. SusanFurneaux, who is anexpert in such things,and who teaches at theAnna Templeton Centrefor Craft Art & Design,was called in, and shethought that the kneelerwas worth saving. Atthe request of the AltarGuild, she drew up a planto stitch an eight-footsection to cover the wornportion.

In September 2012,four workshops werec o n n e c t e d b y M s .Furneaux to instruct theAltar Guild memberson how to work on thekneeler project. TheAltar Guild funded the

undertaking with someadditional donationstowards the cost.

Mr. Stephen Fosterm a d e a b e a u t i f u l

frame which allowedfour people to work onthe kneeler on each

side. Work was begunin January of 2013 byGuild members JoyceKing, Elizabeth Stone,Andrea Squires, Emily

Rowe, Pauline Noel,Phyllis Foster, LindaBadcock, and Deanna

Janes. Additional teamm e m b e r s i n c l u d e dD o n n a M c t a v i s h ,B arb ara E d d y , andD o n n a H a m i l t o n ;occasional help wasprovided by GertrudeBuckle, Pearl Janes,and Anthea Donnan.Bobby Green cheeredthe work by providingGuild members with ahot cup of tea wheneverr e f r e s h m e n t s w e r eneeded.

The kneeler wasfinished in March of2015, and thankfullyi t was ins ta l led a tChristmastide of thesame year by EuropeanUpholstery. The project

was a labour of love forall of the people whohelped to make it, andwe sincerely hope that asit is now dedicated to thegreater glory of God, itwill enhance the beautyof our Cathedral.

P h o t o b y D o n a l d R o w e

The pattern, designed by Susan Furneaux P h o t o b y D o n a l d R o w e

The kneeler as it is today, completed and installed at the cathedral P h o t o b y E m i l y R o w e

Toastingthe nishedneedlepoint project!

Dean J.Noel andthe AltarGuild at thededication


4/16

APRIL 20164


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Port Rexton PotluckArticle and photographs byCarolyn Folow

Left to right : Carolyn Fowlow, Shirley Hogarth, Maureen Howard, Ros Cooper,Melvin Kelly, Roy Ayles

On January 6th, the parish of Port Rexton enjoyed the fellowship of a potlucksupper. It was well attended by young and old alike. Following the supper,our Parish Band led a sing-along. A good time was had by all, as they say.

Allison Billard

Columnist

This Isn’t Funny Anymore

Recently I was part ofa discussion on sin, eviland redemption. We gotinto a conversation about judgment, and while we allagreed that we shouldn’t

be quick to judge others,we all admitted to being judgemental at times. Ithink it is human natureto judge the actions

of others, but, as wediscussed that evening,we must not overlook ourown shortcomings in ourhaste to see those thatexist within others.

I am more than willing

to admit I am not withoutsin, I am deeply awed,and I pray often forforgiveness, guid ance,strength and wisdom.Every day I recommitto live my life as Jesusinstructed. As I am sureyou can relate, it is veryhard sometimes.

Someone aroundthe table said that theyfelt some people need ju dgi ng. I w i l l t a kecreative license hereand say perhaps simplysome actions warrant

judgement. It may be sixof one, half a dozen ofthe other, I don’t want toget into semantics or splithairs on this one.

The hot button issuefor me is the thoughtburning in my brain thatDonald Trump cannot bePresident of the UnitedStates, and by extensionleader of the free world.

This isn’t funny anymore.The statements (“memes”in social media) comparingTrump and Hitler, eerilysimilar, I might add, are nolonger humorous or evenmildly entertaining. Thisis terrifying. I’m not now,nor have I ever been anAmerican citizen, but thiskeeps me awake at night.

There are a great manyarticles on this subject;both for and againstTrump for President. I willadmit I have a great deal oftrouble reading anything

in support of DonaldTrump with an ounce ofobjectivity. However, I amequally dubious of someof the posts I have found

against him as well. Forexample, one Christianpaper doesn’t want himas president because hissister (who he has saidhe would like to appointto the supreme court)

supports the constitutionalright to abortion. Well, onthat particular issue I willadmit, I would not stake acounter Trump campaign.I am not fundamentallyagainst a woman’s accessto a safe abortion.

He has uttered so manydiscriminatory, hatefulthings, that I nd it hardto believe the Americanpeople are really goingto support him. Thankfully,at least some analyses ofvoter tendencies showTrump won’t win, because

he cannot win the voteamong college graduates,by which I mean anyoneyoung or old who hasbeen college educated.

Thankfully for the entireworld, those who arecollege educated getout and vote more andso, God willing, Trumpcannot become Presidentof the United States and

leader of the free world.So what is our role, asCanadians without a voteor voice in the outcomeof these elections, asChristians concernedabout the fate of not just the USA but the restof the world? Prayer.Ceaseless prayer. For ourAmerican neighbours,that they see Mr. Trumpfor the inappropriateleader he is, for the othercandidates that they areable to demonstrate trueleadership in the election

process, and for the restof us that we are able toweather the outcome, nomatter how it turns out.Please pray.


5/16

5 APRIL 2016


ANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is the newspaper ofthe Anglican Church in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.A co-operative effort of the three Dioceses in Newfoundland andLabrador, it is publishes ten issues each calendar year with an

independent editorial policy.

Anglican Life is a section of the Anglican Journal

Editor:Mrs. Emily F. Rowe9 Darling StreetSt. John’s, NLA1B 1V7Email: [email protected]

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Circulation: 19,000

A. C. W. Holds AnnualDinner TheatreSubmitted by

Lisa BrownPhotographs by

Dood Francis

On February 20th and 27th, the

ACW ladies of St. James’ AnglicanChurch in Port aux Basques heldtheir Eighth Annual Dinner Theatre.The night started with a Hot RoastBeef Dinner followed by dessert.Everyone enjoyed a wonderful nightof entertainment and music. Spe-cial thanks going out to Mrs. DoodFrancis who took pictures.


6/16

APRIL 20166


Bishop Torraville’sEaster Message

Little of what I willsay in the next few

paragraphs is original;it makes shameless useof Herbert O’Driscoll’sreflection on Easter in“The Word Among Us”,Year C Volume II.

A number of yearsago, the “Grand March”at my son’s prom night,and I was looking at theyoung graduates marchin; tuxes and formalgowns, f lowers andgrand music. I realizedthat I was one of veryfew people standingstill, watching the event;

almost everyone elsewas rushing to and fropeering through cameralenses. It occurred to methat the only experienceof this important eventwas their experience ofrecording and directingit, “smile, look at thecamera, stand straight…”.The experience of theactual moment was anexperience of picture

taking, not an experienceof the graduation.

It occurs to me thatmany experience Easterthe same way. At Easterwe become boggeddown in asking “Whatreally happened?” inask ing “What d oesresurrection mean?”that we have no timeto actually experienceEaster.

Easter is one of those

moments in life to beexperienced “in themoment”, rather thanrecorded and dissectedas it happens.

This year at Easter weread the story of MaryMagdalene, a youngwoman who a coupleof years before had anexperience of Jesuswhich changed her life.She had led a brokenlife, but when she metJesus her brokennesswas healed and shebecame a follower. Shehas spent the past twoyears hearing about theKingdom of God andtraveling with Jesus. Attimes, things had gonesmoothly, indeed attimes there were crowdsof followers. Of course,there were argumentsamong the followersand d isagreementswith authorities andnot everyone in thecrowd was pleased.Nevertheless, Jesusmoved through it withcompassion and mercy

and love. But latelythings had changed andthere were now moreenemies than friends.Most recent ly , thesame crowd which had

welcomed Jesus thendemanded his death.

Three crosses on ahill. Most of the otherfollowers had left butMary stayed close. Inthe evening she saw hisnaked and bloodiedbody taken from the cross– dead. She followed tosee where he was laid.Then and only then sheleft to get some sleep.

Here is where wemeet her on Eastermorning. She had notbeen able to sleep welland very early in themorning, before dawn,she drew near to whereshe had seen the bodyplaced the night before.To her shock, the stonewas rolled back - thebody gone!

She rushed to Jesus’followers, to her friends,with the terrible news“They’ve taken him.”When they understandwhat she means theyrush back with her -John and Peter. John isyounger and gets there

rst but hesitates; Peterrushes past. They see thefuneral clothes and walkout of the tomb and outof the garden, in shock;Mary forgotten. She

lingers, sobbing, stoopsto look in but instead ofthe darkness of a tombthere is a blazing light.She steps back and turnsto see a shadow of aman questioning herweeping. Then she hearsher name “Mary” and sheknows! Her lord is notdead, but lives and shereturns with her news.The rst evangelist, sheproclaims, “I have seenthe Lord!”

This Easter may yougive yourself to thestory, not to evaluate or

judge. May you al lowyourself to walk withMary, experience whatshe experienced – andbe lled with the joy ofthe risen Lord.

We will evaluate whatwe believe and whatthe Church teaches. Wehave the coming monthsto mull and discuss andquestion and evaluatebut right now just kneeland sit and stand andthen leave the Churchon Easter morning to

proclaim “He is risen,Hallelujah!” And as withMary, let that change andinspire your life!

© Renata Sed makova/Shutterstock


7/16

7 APRIL 2016


Cynthia Haines-Turner

Columnist

Is General SynodRight For You?

Synod Facilitation

Submitted byLeslie Giddings

As noted by BishopPeddle in his letterregarding Synod 2016,I will be joining you asa facilitator from theAnglican Diocese ofOttawa. I am thrilled to

be invited to engagewith you in dreaming,c e l e b r a t i n g , a n dlearning in the contextof relat ionship andpartnership. In Christiancommunity we are calledto bring God’s love tothe world around us. Welive in relationship andeach relationship is anopportunity to partnerwith others to shareGod’s love.

There will be twofacilitated sessions openfor the entire diocese

at two separate events,a Laity Learning Day,Wednesday, April 20,and a Clergy LearningDay, Thursday, April21, 2016. Then, Synoddelegates will have anextended opportunity towork together during theSynod sessions.

The Synod PlanningCommittee afrmed thefollowing starting pointsfor our work together

around the three themesof dreaming, celebrating,and learning.

Dreamingafrm and give

permission to dreamput dreams intopractice

if we fail, to move onand dream again and

try again

Celebratingshare experiences ofhow partnerships are

formedshare current working

partnershipscreate joyous

communities

Learningacknowledge current

and past learningopen opportunity for

new learning

From my experienceas an educator, I know thatcommitment to learningarises from clarity ofpurpose, understandingand support for oneanother. To this end, I willendeavour to create an

environment that valuesthe wisdom in the room.In practical terms, thismeans that the diversity ofexperience representedby the diversity of parishcommunities is an assetin our work together.

Additionally, I knowthat being upfront aboutmy goals is also critical.I hope to accomplishthe following: involvea l l p a r t i c i p a n t s i n

c o n t r i b u t i n g t h e i ri n s i g h t s , c r e a t epossibility for creativenew connections, enablea depth in our dialogues,a n d c a t a l y z e y o u rownership of the results.

Our time together willconclude at the closingworship where I havebeen offered the sermontime to reflect back toyou my observationsof our time together.I am grateful for thisopportunity and I lookforward meeting you!

BiographyLeslie has over 10

years experience inthe education sectorwhere she contributedi n o p e r a t i o n a l ,

administrat ive, andinstructional capacities.Currently, she educatesa n d a d v o c a t e s f o rlifelong learning as theLearning Facilitator withthe Anglican Diocese ofOttawa. In this role sheworks directly with clergy,parish committees, andcongregations to findways to collaborateand share resources.She supports Child andYouth Ministry leadersand collaborates withparishes to developemerging ministries. Shehas an undergraduated egree in Re l ig ionand Psychology. HerMasters in Educationd e g r e e i n c l u d e swork in the followingareas: Mult icul tura lEducation and Diversity;Peace, Jus t i ce andTransformation; Teachingand Faith; and ReligiousEducation.

In ‘Churchland’, where

most of us feel at home,we are used to seasonsothe r than Spr ing ,Summer, Fall and Winter.Seasons like Advent,Christmas, Epiphany andLent. But there is anotherseason that is as xed asthose seasons and that’sthe season for annualmeetings in parishes andcongregations across thecountry. It’s that time ofyear when an interestedfew will gather to hear thereports from the past year,pass the budget, andmake other plans for theupcoming year, and electpeople to the variouspositions of leadershipwithin the church. Justrecently, I attended aC h u r c h w h e r e t h esermon time was mostlydevoted to the rector’sreport as their annualmeeting followed theworship - not everyone’scup of tea, but I admitthat I enjoyed hearingabout the activities ofanother parish. Just like

the announcement time,it helps give a senseof the community withwhom you have chosento worship.

A n n u a l m e e t i n gseason can also be a timefor community building- a time to celebrate thevarious ministries in aparish and to recommitourselves in serviceto God and to God’speople. From the annual

meet ings come therepresentatives who willattend the diocesan synodgatherings and who will

contribute to the ministryat that level as the circleof the community widens.This July, we will gatherin Toronto for GeneralSynod - and the circle ofthe community widensagain to include thewhole Anglican Churchof Canada. At its best,General Synod is a timeto come together toworship, pray, have Biblestudy, forge relationships,hear about the amazingwork and ministry that isdone on our behalf in this

country and globally, andyes, to debate the issuesfacing us as a Church.Not everyone will gather,in fact less than 300Anglicans will gather inToronto but all Anglicansare a part of it throughtheir prayers and support.As the circle of thecommunity widens, sodoes the participationin the community as weseek Anglicans acrossthe country to offerthe mse l ve s for theministry of the Church

thr oug h i t s var iouscommittees and councils.The General Synod electsthe coordinating andstanding committees,but you do not need tobe a member of GeneralSynod to be eligible forelection to them. Areyou passionate about justice issues or areyou particularly skilledat understanding howfinances work? Do youhave a particular interestin communications orour global partnerships?Are you good at writingl iturgies or have aninterest in the manyother areas covered bythe Faith, Worship andMinistry CoordinatingCommittee? Then thereis likely a standing orcoordinating committeethat can benet from yourgifts: so please be intouch with the GeneralSynod delegates fromyour diocese to benominated. It’s how ourlarger community isbuilt, how our Church isstrengthened and howtogether we build upthe body of Christ asthe Anglican Church ofCanada.


8/16

APRIL 20168


News from FogoNew Lay Minister

A. C. W. Celebrates Anniversary

Submitted by

Lisa Snow

On Thanksgiving Sunday, October 11, 2015, KentFroding of the Congregation of St. Andrew’s inFogo was presented with his Lay Minister’s Licenceby the Rev’d Ken Abbott. Congratulations to Kent,and may God continue to bless him!

P h o t o

b y M a r g a r e t O a k e

P h o t o

b y M a r g a r e t O a k e

Articles by

Margaret Oake

In 1876, a group ofwomen in the communityof Winterton met with theRev’d George Gardnerand formed the firstbranch of the Churchof England Women’sAssociation (C. E. W. A.).On November 6, 1895,the inaugural meetingof the C. E. W. A. of Fogotook place in the MeekMemorial School Room,

under the direction ofthe Rev’d W. C. White.Mrs. White became therst President. O n S u n d a yNovember 15, 2015,there was a serviceof Thanksgiv ing inSt. Andrew’s Church,Fogo, for the 120years of C. E. W. A. / A.C.W.. The service wasconducted by the Rev’dKen Abbott, who wasalso the preacher, andit was a very upliftingsermon. One of our

oldest members, Mrs.Joan Collins, along withFannie Shears, broughtup the gifts for theEucharist. After the service,there was a potlucklunch at the ChurchHall. Greetings wereread from ArchbishopStewart Payne, and fromEileen Colbourne, ourDiocesan President. We

highlighted some of theitems from the minutesover the past years,and sang some songsfrom the old-fashionedconcerts, accompaniedby Ray Oake and MarkWarrick. One thingthat stood out was thecommitment of thosewomen, who would walkto their meetings in allkinds of weather. On the wall of theChurch Hall, there is apicture of Dinah Payne, inmemory of her 42 years

of faithful service. Shewas a founding memberof this branch (1895–1937). The picture wasa gift from her daughter.

W e g i v e G o dthanks for the workof the women in thiscongregation, past andpresent. Praise God!

Pictured above is the group of women who attended the A. C. W. anniversary celebrations. Thecutting of the cake was done by Joan Collins.

@anglicanlife


9/16

9 APRIL 2016


Syrian Family Welcomed by Good ShepherdSubmitted by

Claudia Yetman-Long

Over the past fourmonths Parish of theGood Shepherd, MountPearl has been on a

journey of faith, of hope,of commitment, of love.When Bishop GeoffreyPeddle asked parishes totake part in helpingthe people of Syria,this parish took thedirective seriously,a n d a f t e r o n einitial consultationmeeting, had anenthusiastic teamin place to take onthe challenge offamily sponsorship.A partnership withthe Association for

New Canadiansin St. John’s wasestablished, and ourprivate sponsorship

j ou r ne y b e g an .The rst big hurdlewas to secure enoughfinances to make theinitial application, andto support this family fortwelve months.

One of the beautifulcomponents of th is

journey was the swiftnessw i t h w h i c h c h u r c hgroups and parisheswithin our Diocese, as

well as churches fromother denominationsin Mount Pearl, cameforward to offer nancialsupport and be part ofthe team. This supportwas signif icant, andtruly encompassed thecompassion neededfor this endeavour.Individuals also gave

generously when thes p o n s o r s h i p w a sannounced. We securedenough funding byearly January to makeapplic ation. We didnot know when the

family would arrive, butwe took a leap of faithand sought housing,furniture, clothing, and

food to set the familyup when they arrived.In addition to somenancial help, parishes ofother denominations inthe community of MountPearl supported us inmany ways, includingouttting some rooms inthe home, and helpingwith the home set-up.

On February 11 thisbeautiful Syrian familyof five arrived and thenext step of our journeybegan. Many from thesponsorship team wereare the airport to meetthem. It was a specialmoment indeed . Wecan only imagine the

nervousness they feltas they walked downthose airport stairs. Wewarmly welcome thisfamily from Syria, and wewish them all the best asthey settle into their new

home. We thank themfor trusting us, and forhelping us learn newcustoms, new culture,

and a new language.They have become morethan the family we havesponsored. They havetruly become friends.

B i s h o p G e o f fblogs regularly about“Moments of Grace”. Thesponsorship team canattest the many, manymoments of grace thathave been witnessedalong this journey.The acts of kindness,compassion, empathyand love for humanityhave been extraordinary.In addition to the nancialsupport from individualsand parishes in MountPearl, Upper Gullies, and

Labrador City, strangerscame forward to supportthis sponsorship. Atthe airport strangersc a m e o v e r t o t h efami ly to welcomethe family. Strangers

in the supermarketcame forward to helpfind specific food andproducts for them.

Archdeacon Charlenewas at a local store toget information abouta purchase for thefamily when anotherc u s t o m e r , a g a i n astranger, overheard theconversation and cameto her to give a donationfor the sponsorship.Store managers havecome to welcome thefamily when they were attheir stores. Businessesa n d o r g a n i z a t i o n sdonated gift cards tohelp the set up the familyand help them settlehere. A furniture storedonated a set of bunkbeds. Individuals were

generous with theirdonations of householditems and gift cards.Doctors and dentiststook these new patientsgraciously and willingly.Schools welcomed the

children and familyso warmly. Friends ofparishioners who speakArabic offered to help

with translations.Memb ers o f theMuslim communityh a v e b e e n s ohelpful. The l istgoes on and on. Ithas truly been, andcontinues to be, anamazing experience.The compass ionand care shown byparishioners of TheParish of the Good

Shepherd, individualsand groups of thecommunity of MountPearl, the Dioceseof Eastern NL, andthe churches of other

denominations in thecommunity truly reects“loving your neighbouras yourself”. It is indeedfaith in action.

We will continue tosupport the membersof this family as theyestablish themselves inthis province and countryover the next twelvemonths. There is muchto learn, and much todo as we move alongthis journey. We feelcertain, however, that ourrelationship with themwill extend far beyondthat year as our friendshipwith this wonderful familycontinues to grow.

It Is More Important to Belong Than To Believe!

Rev’d Canon Gerald Westcott

Columnist

I’ve recently read

Nadia Bolz-Weber’s“Accidental Saints :Finding God in all thewrong people.” Nadia isa tattooed and cursingLutheran Pastor inDenver who foundedt h e H o u s e f o r A l lSinners and Saints. Thebirth of this particularcommunity came fromthe call on Nadia’sministry to start a churchcommunity for themarginalized—a placefor people who didn’t“fit in” to mainstream

conservative church.Nadia tells the storyof a middle aged gaywoman, who did notbelieve in Jesus, butwho found “meaning in

the belonging” at the

House for All Sinnersand Saints. This personf o u n d p u r p o s e i nsimply belonging tothe community. After anumber of years of beinga part of this inclusivechurch, the woman hada crisis of faith, andasks for a meeting withNadia—she was startingto believe in Jesus!Through her experienceof belonging to thisChristian community, asshe was, she eventuallycame to faith in Jesus.

What a beautiful storyof transformation. TheChristian church, for fartoo long, has been verygood at judging people,telling people who was

in and who was out,

who was welcome andwho was unwelcome,how to behave and hownot to behave, what tobelieve and what notto believe. And if youdidn’t conform, youwere made to feel guilty,and excluded from the“Holy Communion.” Thebeautiful truth is thatthere is no one outsideof “Communion” withGod—and no churchdenomination or worldreligion can change oralter that! Historically,

the church has beenm o r e c o n c e r n e dabout being “correct”t h a n a b o u t b e i n g“connected.” The GoodNews in Jesus is not

judgment, but grace.

Jesus calls us to openup to what and whowe already are. Weare more than our egopersonalities. We aremore than our moralbehaviour. We aremore than what we canthink or conceive. Ourdeepest and truest self,our spiritual hearts, areone with the Divine Life.It is the one Life and Lovethat we all share. It is theplace where everyonebelongs. The call onthe church today is to

get better at helping allpeople belong…as theyare and where they are.Belief in who Jesus is willcome.


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News From MarystownSubmitted by

The Rev’d Gloria Wendover

The Anglican Parish of Marystownhad 11 young people, and oneadult, presented to and conrmedby Bishop David Torraville in June

of 2015. The class met throughoutthe fall of 2014, and in the springof 2015. hey learned many thingsabout the life of the Church, andwatched a movie about The Gospelof John. They ate together, sharingpopcorn and pizza on severaloccasions. Also, they raised $400for a local children’s charity, andseveral of them assisted in servinga meal to local First Responders.

Third Back Row : Brady Saint, Rev’d Gloria,Bishop David, Kira Hodder, Jennifer Hodder Second Row: Robert Fudge, Jared Cribb,Nicholas Hillier, Amy Fiander, Jo-Ella Power,Chantelle Lovell, Olivia Strickland. Front Row: Brady Fitzpatrick, Jeffrey Legge

St. Mary’s Church,Marystown, presentedten members oftheir congregationwith a Certicate ofAppreciation for 25 +years of service. These

members have beenvery dedicated over theyears and have providedleadership roles onvestry, as church wardens,on parish council, asACW members, and onother committees. Thecongregation is verygrateful to these andothers who continue touse their gifts to servethe Lord in the life of thechurch community in

Marystown.

Back Row: Edgar Lovell, Jim Blagdon, Nath Fudge, Abe Rideout, GordonLomond ( Licensed Lay Minister)Front Row: Rev’d Gloria, Eva Cribb, Shirley Fudge, Sadie Lomond, EmilyCribb, (Eucharist Assistant)

Rev’d Gloria and Meta Shirley, who was unableto be present for the earlier presentation and photograph

Sheila Edwards (mother), Melissa Hickman (daughter), RossTilley, Danielle Moulton (daughter), Barbara Cribb

A Place in Da Choir isa singing group whoformed in the past yearat St. Mary’s Church inMarystown. The groupsings at church services,at seniors’ homes, ingospel concerts, andat many other eventsto which they areinvited. The groupconsists of a mother,two daughters and twofriends. They are lead byRoss Tilley, who providesthe music, sings, anddoes the coaching. Theyare becoming popular

in the Marystown areaand are quite goodat singing in a varietyof musical styles,including gospel andIrish/Newfoundland

music. In this picturethey are having a restafter a gospel concert insupport of the DiocesanRefugee Fund.

P h o t o b y R o s s T i l l e y

P h o t o b

y R e v ’ d G l o r i a W e n d o v e r




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11 APRIL 2016


Bishop Peddle’sEaster Message

They say a picturecan be worth a thousandwords. Or more.

As I write I have beforeme a picture given to meby one Frances Rowe,age 8, depicting Jesus onhis Day of Resurrectionoutside his empty tombin Jerusalem. Francesis the daughter of Fr.Jonathan and EmilyRowe of St. Michael &All Angels Parish in St.John’s. It has hung in myofce on King’s BridgeRoad for the past year.

Frances’s pictureamazes me. I suspectshe might have beeninspired from the EasterGarden at the Cathedralwith its stonework andsimilarly empty tomb.What really inspires me

in her painting is thatJesus is facing a womanwhose face we cannotsee. She is alone. Heis alone. Clearly, it isMary Magdalene Jesusis gazing upon and whoHoly Scripture recordsas being the rst personto see Jesus after hisresurrection. You can’tsee her face. But youcan see Jesus’ face. ANDHE IS SMILING! Jesus issmiling at Mary! He has

just passed through thehorrors of his own tortureand death. He has taken

upon himself all of theworld’s sin. And nowhe has come back. Andwhen he sees Mary hesmiles! His love for thiswoman was strongerthan death and ... heremembered Mary.

No relationship inHoly Scripture fascinatesme as much as thatbetween Jesus and Maryof Magdala. Dan Brownand his Da Vinci Codeaside, Jesus loved thiswoman. And she lovedhim. I wonder deeply

about the nature oftheir love. There is somesuggestion that Mary’slife was not always agood one and she was

regarded as fallen in theeyes of many. But notin Jesus eyes! And not

in his smile. Jesus saw

Mary for who she trulywas. It was Mary whowent to the disciples totell them, “I have seenthe Lord!” leading some

to call her, “The Apostleto the Apostles.”

Frannie’s picture of a

smiling Jesus enables me

to see his resurrection ina new way. Of courseJesus smiled on that rstEaster! I also wonderif he chose that very

moment to appear whenhe knew his belovedMary would be there.And we are there too inhis smile and in his love.Frannie’s picture remindsme that God looks at allof us through the eyesof Jesus. Only he seesus for who we truly are.It reminds me that Easteris about discovering joyin the midst of sadness,hope in the midst ofdespair, life in the midstof death. In Easter we areinvited to accept God’slove for us ... forever.

Like Mary Magdalenewho went to the tomb onthat rst Easter and foundlife in all its abundance,we too find life in alli t s ab und ance th i sEaster as we celebratethe Resurrection of ourLord … and our ownresurrections one day.

This Easter , wi thMary and with the entireChristian community, letus joyfully proclaim:

The Lord is risen!

He is risen indeed!Alleluia!

Theological Education Made To Fit

Part Three of the series on formation and theological education in our three dioceses:

Tryphena Vallis

Guest Columnist As a young girl I

attended worship at St.Lawrence Church in myhometown of Belleoram.That big, beautiful oldchurch with its stainedglass windows, columns,and candlelight was forme a wonderful, mysticalplace. Most of the servicewas sung and I enjoyedthe scripture readings andthe hymns. Even though Ididn’t understand what itwas all about I knew thatwhat was being said wasimportant and special, Icould just feel the power

in the words. It all soundedso wonderful and gaveme such a great sense ofcomfort and hope.

I moved away from myhometown and over the

years I have served in manyministries in the variouscongregations I havebeen a member of. I havebeen involved with theACW, TEC, Alpha, SundaySchool and Conrmation,Cursillo, Parish Council,Vestry, Pastoral Visitor,etc. A number of yearsago I felt that God wascalling me to ordainedministry. I resisted at rstbut eventually I tested mycall by attending an ACPO(Advisory Committee onPostulants for Ordination)conference and wasrecommended for studyfor ordination. Being of amature age and having no

undergrad degree I foundmyself wondering what todo next. While discerninga way to move forwardI learned that I couldearn the Associate in

Theology, a program thatI had already completeda course in, and build onthat toward a Bachelorof Theology by Distance.This was made to t forme and so I continuedon with my studies inthis program. The A. Th.Program is a completeprogram in itself andinvolves six disciplinesand the student mustcomplete ten two credithour courses. The A. Th.curriculum requires thatthe student complete twocourses in Biblical Studies,one course in ChurchHistory, one in TheologicalStudies, one in Pastoral

Studies, one in LiturgicalStudies and four electives.Four courses in PastoralStudies, Youth MinistryStudies constitutes amajor and two courses

in one other disciplineconstitutes a minor. Theserequirements must be metwithin seven years. Thecourses can be completedon site at Queen’s orby correspondence.S t u d y i n g f o r t h e s ecourses helped me tobetter understand theChristian faith and helpedin my personal formation.I learned pastoral skillsthat helped me to betterminister to others.

In order to enrol inthe Bachelor by Distancep r o g r a m I n e e d e dto be sponsored bymy denomination forministerial training and

complete five extra A.Th. courses. Anotherrequirement for theBachelor by Distance wasthat I complete twelveweeks in CPE (Clinical

Pastoral Education), orSPM (Supervised Practiceof Ministry), which is theQueen’s equivalent. Thereis some classroom timeinvolved in this but ismostly spent in a clinicalsetting. I completed mytwelve weeks at HoylesEscasoni in St. John’swhere I learned a greatdeal about ministeringto people with variousstages of dementia andother forms of diminishedm e n t a l c a p a c i t y .Completion of the A. Th.program, the five extracourses, and the SPM unitconstituted Phase 1 ofthe Bachelor by Distance

Program. I had by nomeans reached my goalbut I was well on my way.


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APRIL 201612


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“I and You” or “I and It”

The Rev’d Everett Hobbs

Columnist I a n d T h o u b y

Mar t in Bube r waspublished in 1923. Itwent on to become aninfluential book aboutrelationships. Buberidenties two basic way

of relating, “experience”and “encounter”. Thefirst he expresses as“I t ” and the secondas “You”. “It” equalsengaging the world asan objective observer,while “You” equals activep a r t i c i p a t i o n . H econtends that modernlife is based largely onthe “I and It” mode inwhich we treat each otheras objects for our ownbenefit. This happensin every sphere of life:social, political, religious,

economic etc. In his book,Buber offers guidance on

how to live the “I and You”way.

Children experiencelife as it is. It is akin to an“I and You” relationship.As they enter the adultworld, this changes.The world of wonder,

spontaneity, and mysterybecomes one of reason,logic, and conformity.This is the world of “I andIt”. They gravitate to “me”and ‘mine” instead of “us”and “ours”. They moveinto a world of ownershipand posse ss ion, o fdivision and conict.

When our primaryway of relating is “I andIt”, we view the worldas a series of objectsin—including each other—and we relate to them ina superficial, utilitarian,d i s i n t e r e s t e d o rdestructive manner. Themost worrying exampletoday is seen in ourrelationship with theenvironment. We see theEarth as an impersonalresource to which we areentitled, and can exploitwithout restraint. Theconsequences are nowbecoming very clear.

In our relationshipwith each other, our “I andIt” approach is equallydamaging. People aredepersonal ized andlabeled according to race,religion, colour, culture,

sexuality, education, andso on. We want to ownand control others, drivenby selshness, power andgreed. Just considerthe many inequalitiesand injustices in theworld. Too often our

relationship with Godbecomes an “I and It”,when we treat God as anidea, a belief, a creed,a doctrine, or an idolto supply our personalwants. In the Church an“I and It” mode leads tofundamentalism, ethicalabsolutism, paternalism,homophobia, and dislike.

A n “ I a n d Y o u ”approach is one ofrespect and reverence.There are no longer any“It”s. Even manufacturedgoods are treated as“You”s all handled withcare. An early championof this approach wasthe monk Benedict. Inhis Rule he stresses theneed for reverence in allthings. As an example,he tells that we shouldtreat everything we usewith the same reverencewe have for the vesselsof the Holy Communion.B e n e d i c t t e a c h e sabout the importanceof humility and doingeverything for the gloryof God.

Both Benedict andBuber believed that Godis essential to a genuine“I and You” relationship.God is love and whenwe engage with Godon this level, we relateto the world with love,compassion, mercy andforgiveness. We look forthe divine You in everyoneand everywhere. TheKingdom of God is whereeverything becomes aYou, and nothing is an It.

Lay Ministryin RuralNewfoundlandNora Shears

Columnist Lay Ministers have

a l w a y s p l a y e d a nimportant role in ministryin rural Newfoundlandas in other rural parts ofCanada. Out of necessitydue to vacancies and themany demands of multi-point parishes, the laityhas been welcomed toshare in ministry.

Lay Ministers arecommitted Christianvolunteers who arelicensed by their bishopto assist in worship, to

administer the chaliceand carrying reservedsacraments to the sickand those too frail toattend church.

My late father in law,Sidney Shears, of RockyHarbour, was a teacheras well as a Lay Minister,and he shared manystories of his experienceswhile teaching on theLab rad or . He heldworship services, taughtSunday school, andpresided over funerals.Due to harsh winters

and isolation, the peoplein those communitieswould have gone withoutministry, when weatherand ice cond i t ionsprevented the priestfrom traveling there,had there not been adedicated Lay ministercalled to serve.

Our Parish of CowHead over the yearshas had some verycommitted Lay Ministersone of which was Dr.Henry N Payne a schoolteacher who served

for close to fifty years.He kept the doors toour church open manytimes while waiting for aclergy to be appointed.He certainly made nobones about asking hisstudents why they were

not in church on Sunday,and you certainly had to

have a legitimate reasonfor your absences. Ofcourse, that happenedback in the days beforedemographics and socialchanges brought an endto the denominationalschool sy s tem andthe church’s influence.It would not be fittingtoday to ask that type ofquestion to any student.

As in the past, theLay Ministers of todaystill answer the call toserve when needed.The late Rev’d Charles

Abraham, who servedin our parish while weawaited an appointmentof a rector, was the rstto encourage me in thedirection of Lay Ministry,it a ministry I felt calledto do and have enjoyedit to the fullest.

It is a ministry I haveshared with two otherdedicated Lay Ministers.We kept the doors to ourchurches opened as notto interrupt the rhythmof worship during avacancy. We delivered

reserved sacraments tothose who were too sickand unable to attendchurch: the need wasthere due to the length oftime without a clergy. Weare all called to serve Godand others as a ministryof love and care in thepower of the Gospel. It isalso important to realizethat we are all calledand gifted for ministryby the power of ourbaptism. We all havedifferent functions androles working towards

the same goal.The church in every

age has been guided bythe Holy Spirit and wetrust the same Spirit toguide us in the future.This is the ground foroptimism and hope.


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13 APRIL 2016


Rocky Harbour NewsArticle and photographs by

Dale Decker

On Thursday evening, February 4, 2016 members of thecongregations of St. Matthew’s, Rocky Harbour, and TheChurch of the Good Shepherd, Norris Point, attended a pot lucksupper, held in the Church Hall at St. Matthew’s, to welcomeRev. Kay Short, and her husband Rick, to the Parish of BonneBay North.During the pot luck dinner, St. Matthew’s Church Hall wasofcially reopened, and Shane Hynes (President of the GrosMorne Kinsmen Club) presented members of St. Matthew’sVestry with a cheque in the amount of $5,000.00. This donationwas greatly appreciated, and it will assist with the outstandingmonies owing due to the over $31,000.00 spent recently torenovate St. Matthew’s Church Hall.

Pictured above is the pot luck supper held at the newly reopenedSt. Matthew’s Church Hall

Shane Hynes of the Gros Morne Kinsmen Club presents BeverlySnow (Warden), and Cynthia Hynes (Treasurer) with a cheque

“Everyone Up!” in BonavistaSubmitted byThe Rev’d Shaun O’Connor

On the fth Sunday of themonth, the congregation ofChrist Church, Bonavista,has an “Everyone Up!”Sunday. All of the SundaySchool classes are presentduring the entire Eucharistservice in order to helpintegrate them with therest of the congregation in

our worship together. OnJanuary 31, we had ourown “Wheel of Fortune”g a m e , d u r i n g t h esermon, to help us learnabout God’s love fromthe scripture reading ofthe day, 1 Corinthians:13. Contestants spunthe wheel , and thenchose letters, while thecongregation cheeredthem on.


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APRIL 201614


Bishop of Ottawa Visits NewfoundlandArticle and photograph by

Emily F. Rowe

The three Diocesan Bishops ofour province were pleased to wel-come the Right Rev’d John Chapmanthis past February. Bishop Chapmanis the Bishop of Ottawa, and was ap-

pointed as the Huron Lawson Chairin Pastoral Theology at Huron Col-lege in 1999. His teaching focusedon Christian Spiritual Traditions, lead-ership development, and pastoralprociency. He was then appointedDean of the Faculty of Theology atHuron in 2000, and continued in thatpost until his election as the ninthBishop of Ottawa in 2007. BishopJohn has also served as a member onseminary accreditation teams, andhas been a member of the editorialboard for the journal Theological Ed-ucation. We are pleased to have hadhim attend meetings in this province,and welcome his contribution to

theological education in Newfound-land and Labrador.

Left to right: Bishop David Torraville, Bishop John Chapman, Archbishop Percy Cofn, and Bishop Geoffrey Peddle

www.anglicanfoundation.org

An invitation to everyone in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador

Wine & Cheese Reception andAnnual General Meeting

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

5:45 pm – Holy Eucharist

Presider: The Most Reverend Fred HiltzHomilist: The Reverend Canon Dr Judy Rois

6:45 pm – Reception and AGMSt. Thomas’ Anglican Church

St. John’s, NL

Come join us!

Retreat for Diocesan Anglican Men’s AssociationApril 15th & 16th, 2016Submitted by

Peter Stevenson

This ret reat t ru lyi s t h e h i g h l i g h t o f

Diocesan Anglican Men’sAssociation’s (DAMA) year.Men are encouraged tobring whatever they like tomake a joyful noise. Afterregistration on Friday,we are always treatedto a wonderful cookedsupper. I have been goingto Lavrock since the late1990’s and have alwaysenjoyed the meals. Afterand during the meals,we of course catch up onwhat our friends are doingin their home parishes andcommunities. We might

discuss the NewfoundlandRailroad, the current stateof affairs in the politicalinstitution of your choice,our friends in Belize, howthey play this or that gameof cards back home…youget the idea. Most years,while the card games (andbean bag toss) is goingon in one room, music islling the air around thefireplace. This goes onwell into the night.

Saturday morning ismuch more subdued. Acup of tea or coffee (we

are, after all, civilized),sometimes a bit of lightreading or conversingmake this time relaxingwhile we wait for ourhosts to cook breakfast.

A few of us will preparefor the morning Eucharist,which is usually led byour bishop. After being

fed by the Word at thisEucharist, we eat ourprepared breakfast. Asyou can see, fellowship isa big part of this retreat.

A f t e r b r e a k f a s t ,we have two morningsessions followed by theDAMA annual meetingand yet another cookedmeal. This year, RNC Cst.Ron Simms will return tothe DAMA lectern. Hewill speak to us abouthuman trafcking in ourcountry and province. Ifthis session is anything

like his session on crimescene investigation atthe 2014 retreat, keepingour attention will not bea problem! Cst. Simmsinvites questions andgives us a fresh view ofpolicing in our province.

Our bishop, likelyaccompanied by hisExecutive Archdeacon,wi l l lea d t h e o t h ermorning session. DAMAis fortunate to have ourbishop at most of ourretreats. I expect BishopGeoff will give us the

lay of the land, as is hisstyle and practice. Heexplains the ‘whys andhows’ of the happeningsin our church, and wevery quickly realize he

does his research. BishopGeoff will also share hiscontagious optimism forthe future of our church.

DAMA will want togive the folks at Lavrocka fairly accurate numberof ‘campers’, so they canprepare meals. To thisend, we ask men to adviseeither the president of yourparish men’s associationor you may contact DAMApresident Peter Stevenson(709-753-8579 / [email protected]). The deadline forbooking is April 6, 2016.The cost of the event,which includes mealsand accommodations, is

$50.00 per person.A s p a r t o f i t sregular program and inpreparation for Lavrock,DAMA held its Wintergenera l meet ing onFebruary 28, 2016 hostedby St. Augustine’s Men’sService Club. Attended byapproximately 65 men andsome of their clergy, wewere treated to a hot roastbeef dinner and warmhospitality. The formatwas typical, involvinga meal, meeting andconcluding with a service

in the church. Some ofthe topics discussed werethe upcoming annualretreat and our projectfor the Diocese of Belize.During the meeting, some

of the groups took theopportunity to presenttheir contributions for theirBelize commitment and

for parish contributions tothe recent Belize Appeal.The event concluded with

the service of evensongwhere those attendingdel ivered a s t i rr ingrendition of ‘By the Rivers

of Babylon’ in keepingwith the theme of theservice.


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15 APRIL 2016


Kevin Smith

Columnist

Kevin Smith is a gift planningconsultant for the Anglican Churchof Canada. He can be contacted at709 739-5667 or by email:[email protected]

Do We Do Good Things?

Glorious Easter!

Ron Clarke

Columnist

The “Golden Years”,as those of us in oureighties know too well,are not much “fun”.

Physically, and yes,mentally too, it’s alldownhill. Gone, moreand more, are the vigourand sparkle of youth.

G o n e t o o , o n eafter another, are thefriends and loved oneswe treasured so much.

D eath , merc i less ly ,relentlessly, takes themall.

Each passing day,you know for sure, bringsyou nearer and nearer to

© Wikimedia Commons

your own demise.Very depressing??

Very frightening?? Couldbe, but NO WAY!

Easter makes all thedifference!

Because Jesus Christ,our brother, our Saviour,and our very best friend,died and three dayslater came back to life,to die no more, we knowfor certain that we who

believe in him, will dothe same.

Easter guaranteesthat we shall SURELYhave our own Eastermorning.

No other religionexcept Christianity hasever had a leader whorose from the dead.They died and they’restill dead.

Our leader JesusChrist is very much alive.And soon, VERY SOON,shal l come again asecond time—IN GLORY!

Death can’t terrifyus! All we believers will

surely have our ownEaster morning.

Glory be to our RISENSAVIOUR Jesus Christ!

That is the question Ioften ask congregations.In other words: are weworthy of support?And, the answer is, “Aresounding yes.” Well,in a recent conversationwith the Ven. DavidPilling of St. Augustine’sParish, he told me thisamazing story about anoutreach program thatillustrates that he and hisparishioners are indeeddoing good things.Archdeacon Pilling tellsthe story:

In late 2014, one ofour vestry members,Zainab Jerrett, suddenlyasked for prayers forher family in Nigeria.

She told us of an attackby Boko Haram on hersister’s community thenight before and of anamazing escape. Rebelshad forced everyone tolie down in the centreof the village while theirinsurgents set aboutburning the communityincluding the church andschool. Her sister andbrother in law, a pastor attheir church, were able toescape. For 12 hours theyran through the jungles,

seeking sanctuary.As a Church, we had

all heard of Boko Haram,and their kidnappingy oung women andholding them for ransom,or worse, making them

slaves to their captors.The plight that was

described to us, andour prayerful response,led us to put prayerinto action. We learnedof 50,000 plus youngwomen, now in refugeecamps in Nigeria, whowere not able to attendschool. They had a roofover their heads andbasic foods only.

O u r p a r i s h i o n e rfound ed a char i ty ,“We Care Foundationof Newfoundland andLabrador” and began toseek funds to send someof these young studentsto school. In February2015 our parish hosteda concert to raise fundsto create scholarships forthese young women.

In 2016, our parish hasexpanded our outreach:We host a monthly parishbrunch, fol lowing aSunday service. We alsoinvited an internationalchoir to join us. So far,we have Chinese andNigerian congregationsinvolved. For this brunch,we ask for a donation,with funds being equallydivided between WeC a r e F o u n d a t i o nand our own refugeeprogram. We also havestarted weekly midweeklunches at our churchon Thursday, offering(at affordable prices) ahealthy alternative to thefood found on campus.Our outreach committeeaids in these endeavours.

We learned that tosend a child to schoolfor a year, includingbooks, school supplies,mattresses and fees,would cost $230.00 aperson.

To date we havealready received morethan 50 applications – andsome are heartbreakingto read. They describetheir plight and theiright for survival. Otherstell what they witnessed,including the loss of oneor both of their parents.Among the applicantsare relatives of some ofthe over 200 abductedChibok High School girlswho are still missing.

We have discoveredthat in prayer, we alsoare meant to becomeinvolved in the plightthat our vestry member’sfamily and many othersare now enduring. I amhappy to report thatour prayers have ledto action, and we seekto make a difference inthe lives of some whohave suffered so muchat a young age. We haveawarded scholarships to13 of the applicants andthey are now back tohigh schools in Nigeria.We hope to continuefundraising to pay fortheir education until theygraduate.

Pictured at left isZainab Jerrett, chef,and organizer ofmany outreachevents at St.Augustine’s.

Pictured below are two events recently held atSt. Augustine’s. The top one is a multi-culturalcafe, and the bottom one was taken at the supperfollowing the International Gospel Choir event.

A l l p h o t o g r a p h s a r e u s e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n f r o m S

t . A u g u s t i n e ’ s , S t . J o h n ’ s .


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Valentine QueenCrowned! Submitted with photograph byLisa BrownThe A. C. W. in Port Aux Basques recently enjoyed a wonderfulevening of activities and fellowship on February 11th, 2016. It wasattended by approximately forty ladies from St. James (Port Aux

Basques), and activities included a potluck supper, and the crowningof a Valentine Queen!

Florence Ball (Vice President), Bessie Blackmore (President), Mrs. Martha Hann(Valentine Queen), and Diana Hewitt (Past President)

Encountering the Risen Christ

“If Christ has not beenraised, then our proc -lamation has been invain and your faith

has been in vain”(1st Corinthians 15:14).

The Case for Christis a book written by LeeStrobel. Mr. Strobel is anintelligent man. After all,you don’t get to becomethe legal editor of theChicago Tribune withoutt h e e d u c a t i o n a n d‘smarts’ of an investigative journalist. I should alsomention that he wasan atheist. But, earlyin his career, he couldno longer ignore thefacts that kept hauntinghim about the personof Jesus Christ , andthe claims made abouthim, his crucifixion andresurrection. Hence, he

launched an investigationinto the claims. Of theResurrection itself, helooked at the medicalevidence, the evidenceof the missing body,and the resurrectionappearances. He lookedat the circumstantialevidence, and in eacharea he interviewedm a n y p r o f e s s i o n a lp e o p l e i n c l u d i n gm e d i c a l d o c t o r s ,scientists, professors,and so on. After 600days, and countlesshours, his own verdictfor the Case for Christwas clear. He couldn’tdeny the evidence.However, his satisfactionat this level was only anintellectual one. It wasn’tuntil he applied it on apersonal level, to takethat experiential step inbelieving, did he becomea transformed follower.

Lee Strobel’s book isnot the rst to questionand investigate the claimsof Christ, and especiallythe Resurrection. Fory e a r s , a p o l o g i s t shave answered to thequestions of skeptics.Saint Paul’s statement(above) is a response tosome who questionedthe resurrection. It is an

age old query that datesback to the empty tomb.There is no attempt inthis article to addressthis question. However,we cannot ignore Paul’sstatement that if there

was no resurrection thenour faith is in vain, whichultimately means that forthose of us who believe,we have been living a lie,a fib (a made up story)that has continued for thepast 2000 years.

Consequently, everygrave marker that bears a

The Rev’d Gregory Mercer

Columnist

cross or scriptural quote

is nothing more thannonsense. It means thatthe foot stone at bottomof our daughter’s gravethat says, “I have gone tobe with Jesus” is falsied.It means that death is

death, that Good Friday isBad Friday, and that thereis no victory on Sunday.But more than that, it alsomeans that every livingperson (millions) whohas ever experiencedthe transforming life andpower of the risen Christ,including Mr. Strobel, is

also a living a lie: that

there is no forgiveness,and therefore Christ diedfor nothing. In fact, if thisis the case, there is nosuch thing as divine love.There is no God. Do youbelieve this? I don’t!

What continues toamaze me about theResurrection story isnot the empty tombor the Resurrect ionappearances, but thet r ans for mat ion thatoccurred in the Apostles.Fearful for their lives, theyabandoned Jesus in thegarden of Gethsemaneand went into hidingafter his crucixion. Dayslater, following theirencounter with the RisenChrist, they emergedfrom their hiding place—their cocoon—a newcreation. No longerladen with despair, norwere they ashamed orafraid, but full of life andcourage and eagernessto proclaim the Gospel towhomever. Willing to diefor it if necessary – andthey did.

This is the crux of thematter. For those whohave NOT encounteredthe Risen Christ, there isbirth, and there is death.But for the person inChrist, life is bounded bynew birth, and eternal life.

Oh, did I mentionthat Mr. Strobel, this YaleLaw graduate and one-time atheist, has writtena number of books onthe person of Jesus and

his love, travels the worldtalking about his grace,and is a teaching pastorat one of the largestchurches in the UnitedStates

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Anglican Life April 2016