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. To view upcoming events at the the Centre for Christian Studies please click here. Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council Committee Volunteer form.
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.
-
March 15, 2025
-
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.
Bermuda Nova Scotia Ministry and Personnel Committee workshop
M&P 101
An introductory workshop for lay members of Ministry and Personnel Committees will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Bridgewater United Church, 87 Hillcrest St, Bridgewater, NS, B4V 1T2. Lunch will be provided. The workshop will be facilitated by Regional Minister David Hewitt.
Topics will include:
• Purpose and function of M&P Committee
• Confidentiality and Accountability
• Record keeping
• Annual Reviews
• Conflict
• Leaves
• Resources
• Q&A
Please register to assist in planning and meal preparation. The deadline for registration is Monday, February 10: CLICK HERE to register.
Please direct questions to Regional Minister David Hewitt dhewitt@united-church.ca
COVENANTING SERVICE – PORT WALLIS UNITED CHURCH
SAVE THE DATE – JANUARY 19TH @ 1:00 pm
All are welcome to attend…
The Covenanting Worship Service to be held at Port Wallis United Church, 263 Waverley Rd, Dartmouth NS on Sunday, January 19th at 1:00 pm for
The Rev. Dr. Ross Bartlett and The Rev. Mary Lynne Whyte.
Reception to follow.
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
HRM UCC Youth Event – Friday, January 24th
All youth and leaders are welcome to an HRM youth event! Friday, January 24th from 6-8pm at Bedford United Church! It’s giant games night with human hungry hungry hippos, axe throwing, giant Yahtzee, scrabble and more! 🎲♟🎈
Bring a snack to share, a friend, and some good old friendly competition. A great chance to see friends from Youth@Region and Rendezvous! Contact Natalie Moyes (natalie.moyes@bedfordunited.com) for more details.
Please click here to register.
Hope to see you there!
Stewardship Update – January 2025
Please click here to read the Stewardship update for January.
Service of Celebration for Rev. Dr. Sally Shaw’s Retirement
St. John’s United Church, Fall River warmly welcomes you to attend the final service for Rev. Dr. Sally Shaw on Sunday, January 26th 11am. Rev. Sally has faithfully served the Waverley Pastoral Charge for over 6 years with strong dedication, compassion and leadership. Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell will be preaching. All are welcome to attend, and stay for the luncheon to follow. We wish Rev. Sally all the best in her retirement, and are grateful for her ministry with us.
Please reach out to office@sjucfr.ca or 902-860-4000 with any questions.
St. John’s United Church, Fall River 3360 Hwy #2 Fall River, NS B2T 1J2
An affirming congregation of the United Church of Canada
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.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Four ecumenical services and a public lecture “Nicaea as a cornerstone of Christian ecumenism” are planned for Halifax 19-26 January. Details can be found at the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth website. You may have to scroll down.
Sunday 19 January 4pm All Saints Cathedral
Monday 20 January 7pm Public Lecture, Resurrection Lutheran
Tuesday 21 January 7pm Saint John’s United
Thursday 23 January 2pm Northwood Halifax Campus
Sunday 26 January 3 pm Saint Benedict Catholic Parish
Fresh New Year! Is it time for a United Fresh Start Workshop?
What is United Fresh Start?
United Fresh Start is a curriculum with over 20 modules that teach ministers and community of faith leaders, critical strategies for working effectively together. It contains proven methods based on the work of organizational leadership experts. The program covers key topics, such as entering new systems, conflict management, family systems theory, polarity management, church size theory, and adaptive leadership. Together, ministers and community of faith leaders gain a unified understanding of leadership expectations, role clarity, and the use of power and authority. The program helps create a united fresh start for the pastoral relationship and prepares you for effective mission and ministry together.
We have trained facilitators available to come to your Community of Faith or you can gather a cluster together. To book a facilitator, contact Pastoral Relations Minister David Hewitt dhewitt@united-church.ca, 1-800-268-3781 ext. 6154.
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.
Record Keeping Reminder
The Archives, Records and History Committee want to remind the Governing Body of the Community of Faith that all church records belong the United Church which have historical and legal value.
As congregations are preparing annual reports this is a good opportunity for committees to take stock and review what records are on file that are not being used.
Communities of Faith are responsible for placing their records and other documents in the archives when they are no longer regularly needed.
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!
Annual Pastoral Charge Information Form 2025
To improve the speed and accuracy of communication between BNS 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, Communications and Office Administrator, at sadeyemo@united-church.ca or 1-506-306-0494.
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!
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!
A Tale of Two Gatherings: BNS AGM and Shared Centennial Celebration – Save The Dates!
The Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region will hold its Annual General Meeting virtually on May 14 and 15, in the evenings. This online gathering is an important time to reflect, consider the budget for 2026 and plan for the year ahead. There will be a pre-meeting informational webinar held on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 PM. Links for these meetings will be sent out in the weeks prior to all who have registered. On Friday, May 30 to Sunday, June 1 in Sackville, NB, join us in person as the Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region and Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region come together to celebrate 100 years of The United Church of Canada! 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.
Poverty is a Policy Choice
Do you think that all we are ever doing is putting a band aid on the gaping wound of poverty? We are called to help others but we are also called to daring justice – to speak out against systemic injustice. In Nova Scotia, “Poverty is a Policy Choice” as demonstrated by the levels of Basic Needs Assistance to cover food, shelter, utilities, clothing and other personal needs and the policy decisions around the standard household rate categories. People on Basic Needs Assistance live in deep poverty, less than 75% of the official poverty line.
Now is the time that the provincial government makes budget decisions, so now is the time to write to the Minister of Opportunities and Social Development, formerly Communities Services, about making changes. Grace United Church has written to the Minister and invites you to do the same, Further information is available on our website including a letter or an e-mail that you can download and personalize. If you are interested in our Minute for Mission text or visuals, contact Shirley at shazen@gracedartmouth.ca.
Regional Council Governance Evaluation Update – BNS
By the end of this week, 4 surveys related to the evaluation of the governance structure of Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council (BNS)) will be ready for distribution. 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 looking out for the surveys early next week and 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.
