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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.
Regional Job Posting: Communications and Office Administrator
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters and Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Councils is seeking an individual to fill the role of Communications and Office Administrator on a permanent full-time basis (35 hours per week). Please click here for the full job posting.
Denominational & Regional Assessments
All Communities of Faith in the three eastern regions of The United Church of Canada are reminded to please log into your Church Hub account (www.churchhub.ca) where you can access your assessment invoices and statements. If you are having issues with Church Hub or have questions about assessments, please email assessments@united-church.ca so they can assist you.
Covenanting Service – Rev. Beth W. Johnston
Covenanting Service between The Rev. Beth W. Johnston and the Collaborative Ministry between Springhill: St Andrews Wesley and Collingwood United Church. Sunday October 5 at 3 pm. Collingwood United Church, Wyvern Rd. Collingwood Corner NS. Refreshments to follow. Harvey Gullon, Regional Council Liaison, and the Rev. Michele Smith, preacher.
Covenanting Service for Tamsin Moynihan-Robson (SME) at Iona Presbyterian Church
A cross-denominational covenanting service will be taking place this Sunday, October 5, between UCC ministry candidate Tamsin Moynihan-Robson and Iona Presbyterian Church in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Tamsin will be continuing her existing ministry at Iona until July 2026 in partial fulfillment of her SME requirements. As it’s also World Wide Communion Sunday, the Rev. Dr. Andrew Richardson will be joining to preach and preside at communion.
Service begins at 10 am; fellowship and refreshments to follow. Many thanks to Iona’s congregation and Kirk Session for taking on this unique inter-church project.
(Iona Presbyterian Church is located at 90 Lucien Drive, Dartmouth, NS)
Administry Autumn Retreat – for Church Administrators
All Church Administrators are invited to enjoy an Autumn Retreat Day in Mahone Bay, Monday October 20th. Coffee’s ready at 9:30am. Program 10am to 4pm at Trinity United Church. Please register by October 8th using the link provided and read the attached poster for the details. There is NO registration fee for this event!
Covenanting Service: Walton Pastoral Charge
All are welcome and invited to attend the Covenanting service to mark the new ministry between Rev. Tambudzai (Tee) Vhembo, Walton Pastoral Charge and the Bermuda Nova Scotia Regional Council of The United Church of Canada.
The service will be held at Grace United Church, 4197 Walton Woods Road, Walton, N.S. on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2:30pm.
We welcome, Rev. David Hewitt, Regional liaison minister and Rev. Karen Lynch, guest speaker. Fellowship and light luncheon will follow the service.
RSVP is appreciated but not necessary.
graceunitedwalton4197@gmail.com
Public Prayer Webinar-Deadline October 10
Let us pray. Sometimes those are intimidating words for lay persons. Join Janice MacLean of Prayer Bench to explore prayers for worship. Janice offers this description: “Prayer gathers us in, carries our joys and sorrows, and sends us into the world with blessing. In this three-session series, we explore the prayers that shape worship: gathering words, intercessions, blessings, and more -while learning the art of crafting them with care and leading them with confidence.” This program is presented by the Faith Formation and Leadership Development Committee of Bermuda Nova Scotia Region. Sessions will be held by Zoom on Mondays from 6:30-8:00 October 13, 20 and 27. Registration is $30.00 and can be paid to the Regional Office. Click here to register by October 10, 2025.
(Re)generate Presentations
(Re)generate is a leadership development program for ministers across the United Church created by our previous Moderator the Rt. Rev. Carmen Lansdowne. This program culminated in each of the participants completing a capstone project. This webinar series is an exciting opportunity to hear from 5 of the participants of this program; their experience and their capstone project. The Faith Formation and Leadership Development Committee of the Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region is please to present this two webinar series. This series is hosted by (Re)generate participants from the Eastern Regions of the United Church, one on October 22nd and one on October 29th. These sessions will start at 7pm (AST) and run for an hour with time at the end for questions and discussion. Registration is now open here. There is no registration fee for the series. The presenters for the two sessions are:
October 22nd – Rev. Michelle Johnson-Armstrong, Rev. Penny Nelson, and Rev. Rick Gunn
October 29th – Rev. Katie Aven, and Rev. Catherine Stuart
Upon registration you will receive an automated email. A few days later you will receive a welcome email from the committee with the zoom link for the sessions. You will also receive a reminder email before each session.
$10/Bag Book Sale & New-To-You
5 pm – 8 pm
Friday, October 3
8 am – 1 pm
Saturday, October 4
Grace United Church
70 King Street, Dartmouth
Bring your own bag
Click here for a poster.
Growth Ideas 101: Celebrate Small
Make small a better fit, a manageable action plan! How will you create small components of big ideas? Tidy up, declutter, refresh one small part of your space at a time. Sit on every chair and remove what is not comfy and welcoming. Set up small themes to make your space more representative of who you are. I learned of an ecumenical choir that has one critical purpose, being a funeral choir. Reduce a commitment, to one event, one purpose, one pop up ministry. There’s time to start a choir experiment to have a community choir that focuses on holiday music and wraps up at Christmas, and may lead to another small focus. What small part of a holiday outreach can you offer? Have a community party to decorate the church. One church is exploring a “Nativa tea” displaying nativity sets and hosting tea. Start with small actions of inviting people to share celebrations each Sunday in worship. “We are smaller than we used to be, and we are going to be smaller still. Rather than fear this, it’s time to embrace being small. Why? It’s our reality, and God seems to like small. You only need a little bit of yeast to make bread rise. You only need a little bit of salt to flavour a meal or seriously irritate an eye … God makes the small vibrant, vital and courageous … More than anything as a church we are called: called by God to join the movement, join the resistance, join the life.” These words from our Moderator, The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, shared as a nominee. The momentum of doing something is energizing and revitalizing. Small steps can lead to “supersize” impacts.
Contact your growth animator, Sharon Ballantyne at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca Everyone is reminded to also join our casual virtual drop in each Wednesday morning on Sharon’s zoom 9:45 Atlantic and 10:15 NL for thirty minutes. Contact Sharon if you need the link.
Walkthrough of United Church Songbook – Then Let Us Sing
Come on a guided tour of the new supplemental songbook for the United Church, Then Let US Sing,
Leader: Chris Bowman – Music Ministry – First United Church, Truro, NS
Artistic Director – Cantabile Choral Society Choirs
When: November 1st, 2025 10:30 am to approx. 12:15 pm
Where: Aylesford United Church, 2414 Highway 1, Aylesford NS
Registration: $10 (or pay as you can)
Advance Registration requested at: aylesfordunitedchurch@gmail.com
Come for a walk through of the new songbook and an introduction to new songs. Bring your copy if you have one, a few spare copies will be available
Come sing with your friends
Food: Soup and a roll provided (free will)
The Application for Gifts with Vision is Available Now
We’re excited to let you know that applications for the 2026 – 2027 cycle of Gifts with Vision are now open!
Gifts with Vision connects caring people across Canada with the incredible ministries of our Mission and Service partners through hope, compassion, and transformation.
Here are the details applicants need to know:
- Application deadline: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
- Applicants must be current Mission and Service partners
- Applications are being accepted online via Microsoft Forms
- We’re keeping the number of gifts small this year, with plans to expand gradually
- Every gift requires an application – even those who have been part of Gifts with Vision before
- The website will be updated and go live with new gifts in February, which allows us to focus on highlighting projects throughout the year
Thank you for all the ways you support and uplift the work of Gifts with Vision and Mission and Service partners. Your help in sharing this opportunity makes a real difference.
Help us Preserve the Oldest United Church Building in NB
Scotch Ridge United Church (originally Presbyterian) was built in 1826 and will be celebrating its 200th Anniversary in 2026. It is the oldest still functioning United church building in New Brunswick.
