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Smart (er?) Stewardship

Diocesan Stewardship Officer Mike Briggs writes in the October NB Anglican

‘Work smarter not harder.’

How many of us have heard the above phrase in our working lives? It is an exhortation to use your time wisely so you can produce more with less effort and is typically well understood by everyone. Have you thought about stewardship in the same way? We all know of the tax benefits that come from donating to a registered charity, and I have written on this on a number of occasions.

Let’s look at food banks for example. How many of us add a few extra cans of soup, boxes of Kraft Dinner, or pasta to our grocery carts and donate it in the bin after we check out at the cash register?

We all know of the tax benefits that come from donating to a registered charity

Volunteering at a local food bank two afternoons most weeks, I can certainly see the need, especially now with all the restrictions and unemployment due to COVID-19, although New Brunswick is faring better than most provinces.

Instead of buying those extra items, welcome though they are, have you considered donating directly to the local food bank or to Food Depot Alimentaire, the organization that distributes to the food banks?

I’ve illustrated the advantages of doing this in a table. The food banks do not have enough food donations to fulfill their needs so they go out and purchase.

Due to their bulk purchases, the major chains give them a price break — more product for the same dollar amount. I had not thought about this until our parish had the executive of a local food bank give us a talk. If you think about what you spend, then gross it up to allow for the tax relief, then donate that amount, you have spent the same after-tax dollars. However, the food bank is able to use those grossed-up dollars and purchase much more. The end result is that for the same after-tax donation to the food bank, they receive far more product than if you had donated the product itself.

As you can see, the first column is an illustration of giving product directly. The second shows donating the same amount of cash, lowering your after-tax cost but giving the food bank extra.

Greener VillageThe last column shows the result of giving so your net aftertax cost remains the same as donating product but the food bank receives three times the product that you would donate directly.

In New Brunswick the tax relief is a little below 50 percent, but I have used that percentage for ease of illustration. This is just one example of smart stewardship where you leverage the tax advantages so your charitable donation goes much further.

Think about all you do and whether there is a way to give smarter and benefit your chosen charities.

Episcopal Church of Roatan / Nelson and Kara Ministry (September 2020 Update)

Roatán Update September 2020

Roatán Update September 2020

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5, NIV)

We give all glory and honour to the Lord for your partnering with us. Without your support and especially your prayers, our ministry would never have been possible or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.

Time has passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, six months of pandemic have passed and of course there are many things that we have learned to do differently, in the church as well as personally.

I remember reading about the plans for reconstruction of the walls of the City of Jerusalem, a great project that God put in the hands of Nehemiah. Nehemiah Chapter 2:11

Today we are approaching the time when we will reopen the church buildings of the Anglican Church in Honduras. There are great challenges ahead, but we will put forth our best effort to rebuild the Kingdom of God in the midst of the pandemic. This will not be easy, but it is possible with God help.

We will rebuild the Kingdom of God, minister to wounded hearts, assist unemployed families, mourn lost loved ones, and create new ways of evangelism and the studying of the Word of God.

The kingdom of God will continue to grow and we thank God for your life, your family and your churches, who have not left us alone, but have always prayed for our ministry with faith. Not only have you prayed, your have also made financial sacrifices with love and have given to our ministry. We are truly very grateful to God and to each of you for your sacrifice.

God will continue to honor your lives, your families and your churches.

What is happening in our family?

God has been good to our family. Our son Stephen started classes at Providence University in Winnipeg, and Rev. Kara de Mejia arrived back in Roatan recently, after visiting and sharing with her brothers and sisters-in-law who had not seen her in a long time.

Our daughter Kelly will complete her entire educational year online, with new processes to which we have had to adapt.

Stephen is adapting very well to the first year of university. Fortunately, with the help of scholarships and other financial aid, he has been able to pay for his fall tuition. Please pray that he will find a job to pay for his winter tuition.

If you would like to contact Stephen, please send him an email at this address: [email protected]

Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project (Soup Kitchen)

We could use a little help! www.tttfmicro.com

“To catch you up over the last couple of weeks, we did feed between 700 and 750 the week before last. Last week back to 600+. The new stove and refrigerator (used) are working out fabulously. We are experimenting with beans to see what we can stretch. We are also looking into pricing hot dog spaghetti (I am reserving judgement but my Honduran friends insist that it is delicious). We are maintaining each serving at less than 50 cents including the plates and forks.

Things are getting pretty bad here with petty crime and desperation for food. People are literally standing out in the middle of the street holding out a hand for drivers to give them money. There are people walking through the grocery store asking that we buy cereal and milk powder so they can feed their kids. There are so many people asking for money that we have started handing out uncooked rice and beans. It only helps for a couple of meals but there are so many asking, it is all we can do.

And even we are having to make difficult decisions in these difficult times. We are so grateful to those of you who have supported the mission and helped feed the hungry, but the reality is that those funds have been spent and the food has been eaten. We are at a real crossroads here and are facing the idea that we may not be able to continue helping without some financial assistance.  We have reached into our own pockets to our absolute limits.

We are almost out of money and will need to cut back unless we can get more in.  They have no jobs, money, or means of escape.  The airport is beginning to accept international travelers but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the cruise ships that won’t be back until next year.  These are the children of Christ, our brothers and sisters. Please consider helping us feed the people of Roatan.”

To see weekly updates and support this project, please go to: www.tttfmicro.com

Please pray that all the resources will be obtained to continue with this project for the benefit of individuals and families on the Bay Islands who are impacted by Covid 19.

Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan

To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Honduras, at the moment we have 71,616 cases. There have been 2,185 deaths and 22,065 people have recovered. We in Roatán have over 1128 cases confirmed at the moment;151 people have recovered and there have been 17 deaths.

There are 24 people at the Hospital and 43 at the Covid 19 center.

On September 21st a group of nurses and doctors arrived in Roatan from the mainland to help with the Covid impact on the Island.

Roatan Emmanuel Episcopal Church

At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church our building continues to be closed. Our Diocesan Bishop Lloyd Allen called the Episcopal Church in Honduras to be prepared with the biosecurity protocol to open our buildings when the government approves. The protocol includes all the regulations regarding being in the building and celebrating the Eucharist, Morning or Evening Prayer.

Projects at Emmanuel Church

We finished the stucco of a side wall of the church, a small project that we had to pause due to government regulations, and also stained the doors of the church, providing some work for one of the kids at the church.

We also help families pay for electricity, medications and groceries.

There is not much that we can do, but we focus on the maintenance of the building until we can meet again to worship.

Financial Support

On the financial side, we continue to be very positive and to pray and praise God with faith and thanksgiving. We also ask you to continue to pray about our finances, that for the rest of the year our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs. At the moment our balance is very low. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering to cover our expenses and needs.

To donate now, please click on the following link (or copy and paste it into your browser):

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13778

Or you can visit the Diocese of Fredericton’s website (www.anglican.nb.ca) then go to “Donate” for various ways to give online. Be sure to select “Honduras Mission Fund”.

Cheques should be made payable to “The Diocesan Synod of Fredericton” and sent to: Anglican Diocesan Synod of Fredericton, 115 Church Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 4C8

Phone: (506) 459-1801

All cheques should have “Honduras Mission” noted on the reference line.

We know that with the global impact of the pandemic it is difficult for everyone in the world. That said, we greatly appreciate your prayer and financial support to date and trust that you will continue to support us.

Please continue to pray for:

1.   Please continue to pray for Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19.

2.   Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba and for him  to find a job to provide for his expenses.

3.   Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is struggling financially to cover all the clergy stipends as Bishop Lloyd Emmanuel Allen said.

4.   Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.

5.   The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.

6.   Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.

7.   Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.

8.   For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.

9.   Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities in the midst of the pandemic.

10.  For leadership for the Church in Roatán.

11.  The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2020.

Thank you to all who have faithfully prayed and faithfully given to support this incredible work of ministering to the people in our congregations.

Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Your prayers and continued support enable us to continue touching people’s lives with Jesus’ love.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.     Ephesians 3:20-21

Empowering the Church

Learning, Growing and Serving

Nelson and Kara Mejia

New Horizons in Ministry – David and Mary Beth Alenskis

Dear friends, family and supporters,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Many of you have been keeping up with us regularly over the last few months, as we evacuated Belize, as we continued ministering remotely with our congregations, schools and diocese in Belize, and as we prayed urgently for our people there when cases began to climb dramatically last month. We want to thank you for your partnership with us in your prayers, in your giving, and in your words of encouragement during what has been some of the hardest six months of our lives. Again, thank you so much!
Mary Beth and I have two important things we need to share with you this week:
  1. We are beyond excited to announce that Austin has a younger brother! James Edward Alenskis was born this week, and both he and his mother are doing very well. Please join with us in expressing our joy and thanksgiving to God who kept Mary Beth and James safe throughout the length of her pregnancy!
  2. We are also excited to announce that we are entering a new season of ministry as SAMS missionaries, one during which we will be preparing ourselves to serve on the mission field in the realm of theological education and ministry development.I encourage you to watch the following video discussing these changes. In the video Mary Beth and I share the vision that God has put on our hearts for discipling and raising up leaders to serve Christ and his church … and SAMS president Stewart Wicker even has a cameo presenting his perspective on these new vistas in mission. You can check it out here: A Special Address.Please also read our blog update regarding our transition to a new season of ministry as SAMS missionaries: New Horizons.The short version is this: in order to answer God’s call to serve the church by teaching and equipping emerging leaders, and with the support of SAMS and the bishops to whom we are accountable, this month I am beginning a PhD in Theological Studies through Wycliffe College, an orthodox Anglican college that forms part of the University of Toronto. When the Canadian border actually opens to us, we will be moving to the greater Toronto area for the next 4–6 years in order to pursue this new direction for our ministry. This means that although our time in Belize will be coming to a conclusion, we will also still be serving as full-time SAMS missionaries and will still be in need of your fervent prayers and financial support.

    On that note, I should add that your continued gifts to our ministry are crucial as we anticipate a much higher cost of living in Toronto than in Belize. We have been granted some scholarship funds by Wycliffe and by SAMS, but we will be covering the majority of my tuition and school fees from out of our family’s budget. Your financial support will help ensure that we are able to rent a modest apartment, feed our family, and raise our children over the next few years, allowing us to truly focus on finishing my academic program and therefore get back on the mission field as soon as possible.
Friends, we understand that you probably have some serious questions for us, and we would love to answer them, not only via email, but through Skype or FaceTime or Zoom or even an old-fashioned phone call. So please let us know how best to touch base with you, and we’ll do our best to make it happen.
Until then, know that we are deeply grateful for your partnership and collaboration with us, for your willingness to be stakeholders in our ministry abroad. May the Lord richly bless you and everything that you are doing, not only for our growing family, but for Christ and his Kingdom!
In Christ,
David+ and Mary Beth
760.523.2233
The last time we were in Toronto was four years ago for missionary training. Who could have guessed we would be back for so much longer?

Housing project delayed until 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unwelcome but unavoidable delay in construction of a three-unit, affordable housing project to be owned and operated by the cathedral.

A computer rendering of the triplex of small homes that will be built on Albert Street, near Regent Street.

"The original plan was to grade the land on Albert Street and start construction last spring, so that three people would be able to move into supported housing this fall," Outreach Committee chair Penny Ericson said.

"Money has been raised in the community, the City of Fredericton donated the land and transferred the title, the design work is done, and people at the cathedral are eager to help. This type of compact, affordable housing is sorely needed by the homeless population."

Then in March the Province declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 health crisis, and the economy ground to a sudden and prolonged halt.

The United Way's Housing First co-ordinator Jason LeJeune explained a domino effect impacted the project on Albert Street as well as a four-unit project on Jaffrey Street to be owned and operated by another local church.

"It was really kind of death by a thousand pinpricks," LeJeune said.

When the pandemic hit, the builder of the proposed small houses, Maple Leaf Homes, shut down. By the time the business reopened, it faced a large backlog of orders and heavy demand for building materials. The closure of some municipal and provincial government offices resulted in delays for elements of the project. The two building sites need water and sewer lines installed and this type of work is backlogged, too.

LeJeune said the delay is unfortunate because the projects are designed to help some of the city's most vulnerable people at a time when the vacancy rate for rentals is extremely low. Forty townhouses, each ranging from 34 to 43 square metres, will eventually be built.

Penny Ericson agreed the work slowdown has been frustrating, but she said numerous items to furnish and equip the three townhouses have already been collected and are in storage awaiting construction next spring.

"We look forward to seeing things get back on track next year so that three people can move into their new homes in 2021," she said.

More information will be made available next year about ways in which the cathedral family might be able to help with final details for this project.

Community Kitchens Fundraising Committee – September 2020

Community KitchensWant to contribute to your community? Are you creative, motivated and full of ideas? Do you want to help raise funds for essential programs and services? Then we need YOU!

We are looking to add 5 new members to our FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE! This is a great opportunity, especially for university students, to get involved and make a difference!

These positions are CRITICAL to helping the Fredericton Community Kitchens raise money to keep our services and programs going year-round!

Think you might be the right fit? Apply online today:
We are looking for creative, motivated, community-minded individuals to join our FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE! We have 5 open spots available. Let us know how you feel you could contribute, and we will be in touch shortly! FAQs:
1. We will be doing a mix of virtual (zoom) and in-person meetings with masks and social distancing. If you do not feel comfortable meeting in person, we will arrange a call-in option!
2. We will meet once a month.
3. The tasks will be assigned based on skills and experience. We need all types of personalities and skill levels! There will be something for everyone.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out!
Danielle Everett
Administrative Assistant
Fredericton Community Kitchens Inc.
65 Brunswick Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 1G5

506.457.1788 (work)
506.292.8840 (cell)

Episcopal Church of Roatan / Nelson and Kara Ministry (August 2020 Update)

Roatán Update August 2020

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5, NIV)

We give all glory and honour to the Lord for your partnering with us. Without your support and especially your prayers, our ministry would never have been possible or impact our generation. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.

The past few months have been totally different in every aspect. As we all know, the disruption caused this year by a global pandemic and many other challenging factors such as malaria, dengue, education, unemployment, delinquency, and the country’s weak economy have negatively affected us and forced  us to cancel the plans that we had before the disruption.

Many people have had to work on projects to change and improve the way they earn an  income. Many have had to leave their daily occupations and go out to sell bread, baleadas, hamburgers, vegetables and many other things to survive.

Driving change inside our church can be challenging when change outside our church is greater. 

We pray for wisdom to take the challenges we are already facing, guided by God, confident in what the word of God says in Romans 8:31. That if God is in our favor, no one can be against us!

What is happening in our family?

Time goes fast; it seems like yesterday that a three-year-old boy arrived in Roatan in 2006, and this year he has received his Diploma from High School. The school didn’t celebrate graduation because of the impact of Covid 19, however he is going to Providence University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Stephen and Kara have arrived safely in Winnipeg ahead of the start of his first term, and I would like to ask your prayers specially for Stephen as he experiences living in a new culture and being at a new stage of his life.

This is the first time that Stephen will be on his own, however we knew it would happen eventually. We will miss him, but we know it is for the best. If you would like to send a message to Stephen: [email protected]

Kara is returning to Roatan in the first week in September. Kelly’s school is planning to start classes online and if the situation permits they will have Art and Physical Education at the school.

Emmanuel Community Kitchen Project (Soup Kitchen)

We continue with the community kitchen, and at the moment we are feeding over 600 people around the Island. This includes adults and children.

To see weekly updates and support this project, please go to: www.tttfmicro.com

Please pray that all the resources will be obtained to continue with this project for the benefit of individuals and families on the Bay Islands who are impacted by Covid 19.

Impact of Covid 19

We continue to face Covid 19. To update you on Honduras, at the moment we have 43,197 cases,1377 deaths and 5794 people who have recovered.We in Roatán have 202 cases confirmed at the moment, and 60 people who have recovered. 

Roatan Emmanuel Episcopal Church

At Emmanuel Episcopal/Anglican Church our building continues to be closed. Our Diocesan Bishop Lloyd Allen, called the Episcopal Church in Honduras to be prepared with the biosecurity protocol to open our buildings when the government approves. The protocol includes all the regulations regarding being in the building and celebrating the Eucharist, Morning or Evening Prayer.

Projects at Emmanuel Church

We continue with the stucco of a side wall of the church, a small project that we had to stop due to government regulations. We would like to give a special thank you to Tracey Larter from Vancouver who has donated some money for this project and also for the delivery of bags of groceries to the people in need. Both churches – St. Peter in Brick Bay and Emmanuel Coxen Hole – received the benefit. Thank you, Tracey. 

  • sdr

Financial Support

On the financial side, we continue to be very positive and to pray and praise God with faith and thanksgiving. We also ask you to continue to pray about our finances, that for the rest of the year our support will stabilize and be sufficient to cover our needs. At the moment our balance is very low. Therefore, please consider sending a special offering to cover our expenses and needs.

To donate now, please click on the following link (or copy and paste it into your browser):

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13778

Or you can visit the Diocese of Fredericton’s website (www.anglican.nb.ca) then go to “Donate” for various ways to give online. Be sure to select “Honduras Mission Fund”.

Cheques should be made payable to “The Diocesan Synod of Fredericton” and sent to: Anglican Diocesan Synod of Fredericton, 115 Church Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 4C8

Phone: (506) 459-1801

All cheques should have “Honduras Mission” noted on the reference line.

We know that with the global impact of the pandemic it is difficult for everyone in the world. That said, we greatly appreciate your prayer and financial support to date and trust that you will continue to support us.

Please continue to pray for:

1.   Please continue to pray for Roatan and Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19. 

2.   Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son who was accepted at Providence University College in Manitoba. Providence awaits him in September 2020. His flight is scheduled  for July 31rst.  Please pray for safe travel.

3.   Please pray for our Diocese in Honduras that is starting the process to elect a Suffragan Bishop to assist our Diocesan Bishop, Lloyd Emmanuel Allen.

4.   Continued and stable financial support for the next three years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.

5.   The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.

6.   Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole.

7.   Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.

8.   For youth leadership, that God will provide someone to minister to and guide the young people.

9.   Spiritual and practical outreach in the local communities.

10.  For leadership for the Church in Roatán.

11.  The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2020.

Thank you to all who have faithfully prayed and faithfully given to support this incredible work of ministering to the people in our congregations.

Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Your prayers and continued support enable us to continue touching people’s lives with Jesus’ love.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.     Ephesians 3:20-21 

Empowering the Church

Learning, Growing and Serving

Nelson and Kara Mejia

Getting ready – outreach summer 2020

GETTING READY  - Canon Patricia Drummond packs goodie bags as part of the cathedral's summer outreach efforts. Due to the pandemic, the weekly drop-in for people in need has not been held since mid-March, but supermarket gift cards are distributed outdoors on the last Monday of the month. On July 27th, 50 people received a gift card or bus tickets plus a bar of soap and a goodie bag containing bananas, homemade muffins, cookies, a sandwich, a granola bar, and bottled water. Food items were donated by members of the cathedral family. A similar effort will take place August 31st.

Thanks from PWRDF – March 2020

Christ Church Cathedral
168 Church St
Fredericton NB   E3B 4C9

March 26, 2020

80 Hayden Street, Toronto ON  M4Y 3G2
866-308-7973
 pwrdf. org

Dear Friends of PWRDF,

On behalf of the Board, staff and partners of The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), I would like to extend our thanks for the recent generous donation of $13,957.50 from your church.

Your gift supports the work of PWRDF and its partners in preventive health, mother and child wellness, food security and nutrition, clean water and sanitation, Indigenous language and cultural reclamation, economic empowerment, and emergency humanitarian relief both here at home in Canada and in more than thirty countries around the world. For over 60 years PWRDF has worked to improve the lives of marginalized people around the world through development programs and relief efforts. We could not achieve the results and successes and helped so many without the generous support of our caring donors like you.

Thank you again for your support for the work of PWRDF and our vision of creating a truly just, healthy and peaceful world.

With blessings and gratitude,

William Postma
Executive Director

View in PDF format

Bishop McAllister College Appeal (July 2020)

July 20, 2020

Dear Friends,

I am writing to update you about the status of the school and to request your prayers and support as Bishop McAllister School and Seminary face their greatest threat in my 23 years here.

On March 18th all schools in Uganda were abruptly closed due to COVID 19 for a period of 30 days. After several extensions, all schools in Uganda were closed indefinitely. It is now unlikely that we shall reopen before February 2021.

When we closed in March we suffered a loss of $15,600 USD in unremitted fees and an additional $8,200 already spent on food that had to be given away. While this was an enormous loss to us (about 7% of our annual operating budget), we hoped to be able to survive assuming that we would collect fees for the second and third terms of this year. Now as we face losing the entire year of fees the financial challenges on several fronts could jeopardize our entire ministry. Our teaching and non teaching staff have remained unpaid for three months and could remain without any income until February 2021. The school continues to have a basic operating staff, security, grounds keepers etc, and there are bills mounting each day that we are closed. Our annual operating budget is based solely on the collection of school fees, of which 27% comes from sponsorship. We are in need of funds to maintain and secure our property and facilities, to provide some small support to our teaching staff whom we will need on reopening and to make sure that we have funds at opening to purchase food and other necessities for a boarding school of 750 students. 

With the encouragement of leaders and supporters in both Canada and the USA I am launching an Appeal, BMCK 2020. I know many churches and individuals are facing financial constraints just now, and I would not ever suggest christians should divert their support from their local churches, but only appeal to those who are able to support this one time effort. My target would be to raise $40,000 USD. $20,000 would be to cover current operating costs, including the maintenance of the schools property and buildings, and ensure the school was ready to open smoothly with food and other necessities unhand as soon as we are given permission to open. The additional $20,000 would be allocated for teachers and non teaching staff, providing them with a small living allowance per month. Gifts may be sent for BMCK to the Diocese of Fredericton. Lastly, the other way of keeping Bishop McAllister College stable is by supporting the student sponsorship program. This important program not only provides needy students an opportunity to go to school, but also provides a certain amount of financial stability for the school. Currently we more than 30 students enrolled in their first year who are seeking assistance. Many of these may be forced to drop out when school resumes, a negative impact both for the young student as well as the school.

I am so grateful for your partnership in this work, for our hundreds of successful graduates who are serving in all walks of life (priests, teachers, doctors, lawyers, including several working internationally in the field of computer engineering), for the Child Sponsorship Programme and for our able and loyal staff. We have grown from a small two room to a two stream school know in the province and country for our excellence in morals, discipline, teaching, sports and music thanks to God’s grace and provision.

Your Servant in Christ,

Rev. Canon Paul Jeffries

Rector Bishop McAllister College

https://bishopmcallisterschool.com

 

Send Gifts payable to Anglican Diocese of Fredericton with a MEMO BMCK 2020

Mail to:

Anglican Diocese of Fredericton

115 Church St.

Fredericton, NB

E3B 4C8

A message from Bishop David Edwards

July 21, 2020

Dear friend in Christ,

COVID-19 has had devastating effects which, unfortunately, have had an impact on our diocesan fundraising campaign to buy and equip a mobile medical clinic for our companion diocese in Ho, Ghana.

What began in early 2020 as a solid plan to fundraise here and access Rotary Club funding for this $268,000 (CDN) international project has been stalled by the inability to hold fundraising events in the diocese as a result of the pandemic, and a run on Rotary funding for COVID-related projects.

Yet the people of the Diocese of Ho still have little or no health care. We heard recently from health care workers in Ho that there is little help, limited testing, and incomplete statistics to add to the international database of cases. But the virus has not spared the region, and people are understandably fearful and desperate.

Our Companion Diocese Committee has reworked the application to Rotary and, thanks be to God, it has been submitted. In the meantime, we must raise a good deal more money than we originally planned. We need $93,000, but the good news is we have already received $31,000 in donations — from the generosity of parishioners and parishes here, and a good many kind people in Grand Manan, where Companion Diocese chair Robbie Griffin has been unceasing in his efforts to get this project off the ground.

The need for this mobile medical clinic is great and the hand of God is surely on it. In January, Robbie, Cheryl Jacobs (chair of the spiritual development team and my secretary) and Lilian Ketch (Mothers’ Union member) visited Ho on a fact-finding mission. They did a needs assessment, asking 14 different communities in the rural area of the Volta and Oti regions how their communities could be best improved. They met with teachers, parent groups and church groups. In every community, the primary need was health care. 

But near the end of the trip, the group was dismayed. It seemed all the pieces were not fitting together. Then, suddenly, everything fell into place — attitudes changed, answers were provided and support offered. Now again, with this pandemic, when it seemed all was lost, money continued to trickle in, and Rotary opened up new grant opportunities. We, the Companion Diocese Committee, truly feel God is pushing this project ahead, and we must do our best to see it to fruition.

What I am asking is that you consider a donation to this most worthy cause. It’s not for us. We are well cared for. It’s for the two million people in the Diocese of Ho who enjoy virtually none of the health care services we do here at home.

If you’d like more background information on the need and the mobile clinic plans, please click these links to stories that have been published on this project.
New Brunswick Anglican September 2019, page 12   
New Brunswick Anglican March 2020, pages 8-9
ENews story March 3  
ENews story June 30  

To donate, click this link and choose Diocese of Ho Mobile Medical Clinic from the drop-down menu. E-transfers are also accepted: send to this e-mail: [email protected] .  Or you can mail a cheque to the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton, 115 Church St., Fredericton, E3B 4C8. In all cases, be sure to note the project: Diocese of Ho Mobile Medical Clinic. Tax receipts are available.

I appreciate your attention and time to this appeal. May God bless you as you consider this request.

Sincerely,
The Rt. Rev. David Edwards
Bishop of Fredericton