Plans being made for refugee family from Liberia

Posted on June 27, 2016July 11, 2016

The Archdeaconry of Fredericton refugee sponsorship committee has been waiting for months to bring a Syrian refugee family to Fredericton. A couple weeks ago we were advised that the backlog of applications is now so large (thousands!) that it would be well into 2017 before we could even think of being matched with a Syrian family.

It’s disappointing. However, there are literally millions of other refugees, some of whom have been waiting in crowded camps for years. We were told that, if we would agree to sponsor an African family instead, it could take only a few more weeks or months before they would step off the plane in Fredericton.

Liberia is on the west coast of Africa

The committee, made up of 10 parishes and the cathedral, prayed, discussed and decided to help a family of four from Liberia in West Africa now, instead of waiting until 2017 for a Syrian family. Our application is being reviewed by the federal government, and we are waiting for news.

We have a few details: the father is Phillip, age 47, who has worked as a farm hand; his wife is Esther, age 50, a trader, probably selling fruit, fish or charcoal in an outdoor market; her children are a son, Arene, age 19, and a daughter, Catherine, age 16.

The family profile does not indicate how long they have been living in the refugee camp, situated in the neighbouring country of Côte d’Ivoire. Knowing there have been two civil wars in Liberia, we suspect it might be years. The parents have been subjected to violence and torture.

We do not yet know their religion, but the file says they can speak English and French plus their native language called Grebo. Their educational levels are very low, especially given the ages of the children. Conditions in the camp are not good concerning health care, dental care, education, etc.

If our application succeeds, it will be a huge challenge for this family to adapt to life in Canada.

If our application succeeds, it will be a huge challenge for this family to adapt to life in Canada. Think of our weather (the average annual temperature in Liberia is 28C!), the different culture here, their lack of education, and limited work experience. It is possible that they may never have enjoyed 24/7 electricity, running water, and all the amenities we take for granted. Life here may be overwhelming for them.

That is why the committee continues to prepare to welcome and help them. Financial donations have reached about $22,000 — we need $30,000 to look after them for one year. Thanks to you, donations of furnishings are going extremely well. (See list of remaining items sought.)

The Missions Committee at the cathedral will keep you posted on the progress of the archdeaconry’s application. Please pray for this refugee family and for our efforts to bring them out of violence and misery to a safe home in peaceful Canada.

FURNISHINGS LIST (remaining items needed as of June 22, 2016)

LIVING ROOM – modern TV (not the heavy, old, tube-type)
MISCELLANEOUS – chair for computer desk

Items can be dropped off at Cathedral Memorial Hall during business hours.

If you wish to help support the family, you can provide a cheque, payable to Christ Church Parish Church, noting Refugee Fund on the memo line. The treasurer at that church is maintaining an account on behalf of all the parishes taking part in the sponsorship.

Ann Deveau

The diocese, demystifed

Posted on June 14, 2016June 18, 2016

You’re invited to the open house on Saturday

Sandra Craft had a mission when she became part of Diocesan Council: take some of the mystery out of diocesan affairs. The best way she could think of was to hold an open house.

Sandra is the vice-chair of Diocesan Council, which will host an open house on Saturday, June 18, from 2-4 p.m. Visitors are welcome to tour Christ Church Cathedral, visit the synod office and Bishop’s Court, and take in mission and ministry displays …

Read “the diocese, demystified”

Home Sweet Home

Posted on June 10, 2016June 13, 2016

Spin the globe. Halfway around the world sits a refugee family dreaming of a better, safer life.

Spin the globe again. People from 11 parishes in the archdeaconry of Fredericton are collecting furniture and housewares to fill that family’s apartment here.

At this point, neither knows anything specific about the other, nor do they know when they will finally meet and start working together on the transition to a new life in Canada.

HELPING HANDS – Wendy Smith (at right), a parishioner from St. Margaret’s Anglican, delivers household goods donated by the congregation for the Syrian refugee family who will be sponsored by the archdeaconry. St. Margaret’s is kindly covering all items in the bathroom and personal supplies categories of a long list of furniture and supplies. Ann Deveau (at left) from the cathedral will put the items into storage until the family arrives in Fredericton. The timing is unknown because the archdeaconry is on a waiting list to choose a family.

Having met its self-imposed national target of 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February, the federal government has slowed its processing of refugee applicants. This is frustrating for potential sponsors. Patience and prayer will be needed in the coming months until a match is made.

While waiting for the bureaucracy to grind its wheels, committee members are raising funds (as of May 1st, donations now stand at $20,030.83), researching apartment prices, finding Arabic interpreters, looking for a doctor and dentist, learning which foods will be needed in a Syrian pantry, getting cross-cultural training, and so on.

Parishioners have asked how they can help the family. Some donations have already arrived and are being stored in the basement of Cathedral Memorial Hall, such as area rugs, desk, bed, floor lamp, coffee table, toaster oven, coffee maker, bedding, sets of cutlery and dishes, coat hangers, and much more.

One parish offered to supply everything needed to outfit a bathroom as well as all the personal supplies.

As the exact composition of the family is unknown, some questions cannot be answered now. Will we need bunk beds? A crib? Dolls and art supplies for wee ones?

Curtains or blinds will be needed, but what size will the windows be in the apartment to be rented later? Some items will just have to wait!

However, here is a list of things most likely required. If you can donate any of these items (clean, in good condition and in working order, please), e-mail Doug Milander and Ann Deveau <amdrm at nbnet.nb.ca> or call (506) 455-3299.

Drop-off and/or pick-up dates can be arranged later this spring. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Don MacPherson helps move articles for short term storage

As of 10 June …

LIVING ROOM – modern TV (not the heavy, old, tube-type)

BEDROOMS – mattress and boxspring for a single bed, mattress and boxspring for a 54-inch bed, 3 waste baskets

DINING/KITCHEN – 4 kitchen chairs, hand mixer, muffin tin

MISCELLANEOUS – chair for computer desk, radio, alarm clock, wall clock, paper/pens/pencils, 3 umbrellas, combs and brushes

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES – broom and dustpan, sponge mop, bucket, laundry detergent, cleaning rags, cleanser, toilet paper, paper napkins, recycling bin, freezer bags, garbage bags

Ann Deveau

What’s new with Belize? – June 2016

Posted on June 9, 2016June 23, 2022

Visit the Cathedral Missions site

Belize occupies not only a chunk of land in Central America, but also a special spot in the hearts of dozens of people from the cathedral who took part in mission trips there in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2013.

“Our work as a church is to reach out and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ,” says Beverly Morell who led the four mission teams. “Belize is a wonderful example of one important way we do just that!”

Although a cathedral team has not gone south recently — largely due to the falling Canadian dollar which made the trip much too expensive — connections between the cathedral and a tiny Anglican parish in Belize continue.

Education is so important for these young people as is a well-equipped school …

For example, approximately $2,000 is sent annually to help St. Hilda’s Anglican School. It’s an elementary school (pop. 200) in a poor area in western Belize where three of the teams volunteered. The funds pay for school supplies as well as badly needed repairs such as fixing broken toilets and gaping holes in classroom ceilings.

Earth Day posters in Belize

The money for school supplies, including books, printer ink cartridges, paper and coloured pencils, is appreciated by the teachers. For example, it meant that the children had plentiful materials to work with when creating the Earth Day posters pictured here.

Another aspect of the relationship is assistance for higher education. In Belize free education stops at Grade 8. Many families live below the poverty line and cannot afford to send their children to high school. Former missioners and other donors have helped put several St. Hilda’s graduates through high school: Ashley Jones, Amieka Myers, Anfernee Vasquez, Jamal Whitty and Tianney Lamb.

Also thanks to donors from the cathedral family, three students from St. Hilda’s are currently attending high school: Aaliyah Augustine, Paul Jones and Anique Hernandez. Paul explains why the financial support and encouragement mean so much to him: “I come from a poor family, but I want to show other children like me that it doesn’t matter where you came from, you can still achieve the goal you set your mind on.”

Earth Day 2016 at St. Hilda’s

Originally, it cost $700 CDN per year per student, but the decline of our dollar means that it now costs $1,000 CDN annually per student. Although the existing students will be supported until graduation, unfortunately a high school scholarship cannot be offered to a St. Hilda’s graduate in 2016.

A couple years ago other donors at the cathedral kindly pooled resources to send two of the high school graduates to college. Although Anfernee Vasquez dropped out after a year, Amieka Myers intends to graduate with an associate in education certificate in 2017.

“Education is so important for these young people as is a well-equipped school,” says Brad McKnight, treasurer of the cathedral’s Missions Committee. “Our committee is considering a fund-raiser in late fall or early winter to make sure the financial support remains solid well into the future. Stay tuned for news about specific plans and for opportunities to volunteer.”

By Ann Deveau

Read the June 2016 letter from Principal Jane Martinez

Divine Renovation

Posted on June 4, 2016October 30, 2016

Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish
By James Mallon
Novalis Publishing/2014/286 pages

Fr. James Mallon is pastor and priest at the Roman Catholic Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He speaks frequently on the topic of church renewal and has hosted internationally acclaimed DVD series on Catholicism and Dogmatic Theology. St. Benedict is an amalgamation of three former parishes and under Fr. Mallon’s care has achieved remarkable success in becoming a Christian community focussed on mission outside of its doors as opposed to an inward- looking maintenance ministry. In this book, the author offers practical guidance and a step by step blueprint on that process.

Its time to start making disciples. The future of the Church depends on it.

The Church today is faced often with the overwhelming task of maintaining property. While our buildings are an enormous gift from our past, they can also become one of our greatest burdens if we are not successful at becoming the missional church we are called to be. Jesus does not call us to be caretakers but, rather to serve him by serving the world and making disciples. “Its time to start making disciples,” says Fr. Mallon. “The future of the Church depends on it.”

Chapter two focusses on a grounding of the theory to be presented from Roman Catholic specific papal encyclicals and denominational specific documents. That goal completed, Divine Renovation progresses towards an insightful read for the Christian of any denomination. It is particularly applicable for any denomination that recognizes sacramental dimensions of the faith. “The sacraments are our greatest pastoral opportunity” and, perhaps one of the reasons I find it easy to recommend this book is that I agree wholeheartedly with most, if not all, of the author’s fundamental beginning points as well as the conclusions. Changing the “culture” of the Christian Community is necessarily at the heart of a transformation from maintenance to mission. It is that change of culture that consumes the majority of this text.

The practical road map leading to the transformation of church culture is divided into several sections. These might be alternatively titled: “Fr. Mallon’s marks of a healthy church.”

Giving Priority to the Weekend
Hospitality
Uplifting Music
Homilies
Meaningful Community
Clear Expectations
Strength-based Ministry

Inspiring, practical, challenging and a bracing call are among the terms others have used to describe an insightful book. A good read for anyone who cares about how to do Church in our current context. Fr. Mallon addresses the clergy of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton during the clergy conference in August of 2016.

Geoffrey Hall

Called to Mission – Matt Allen

Posted on May 18, 2016June 9, 2016

Matt Allen has been a regular member of our congregation this past year and is preparing to serve God in a mission abroad with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. He is self-financing his salary for this mission and the Missions Committee would like to share his request for support.

“I am coming on staff with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Over the past year I have been working with Inter-Varsity in Fredericton. But now I am feeling like God is calling me to an International placement with Inter-Varsity. I am looking at a placement in either Martinique or France to work with the local student groups and see how they can grow and make a larger impact on their campuses and in their countries. Right now both of those locations have less than five staff working there.

So I want to partner with them and see how we can grow. Right now I am fundraising for my salary and my budget costs. I am looking to fund-raise $40,000. Would you be willing to support me either financially or through prayer. If you would like to join my newsletter email me at <mallen at ivcf.ca> and if you would like to financially support me you can at ivcf.ca/donate/mallen” – Matt Allen

View this post on the Missions Committee site

Brad McKnight

Run for the Word 2016

Posted on May 18, 2016June 4, 2016

Locations: Florenceville-Bristol, NB; Fredericton, NB
Date: Saturday, June 4, 2016
Time: 9:30 AM – On-site registration; 10:00 AM – Opening ceremony

Run for the Word (R4W) is a fundraising event held in New Brunswick since 2013. This annual event aims to connect the Canadian Bible Society (CBS) friends and supporters together to raise funds for the Bible work in Canada and around the world. Participants join by committing to run or walk from 1km to 5km and to raise funds for the various Bible translation, distribution and engagement programs of the Canadian Bible Society.

Visit the Run for the Word website

to register, read stories,support a runner and for more resources

Making the Bible available for Canadians

This year, Run for the Word is raising funds for Bible translation, distribution and engagement programs in Canada. CBS partners with over 100 churches and organizations to distribute God’s Word to those who need it. Through partnership with various ministries in Canada, CBS is able to bring God’s Word to

Men and women in prison
Children and youth in summer camps
New refugees/migrants
Canadian soldiers
First Nations communities
The Visually-impaired
And more!

Every year, CBS receives hundreds of requests from organizations who have identified the Scripture needs of people they minister to. CBS partners are able to determine what Bible version or format (e.g. print, audio, Braille) would be best for those who receive them. They are responsible for making sure that the Bibles produced by CBS end up in the hands of people who hunger and thirst for God’s Word.

Through the generosity of supporters, CBS is able to produce these Scriptures year after year. As a result, people are able to read the Bible in their heart language and lives are transformed.

Living the Third Mark of Mission

Posted on April 16, 2016May 11, 2016

A community without volunteers wouldn’t be much of a community.

That’s the opinion of Doug Wright who has been a volunteer on a cathedral team at the Fredericton Community Kitchen for about 10 years.

“I think people have to go further than just sitting in the pews,” he said as he chopped broccoli for a salad one recent evening at the soup kitchen.

Working nearby, Wayne Phillips agreed. “It’s good to give back to the community,” he said. “Too often, the church is about money and politics, not about helping people.”

“I think people have to go further than just sitting in the pews …”

Wayne is a 17-year veteran at the kitchen, but newcomers feel the same way.

Rebecca Butler and Kurt Goddard joined a cathedral team this year. “I see it as another form of mission,” Rebecca said, thinking of the third Mark of Mission which is to respond to human need by loving service.

She and Sarah Petite wiped down tables in preparation for dozens of supper guests who would soon line up for turkey rice casserole, beets, vegetable soup, juice, coffee and sweet treats donated by a local “big box” store.

The cathedral’s Outreach Committee co-ordinates four teams who help the chef at supper time on Saturdays year-round. (The kitchen serves supper and lunch daily as well as breakfast on weekdays.) Duties include preparing and serving food, doing dishes, and cleaning up after the evening meal.

Each team has more than a dozen members, and four-to-six are expected to cover the two-hour shift which runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Ideally, it should mean one’s turn comes up every other month, but it varies in reality.

The guests stream in from the homeless shelters, rooming houses or shabby little apartments. A few are living on the street or are transients passing through due to unemployment, addictions, mental illness, poverty in general. Sometimes there are children.

“The people who come here are so grateful for what they receive and what we do.”

“It’s not a tough job,” said longtime volunteer Wayne Burley as he rinsed and stacked plates. “The people who come here are so grateful for what they receive and what we do.”

Jason Parsons stepped up a couple years ago. “I’m busy with my work and my three children, but it’s is a small commitment of time. It really gives all of us a chance to be the hands and feet of God in our city,” he said.

In recent years, the cathedral has not been able to provide enough volunteers to fill four teams. Currently, teams have non-cathedral members serving as volunteers which does add a nice social aspect to the work. If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Doug Milander from the Outreach Committee.

Fredericton Community Kitchen

Fredericton Homeless Shelters THANKS

Posted on April 13, 2016May 11, 2016

February 16th, 2016

Christ Cathedral Church
168 Church Street
Fredericton, NB E3B 4C9

Dear Father G. Hall and Congregation;

The Fredericton Shelters and its staff members recently took the much needed time to remember and recognize the tremendous support that it receives from its many generous donors. You are receiving this letter because you are one of those giving, selfless community members who cares about helping those in need. Upon reflection, we realize that we could not do anything to help our homeless men and women without your contributions, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The Shelters continues its daily functions of providing a safe, stable, caring environment to approximately 35 homeless individuals each month. As of October 2014, we have been under the leadership of a new
Executive Director who, like his staff, possesses a great deal of empathy for the people that we serve. Our energy has been renewed, and we are hoping to do everything we can to increase the potential of the shelter, staff and most important, the residents.

In the past, efforts like yours have kept the doors open so that we did not have to turn away anyone who was in need of warmth and a good night’s rest. Without maybe realizing it, you also have played a significant role in lessening the loneliness of isolation, and you have helped many people know that despite their circumstances, people do care about them.

Our homeless men and women still need your help. We hope that you will stay connected with the shelters as we continue to count on people like you so much.

Again, we thank you and appreciate everything you have done.

Warren Maddox
Executive Director
Fredericton Homeless Shelter Inc.

Visit the Fredericton Shelters website

Parish Nurse Pledge Campaign

Posted on April 8, 2016April 24, 2016

At present the Cathedral does not have a practicing Parish Nurse. Isabel Cutler held this role and calling for the last 11 years, and she retired in December of 2015.

What the Parish Nurse does for our Cathedral Congregation (In-reach)

The Parish Nurse:

ministers to us at a grass roots level on a daily basis when we are in crisis, or when we need a helping hand
coordinates obtaining assistance for us, whether it be providing meals and arranging for rides or accompanying us to office visits arranging for prayer shawls to be given to us or our family members who needed them and always upholding us in prayer completing home assessments i.e. arranging and planning for assistance in the home
assisting us to navigate the health care system
referring/partnering with physicians, Social Development and other services to obtain needed health care and home services, and
filling in the gaps in the health care system

Client Contacts in 2015:

380 contacts with congregational members
102 hospital and home visits
167 telephone visits/consultations
worked 773 hours, on call 24/7
organized events where 830 clients attended, and
coordinated the many volunteers in the Health Ministry

Confidentiality: Much of the care and ministry that the Parish Nursing team offered was confidential. There are strict privacy standards and provincial legislation to protect the privacy of our personal health information. In a faith community this can be a challenge, but the Parish Nurse has upheld this standard.

Comments from members of the congregation:

“Your kindness and thoughtfulness have been appreciated by Mom in her tough
journey.”

“The shawl has been such a comfort. It is as though God is wrapping His loving arms around me and filling me with His Peace and Love.”

“The comfort it gave me to know that I could call Isabel and ask for help. All I had to do was make one phone call, and help was there, in the form of a prayer shawl, meals, and more importantly prayer!”

“Isabel saved my life.”

What the Parish Nurse does for our Wider Community (Outreach)

The Parish Nurse has:

made partnerships with the wider community to draw people into our community and to Christ
established growing partnerships with Horizon Health Authority and Social Development
developed partnerships with Community Health Clinics, including the Downtown Clinic
collaborated with UNB Nursing students to participate in the Monday Morning Outreach activities
assisted in providing space in the Hall and support for Prenatal Classes and a Breastfeeding Support Group, and
was anticipating providing space for Social Workers and Counsellors to meet with clients in the Hall.

Why do we need to continue this ministry?

Congregational trust, expectation and reliance: The members of our congregation
• have developed trust and expectation that we will continue to support them when needed, and
• are relying on the Parish Nurse and the Health Ministry Team.

Christian Witness: What better example of Christian ministry and discipleship to the Diocese could we offer? We may be able to work with other parishes in supporting their congregations to develop this ministry.

Professional community partnerships: This is an opportunity to draw people into our community, to draw them into the love of God, while at the same time allowing us to reach out to them in love and service. We do not want to lose this momentum that the Parish Nurse Ministry has established.

What will we lose without a Parish Nurse?

No Parish Nurse to minister to us as noted above.
No Coordinator for the Health Ministry Team.
The Monthly Teas and the Prayer Shawl Ministry will continue as the volunteers are able to support.
The Helping Hands and the Cathedral Visitors will eventually cease if there is no coordination (also the Blood Pressure Clinics, Health Information Sessions, Fit Club, etc.).
No expansion of community partnerships i.e. outreach to the wider community

Funding: Bishop and Chapter supports the concept of hiring a Parish Nurse, but at the moment sufficient funds are not available. Money is the issue. Bishop and Chapter has endorsed a Pledge Campaign to support the funding for a salaried part-time Parish Nurse position.

We have a long-time congregational member who has undertaken the Parish Nursing Certification Training (funded by the Cathedral) and feels she has a vocation to this ministry. She is willing to take on this role.

A Pledge Campaign to financially support the Parish Nurse position
at Christ Church Cathedral

The positive/immense value of the Parish Nurse to the members of the Cathedral congregation has now been well documented and appreciated.

The Health Ministry Team, with the consent of Bishop and Chapter, is holding a Pledge Campaign in April to financially support a part-time, salaried position of a Parish Nurse at the Cathedral for at least the next 5 years. From April 10 -24, we will be accepting pledges to raise a minimum of $11,000 each year for the next 5 years.

We are asking you to prayerfully consider contributing to this campaign – whether it be a few dollars a week/month for the next 5 years, or perhaps if you are able, much more than that.

Give online (one time or recurring monthly)

or Download the Pledge Form
(save to your local computer, fill, save, and attach to email)

We are very grateful that, without even being asked, 3 members of the congregation have already each offered $1,000 or more for each of these 5 years.

It is important to note that the Bishop and Chapter requires that pledges made to support the Parish Nursing position be in addition to regular giving commitments.

Can you help? If so, please contact:
Jaye Hawkins <jwh.hawkins at gmail.com>
(506) 455-5519
Jaye and Barb Toole are co-chairing the Pledge Campaign

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