![The United Church of Canada | Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council [logo]](https://ucceast.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BNS-Logo-300px.png "BNS-Logo-300px"){kind=logo}
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 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.
Introduction of Toward 2035 (T2035)
The introduction of the T2035 conversation and Strategic initiative occurred at each of the Regional Council Annual Meetings in 2025. Introductory webinars have been held with ministry personnel, and the same opportunity is now offered to lay leaders – governing body Chairs, Secretaries and Treasurers, M&P Chairs, and other lay people who offer leadership in their congregations.
As we begin this work, we invite all of our members and boards to view the video introduction of the Toward 2035 from our Moderator, The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberley Heath to engage in the T2035 conversation.
Our Regional Council Minsters will lead webinars in six different time slots offered between March 9 and 12. Lay leaders can register for the one that suits their schedule. Please see the form, with the times and dates here.
Please join our Regional Ministers for a presentation and discussion about T2035.
Annual Meeting
The Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council (BNS) annual meeting will be held in-person at Acadia University on May 28-31, 2026. A draft agenda for this meeting can be found on the Annual Meeting webpage. There will be information webinars held prior to the meeting. These dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
The registration form will open mid-March. There will be an announcement when registration is open. If you are unable to attend, please ensure you fill out the regrets form.
As information for the in-person gathering becomes available it will be posted on the annual meeting webpage.
Nominations are Open for President-Elect
Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council is seeking nominations for President-Elect. This position is for a total of three years: one year as President-Elect, one year as President, and the last year as Past-President. The President-Elect will serve as a member of the Regional Executive, leading our Region in its work and ministry, within the bounds of the Region. Serving the Region in this way offers many unique and exciting opportunities to engage in its work and life. More information on the role of President-Elect, President, and Past-President can be found here.
The election will take place at the Annual meeting. In order to post bios of the nominees and allow for printing of meeting materials, please submit nominations by May 1, 2026 at midnight. Nominations can also come from the floor of the meeting at which time nominations will close at the close of the Friday night session. Nominations are open to all members of the Regional Council, including ministry personnel and lay members. To submit your nomination, please fill out the form here.
Each nomination must include the names of two people who will move the nomination. These people must be members of Regional Council. The nomination does not need to come from the governing body of your local community of faith, it just needs to be two members of the Region who support the nomination.
If you have any questions, please contact the Regional Council Office.
Elected Members to Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council
Please click here for a memo from Faith March-MacCuish, Executive Minister, with information regarding elected members to the Regional Council.
Sunday Service May 31, 2026 – Annual Meeting
The Region is sharing a “Congregation Take Home Full Service” for use on Annual Meeting Sunday, May 31, 2026. This has been posted near the bottom of the Annual Meeting webpage under the heading “Sunday Worship Service” in both PDF and Word files.
Co-operative Ministry Event
Shared Way, Shared Witness: A Gathering on Ministry for a Collaborative Church in Montreal, May 19–22, 2026.
This three day gathering for lay and ordained leaders in the Anglican and United Churches of Canada focuses on developing the skills, relationships, and theological imagination needed for collaborative ministry in a rapidly changing church. Together, we will explore two central questions: What is the church for, now? and What ministry do we need to sustain a vital Christian presence in communities across Canada? Through keynote presentations, workshops, and structured conversations, participants will engage emerging models of church and ministry that move beyond the colonial, Christendom patterns we have inherited.
More information is available at www.sharedway.ca. The early registration deadline is March 20.
FSLDW Getting Started on the Affirming Process
Maybe you’ve been talking about becoming Affirming … with 1 or 2 others… or a larger group. Come join us for the steps required, contacts you can make, information you need. This webinar will be lead by FSLDW Chair of the Affirming Committee, Pix Butt.
We hope you’ll join us!
March 4 at 7:00
Please click here to register.
You Are Invited: Ministry Leadership in Such a Time as This with Karen Oliveto
Ministry Leadership in Such a Time as This
Thursday March 12th from 9:30AM to 3:30PM (Atlantic) (storm date Friday, March 13)
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council Office
12 Wright Street, Sackville, NB E4L 4P8
In-person ($25) and Online via Zoom (no cost)
In the rise Christian Nationalism and increased polarization in our communities, how do we live with the current angst on the continent and world? What leadership is prompted in “Such a Time as This?”
Our guest reflector will be Bishop Karen Oliveto – a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church and former pastor of Glide Church in San Francisco who now lives in Pugwash, NS. Last summer Karen was guest evangelist at Berwick Camp.
Karen will lead us in reflecting on questions such as: What is our role as ministry personnel in these times? How do we live into the prophetic and pastoral aspects of ministry? Who are our ministry partners as we act as agents of God’s love in the public square? How do we live and proclaim the hope and amazement of Easter in a Good Friday world?
Please click here to read the details of the entire announcement, including link for registration.
Annual Pastoral Charge Information Form 2026
We are asking each pastoral charge to complete and submit the Annual Pastoral Charge Information Form as soon as possible after your 2026 annual meeting, noting the deadline is April 1st . This updates the Region with the names and contact information of your current leadership and regional council representatives (elected members). As a reminder, if we do not have the information for your elected members, they will not be able to vote at the Regional Annual Meeting. If you have any issues with completing the form, please contact Shari Kaster, 506-306-0496.
Growth Ideas 101: One More This Lent
This Lent you may be taking something on, giving something up, letting something go! Whatever spiritual practice you embrace, we are all discerning what helps us be closer to God, deepening our spiritual life. Keep doing a personal “plus one” adding of one more kindness moment throughout your day. Take one more moment to offer a prayer, a moment to offer a complement, a moment to listen and ask one more question of care. Help others to feel God’s love. What work meeting or activity can you begin with a spiritual practice of taking one more moment to offer something you are grateful for? Tell one more person what you are doing as your Lenten spiritual practice. Stretch your comfort to take one more moment to share about your church life activities in your social conversation. Encourage each other to invite “one more” to each of your events. If ten people offer ten invitations and one is accepted, that is growth. Do you have those reminder slips or cards to provide to people about what is happening in your community of faith and local area? Share one more reminder slip. Look at your church’s social media, website, and other ways you communicate. Ensure dates, times and details are clear for all events. working together, add one more welcome. Add one more kindness in something you do. Add a chocolate, a handwritten note, a card or other gesture! Take one more moment and let me know your “one more.” Please contact me, Sharon Ballantyne, growth animator, at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca You are also invited to a virtual 30-minute drop-in conversation each Wednesday morning, beginning at 9:45 a.m. Atlantic (10:15 a.m. Newfoundland and Labrador). Contact Sharon for the Zoom link.
The Things We Tell Ourselves
The United Church has spent 100 years establishing patterns and ways of doing ministry. Many of us are still doing what the church was doing a generation or two earlier. We want to try new things but don’t know where to start. We’ve created a narrative that doesn’t always match reality. It’s time to talk about it and unpack the things we’ve been telling ourselves.
Working towards the future oriented vision of the United Church of Canada:
“Inspired, resilient, and diverse contextual communities of disciples seek to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world. The church is present and deeply connected coast-to-coast-to-coast in rural and urban settings, and in ecumenical and global relationships. Guided by hope-filled, adaptive and effective ministry leaders, the denomination is increasingly multigenerational, multiracial, and intercultural.” (Towards 2035 Vision Statement)
This ten-week series of learning sessions and workshops from March 11 to May 26 will give participants the chance to see new opportunities, engage with new ideas, meet other lay church leaders reimagining the church of the future and start building it now.
Instructors each bring their own expertise and ability to facilitate conversation. Some sessions will have panels for questions and engagement, others will offer small group discussion and planning time. Materials will be available before and after each session to allow participants to go deeper into the subject matter if they wish.
Register via ChurchX
Halifax Area Youth Gathering
Our next HRM Youth Cluster gathering will take place on Sunday, February 22, from 5:30–7:30 PM at St. Luke’s United Church (5374 St. Margarets Bay Rd). The theme for this gathering is “What’s the point of Lent?” Together we’ll explore this question through worship, music, food, games, and hands-on group outreach projects, as we learn, serve, and connect with one another. Please see the attached poster and feel free to share it widely with youth, families, and leaders in your communities. RSVP here.
We’re looking forward to a meaningful, fun, and community-filled evening together!
BNS Youth @ Region is looking for facilitators and more!
Are you an awesome leader who would love to share your faith with a fabulous group of church youth? The Bermuda-Nova Scotia Youth @ Region Planning team are seeking interested leaders to serve as facilitators, music team members, and chaplains for this year’s program. Youth @ Region will be a 4-day event, May 28th to 31st at Acadia University, Wolfville, creating a fun and safe space for youth grades 6 to 12. A training event will also take place in late-April/early May.
Further details about the roles and responsibilities can be found here.
Applications for the leadership team are now available! Applicants must be 19 years of age or older and must have at least one gap year between being a participant and a facilitator. Deadline for registration is March 6th, 2026. Application can be found here.
Youth applications will be available in March, stay tuned for further details!
Invisible Illnesses Awareness, My Journey with Crohn’s Webinar – March 12, 2026 7:00PM (ATL)
Invisible illnesses are conditions whose symptoms and challenges are not immediately apparent to others or not visibly obvious. Like any other disease or affliction, they affect the daily lives of those diagnosed with them and many seek empathy from those in their lives to understand and support them. Examples include autoimmune diseases, neurodiverse conditions, chronic pain, long Covid, and various others. Many who have such conditions experience stigma that may involve judgment, invalidation, and pressure to ‘prove’ their illnesses. To help shed light on experiences such as these, Rev. Ian Harrison is offering a webinar/information session sharing his own life with Crohn’s disease over the past decade, serving as a case study which represents a wider community of those with IBD, a population that has grown steadily in recent years, yet remains unknown or obscure to many. Please click here to register.
Lay/Support Staff Job Announcement – Bethany United Church
The Board of Managers (BOM) at Bethany United Church is undertaking a pilot project. Our church is used by a variety of community groups and individuals during the day and in the evenings. Some groups rent a space or use the facility on a weekly, monthly, or as needed basis like a concert or private event/celebration. There are also occasions where the church is approached for a special one-time event, such as a concert. These rentals provide revenue to support the church.
The BOM is looking for an individual to collaborate with them to coordinate all aspects of facility rentals. This would be on a contract basis, at an hourly rate, (estimate 5-10 hours a month) for an initial six-month period. If you are interested, please send an email to bucbom@bethanyunitedchurch.ca or leave a message with the church office (902)455-0521, x. 221 and your call will be returned.
Visit our website to learn more about our community of faith.
Blessing of the Banned Books
Sunday, February 22nd
11:00 AM
Berwick Trinity United Church
(240 Commercial Street)
*A worship service in honour of Canada’s Freedom to Read Week
(February 22nd-28th 2026)
Please join us as we honour one of the most fundamental freedoms found in a democratic nation-the freedom to read. Through word, song, and the sharing of stories, we hope to uphold and raise awareness of narratives that are at risk of being banned or censored, so that we may better understand how to counteract these movements in our communities and beyond.
ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
Atlantic Candidacy Board – Seeking Elected Members – Deadline March 17, 2026
The Atlantic Candidacy Board is seeking two new elected members. The mandate for the board is:
- approving an individual for candidacy for ministry in the United Church;
- determining an individual’s readiness for accreditation for ordination, for commissioning, and for recognition as a designated lay minister; and
- overseeing the Candidacy Pathway process.
Expectations and Term:
- Online meetings: Varies by candidacy board. Usually monthly for one to one and half day (summer months excluded), totaling about 16 days per year of meetings or interviews. Scheduling is set according to the availability of members and candidates. At present, most meetings and interviews take place during daytime hours on weekdays.
- In-person meetings: Most boards meet in-person once per year. Travel is required.
- Expectations between meetings: Significant preparation time in reading candidate materials in advance of each meeting and sets of interviews.
- Additional appointment expectations: none
- Appointment term: May 2026 to August 2028 (46th General Council), with the possibility of reappointment for a second term.
Visit the opportunities page for more details and Use our online nominations form to nominate someone or express your own interest.
Deadline: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Stewardship Planning for today’s church
The time is approaching for the end of the Free Stewardship Workshop
Why not try a workshop by yourself or with a group of like minded people .
I have to share that I have always been a spiritual baker. How excited I was to see our Lenten Study- Bless Break Share. Have you joined one of the Lenten Studies?
