January 2012

1anglicanlife January2012

anglicanlifeJanuary2012

a section of the ANGLICAN JOURNAL

newfoundlandlabrador

“I am willing and readyto do so.”

These are the words spo-ken by each person whoenters Holy Orders in theAnglican Church ofCanada. For Sarah Baikiethese words have been livedout every day of her life inher ministry to the commu-nity of Rigolet.

On a clear sunny morn-ing on 13 November 2011,surrounded by her familyand community, The Rev’dSarah Baikie was ordaineda deacon by The Rt. Rev’dCyrus Pitman, Bishop ofEastern Newfoundland &Labrador. Her five grand-children, dressed in tradi-tional aboriginal dress ofseal and beaver skin boots,drummed the procession

into St. Timothy’s Church.Honouring Sarah’s heritage,the Lord’s Prayer was prayedin the local dialect ofInuktitut. The presence ofthe RCMP and First Min-ister Darrell Shiwak fromthe Nunatisavut Govern-ment (Sarah’s nephew)brought faith, culture, andcommunity together in asacred celebration of minis-try.

The Rev’d Sarah Baikieis the first woman of Inuitdescent ordained in theDiocese of Eastern New-foundland & Labrador.

HISTORIC ORDINATION IN RIGOLET

MMMMMarararararching in the Lching in the Lching in the Lching in the Lching in the Light of Gight of Gight of Gight of Gight of God: od: od: od: od: The grandchildren of newly ordained deacon Sarah Baikie of Rigolet,Labrador drum in the procession with Bishop Cyrus Pitman (centre). Photo: Archdeacon Charlene Taylor

I am willing and rI am willing and rI am willing and rI am willing and rI am willing and ready to do so: eady to do so: eady to do so: eady to do so: eady to do so: Newly ordained deacon Sarah Baikie (third from left) is surrounded by clergy and local dignitaries in her home Church of St. Timothy’s in Rigolet,Labrador. Photo: Archdeacon Charlene Taylor.

Submitted byArchdeacon Charlene Taylor

January2012 anglicanlife2

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VICTIM TO VICTOR

Bishop David TorravilleDiocese of

Central Newfoundland

As I write this, I have justreturned from the House ofBishops where I was chal-lenged by the words and pres-ence of The Rev’d MichaelLapsley of the Society of theSacred Mission. FatherMichael, born in New Zea-land, attended university inSouth Africa but was expelledby the apartheid governmentof South Africa for his politi-cal and social activism. Hebecame a member of the Af-rican National Congress,functioning as a chaplainwithin the organization. InApril 1990 in Harare, Zim-babwe, Michael was sent aletter bomb by the South Af-rican Government. In theexplosion his eardrums wereshattered, he lost an eye andboth hands.

After many months ofrecovery his own bishop didnot know what to do withhim; a priest who had nohands. ArchbishopDesmond Tutu invited himto Cape Town where he nowserves as the director of theInstitute for the Healing ofMemories where he worksboth with victims and victim-izers.

Michael describes him-self as one who was a victim,then a survivor, but now a vic-tor.

For me the most power-ful part of his presentation wasnot merely the words he spokein such a soft tone but thesound his metal hooks made,as he clasped them together.A priest without hands - apriest who needs help withthe most basic of personalcare, half blind, hearing im-paired, but in gentle, meas-ured and loving tones he pro-claims the love and grace ofJesus Christ and the power ofthat to change lives.

January is a time of newbeginnings, of turning a newleaf, of resolutions. The truth,however, is that behavior doesnot change; hearts do notchange, unless attitudeschange. How often have webeen overwhelmed by a fearof what we lack, our faith isnot firm, our belief wavers; wehave more questions thananswers and yet there standspeople like Michael, inworldly terms, shattered, bro-ken and incomplete - yetfaithful.

Few of us go as close tothe Cross as Michael has, butas I hear the clicking of hismetal hands and the gentletone of his voice, as I see theglow of his face I hear theVictor’s proclamation - thepromise of resurrection.

My hope, in this New

Year, is that we not be so over-burdened by what we lack,that we fail to do what I can,in service of our Lord, thePeople of God and the wholeof Creation. My prayer is thatwe might seek healing of thebroken and bitter memoriesof the past and that the prom-ise of resurrection might findits way into our hearts andlives.

Every Blessing as wejourney in faith together.

WWWWWounded ounded ounded ounded ounded WWWWWarrior: arrior: arrior: arrior: arrior: The Rev’d Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who lost his hands and an eye in a terrorattack by the former South African apartheid regime spoke recently with the Canadian House of Bishops.Father Michael is the director of the Institute for Healing Memories in Cape Town, South Africa.

For more information onFr. Michael Lapsley visit

www.healing-memories.org


let us pray

30 Roe Avenue, P.O. Box 348,Gander, NL A1V 1W7Telephone: (709) 651-4100Fax: (709) 256-2957email: [email protected]

THANK YOU TIZ

Happy Retirement. Happy Retirement. Happy Retirement. Happy Retirement. Happy Retirement. After many years of faithful service as theAdministrative Assistant to the Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland andLabrador, Canon Elizabeth “Tiz” Barnes is retiring from her position.Anglican Life wishes her a long and happy retirement! Photo: TheEditor

The Rev’d LouiseRichards (left) was ordainedto the Sacred Priesthood byWestern Diocesan Bishop,The Rt. Rev’d Percy Coffin,on 1 November 2011, theFeast of All Saints, at St.James the Apostle, Port auxBasques.

A large number of dioc-esan clergy, congregationalmembers, as well as familyand friends joined the newpriest for this special day.

The Rev’d LouiseRichards graduated f romQueen’s College in May of2011, and joined the minis-try team at St. James Churchas an Associate Clergy onJune 15th.

She is the youngestdaughter of Wilf red andEmma Richards of St.Anthony. Submitted by theRev’d Hannah Dicks.

NEW PRIEST ORDAINED

On 1 November 2011, the women of St. James the Apostle, Port aux Basques, celebrated their 113th anniversary.To commemorate the service, dedication and contribution these women give to support the church, a celebrationEucharist was held at the church on 9 November followed by a fellowship lunch in the hall. Submitted by TheRev’d Hannah Dicks.

113TH ANNIVERSARY

MMMMMaking a Faking a Faking a Faking a Faking a Frrrrresh Sesh Sesh Sesh Sesh Startartartartart:t:t:t:t: On 21 October 2011, the Diocese of WesternNewfoundland concluded its second group with Fresh StartFresh StartFresh StartFresh StartFresh Start, a programdesigned to help facilitate a smooth transition into a new parish or ministryfor both clergy and congregations. Submitted by The Rev’d Canon RobertaWoodman.

A FRESH START


anglicanlifeANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is thenewspaper of the Anglican Church in the Province ofNewfoundland and Labrador. A co-operative effort of thethree Dioceses in Newfoundland and Labrador, it ispublished monthly, except July and August, with anindependent editorial policy.

A section of the Anglican Journal

Editor-in-Chief:The Rev’d Sam Rose8 Croydon StreetParadise, NLA1L 1P7Email: [email protected]

Advertising Rates and other information may beobtained from:Bishop Donald Young34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8Phone: (709) 256-7701Email: [email protected]

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New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of addressshould be sent to:CirculationThe Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy)80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2(416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax)Email: [email protected]

Each parish is responsible for maintaining its ownsubscription list - please notify your parish office of anychanges. Changes sent to parish offices may take monthsto take effect. Please also send your updated information toCirculation at the Anglican Journal (above) or to DonYoung at 34 Fraser Road, Gander NL A1V 2E8.

Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor-in-Chief(above)

Parish Bulletins and Letters to the Editor: Send to theEditor-in-Chief, Sam Rose (address as above). All lettersmust include the writer’s name, address, and telephonenumber. Telephone numbers will not be published.Anglican Life does not publish letters under nom de plume.Letters should not exceed 300 words (one double spacedtypewritten page), and are subject to editing at thediscretion of the editor.

These policies were adopted by the Anglican Life Committee.Layout & Design: Sam RosePrinted by:Signal Star Publishing, A Division of Bowes PublishersLimited,Industrial Park, 120 Huckins Street,Goderich, Ontario, N7A 4B6

Circulation: 21,777

BUILDING A COMMUNITY

Allison BillardColumnist

I subscribe to a dailymeditation from the HenriNouwen Society and everymorning they send me a lit-tle thought for the day. Lotsof days the notes don’t reallyspeak to me, but I saw thisone recently and wanted toshare it:

Just as it seems unlikely tous that God chose to become hu-man in a young girl living in asmall, not very respected townin the Middle East nearly twothousand years ago, it seemsunlikely that God chose to con-tinue his work of salvation in acommunity of people constantlytorn apart by arguments, preju-dices, authority conflicts, andpower games. Still, believing inJesus and believing in theChurch are two sides of onefaith. It is unlikely but divine!

I think this hits the nailright on the head, if you’ll ex-cuse the cliché. It is often hardto imagine that the Churchthat is portrayed in the mediahas anything to do with Je-sus and God’s work of salva-

tion. To outsiders we mustseem like a bunch of crazies,no better than crooked poli-ticians or master manipula-tors. There is a lot of bad stuffgoing on inside the church,as well as outside of it and formany it is hard to look beyondwhat they see in the news andmaybe have even experiencedthemselves.

It is hard for many to be-lieve in the Church. And I’mnot talking about one de-nomination or a particularcongregation. I will limit mycommentary to Christianitybut I’m sure the same can besaid of others as well. TheChristian Church in our so-ciety has a bad reputation. SoI can almost sympathize withthose who talk about theirfaith as separate from theChurch, that they don’t needthe Church to believe in God.

But they are missing animportant distinction.The capital “C”Church is notthe buildingpeople go toon Sundaysfor wor-ship. Ifwe arecallingthat achurchit is

small “c” church. It is reallyjust a space for prayer, wor-ship, healing, education etc.The Church is the entire faithcommunity. Not just a par-ticular denomination. Notlimited by geography, race,language or any other char-acteristic. The Church is allthe followers of Jesus whocome together to worship andwork together to spread thegood news of Jesus Christ.

Maybe you don’t need thebuilding, but you certainlyneed the people. We are a re-ligion based on community.From the very beginningwhen the apostles went outinto the world to spread themessage, Christianity wasabout community buildingand breaking bread together.How can your faith be sepa-rate from that?



LET US PRAYGrace at meals

The Rev. Everett HobbsColumnist

The saying of grace pre-dates Christianity. The his-tory of graces can be tracedback to Greek and Roman lit-erature and then from theOld and New Testaments tothe writings of the earlyChristians. Later we haverecords of graces used in reli-gious communities andfound in official prayer booksand primers. Formal graceswere also uses at schools, col-leges, universities and otherinstitutions. The use of agrace at meals is universal andis found in most religions andcultures.

The word grace comesfrom the Latin gratias, mean-ing thanks. One time graceat meals was commonplacein many homes. Today thispractice seems to have largelylapsed. There are still formaloccasions, such as a weddingreception, when a grace ispronounced.

Saying grace at tablehelps to remind us of themany blessings and gifts wehave and to offer thanks. Itprovides an opportunity tooffer gratitude not just forfood but for everything wehave. Even if it just to pauseand bow our heads in silence.Or we can say a short grace,“For what we are about to re-ceive...,” or “God is great, Godis good....” Most of us knowa few graces and it is good topass them along to childrenand grandchildren. Othershorts graces are “Come,Lord Jesus, be our guest andby you this food be blest”,“Thanks be to God for our

food” and “Lord, bless thisfood.” Or we can just ad lib.

Locally we sometimessing “Be present at our table,Lord ....” At Queen’s Collegewe used to say the Latin grace“Benedictus Benedicat perJesum Christum DoinumNostrum.” There are alsochildren’s graces, such as“Thank you for the world sosweet....”..I like this one:“Clean of hands and clean offace, I sit me down to say mygrace, God bless the food thathere we see, God bless youand God bless me.”

Today we try to include apetition for the hungry in theworld. Here is a well-knownone: “For food in a worldwhere - many walk in hun-ger; for faith - in a worldwhere- many walk in fear; forfriends where - many walkalone, we give you humblethanks, O Lord.”

And there are humorousand light-hearted graces:‘Rub-a-dub-dub, thanksLord for the grub”; “Lord,bless this food upon thesedishes, as Thou didst blessthe loaves and fishes. Andlike the sugar in the tea, Mayall of us be stirred by thee.”;“Three potatoes for the fourof us, Thank the Lord, thereare no more of us!; “For rab-bits young and rabbits old,For rabbits hot and rabbitscold, For rabbits tender, rab-bits tough, We thank thee,Lord: we’ve had enough”. Allkinds of graces can be foundonline.

Our great model for graceis the Eucharist where webless the bread and wine withJesus as our host. May weinvite him to be with us at ourown meals.

LETTER TO THE EDITORDear Editor:

It was with great interestthat I read Bishop Pitman’sarticle, “Is God calling you?”and your article, “Are you lis-tening?” in the November2011 issue of Anglican Life. Ihope you would agree that itis the Holy Spirit whoprompts or calls someoneinto the priesthood. Wouldthe Holy Spirit call someoneinto a church with the follow-ing characteristics?

1. In March 2009, Pri-mate Fred Hiltz was asked,“What is the Gospel?” Hisreply was, (a) Parishes havinggood liturgy, (b) Christcentered preaching, and (c)Telling stories.

2. Bishop MichaelIngram, in his book Mansionsof the Spirit, denies that JesusChrist is the only way to theFather and denies the bodilyresurrection of Jesus Christ.

3. Seven Dioceses in theAnglican Church of Canadanow permit the blessings ofsame-sex unions, which iscontrary to Holy Scripture.

4. The Dean of the An-glican Cathedral in Montrealis married to a same-sex part-ner.

5. Anglican Priestsmarch in the Toronto GayPride Parade holding a ban-ner with the words ProudAnglicans on it.

6. The Anglican Churchof Hosannas had a sign infront of the church whichstates, “You may not believein God, but She believes inyou.”

7. An Anglican Churchin Toronto, during theEucharist, gives a commun-ion wafer (the body of Christ)to a dog.

8. In an AnglicanChurch in London, Ontario,the choir sings the New Age

song The Age of Aquarius dur-ing the Eucharist.

9. At St. Cuthbert’s An-glican Church in Toronto, thepagan ritual of celebratingEarth Hour is held.

10. In the Diocese ofNiagara the pagan rituals ofthe Sacred Circle and theLabyrinth are used.

11. Imams are permittedto read from the Koran dur-ing the installation of aBishop.

12. Mission for the An-glican Church of Canadanow means social justice notevangelism.

I could go on and giveyou many more examples ofhow the Anglican Church ofCanada has departed fromthe truth of Scripture. Youmay say well none of this ishappening in the Diocese ofEastern Newfoundland andLabrador. I will give you twoexamples:

1. I attended a funeral ata Parish in this Diocese aboutsix months ago. Before theBread and Wine was distrib-uted the Rector announcedthat, “it is the policy at ourchurch that all are welcometo the communion table.”That would include theunbaptised, atheists, Mus-lims, Hindi, Buddhists etc.What a mockery this makesof the Creed which wasprayed before the Eucharistand the Sacrament of Bap-tism. I understand that theHouse of Bishops has sincevoted no to open commun-ion.

2. In 2002, the Arch-bishop of Canterbury, RowanWilliams made the followingstatements regarding FreeMasonry, “I have real misgiv-ings about the compatibilityof Masonry and Christian

profession. I have resisted theappointment of known Ma-sons to certain posts.” Andalso, “I am worried about theritual elements in Free Ma-sonry which some have seenas possibility satanically in-spired and how that sits un-easily with Christian beliefs.”

In the Diocese of East-ern Newfoundland and Lab-rador I have witnessed GrandMaster Masons read the les-sons during the Eucharist,hold special Church services,take part in funerals and takeleadership roles on vestries.This is happening eventhough the Archbishop ofCanterbury will not appointMasons to leadership rolesand is worried that their ritu-als are satanically inspired.

Mr. Editor, in your articleyou mention the downturn inmembership in the AnglicanChurch. In fact the AnglicanChurch of Canada is losing2% of its membership everyyear. With the above men-tioned theology. Is it anywonder? When a churchdoes not proclaim the goodnews of the saving Grace ofJesus Christ it will die. Socialjustice does not add anyoneto the kingdom.

Mr. Editor, I look forwardto the refutation of any of theTruths I have listed above.

Tolson ChapmanSt. John’s, NL

Anglican


CHRISTMAS SHOEBOXES

2012 - A GLORIOUS YEAR?Is this the year Jesus

Christ returns in glory – HisSecond Coming?

Uncle Sam, my oldfriend, says, “Yes! Definitelyyes!”

Naturally old Uncle Sam

is only a few years older thanI, but his white hair and beardmakes him look like one ofthe Biblical prophets.

Uncle Sam is very reli-gious. He has read the Biblethrough and through. He has

studied Biblical history. Andhe’s always on top of currentworld events.

“This has got to be ourlast year,” Sam predicts, “be-cause all the Biblical predic-tions of the End Times –earthquakes, floods, wars, etc.– are happening right now.

“Besides,” he states, “ifJesus doesn’t come real soon,we stupid human beings withour global warming and ournuclear weapons will, oneway or another, destroy ourworld and us with it. Thereare the facts!”

Uncle Sam reminds thedoubters that the First Com-ing of Jesus was predictedlong before he came; so long,in fact, that many people were

convinced he’d never come atall. But, of course, in God’sproper time, he did come ingreat humility.

“So, as he promised,” Samstates emphatically, “He willcome again, real soon, andthis time in amazing glory.God is certainly not going towait for us to destroy his be-loved creation. That’s forsure!”

“Since, as the Bible warnsus, we know not the hour ofJesus’ coming, shouldn’t weChristians be thoroughly pre-pared for that amazingevent?” Sam asks.

Good question.Maybe 2012 will really be

our glorious year?

Ron ClarkeColumnist

Many thanks to all who havedonated Christmas Shoe Boxes thisyear at St Boniface Church, inSt Boniface Church, inSt Boniface Church, inSt Boniface Church, inSt Boniface Church, inRRRRRamea. amea. amea. amea. amea. The Service wasconducted by Clyde Dominie. Thefollowing prayers were used to blessthis outreach effort: O Lord Jesus Christ, who hastaught us that it is more blessed togive than to receive, and that towhomever much is given, of them,shall much be required. Pour intoour hearts the spirit of thine ownabundant generosity, and make usready and eager to share with otherswhat we ourselves have so richlyand freely received; for the honourof your name, who lives and reignswith the Father and the Holy Spirit,one God, world without end.Amen. Heavenly Father, Giver of allgood things, who has taught us thatit is more blessed to give than toreceive; We dedicate these ChristmasShoe Box offerings to the service ofyour church, humbly asking thatall we have and are may be usedfor your glory; through Jesus Christour Lord. Amen

Submitted by Arthur Marsden

CHRISTMAS SHOEBOXES


Women’s Home Mission Association celebrates 130 years of ministryLITTLE BOXES OF LOVE

The Women’s HomeMission Association(W.H.M.A.), which cel-ebrated its 130th anniversaryin 2011, is believed to be theoldest continuing organiza-tion in the Cathedral parishof St. John the Baptist in St.John’s, NL.

The W.H.M.A. wasfounded in 1881 by Archdea-con Botwood to help furthermissionary work within theDiocese. The object of theW.H.M.A at that time wasto support a missionary atBattle Harbour in Labrador.The W.H.M.A. would raisemoney annually for the mis-sionary’s stipend and supportother similar missionary workas approved.

Over time, their missionhas evolved to include the fol-lowing ministries: AltarGuild, Emmaus House FoodBank, Ministry to the Deaf,Parish of Battle Harbour, Pri-mate’s World Relief and De-

velopment Fund, Queen’sCollege, Sleeping Childrenaround the World, and schol-arships for university studentsfrom Labrador. Traditionally,funds are collect by theWomen’s Mission throughsmall wooden gift boxes.

On 26 November 2011,the W.H.M.A. invitedformer clergy and catechistsfrom the Parish of BattleHarbour to an AnniversaryEucharist at the Cathedralalong with a traditional Cupof Tea.

Each invited guest wasgiven opportunity to sharereflections of how theW.H.M.A. was influential intheir ministry and to the peo-ple of Battle Harbour Parish.

Also, the W.H.M.A. pre-sented one of its annualscholarships to DanielJohnson from Mary’s Har-bour, Labrador. Mr. Johnsonis studying Engineering atMemorial University.

LLLLLittle ittle ittle ittle ittle WWWWWooden Boooden Boooden Boooden Boooden Boxxxxxes es es es es such as these ones above have helped sustain the work and ministry of the Women’s HomeMission Association (W.H.M.A.) since 1880. Funds collected by Women Mission members help supportministry in various areas, especially in the Parish of Battle Harbour in Labrador. Photo: The Editor.

Archdeacon Francis Buckle Archdeacon Francis Buckle Archdeacon Francis Buckle Archdeacon Francis Buckle Archdeacon Francis Buckle (above) who served the Anglican Churchfor over 30 years in Labrador brought greetings and shared stories aboutthe work of the W.H.M.A. Photo: The Editor.

Submitted byThe Editor, The Rev’d Sam Rose

with files from the Anglican Cathedral

FFFFFunding the Funding the Funding the Funding the Funding the Futuruturuturuturuture. e. e. e. e. Members of the Executive of the Women’s Home Mission Association award one of twoscholarships to Mr. Daniel Johnson of Mary’s Harbour, Labrador. Pictured (left to right): Donna Hiscock, VicePresident, Jessie Abraham, Treasurer, Daniel Johnson, Elizabeth Mullett, Secretary, and Elizabeth Stewart,President. Photo: The Editor.


BUILDING FOR THE FUTUREBUILDING FOR THE FUTUREFogo Island East committed to youth

The Parish of Fogo IslandEast is committed to itsyouth. On the last Sundayafter Pentecost (Reign ofChrist Sunday 20 November2011), the Church of theHoly Spirit was excited aboutthe opening and dedication oftheir new Parish Centre. Theaddition was considered nec-essary by the Vestry and con-gregation after the realizationthat the space for youth in thechurch was not adequate.

During the service, TheRector, The Rev’d TerryCaines, commented on thecommitment of the parish toits young people and that thiswas evident by the new addi-tion. The connecting of thetwo buildings is only a reflec-tion of our connection toGod. The Rector also saidthat the children are a big partof the church today and weneed not worry about the fu-ture of the church if we arenot committed to the youthnow.

The Parish Center isequipped with a 50 inch flatscreen TV and DVD playerwhich will provide many newopportunities to learn aboutGod and His church in anever changing world.

OOOOOpening a new space.pening a new space.pening a new space.pening a new space.pening a new space. The official opening of a new addition to the Church of the Holy Spirit on Fogo Island East. Pictured above are church warden Walter Vaters (centre), theyouth of the parish, and the rector, The Rev’d Terry Caines (left). Photo: Deanne Caines

Submitted byDeanne Caines

A A A A A WWWWWelcome Aelcome Aelcome Aelcome Aelcome Addition.ddition.ddition.ddition.ddition. Only a few years after the opening of their new Worship Space, The Church of the Holy Spirit on Fogo Island East had toto build an extension on their building to accomodate the growing youth population. Photo: Deanne Caines


ENABLING THE FUTURECONTINUING THE TASKCONTINUING THE TASK

ENABLING THE FUTURE

Eastern NL holds Diocesan Synod in Harbour Grace

SSSSSynod Hynod Hynod Hynod Hynod Hosts. osts. osts. osts. osts. Synod delegates from the host Parish of Harbour Grace. Photo: The Editor.

SSSSSetting up Setting up Setting up Setting up Setting up Synod.ynod.ynod.ynod.ynod. Members of Synod (left to right) Archdeacon John Dinn, Bishop Cyrus Pitman, Chancellor Brad Wicks, and Canon Elizabeth Barnes.

Setting the Course. Setting the Course. Setting the Course. Setting the Course. Setting the Course. Bishop Pitman delivers his Charge to the Synod atthe historic Church of St. Paul in Harbour Grace. Photo: The Editor.

The Diocesan Synod ofEastern Newfoundland &Labrador has attempted tochart a new course in the mis-sion of God.

Under the banner of“Continuing the Task - Ena-bling the Mission,” the Synodwas held in the historic Par-ish of Harbour Grace from18-19 November 2011.

The Synod dealt mainlywith Constitutional changeswhich would reflect a Churchmore focus on mission andministry as opposed to ad-ministration. The creation ofa new Mission Committee inthe Diocese also highlightedthis effort. The new trial con-stitution will be in effect for

the next four years.In his Charge to Synod,

the Rt. Rev’d Cyrus Pitmancalled on the Diocese to con-tinue the missionthat God has givento the Church. TheBishop said thatthere needs to be arenewed focus onwhat God is callingthe Church to doand to be. God iscalling the Dioceseto make new Disci-ples of Christ in each andevery parish.

A balanced budget waspresented by Canon Eliza-beth Barnes, AdministrativeAssistant to the Bishop.

Most of the income for theDiocese comes from the par-ishes through proportionalassessments.

A new Dioc-esan Chancellor,Mr. Bradford Wicks- a lawyer from thefirm of Roebothan,McKay, andMarshall - was in-stalled at the open-ing worship at St.Paul’s Church. Mr.Wicks succeeds re-

tiring former Chancellor Mr.Rhodie Mercer.

Each Archdeaconry inthe Diocese was given the op-portunity to highlight impor-tant ministry and mission

projects ongoing in their re-gions. This sharing of storieswas a positive sign of the goodthings happening in the Dio-cese.

This was also the lastSynod for Canon Barnes asshe was retiring from her po-sition. The Bishop thankedCanon Barnes for her lead-

ership and support during hertime with the Synod Office.

The Bishop promotedArchdeacon Sandra Tilley tothe position of Executive Of-ficer of the Diocese.

Synod delegates weretreated to the wonderful hos-pitality of the people of Har-bour Grace.


Preparing for ordinationis an exciting and over-whelming time in one’s life.In May, 1996, just prior to myordination to the diaconate,Aunt Cass asked what shecould give me as a gift. Inthinking about it, I suggestedan umbrella, as that would bea big asset for internments atfunerals. Her gift was a won-derful, large royal blue um-brella which had a rounded,wooden handle like that ofMary Poppins. After 15 yearsit is still being put to good use.

Most recently, during mytravels from parish to parish,the ‘umbrella’ concept hasbeen talked about and re-flected upon as a tool thatencompasses ‘stewardship’.During the past year and ahalf, our Diocese has beenfocussing on the stewardship

element of our Congrega-tional Development/Stew-ardship Education Initiative.We’ve now presented threeStewardship weekends andfollow-up from them insome of those parishes. Inthat follow-up, the idea of a‘stewardship umbrella’ hasbeen discussed. How wetake care of all that God hasentrusted to us is like an um-brella whose many sectionsmake up the whole. It is likeSt. Paul’s first letter to theCorinthians, chapter 12, inwhich he describes the Bodyof Christ: many members inthe one body. The various sec-tions of the umbrella canrepresent the many aspectsof ministry in which we allparticipate: worship, Chris-tian education, pastoral care,youth, congregational devel-opment, mission andoutreach, evangelism and re-newal, communications,

STEWARDSHIP UMBRELLASubmitted by

The Rev’d Roberta Woodmantithes and offerings, admin-istration, family and seniorministries, ACW, men’sgroups, Fresh Start, Covenantin Ministry, strategic plan-ning, and so on. All of these

work together for the greatergood to build up the Body ofChrist. All have a purpose.All are used to equip the

saints for the work of minis-try. We are to become care-takers of each other, to nur-ture each other in the faith,to encourage one another,and to care for God’s creation.We are to be good stewardsfollowing the example andteaching of Jesus Christ, ourLord and Saviour.

Next time you seesomeone using an um-brella, reflect on what itmeans to you – howuseful it is by providingshelter; how, whenturned upside-down bythe wind, it can sym-bolize what happenswhen discontentment

arises within ourchurches, communities, andhomes; how, when all the sec-tions are intact, it works to-gether for its intended pur-pose – shelter from the storm;how, the various sections re-mind us of our call to minis-

try within the church and theworld, and the responsibilitythat it entails – taking care ofeach other, and loving eachother in the name of Jesus,the One who calls us by nameand equips us for our baptis-mal ministry.

By the time you read thisarticle, my ministry as Pro-gram Coordinator for theDiocese of Western New-foundland will have drawn toa close, and another ministryas priest-in-charge of the Par-ish of St. Michael and AllAngels will have begun. Tak-ing my umbrella with me, I’llbe able to reflect more deeplyon its function and purpose.It has become much morethan a shelter from the storm,providing me with an oppor-tunity to think of it as my“Stewardship Umbrella”.

Image: Irina Matskevich

A BRIGHT C.L.B. LIGHT HASGONE OUT

Like the beautiful Irishballad says, “The tears haveall been shed now and wehave said our last good-byes,”but the memories of oneMajor Walter F. Learningstill cling so vividly in ourminds. To his CLB family, hewas more than just a band-master, an officer, and amarvelous leader. Major Walt,as he was affectionatelyknown, was not a sophisti-cated person, yet his presencemade a very strong impres-sion on anyone who met

him. His sense of sincerityand that of his humor and witwas unique. The commit-ment and dedication he madeto the CLB was remarkableand priceless. His whole fam-ily became a part of a won-derful package that they gaveunconditionally to the Bri-gade.

A member of the trum-pet section of our Regimen-tal Band readily admitted thathe was not an emotional per-son but felt several tears rolldown his face as the bandplayed one of Major Learn-ing’s favorite marches, “The

Pentland Hills”. At the Ca-thedral service a well knownfriend was seen to uncontrol-lably shed tears for MajorWalt as his final tributes wereexpressed. Such was the re-gard that people held for oneWalter F. Learning, CM. Wenever will forget him and thegood news is the fact that wedid not leave any thanks un-said.

As a final salute at theCathedral, the CLB Regi-mental Band played like at noother time, and with greatvigor and inspiration, thewonderful hymn “OnwardChristian Soldiers.” Thenwith additional enthusiasmthey sounded the last verse asMajor Walt was going home.Well done thou good andfaithful servant, come andshare your Master’s happi-ness.

Submitted byAdrian Heffernan

MMMMMajor ajor ajor ajor ajor WWWWWalter Falter Falter Falter Falter F. Lear. Lear. Lear. Lear. LearningningningningningRest in Peace


On October 28, 2011 theAnglican Foundationlaunched its book The HappyAdventures of Hope Bear withtwo representatives f romNewfoundland & Labradorin attendance.

The Anglican Founda-tion is a nationwide arm ofthe Anglican Church ofCanada chaired by the Pri-mate of Canada, the MostRev. Fred Hiltz, and sup-ported by an Executive Di-rector, the Rev. Canon Dr.Judy Rois and a Board of Di-rectors from across the coun-try.

Representing New-foundland are the Rt. Rev.Percy Coffin, Bishop of West-ern Newfoundland, and theRev. Dr. Alex Faseruk fromthe Diocese of Eastern New-foundland & Labrador. Allparishes from the three dio-ceses of Newfoundland aremembers of the AnglicanFoundation, along withmany individual members.

In 2011 the AnglicanFoundation established KidsHelping Kids, a trust fund tosupport youth programs in-cluding summer camp, be-reavement counseling, educa-

tional resources, ramps forwheel chairs, performing arts,drama and music programsand other initiatives.

To fund Kids HelpingKids, the Anglican Founda-tion introduced Hope Bear asits mascot. For a donation of$20 to the Anglican Founda-tion, the person receives theirvery own Hope Bear and theknowledge that they havehelped children in need.Archbishop Hiltz invites,“May Hope Bear wind hisway into your heart as he hasmine.”

For a further $20, con-tributors receive The HappyAdventures of Hope Bear. Thebook starts with Hope Bear’sfavorite Bible verse “May theGod of hope fill you with joyand peace” (Romans 15:13)and chronicles the travels ofHope Bear to many locationsthat have received support. Ifboth Hope Bear and TheHappy Adventures of HopeBear are ordered at the sametime, the donation is only $35.

The Anglican Founda-tion was founded in 1957 tosupport the Church beyondthe scope of their own par-ishes to lend support to new

initiatives across the countryand to help places in Canadawhere there simply was notthe financial means to up-grade church facilities, reno-vate a parish hall or finance amajor repair. Since its begin-nings with an anonymouscontribution of $25,000, theAnglican Foundation has

IIIIIf yf yf yf yf yououououou’’’’’rrrrre a good Be a good Be a good Be a good Be a good Bishop, Iishop, Iishop, Iishop, Iishop, I’’’’’ll rll rll rll rll read yead yead yead yead you a bedtime storou a bedtime storou a bedtime storou a bedtime storou a bedtime storyyyyy. . . . . In the picture above, Bishop Percy Coffin (right) cuddles Hope Bear, who he affectionately called Chaplain Bear, dressed as amilitary chaplain while Dr. Alex Faseruk (left) reads the book. Photo: Saskia Rowley Fielder.

THE HAPPYADVENTURESOF HOPE BEAR

The group picture shows the Board of Directors of the Anglican FoundationBoard of Directors of the Anglican FoundationBoard of Directors of the Anglican FoundationBoard of Directors of the Anglican FoundationBoard of Directors of the Anglican Foundation and its staff. Included in thepicture are the Primate in the middle of the back row and Canon Judy Rois, front row far left, the ExecutiveDirector and author of the book. Photo: Saskia Rowley Fielder.

raised and distributed moneyfor programs across the coun-try. It has provided more than$26 million in grants, schol-arships and loans to clergyand students for theologicaleducation, to parishes for theconstruction, renovation,maintenance and improvedaccessibility of church build-

ings, resources in Canada’sNorth, support of a bishop forthe Canadian Forces, youthprograms, and initiatives in sa-cred arts, music and liturgy.

To learn more about theAnglican Foundation tomake a contribution or applyfor funding visitwww.anglicanfoundation.org


OUR HISTORY David DavisColumnist

THE DOCUMENT

Bishop Aubrey George Spencer, part 2In the first part of this ar-

ticle which appeared in theprevious issue of this news-paper, we looked at the his-tory of the Rev GeorgeAubrey Spencer. In this arti-cle we will look at his timespent in Newfoundland.

Before coming to thatpoint we need to review brieflythe state of the Church ofEngland in Newfoundland inthe first half of the nineteenthcentury. In the eighteenthcentury the few missions inNewfoundland: Trinity, Har-bour Grace and St John’s andsporadically Placentia stag-gered along sometimes hav-ing priests, sometimes havingsubstantial periods of vacan-cies. Newfoundland had hadmissionaries early in the lifeof the Society for the Propa-gation of the Gospel (SPG)in North America. It hadbeen listed with the missionsin the American colonies. Astime passed Newfoundlandwas listed with the Dioceseof Nova Scotia.

The joining together ofthe missions in what is nowcalled Atlantic Canada intothe Diocese of Nova Scotiadid not benefit Newfound-land, it gave the missionariesin Newfoundland a place tomove to better their pros-pects. This was concurrentwith the problems caused bythe American Revolutionwhen anything English wasin disfavor after the Ameri-can colonies became inde-pendent.

In fact for much of thisperiod the Church of Eng-land in Newfoundland waslanguishing in a state of ne-glect. In the early 19th Cen-tury Bishop John Inglis ofNova Scotia made an effortto publicize the state of thechurch in Newfoundlandand made efforts to visit New-foundland, when possible(1827 and 1832), but littlebeneficial was happening inNewfoundland.

It was into this environ-ment that Aubrey Spencer ar-rived when he came to New-foundland as a missionary in1819. He was firstly sent toPlacentia, the former Frenchcapital of Newfoundland.The area had changed sincethe defeat of the French andthe Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.There were still a few Frenchsettlers there but it had beenaltered by the arrival of Irish

people to replace the French.There was only a hand full ofEnglish in the town ofPlacentia, not enough to war-rant a missionary.

Mr. Spencer was thenmoved to the Ferryland to tryto reverse the decline of theChurch of England in thatarea, mostly due to the lackof missionaries and influx ofIrish people. This was also afutile exercise.

After two missteps Mr.Spencer was sent to Trinity toreplace the Rev John Clinchwho had died recently. Mr.Clinch had performed manyroles in Trinity, Trinity Bayand Newfoundland: priest,physician, pharmacist, gov-ernment official, etc.

Unfortunately the samedifficulty that plagued Mr.Spencer when he entered theRoyal Navy happened again,he could not function in thehardships of his work envi-ronment. He was transferredto the tiny island of Bermudaoff the coast of NorthAmerica.

Twenty years later, Mr.Spencer responded to the callto be the first bishop of New-foundland. Little of what theSPG had tried in Newfound-land had worked so New-foundland was separated fromthe Diocese of Nova Scotiaand given its independence.In1839, beginning in BishopSpencer’s short period asbishop(1839-43), finallysomething started to happento the church in Newfound-land, especially with the re-cruitment of priests as mis-sionaries.

Bishop Spencer reallywas the founder of the mod-ern Anglican Church inNewfoundland. It was nodoubt important that for thefirst time a person of socialprominence, an aristocrat,was associated with thechurch in Newfoundland. Hemade it respectable for priestsand others to aspire to cometo Newfoundland. And nodoubt this to led BishopSpencer being followed byBishop Feild who built thechurch on Bishop Spencer’sfoundation

Again the hardships ofthe climate affected Mr.Spencer and he was trans-ferred to the Diocese of Ja-maica, but he had done hiswork and the church in New-foundland had new life.

The following obituary appeared in Mission Life, Vol. III (new series) (1872), pages 218-220.In Memoriam - Bishop Spencer

(Prepared partly from private sources and partly from a notice in the John Bull of March 9th,1872. Continued from the last issue)

The Bishop was devout, of a genial and affectionate disposition, a warm and unchangingfriend; unaffectedly kind and generous, and largely charitable; in manner and feeling a truegentleman; elegant in his tastes and habits, yet simple in his daily intercourse; accessible andcourteous to every one. He had a remarkable memory, and with his large experience and variedreading was a charming literary companion; full of quotations and anecdote, playful and wise. Asa poet he was perpetually pouring forth bird-like snatches of song-some gems of lyrical sweetness-on every occasion and subject befitting his sacred office, but withal he never aimed at any greatlyrical work. His prose in a charge, sermon, in other form was vigorous, clear and accurate, withthe charm of an antique classical ring throughout. He was a frequent contributor to Blackwoodand The Guardian. The verses below were copied from the latter by Canon Trevor, in the reprintof Anglo-Catholic Theology.

ON ON ON ON ON THE HOLTHE HOLTHE HOLTHE HOLTHE HOLY COMMUNIONY COMMUNIONY COMMUNIONY COMMUNIONY COMMUNIONWell we know our heavenly FatherWith the bread of heaven supply,From whose grace alone we gatherStrength to live and calm to die.

Kneeling at the sacred altar,Prone in penitence and prayer,With a love that cannot falter,We shall find our Saviour thereOf His Body-for us broken,Of His blood-for us outpoured,Take we then the blessed token,And confessed a present Lord

Mortal eyes may not discern him.Mortal sense may not receive,But within the faithful bosomDwells the Presence we believe.

His private charities were very large in proportion to his means. “I have never forgotten,” writesone of his friends, “how he took in some poor, deplorably starved, neglected, ignorant children ofa drunken, reprobate clergyman, and treated them quite as loving guests-as if they had been thechildren of some dear friend-and his kindness ceased not until he had entirely provided for theirevery need.” The Bishop held no preferment in England after leaving Jamaica, but, within six months of hisdeath, he had offered to him, under very gratifying circumstances, as a testimony of esteem for hisministry at Torquay, a living of large value, which his broken health prevented him fromaccepting. His last illness had been borne with the sweetest calm and resignation; but the past year hasbeen a year of much physical suffering. He was attacked by severe illness while staying lastsummer with his beloved old friend and fellow curate at Prittlewell, the Rev. Almaric Belli(nowin his eighty-first year), the Rector of South Weald, Essex. This was succeeded by frequent attacksand recoveries; but though his health had been feeble and failing, the last few weeks brought noadditional cause for alarm, beyond the increasing weakness of old age, until a few days ago, whencongestion of the lungs set in and rapidly spread, until life so dear and precious to us passed awayfrom this earth, on Saturday, St Mathias’ Day, at one o’clock. The Bishop and his wife have been companions for nearly fifty years. Their golden wedding-day would have been this year, and a few days before his death he told he would try to live for it. During his illness he repeatedly spoke of his grateful affection for those who loved him, as theywere many in Torquay. He lamented the feebleness which prevented his expressing to them byword or letter all that he felt; and the kindly attentions with which he was greeted, day by day,were to him, the last welcome to him. The evening of his life, a long and eventful one, has beenvery happy in this place. And Lord Derby wrote very lately: “He must-though active men rarelyreconcile themselves to repose-feel that he has done more than one life’s work already, and is wellentitled to his rest.” These words pleased and touched him, but his rest is well beyond all thatearthly joys could give. His has been the perfect faith, the unshaken hope, the love that neverfailed, and his Lord and Master has taken him to His arms in peace.


A HELPING HAND

SSSSSharing the haring the haring the haring the haring the WWWWWealth: ealth: ealth: ealth: ealth: The Rev’d Sam Rose (left), Rector of the Parish ofSt. Michael & All Angels receives the generous gift of $3800 for theirChurch Building Fund from the Rector of the Parish of the Good Shepherdin Mount Pearl, The Venerable Geoff Peddle (right). Photo: Parish ofthe Good Shepherd.

Submitted byWilliam Bradbury

In a sign of Christianunity, the Parish of the GoodShepherd in Mount Pearl re-cently gave $3800 towardsthe building of the newChurch of St. Michael & AllAngels. The Good ShepherdParish decided to donate aportion of the proceeds fromtheir Annual Dinner Thea-tre to help St. Michael’s reachits goal.

The event was a fun-filled

evening with great food, fel-lowship and fun at the ReidCommunity centre in MountPearl. Entertainment wasprovided by local comedianGlenn Downey.

St. Michael & All Angelsis building their new Wor-ship Centre on the corner ofKenmount Road andLadysmith drive in St. John’s.The building is expected to beopen in December 2012.

The Rev’d Greg MercerColumnist

BEING ANGLICAN

It has been said that “An-glicans, on the whole, are acompany of grossly unin-formed Christians.” Not themost sobering thought andcertainly not a good way tostart the New Year – with anidentity crisis.

It is a difficult state-ment but one that probablycontains a lot of truth.Twenty years ago if some-one had asked me why Iam Anglican I probablywould have said, “Ask theRector.” Not so with aRoman Catholic or a Pen-tecostal. They can tell youexactly who they are.

My dear mother had itfigured out. She loved theAnglican Church.“Why?” I would ask.“Moderation”, she would say,“moderation.” She wasn’t toofar off the mark. But then askher what she meant by thatshe would qualify: “My reli-gion doesn’t tell me what Ican do and what I can’t do. Itdoesn’t tell me I can’t dance,or have a drink, or even havea smoke if I wanted to.” Blessher departed soul! I thoughtshe was onto somethingthere for a moment.

But the truth is, to ask anyAnglican who they are orwhat defines them and mostof them are unable to give youa definitive answer. This ispartly due to the fact that weare not a confessional church.By that I mean that we arenot defined by any single doc-trine or that we have to swearto any set of doctrinal state-ments (confessions) to be apart of its membership. Wedo have the thirty nine arti-cles of faith but some parts ofthe Worldwide AnglicanCommunion don’t even rec-ognize them anymore.

Anglicans are really de-fined by their liturgy. Whatwe pray is what we believe. Ifyou really want to know whatAnglicans believe, come andworship with us. This is whythe Prayer Book plays such animportant part in our spiritualdevelopment. Ah! Now Ihave to commend my mother

because even thought shecouldn’t quite put it into wordswhat defined her as an An-glican, she knew her prayerbook – every word of it. Shecould even recite all the “Col-lects” – word for word frommemory.

Anglicans have alwaysprided themselves as main-taining the “middle way,” the“via media,” “moderation.”That is to say, we have noparticular theological stancebut have tried to keep an openmind by embracing a widespectrum of belief. For in-stance, are we catholic orprotestant?

Consider the architectureof our church buildings andthe placement of the churchfurniture. What does it sayabout who we are? Front andcenter of the sanctuary andoccupying a full third of thespace is the altar, and then asyou enter the church you willusually find a huge baptismalfont. It defines us as sacra-mental, i.e., Catholic. You willnot find that in any protes-tant church. And yet, pro-truding from the chancel areaof our church buildings and

towering above our people isa huge pulpit. Most RomanCatholic churches do noteven have pulpits. But asAnglicans we have embracedthe reform of the ProtestantReformation and placed greatemphasis on the proclama-tion of the Word. Both thengo hand in hand – Word andSacrament. We cannot saythat we are one without theother. We are a “via media.”

It is rather interestingthat in recent years someAnglicans have participatedin educational type coursesand Bible studies. But, by andlarge, Anglicans have never

been much disciplined inthese areas. And to behonest they don’t particu-larly like any sermon thatgoes over ten minutes, asgood as it might be.Moreover, evangelical lan-guage like “Lord” and “Je-sus saves” tends to be ratheruncomfortable for Angli-cans. They prefer to talkabout God in more generalterms. All this is to say thatdefining who we are asAnglicans can be ratherconfusing at the best of

times. “Getting it together”can be quite difficult.

Now the Archbishop ofCanterbury – who’s that guy?What does he do? And whydo we all turn and face thealtar when we say the creed?And why are some “Canons”and others “Archdeacons” andwhat have that got to do withbeing “Regional Dean?” Thisis all too much. Mom youwere right. Let’s just stickwith “moderation” and dancethe night away.

Dear Editor:Re the October 2011 issue of Anglican Life: I found it amusingwhen I read the headline on the front page: “Priest peddles forParish”. Actually one pedals a bicycle, which is what Ed Keepingdid when he pedaled from Whitbourne to St. Philip’s. A peddleris one who goes door-to-door selling or “peddling” his wares.Having taught school for thirty years, I have always been a realstickler for spelling, and an error in spelling stands out like a sorethumb.

The Rev’d Reg FramptonSt. John’s, NL

OOPS!


Kevin SmithPlanned Giving Consultant

Kevin Smith Kevin Smith Kevin Smith Kevin Smith Kevin Smith is a giftplanning consultant for theAnglican Church of Canada.

He can be contacted at739-5667739-5667739-5667739-5667739-5667 or

[email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected]

QUEEN’S COLLEGE RECEIVES GIFT OF ANNUITY

The charitable gift annu-ity continues to be a popularway for many Anglicans tosupport their church while atthe same time benefitingwhile they are alive from theirassets. The website for theAnglican Church of Canadahas an excellent descriptionfor what an annuity is.

A charitable gift is some-thing you give to an organi-zation that you believe in andwish to support. An annuityis a fixed sum of money thatis paid to you each year. Putthem together and you havea charitable gift annuity, “thegift that pays you back.”

The gift annuity is an ar-rangement under which youmake a contribution to your

church and receive, in turn,guaranteed payments for life.It’s a way of giving that allowsyou to make a substantial giftto a church or charity eventhough you may need ongo-ing income from your assets.

The practice of transfer-ring property to a church inexchange for life paymentshas a long history. Accordingto a memorial plaque in Eng-land’s Winchester Cathedral,in the year 1321 Sir Williamde Lillebone surrenderedlands to the Priory and re-ceived an annuity worthabout ten pounds yearly.

Some Canadianchurches including the An-glican Church of Canadahave been issuing gift annui-ties for many years. They in-vest the donated assets anduse the earnings on the as-sets, and the capital if neces-sary, to make the annuity pay-ments. Whatever portion ofthe donated assets remains atthe death of the donor orother beneficiary is used forchurch purposes. The Angli-

can Church is said to self-in-sure their gift annuities.

The amount of the an-nual payments will depend onthe amount transferred, theages of the beneficiary(ies) (orannuity term), and the annu-ity rate schedule in effect at

the time of the gift. Once theannuity is established, thepayments will remain fixed,regardless of changes in theeconomy. This makes the giftannuity especially attractive toolder donors who like the se-curity of fixed, guaranteed

payments. The annuity agree-ment will also specify howoften payments are to bemade and when they are tobegin. Those who wish mayhave the payments made di-rectly to their bank account.

An illustration of one ofthe annuities purchased lastyear is as follows: Mildred R,who was 79 years old in 2011contributed $50,000 toQueen’s College for a giftannuity. Her annuity rate is7.029 percent, so she receivesfixed, guaranteed payments of$3514.56 per year as long asshe lives, entirely tax-free. Shealso received a donation re-ceipt for $17,092.46.

The most notable taxbenefit of a gift annuity is thatthe annuity payments will belargely or entirely tax-free.This means that your annu-ity payments have signifi-cantly more purchasingpower than an equal amountof taxable income. Further-more, tax-free annuity pay-ments will not cause a reduc-tion of Old Age Security

(OAS) payments through the“claw back” tax. The amountof the tax-free portion de-pends on the rates in effectand on the age(s) of theannuitant(s) at the time theannuity is established.

One final word, I askedMildred why she purchasedthis annuity and this is whatshe said: “Queen’s College is avery important asset for me andfor the Anglican Church inNewfoundland and Labradorand I want to see it thrive andcontinue in its ministry of edu-cating priests and deacons. Bypurchasing this annuity, I amdoing what I can do to insuretthat Queen’s will be around an-other 100 years from now.”

Thank you Mildred verymuch.

To receive a quote on anannuity, please contact me.

The Rev. Michael LiColumnist

AGREE TO DISAGREE

Two thousand years agothe Samaritans and the Jewshated each other. The Sa-maritans were not actuallyexcommunicated by the Jewsuntil about A.D. 300. Yet,there was so much in com-mon between the two groups.Both considered themselvesto be true Yahweh worship-pers. Both placed the su-preme emphasis on the firstfive books of the Bible. Bothemphasized circumcision, theSabbath, and the Kosher law.Both looked for a Messiah,and a final judgment. Themajor difference between thetwo groups had to do with thelocation of the central sanc-tuary of God. The Samaritansbelieved it should be the tem-ple at Mount Gerizim, whilethe Jews believed in the tem-

ple at Jerusalem. They wereunable to agree to disagree onthis matter.

Jesus had decided to go toJerusalem (Luke 9:51). Thedirect way from Galilee to Je-rusalem led through Samaria;but most Jews avoided it. Be-cause of the animosity be-tween the Jews and the Sa-maritans, it was unusual forJesus to travel throughSamaria. Most likely Jesus wastravelling with a party of atleast twelve, He sent messen-gers into a village to find foodand accommodations for Hisgroup. But the Samaritans didnot receive Jesus “because Hewas heading for Jerusalem”(Luke 9:53). We must notinterpret that all Samaritansrejected Jesus. Jesus had Sa-maritan followers ( John 4),but they live in another vil-lage.

Some Samaritans re-jected Jesus’ request for a placeto spend the night. James andJohn became so angry thatthey asked their Master forpermission to call down firefrom heaven to destroy theresidents of this Samaritanvillage. The disciples did notreally understand the very es-

sence of the ministry of Je-sus. Jesus was on His way todie for all humankind, andthe disciples wanted to kill thepeople Jesus tried to save. Je-sus had not come to destroypeople but to try to save them.It was no wonder that Jesusrebuked His disciples.

Today is still the day ofsalvation. God’s punishmentwill come later. Very often weourselves are too quick to pourout fire on the other person’shead, while we beg for Godto be patient with us. Fromthe beginning of Christian-ity, the church has arrived atno mutual agreement overmany doctrines. Many be-lieve in a revealed faith, whileothers believe faith is still be-ing revealed. We should learnto debate serious matterswithout becoming enemies.Disagreements can broadenour horizons. How we han-dle our disagreements is a signof vitality and maturity. To re-main in an imperfect churchor to form or join anotherimperfect church is not aneasy decision. For the past tenyears we have witnessed thedeparture of people from ourchurch due to differences on

some religious matters. Un-fortunately some of them re-gard us who remain in theAnglican Church of Canadaas apostates. What is wrongwith friendly disagreementsin the church?

Do all Provinces of theAnglican Communion agreeon everything? The answer isno. Anglicans always havedifferent opinions on manyissues including biblical au-thority, tradition, infant bap-tism, theories of atonement,humanism, theistic evolution,Christian unity, abortion, fe-male priests and bishops,Prayer Book revisions, musi-cal instruments in church,hymn books, common lawmarriages, remarriages afterdivorce, interracial marriages,

gay relationships, manipula-tive preaching, gambling, etc.Unanimity on most issues isimpossible. It is very sad thatthere is so much animositybetween religious groups. Weshould agree to find somecommon ground. Two thou-sand years ago Jesus did notdestroy the Samaritans whorejected Him. He wanted toturn His enemies into friends.Can we agree to disagree onthose second order issues andleave the final judgement toGod?


Submitted bySue Harris

BUILDING BELIZETTTTTeaching eaching eaching eaching eaching TTTTTools:ools:ools:ools:ools: Principal Myrna Smith (left) of Queen’s Square Primary School discusses the school’s need with Sue Harris (right), the Resource Development Director of the AnglicanSchools of Belize. Photo: Sue Harris

2011 has been a busy yearfor the Anglican Church ofBelize with, as usual, lots ofchallenges. Belize has been,in common with many devel-oping countries which rely oninward investment, badly hitby world recession. Ladenwith debt, Belize has over40% of the population livingbelow the poverty line andthe unemployment rate at27%, plus of course muchunderemployment.

Increasing poverty andthe influence of the drug tradehas made Belize one of themurder capitals of the world,and death by homicide is thenumber one cause of deathfor men.

We often feel quite over-whelmed by the poverty anddespair which the clergy,church workers, teaching

staff and congregations meetevery day. But faith carries usthrough, and this year, follow-ing on from a very successfulSynod in October last year, wehave been building our Com-mittee structure to carry moreof the burden of developingand carrying out the Church’splans.

The main contact com-mittee for Newfoundland andthe Outer Banks is the Com-panion Relations Commit-tee, headed by Rev. EricRichards and Ms. LillithSoberanis. The coordinatorfor this Committee and con-tact person is Sue Harris, whocan be reached [email protected].

One of our greatest ex-amples of outreach is our net-work of twenty schools, frompreschool to High School.We are trying to build feed-ing programs in each school– many children, especially in

the City, arrive at school hun-gry. I heard just today of afamily of twelve children whohave just lost their sole par-ent, their mother, to cancer.The eldest child is only 25years old – how can such ayoung person take on thisburden? These children go

DDDDDeadly Geadly Geadly Geadly Geadly Grrrrround: ound: ound: ound: ound: These lovely children attend Queen’s Square Primary School, located in one of the mostdangerous parts of Belize City. They are all too familiar with the sound of gunfire in the streets, every child willknow someone who has been shot, many will have witnessed violence. Photo: Sue Harris

hungry – friends and relativesare poor themselves - andthere are many other storieslike this.

Although we are of courseinterested in how our Com-panion diocese can help us,we are very concerned withbuilding relationships and

spiritual bonds, and what wecan offer to you. Our infor-mal motto is, “Building peo-ple, not buildings.”

The Diocese of Belize iscurrently in a companion re-lationship with the Dioceseof Eastern Newfoundland &Labrador.


newfoundlandlabradoryouthlife

GODLY PLAYAT ST. JAMES

youthlife

This year, the children of St. James in Port Aux Basques were introduced to a new way of learning the biblical story through GGGGGodly Podly Podly Podly Podly Playlaylaylaylay. A creative storytelling and learningmethod that allows the children to interact with the story through wonder and play, using their own imagination and creativity to experience what they learn. St. James hasattracted about 70 children that attend Godly Play regularly and they, as well as the teachers, and helpers are loving it! Submitted by The Rev’d Hannah Dicks.


GODLY PLAYAT ST. JAMES

FUN IN THE SUNThese Belizean School children have fun with their teacherThese Belizean School children have fun with their teacherThese Belizean School children have fun with their teacherThese Belizean School children have fun with their teacherThese Belizean School children have fun with their teacherin their playground. in their playground. in their playground. in their playground. in their playground. Photo: Sue Harris

Documents

January 2012