NEWS AND UPDATES FROM FUNDY ST. LAWRENCE DAWNING WATERS (FSLDW)
Please send announcements to trose@united-church.ca
www.ucceast.ca
Staff Directory
Emergency Response Memo’s Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW)
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.
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW) Committee Interest form.
Annual Meeting – Regrets Form
The Regrets form is now available on the website for anyone unable to attend Annual Meeting. Here is the link for your use.
Elected Members to Regional Council 2021 – Reminder
The deadline to submit Elected Members has passed, thanks to Pastoral Charges who submitted forms. For Pastoral Charges who have not yet submitted their online form a reminder will be emailed out shortly, followed up by a phone call from Regional Office.
Link to online form
Communities of Faith Annual Reports – Reminder
A reminder that we request your Annual Reports. Please email when they are available (electronic files are preferred especially during the current pandemic) to your Regional Council using the following email: Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters: info4RC14@united-church.ca
If you are unable to submit by email please mail one copy of your report to:
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters
21 Wright Street
Sackville, NB E4L 4P8
General Council Commissioners
The 44th General Council of The United Church of Canada will meet in July 2022, entirely online, for the first time in the history of the United Church. We encourage you to prayerfully consider serving as a General Council commissioner, which provides you a unique opportunity to be part of the wider church and have an impact on the future of The United Church of Canada. General Council Commissioners are voting members of the General Council meeting, and serve as commissioners for 3 years. More information about the role of a commissioner can be found here.
The Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council will elect thirteen (13) commissioners and their alternates at our 2021 annual regional meeting.
We will elect:
- five (5) ministry personnel as well as their alternatives;
- five (5) lay representatives as well as their alternatives;
- one (1) position will be saved for the Regions Youth Pilgrim (process of selection to be determined by GC);
- two (2) youth/young adult (15-35) commissioners.
It is important when nominating commissioners, you pay particular attention to the diversity of our Region.
Nominations will close on May 21, 2021 at 11:59pm. There will be no nominations received from the floor. All nominees must be either elected lay representatives of a community of faith within the bounds of the Region, or ministry personnel within the bounds of the Region. Each nomination needs to moved and seconded by someone other than the Nominee (no self nominations), and the mover and seconder must be a member of a community of faith within the bounds of the Region. These nominations do not need to be passed through a governing body of a community of faith.
If you are interested in serving as a Commissioner to the 44th General Council, please fill out the form here. If you have, any questions, please be in touch with the Nominations committee chair, Rose-Hannah Gaskin, rosehannah.gaskin@gmail.com
Affirm Committee Event – What is Ableism?
A series of educational events are being offered by the Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council Affirm Standing Committee.
The first two events took place on February 17, 2021 (Gender Diversity and Becoming an Ally), and March 10, 2021 (Becoming an Anti-Racist Church) Resources and materials from these education events are now available on the regional website. https://ucceast.ca/affirm-committee/
The next event is now open for registration:
April 15, 2021: What is Ableism?
Register Now! Using this link: Click Here to Register
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event. The webinar will take place from 2:00pm – 3:15pm (Atlantic) using zoom video conferencing. Please share this information with your committees/networks and save the dates in your calendars!
Future Dates (Registration and details to follow closer to the event date):
May 13, 2021: Creating Safe Spaces
United Church Bookstore
We are taking pre-orders again for Fellowship Communion cups. This little pack holds the wafer and the juice in one container. Instructions describe exactly how to open the cup. You just peel back the cover to use. It’s a wonderful idea to be able to use these during communion services. Everyone can handle their own cups. These items will not expire until one year after packaging. View cups here Deadline to order is April 13, 2021
Fellowship Communion Box
Box of 100 $61.95
UCW Gathering April 19, 2021
All UCW members from all districts are invited to a Spring ZOOM gathering. We have had to put our Biennial on hold for two years now and we miss the connection. There will be a ZOOM gathering on April 19th 2021 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and you are invited. Check in at 9:30 to have a time of chatting and reconnecting before the real gathering starts. Invite your UCW bubble of friends. We hope you will be able to attend.
Meet our new MUCW President , co-vice Presidents, and second vice. We will have worship, a presentation on our UCW special project “Women for Change Zambia” by Rev. Dr. Japhet Ndhlovu, the 60th Anniversary celebration in Sydney, NS and more. No business just facts, fellowship and fun. If you wish to attend, please send a request for the Zoom details to : ulvashepherdns@hotmail.com
Light a Flame – Guaranteed Livable Wage
View the video as Moderator Richard Bott invites you to join the call for a Guaranteed Livable Income and contact our Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. This Thursday, April 8 is a chance to make this call visible; plan to light a candle, take a picture, and post publicly on social media (#UCCanlivableincome, #BasicIncome, #UCCan) in solidarity with more than 40 vigils being held online and in person across the country. Due to COVID-19, the vigils are restricted to locally designated individuals, and plans will be adjusted if needed. You can read more on the GLI webpage.
Spring Book Study: Rachel Held Evans’ Inspired
The Region 15 Faith Formation and Leadership Development Committee will be leading an online book study at 10am on Wednesdays, April 21st – May 12th. Our title is Rachel Held Evans’ Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, selected for its youthful voice, accessible approach to the interpretation of scripture, and imaginative retellings of well-known stories. Participants are asked to obtain their own copy in advance, but no reading is required for the first session. Lay people and ministry personnel across the Regions are invited to join us, please register by April 13th for what is sure to be a lively and inspiring group: https://ucceast.ca/61453-rc15-inspired-book-club/
Concerned about Climate Change?
Opportunities for learning and action are listed on the Ecological Justice page on the Region’s website. https://ucceast.ca/justice-mission-outreach-2/justice-ecological-justice/
Take note of a newly added PETITION demanding more ambitious targets for reducing emissions in Canada.
Also, note Earth Day, April 22nd at 11:30am – 1:30pm, the Working Group will be hosting an online conversation from For the Love of Creation, called “Creation, Climate, and You” – a gentle entry into talking about climate change and how it relates to our emotional and spiritual lives. A great start for those who are beginning or seeking to make the connections between climate and faith. Also you might want to attend if you are considering hosting Faithful Climate Conversations from “For the Love of Creation”. Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwuf-qvpz0sHdKDGoQLi0jvp0zD-dbfjZ0V
A few Earth Sunday worship resources can be found HERE.
Soul of the Preacher – Starts April 15
Each week preachers come to a text or theme and sit with it, think about it, work with it, leave it alone, struggle with it, write it, and finally dare speaking. Sometimes the words come easily. Sometimes they don’t. We live by words. And each week we start over, again and again.
This is not a preaching course. We come together online (Zoom) for a chance to pause and connect. We consider ways of nourishing our soul by intentionally recollecting whatever energy we bring. We ground ourselves in creative approaches that spark imagination and nurture contemplative insight into sacred texts. We try out spiritual practices, ancient and new. We find ways to support letting it all go only to begin again. For more information and to claim your 25% discount visit here. https://prayerbench.ca/product/soul-of-the-preacher-zoom/
Emmanuel College
At Emmanuel College, the learning environment mirrors the religious and spiritual diversity of the world its graduates will serve. Future leaders of the United Church of Canada along with Muslims, Buddhists, and folks of many other faith traditions unite in a common purpose – to meet the world’s needs. Our graduates educate, administrate, make music, lead congregations, and provide spiritual care in secular and religious institutions across North America. Emmanuel is reimagining theological education. Come, reimagine with us! Applications are due April 30 for September admission. For more info: or email emmanuel.admissions@utoronto.ca.
