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.
To view Continuing Education opportunities at the Atlantic School of Theology please click here.
To view upcoming events at the the Centre for Christian Studies please click here.
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW) Committee Interest form.
Condolences: Rev. John Finlayson
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Rev. Dr. John A. Finlayson who passed away on Nov. 27, 2024.
A copy of the obituary can be viewed here.
Advent Message from the President of Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council
Please click here to read the Advent Message.
Your Faith Formation and Education Committee is here to help.
Don’t have a plan for Advent/Christmas liturgies yet? Not quite happy with what you do have? We’ve got you covered!
FSLDW’s Faith Formation and Education Committee is sponsoring the work of Annika Sangster, The Stories We Share, to help you with this very busy season all the way through to Epiphany. Clergy, worship leaders, and/or congregations in FSLDW are welcome to sign up for the program, or any parts that will be helpful, and the cost will be covered for you.
We encourage joining the full program so you can participate in the Zoom conversations and find additional inspiration.
See the attached infographic for the link to more information and how to order or join. And be sure to mention that you are from Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region.
We hope this will help you all to experience a meaningful Advent Season and joyous Christmas.
The-Stories-We-Share-Prices-Infographic-1 (1)
Opportunity in beautiful PEI – FT Minister for Single Point Charge
We are still searching for a full time Ministry Personnel position to join us. We are an accepting and welcoming, multi-generational community of faith in rural Prince Edward Island. St. Andrew’s United Church is a single-point charge located in Vernon Bridge, centered between two growing towns: Stratford and Montague. The work we do at St. Andrew’s is connected to our Christian faith. We believe that as we work to connect the Church and our Christian values to the surrounding communities and the people within them, we are acting as disciples of Christ by making it a place where all people can come together to join in worship and prayer. Our attitude of acceptance and neighbourly conduct is a pillar in the way we worship. All are welcome in our church. Find our advertisement in Church Hub, email the search committee for our Community of Faith Profile saintandrewssc2024@gmail.com or view our Facebook profile.
Greetings Growth Seekers from Growth Animator Sharon
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.
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!
Hillsborough United Church Online Auction and Sale
Hillsborough United Church Online Auction and Sale (Facebook Page) We are all set to go live with our online auction on Sunday, December 8 at 1 pm. Visit our Facebook public group to see all the items and baked goodies available for bidding and purchase! The auction and sale will run until Wednesday, December 11 at 8 pm. All money raised will be designated to the Mission & Service fund and outreach projects! Visit the Facebook group page (Facebook Page), place some bids and join in the ‘fun’draising! If you have questions, drop us a line at huc1862@gmail.com
Greetings from Regional President
Hello/Bonjour,
This is the Advent week of Hope, a time when we look ahead to new possibilities…
Since I last shared information with you in this space, I have seen Hope in many forms:
– the congregation of Wellington United in PEI participated in the recent decommissioning of their church. While this was undoubtedly a sad event, they look forward with hope to joining with Victoria West United;
– the congregation of St. Andrew’s United New Richmond on the Gaspe Peninsula celebrated their 185th anniversary, and hope for many more years ahead as a vibrant Community of Faith;
– First United in Bathurst, NB, which I visited, have been without a full-time minister for a while now, and were fortunate to have Rev. Ivan Gregan’s leadership part-time. They look ahead with hope to their new minister, Rev. David Allan, who will join them in March; and
– the choirs of First and Central United Churches in Bathurst, NB collaborated to present an awesome concert of Christmas music the afternoon of December 1st, under the direction of Martha Vickers (on the far left in the photo of the combined choirs below). The choir members look ahead, with hope, of sharing their music ministry with each other and with their respective congregations into the future.
There are surely many more signs of Hope throughout our Region, and I pray that you see them all around you, for Hope is what helps to dispel the mist.
In Faith/Avec foi,
Sue LeMaistre.
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.
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
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.
Stewardship Update – December 2024
Please click here to read the Stewardship update for December.
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.
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.
