Dr. John Valk presented "Christianity Through a Worldview Lens" in Fredericton on 11 and 12 February 2020. A "Christian forum" organized by the Spiritual Development Team of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Fredericton, John delivered a comprehensive overview which serves to describe the challenges of Christianity (and other religious faiths) in a post-modern world.
We live in an age of science, logic and reason. This is a time when religion and religious faith are struggling to be recognized to have a voice in a context where dimensions of reality, existence and meaning -- the "big" questions -- are disregarded.
John noted that his presentation was drawn from a more lengthy treatment of the subject in his paper with the same title: "Christianity Through a Worldview Lens." His insights are enlightening and descriptive of the challenge religious faith is experiencing. John's perspective is ultimately of great value and importance.
Our task force was formed last spring to develop recommendations that would lead to important and farreaching decisions respecting the future of the Cathedral and Memorial Hall in relation to the congregation’s worship, ministry, fellowship and operational needs.
As our congregation looks ahead to 2045 – the 200th anniversary of the date the Cathedral’s cornerstone was laid – our report for Bishop and Chapter is primarily related to facility changes that would ensure (a.) we will be a sustainably healthy, vibrant, growing and mission-focused congregation and (b.) the Cathedral itself is structurally sound and able to serve as the ‘Mother Church’ of the diocese and as an iconic resource to our community.
From our first meeting 10 months ago the task force has therefore been focused on the future more than the present. We are very aware of the fact that our congregation is aging, and that means – if present trends continue – we are likely to experience a very significant decline in numbers and financial offerings in the next 10- 15 years. Further we have been told that it is increasingly difficult for the Chapter to recruit willing volunteers who have the knowledge, experience and time needed to tend to the many and frequent issues that regularly occur in our aging facilities.
Each year I intentionally wait to see a majority of the report offerings for our Annual before I put pen to paper. That's not just procrastination, but perhaps keeps me from simply reiterating much of what is already being said – and said quite well, I might add! Thanks to all who took the time to help make this report capture the significance of the past year.
Our Context and the Status Quo The turn of every year brings with it the usual need for maintaining the status quo. The term "status quo" has a negative connotation for most ears as it's interpreted to mean that nothing changes, same old same old, no life, no "newness." But for the Church, status quo is in many ways good news and a huge undertaking. We all, maybe too easily, take one another for granted. What we think of as "givens" actually require huge effort, often by a few, as statistically 10% of any organization provide 90%. Mentioning the many always risks missing the one. However, just some examples include all those who volunteer of their time to maintain events and activities so important to who we are as we all too easily just expect they will continue: various worship ministries both obvious and behind the scenes, outreach and mission initiatives, daily prayer in the historic church we maintain as a symbol of the very presence of God in the wider community, ministries of care for one another, Saturday breakfasts, special events, studies and many social interactions. The list is, of course far longer than this, represented best by the reports we've made here, faithfully and willingly.
While our times may very well eventually be recorded in history as ones with some of the highest ever standards of living, convenience and lifestyle, that brings with it unique challenges. Our level of "living" also becomes status quo and with that distinction, we forget to be appropriately thankful. Ironically, it makes the times in which we live marked by an incredible degree of uncertainty. While environmentalists continue to issue warnings about danger created by decades of the abuse of the natural environment, we're only now coming to realize all of that fuels the lifestyle we enjoy. The Church too is sounding survivalist alarms on another front.
gone by 2040 ... will be perhaps the only message
The headline in the Anglican Journal January 2020 issue – "Gone by 2040" – with unfortunate tendencies suffered by the media, will be perhaps the only message many will hear. Reading beyond the front page gives the more thoughtful and necessary full story about the issues facing the church – they are no less complex than those facing the rest of the world. How do we respond faithfully to challenges without becoming cynical, selfish or just giving up? These may be the more important questions.
One woman in her senior years told me recently that none of "it" is of any concern to her and that her only hope is that there's a church around to bury her. Younger generations (and society as a whole) don't seem to have the Church on the radar at all. The current culture, we might suspect by observation alone, is oblivious to a moral fabric and value system that would simply cease to exist in a churchless society. Statistically, those who staff our soup kitchens, shelters and social programs are people who also practice religious faith. It's worthwhile pondering the connection. And while I'm committed to my own perspective and willing to confess to a certain unwillingness to change, I expect these days I'm sounding a lot more like my grandparents lately – "Kids! What's the matter with kids today?"
We can draw statistical graphs and extend resulting lines well into the future, charting sure and certain doom and decline as the certain change. None of those conclusions are certain. There are many, many factors involved. A recent article in a local newspaper shared the prediction that most of downtown Fredericton will be under water by 2050. It seems now, that too is yesterday's news, having provided the whow factor impact for at least one day's edition of that particular publication.
Living in the Present, Looking to the Future
It seems to me that the best any of us can do is to be faithful in witness, now. Perhaps we need to be more careful about intentionally not just delivering our current list of problems to a future generation. But is there anything we can practically do to guarantee Christ Church Cathedral will be healthy and viable for decades to come? No more, I might suggest, than what our fore bearers successfully delivered to us. Taking one step at a time, making the very best decisions we can, towards the future God lays, and will lay, before us. What is that? we'll need to ask. Science tells us that the best indicator of the future is found by applying "laws" proven in the past. Theories become laws when it's been determined they "always" apply. As people of faith, one obvious record of law is Holy Scripture. If we believe ourselves hard-pressed, struggling or challenged in the high calling of shining Gospel light in a sometimes very dark world, we need only to read a few pages from the biblical testimony of Christian faith. Maintaining faith is not for the uncommitted. Standing for justice, fairness and the dignity of all is no easy road. Loving neighbour as self is difficult. Fighting the battle against all that would pull down Christ's Church is hard work and always has been. There are no guarantees. Living in a world that pushes back isn't new. Ironically, reflections on the past tell us that the Church has been at its best during times it was most under duress. Let's be resolved in our efforts not to take one another for granted.
The Dean's Priorities
During most given weeks, far more presents itself to be done than any one individual could hope to accomplish. I'm very conscious that the many ministries of the Cathedral and, their comprehensiveness, is only possible with the dedicated help of members of staff and the many, many willing volunteers who step up when it matters. In my role, my approach is to set priorities based first on my calling to priesthood. That is, in fact, what is meant by being in "ordered ministry." Those decisions are always difficult to make. Routinely, in order of importance they are: 1) pastoral needs, especially emergencies; 2) worship and preaching; 3) administration necessary for ongoing operations as smooth and crisis-free as possible. This year in the role of Dean I have, to the best of my ability, attended to customary clerical duties as outlined in our own diocese's expectations of an incumbent priest (Directive 8.2 The Priest in the Parish) and the requirements of the Canon Law to which we ascribe. Providing general support and encouragement for members of staff, including annual reviews for each, were completed. I continue to give special attention to our efforts in communication, being convinced that our official messages need to be honest and accurate, and have significant impact on our image in the local community and beyond. As the Church witnessing to the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, communication is central to our reason for existence. I keep a constant eye on worship duty schedules and fill gaps where necessary to ensure consistency. See "From the Registers" for an account of our worship activity.
Potential for the Future
I might first offer a reminder of areas I've named as important in previous reports. While the work is never done and there is always room for improvement, you'll agree we've made good progress with many of these.
2017 - 1) Christian formation; 2) Hospitality, welcoming and invitation
2018 - 1) Invitation and welcoming 2) Stewardship
2019 - 1) Stewardship; 2) Ministry with young families; 3) Focus on facilities
While there seems to be significant angst among some regarding the current state of our facilities, especially the Memorial Hall, it is worth noting that maintaining the Memorial Hall represents only about 6% of our total annual operating budget. Yes it is an expense, but it also facilitates the majority of our Monday to Saturday ministry and provides public space for our community, most of which, if discontinued, would be a sure and certain death blow to the vitality of our congregation. There are undoubtably good decisions that can be made now about our properties. I encourage and support their consideration and our taking action on them. However, if the Holy Spirit is speaking, we require a comfortable level of consensus that these are good long term decisions, stabilizing our future, and bettering our ability to function efficiently both now and tomorrow.
If planning for the future is the goal, (and I suggest it always needs to be), perhaps giving serious consideration to what will provide solid return on long term investment is what's most needed. Some options come to mind, and over the next twelve months it is my intention, with the help of others, to endeavor to bring action and attention to them.
... greener church, planned giving, caring for one another
1) A Greener Church
The Fifth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Communion and Anglican Church of Canada is: "to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth." A visible expression of the fifth mark both "with our lips and in our lives" holds potential for being a significant witness in our times and to the community of which we are a part. Are we being responsible consumers of energy? Are we heating responsibly? Newer, more economical and environmentally friendly technologies for the Cathedral itself could just as easily be considered the logical place to begin. While operating the Memorial Hall represents about 6% of our total budget, heating and routine maintenance of the Cathedral represents over 7%. Reducing dependance on fossil fuels – reducing our carbon footprint – would be a step toward being greener, becoming valuable example, and addressing longer-term budget concerns. While an up front investment would be needed, we could see significant long-term payback in more ways than a few. Having replaced most of our Cathedral lighting to LED, we've reduced electricity consumption considerably. (Thanks Ken Howlett!)
2) Planned Giving
Planned giving is also known as "legacy giving." It enables philanthropic individuals to make larger gifts to the charities that matter to them than they could make from ordinary income. Planned giving means doing more not only now, but also after death, by involving a charity in estate planning. By leveraging financial management tools with little or no impact on personal day to day budgets, with the church as the beneficiary, assets can be secured to fund ministry well into the future. Exploring opportunities to encourage and facilitate planned giving in our congregation is an example of assuring the provision of future ministry and providing solid financial planning for the long term.
3) Caring for One Another
A term I've found useful, succinct, and descriptive, referring to ministry in healthy congregations is "inreach." We're all very aware of the importance of "outreach," but outreach is only possible when we also effectively reach "in" and care for one another. The inreach task, customarily called "pastoral ministry" by the church, is traditionally the domain of "the pastor." That assumption has been and still is worth challenging. We now have excellent programmes of care through our health ministry – helping hands, Cathedral visitors and hospital visitors. Home visitation is not, to date, a ministry of the Cathedral to which others have been invited. If the unspoken expectation, while ideal, is that the Dean, single handedly and regularly visits all homes, the difficulty is the number of months required to accomplish it. A little simple math will reveal that a group of 10 home visitors, doing two visits a month, could complete the task of visiting 240 households inside of one year. That in no way suggests that the Dean does not visit, but would aid meeting a goal that "the Cathedral" needs to be in personal contact with it's membership. We do care. One personal contact from the Cathedral per year might be a minimum standard for which to strive? Positives of such an effort would include: building and better maintaining relationships, more effective communication, a congregation intentionally caring for itself – coordinated and planned "inreach." Providing training, preparation and regular debriefing should all be considered part of equipping and supporting those called to such a ministry.
Suggested resources:
Peel, Donald, “The Ministry of Listening,” Anglican Book Centre, 2006
Stone, Howard, “The Caring Church,” Fortress Press, 1991
Acknowledgments and thanks
In January we welcomed Thomas Gonder to Cathedral Staff as Director of Music. We're looking forward to his becoming one of us and to his offering his gifts and expertise to further the ministry of worship and music of Christ Church Cathedral and the in the wider community.
Our prayers for Elspeth Drinkell as she continues to mourn her loss as we continue to mourn ours. Lest David Drinkell be soon forgotten we acknowledge his uniquely gifted contribution to our ministry and pray that he rest in peace.
We appreciate the contributions made by officers and members of Bishop and Chapter, those continuing terms and those outgoing, especially John McGarry who has given his resignation. Thanks also to those who have agreed to let their names stand for election. As always, thanks to members of Staff for their dedication.
With the effort of many we continue becoming who we are. We are the Body of Christ. May the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the love of God and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Respectfully submitted,
Geoffrey Hall, Dean of Fredericton
Bishop and Chapter met on Monday, 10 February 2020 with ten of a usual twelve members present. Minutes of the 13 January 2020 meeting were adopted with agreed corrections. A faith conversation reflected on a devotional from My Utmost For His Highest (Oswald Chambers) – “Are You Exhausted Spiritually?” “Have you delivered yourself over to exhaustion because of the way you have been serving God? If so, then renew and rekindle your desires and affections.”
Business Arising
• ACW Plaque - to be hung on the back wall of the Cathedral
• Narrative Budget - the goal will be to work toward a narrative budget for 2021. The Stewardship Team has added to its work plan.
• Cathedral Restoration Fund by-law - is on the Finance and Administration Committee agenda
• 10:00 a.m. Sunday refreshments - a group to be formed will consider
From the Dean
A brief report outlining usual work including pastoral duties, normal worship, Holy Eucharists at Farraline Place and Windsor Court, committee and team work and preparations for Annual Meeting.
Decision
• Project 2045 - a January Final Report was circulated and discussed. Mark Gunter visited the meeting on behalf of chair Melissa Dawe. Five options were investigated in depth. Ultimately, recommendations for next steps are:
1) Enter into formal discussions with Synod about the potential for constructing a new purpose-built facility between Bishops Court and the Synod Office. Discussions would focus on the concept of sharing ministry and administrative space, and space for most of the activities currently held in Memorial Hall.
2) Continue to pursue opportunities to enhance the flexibility of the existing space within the Cathedral footprint to better accommodate Cathedral and community activities.
• Future Facilities exploration - Mark Gunter and the Dean appointed to continue with discussion with the Diocesan Synod regarding potential for future planning with the power to add membership
• 2019 Year End Financials - Kendra Patrick (Bringloe Feeney) following the review engagement, visited the meeting and presented draft statements and management letter. Both accepted by motion for presentation to the Annual Meeting.
• 2020 Proposed Budget - final approved for presentation to Annual
Reports
A general suggestion was made to refer to the Annual Report for committee reports.
• Treasurer - January 2020 financials were available for review. Thanks expressed to Kendra Patrick with appreciation for her work
• Welcome and Hospitality - a reminder that Chapter committees and membership are asked to attend to duties to facilitate the Annual meeting on 23 February
• Health and Pastoral Care - regular programming continues with the exception of Chair Yoga which may begin again after winter. Plans for a possible Health Information Session in February or March.
• Christian Formation - Lenten study opportunities are now being arranged with a variety of times and offerings for 2020 thanks to several facilitators
• Nominating Committee - the Committee of the Congregation provided its current draft report for the information of the Chapter to be included in the Annual Report.
Up-coming
• 23 February - Annual (10:30 a.m. worship, luncheon and meeting)
• 26 February - Ash Wednesday
• 12 April - Easter Day
Next meetings: 23 February (Annual Meeting); 23 March (TBC) GMH
The Coldest Night of the Year is on Saturday, February 22, 2020.
CNOY is a family-friendly national walk-a-thon that helps you raise funds for charities that serve hungry, homeless and hurting people in your town, and in 136 communities across Canada.
Faith Alive!, the group preparing for confirmation, reaffirmation or reception are being encouraged to be team members as a "mission activity" as part of the Programme. Our Team Captiam is Kurt Schmidt. Our Youth Group is also planning to participate in the walk, but anyone can join. If you can't walk, perhaps you would consider sponsoring one of our team? Check our team's coldest night page to track our progress.
Join our Team, Sponsor one of our members or find out more ...
A computer rendering of the triplex of small homes that will be built this year on Albert Street, near Regent
If all goes well, three homeless people will have roofs over their heads this summer in a three-unit townhouse owned by Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton.
Penny Ericson, chair of the cathedral’s Outreach Committee, said the Cathedral’s project on Albert Street and a four-unit townhouse on Jaffrey Street, owned by Smythe Street Church, were approved at a recent meeting of the city’s planning advisory committee.
“No one spoke in opposition to the projects at the PAC meeting,” she was pleased to report.
“Rezoning is required, and next steps are taking place at upcoming City Council meetings. I anticipate that it will be accepted because the City wishes the program to move forward, and the land that they are donating is not useful for them in any other way.”
The small houses fall under a concept called Housing First in which homeless people are provided with a place to live and support services. The goal is to make their lives healthier and more stable by removing the anxiety of chronic homelessness. One four-unit townhouse, operated by the John Howard Society, opened a few months ago on the north side.
It’s taken a community effort to get these projects going
“It’s taken a community effort to get these projects going, but fund-raising has gone well, building designs are in place, and it’s exciting to be moving ahead,” she said.
Sample floor plan
The land is hilly and will need to be graded in the spring before the three-unit townhouse can be placed on the plot. This work will be weather-dependent, but Bill Jones will have the three houses ready. The PAC was told construction should be finished by late summer.
“I plan to call a meeting for those at the Cathedral interested in assisting with the houses and their tenants in February 2020,” Penny said. “I will keep everyone aware of the council’s decisions and any changes that occur. It has been a long wait, but it will all be worth it.”
• Just $10 spent on housing and supports for the chronically homeless equals $21.72 in savings related to health, justice and emergency services.
• In Fredericton, with its chronic low vacancy rates and high rents, 7,720 households spend more than 30 per cent of income on housing and a frightening 3,525 household spend more than 50 per cent of income on housing.
• There is a 5.5 per cent apartment vacancy rate in Fredericton, and an average rent of $829 a month. In New Brunswick, single income assistance recipients receive about $540 a month.
• More information at The Road Home, Fredericton
Ann Deveau
PHOTOS:Thanks to Jason LeJeune and Maple Leaf Homes for providing the images.
Housing First is an international initiative that has successfully helped the homeless.
The traditional model for years has been to provide treatment first and then to find housing for the individual. The current model is to provide safe housing first and then provide the professional help that will assist them to address problems they have with mental health or addiction issues.
Housing First has been supported by funds from the Federal government, provincial government and our city government.
Individuals in our city have donated thousands of dollars to help build the small houses for single occupants.
Why is our Cathedral involved? The churches in our community have been asked to be the owners of these homes and to provide the neighbourly support that reflects our mission to love thy neighbour as yourself.
Our congregation began its involvement with this project in October 2018. To date we have:
Bishop and Chapter approval of our participation
City Council approval of our application and its approval of the building site for 3 small houses on Albert Street.
We are expecting to finalize the contracts and leal obligations in the coming months and for the land to transferred to us by March. It is hoped that the houses will be ready for occupancy by August.
We will need volunteers to assist us with our role as neighbours. There is a sign-up sheet at the back for you to sign if you wish to assist in some fashion. I will be organizing an "introductory meeting" so that Faith Macfarlane and Jason Lejeune can help us understand the support we will receive to assist our new neighbours to develop a healthier, happy life.
Lillian Ketch (Cathedral), Cheryl Jacobs (Cathedral) and Robert Griffin (Parish of Grand Mann) departed Fredericton on 12 January 2020 for the Diocese of Fredericton’s Companion Diocese of Ho in Ghana. Daily logs will be here as they are made available.
The Dean of Fredericton offered prayer on Sunday, 13 January
Gracious God, your Son before he ascended to glory declared that your people would receive power from the Holy Spirit to bear witness to him to the ends of the earth: Be present with all who go forth in his Name, protect them all the day long and bring them safely home. Let your love shine through their witness, so that all who come to them may see your glory in all that is given, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I guess this is my last update from Ghana – writing tonight from the British Airways departure lounge in the Accra airport. We leave in just over an hour.
This morning we got ready in good time and Bishop Matthias picked us up at the hotel at about 10:00. We then went to a bank so I could withdraw Ghana cedis to pay him back for the hotel bill. I had asked to do this a bit earlier in the trip. First, the bank machines were closed for servicing, then I had to wait further for them to stock them with 50 cedi bills so I could take out a larger amount, though I still had to make two withdrawals to get enough. Double fees, of course! Matthias wanted to be the one to pay the hotel so we could save on the tourism tax.
Finances taken care of, we headed to the Anglican compound to meet Edward and say goodbye to the family, though we missed the children’s recess so did not get to see them again. Also, Matthias had gifts of Ghana clothing for us which we had to try on. We had stopped at the tailor’s shop a few days previously to be measured. Amazing work for the time frame – he runs his shop as a training school. Dresses here are typically form fitting – with the heat/humidity and, just possibly, a few extra pounds gained here, I found it a bit of a struggle to try my two new outfits on – but think they will be okay.
Eventually we were on our way with Edward and Matthias, not quite at the planned 11:00, but rather at 12:30, over the crazy roads of Ho. We took a different, slightly longer route to Accra this time, in order to stop at a craft village. We all worked hard to get rid of our remaining cedis.
We arrived at the airport at about 5:00 pm here (it is now 10:00 pm) so have been sitting around a while. No troubles with check-in or security. This is a very fancy new terminal and it is surprising how many places one can fly to from here. We did have a light lunch since we had not eaten since breakfast (which may help with the new outfits), and expect we will have a midnight repast on the plane (which will counter the above). I watched a traditional weaver making what look like priest’s stoles – we had not previously seen much of woven items.
I will close off now as we expect to be called to board soon. We arrive London at 5:00 am, in the same time zone then will get some exercise at Heathrow! 3.5 hours there until we fly to Toronto.
Good night (or morning). Thanks for reading!
Cheryl
21 January 2020
Hi all,
Actually not much happened related to our purpose for being here today. We did not do the originally planned tour of parishes in the north of the diocese as Bishop Matthias thought the roads are in too bad shape now.
We had a leisurely breakfast and then hung around the pool and patio. I caught up on some reading and thinking re my diocesan spiritual development team, plus the three of us talked about the project some more.
Matthias came to get us at about 2:30. We stopped at some stores and then went to the house until the rest of the family was ready to go out for dinner. We had offered to take Matthias and Lucy out as a thanks for all the cooking she had done for us. But ended up with the whole extended family – that is, anyone Lucy would have made dinner for! We were 12 in total with Matthias, Lucy, their son Prosper, granddaughters Emmanuela and Henrietta, nephew Benedict, 7-year old Cadmon (we were thinking he is an orphan but not sure of that relation – more below), bishop’s chaplain Fr. Prince (who lives with the family) and Edward (who would not normally eat with the family but we included him also as a thanks for driving us many times. I think I mentioned before, but Edward is manager of the Ho Anglican Schools and also Matthias’ son-in-law, and the father of Henrietta. Mary, the mother in this family is currently living away due to her teaching position. Edward has his own place and Henrietta lives with Matthias and Lucy to make it easy to attend the school. This is a fairly common situation here.
We went to a local restaurant that they like to visit and sat at a big round table for 12. We had Ghanaian cuisine, pre-ordered by Matthias, though I expect the kids would have preferred going out for pizza, since Lucy always makes good traditional food anyway. Dishes included plain rice, seasoned rice with veggies, salad, yam fries, baked chicken, fish heads (yup – did not try these), green green (green stew with fish, a bit different from the version Robbie had at the other restaurant, this one had lots of okra but was less spicy) with banku (doughy ‘bread’ made from cassava) and a couple of hot sauces (not out of a bottle).
Once we finished, Prosper (who is director of music for the Cathedral), Lucy and Prince had to rush off for choir practice. Since I would be missing my own choir practices tonight, we looked in for a couple of songs when we got back with everyone else. The choir was a bit small this evening – Prosper sings bass, Prince is the tenor, Lucy and another lady made up the Altos and there was one soprano. Prince also played a mean Dondo drum on Sunday.
I had also expressed interest in purchasing Ghana fabrics for the quilters in my family (per yesterday’s update). I had forwarded a picture from a store and Mom had suggested how much she would like. Matthias, always in search of the best deal, however, had Gloria, a seller of cloth at good prices, come to his house. She did not have quite the variety as at the store, but we all purchased some pieces. Mom and Michelle had asked for 1/2 yard pieces, but the norm here is only to sell in 2 yard increments – as they don’t want to be left with a single yard which would not be of use for anything. The other part of the story is that we found out that Gloria is Cadmon’s mother but he just likes to stay at the bishop’s house.
Tomorrow, Edward and Matthias will take us back to Accra – as noted before, distance 165 kms but will take at least 3 hours due to roads. They plan to take us to a local craft shop and perhaps show us some sights, then leave us at the airport fairly early in order to get back to Ho in decent time. Our flight is at 11:00 pm, overnight to Heathrow, then to Toronto tomorrow, landing in Fredericton at 5:00 pm. I will finish here and try to check in now before sleep.
Good night and see some of you soon!
Cheryl
20 January 2020
Hi all,
It was a bit of a later start this morning with not much planed for the morning. The breakfast buffet today included tasty spicy stir-fried veggies (cabbage based) rather than the standard cold salad – and I am happy to be getting oatmeal more regularly than the other porridges.
Bishop Matthias came by late morning and we went shopping for some Ghanaian items. I have been struck by the ‘wax print’ fabrics worn by many, women and men, and found everywhere in fabric bolts – so very colourful and bold and with intricate batik patterns. I will try to find some coordinating pieces for the quilters in my family.
We stopped at the bishop’s house for a bit to chat with Lucy, his wife. During school days she has a stand with candy, biscuits, water and drinks and school supplies outside her house which the school children shop at during school recess and lunch. We were given some of her homemade sobolo, a Ghanaian drink made of Bissap leaves (Roselle hibiscus), ginger, sugar and water which was very good, even for me who has never been a fan of straight ginger.
The big event today was a meeting at the Ho Teaching Hospital with several hospital administrators and department directors and the Rotary club leadership regarding the mobile clinic project. The teaching hospital people have already put much thought into the idea in the few days since they were suggested for a partner – even with a prepared PPT presentation. The idea fits ideally with their public health focus and village outreach strategic plan. It turned into almost an informal launch of the project! There is still some work to decide on the major specifics (e.g., what type of van/truck and where to get it), to write up the needs assessment and sustainability plan for the application for a Rotary Global Grant, and drafting a MOU between all the parties – but there is certainly a will to see Matthias’ and diocesan vision through. The first working meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday!
We returned to the hotel for a swim and then went to Matthias’ house for another delicious supper: chicken, steamed plantain, abolo (steamed bread made of corn flour, sugar and water), pino (gari – powdered baked cassava – in beef stew sauce but without the beef), and Lucy’s hot sauce gravy. Dessert was again fresh mango and pineapple 😋
It is hard to believe our time is almost up here. Until tomorrow,
Cheryl
19 January 2020
Sunday (or Monday) greetings,
Pick-up was at 8:30 this morning, after my oatmeal with watermelon (and toast), to go to Cathedral for Mass, as they call it here. Only two and a half hours long – very high Anglican style with much incense and ceremony. It was an interesting mix of old English liturgy and hymns interspersed with high-energy African drumming, singing and dancing. Mama Lucy got Lilian and me up to participate at one point. We also spoke at the end to bring greetings from home and explain our purpose. And really, it did not seem as long as it was – and weather was cooler today so comfortable in the Cathedral which also has many open doorways. Despite what you may think of as a Cathedral, this one is really quite small, maybe 8 rows of pews for 4-5 people each.
Lunch at the bishop’s house followed. Another large meal of rice (enough for 4 people, maybe), cabbage+ and fish. Lucy’s hot sauce is very good though. But Lucy never eats with us, nor the others who live there: their son, grandchildren (children of their daughters who live there in order to attend the school), a nephew, a priest and at least one other orphan.
After lunch, Matthias drove us around the city of Ho to see some places, including the Ho Teaching Hospital, which will likely be the church’s partner for the mobile clinic, and some universities. One new campus of the health services university, which works with the teaching hospital, was very modern looking. Universities, schools and hospitals are always built as a campus of small buildings, mostly of concrete, rather than large sprawling buildings like at home.
We were also pleased to visit two houses. The first was that of one of the church wardens and his family. This family of 6 was all in their backyard with the mother and one daughter making fufu in the traditional way: a mixture of plantain and cassava pounded in a large stone bowl with a long stick with a flat end. Between each pound down with this stick, however, the mother would roll the mixture around, like kneading, with one hand. It was an amazing synchronized act of knead and pound at a fairly rapid pace. We were told the daughter was better at this than their son who would go too fast – and hard on mother’s hand! They were making this for their supper so we did not get to try it, but it turned into a gelatinous consistency that was formed into large blobs (quite hard to describe actually) – I hope to try before we leave to see if it tastes better than it looked, haha. We also had a horticulture lesson as they had a number of trees in their backyard and next door: plantain and banana (hard to tell these apart before the fruit is ripe), mango, palm nut, and even a pineapple plant almost ready to pick. As this is close to the end of the dry season, there was not much left in their garden. This was not a standard house for here given the amount of land they had.
The second home was that of the diocesan treasurer, a retired professor, who still teaches marketing courses for distance ed. students some weekends. His house was spacious enough but side by side with others on a narrow street. He had a relative there whose main language was French – we had a short basic conversation!
We also drove by a whole subdivision of ‘condo’ buildings, one of which Edward lives in and another where the Archdeacon lives. We did not go in these though.
Peter had sent me some pictures of the new snow in Fredericton this morning so I have been showing to people today. Not many seemed willing to experience in person!
We finished the day chatting with Bishop Matthias at our hotel pool patio until it got dark (close to the equator here so fairly consistent day and night). This was followed by a LIGHT supper (vegetable salad for me) in the hotel restaurant. We have found the service rather slow for meals there, other than the breakfast buffet. So now it is quite late and I will sign off.
Blessings,
Cheryl
18 January 2020
Lazy day today. Bishop Matthias suggested a rest day, though we really don’t need to rest but exercise!!
But we did sleep in some – breakfast buffet goes longer on weekends – some things the same everywhere I expect! In fact, Peter was messaging me when I got up, before the crack of dawn Canada time, and reminded me that he was going to work at our Cathedral breakfast. Sorry to miss the early hour and the -28 degrees, really!!
After breakfast, the three of us went to the market, on our own, as it is a short walk away. The extent of number of booths and items for sale is amazing, and this was not even big market day. The produce available all looked great: fresh green leafy greens, tomatoes, onions, plantain, cassava, yams and sweet potatoes, peppers galore; then mangoes, papaya, coconut, bananas, limes, oranges, even apples; breads, banku and other similar fillers; eggs, dried beans, spices, and a very great number of smoked whole fish (think very dry) of varying sizes. The Volta Lake to the west of the diocese boundary is very large but I have seen docs on how children are exploited to fish it.
Then there were the booths with cloth for sewing, premade clothing (not Ghanaian traditional) and much cheap accessories. But very interesting and fun to visit. I bought some ground green spice which I was told is hot and some limes. Robbie got some oranges – not quite in season he suggested after. He also needed a hat as he had forgotten his home – something that said Ghana, but he only found ballcaps with American sports company logos and settled for a fedora like style. I guess it was not exactly a tourist hub. Lilian got a few gift items, some for herself.
Later Lilian and I swam (I used the short set she bought while waiting for her luggage as a bathing suit) and sat at the pool and read. Matthias had said he would pick us up between 2:00 and 3:00. We assumed it would be closer to 3 of course, but it was actually closer to 5. He came with plantain chips and nuts and we had beer on the hotel patio. Snacks we did not need as we then went to his house for another delicious and filling meal, though this time we could serve our own portions. Dessert was mango and pineapple, which I could get used to. We also got to speak more with Matthias’ grandchildren who are less shy with us.
Once back at the hotel, Lilian and I walked around the lot, 4 times as it is not that large, to get a bit more exercise and digest dinner. The security guard was not quite sure what to make of us. I’m still stuffed as I sit here writing.
Cathedral service is at 9:00 am tomorrow. We are not expected at the 7:00 am one.
Good night everyone,
Cheryl
17 January 2020
We were given a lazier morning today with nothing planned until 11:00, though we still had to get to dining room before 9:00 for included breakfast buffet. The options are always the same except for the ‘porridge’: one day rice, another a corn base (not my favourite, like a sauce), but today for second time was good ole oatmeal (with watermelon) – enough so that I did not need to go back for the mains. Serving sizes are always generous here – clothes already getting tight!
After breakfast, I sat by the pool and read a bit. Lilian swam but I did not get the memo to bring swimsuit – actually the memo I got was that we should not swim but this is a standard chlorinated pool.
After Edward picked us up and we then picked up Bishop Matthias, we headed off on the ‘lovely’ Ho highway to Apaso, across the Volta River which is the border of the Diocese of Ho. I happily volunteered to sit in the third row of seats in the vehicle, only to realize a ways in that that was not a good plan. I made it most of the way before asking to trade seats with Lilian who never gets car or seasick. We went there to meet with a Ghanaian doctor, Dr. Nee Ayhre, who has been involved in medical missions in Ghana most of his 50 year career. He had come from Accra with visiting friend and had us meet at a very ritzy 4-star hotel. We just had cold drinks!
In any case, it was a very productive visit where he encouraged the vision for the mobile clinic and gave us many good ideas. He also reassured Matthias regarding making the local Ho teaching hospital a partner (along with Rotary club).
On the way back, we stopped to view a piece of land that the diocese owns and plans to build a high school on. Mostly treed at this time so long ways to go with that project. Peter can come over with chainsaw!
We also watched a woman making banku, a dough of cassava and corn which is steamed and used as the ‘bread’ with a meal, the traditional way over a charcoal fire, with her feet on metal rods holding the pot over the fire!
This evening, Matthias took us up the hill to a hotel restaurant overlooking the city. (Yes, our third hotel restaurant of the day 🙂 – this one’s quality rating in between where we had the meeting and where we are staying.). We had traditional Ghanaian dishes – though the bishop had pizza (traditional Canadian style). My dish was called red-red and Robbie’s was green-green.
Tomorrow will be a morning plus of rest, while Matthias gives his back some more healing time as well as finishing his preparations for Sunday services.
Good night from Ho.
Cheryl
16 January 2020
Today seemed warmer and more muggy than previous days, but good to
not spend the day in vehicle, despite the AC. Also, I have yet to see a
mosquito, but I am told they are around.
This morning, representatives from most of the Mothers’ Union
branches in the parish came to the Cathedral to meet with Lilian and
discuss their activities and issues. These groups operate much like
ours at home, meeting weekly for prayer and study, and helping with the
needs of their parish, but with very few resources. When asked about
their needs, one lady instantly spoke up and said money, to which all
the others agreed. Particularly, transportation is expensive so they
cannot visit members or parishioners who are sick or easily get together
with other branches. It was a hardship for some to come to the meeting
today.
As part of this meeting, I introduced the Godly Play program and told
a story, with Bishop Matthias translating for those whose English was
not good. Ghana is a new country in the GP international association,
though this diocese was not yet aware of it. They appreciated the story
and way of presenting. For those reading this who are not aware of it,
it is story and play-based Christian ed.
I also got to hold a baby of one of the ladies and was shown how to strap him to my back. Lilian has pictures.
As we were waiting for this meeting to start, we toured the school
that is on the Cathedral grounds. This school includes the only classes
for special needs children in the city. I was happy to see a computer
lab as well, with about 10 workstations. I wish I had thought to bring
some old IT textbooks still hanging about our house. Again, the children
were excited to welcome us, and get their picture taken, of course.
After a very filling and tasty lunch made by Lucy (bishop’s wife), we
then lazed about at their home for a bit – did I mention it was warmer
and that lunch was very filling? Matthias’ back is still giving him
pain plus sleepy from the pain-killers, though we could not get him to
go lie down. As it is not considered a good idea for us to walk around
by ourselves in the city, we stayed at the house as there was a
follow-up meeting planned with some of the Rotarians regarding next
steps for the mobile clinic late in the afternoon, particularly as
Matthias had not been able to attend last evening. I was very impressed
with all the Rotarians there and would have them on my project team any
day.
After that meeting, Edward drove us back to our hotel where we had a
light supper and chatted together. I am missing being able to walk
places, but learning to enjoy air-conditioning!!
Tomorrow we travel south some to meet with a doctor from the
Christian Health Assoc. of Ghana, to discuss other options for personnel
for the mobile clinic.
Good night everyone, Cheryl
15 January 2020
Today included a 10 hour road trip, first to the airport in Accra to
get Lilian’s luggage and then through the southern part of the Diocese
of Ho / Volta Region of Ghana. I have attached a photo of map with our
hotel and the three Anglican K-8 schools we visited. It does not look
far but with road conditions (which were not as consistently bad as they
seemed to a sleepy person in the dark on Monday night) and city
traffic, the trip to Accra, 165 kms, took 3.5 hours and then a good
while to get out again.
From Accra we headed east towards the Togo border, across the lower
end of the Volta River, which marked the start of the Ho Diocese. After
a couple of brief stops, including purchasing some giant yam fries, we
then headed well off the main road to visit the first school, St.
Matthias. We got there just after school closing time (2:30) but Edward
had called ahead to ask them to wait for us. We had a short meeting
with the teachers then visited the Jr. (our middle school) classrooms,
and then attended the school closing assembly in the yard with all ~240
students. We three white persons seemed very interesting to the
children. They were all beautiful/ handsome/ very cute and mostly very
orderly and polite, well likely shy. They also all wanted to visit
Canada.
The school needed about $1300 CDN to finish their kindergarten block;
Peter will be happy to know that I did not have chequebook with me (not
that a CDN cheque would have worked, of course).
We then visited two other schools, St. Mary and St. Mark, both near
the Togo border. School was well out by this time but we met some
students who lived nearby at the first. This one was waiting for
significant repairs to the Jr. block – with deteriorating bricks sitting
by it, waiting for funds for a mason. At the second we watched a man
drawing palm oil from a fallen tree. We also saw a group of some type
of monkey on the way to Accra.
These schools were significantly less equipped than the school in
Belize that Peter and I and Cathedral team helped at a few years ago. I
was particularly moved by a lesson on spreadsheets left on the board in
one classroom and hearing the school has no computers on which the
students can actually practise. And, similar to Belize, there are not
enough places and personal resources for young people finishing Jr.
school (similar to our grade 8) to attend high school.
I should note that we started the day with a phone call from Matthias
to say he had fallen and hurt his back and so we went without him.
Edward checked in after we got back to Ho. He had gone to hospital to
check, but nothing serious and he was feeling better tonight. With
Edward driving us, we visited schools rather than churches. He is the
director of Ho Anglican schools but does not get to visit the farther
away schools as he does not have a vehicle capable of going to these
communities.
This evening we went to the Ho Rotary Club meeting. Bishop Matthias
would like to see a mobile health clinic (in a van) for the rural
communities of the region. Robbie hopes to obtain a large portion of
the money from Rotary International but that would require his Grand
Manan club partnering with the Ho club. The members were very receptive
to the idea and one member, who worked for local doctor training
college said it aligned with their goals and could likely supply the
doctors/interns. And Lilian won a bottle of beer at the meeting
Tomorrow Lilian and I will meet with Mothers’ Union members in the diocese. I will also offer to tell a Godly Play story.
Cheryl
14 January 2020
We were late getting out of Fredericton due to weather and plane not
arriving to get us. Then three planes arrived at once and ground crew
got backed up in moving bags and de-icing – unfortunately, our plane was
third in line. We then missed our connection in Montreal to Brussels,
by less than half an hour (that flight was barely delayed for some
reason haha) and were automatically rerouted via Heathrow, which only
worked because that flight was delayed leaving. Arrived for breakfast in
Heathrow and got our exercise getting to our departure gate – large
airport does not begin to describe it.
Our new routing had us getting in Accra, Ghana, at 8:00 pm Monday,
about 4 hours after we were originally supposed to arrive. There was a
further delay as Lillian’s bag and one for Ho that she had checked were
not amongst the baggage. The claim process took a while. Eventually we
got out of the airport to a nice thick tropical heat and then on the
road with Bishop Matthias and Edward Matsi driving. Vehicle had air
conditioning. We arrived in Ho about 3 hours later at 1:00 am (I may
have drifted in and out a bit). About halfway along the roads became
very difficult to drive at any speed. Think of pavement half torn up
and then left to erode for a few years. Edward, whose day job is
Director of Ho Anglican Schools, turns out to also be an excellent
off-road driver.
We are staying in the Freedom Hotel, with all the amenities we need, including air-conditioned rooms and a lovely pool.
On Tuesday we slept in some then had the hotel breakfast – rice
porridge, omelet, toast, beans and salad, fruit and coffee. Bishop
Matthias came by and we met about our plans for the week. We then went
to the market so Lilian could buy a dress while waiting for her luggage.
She got 3 outfits, with one for sleeping and one for the pool, all for
less than $20 CDN.
We went back to the hotel and there may have been some napping.
Lilian also tried the pool. Matthias’ daughter Angela, coincidentally
in town for the afternoon, came by to say hello. A call to the airport
then revealed the good news that the missing luggage had arrived there.
Then we went to Matthias’ house for a delicious and very filling meal prepared by Matthias’ wife Lucy and two granddaughters.
Plans for tomorrow include an early start to go back to Accra to pick
up the luggage, then head east to the southern part of the Diocese of
Ho to visit some parishes. We need to be back in Ho for Robbie to have a
meeting with the Rotary Club here.
Bishop and Chapter met on Monday, 13 January 2010 with eleven of a usual twelve members present. Minutes of the 16 December 2019 meeting were adopted as circulated. The Dean offered some commentary on the January Anglican Journal coverage of the recent statistical report delivered to the Council of General Synod. Some brief discussion about the complexity of making long term predictions with short term data and pointing towards various other perspectives that might suggest something other than a 2040 closure of the Anglican Church in Canada, including the “4th Turning” (Stauss and Howe). Interesting “update” blog posts are here.
Business Arising
Narrative Budget - materials to resource creating narrative budgets have been forwarded to the Cathedral Stewardship Team
Director of Music - Thomas Gonder expected to arrive 14 January
Cathedral Restoration Fund by-law - will be on the Finance and Administration Committee agenda this new year
10:00 a.m. Sunday refreshments - consideration will be lead by Welcome and Hospitality and Worship committees
From the Dean
Report about normal duties. Christmas attendance: 567
Decision
ACW Plaque - made in 2006 at the 100th anniversary of Cathedral Anglican Church Women recommended to be hung in the Cathedral following approval of the Dean/Bishop
Clergy Stipend - 2020 stipend to be $15,400 above minimum scale ($58,461 total) plus $16,000 housing allowance
Staff Salaries - 2% cost of living increase in 2020
Administration and Finance - renamed to Finance and Administration
Discussion - nominations for 2020 need attention
Reports
Treasurer - December financials reviewed especially regarding year end status. While a 2019 deficit is quite clear, year end adjustments are likely to be required. The 2020 budget was discussed with suggestions as to presentation and confirming that anticipated income should match estimated expenses
Finance and Administration - budget coming to completion, Restoration Fund considerations, narrative budgeting
Welcome and Hospitality - on the committee’s agenda is the lunch following 10:30 a.m. worship on 23 February, which will be followed by the Annual Congregational Meeting
Health and Pastoral Care - regular programming continues with the exception of Chair Yoga which may begin again after winter. Plans for a possible health Information Session in February or March.
Christian Formation - Faith Alive! continues. Date setting for Family Faith Fiestas in 2020 (22 March and 25 October). Planning for Lenten studies and/or activities will need to begin soon
Communications - on-going attention to social media and the website. Thanks to those who provided “Christmas Memories.” The “people” items are popular so added emphasis in the future on “Cathedral Faces” and other interest posts could be a focus. Photos of interest are pinned to the bulletin board at the Cathedral
Mission and Outreach - Some discussion with ACW regarding the 100th Anniversary plaque. A two minutes for ministry has been requested 26 January which will include an update on the Housing First project. A Housing First Committee meeting date will be set soon
Worship - the December Christmas Carol Sing was successful with an attendance of about 100. Some debriefing may be of use for planning future similar events
Up-coming
23 February - Annual (10:30 a.m. worship, luncheon and meeting)
26 February - Ash Wednesday
12 April - Easter Day
Next meetings: 10 February; 23 February (Annual Meeting)
Dr. John Valk presented "Christianity Through a Worldview Lens" in Fredericton on 11 and 12 February 2020. A "Christian forum" organized by the Spiritual Development Team of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Fredericton, John delivered a comprehensive overview which serves to describe the challenges of Christianity (and other religious faiths) in a post-modern world.
