NEWS AND UPDATES FROM FUNDY ST. LAWRENCE DAWNING WATERS (FSLDW)
Submission Request for Weekly Announcements
www.ucceast.ca
Staff Directory
It’s Your Call – Podcast
Spark 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.
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters (FSLDW) Committee Interest form.
Pastoral Relations Committee – February 2026
- Approved the appointment of Reverend Deborah Ambridge Fisher to the Sheffield Pastoral Charge effective January 1 to December 31, 2026.
- Approved the appointment of Reverend Alice Finnamore to the Keswick Ridge Pastoral Charge effective March 15 to June 30, 2026.
- Approved the Community of Faith profile for York Covehead Pastoral Charge.
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.
SW Zone Cluster Meeting
You are invited to attend a Regional Cluster Meeting for the SW Zone of the Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region which will be on Tuesday March 17, 2026, at St David’s United Church, 7 Gondola Point Rd, Rothesay NB. The meeting will begin at 11 am and conclude at approximately 3:00 pm. Lunch will be provided. Registration will begin at 10:30 am.
The meeting is open to all elected Regional Council Representatives, current and retired ministry personnel in the area and any individuals interested in learning more about the Region and its governance structure. The SW Zone includes the boundaries that approximate those of the former St John and St Croix Presbyteries.
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. Past President Susan Lemaistre, President-Elect Rev. Rachel Campbell, and Executive Minister Rev. Faith March MacCuish will provide leadership for this event.
If you plan to attend, please respond to Hugh Ellis by email at hughgellis57@ gmail.com by Friday March 13 to allow for planning. Please indicate at the time of this response if you have any special dietary requirements.
We hope to see as many of you as possible at this event.
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.
President’s Message
Please click here to read the latest message from the FSLDW President, Hugh Ellis.
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.
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
Sing for Camp Abby Fundraiser – March 7, 2026
Come spend a special afternoon at Park Royal United Church in Charlottetown as we celebrate 80 years of memories, friendships, and unforgettable summers. Our 80th Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser will bring the community together for an uplifting musical showcase.
Join us in celebrating the legacy of Camp Abegweit and help us create lasting memories for future campers. Your support helps keep our camp spirit alive. Tickets are $20.00 (12 and under are free) and will be available at the door. Doors open at 2:30 pm with the show starting at 3:00 pm.
View our Facebook Event Page.
Online Annual Meeting
The Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council (FSLDW) will hold its business meeting online Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6. A draft agenda for this meeting can be found on the Annual Meeting webpage.
There will be information webinars held on Monday, June 1, and Wednesday, June 3, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Please mark your calendars as we are hoping to have all members attend.
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 online business meeting becomes available it will be posted on the annual meeting webpage.
Nominations are open for President-Elect
Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters 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.
As this election will take place through the Annual meeting held online, no nominations will be accepted from the floor, due to the nature of the online voting process. All nominations must be received by May 1, 2026 at midnight. Nominations are open to all members of the Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council, including ministry personnel and lay representatives. 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 people from the Region who support the nomination.
If you have any questions, please contact Nominations Chair, Tracy Friars.
Elected Members to Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council
Please click here for a memo from Faith March-MacCuish, Executive Minister, with information regarding elected members to the Regional Council.
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.
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.
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.
Pastoral Charge Resource
The Pastoral Relations Committee has created Best Practices: Ending Pastoral Relationships (2026-01-13) to assist ministry personnel and communities of faith in navigating the process of ending a pastoral relationship following the end of a call or appointment or as the result of a retirement. This replaces the previous “Disengaging from Pastoral Relations” document. It can also be found on the website.
Regional Financial Support
The Financial and Mission Services Committee is pleased to promote the availability of various funds to support individuals and communities throughout our Region. The guidelines and applications for the specific funds can be found on the Region’s website. Among the funds is the “Ministry Personnel/Lay Continuing Education Fund” which provides assistance to ministry personnel and lay members within the Region with the costs, up to $1,000, to participate in programs to develop theological understanding, leadership skills/ability, personal faith/spirituality, or their own sense of ministry and/or mission.
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
