Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council Weekly Announcements

NEWS AND UPDATES FROM BERMUDA-NOVA SCOTIA REGIONAL COUNCIL

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.

Condolences: Rev. Dr. William James “Jim” Shaffner

Our condolences are extended to the family of Rev. Dr. William James “Jim” Shaffner who passed away on May 29, 2026. The obituary can be viewed here.

Condolences: Rev. Gilbert “Gil” Frederick Todd

Our condolences are extended to the family of Rev. Gilbert “Gil” Frederick Todd who passed away on May 11, 2026. The obituary can be viewed here.

Annual Meeting Evaluation Form

We would ask everyone who attended the Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council annual meeting to take a few minutes to fill out the online evaluation form by June 15.

Affirming Ministry Worship Celebration

Pictou United Church is proud to announce that it has officially become an Affirm Ministry through Affirm United publicly declaring its commitment to being a safe, inclusive, and welcoming community of faith, and to affirm and cherish all persons in their wholeness.

To mark this milestone, and to celebrate Pride Month Pictou United Church is planning a celebration!

Sunday, June 14th- 10:30am
47 James St Pictou

Please plan to stay for a light luncheon following our worship.

https://pictouunited.com

JMOC: Indigenous Right Relations Webinar

The Justice, Mission and Outreach sub-committee working on Indigenous Right Relations is holding a webinar on Wednesday June 17th at 7pm. We encourage anyone interested in learning more about Indigenous rights and justice to join us. We will be sharing a bit about our group, the importance of Land Acknowledgements in worship and sharing the resources available for Sunday June 21st National Indigenous Peoples Day also known within the church as Indigenous Day of Prayer. Please click here to register for the webinar.

Fort Massey United Church’s historic final service is on Sunday June 7th at 10:30.

Fort Massey’s final service – everyone is invited; entry through the Tobin Street doors. Please join us for Coffee and Conversation prior to the service, starting at 9:45 in the Music Room and then follow the sound of the music into the sanctuary for the pre-service hymn sing and the service. Following the service, Fort Massey family (members and adherents) are invited to a catered lunch in the Lower Hall. On July 1st, Fort Massey will be amalgamating with St. Matthew’s and Saint Andrew’s to form Halifax United Church.

Growth Ideas 101: Speaking of Faith

Have you invited others to share their faith? Had someone ask you about your faith? On the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary a year ago, this idea was taken to heart and now there is a free resource that shares faith stories, and invites conversations about faith.

My Faith at Home is a collection of 30+ short videos sharing the everyday faith of diverse people within the United Church. Each video features a person in their home sharing an object that is meaningful to their faith. Videos run from 30-seconds to 2-minutes long. You are encouraged to enjoy them and to share them. May your spirit be touched by these humble and heartfelt moments.

“My Faith at Home” Video Series – an initiative of Rev. Aaron Miechkota. Connect with me to chat further about sharing your faith and inviting others to connect, as we strengthen invitation and grow together

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.

Nourishment and Stewardship

Nourishment and Stewardship is one example of how St. Luke’s United Church, Upper Tantallon made this connection.

Their new cookbook, St. Luke’s Favourite Recipes, A Collection from our Church Family shows stewardship. Contact their website: www.stlukesunited.ca

Inventions of Summer

Inventions of Summer is a simple, creative, theologically rich companion for a Summer Sabbath or Worship Series; it is a four-week, ready-to-use program with four different themes, read more about it here. The Region has purchased a license from Prayer Bench and want to offer this resource as a gift to support worship leaders and communities of faith in their ministry; therefore, there is no cost to receive the resource materials. Please sign-up for access to this resource using this link.

United Church Worship Resources

Many Communities of Faith (CoF) find themselves where it is falling to lay members to support or lead worship. Lacking formal training, or having very little training, in leading worship these lay members often look for support in leading worship. Additionally, these CoF are often strapped for the funds, which limits their ability for training or support materials for their lay leaders. There are, however, many materials that are inexpensive or free that are available for use by CoFs and lay leaders. On June 22nd the Faith Formation and Leadership Development Committee of the Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region is pleased to present a webinar to help CoFs and lay leaders find these resources. On June 22nd, Alydia Smith – Program Coordinator, Worship, Music and Spirituality at the General Council of the United Church of Canada – will lead our webinar. The session will be on June 22nd and start at 7pm (Atlantic Time) running for an hour with time at the end for questions and discussion. Registration is now open, click here: there is no registration fee for this webinar. Registration will close the morning of June 22nd.

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 the session.

Living into the vision of Toward 2035, Fall Course,2026

There is an exciting learning opportunity happening this fall. As your growth animator, I will be there to learn alongside all the participants. I am inviting you and people from your pastoral charge to come and learn too!

Toward 2035 is an invitation to prayer and conversation about the future of God’s call to the United Church of Canada. Together, we dream of a United Church that is “increasingly multigenerational, multiracial, and intercultural,” one that reflects the diversity of our neighbourhoods.

But sometimes we don’t know where to start, or how to move from good intentions into practical action. You’re not alone, there are folks across our church who are asking the same questions, and this fall, they are gathering to dig deeply into them.

Becoming An Intercultural Church is a six-week online led by Rev. Dr. Hyuk Cho, exploring how churches can respond faithfully to cultural diversity, migration, racial injustice, ecological crisis, and the lingering effects of colonial histories. Designed for ministers, lay leaders, congregations, and related communities of faith, this course moves beyond simple inclusion language to examine shared woundedness, companionship, anti-racist formation, and the transformation of church life through shared power and responsibility.

The class runs weekly on Wednesdays from October 14–November 25, 2026. Registration is $40 per person or $70 for a group of up to 10. Register on CHURCHx. I invite you to sign-up and consider bringing some friends with you. By having this conversation together, reflecting and practicing in community, we can begin to move beyond those good intentions into real transformative change.
Do you want to talk more about strengthening invitation, church growth and renewal now!
Book time to meet with me
Sharon Ballantyne (she/her)
Growth Animator | Atlantic
506-306-0500
sballantyne@united-church.ca

The ASTE Levy Lecture NAVIGATING HOPE AND DESPAIR: A NATURE WRITER’S JOURNEY with Harry Thurston Tuesday June 18th 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm St Andrew’s United Church 55 King St, Truro NS

Harry Thurston was born in 1950, at the very beginning of the Anthropocene, that era in which humans became a geological force shaping the planet’s biosphere. As a nature writer and poet, his challenge has been to navigate the rough moral and artistic terrain between despair and hope. He will trace that journey and the responsibility that comes with it through an examination and sharing of his work in both prose and poetry.

Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Harry Thurston is the author of thirty books of poetry, natural history, and memoir. His first prose book, Tidal Life, A Natural History of the Bay of Fundy, revealed the life-giving powers of the Fundy tides and argued against damming them for electrical generation, and is now considered a classic in the natural history genre. His eco-memoir, A Place Between the Tides, A Naturalist’s Reflections on the Saltmarsh won the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award in the U.S., and The Atlantic Coast, A Natural History, received the Lane Anderson Award for the best science writing in Canada. His latest poetry collection, Ultramarine, was a finalist for the J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Prize and the Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry. He lives in Tidnish Bridge, Cumberland County, and is a Mentor in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program at University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Learn more about Harry at his web site.
Learn more about ASTE.

The Levy Lecture is an integral part of ASTE. The lecture is open to the public at no charge. In particular we are always glad to welcome ASTE alumni to the lecture.

Sensational Sounds Spring Concert

An invitation from Bethany United Church, Halifax, NS
Friday, June 5 • 7:30 PM – 9 PM

A Variety Filled Evening of Thrilling Music featuring a 35 piece Brass Band, Tenor Soloist, with Piano & Pipe Organ.

Enjoy a festive evening of music featuring the 35 piece Chester Brass Band , directed by George Morrison, John Lindsay-Botten, tenor soloist, and Shawn Whynot, piano & organ. Music will include works by Purcell, Beethoven, Strauss, music from The Lord of the Rings, and favourite folksongs.

Order tickets here.

United Church Office Administrators Conference

The conference is planned for October 5-9, 2026, and will take place in Saskatoon, SK. All UCC administrators; whether you are a regional admin, executive assistant, or working in a local community of faith; all are welcome to attend! To view the agenda for the conference click here; to access the MP Support Letter click here; and to register click here.

Salisbury United Church Spring Online Auction

Good news! We are having a small spring auction. We have 70 items up for bid beginning June 8th. The auction will run till June 10th at 6pm.
A Couple of highlights…12 place settings of Paragon’s County Fair in beautiful condition. Coronation mugs for King George IV and Queen Elizabeth. Lovely bone china mugs. A scarce Welcome to Salisbury trivet and so much more. Please share with your friends! You can find all the items over on Facebook-type in the search bar: The Great Salisbury United Church Auction. Thanks.