NEWS AND UPDATES FROM REGIONAL COUNCIL 15 (RC15)
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www.ucceast.ca
Staff Directory
It’s Your Call – Podcast
News from the Pews Newsletter
To view upcoming programs at the Tatamagouche Centre please click here.
To view upcoming events at the Atlantic School of Theology please click here.
Regional Council 15 (RC15) Committee Volunteer form.
Living Faith Stories Workshop, 26 November in Baddeck
The Living Faith Story is the most important tool in the congregational toolbox to help congregations figure out who you are and what you want to do. Everything from discerning mission, setting and evaluating goals, and finding new leadership follows from your Living Faith Story.
To help congregations find your own unique Living Faith Story, we are hosting a workshop at Greenwood United Church in Baddeck, on Saturday, 26 November, 10 am – 3 pm. This is an event for Ministry Personnel and lay leaders, and there will be lots of time for discussion and questions. There is no cost, and lunch is provided, courtesy of Greenwood United Church and the Faith Stories and Community Covenants Committee. Please register by 21 November by emailing revheatherfraser@gmail.com.
If you can’t come this time, we will be holding the same workshop again in 2023, watch for announcement in the new year.
Covenanting Service Between the Rev. Alex Constable, Annapolis Granville Pastoral Charge and Region 15
A Covenanting Service to celebrate our new ministry with the Rev. Alex Constable will be held on Sunday, November 27th, at 2:30 pm at St. George and St. Andrews United Church, Annapolis Royal, N. S. All are invited and welcome to attend. The Rev. Dr. John Moses will be offering the sermon.
Please consider joining us as we celebrate this new beginning in our Church.
Action on Guaranteed Livable Income
For over six years Atlantic Canada has led the country on Basic Income advocacy; mobilizing our communities, city councils and provincial legislatures. With partners from across the region and country we have helped pass Basic Income resolutions in municipalities, inspired provincial politicians of all political stripes to collaborate, and sent the Prime Minister thousands of letters from ordinary citizens. To the best of our knowledge, despite these many calls neither Parliament nor the federal government has responded to a single one. This must change.
We are launching another campaign and this time we will demand that the federal government answer the people of Atlantic Canada. The first part of this campaign starts today! To get this done, pressure must come from all sides. We must educate all levels of government that a plurality of citizens want a Basic Income and that their representatives from the legislative halls in Charlottetown to the council chambers of Halifax, Fredericton, Moncton and St. John’s have all asked the Government of Canada to listen to the people of Atlantic Canada in this regard.
Over the course of three weeks, we will ratchet up the pressure and culminate by asking the 24 Liberals MPs from Atlantic Canada why their party leader and Prime Minister has yet to respond to any of these appeals. To do this, each week, for three weeks, we’ll ask you to take one action.
Week 1: Write all your local councillors. Thank those who already voted to support Basic Income and ask those municipalities that haven’t to join with their neighbouring city and town councils. Click here to fill out a form to email your mayor or councillor.
Week 2: Write your MLA or MHA asking them to join the multiparty example from P.E.I. in advocating for Basic Income and engage directly with their federal counterparts.
Week 3: Write your MP and ask they finally give Atlantic Canadians a response!
Worship 101 for Occasional Lay Worship Leaders (2023)
If you’ve ever been asked to offer partial leadership in worship–or take on an entire worship service—you may have experienced the sinking feeling of not knowing where to begin, or that you just can’t see yourself ‘up front’ in that leading role. Do we have a set of workshops for you!
The RC 15 Faith Formation and Leadership Development team presents a five part series– Worship 101 for Occasional Lay Worship Leaders. These workshops are designed to help the occasional lay worship leader untangle how to get started, where to find resources, and how to prepare to lead worship with confidence. The series will be held on Zoom in January-February 2023.
For more info and to register please visit: https://ucceast.ca/67357-worship-101-for-occasional-lay-worship-leaders
Stewardship Update
Gifts With Vision
The United Church of Canada provides Mission & Service support to partners for their ongoing work in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and right here in Canada. Gifts with Vision turn gift-giving into an opportunity to do something extra for our church partners. Through Gifts with Vision, you give gifts to friends or family to support specific partner activities. With your gifts, we help create healthy places to live, promote justice, provide social services, and enliven worship.
Check out the online gift catalogue today! https://giftswithvision.ca
Get Support to Create your Stewardship Campaign!
If your congregation hasn’t undertaken a stewardship campaign in a while, consider registering for a 2-week learning module on creating a congregational giving program with Called to be the Church: The Journey. There are 2 opportunities to participate in the program coming up in January 2023. Learn more here.
Deadline for Mission & Service Transfers Changed!
Beginning in January 2023, the deadline for Mission & Service transfers will be January 15. That means that pastoral charges need to make their final 2022 Mission & Service transfer by January 15, 2023.
We are making this change because it will improve our accountability, accuracy, and transparency when reporting back to you on annual results. We also expect that January 15 is closer to when the majority of communities of faith have finalized―or nearly finalized―their year-end financial statements.
If you have questions or need support to set up electronic transfers, please contact Nicole Chicote at 1-800-268-3781 x3072 or nchicote@united-church.ca.
Book a time to talk about stewardship
Are you thinking about year-end or wanting to make a stewardship plan for 2023? Would you like to talk about legacy giving to your congregation, but don’t know where to start? Do you have questions about growing giving to Mission & Service?
Roger Janes is your stewardship support person and is available to share resources, answer questions, or brainstorm with. Don’t know where to start? Book a phone or zoom conversation with Roger today using this link.
Giving Tuesday is on November 29, 2022
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving to raise awareness and funds for important causes.
Please consider circulating the following in your bulletin or on your social media pages:
After the headlines fade, the emergency remains. You can help. People facing the worst crisis of their lives urgently need your support, and that’s why this Giving Tuesday, Mission & Service will be focusing on global emergencies and response.
Giving Tuesday gifts will support the United Church’s vital emergency response work. Any amount you can give will help provide critical support for food, water, shelter, rebuilding efforts, trauma counselling, and personal care.
Your gifts will be put to work as soon as they are needed in the areas where they are needed most. And your support will be there to help rebuild long after the headlines fade.
Give Now
Every gift counts. Don’t wait. Make a life-saving gift today.
Online Bookstore Launch
We have exciting news!!!!!! Please join us as we launch our bookstore for online shopping starting November 16, 2022. Our bookstore is open for in person shopping as well at 320 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL, drop by and check out our products. For all your shopping needs, please visit: https://ucceast.ca/shop If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Leona at llaundry@united-church.ca. Click here for a poster.
What’s Left of the Night? Advent Devotional 2022
The UCC bookstore in St. John’s is now taking orders for the following advent devotional. Please let Leona Laundry know if you want a copy at llaundry@united-church.ca. Deadline to order is November 18, 2022.
What’s Left of the Night? Advent Devotional 2022- An attentive sentinel of the night can see that darkness harbors much more life and renewal than many presume. Certain plants and animals only come to life during the nocturnal hours. Seeds of insight are planted when daylight disappears. Hope blossoms when the morning star is not seen. All of us who yearn for brighter days could benefit from more appreciation of how life is sustained, fortified, and renewed in the dark. $11.95. Tax Included.
Advent Resources & Special Offer
Here is an overview of Advent resources — and an offer that might interest some of you.
Advent is coming soon. You can check out several Prayer Bench Advent resources here: Visit the Advent Resources page.
Here is the offer. If you are not a 2022 Prayer Bench subscriber you can sign up for one of the 2023 packages and receive the 2022 Wake Sleep Advent Prayers and Practice.
Review the information for the 2023 subscription packages here.
New subscribers signing up this week receive the Advent resource for this year: Wake Sleep Advent Prayers and Practice.
[Please note: the resource Wake Sleep prayers and practice is included in the 2022 packages and will be emailed to all paid subscribers soon.]
Visit the Prayer Bench Shop at https://prayerbench.ca/shop/ for more information about the packages and Advent resources.
Gifts with Vision in the Maritimes
Looking for a Christmas gift for someone special in your family or congregation? Give a gift that touch many lives in the Maritime provinces.
Here are the Gifts with Vision available for ministries in FSLDW and Region 15:
* Bursaries to Support Human Rights (GWV 22-44) Breaking the Silence Network
* Outreach Program: Pandemic Recovery (GWV 22-19) Brunswick Street Mission, Halifax, NS
* Send a Kid to Camp (GWV 22-49) Camp Kidston, NS
* Sponsor Student’s Multifaith Meal (GWV 22-02) UCC Chaplaincy at Dalhousie University
* Whatever They need Most (GWV 22-37) Coverdale Centre for Women, Sain John, NB
* Help Young People Live out Their Faith (GWV 22-48) The Go Project
* General gift to Mission & Service (GWV MS5)
* The Environment Fund (GWV ENV)
The Stage at St Andrew’s Upcoming Concerts
The Stage at St Andrew’s, on the Corner of Coburg & Robie in Halifax, has one more concert in November!
The STAGE Mondays
November 28 – ARSONISTE
As part of our monthly concert series, “The STAGE Mondays”, which shines the spotlight on female and gender-diverse artists, Arsoniste will be revisiting highlights from her 7-year career and introducing us to future sounds from her upcoming album debut “Queen of Swords” (release 2023). Opening the evening will be SAFEWORD, a female-fronted band of four friends from Halifax and Dartmouth who bring danceable, indie pop-rock to our ears.
https://saintandrewshfx.ca/the-stage-concerts
How is your church helping to protect God’s life-giving Creation?
Show your church the video we saw at our Regional AGM this spring – talk about it at your church!
Did you know:
The United Church of Canada has committed the whole church to the goal of an 80% decrease in carbon emissions by 2030! The United Church’s Faithful Footprints program is currently working with 260 congregations to make their buildings more energy efficient, more than halfway towards the goal of reaching 500 communities by 2025. For the 56 completed projects, carbon equivalency savings are equal to the annual energy of 147 homes (i.e., 628 metric tonnes of CO2e saved). The United Church has also committed to stronger advocacy at both the provincial and the national government levels for bold climate action. We want to strengthen our work with Indigenous communities, global partners, ecumenical organizations, and relationships with young people who have shown great moral climate leadership.
Phone Conference Services Ending
As of November 15, 2022, our service provider, Arkadin Phone Services, will no longer be available to us for conference calls. This platform is terminating their services. Congregations or committees who have used Arkadin may want to consider using the Zoom teleconferencing platform. This can be done in a variety of ways:
1. Avail of the free Zoom account that allows for 40 minutes of free teleconferencing: https://zoom.us/signup#/signup
This free service allows you to manage your own meeting bookings and maintain control over scheduling and hosting your meetings. For meetings longer than 40 minutes, you can schedule a meeting break and sign in again, or consider using option 2 or 3.
2. Consider purchasing a paid Zoom account at $20 per month or $200 annually: https://zoom.us/pricing
This option will provide your committee or congregation with the full flexibility of hosting and managing your own meetings for minimal cost.
3. If option 1 or 2 do not work for your committee or congregation, the region will share its accounts with you. You will not be provided with hosting options, but will be able to run your meetings by requesting time in advance with one of the shared accounts. You will need to arrange your Zoom meeting through Jennifer Taylor, Executive Assistant to Executive Minister: jtaylor@united-church.ca
