Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council Weekly Announcements – December 4, 2024

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Time to taste some possibilities and select from many starters! Are you ready to dare beginning meaningful, productive conversations with people about your church’s future? Do you need some starting points to begin deeper discussions? “Bold Belonging” invites us to think more deeply about strengthening invitation, about identity, diversity, equity and how we might draw the circle wider to reach our neighbours. I put together a video to support communities of faith. You might want to engage a small group, such as a future visioning group, a committee, your governing body, a whole community of faith or several communities of faith to connect with me and continue exploring possibilities for energizing, revitalizing and helping your community of faith. The video run time is just shy of 57 minutes.
There are seven parts and seven Activities.
Each Activity is a series of questions.
The video link is https://youtu.be/hg-pPuTjSPM
People might want to watch it individually in order to think about best use. A two-hour block with about ten minutes for each of the first six activity sections and the seventh activity a take-away to come back and meet about at another time is one way to plan your time. Some might want to use it over seven gatherings, perhaps as spiritual conversation. Some may want to use only a single clip that focuses on an area of interest, to get some conversations started. Please contact me to get the accompanying handout and to discuss how I can come alongside and support you.

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.

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General Council Youth Forum 2025

General Council Youth Forum is an opportunity for young people to participate in the education, decision-making, and community of General Council 45 of The United Church of Canada. Its aim is to ensure that young people have a voice in the denomination-shaping issues and decisions for the next three years in the life of the church. It’s an opportunity to speak to issues that matter to young people, to share ideas, and to connect with peers and other members and leaders of the General Council. Click the link to the FAQ for more information, or email Catherine Stuart cstuart@united-church.ca Applications are due December 20, 2025.

Register here!

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Book Launch in memory of Alison Etter

You Are Loved — the children’s book in Alison’s memory — will be launched on Tuesday, December 17, at 12:15 p.m at the Cape Breton University Beaton Institute. There will be lunch and a reading. Illustrator Tammy Krasniqi will be present also. Everyone is welcome.

We will also be doing a lunch/reading on the South Shore at the Voglers Cove Community Hall on Friday, December 20, at 12:15 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

All of the royalties from the book will go to the Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund at AST to support alumni with in-community projects or continuing education that carry on Alison’s spirit, work, and values.

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What’s all the fuss about Basic Income/Guarantee Liveable Income? Find out more!

The Guarantee Liveable Income working group in the 3 Atlantic Regions is looking for 3-5 congregations/pastoral charges who (in 2025) will join our first dozen pioneer learning churches. We can offer you an excellent package of learning materials for your use, including worship resources, sermons, info sheets, and more. Your task is simply to offer a learning event of any kind: a Sunday morning service, an after-worship something, an evening or afternoon gathering…to focus on learning more about Basic Income/GLI. That’s it! No further obligation, and no costs.

If you have any interest in being one of our learning churches in 2025, or have any questions, please contact Rob Fennell at rob.fennell@astheology.ns.ca

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Full Time Ministry Personnel Position

The Collaborative Ministry of St Andrew’s Wesley United Pastoral Charge and River Philip Pastoral Charge are seeking ministry personnel for their full time position. Is there someone out there seeking a lovely rural ministry? Deadline for applicants is March 1,2025 .Check us out on the church hub….we would love to hear from you.

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Greetings Growth Seekers from Growth Animator Sharon

What are your community of faith’s super powers? What makes you uniquely you and how are you letting that shine? Dare to share the advent-ure! How do others in your neighbourhoods and wider community know you are there? How do they know you are welcoming if you don’t invite them? Advent and Christmas season is a great opportunity for others to come celebrate the seasonal festivities you are doing! Celebrate when you speak directly to someone and invite them. Take the risk and figure out what are the ways you and every person in your community of faith can strengthen invitation? Too shy to invite someone on your own, enlist a friend from your church to join you to invite others. Have those postcards, information cards, or greeting cards with your special events ready to share. Impact those you connect with through daily appointments, errands, activity groups, community engagement and challenge yourself to invite those you connect with. Be creative with your outreach – crossing guard, building security, receptionist, care providers, hair stylist, grocer, retail associate, cashiers, newspaper carrier, neighbours on your street. Ask in person. Ask by phone. Ask with a personal note or email. The personal touch matters! You may be feeling hesitant to invite, but the neighbourhood is hesitant to come! Be the next right step of sharing the opportunity. According to your comfort, sweeten the deal with offer to follow-up with a time of chat and refreshments following. Be environmental and car pool. Get others to share in your excitement for chances to eat, sing, pray, create, learn, together. Think of ways your community of faith might help others. Bake cookies in the church kitchen, not messing up your own and creating community building. Set up a wrapping station at your church. Knowing people can be lonely and feeling these challenges of shortening days and set up a phone check-in or holiday visit. Go caroling in your neighbourhood. Offer a simple supper outreach to build community. As bold disciples it is up to us to invite! Invite! Invite! 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.

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Stewardship Update – December 2024

Please click here to read the Stewardship update for December.

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FSLDW Webinar Recording: Understanding Guaranteed Livable (Basic) Income

Affirm committee’s most recent Webinar (Nov 27, 2024) was a very informative presentation and helpful discussion around the topic of Guaranteed Livable (Basic) Income. Lauren King, member of the PEI Working Group for a Livable Income was our leader. This topic is being investigated and championed by many groups, and PEI seems a likely place for a pilot. Gather a few friends around the recorded webinar and join in the conversation.

Please click here to view the webinar.

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EVALUATION of the REGIONAL COUNCIL GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE – DECEMBER 2024

Five years ago, a review of the regional council governance structure was promised to ensure it was supporting communities of faith and ministry personnel in health, joy, and vitality. At the April 2024 meetings, each of the Atlantic Regional Council executives agreed to move into a process for evaluating the regional council structure and named Rev. Jenny Stephens as a consultant to this process. The focus question for the evaluation is whether the regional council structure enhances the vitality and engagement of faith communities and leaders in the purposes laid out in The Manual C.2.4 and live into the covenants described in C.2.1. In other words: Is the Regional Council living into its potential for enhancing call and ministry in building relationships with communities of faith and faith leaders?

Responsibilities of the Regional Councils are laid out in The Manual 2024 section C. https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2024-01/the-manual-2024.pdf and described in your regional council governance handbook.

Jenny is an ordained minister of The United Church of Canada, who in retirement from the Office of Vocation, conducted the evaluation of the governance and staffing model of the three Regional Councils in Southwestern Ontario in 2023. She can be reached through Seyi Adeyemo at sadeyemo@united-church.ca  or directly at  jenny15stephens@gmail.com.

Jenny attended Regional Council Executive in-person meetings in September 2024, to determine scope, focus more deeply, and understand the context. She has met with Regional Council program staff individually and attended committee meetings as invited. Meeting with those involved in the ministry of the Regional Council governance will continue in the new year.

The voice of communities of faith is essential to this evaluation process. Look out for surveys in your email in early January 2025. Please include a conversation about the questions at your next Board/Council meeting, complete the form, and return it as instructed on the survey. The deadline for completion is March 15, 2025. If you are ministry personnel, you will receive your survey on the same timeline as communities of faith.

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