The following is a letter sent March 11/21 by Ms. Jane Martinez, Principal at St. Hilda’s Anglican School, to Kelley Hall of the Belize Mission Committee.
Good Afternoon Kelley,
I pray all is well with you and your family. I wanted to send you an update so that you know what is going on at St. Hilda’s Anglican. Due to the Covid19 situation, we are only at school Monday and Tuesday. We are still doing distance learning. Teachers print packages every week for students and they also do online sessions twice a week. It has been truly challenging because both teachers and students have to adapt to a new way of teaching and learning. My staff has been very vigilant in this exercise and I must commend their efforts.
It is being said that the vaccine will be given to teachers soon and classes will resume in April. I’m not sure if that will work out. Some people are hesitant about getting the vaccine because much controversy surrounding it. There has been no Education or information given to the public and people are hesitant.
The high school students have gotten some reports so I will forward that to you as well. I’m still waiting for two more students to send theirs. They have also been doing online learning and receiving packages.
I am including pictures of some repairs that we were able to get done in one classroom as well as the signs that we set up. I also bought folders for teachers to create a portfolio with lessons and packages that are sent out. Overall, I must say that we are blessed because we have all been able to cope and have stayed healthy.
I continue to express sincere gratitude to our Friends of St. Hilda’s family. You all have truly blessed us. I keep seeing God working through your sponsorship. When we were at our lowest, that’s when the funds came through. We are truly thankful. Prayers for you all during this time. God’s continued blessing on your ministry.
In-person worship at the Cathedral continues and Memorial Hall is open to the public, both with restrictions. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Monday to Friday.
Pandemic precautions outlined in the latest revision of the Cathedral Pandemic Operational Plan (11 March 2021) will be followed. These include:
Worship gatherings are limited to 90 individuals (based on 50% of total capacity)
Meetings where 2 metres of distance with masks is maintained
2 metres of physical distance between bubbles is required
Face masks are mandatoryindoors at all times (with an exception for “leaders or performers whose activities require vocalization” while maintaining 4 metres of physical distance between bubbles)
Congregational singing with masks and 2 metres of distance between bubbles
Please note that we continue to be encouraged to limit contact outside of single household bubbles, especially in confined spaces. Please continue to pray for those who are at risk and those providing care and helping to keep us safe.
Worship reservations
With current limits of individuals, worship reservations continue to be required. Reserve online by visiting Cathedral Signups by 8:00 p.m. on the previous day. Telephone reservations are needed in real time (not by voicemail). If reserving by telephone, please contact the Cathedral Office (506) 450-8500 during office hours, 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon, Monday to Friday.
Parish Nurse for CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, FREDERICTON NB
Permanent part-time position: 20 hours/ week with benefits
Definition: Parish nursing emphasizes the wholeness of body, mind and spirit rooted in the vision of Christ as Healer. A Parish Nurse is a registered nurse who practices holistic health for self, individuals and the community using nursing knowledge combined with spiritual care. See the Canadian Association of Parish Nursing Ministries.
Mothers’ Union has over 4 million members world-wide spread across 84 countries. Members work together to solve challenges in their local communities. By helping to restore and strengthen relationships in families and communities, Mothers’ Union gives a sense of belonging and acceptance to the stigmatized and vulnerable. Visit the worldwide Mothers' Union website.
The Mothers’ Union Approach
Strengthen communities all over the world
Help the most disadvantaged at home
Shape how we advocate for the rights of families
Build supportive, loving relationships
Develop a relationship with God
Globally, Mothers’ Union focuses its efforts on
Creating a peaceful and safe environment for all,
Fighting for gender justice, and
Building individuals’ self-reliance.
Locally, branches are at the very heart of all that Mothers' Union does, coming together to work and pray in fellowship.
Social togetherness is more important now than it ever was. Traditional festival days and related celebrative events in the calendar bring people together and strengthen communities. Mothering Sunday has come a long way from its origins but remains a means of fostering closeness.
Mothering Sunday, not to be confused with Canadian Mother's Day, is celebrated in Anglican Churches on the fourth Sunday in Lent.
Mothering Sunday customarily celebrated on the Fourth Sunday in Lent
It is a very old liturgical feast known by several names over the ages: Laetare Sunday to honour the Virgin Mary, Refreshment Sunday, Rose Sunday and Mothering Sunday. It dates back to the custom in England when domestic servants in the grand houses of the landed gentry were permitted to go home to visit their home church and mother. Often the housekeeper or cook would allow the maids to bake a cake to take home to their mother. Sometimes a gift of eggs or flowers from the garden (or hothouse) was allowed, or they may have picked wildflowers from the wayside, violets especially.
In Canada, Mothers' Union branches sometimes observe Mothering Sunday by distributing flowers to mothers and serving the traditional Simnel cake and/or cookies after the church service. Simnel cake is a light fruit cake made with a layer of marzipan in the middle and if desired a layer on top. The cake is decorated with 11 marzipan balls representing the 12 apostles minus Judas, the betrayer of Christ. If 12 balls are used, the 12th one is to represent Jesus.
Recipe for Simnel Cake
3/4 cup soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups raisins
1 cup currants
1/2 cup mixed peel
1/3 cup chopped candied cherries
2 tsp lemon rind
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
500 grams of almond paste, at room temperature
Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add almond extract. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to eggs, then add the fruit and mix.
Put 1/2 the mixture in an 8” springform pan lined with waxed or parchment paper. Roll half of almond paste and place in pan. Spoon remainder of batter on top. Bake 30 min at 350°F then reduce heat to 300°F and bake 1 1/2 hours longer. Cool 10 min. Heat oven to 425°F.
Roll remaining almond paste into an 8” round circle and 12 small balls.
Put the circle on top of the cake and place the balls on top like the numbers on a clock.
Bake for 8 min watching closely so the balls do not flatten too much or burn.
I pray that this email reaches you in good health. It has been some time since I contacted you but We have been keeping you all in prayer just as I know you have done for us. Our little Belize is battling the pandemic.
In August we were out of school for two weeks because one of our staff members had to get swabbed because she was displaying symptoms. We waited for almost two weeks for her results. Thankfully, the test came back negative. We have to be at school everyday but the students are at home. Some teachers are doing online classes via Google Classroom or WhatsApp. We also prepare learning packages each week for all students.
It has been a very difficult time trying to cope with everything that is happening and staying focused. The funds that you sent were very helpful in preparing for the reopening. Registration has been very slow and we usually get our funds from fundraising activities but unfortunately, we can’t do anything at this time. We were able to purchase cleaning and sanitation supplies as well as garbage bins, masks and gloves for teachers. Teachers were also given a stipend to assist with preparation of classrooms. We had to arrange our furniture to cater for social distancing.
I will be sending you some pictures of the classrooms and other arrangements that were made during this time. I am also attaching receipts from students. They started their sessions on October 5th, Some of them are doing online sessions while others are receiving printed materials as well. So far they are all engaged and have started working. I will keep you updated as the time goes by. We will continue to ask God’s blessings on you all. we love you and pray the best for all our Friends of St. Hilda’s. Be safe.
Greetings from all of us at Bishop McAllister College and Anglican Seminary! We reopened on January 18th with just under 200 students, the finalists in their respective sections. While we continue to face a few challenges, things are actually going quite well. We have received good news this past week. The Ministry of Education has given the green light for all students to return to school. It still won’t be quite back to normal as the different classes have their returns staggered over the coming months to avoid overcrowded conditions and congestion. So over the next few months we still won’t have everyone at the same time. I believe this will work very well at least for the students. Schools have been instructed to not have exams which take up a considerable amount of time each term, but instead to concentrate on teaching new material so students catch up top where they should be in the syllabus. Teachers will need your prayers, as while this staggered format will work well for students, teachers will loose much of their normal vacation time that follows each term. While the calendar for entire year hasn’t been released I expect it will take us into early 2022 so that the students are completely back on track.
On another note we have made a little progress on the music department in 2021, due to a few donations and pledges. which is quite encouraging. We have been able to lay the foundations for the Keyboard Lab and MDD Building (Music, Dance, and Drama). The Choral Rehearsal Room has also taken another step from the first ring beam to the second ring beam . One step at a time!
March 2020
February 19th, 2021
We are excited about the progress, even these small steps. Our hope is to roof the choral rehearsal room this year if all goes well . Things are beginning to look up! “To God be the Glory!”
I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everyones support for so many years. With your help we are truly making a difference. May God continue to bless and keep you!
Paul
Rev. Canon Paul Jeffries
Rector
Bishop McAllister College & Bishop McAllister Anglican Seminary
I want to take this time to wish you a very blessed Ash Wednesday, and to thank you for all the support that you have generously given us over the past few months! It has been a joy to know you are praying for us, and to receive your notes of encouragement since our last update in December.
This year certainly does not feel like any Lent Mary Beth and I have experienced recently: in Belize by this point in the liturgical calendar we are usually boiling from the hot season rolling into town, but at the moment we instead have sub-zero temperatures and mounds of snow where we’re hunkered down in the Midwest. As we prepare for Easter in just over forty days, we ask you to keep our family in your prayers as we seek his strength, provision and guidance in the months ahead.
Yesterday I posted an update on how we are doing, and I invite you to give it a read:
Here is a quick brief summary of what the blog post is sharing:
Academics. So far I am performing very well in my doctoral program—despite having to do everything remotely—and I am enjoying the coursework I am taking. I am still on track to defend my thesis and graduate by 2024 … it will be tough to fit in everything by then, but I am highly motivated to get it done and my track record so far is encouraging. (Read more!)
Family Life. Mary Beth and the boys are doing very well. Because we were unable to proceed to Canada in time for the Winter term, we have rented a small two-bedroom place a few miles from my parents’ home in Indiana, and we are enjoying being together as a family in our own space.A very big development over the last few weeks is that our parish in San Ignacio, St. Andrew’s has decided to rent out the Rectory as soon as next month, so we are shipping our belongings to our home in the States—and we will probably not be returning to Belize this summer to pack out and say goodbye. We are grieving the loss of this opportunity to take an extended time to pack out and say goodbye, but at the same time we have seen God’s hand working in amazing ways. (Read more!)
Finances. Shipping our belongings from Belize to the U.S. is going to be a tremendous expense (around $7,000), right at the same time that Mary Beth and I will have to take a salary cut. Our regular/pledged giving is $3,300 below our bare-bones basic SAMS budget each month, and now that we are in 2021 we will have to lower our salaries by 30–40% beginning in March. (Read more!)To make sure that we do not have to decrease our salaries any further, we would ask you prayerfully to consider giving a one-time donation to our missionary account to help us rebuild some margin. And if the Lord is guiding you to become a pledged supporter of our ministry, we would be deeply grateful to have you on the team.
Next month will also mark ten years (!!!) since I left California to become a full-time SAMS missionary in Argentina. So much has happened since then. I want to thank each of you for first supporting me, and then Mary Beth, and now our whole family as we pursue the vision for mission and ministry that the Lord has given us. Please keep us in your prayers, and be in touch as together we move ahead in service to our Lord Jesus Christ!
Cathedral Mothers' Union member Susan Watson has created a 5 day devotional which acknowledges the struggles of the past months and the hope of God's plan for us. This wonderful resource, available on the worldwide Mothers' Union website, also includes space for you to observe gratitude daily.
Mothers’ Union is a Christian organisation that has been supporting families worldwide for over 140 years. Started by our founder Mary Sumner in 1876 in her local parish, we have grown into an international charity with over 4 million members in 84 countries.
As a Christian membership charity, we demonstrate our faith in action. This happens as we work towards stopping poverty, stopping inequality and stopping injustice. Our members work at grassroots level around the world. They bring hope and practical support to millions of people every year through parenting, literacy and community development programmes.
by Isabel Cutler, former Parish Nurse of Christ Church Cathedral
In 2003 I held a meeting in the lounge and asked some health care professionals to attend to look at the possibility of starting a Cathedral health ministry.
Thirty people attended to listen to what seemed a very unstructured dream, but from that meeting to this year of 2021 (18 yrs) the health ministry and parish nurse ministries have grown at Christ Church Cathedral with the support of our Church, the Clergy and Laity.
At first its growth was one step at a time, through the spearheading by a Parish Nursing Ministry which we began in 2005. With an enormous team of congregational members with every kind of unique skills (not only health related but lawyers, accountants etc, offering their support; while others drive a car to appointments and other knit a prayer shawl), the Parish Nurse has provided invaluable expertise as afforded by her Registered Nurse status to support and direct those who are not well in our church community and beyond. So often we were told, "I do not need you now but it is such a comfort to know you are there.” Of course there are plenty who need us, and much to do.
I am writing this as Kathleen prepares to step back after 5 years. She has built on the legacy left for her so that the Health and Parish Nursing ministries today are vibrant, relevant to Cathedral life and the world as it stands today.
We have a great deal to be grateful to her for. I, for one say: thank you Kathleen you are a good and faithful servant of the Lord and you have followed His direction to accomplish His work at the Cathedral.
We see with COVID-19 the enormous physical and mental health toll this pandemic has brought, and as we come through it there will be much to do to support so many, in body, mind and spirit.
Now that I am no longer a Parish Nurse, nor a current member of the Cathedral family, from where I sit (on the edge of the world in Newfoundland in a different but similar role) I so appreciate the blessing we were given by God to provide this ministry for others.
It is only on God's call for this ministry that it has flourished. Now at this time of transition, we await his direction for another Parish Nurse if that is meant to be, whether from New Brunswick or farther afield. All God’s work has a season but I pray that this work, this ministry will continue according to His plan and in His care.
Meanwhile, gratitude and love outpouring for Kathleen as she begins another part of her own journey. Well done and if it were not for COVID, big hugs, and sending of all God’s blessings for the future.
The Reverend Deacon Isabel Cutler
Parish of Isle aux Morts, NL
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. We give our heartfelt special thanks to all of you for your sacrificial giving.
For many reasons, 2020 will be a year we’ll never forget. We were faced with challenges no one was prepared for that changed the way we live and how we connect with each other. As we look back on 2020, we welcome 2021 with many expectations for ministry and life in general.
We pray that even though we live in a time of unprecedented changes in our personal lives and church communities, all of us will have a blessed new year full of the assurance that God is leading us through the hard challenges we are facing.
Certainly it has been a difficult experience this year, but things are better on the island. Since we are no longer locked down on Roatan, islanders, especially those working with tourism, are finding ways to survive until tourism returns. There are still many families in need, but it is not quite as desperate as before. At the moment we are moving the kitchen to a smaller space with the purpose of cooking once a month to support families in need, if we can.
Helping our church members
New kitchen
The space the community kitchen was functioning in will be used for the recycling project that John Delancey is developing.
Impact of Covid 19 in Honduras and Roatan
To update you on the impact of Covid 19 on Honduras, at the moment we have 132,414 people infected. There have been 3,344 deaths and 60.056 people have recovered.
We in Roatán have a few cases of Covid 19; they are recovering at the hospital, and the Covid center will be open again if cases increase. We continue with the biosecurity regulations and we are very optimistic.
Roatan Episcopal Church
At Episcopal/Anglican Church in Roatan our buildings continue to be open as we comply with all the biosecurity requirements. We celebrate Evening Prayer every Sunday, we have a Bible Study during the week, but we see the need to include other ministries such as Sunday school, youth ministry, etc.
Rev. Nelson and Kara Mejia
During the Christmas season we delivered bags of groceries to the church families, worth about CA$25, and we also smoked chicken, one per family, to support the economy in the season. The money was donated by the Anglican Church in Campbellton N.B. The families appreciate this very timely support, as do we.
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):
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 mainland Honduras at a difficult time caused by Covid 19, and Eta followed by Iota; many families are still not able to return to their houses, and others will need to rebuild their entire house.
2. Pray for Stephen Mejia Thompson, our son as he continues studying at Providence University College in Manitoba.
3. Continued and stable financial support for the next years as we continue to serve the Lord in Roatán, Honduras.
4. The ongoing construction in Coxen Hole. Pray for the remaining installation stages: Cement concrete for the floor at the moment.
5. Our congregations: St. Peter by the Sea in Brick Bay, and Emmanuel in Coxen Hole, that we can embrace the new year with a different way of worship, but focus on Jesus Christ.
6. Please pray for the Rev. Robert Browning and for his ministry to English-speakers in Eastern Roatán.
7. Evangelism and practical outreach in the local communities in the midst of the pandemic.
8. For leadership for the Church in Roatán that embraces the new challenges as we serve in the Kingdom of God.
9. The Episcopal Church in Honduras, for the process toward self-sufficiency to be continued in 2021-25
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.
