Twenty-one people from the diocese are going to Toronto in late April. They will spend the week with the poor and needy, do chores and help wherever they can, spreading the gospel and doing good works. But don’t call it a mission trip.
We’re rebranding
“We’re rebranding,” said Colin McDonald, director of youth and intergenerational ministries in the Diocese of Fredericton. “It’s not a mission trip. We’re going on a student pilgrimage. What we’re really doing is forming people — our own people. We’re expecting to get far more from the people we encounter than we’ll give.”
A fund-raiser will be held at the Cathedral Hall. Visit the Facebook event page if you're "interested" or "going." Cost is $10 person or $30 for a family. Donations also welcome.
he group of nine leaders and 13 young people have been meeting, praying and studying the bible in preparation for the trip. The most recent meeting was held at Outflow Ministry, the same men’s shelter that now houses the Parish of Millidgeville after it left its north-end building last fall.
The Central Fundraising & Communications (F&C) Committee of Mothers' Union has produced a new prayer book for its members - 'words for every occasion to encourage and inspire, whether in public services, branch devotions or personal prayer time.'
This is the story of the little team that could! God gives us more than we can ask or imagine.
In my role as a member of the Central F&C Committee, I attended our initial meeting in May of 2016 which was held in Derbyshire. The goal of this first meeting was to discuss ideas about what the committee could do to raise funds for the worldwide Mothers' Union while at the same time enhancing communication with its members. The suggestion of producing a new Mothers' Union prayer book as an income-generator as well as a resource to our members was discussed.
The Prayers We Breathe prayer book was and is a wonderful resource; I have used it often over the last 20 years for both personal and corporate prayer. We suggested producing a new book of prayers written by MU members from all over the world. We were excited about the notion, and several members of the committee were quite enthusiastic about the project.
God gives us more than we can ask or imagine.
The F&C Committee meets 3 times annually; we meet in person once a year, and the other meetings are held via Skype. In late May of 2017 we met again in person and the idea of the prayer book was discussed again. Three of the members - Mari Thomas (Wales), Moira Thom (Northern Ireland) and I were keen to put our time and effort into the project. We were given approval by the committee to proceed and off we went! Our little team of three was on its way.
Last June we contacted Mothers' Union members from around the world via email with the assistance of Mary Sumner House. We invited them to submit prayers, and suggested topics to them for the prayers. We were hoping to receive 100 prayers for the book, and gave the members one month to submit them. We received feedback that this wasn't enough time, and doubt was expressed that the prayers would come in, but we received well over 350 prayer submissions. Mothers' Union members love to pray and they love to write prayers!
Mothers' Union members love to pray and they love to write prayers!
Mari, Moira and I met almost every Monday morning via Skype from June to December to receive, acknowledge, compile, edit, and work with our Committee Head Daniel McAllister and MU Trustee Jocelyn Wright to produce the book. A special thank you to Ethel Nelson and Dawn Skene for their eagle eyes in reviewing the prayers, and to Catherine Kyte from Mary Sumner House for her review and edits as well.
This new prayer book contains over 150 prayers and poems written solely by Mothers' Union members. It can be purchased for £3 plus postage by contacting Mothers' union <NewPrayerBook at mothersunion.org> or buy online Dear Lord Prayer Book.
It has taken a lot of time and effort to produce this book in just eight months. Our goal was to launch it at the Worldwide Council meeting in early February and we have met our deadline! The meetings and project have been covered in prayer, and all I can say is that our God is a great God who can make all things happen!
With every blessing, and thank you to all who have submitted prayers. There may be another book to come!
Penny Ericson on 11 March 2018 – Homelessness Initiative
The community of Fredericton is working to drastically change the way we collectively respond to homelessness through the implementation of a multiyear Plan to End Homelessness developed through collective planning by non-profits, different orders of government and community members.
The $10 million Plan, The Road Home, will work to house and support 267 chronic and episodically homeless and stabilize 1,033 households at risk of or experiencing transitional homeless. Moving from merely managing homelessness through emergency service to adopting a community wide strategy will create $3.2 million in savings in the first four years.
The Road Home is grounded in Housing First: an evidence-based model that focuses on quickly moving people experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent housing and then providing additional supports and services as needed. This model rejects 'housing readiness' approaches that have far too often left our most vulnerable trapped in a long-term or inescapable cycle of homelessness.
From the Plan ...
Our Plan sets forth a course of action that will result in significant shifts in our community’s collective approach to a widespread social challenge. We cannot promise that no one will ever experience homelessness again in our community: the root causes involved in housing instability are well beyond our capacity to redress in this Plan. Factors like poverty, the macro-economics of housing markets, public policy decisions, systemic discrimination experienced by groups including Aboriginal people, as well as the challenges of mental health and additions play critical roles in the dynamics of homelessness. These are structural and systemic factors that we must continue to address, though we cannot resolve them in the short-term. However, there is much we can do.
This Plan is a call to action, first and foremost. It sets out a roadmap that will lead to significant improvements for those experiencing homelessness in our community. It calls for the creation of new interventions, using the proven and cost-effective Housing First approach, to rapidly house and support those in need.
The Plan proposes the enhanced coordination of our homeless-serving system, and its intentional integration with other partners, including health, corrections, police, and child protection. It calls for enhanced information sharing, performance management processes and capacity building to support our frontline service providers. The Plan recognizes the key role all partners play in our collective
The Prayer Shawl ministry in Christ Church Cathedral began in 2006 during the early stages of the Parish Nurse and Health Ministry. It was under the leadership of Wendy Brien and she soon invited Marilyn Lewell to join her.
Listen to Marilyn speak on the Prayer Shawl Ministry on 25 February 2018.
Recently, new knitters have joined the group – Carole Hines, Bobbi Milner, and Melissa Dawe. We have expanded on the original idea of Prayer Shawls, and have made and distributed fleece blankets to men, whereas the shawls are given to women.
Since we began, we have made and distributed 220 shawls, and 52 blankets to all ages and genders, to places all around the globe! We include beautiful prayers with the shawls and the shawls are prayed over during the knitting process. They are presented in a gift bag. We have never refused a request for a shawl or blanket, and we do not charge for them.
Many moving and touching thank-you notes have been received. Some families have told us that they have even buried their loved one with the shawl wrapped around them, and/or wrapped the shawl around the urn during the funeral. They have provided much comfort to many.
Anyone interested in joining this ministry is welcome to contact Marilyn Lewell for further information.
Dear Ms Bev and church congregation at Christ Church Cathedral,
I am writing this letter to thank all those who have supported me during my four years of high school. I am so grateful to God for bringing you all into my life. Without Him none of this would have been possible. I am happy to say I have made you all proud even though my time in high school is almost over – just a couple of months to finish.
I will never forget you and what you have done for me. I promise to keep you all posted as I continue to study. Throughout my four years of studies there are people who have inspired me and uplifted me, especially the Lord. Throughout my four years of school I have been doing well academically. Now that I am in my fourth and final year of high school, my goal is to graduate and go to university to study forensics or marine biology, but mostly forensics.
My family and I want to thank you and your congregation for all the support. I have four months until graduation and I will send you pictures of my graduation and a short video clip of me on my graduation day.
Once again, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. My prayer for you all is that God bless you always. I love you all so very much. Thanks again. I will keep in touch with you. Love you all!
The 2018 Belize Mission Away Team offered reflections and some photos during worship on 11 February. While this is just a beginning, the Team hopes to share even more over the next several weeks. A concluding podcast may be part of that plan.
Rebecca Butler, Caryn Gunter, Nat Fetter, Carol Ann Melvin, Dean Geoffrey Hall, Kelley Hall, Jim Morell, and Beverly Morell
is scheduled to depart Saturday, 27 January 2018 and spend a week serving at St. Hilda’s Anglican School in the village of Georgeville. Teams from the Cathedral have been travelling to Belize since 2005 and a close bond has been built between our church family and the school and church there. You, at the Cathedral, are our “Home Team” and we ask for your help in one or more of the following ways – (1) pray for the Mission Team daily as they prepare, travel and serve God in Belize; (2) make a special offering so we can buy educational supplies and a computer-compatible projector to take with us for the school; (3) read the daily blog on our website and follow what the Away Team is doing daily at the school; (4) support the Team on the Sunday of commissioning (11:45 a.m. worship on 21 January).
Here is a recent letter from Belize scholarship student Amieka Myers following the final payment of tuition for her now completed program. Although the scholarship is completed for Amieka, her plans are to obtain her teacher’s license and save some money on her own to return to University and further her education.
Hello Miss Bev,
I would like to let you know that I have received the funds from Ms Indira, it was very nice of her to do us that little favor. I would also like to thank you and your church for the assistance you have showered me with over the years. I appreciate every single thing you guys have done for me. As of today, I will start gather my documents for the license and I will keep you updated on how that’s going.
I can’t wait to see you and your team on the 28th. I know you must be very excited for your trip to Belize. I pray you
A fund-raiser will be held at the Cathedral Hall. Visit the Facebook event page if you're "interested" or "going." Cost is $10 person or $30 for a family. Donations also welcome.
