NEWS AND UPDATES FROM BERMUDA-NOVA SCOTIA REGIONAL COUNCIL
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.
Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council Committee Volunteer form.
Condolences – Rev. Herbert Walter Reid
We have learned of the passing of Rev. Herbert Reid on September 10, 2023 and extend our condolences to the family. The obituary can be viewed here.
Covenanting Service
Pugwash Pastoral Charge and Oxford Thomson Pastoral Charge invite everyone to a new Covenant between The Rev. Dr. Dale Skinner, their shared ministry, and Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council. This celebration will take place on Sunday, November 5th at 1:30 PM at Wesley-St. Matthews United Church, Pugwash, NS. Please join with us for this exciting new beginning of our ministry! Light refreshments will be shared.
Executive Minutes
The approved minutes from the June 22, 2023, September 13, 2023, and October 5, 2023, Executive meetings are now available on the BNS website.
AUCC Advent Retreat Cancelled
The retreat scheduled for November 16th has been cancelled.
Property Inventory Update – October 2023
The BNS property inventory list has been updated for October 2023, this inventory lists property (buildings, cemeteries, lands) currently registered to your pastoral charge. All forms and amendments received up to October 30, 2023 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.
Affirm Zoom Webinar Nov 15, 2 pm Theme: Welcoming gender diversity: A discussion on gender identity in our communities of faith
Guest Capt Rev Beatrice Gale has been a United Church minister for 16 years. She joined the Canadian Army early 2017 and is the first openly transgender chaplain in the Canadian military.
For registration please click on link.
Rural Routes Through the Holy: A Day Away – REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Rural Routes Through the Holy is hosting A Day Away, November 18th from 10 – 3 pm at St. Ann’s Anglican Church in Westcock NB (near Sackville). You may have wanted to attend one of our annual 3-day events, held each June but were unable to find the time. So, here’s an opportunity to explore. Our Day Away is only 5 hours but it’s full of the things that nurture our life together as rural communities of faith: worship, presentations, world café style (small table) conversations, workshops and of course, good food.
You can see the schedule here and read more about past gatherings here and hover over the Rural Ministries Drop Down. You can register here. Friday, November 3rd is the last day to register.
Rural Routes Through the Holy was initiated in 2019 by Rev. Dr. Catherine Smith with the help of Bayfield-Little Shemogue Pastoral Charge. It’s grown since then and we have a wonderful team! Rural Routes has been supported by grants from EDGE, Regions 14 and 15, a Tompkins Grant from the University of Cape Breton as well as private donations. These make our gathering possible BUT each of you who comes is what brings it to life! Remember, “small is also bountiful”. So, come and bring a friend or come and find a friend.
Solidarity Circles: A peer network of clergy, faith leaders and organizers interested in the solidarity economy.
Are you passionate about building a more equitable and sustainable future?
Please click here to read about this program. If after reading about it, you still have questions, please be in touch with Andrew Richardson (Vocation Minister Atlantic Regions) if you have any questions: ARichardson@united-church.ca.
Lunch and Learn – November 19th – St. James United Church Dartmouth
Bill is a member of St Andrews’s United Church in Halifax. He recently returned to Canada after a 3-month stint as a volunteer in Israel/Palestine doing human rights monitoring through www.eappi.org (Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel). For the past 20 years, EAPPI has had a continuous presence of Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs), operating on 3-month rotations. EAs have come from 25 different countries, with Canadian EAs being funded by the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church of Canada.
In 2022, he was in the South Hebron Hills where he was primarily dealing with land rights issues as settlements expand and Palestinians are pushed off their land. This year, he returned and spent most of his time in Jerusalem where the issues being monitored included evictions, home demolitions, checkpoints and generally offering a protective presence for the Palestinian population under occupation. Click here to see the poster.
Great News Regarding Guaranteed Livable Income
Canada is taking its baby steps toward a basic income program meant to broadly address poverty.
The Senate’s national finance committee began looking into Sen. Kim Pate’s proposal for a national framework for a universal basic income program on Oct. 17.
Read more on this link.
CCS Friday on “Coping with Loneliness and Isolation”
Do you ever feel isolated in your ministry or leadership?
Well, ironically, you are not alone! Join in on Friday, November 10, 2023 at noon Central Time for an online discussion of coping strategies for feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Please click here to read more about this and for the registration link.
Buying United
Buying United embraces the collective buying power of The United Church of Canada’s communities of faith across the country. Our new relationship with Round Table Procurement Services (RTPS) is helping us find great deals for regular purchases; they have just created a new account for UCCers at Staples that should be much more responsive than the previous one. They can also help congregations improve their purchasing habits, for example, they’ll go through a church’s purchasing records to help them save money in the coming year.
To learn more about about this program, click here and join the webinar being hosted by Round Table on Supplier Partnerships and Values Based Purchasing Wednesday, November 29, 2-3 pm. To register through CHURCHx.ca click here.
