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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 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.
Vocation Minister for the Atlantic Regions
The Theology and Ministry Leadership unit is pleased to officially welcome Rev. Don Sellsted to the team.
Don is the new Vocation Minister for the three Atlantic Regional Councils. Don came into Ordained ministry after a long corporate career in people management as well as conflict and technology management. He had been serving with joy at Orchard Valley United Church for the past 8 years. Don enjoys enthusiastically serving the United Church of Canada while nurturing pastoral relationships and encouraging the calls of others to ministry and identify leadership capabilities in others. He is passionate about the work for justice and peace in a world that craves for love and kindness. Please contact Don by email or at 1-437-290-0692 with any Office of Vocation related matters.
Improved Record of Call or Appointment form on ChurchHub – Effective September 1st
While the Record of Call or Appointment form tile will look the same on ChurchHub, the dashboard and form will look very different on September 1st. All previous forms (in whatever stage they are in) will seamlessly move from old to new format on that date.
The improvements are a result of the feedback we have heard from many of you who have been using the form over the past several years. This update also gave us the opportunity to use enhanced programming tools/styles that didn’t exist in 2019 when it was first created.
The Record of Call or Appointment form has had a complete makeover:
- more user friendly
- meets a higher accessibility standard
- dashboard and form open more quickly
- information upload speed increased
- improved reliability (prevents errors, prompts when items are missing)
- clearly labelled steps for acceptance
- Form is now on two pages so there’s no need to scroll up/down to find the bottom of the form
- Searching for a minister’s name is now simpler, clearer and quicker (search by name in any form OR select from list)
- Send draft email button visible at top of each page
We’re excited to share this improved Record of Call or Appointment form with you in September. Stay tuned for more ChurchHub improvements in the coming months!
Growth & Stewardship Ideas: Express Yourself
Please click here to read the Growth Ideas from Sharon Ballantyne, Growth Animator, for August 5, 2026.
As of July 1, 2026, here are contacts for Growth and Stewardship:
BNS Sharon Ballantyne – sballantyne@united-church.ca
FSLDW Rob Shearer – rshearer@united-church.ca
Stewardship
When was the last time you shared with your children, grandchildren and family your faith? Do you discuss living generosity and discipleship with your church family?
The next Stewardship program is coming to help us understand the full scope of Stewardship.
Next Getting Started in Stewardship – August 27 at either 4 or 6:30pm. Register Now on CHURCHx.
This is THE place to start if you know your community of faith needs to grow generosity, but you don’t know how to begin. Join others from across the country to learn about our pillars of stewardship – Inspire, Invite, and Thank. By the end of the 90 minutes, you’ll actually be excited about stewardship and know where to go next.
When will Canada stand up for Palestinian children’s rights?
Tuesday August 4 the Abu Sharia and Al-Hasayna families held a funeral in Gaza City for over 112 members whose remains were recently recovered from under the rubble from Israel’s bombing of their building in 2023. In Gaza, Israel has killed more than 21,000 children. Last month Israel destroyed medicine warehouses attached to Al-Aqsa hospital and killed a family of three, including a pregnant woman and her five-year-old son.
In the West Bank, Muhammad al-Halaq was 9 when soldiers shot him dead while he was playing soccer with friends at the school near his home.12-year-old Ayman al-Haymuni was on his way to his grandfather’s home from his uncle’s and was one of 54 Palestinian children killed by the Israeli military in the West Bank in 2025. No one has been held accountable for the killings. How is it that so many Palestinian children are killed, yet no one is held accountable? Not a single soldier has been indicted over the killing of these children. How is it that the world remains silent? When will Canada stand up for Palestinian children? Tell Canada to stand up for Palestinian children’s rights: Sign here.
Property Inventory Update
The BNS property inventory list has been updated, this inventory lists property (buildings, cemeteries, lands) currently registered to your pastoral charge. All forms and amendments received up to July 31, 2026 are included. Pastoral charges who do not hold property will not appear on the list. Please take a moment to review and ensure your pastoral charge details are correct, you can review by A-Z property name or by postal code using the link below and submit a form if there are any additions or amendments.
Sirens of Song: Legendary Female Voices from the Maritimes comes to Lower Sackville
At 2:00pm August 8th, Knox United Church in Lower Sackville, NS is home to the Stage East and Festival by the Marsh co-production of Sirens of Song: Legendary Female Voices of the Maritimes. Hosted by actor/author/producer Charlie Rhindress, and celebrating award-winning female singers and songwriters from the area (such as Rita MacNeil, Anne Murray and Sara MacLachlan, to name but a few), the cast of several – including Sackville United’s Jennie del Motte and the Maritime Queen of the Blues Theresa Malenfant – reveal the songs and stories that brought these women to acclaim and broader reach beyond our boundaries, and made the Maritimes a growing concern in the wider musical landscape.
Tickets are $35.00 each (or $30.00 by August 2nd) and available via
http://stageeast.ca or donations@knoxsackville.ca (and putting “Sirens” in the description). We look forward to welcoming you! (Keep up to date via https://Facebook.com/knoxunited/)
Road Trip! Anniversary service at Trinity United, Riverview
Sixty years goes by in the blink of an eye. One minute you are turning the sod for a new church and the next you are celebrating 60 years of God’s faithfulness. One minute you are gathering for a baptism, and the next you are remembering a life well lived.
You are invited to celebrate all these faithful moments with Trinity United Church on Old Coach Road, Riverview NB. Previous members, ministers, and those looking to worship and celebrate the faithfulness of God, and the grace of Jesus, are invited to the anniversary service on Sunday, September 20th at 11am. Lunch will be served (of course!)
