NEWS AND UPDATES FROM FUNDY ST. LAWRENCE DAWNING WATERS (FSLDW)

Submission Request for Weekly Announcements


www.ucceast.ca 

Staff Directory

Emergency Response Memos for Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW)

It’s Your Call – Podcast

Spark 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.

Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW) Committee Interest form.


Regional Council Annual Meeting

The 2023 annual meeting of FSLDW will be held on May 26-28 at the University of Prince Edward Island. Please save the dates. Details will be on the Annual Meeting webpage as they become available.


President’s Advent Message

Please click here to read an Advent message from J.D. Kennedy, President of Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council.


Are you considering retirement?

If you are considering retiring or have retired since our last annual meeting, please see our Regional retirement resource. If you have made the decision to retire please fill out the form.

Thank you.


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


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!


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.


In case you missed it – Nov 17, Affirm Webinar “Economic Justice” recording

The video recording of the Nov 17 Webinar “Economic Justice” is now posted on our website. Also click here for the link.


Unique Cooperative Ministry Opportunity

Gibson Memorial and Forest Hill United Churches in Fredericton New Brunswick are separate congregations exploring a unique joint ministry. We are seeking a full-time minister with new ideas and energies who is interested in exploring these possibilities with us. Are you the right person to lead us with this pilot project in Cooperative Ministry?

If you think you have what it takes or have any questions, contact us at foresthillgibson@nb.aibn.com

Help us build our spirit of cooperation.


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.


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.


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)

https://giftswithvision.ca/


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


 

Bookstore