NEWS AND UPDATES FROM REGIONAL COUNCIL 15 (RC15)
Submission Request for Weekly Announcements
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.
To view Continuing Education opportunities at the Atlantic School of Theology please click here.
Regional Council 15 (RC15) Committee Volunteer form.
Registration for Regional Annual Meeting
As we plan our annual meeting at Mount Saint Vincent University the excitement is growing and we look forward to being together. Registration will go live by March 24. Please keep a look out for the letter with all the registration and accommodations details.
Continue to visit the Regional Annual Meeting webpage for updates and reports.
Annual Meeting Teller Volunteers Needed
The Annual Meeting Planning Committee is looking for teller volunteers for the upcoming annual meeting. Please fill out the form to let us know of your interest.
Covenanting Service
A covenanting service to mark our new ministry with Minister Marty Clark-Ettinger will be held on Sunday, March 19th at 2:00 pm at Bass River United Church, Bass River, NS. All are welcome and invited to attend. The Rev. Valerie Kingsbury will be offering the sermon. Light refreshments will be served following the service. Please consider joining us as we celebrate this new beginning!
Stewardship Update
“We are not alone.”
These words from A New Creed have gained more meaning than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. Worship delivery has changed; pastoral care has changed; everything has changed—and so has Called to Be the Church your United Church giving program.
Introducing Called to Be the Church: The Journey—tailored and topical modules with coaching and ongoing support to meet your stewardship needs.
Module 1: Stewardship Best Practices is taking place starting the week of March 20, 2023.
As part of a small group experience with 4 other communities of faith, over four 2-hour classes, plan your next steps to help your community of faith increase revenue in order to better fulfil your church’s purpose.
Find out more and register here. I would encourage you to sign up as soon as possible as we anticipate available slots filling us fast. My sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday Evenings.
YOU are not alone.
United Church Manual 2023
You can now pre-order your new United Church Manual 2023 and pick it up at the Annual Meetings in PEI or Halifax. The cost is $24.95 tax included. If you wish to have it shipped out shipping will be extra. Contact Leona at llaundry@united-church.ca or 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6141. Orders are due by March 17, 2023.
Covenanting Service for Noel United Church
A covenanting service to mark the new ministry with Rev Gary MacDougall and Noel United Church will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 10:30am. All are welcome and invited to attend. Potluck to follow.
Region 15 Ministry and Personnel Committee webinar
M&P 101
An introductory webinar for Ministry and Personnel Committee members will be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., facilitated by Regional Minister David Hewitt. Topics will include:
• Purpose and function of M&P Committee
• Confidentiality and Accountability
• Record keeping
• Annual Reviews
• Conflict
• Leaves
• Resources
• Q&A
Please register to confirm your attendance, share your questions, and receive the Zoom link.
Registration: https://ucceast.ca/77224-2023-region-15-ministry-and-personnel-committee-workshop
Please direct questions to Regional Minister David Hewitt dhewitt@united-church.ca.
Maritime UCW – Annual Meeting
The annual meeting will be held April 28-29, 2023 at Visions United Church in Moncton. Deadline for registration is March 28, 2023; the registration form can be found here. If you require more information, please contact Ruth Kennedy at ulvashephersns@hotmail.com.
Vacancy
Park Royal United Church in Charlottetown, PEI continues to search for a fulltime ordained or commissioned minister to serve its active congregation. Our profile is available on the Church Hub. We invite interested persons to contact our Search Committee Chairperson Sheri Chislett at sheri.chislett2017@gmail.com.
Grant Opportunity – Relief Fund for Thriving Congregations
The United Church of Canada Foundation has sent us the below information for a grant opportunity that your community of faith may benefit from:
“Last year an anonymous couple, who have deep love for the church and who have been members of various congregations across the country, created the Relief Fund for Thriving Congregations.
This granting fund will provide the opportunity for congregations that have plans to continue to be of service to their communities and that have vibrant programs and outreach to receive a grant to help alleviate the pressure of debt. Applications are being accepted for this grant from 15 January – 15 April 2023. The application, and additional details, are available here.
Please contact Jenna Yango Leonard, Foundation Coordinator at JYLeonard@united-church.ca or 1-866-340-8223 with any questions you may have and please feel free to share details of this grant with other congregations you think may benefit.
Leadership Counts
The United Church is blessed to have rich diversity in its leadership. Our diversity makes us more capable of living out God’s mission in our world. In sometimes ground-breaking ways, the United Church has affirmed commitments to supporting the full participation of everyone.
To help us more fully live out these commitments we have been collecting data, since November 2021, as part of the Leadership Counts voluntary survey to learn more about the breadth of identities present among The United Church of Canada’s ministry personnel, General Council office and regional council office staff, and members of national committees. This includes racial identities, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, languages, and more. Click here for more information.
Moderator’s GLI video
Please check out the new video from the Moderator regarding Guaranteed Livable Income. It can be used in any way useful.
The United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI)
UNJPPI brings together United Church members, adherents and friends in partnership with Palestinians and Israelis working for peace. We believe it is important to understand the complex dimensions of the path to peace in Palestine and Israel. In our monthly newsletter, we curate relevant resources such as news articles, advocacy campaigns, webinars, book studies, films screenings and travel opportunities. We hope you will use these resources to learn more and help in the way of peace.
UNJPPI’s March 2023 newsletter includes: a recording of the Toronto worship service with Jonathan Kuttab, advocacy opportunities to address the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine, a link to order fair trade dates, upcoming opportunities for educational tours to Israel Palestine, information to join the upcoming Voices from the Holy Land Film Salon and much more. www.unjppi.org.
Montreal Conference of the Hymn Society 2023
Every five years, the annual conference of the Hymn Society meets in Canada. The Society enters its second century with the conference being held at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, July 16 – 19. As always, the event will embrace the wide range of music now included in the worship of today’s churches. It will also feature gifted Canadian music leaders and musicians in the 4-day conference. Please click here for more information.
