NEWS AND UPDATES FROM FUNDY ST. LAWRENCE DAWNING WATERS (FSLDW)
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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.
A New Year Greeting from Regional President
Hello/Bonjour,
Since I last wrote, the Advent candle of LOVE was lit throughout our
Communities of Faith, as was the CHRIST candle. The celebration of the birth of Jesus is, essentially, the recognition throughout the Christian world that love came to us in the flesh. Prior to this birth, only a select few held power, while many others were shunned or sidelined because they did not “fit” with the world order of the day. The sick or infirm, children, women, the poor, those from other lands or races had no hope.
Everything changed with this birth. Jesus began to preach a different message than ever before — one of love and inclusion . He seemed unafraid of the sick, encouraged children to draw near to him, had several women followers and appeared not fazed in the least to befriend people who were considered foreign, unclean or banned from the mainstream. Is it any wonder that he and his disciples began to attract huge crowds who travelled from everywhere to hear him? Is it surprising that the elite of the day felt threatened by Jesus’ messages?
Over 2,000 years later Christ’s theme of love remains the central tenet of Christian churches everywhere: love God and love neighbour.
Dear readers, at the start of this New Year 2025, there are still those who are in great need of love in this world. I pray that with the assurance of God’s love of us, and with guidance of the the Holy Spirit, we each intentionally spread love by whatever means may be available to us.
In faith/Avec foi,
Sue
susalemaistre@gmail.com
Dear Members of the UCC East Regional Councils,
As we prepare for the Centennial Commemoration of The United Church of Canada, I know there have been some questions about a communication that was sent to all Pastoral Charges from a group called Friends of the Foundation. After conversation with Sarah Charters for some clarification, she has shared that the Foundation is not responsible for the program inviting Communities of Faith to meet in clusters to celebrate the Centennial anniversary of The United Church. It is one of the ways that congregations may choose to mark the 100th anniversary of the church, however, each congregation should feel free to choose whether or not to accept the invitation as best suits them.
The denominational commemoration of the Centennial includes a worship service on June 8, 2025, in St. John’s, NL, a public outreach campaign, and a Centennial Legacy Campaign, led by the Foundation, to support Communities of Faith in inviting gifts for their ministry and future use.
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March 15, 2025
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June 15, 2025
Up to $100,000 total will be granted. The maximum grant amount available per group is $5,000, to ensure as many groups as possible across the church can receive support.
I would encourage Communities of Faith to mark the Centennial in some way, be it by joining the denominational worship service, participating in Regional activities, or choosing another way to commemorate the anniversary. There is a list of events taking place available for congregations to view, add their plans, invite or join others in the celebrations: https://united-church.ca/events Please add your centennial event to the list by going into the link provided here and click on add your event.
Share Your Climate Story: You May Be Featured in The United Church of Canada’s 2023-2024 Sustainability Report
Calling all United Church communities of faith, The United Church of Canada (UCCan) will be releasing its 2023-2024 Sustainability Report next Spring. We are looking for submissions of stories, initiatives, and events from 2023 and 2024 to be featured. Submissions should align with one or more of The United Church of Canada’s Climate Pillars: Putting Our House in Order; Raising Our Spirited Voices; Reconnecting with the Earth; or Responding to Climate Impact.
Learn more about the UCCan’s Sustainability Pillars and read previous Sustainability Reports here.
Please click to Share your climate story
Stewardship Update – January 2025
Please click here to read the Stewardship update for January.
New Chair of FSLDW Pastoral Relations Committee
We are very pleased to announce that the Rev. Kate Jones has assumed the chair of the FSLDW Pastoral Relations Committee effective Jan 1, 2025. Kate replaces Hugh Ellis who will transition to President of the Region following the annual meeting at the end of May. Hugh will remain on the Pastoral Relations Committee as a regular member until his term ends at the annual meeting. We are thankful to Kate for agreeing to assume this important role and pray for the blessing of the Spirit on her ongoing work and leadership in the Region.
Bethany United Church – Affirming Ministry Celebration Service
Bethany United Church welcomes all people to participate in a diverse community of faith, to learn together, to recognize, experience, and share God’s transforming love.
We strive to be a Christ centered community as we embrace people of all ages, colour, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, and social and economic status in the full participation of all areas of our ministry.
All are welcome to this special time of worship for our community of faith.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
10:30am, Sanctuary
7171 Clinton Avenue (entrance)
Please stay afterwards as the festivities move into a time of fellowship with cake!
For more information about this event, contact: office@bethanyunitedchurch.ca or 902-455-0521, x.221 OR CLICK HERE
The service will be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing on our YouTube Channel.
FSLDW Affirm Committee Webinar January 22, 2025
1. Julie is currently writing a new children’s series with the seven sacred teachings.Please click here to register.
Minister’s Position- Quispamsis United Church
Quispamsis Pastoral Charge searching for a Minister three quarter to full time (40 hours per week) to start as soon as practical.
Region is Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters
Quispamsis is located just outside Saint John, N.B.
QUC is looking for both worship and strategic leadership. Worship will continue to be first with us, but we recognize we must discern our future and will need guidance. More detail is provided in the Position Description and our recent Faith Profile, both of which are on ChurchHub.
It Didn’t Start on October 7 – a webinar
This webinar featuring Philip Sherwood will walk participants through the historic origins of the problems faced by Palestinians. Here is an opportunity to learn more.
Please click here to register.
Or you can get more information by clicking here!
Greetings Growth Seekers from Growth Animator Sharon
Do you need to talk about the struggles and fears, to process some grief and lament, so you can find the sacred spaciousness to again embrace hope, the unexpected and the new things?
Do you need to do a pre-mortem to imagine the most unwanted outcomes, so that you can process fears and work for desired outcomes.
An executive minister offered these words to his regions “We are all struggling. We are all facing an uncertain future. Congregations that are running out of money, others who are running out of people. Disciples who are unsure how to speak to their friends and neighbours about faith because they are worried about being painted with a particular brand of Christianity that is antithetical to the one, we offer. Communities of faith that are struggling to find ministry leadership with a dwindling pool of possible ministers. Church buildings that take up all our time and resources, making it harder and harder to focus on actual ministry The birth of Christ offers us a chance to turn a new page and prepare for something unexpected and new.” (Éric Hébert-Daly)
It is good to share our realities, not to bring us down, but to know we are all in this together. Each other’s stories lift us up in hope and the reminder of what our faith means for us.
Let’s get growth animated together. Call Sharon at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca as together, we keep being bold, deep and daring!
A Tale of Two Gatherings: FSLDW AGM and Shared Centennial Celebration – Save The Dates!
The Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region will hold its Annual General Meeting virtually on Saturday, May 24, starting at 8:30 AM. This online gathering is an important time to reflect, consider the budget for 2026, plan for the year ahead. There will be a pre-meeting informational webinar held on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 PM. Links for both of these meetings will be sent out in the weeks prior to all who have registered. On the following weekend of May 30, join us in person as the Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region and the Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region come together to celebrate 100 years of The United Church of Canada! This special shared event will take place from Friday, May 30 to Sunday June 1 in Sackville, NB. Start time and registration for this celebration will be in these announcements in the coming months. We look forward to connecting with you at one or both of these events! Please visit the Annual General Meeting webpage regularly for registration and meeting information.
Annual Pastoral Charge Information Form 2025
To improve the speed and accuracy of communication between FSLDW Regional staff, committees and our pastoral charges we are asking each pastoral charge to complete and submit the Annual Pastoral Charge Information Form (click here) as soon as possible after your 2025 annual meeting. This updates the Region with the names and contact information of your current leadership and regional council representatives.
The form is fillable online but can be printed and mailed or faxed if the individual designated to complete the form does not have internet access. Any paper copies may be mailed to the Regional Office at 21 Wright Street, Sackville, NB E4L 4P8 or faxed to 506-536-2900. Any questions you may have about the form can be directed to Seyi Adeyemo, FSLDW Communications and Office Administrator, at sadeyemo@united-church.ca or 1-506-306-0494.
Check our our Region’s Affirm Committee Facebook Page
Friends, while scrolling through Facebook, we invite you to check out the “Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region Affirm Committee“ page. You’ll find links to current events, thought-provoking videos, and opportunities for meaningful engagement. It’s also a great space to share your thoughts on various issues or to spread the word about important topics. If you have something you’d like us to post, just send a message to our administrators—we’d love to hear from you!
Regional Council Governance Evaluation Update – (FSLDW)
By the end of this week, 4 surveys related to the evaluation of the governance structure of Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council (FSLDW) will be distributed. The first is for communities of faith to discuss at your next Board/Council meeting. The second and third are for the members of the regional council, separate ones for ministry personnel and lay representatives from communities of faith to the regional council, and the fourth for those involved on a Committee/Division/Team to share your experience. The survey is an online form to be filled out at one sitting. Thank you for participating in this evaluation. We want communities of faith and ministry personnel to be supported and become a support to one another as we live out our various ministries in the world God so loves.
Consultant to UCC East Governance Evaluation.
