NEWS AND UPDATES FROM REGIONAL COUNCIL 15 (RC15)
Please send announcements to trose@united-church.ca
www.ucceast.ca
Staff Directory
Emergency Response Memo’s Regional Council 15 (RC15)
Making Hope Visible – Podcast
To view upcoming programs at the Tatamagouche Centre please click here.
To view upcoming events at the Atlantic School of Theology please click here.
To view upcoming programs at the United Theological College please click here.
Regional Council 15 (RC15) Committee Volunteer form.
Condolences: Robert Latimer
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Rev. Robert ‘Bob’ Latimer who passed away January 16, 2021. A copy of the obituary can be viewed here.
Condolences: Gordon Cann
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Rev. Gordon Cann who passed away January 17, 2021. A copy of the obituary can be viewed here.
Covenanting Service between Rev. Daniel MacDonald, Harmony-Camden Pastoral Charge and Regional Council 15
You are invited to the covenanting service between Rev. Daniel MacDonald, Harmony-Camden Pastoral Charge and Regional Council 15. The service will take place at 10:00am on Sunday, January 31st, 2021, at McCulloch United Church, 3321 Camden Road, Truro, NS with Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell preaching. Please note this will be an in-person service and therefore, due to COVID-19, all attendees will be required to mask and observe social distancing measures. The current capacity of the sanctuary will also be limited to 35 individuals, to allow for proper distancing measures. There will be no live-streamed virtual component. For more details, you may email – macdonald.dan.c@gmail.com
Pastoral Relations News January 2021
- Approved the Request for Change in Pastoral Relations from Lynda MacCulloch, Brunswick Street North River Pastoral Charge, effective March 31, 2021.
- Approved the revised Position Description for Susan Chisholm with St. Andrew’s United Church, Halifax.
- Approved the Request for Change in Pastoral Relations for the purposes of retirement from Lee Simpson, Mahone Bay and Blue Rocks Pastoral Charges, effective June 30, 2021.
- Approved the position opening at Petite Riviere Pastoral Charge as available for SME.
- Approved the position opening at Liverpool Pastoral Charge as available for SME, provided that funding support can be secured for a half-time position.
Atlantic Regions Ministry and Personnel Committees – Managing Conflict
A webinar for lay members of M&P Committees
Saturday, February 20, 2021
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Atlantic, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon Newfoundland
Register here. Deadline to register Feb 15, 2020
This webinar will be resourced by the three Regional Ministers of the Atlantic Regions, Kendall Harrison (Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters), David Hewitt (Region 15) and Heather Sandford (First Dawn Eastern Edge). Topics will include roles and responsibilities, stages of conflict, strategies for addressing conflict, resources and support. . For more information, please contact the Regional Minister for your Region.
Call for Nominations
Region 15 needs your help! As a region, we can only do the important work and ministry within Nova Scotia and Bermuda with the help of dedicated volunteers like you. The Nominations Committee is seeking interested individuals who may be willing to participate in the region by serving on a committee. Currently, we are greatly in need of individuals who are willing to serve:
-The Annual Meeting Planning Committee
-Faith Story Community Covenant Committee
As well, we are also seeking Diaconal Ministers and Designated Lay Ministers who may be interested in serving the region through the work of our regional committees. If you interested in any of these positions, please contact Nominations chair, Rev. Alicia Cox at aliciadawncox@msn.com.
If you are interested in a position not listed above, or you are not sure where your gifts or interests might fit, please fill out the Nominations form found here: https://ucceast.ca/56874-regional-council-15-committee-volunteer-form/ Information on all committees can be viewed here.
Please share this information with your congregations. Committee membership is open to all community of faith members within the bounds of Region 15, and is not limited to elected representatives to the region.
Stewardship Updates
Just a reminder that the deadline for transferring 2020 Mission & Service gifts to the General Council Office is this Friday (January 29th). New Stewardship Program: Called To Be the Church: The Journey As a Philanthropy Unit, we have been striving to provide Stewardship Support to Communities of Faith and their leaders.
We have produced an Annual Stewardship Campaign program called, Called To Be the Church for the last 6 or 7 years. We have produced other congregational resources in print as well as in electronic format. Further, I have provided workshops to charges and geographic areas, and have worked more closely with a number of charges.
We have received some good feedback and we created a new initiative – Called to Be the Church: The Journey. It is an eight-hour (over 4 weeks) training course in Stewardship Best Practices and Discipleship. The goal is to host Courses in each region with 3 or 4 Pastoral Charges at a time. Read full details here.
What can you do now? Please promote and discuss The Journey Program with your congregations, and if you are interested in participating, please contact Roger Janes – rjanes@united-church.ca The first run of the course, one per Region, is being set up for February.
Rural Connect Project
At the last General Council, the GC Executive was mandated to explore ways of supporting rural churches through the use of technology. This led to the creation of the Rural Connect Project.
The Rural Connect initiative uses a hub/satellite model (or a Host/Partner model) where a hub church hosts the technology needed to connect up to three satellite partner churches in a fully interactive service, where all the churches participate and contribute to the worship. We have purchased a number of small boxes that include all the necessary technology and can be affordably rented by satellite churches. They only require plugging in and turning on – no technical skills needed at all. See further details here.
Visit our website: www.ruralconnectucc.ca, for more information and a video demonstration, if your congregation is interested in being selected as a Church Hub, please be in contact with Anne Cameron, ak.cameron@ns.sympatico.ca and she will send you a application.
Making Hope Visible
The latest podcast episode, Senator Nancy Hartling: On the Senate, Justice and Faith, and Guaranteed Livable Income is live.
Senator Nancy Hartling has deep roots in frontline work for social change. In this conversation, we hear how even as a child she was seeking to understand the experiences of others and wanting fairness for all. She offers us a short primer on the role and function of the Canadian Senate. Then we discuss Guaranteed Livable Income and why this idea is an important conversation for Canada today. Senator Hartling is a member of the United Church and is a living example of how faith, and hope, and political life can be well integrated.
Property Report – January Updates
The R15 property report has been updated as of .January 26, 2021, this report lists property (buildings, cemeteries, lands) currently registered to your pastoral charge. Any forms and amendments received up to January 26, 2021 are included. Pastoral charges who do not hold property will not appear on the list. Please take a moment to review and ensure your pastoral charge details are correct, you can review by A-Z property name or by postal code using the link below and submit a form if there are any additions or amendments.
Confirmation Program
We are pleased to announce the Re-release of NARTHEX, a confirmation program and videos, prepared by The Rev. Robyn Brown-Hewitt. Please note, if you have registered for these resources in the past, we are asking that you re-register so that you receive the new password and links to videos. For more information and to register, please visit https://ucceast.ca/42897-narthex-confirmation/ If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Stuart, cstuart@united-church.ca or 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6158
Ukulele Church
Have you ever wondered what worship would sound like with a ukulele in your hands? Have you always wanted to explore Bible stories using music, crafts, and actions? Look no further! Join us on Sundays at 12:30pm for an hour-ish of ukulele, singing, crafts and bible stories led by Linnea Good, Catherine Stuart and Dana Ducette! For more information and to register, please visit https://ucceast.ca/61056-ukulele-church-2/ or contact Catherine Stuart, cstuart@united-church.ca or 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6158
Children, Youth and Young Adults
Children, Youth and Young Adults for the Atlantic Region is on INSTAGRAM! Check us out on Instagram for posts about upcoming events in the Atlantic Regions. Follow us @cyaya_ucceast
Anglican and United Church Colleges enter into a Strategic Alliance
Montreal Diocesan Theological College and the United Theological College are entering into a strategic alliance that will deepen and build on their long-standing collaboration in theological education. Following months of discussions among members of the Boards of Governors, the two colleges have begun an 18-month transition period in which they will explore and plan for the formation of a combined Anglican-United college in Montreal. Read more here.
St. Andrew’s College ReJUNEvation 2021
St. Andrew’s College ReJUNEvation is going virtual for 2021. The conference will be held June 16 – 18, 2021. Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman will present on the theme, “Now it Springs Forth: Looking for Ecumenical Movement with Fresh Eyes.” Sharman, an academic and ordained minister who serves as the national Animator for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations in the Anglican Church of Canada, will invite participants to reflect on some of the most interesting and promising new directions for the ecumenical movement as we head further into the 21st century. He will address the “sense of stall and stagnation and ‘ecumenical winter’ that came to dominate during the ’90s and ’00s.” He will offer a theological, methodological, and spiritual diagnosis as to why that might have happened and offer examples of things that seem to be leading to new life and impetus for a renewed ecumenical movement – an “ecumenical spring” – especially in the Canadian context. ReJUNEvation will also feature online workshops and conversation among participants. We welcome new participants and long-time friends. For more information, please visit https://stu.usask.ca/standrews/students/rejunevation.php. Registration information will be available soon. View further details here.
