The life of Edith Nutter, widow of former Archbishop Harold Nutter, was celebrated at Christ Church Cathedral September 17.
Edith, in her 98th year, died July 29 in Perth, Ont. where she had lived for 10 years. A small, intimate service for family and friends was held there in early August, but the family wanted to come home for a memorial service and her burial next to her husband, thus the September service.
Dean Geoffrey Hall presided, while the Rev. Keith Joyce, former dean of the Cathedral, preached. The Rev. Bruce Nutter, Edith’s son, presided at the Eucharist, assisted by Archbishop David Edwards and the Rev. Craig O’Brien. ...
Members of the Cathedral Youth Group (CYG) were happy to gather in-person on 17 October, after an extended summer break. About a dozen were in attendance; a combination of high schoolers, middle schoolers, and youth leaders, including three new members in Grade 6.
Returning members were very pleased to see one another again in the CYG circle after such a long time away. The group sang, prayed, played games, and discussed their goals, desires, and plans for the next few months.
Kurt Schmidt, Cathedral Director of Christian Formation, was pleased with the long-anticipated return, saying, "Thanks to all who helped make our Fall 2021 CYG Launch last Sunday such a lovely time together." He is especially appreciative of the assistance of several youth leaders, who have a great rapport with the kids.
CYG outdoor meetings earlier in the pandemic, distanced and bubbled.
At the gathering, he also unveiled a new feature... a location change! CYG has spent much of the pandemic meeting online, outside, in the Cathedral, and in the Main Hall. This fall, a decision was made to convert the Youth Room on the top floor of Memorial Hall into a workspace, allowing the Diocesan Synod Office to expand their daily operations. CYG is in the process of moving their materials to the ground floor and will be creating a gathering area on the stage. During their meetings, they will continue to use a variety of areas in the Cathedral and Hall that complement their activities, whether they be active, musical, prayerful, virtual, or culinary.
On 24 October, the youth returned to the Hall for pumpkin carving in the kitchen. They laughed and got messy, while making jack-o'-lanterns that won prizes for "(1) spookiest, (2) cleverest / creativest / wildest, and (3) youth-groupiest pumpkins."
The Youth Group will break for Halloween, resuming in November. Any interested young people in middle or high school are welcome to attend CYG, and all are warmly and formally invited. Spread the word! Contact Kurt for details, via email or phone (506) 259-3711.
Please note that proof of double vaccination or medical exemption for ages 12+ is required for indoor gatherings in the Cathedral and Hall, and masks are mandatory. Thank you for your continued cooperation and compliance on these fronts.
Forty paper angels from Greener Village (the food bank) are waiting patiently to be chosen from a small tree in the cathedral. Each requests a specific Christmas gift or stocking stuffers for a needy boy or girl in our city.
Please print your name and telephone number on the clipboard to indicate which angel you are adopting. Bring your unwrapped gift, with the paper angel firmly attached, to the church on Sunday, November 14th. Drop-off boxes will be set up near the angel tree.
If you cannot bring your gift that Sunday, please bring it to the Cathedral Office no later than Wednesday, November 17th (office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon).
“This is the food bank's deadline for our crop of angels, allowing them time to distribute gifts to the hundreds of families they serve,” explained Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander. “The committee must purchase any gifts that arrive late or not at all.”
Another option for Christmas giving is to write a cheque payable to Christ Church Cathedral and indicate Christmas Outreach on the memo line. Deliver your cheque to the church office by December 17th. As in past years, these funds will be divided equally among the Fredericton Homeless Shelters, Women in Transition House Inc. and the Fredericton Community Kitchens.
“The Outreach Committee thanks you warmly for your generous support in making Christmas special for people in our city who need help, especially in these difficult times of an ongoing pandemic and high inflation,” Doug concluded.
With the leaves quickly changing and fading, it is the time of year where we need to consider getting the flu shot!
The influenza vaccine is highly recommended this year by health care professionals. Last year we had no recorded cases of influenza in New Brunswick. This was likely due to pandemic measures - like decreased travel, as well as minimizing close contacts, diligent hand hygiene, and mask wearing. Pandemic measures being opened up, and ever-changing in our province, brings an increased risk for a rampant flu season. We cannot be sure what this Fall and Winter season will bring, but receiving the influenza vaccine is a good first step, as it brings immunity within the first 14 days of receiving it (Government of New Brunswick Influenza Immunization, 2021).
Again this year, the influenza vaccine is free for all New Brunswick residents, and can be accessed by most healthcare providers. Public Health Offices, family physicians, and pharmacies are some of the easiest access points for your influenza vaccine, which are currently available. Pharmacists are able to give vaccines to those 2 years of age and up. For those over 65 years of age, Public Health has recommended the high-dose vaccine (they are calling it the Cadillac) for added immunity in this population.
For those who are eligible for their COVID-19 booster (currently available - eligibility criteria is on the GNB website, or ask your health care provider or myself), the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) advised that itis safe for people to get both the COVID-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine at the same time. This has been a hot topic question for those seeking both the COVID-19 booster and the influenza vaccines. If you have any questions surrounding COVID-19 or influenza vaccines and boosters, or need help accessing your vaccines, please reach out! I would love to assist you.
Point of Contact Testing kits for COVID-19 (rapid test kits to use at home) are available to the public at Exhibition Grounds, 361 Smythe St., Fredericton (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday). Simply drive through the queue and staff will pass out a kit for each passenger over that age of 2 in the vehicle.
Join us in November for Life Shared, a 3-session series designed by the creators of Alpha. Through Biblical teaching from leading Christian voices and real stories of invitation, each session will encourage and equip us to live out God’s call to share our lives and our faith with friends, colleagues and neighbours.
All are welcome and invited to participate. The series will be held on Wednesdays, November 10, 17 and 24, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, in-person at Cathedral Memorial Hall. Hosted by Cheryl Jacobs. To indicate your interest, email Cheryl or phone/text (506) 259-5748.
Life Shared is presented by the Christian Formation Team at Christ Church Cathedral. Sharing the Spirit together with you in 3D -- as Devoted Disciples Dancing.
My family join me in saying: Thank you so very much for all your letters, cards, condolences but more especially contained within them expressions of such love, care and support in every way. You truly are a Scriptural example of following Jesus' teaching on how to care for those who are in grief and mourning. Your action through words and prayer have sustained me during this time. I have known the Grace of the Holy Spirit daily manifested in the peace, courage, stamina to do what I needed to do. My prayers have been for you. Please keep praying, it is early days yet!!
Who would have ever thought my dear Nathan, whom so many of you knew would leave us all so quickly?
As a long time member of the Cathedral family, Nathan loved and delighted in being involved in the Cathedral life; he was looking forward to the time when we would return. Nathan loved life. "Life is wonderful, full of wonder" he would say. He has taken that with him, I am sure as he steps forward into the 'great mystery" that is God.
We have postponed a Memorial Service at the Cathedral until next spring/early summer due to our present COVID situation. God willing we can celebrate Nathan's life with tears and laughter with the hope that COVID restrictions are eased. A small group will be planning a rose garden in his memory in Fredericton over these winter months. Any suggestions will be very welcome.
I have waited a few weeks, on my return to Fredericton, to send this message of thanks for all of you. I do so now at this time of Thanksgiving when we give our thanks to God Our Father, Son and Holy Spirit who loves us and is with us amidst all that we have to face, and who is so willing to fill us with His Grace, His gifts to help, and sustain us always.
Thank you dear friends. I look forward to when I can meet you face to face and give my thanks to you personally.
In the meantime, be safe and above all let us appreciate each other for the very special people God has made us to be.
I ask God's blessings for us all.
Isabel
NOTE: If you would like to reach out to Isabel, please contact the Cathedral Office by phone (506) 450-8500 or email for more information.
The Christmas Angels are soon coming back to the Cathedral.
“In 2020, with the uncertainties of the pandemic and no vaccines in sight, we donated $1,800 instead of running the usual toy drive,” explained Outreach Committee treasurer Doug Milander. “The cheque reflected the value of the toys usually provided by our congregation to the Greener Village Food Bank. The managers were really pleased with our help.”
This year 50 paper angels will be hung on a little, lighted tree in the cathedral. Each will indicate the name and age of a local child in need as well as a suggested toy or other gift. Some requests will be for stocking stuffers instead of specific toys.
“A new twist this year is that the food bank wants all of the items returned to them by November 15th at the very latest,” Doug added. “This will allow in-person or online shopping to be done well before the Christmas rush, and it will give their staff more time to arrange for deliveries to the hundreds of registered families.”
As in past years, collection bins will be set up at the cathedral and at the church office to receive the toys and stocking stuffers.
“The cathedral family has a long and generous history with the Christmas Angels program, and people always seem happy to put a big smile on a child's face at Christmas,” Doug said.
He added, however, that the Outreach Committee will dip into its budget to supply any of the 50 gifts missing at the deadline.
As soon as the paper angels arrive from the food bank in October, more details will be provided to the congregation. Stay tuned!
The World Council of Churches’ Conference on World Mission and Evangelism met in Arusha, Tanzania, in March 2018. From this meeting, the more than 1,000 participants, who were all regularly engaged in mission and evangelism, issued the Arusha Call to Discipleship. At our own national church General Synod in 2019, resolution A-129 was passed that we affirm the Arusha Call; encourage bodies within the General Synod to integrate this call into the guiding principles of baptismal living for the shaping of national ministries; and commend the Arusha Call to dioceses for study and inclusion in their considerations of evangelism, witness and discipleship.
Spiritual Development Team members and others are offering reflections in the New Brunswick Anglican on the 12 points within this call. This is Call # 12, written by Archbishop Davis Edwards. Cathedral Dean Geoffrey Hall previously wrote a reflection on Call #5, Director of Christian Formation Kurt Schmidt wrote a reflection on Call #7, and chair of the Diocesan Spiritual Development Team, Cheryl Jacobs wrote a reflection on Call #11.
We are called to live in the light of the resurrection, which offers hope-filled possibilities for transformation.
In 2018 the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued the Arusha Call to Discipleship, then there was COVID-19. The pandemic has highlighted many of the issues which Arusha raised, but also points to something very important. We are one. It does not matter what the issue is, as residents of this planet we are in this together.
The Arusha call is a call to live in ways that are faithful to the Gospel. The first line is of vital importance, “As disciples of Jesus Christ, both individually and collectively...”. It then goes on to list the 12 points of the call. We learn to be disciples of Jesus as individuals, but also together. In John 17:20 Jesus prays for those who will believe because of the words of the disciples that we may be one with each other and with him and the Father.
This is part of the bigger story. In John 20: 30 -31 the Apostle writes:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”
The Gospels are not a random collection of stories with meaning. They are intentional about revealing the purposes of God. One of the ways in which this is done is through living a different life in unity with the resurrected Jesus and each other, to demonstrate what the people of God look like, that others might see and believe.
In essence the final point of the Arusha call is a call to life, that being to live in the light of the resurrection, which offers hope for transformation. This happens on all levels, relationship with God, relationship with others and relationship with creation.
During the past year I have read three very sad and disturbing books. They were written by “successful” Christian leaders from different denominations who have not only turned their backs on church, but also on God.
Individually, they had various reasons for leaving, but one thing was consistent: either they or their congregation members were not living transformed lives. They were not necessarily talking about moral failing, but that following Jesus did not seem to be transformative in the way people looked at the world. The models of the world had been adopted by the Church.
I sometimes ask myself what it is to live life in the light of the resurrection? Although I am sure we could all pick holes in the Arusha Call, its overall trajectory tells us what this is like. It involves looking away from self and towards others, once again on both the personal and collective levels.
This can be something very simple, but there will be a cost. One of our parishes has partnered with a local coffeeshop/restaurant in a pay-it-forward scheme. They bought a number of free coffees for those who cannot afford them. Cards have been stuck to a board and anyone can take one. This has inspired other people to join in paying it forward.
There are also the big things that we are called to and which we do collectively on a large scale, such as the issues surrounding Residential Schools and Indigenous Peoples. This is something we are working on as a national church.
If we look to Jesus, we see the resurrection life being lived. It is not centred on self, but on others. That is the call we are faced with.
As the Arusha document reminds us, this has to be surrounded with prayer.
“This is not a call that we can answer in our own strength, so the call becomes, in the end, a call to prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the gift of life in all its diversity and beauty. Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, we praise you that you came to find the lost, to free the oppressed, to heal the sick, and to convert the self-centred. Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you breathe in the life of the world and are poured out into our hearts. As we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the Spirit. Grant us faith and courage to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus: becoming pilgrims of justice and peace in our time. For the blessing of your people, the sustaining of the earth, and the glory of your name. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.”
By now, you may have had an opportunity to check out Sarah Ecker's profile on our website under Clergy and Staff: Parish Nurse. While it gives you a glimpse into the life of this amazing, outgoing, bubbly, professional nurse, we think it just scratched the surface. And so, here's a slightly deeper look at our newest staff member.
Sarah was born and raised in Fredericton and thanks to her 'build one and sell it' father, she has lived in many different houses in different parts of the city. In typical New Brunswick fashion, it didn't take long to find a degree of separation connection between Sarah and I (Gail MacGillivray).
My Dad would not even consider the purchase of a vehicle that was not sold by Alison Monteith of Monteith Motors - Sarah's Dad! I recall many stops at Monteith Motors over the years. Alison was such a good salesman that he even managed to recruit Sarah to work for him. Her career as a used car salesperson lasted for about 2 years.
It was quite a leap from selling cars to nursing, and a whole lot of life experiences before and after both for Sarah.
Shortly after graduation, at the ripe old age of 17, Sarah headed for Virginia. A close friend of hers was heading off to a Bible College and Sarah decided to follow. Sarah's upbringing was as an Evangelical and this study of Theology gave Sarah a broader understanding of the many different ways that we worship. It was one of many life experiences where Sarah felt a calling to be in that place at that time. Her time at the College also gave her a chance to travel throughout the USA, to Northern Ireland and Jamaica, and to experience diversity in race, language, religion, lifestyle and more.
While Sarah was studying Nursing at UNB, she spent a summer working at a children's camp on the Miramichi. It was here that she met her husband, Andrew. Andrew was working on a degree in social work. Andrew was born in Ontario but grew up in Miramichi. As Sarah put it, "they just clicked" and by the next summer they were engaged.
Sarah and Andrew currently live in Mactaquac) and they have two children, chickens, a dog, a cat and a deep love for their community!
She describes their 6 year old son, Elias, as being "too smart for his own good" and says he is frequently referred to in her family as "the Mayor" as he always has a handle on what is going on and is more than willing to assume a leadership role. Elias is in Grade One and it sounds like he is destined to be class president! Daughter Mercy is 4 and her Mom describes her as "fire and ice". A deeply passionate spitfire who is also very tenderhearted. Andrew currently works for the Mobile Crisis Unit, a division of Horizon Health which responds to mental health crises.
Sarah and her family are deeply focused on their Christian beliefs and living a life in Christ internalized. When the Pandemic first broke out, like many people, Sarah and Andrew spent time at home in reflection. As Sarah put it, COVID gave them a chance to examine closely the human qualities most important to them, recognizing that what they wanted was "to be a part of a community that was part of their values." They came to the conclusion that their Church family, especially, had to reflect those values of justice, mercy and humility.
Sarah is "loving the new job" as our Parish Nurse. She describes herself as someone who "loves working in a team environment" and especially loves collaborating with different sectors and "building bridges". She looks forward to having the opportunity to work as part of a team focused on "bringing wellness to people in body, mind and spirit".
Once again, a hearty Cathedral welcome to Sarah, who hopes that everyone will reach out to her, if only just to say hi. She is looking forward to her role in Pastoral Care and to working with the many volunteers that allow the Parish Nurse to make a positive difference in the lives of our congregation members!
Visit the Cathedral on Sunday, 03 October for an exciting collaboration between Atlantic Sinfonia String Orchestra and Thomas Gonder, Cathedral organist and Director of Music. Looking Back is part of MusicUNB, an annual concert series that features chamber and cutting-edge classical music performances.
Over the centuries, composers have looked to those before them for inspiration. This program explores the music of a Canadian and a British composer who were inspired by music from years ago, as well as that of the Italian, Respighi, who was a twentieth century composer that bucked the trends of his day to explore music from the past.
Presented by the UNB Centre for Musical Arts. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, 03 October. Click here for ticket information.
Edith, in her 98th year, died July 29 in Perth, Ont. where she had lived for 10 years. A small, intimate service for family and friends was held there in early August, but the family wanted to come home for a memorial service and her burial next to her husband, thus the September service.
