NEWS AND UPDATES FROM FUNDY ST. LAWRENCE DAWNING WATERS (FSLDW)
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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: Marilyn Allan
Our condolences are extended to the family of Rev. David Allan, whose mother, Marilyn Allan, passed away on November 11, 2025. The obituary can be viewed here.
A Gift from the Region
Understanding that having resources is important for your work and support, The Institute for Health, Joy and Excellence has partnered with Janice MacLean to offer this advent small group study and four worship services, as a free gift to you; our Ministry Personnel and Lay Leaders.
Advent Small Group Study with Four Worship Services
We never tire of the story. Each Advent, we set out the beloved figures of the creche and are invited again into the mystery of incarnation. In this small group study and worship series, we look more closely at the figures and what they reveal about the human journey of faith, the bigger picture of love, and the divine longing at the heart of Christmas.
Alongside four study sessions, you’ll also receive complete Advent worship services—rich with liturgy, Advent candle-lighting, all-ages activities, Scripture, reflections, prayers, and music suggestions. Together, they invite us to approach the creche with fresh wonder, to notice who is present (and who is missing), and to be shaped by love that is already here and still arriving.
This series is provided by Prayer Bench and offered as a gift to leaders and communities of faith through a Regional License, please use this link to sign in for the small group study and four worship services. https://prayerbench.ca/2025-regional-license-for-living-nativity-study-worship-package/
A repeat Webinar from your Affirm Committee
We are moving into a stressful time of the year for many. Your Affirm Committee has decided to repeat some of our Webinars because the information is so helpful and still so relevant.
This week – Singing songs of Hope – supporting those with Mental Illness
You may want to watch alone, or maybe gather a few people from your community of faith to watch and discuss.
Becoming Affirming is all about finding ways to welcome ALL.
Blessings as you open wide your doors.
Pix Butt
Chair FSLDW Affirm
The Great Salisbury Online Auction
It’s that time of the year again for The Great Salisbury Online Auction. General items will be on the Facebook site from November 10th-12th. Baked goods, preserves, etc will be November 24th-26th. Just go to the scroll bar and type: The Great Salisbury Online Auction. We thank you for your help
Kirk-McColl Turns 240!
Kirk-McColl United Church is celebrating 240 years of ministry in St. Stephen! Join us for our anniversary service at 11 a.m. AST/ 10 a.m. EST, November 23rd for our celebration.
Our ministry began with Bible Studies in the home of Duncan McColl, who would be ordained by the Methodists and who would go on to have a profound influence on the history of St. Stephen and the surrounding communities. He served as a circuit preacher on both sides of the border, and founded an international committee for peace and public order between St. Stephen and Calais when the war of 1812 broke out. In 1941 Kirk and McColl United Churches joined, giving this church its current name of Kirk-McColl. A fire destroyed the magnificent old church building in 1980. Our new building was opened in 1982 and serves as a centre for church and community activities.
NW Cluster Gathering – Fredericton – November 28, 2025
A Regional Cluster Meeting for the NW Zone of the FSLDW Region will be held in Fredericton on Nov. 28, 2025 at the Nashwaaksis United Church, 46 Main St, Fredericton North. The meeting will begin at 10 am and conclude at approximately 3 pm. Lunch will be provided.The meeting is open to all Regional Council Representatives, current and retired ministry personnel and any individuals interested in learning more about the Region and its governance structure.
The NW Zone includes the area from Edmundston to Oromocto and the Miramichi Valley as far as Blackville. The boundaries approximate those of the former Woolastook Presbytery.
An introduction to Regional Staff and their responsibilities will be provided in addition to discussions on improving communications and the role of the Regional Council Representative.
We hope to see as many of you as possible at this event. As we do not as yet have a complete list of regional representatives in this area, please pass this information on within your pastoral charge to our target audience and others who may be interested.
Please reply to hughgellis57@gmail.com if you plan to attend and also indicate if you have any special dietary requirements.
Growth Ideas 101: Card Connections with Neighbours
Do you love getting Christmas cards? Perhaps, like me, you have been inclined to send digital greetings in recent years. This year I am intentionally doing print Christmas cards, hand deliveries for neighbours that I can and for family and friends too far, I’ll support Canada Post. Given my work, church focus takes up space in our family newsletter for the year, but as part of my own attention to invite culture, I will include a focus on invitation. How about you?
You might even make homemade cards. If your season is just too busy, think Epiphany, and gifting of card, connection and update in the new year. Don’t forget to let all your family, friends and neighbours know about whatever is happening in your community of faith. Check out the Advent resource
• Advent as a Season of Invitation Card (PDF): Use this fillable, printable card to invite others to your church to celebrate this Christmas season!
If you did not receive the Advent resources I sent this week, reach out.
Do a random act of kindness for a neighbour. Make room this season to introduce yourself. Make a connection. Offer a card, a token of thanks, an invitation to coffee. Plan a little gathering of neighbours. Plan a neighbourhood walk to look at decorations. Go “caroling.”. Do a prayer walk. Just chat. Set out a table in your front yard to visit with neighbours walking by. If your driveway or sidewalk is not snow or ice covered, create a chalk message.
Connect with a neighbour, where you live, and where you worship, to offer thank you for being good and safe neighbours all around.
Contact your growth animator, Sharon Ballantyne at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca
Don’t forget to join the Wednesday drop-in every Wednesday morning, a thirty-minute virtual coffee break to connect with people from across UCC-East. 9:45 Atlantic and 10:15 in Newfoundland-Labrador. Contact Sharon if you do not already have the link.
Church musician needed at St. Andrew’s in Truro, NS
Church Musician Wanted — Come Make Music with Us!
St. Andrew’s United Church – Truro, Nova Scotia
St. Andrew’s United Church is a welcoming and caring community that strives to reflect God’s justice and boundless love, as revealed through the life and teachings of Jesus. Guided by our four pillars — Radical Welcome, Reaching Out, Nurturing Spirituality, and Risking Hope — we believe music is an essential part of how we worship, connect, and grow together.
We’re seeking a part-time pianist and/or organist to join us and help lead our congregation and choir in music that uplifts and inspires.
What you’ll do:
• Accompany congregational hymns, choir anthems, and instrumental pieces during worship.
• Support and collaborate with our choir and Music Director at weekly rehearsals.
• Provide music for Sunday morning services and occasional special services (e.g., funerals, Good
Friday).
What we offer:
• A welcoming, supportive church community that values creativity and collaboration.
• Access to a Yamaha Baby Grand piano and a Rodgers 2-Manual electronic organ.
• Compensation:
• Choir Practice (Wednesdays, 7–8 p.m.): $35–$45 per session (based on experience)
• Sunday Service (10:15 choir warm-up, 11 a.m. service): $100–$120 per service (based on
experience)
• Additional services compensated separately.
Term: Immediate start through April 15, 2026.
If you have a love of music and a heart for community, we’d love to hear from you!
Please submit a cover letter outlining your training and experience along with a résumé to complete your application: RevShannonMaclean@gmail.com
Illuminate a Memory: AST’s Christmas Lights dedication and tree lighting ceremony
December 4, at 4:30 p.m.
We invite you to mark the start of the holiday season with a meaningful gathering in December.
The lighting ceremony of the AST Christmas Lights Dedication will take place outside the AST residence on Thursday, December 4, at 4:30 p.m.
There will be hot cocoa, holiday treats, and carolling, too.
For those of you who want to participate, there is a simple way to sponsor a light and ensure your loved one’s name is included in the dedication.
Visit the AST website and make a contribution. Light sponsorships start at $10. Choose your light colour and share the name of the person you are honouring or remembering.
If you sponsor a light before December 1, your dedication will appear in the tree lighting event program and the AST website.
This moving tradition allows you to honour a loved one whose name and memory will be symbolically illuminated by an actual light on the tree.
Proceeds from the Christmas Lights appeal will go toward the AST Annual Fund, which supports ministry students in several different areas, including bursaries, library purchases, guest speakers, and more.
Planning to join us? Kindly confirm your attendance by emailing advancement@astheology.ns.ca on or before December 1. Your RSVP helps us prepare enough festive treats for all our guests!
