The gospel urges us to love one another, but what do you do when some people are hard to love? You do what Jesus advocated: share food and drink, give away possessions, offer help and hope.
That’s what happens on non-holiday Monday mornings from September until May at Cathedral Memorial Hall.
Gathered around the coffee urn are a former Renous inmate worried about his sons, a senior struggling with cancer, an alcoholic who walked across the Westmorland Street bridge to get here, the mother of four pre-schoolers, and a young couple who slept in a bank lobby last night.
“Each person has a name and a story, and all deserve our respect and kindness,” explained Doug Milander, a co-ordinator of the Monday morning drop-in for people in need. “We can’t solve all their problems, which might include mental illness, addictions, criminal records, a history of abuse, chronic unemployment, but we can try to make their Monday mornings a bit better.”
Earlier this year, an average of 70 people showed up weekly. It takes dozens of sandwiches and muffins, as well as cheese, fruit, coffee and juice, to feed them. Most of the food is donated by cathedral families, the ACW, and the numerous volunteers, aged eight to seniors, who help in the kitchen.
Partnerships are key. Volunteers from the Anglican Parish of St. Margaret’s help monthly, as does a team from New Maryland United Church. The ecumenical flavour is also evident in the live music, provided by men from Lincoln Baptist Church. Guests often crowd around the guitars to sing gospel tunes.
Other guests speak with social workers from Partners for Youth, an organization that helps find affordable housing, or they line up to see UNB student nurses who take blood pressures and glucose readings.
Archdeacon Patricia Drummond has started a Bible study for the group. Some merely want a warm, safe place to sip their coffee and chat. Sometimes it’s a tale of woe, sometimes the conversation is full of laughter.
A highlight for many is looking for treasures on the tables of free clothing (e.g., T-shirts, jackets, boots, gloves) and small housewares including towels, bedding and dishes.
On the last Monday of the month the big draw is four bus tickets or a $10 gift card for a grocery store, coffee shop or drugstore.
“Some people face harsh realities and they can be quite demanding,” Doug said. “We wish we could give out more, but most are extremely grateful for the help. Occasionally, our committee has taken people to the food bank, helped them move or find furnishings, filled out forms, outfitted a new baby. We’ve even gone to court with people.”
As fall turns to winter, the size of the crowd will likely grow. If you can help by making a loaf of sandwiches, baking a banana bread, donating winter clothes your child has outgrown, the outreach team thanks you.
“A small group is on site opening our hearts to people in need on Monday mornings, but it’s a 24/7 job for all of us to love our neighbours as ourselves,” Doug concluded.
At its December meeting Bishop and Chapter intended to set our budget for 2016, but quickly concluded that we may have to make some difficult decisions. A draft budget, which was largely ‘status quo,’ was prepared by Treasurer, Martha Jo Hoyt. It showed a deficit of $18,900. Chapter members discussed various income and expenditure options, but it was agreed that the congregation needs to be invited into the budget-making process via a questionnaire, the results of which would be available when a final decision is made at the next meeting on January 18. Members of the congregation are therefore invited to provide the Bishop and Chapter with feedback and to make comments or suggestions.
Some basic information:
We have approximately 250 regular givers, of which 165 regularly use envelopes or give through the e-offering option. These numbers have remained fairly constant for several years
Using 2014 figures, we know that 136 (over half) of our identifiable givers contribute an average of $425/year (less than $8.00/week); 78 contribute an average of $1760/year ($33/week); 18 contribute an average of $3725/year ($72/week) and 18 contribute an average of $8250/year ($160/month). Noteworthy is the fact that the offerings of 36 (14%) of our identifiable givers makes up 52% of our weekly offerings budget
Our total weekly offerings for the year were budgeted at $493,000. Final (i.e. ‘actual’) figures are not yet available but our treasurer has projected that total to be approximately $475,000
The Treasurer’s recommended draft budget for 2016 shows total income of $591,925 and total expenditures of $610,000, which – without changes – would mean an $18,000 deficit
The recommended budget for envelope giving is $481,125, which is based on our historic average of a 3% increase in year-over-year giving
All amounts in the draft budget are based on 2015 ‘actuals’ to the end of November.
Consistent with the diocesan minimum scale for stipends the budget includes a 1.5% increase in the Dean’s stipend and in staff salaries as a cost of living increase
To balance the budget one of our options is to reduce expenditures. It is likely that would mean noticeable changes in ministry, programs and services … which could be disheartening and disappointing to many of us. No easy-to-make reductions seem obvious
For the past several years we have been using varying amounts of interest from our trust funds to pay operating costs. In 2015 we withdrew $25,000. In doing so it is quite possible that we may not be following the wishes or directives of the original donors
With the retirement of Isabel Cutler as our parish nurse the Health Pastoral Care Ministry Committee has recommended changing the PN from a $15,000 honorarium position to a $25,000 two day per week salaried position with benefits. The extra $15,000 is not included in the draft budget
At present our youth and young families ministry is very modest. We have less than 12 children regularly in Sunday School, there are now only a few in our treble choir. We provide a nursery during the 10 am service used by a few families. We no longer have a youth group. Overall, we spend less than $2000 on youth
We have several ministries and programs that are funded in whole or in part by ‘targeted giving’. Individual givers direct that their offerings are to be used for specific purposes – eg Monday Morning Outreach or Cathedral Restoration or Parish Nursing. This may be a good thing, especially if it is ‘over and above’ regular giving. However, if too large a percentage of our offerings are ‘targeted’ then what is given will not cover essential operational costs – eg salaries, heating, insurance, office administration, money for various ministries and many other items in our budget
The Chapter is well aware that more planning needs to be done and decisions will need to be made regarding the future of the deanery/O’Dell House and needed renovations to Memorial Hall. However it is premature for any of us to speculate as to how our decisions regarding these properties will affect our annual operating budget
Our budget contains money to maintain and operate three older buildings. In 2016 the combined budget for all three is projected to be $160,800 – including $39,800 for insurance, $82,300 for heat and utilities and $38,700 for repairs, maintenance and operations
If you haven’t received an invitation to complete the Questionnaire, please contact the Dean (506) 450-7761.
I pray that the blessings of this season be yours as we continue to celebrate God’s greatest gift to us. My time at St.Hilda’s has been a blessing thus far. I have seen God’s handiwork in the events that have occurred and the friendships I have made. As I had said before, your interest and dedication to St.Hilda’s is highly appreciated. After evaluating what we have accomplished for the first term, I can see growth in our relationship among staff and students and parents and staff.
Your blessing this school year has touched many lives. Our teachers have materials to work with, our children can be more comfortable in class having the things needed at their fingertips.
Please inform your board and church members that we are blessed by your contribution. Any amount of finance is a blessing to us at this point. It’s not easy managing a school and depending on financing from parents because most of them don’t have money to contribute. Most of our finances come from fund-raising drives and the donations that you send. We try our best to address the most urgent needs then attend to others.
This coming term, we will be making other necessary repairs to classrooms since we couldn’t do them before due to rainy weather. There are some classrooms that are very hot also so I will be buying fans to put in those classes. We are moving along slowly but surely. With God’s help, we will have a productive school year.I have sent a summary of the account that you sent us. I will be scanning the other receipts to send you when school reopens next week because they are at school. I just thought you might need a summary so you know how the money is being used. When school reopens I will be purchasing other supplies for the teachers and any other needs for the classrooms.
I look forward to seeing you all soon. God knows best! Be blessed and continue doing a wonderful job. Many lives are touched by your ministry. Have a blessed New Year. May God’s favor rest on you all.
Best Regards,
Jane Martinez
Principal, St. Hilda’s School
On the bulletin board in Christ Church Cathedral, photos of children from Belize are a reminder of a link between our congregation and St. Hilda’s Anglican School. On the school playground in Belize, picnic tables affixed with a handmade wooden maple leaf and cross are a reminder of the Canadian missioners who care for the school.
Mission groups from Christ Church Cathedral have travelled to Belize four times: in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2013, and through these trips, bonds have been formed with the staff and students of St. Hilda’s, an elementary school in the rural village of Georgeville. Two hundred children attend the school, ranging between kindergarten and grade 8. Over 50 Cathedral members ranging in age from 15 to 79 have gone on a mission trip to Belize, and hundreds of people in Fredericton have supported the work through organizational support, donations and prayers.
On each of the Cathedral’s mission trips, the activities of the teams have been different, based on the current needs of the school and skills of the missioners. Our relationship with the Belizean people began in 2005 when the Cathedral Puppeteers responded to an invitation from the Anglican Diocese of Belize. They visited many schools during their trip, and during subsequent trips the Cathedral began to strengthen its relationship with St. Hilda’s School. Missioners from Fredericton have helped to: build a foundation for bathrooms at the school; paint classrooms; build much needed bookshelves; provide literacy materials and support; provide first aid training; wire the school for internet; and build the aforementioned picnic tables.
The former St. Hilda’s principal, Mrs. Ida Bennett, appreciates the ongoing support from Christ Church Cathedral, and the continuing relationship has been a blessing for both Belizeans and Frederictonians. Several missioners have returned to Belize multiple times, and it is always a joy to reconnect with students and teachers they formed a bond with on previous trips.
“Nobody had any idea it would grow into what it is now… the building of bonds between two distant Anglican congregations,” said Beverly Morell, who has been part of all four mission teams. “The reason we go is bounded in scripture. We are called to help those less fortunate. I feel that we are God’s hands and feet in the world; that we’re helping in some small way to further His kingdom.”
The support from our entire Cathedral family has been overwhelming. Thousands of dollars have been donated to the school over the past decade, and a portion of the funds are sent to St. Hilda’s each year to help with costs such as school supplies, crucial renovations, and continuing education for teachers.
In addition to providing infrastructure and academic support for the school, spiritual aspects of each mission have benefitted both the Belizeans and the Cathedral missioners. On the most recent trip, missioners made a special gift to the sanctuary guild at St. Hilda’s chapel — a beautiful set of altar linens in the liturgical colours of purple, red, green and white, expertly stitched by Lucy’s Sewing Group at the Cathedral. The sanctuary guild at St. Hilda’s chapel was very touched that people so far away were praying for them and wanted to help beautify their humble chapel. Each teacher at St. Hilda’s School was also given a cross necklace made by the Cathedral Pewtersmiths – crosses matching the ones worn by each missioner.
“I really think we received the greatest gifts,” Anne Thornton, a busy mother of two small boys, said about the 2013 trip. “We held daily devotionals to give our time to God. We stayed at a quiet mission centre surrounded by the beauty of nature. This was precious.”
Before traveling to Belize, each member of each mission team made a nearly year-long time commitment, as well as a financial commitment. Each team met more than a dozen times over several months, to get to know each other, share their skills, fundraise, learn about working in other cultures, and develop spiritually. The emphasis for each trip was on teamwork, building loving relationships with each other and with the Belizeans, and serving God in a beautiful corner of His kingdom.
“We enjoyed laughter and fellowship,” says student Lionel Hayter, who has travelled to Belize on 2 Cathedral mission trips. “We learned from each other and from the wonderful children and their hard-working teachers. We saw deep-rooted challenges due to socio-economic conditions, but also noticed compassion and dedication.”
“The physical work was hard, and there was a deep sense of satisfaction when we finished tiling and painting,” Diane Stevenson said of the 2007 trip. “But it was talking with the kids that touched my heart.”
Indeed, the smiling faces of St. Hilda’s students will forever inspire and motivate the Cathedral members who have travelled to Belize. “We felt blessed to be able to give something back to help others,” Doug Milander says. “They worked with us, and we learned so much from them. I’ve thought of the people I met in Belize every day since I got home.”
Elinor Joyce, who travelled to Belize in 2007, returned to Fredericton with “a renewed appreciation for all the things that we take for granted – comfortable homes, clean water, knowing that our children have hopes for the future. So many of the children won’t be able to afford to go past grade 8, and their futures are so uncertain,” she remarked. “In the midst of that, I keep seeing their beautiful smiles, and their joy in all the simple things that they do have.”
In Belize, the average age at which a child leaves school is 13 years old, because high school costs $700 USD a year. Most families don’t have that kind of money. The average annual income is $8,400, and 43% of Belizeans live below the poverty line. Unemployment is high. People tend to have large families, and 75% of the children at St. Hilda’s School come from single-parent families.
The socio-economic realities are harsh, and education is so important. In 2010, Cathedral mission team members established a high school scholarship program which has allowed selected St. Hilda’s students to continue their education past grade 8. The rationale is that if we can give bright children a chance to graduate from high school, they will have a leg up on life. Some of the graduates supported by the Cathedral have gone on to post-secondary education. Our congregation continues to support and pray for St. Hilda’s school, and hopes to send another mission team to Belize in the coming years.
Many people have asked our missioners if they decided to go to Belize from a sense of adventure, to help other people, to seek a challenge, to grow in their relationship with God, or to serve Him by showing love and compassion. Each missioner might answer that question differently, as their experiences have been deeply personal.
One person remarked, “It was an unforgettable experience to express my faith openly and to offer myself as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.”
Student Natalie Barrie summed up the mission experience by saying, “We returned as different people with a new understanding of mission and a better outlook on life. We’re enthusiastic about what God is doing in the world, and we’re excited by what the future might hold for us and for St. Hilda’s.”
This is my last week as Parish Nurse. I retire at the end of this year after ten years as your Parish Nurse and two additional years as coordinator of the Health Ministry. I wish to say to you all I have been honoured and feel truly blessed to have been accepted so willingly by so many of you over the years as we have shared good times and some challenging times in our lives. Thank you for your love and care of me.
This is a team ministry and I could not have coordinated all that we have provided without the active help and support of the dedicated Parish Nursing Team: Michele LeBlanc, RN, Wendy Brien, Marilyn Lewell, Carol Hynes and Kathleen Snow RN. Alongside too are the multitude of congregational members who have provided their circle of care as Visitors, Helping Hands and in many other ways to our congregation at critical times in their lives. Thank you to Bishop and Chapter, the Health Ministry Team, Dean Geoff, Fran and the staff who have worked alongside to make this ministry work.
We do not know what the future holds for this Ministry at the Cathedral but we know God always has a plan, so we trust in Him to show us the way. God Bless you all and have a very blessed Christmas Season.
Paper angels from the Fredericton Food Bank are waiting to be chosen from small trees in the cathedral and in the hall foyer. Each angel indicates a gift or stocking stuffers for a needy boy or girl of a specific age.
Unwrapped gifts, with the paper angels firmly attached, should be brought to the church or the hall on Sunday, Dec. 6th. Drop-off boxes will be set up near the angel trees.
If you cannot bring your gift on time, please take it to the drop-off box in the hall no later than Monday, Dec. 7th. That is the deadline for the Cathedral Outreach Committee to deliver the gifts to the Food Bank.
If you prefer to donate money instead of toys or stocking stuffers, please write a cheque payable to Christ Church Cathedral and indicate Christmas Outreach on the memo line. Your cheque or cash should reach the church office by Friday, Dec. 18th. These funds will be divided equally among the Fredericton Homeless Shelters, Transition House and the Fredericton Community Kitchen.
The Outreach Committee thanks you for your generous support in making Christmas special for needy families in our community.
What is God calling us to do about the Syrian refugee crisis?
That important question has been preoccupying the cathedral’s Missions Committee since September when we saw heart-breaking images of Syrian refugees fleeing a cruel civil war. Bishop Edwards issued a call to action, asking every congregation to respond in some way.
We have prayed about it. We know Jesus was a refugee himself. His family fled to Egypt ahead of Herod’s soldiers. We know the Bible tells us to love our neighbours — and our enemies. Jesus tells us to welcome strangers. Paul urges us to offer hospitality to sojourners.
As a committee, we think it is right to open our hearts to help Syrian or Iraqi refugees. It’s what we ourselves would want if a catastrophe struck our country, and we were fleeing bombs destroying our families, homes, businesses, our hopes and dreams.
But what to do? First, globally.
Through the weekly notices, we have been urging you to donate to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. PWRDF has been assisting refugees for decades. They have offered food, water, shelter, health care and counselling to families who escaped to Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
Since September, PWRDF has received $170,000 for its work overseas. Until the end of December, the federal government will match donations dollar for dollar. The Missions Committee has sent money from our own budget. We urge you to do the same if you can. A cold winter is coming, and the refugees in those camps need your help more than ever.
Second, locally. The committee has been fact-finding. We’ve been reading sponsorship handbooks, monitoring the media and talking to people. We’ve attended meetings of the Refugees Welcome organization and the Multicultural Association of Fredericton. We have spoken with actual refugees who are living in New Brunswick.
The main message they had for us was this: Yes, there are millions in United Nations refugee camps waiting for a miracle. But they are not numbers. They are people, and fully half of them are children. They are in a state of limbo – they can’t find meaningful work or go to school or build a future. All they want is a chance to be productive and get their lives back, in a peaceful place.
We have contacted other local churches — Baptist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, United — to find out what they’re doing. Some are already raising money to sponsor a refugee family; some are studying the options, costs and risks; and some are struggling to combat fear and prejudice.
This is especially true since the massacres in Paris. But the people waiting in UN refugee camps are Muslim families fleeing conflict, not jihadists looking for more violence. They will undergo stringent security screening and health screening at the camps before they are approved, and again when they reach our shores.
We will count on the authorities to scrutinize thoroughly. And we refuse to live in fear. God is in control, and we have faith, trust and hope in Him.
If we want to get involved as a congregation, there are numerous options. Sponsoring a refugee family privately is a challenging, costly, slow process (probably a year) for any one congregation. It requires establishing a separate committee of about 10 to do considerable paper work and fund-raising and to arrange for accommodations, furnishings and resettlement assistance as the family transitions to life in Canada.
It’s very hands-on, and we would be responsible for them for one year. The cost to look after a family of four, for example, is about $28,000.
It would be quicker, easier and less expensive if we partner with an experienced organization which is already a Sponsorship Agreement Holder with the federal government. The Atlantic Baptist Convention has told Bishop Edwards that Anglican parishes can apply under the Baptist sponsorship agreement.
The workload of raising money, dealing with logistics, getting the family into school and language classes, would be shared. A family could be here within three months of application. And there’s a way to arrange it so that the federal government would pay half of that $28,000 annual cost for a family of four.
Our archdeaconry has asked if any area parishes are interested. We have talked with St. Margaret’s Anglican church which is looking for other parishes to help them sponsor a family. They think an alliance with the Baptists, using its sponsorship agreement, is probably the way to go. We have met local Baptist pastors who welcome an ecumenical approach, as does our bishop.
On the other hand, we could forgo sponsorship and wait to see whether a cohort of refugees arrives at Camp Argonaut soon. We could help those people. The Multicultural Association is already offering training courses for volunteers, and it needs interpreters, housing, furniture, clothing, jobs and friends for the families who will stay in our area.
In addition, those families will have relatives back in the camps who did not ride the first wave. Some will be seeking sponsors to bring specific family members here. It makes sense to reunite a family, but it’s another challenging, costly, slow process. And Ottawa does not share the annual cost with sponsors.
So, given all the options, what is God calling us to do about the Syrian refugee crisis? Pray? Give to PWRDF? Partner with other Christians to sponsor a family? Wait to see what’s needed if people come to Camp Argonaut? Rescue somebody’s cousins later? None of the above? All of the above?
The Missions Committee really needs to know what you think. What are your ideas, recommendations, concerns? We especially cannot proceed down the sponsorship road, alone or with a Christian partner, without knowing that the church is unified in its response.
Will enough people be eager to serve on committees, give money, donate their time, offer goods and services, and stand alongside these newcomers as friends and mentors over the long haul? With no strings attached?
Some members of the Missions Committee are here. Would you please stand? (ID them) Please share your questions and thoughts with us after the service today. Or, there’s some bright yellow paper and pens in a basket at the back so that you can leave comments. Your feedback is really important so that the dean and members of Bishop and Chapter can make an informed decision about what to do.
Now I will close with a brief prayer for refugees that our committee has been using. It’s borrowed from the Church of England. Let us pray.
God of compassion,
whose own son experienced life as a refugee,
we remember those fleeing from danger,
hungry and afraid, with nowhere to call home.
God, we ask for them warmth, security, food and peace.
God of hope,
we thank you for those who are working to bring relief and
comfort to those displaced,
showing glimpses of grace in the darkness of despair.
God, give them strength.
God of justice,
guide the nations and the leaders of the world towards peace,
stir hearts to be generous and compassionate.
God, help us to play our part in bringing about the change
that we want to see. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Christ Church Cathedral Missions Committee – 22 November 2015
Earlier this year, an average of 70 people showed up weekly. It takes dozens of sandwiches and muffins, as well as cheese, fruit, coffee and juice, to feed them. Most of the food is donated by cathedral families, the ACW, and the numerous volunteers, aged eight to seniors, who help in the kitchen.
On the last Monday of the month the big draw is four bus tickets or a $10 gift card for a grocery store, coffee shop or drugstore.
