NEWS AND UPDATES FROM BERMUDA-NOVA SCOTIA REGIONAL COUNCIL
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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.
General Council Commissioners
The 45th General Council of The United Church of Canada will meet in-person August 7 to 12, 2024 in Calgary, AB. The 45th General Council begins its work as we celebrate our 100th anniversary as a denomination. 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 as we seek to discern where the Holy Spirit calls us into the next 100 years as a church. 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 Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council is eligible to elect fifteen (15) commissioners, and their alternates, along with the President of the Region at our 2024 annual regional meeting. A minimum of 1/3 of the commissioners must be ministry personnel, and a minimum of 1/3 of the commissioners must be lay personnel. Attention should be given to diversity of age, gender, racial and cultural identities, and sexual expressions.
Nominations for the first round of voting will close on April 19, 2024 at 11:59pm. There will be no nominations received from the floor for the first 10 commissioner positions. Remaining positions will be nominated and elected during the 2024 regional annual meeting to achieve a balance of diversity. All nominees must be ministry personnel or lay members within the bounds of Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council. Each nomination needs to moved and seconded by someone other than the Nominee (no self nominations, please), and the mover and seconder must be a member of a community of faith within the bounds of Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council. 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 45th General Council, please fill out the form below. We encourage you to express your interest in serving, as well as how you feel you will be a representative of the diversity, mission, and values of Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council. Nominations for the first ten (10) commissioners (five (5) lay members and five (5) ministry personnel) will be accepted until April 19, 2024 at 11:59pm Atlantic.
If you are interested in serving as a Commissioner to the 45th General Council, please fill out the form here. If you have, any questions, please be in touch with the Nominations Committee Chair, Rev. Alicia Cox.
Annual Declaration of Criminal Records
Dear colleagues in ministry,
You’ve made it through another intense Advent and Christmas season! We know, and appreciate, how much you have put into your ministry as you enter this season of Epiphany. Of course, there are always more tasks and ministry waiting for you in 2024.
The Annual Declaration is one of those required administrative tasks that Ministry Personnel are asked to prioritize each year.
The Annual Declaration is a mandatory process, where Ministry Personnel declare whether or not they’ve been charged with a criminal offense in the past year. This is a simple process that must be done through ChurchHub, by logging in to your account at churchhub.ca.
As per the Police Records Checks policy, if the Annual Declaration is done by the deadline, you will not be asked to obtain a new formal level 1 and level 2 Police Records Check.
Please remember that even if you were late in completing the form for 2023, it still needs to be done on schedule this year.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact your Vocational Minister Andrew Richardson (ARichardson@united-church.ca ). Need help accessing ChurchHub? Please contact ministry@united-church.ca
Don’t delay, complete your form today!
Greetings Growth Seekers from Growth Animator Sharon
Party! Party! Party! Are you and your community of faith planning your next party and being intentional to invite neighbours? Perhaps you are celebrating PIE day, March 14, which is a day to increase awareness and connection with the 2SLGBTQIA community and allies. Being “public, intentional and explicit.” Several communities of faith are taking their pie to the streets. Some are handing out paper lunch bags with a homemade baked tart inside and a message of encouragement on the bag. Some are having pie auctions, pie eating contests, making pies and serving them at local food banks, hosting events to speak about affirming. Perhaps you have a party with the Easter bunny on the calendar…. Easter egg hunt for all ages? Easter themed dessert auction? Spring outdoor cleanup garden party? Earth day party? Christian family day tea? Pride Sunday party? How about organizing a party as United Church of Canada kicks off the 100th anniversary year of the United Church of Canada. On June 9, 2024, the centennial year will get started with a worship service hosted in person in Toronto, livestreamed online. Perhaps plan a community meal to come together and participate in the first event of our historic year. Plan ahead for a summer party, end of school year party. How about a Canada day party? You could do a community BBQ, a porch party of music, an arts and crafters gala? Your neighbourhood is waiting to party with you! Figure out what party works for your context and find reasons to strengthen invitation and share God’s love. Perhaps connect with other places of worship to plan your next party together. What ideas are you thinking about? You can reach me by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca or by phone 705 875-8837. Let’s grow together with deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice
Stewardship Update – March 2024
Please click here to read the Stewardship update.
Would you share? Please!
Join Campaign Against Using Trans People as a Wedge Issue
As part of PIE Day, Grace United Church in Dartmouth has started a letter writing campaign against the use of wedge politics; in particular, using trans people as a wedge issue whether under the guise of parental rights, women’s safety or fairness in sports. By making them the “other”, it becomes more dangerous for this vulnerable population. We encourage people to write to the leaders of political parties. See the social justice page on our website for more information including a sample letter to download.
Rendez-Vous Information Session
Want to know more about Rendez Vous? Join online with Rev. Catherine Stuart, Regional Minister for Children, Youth and Young Adults, on March 19th at 7pm to discuss details of the event and some ideas for travel. Register here through Zoom. Email cstuart@united-church.ca if you have questions.
March CCS Friday – An Ecology of Faith Formation
Join the Centre for Christian Studies on Friday, March 15 (noon Central, 1pm Eastern, 11am Mountain, 10am Pacific, 2pm Atlantic) for an online conversation about the eco-system of faith formation in congregations. Our special guest will be UCC Growth Animator Greg Smith-Young.
Within creation, ecosystems form as different and diverse creatures (living and non-living) interact together. Each part plays a vital role in making the whole. Ecosystems are about interdependence and integration. What can happen when we bring an “ecosystem” way of thinking into the faith formation work of congregations? Join us as we imagine the possibilities.
Greg Smith-Young (he/him) is a Growth Animator with the United Church of Canada. He serves alongside existing and newly-forming communities of faith in southwest Ontario, helping them to share in what Jesus is already doing in their places: inviting, welcoming, engaging, forming disciples, and sending to share in God’s Presence.
CCS Fridays are free. Please register HERE to receive a zoom link.
CCS Fridays are online conversations to help us all to respond faithfully to emerging issues in local contexts. These workshops are open to anyone who might be interested. Each session will be on a Friday from 12:00 to 1:00 CT and in the form of a Zoom workshop. There will be a presentation that will be recorded for future viewing, plus opportunities to engage with the ideas in small groups.
Intergenerational Worship Education Series
The Faith Formation and Leadership Development Committee of Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region invites you to participate in a 4 week program exploring Intergenerational Worship. Designed for lay persons who provide worship leadership within their own congregations, the sessions will be offered via Zoom on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 April 9-30 inclusive. Join presenters Rev. Catherine Stuart, Regional Minister for Children, Youth and Young Adults; Paige Fraser, Families Ministries Leader at Bedford United Church. Rev. Dr. Karen MacLeod-Wilkie of South Shore Pastoral Charge in Prince Edward Island and Rev. Rick Gunn, minister of St. Luke’s United Church, Upper Tantallon NS. Registration information will follow in next week’s newsletter.
Guidelines for Online Banking in Our Communities of Faith
From Your Financial Accountability and Investments Committee
The pandemic has changed the way we do church in many ways, not the least of which is the way we bank. During the pandemic online banking became a useful tool for giving to our churches even when we weren’t gathering in person, and e-transfers have now become a regular vehicle for receiving donations in many of our communities of faith.
The General Council Office has provided the following best practices for receiving e-transfers in our communities of faith:
§ Create a dedicated email address for receiving e-transfer donations, and direct all e-transfer donations to that email address
§ Configure the e-transfer service to enable auto-deposit to the church’s bank account
§ Develop a standard set of e-transfer donation instruction for donors. Here’s an example:
If you wish to donate via Interac e-Transfer, please follow these steps:
1. Log into your online banking and select Interac e-Transfer
2. Add “xxx Pastoral Charge” as a new recipient, using this special email address set-up for receiving e-transfers only: donation@xxx.com. Please do not include any security question, as the account is configured to deposit the funds automatically upon transfer
3. In the message space, please provide your name and indicate the purpose of the e-transfer, for example, “donation to M&S,” payment for 2 tickets to the coffee house,” etc.
4. If you wish to receive a receipt for your donation, please also include your full name, address, phone number, and email address in the message space
Please Note: Though many of us have also become accustomed to the convenience of paying of our personal household bills online, this practice is not an appropriate way for faith communities to pay bills, reimburse expenses, or otherwise disseminate funds, as two-party-approval of e-transfers is not possible. Two-party-approval practices (e.g. requiring two signatures on a cheque) help protect both Communities of Faith and Treasurers from risks of misappropriation of funds, whether intentional or accidental.
Church treasurers and others involved in congregational finances have become regular guests of United in Learning’s “Webinars for Church Treasurers”. These are a great way to keep up-to-date with best practices and changes to church financial policies. The next webinar will take place Wednesday, April 3rd at 8pm Atl. If you wish to take part, you may register at https://churchx.ca/login/index.php. Alternately, these informative webinars can be viewed live or after the fact on YouTube; search for “Webinars for United Church Treasurers” in the YouTube app to find them.
With appreciation for all that you do, and we hope this information is helpful!
Bridges to Hope: Connecting Spirituality and Imagination
ASTE 2024 invites you to a time of deepening spirituality. Daily we experience spiritual angst and despair arising from; climate collapse, wars, illness, personal and/or global discord. Presenters from Celtic and Indigenous perspectives will explore the potential of our innate ability for imagination and spirituality to lead us out of despair and into hope. This is an opportunity to explore the topic Bridges of Hope: Connecting Spirituality and Imagination in depth in a safe and supportive environment under the guidance of The Rev. Dr. Teresa Burnett-Cole, The Rev. J Ivan Gregan and the ASTE2024 community.
Have questions, have answers, join us – Tatamagouche Centre, June 17-20, 2024; ASTE2024
St. Mark’s United Church, Saint John, N.B.
St. Mark’s is looking for a full time ordained or diaconal minister to replace the Rev. John Roy who is retiring in June 2024.
Individuals who would like to learn more about this opportunity can contact Ralph Furness at 506-343-3696 or by email at stmarkssearch@bellaliant.com
