October 31st, 2010
Rectors Weekly Report
BOOOOO !! hAPPY hALLOWEEN !!!
Christianity and Halloween
Christian attitudes towards Halloween are quite diverse. In the Anglican Church, some dioceses have chosen to emphasize the Christian traditions of All Saints’ Day, while some other Protestants celebrate the holiday as Reformation Day, a day to remember the Protestant Reformation. Father Gabriele Amorth, a Vatican-appointed exorcist in Rome, has said, "if English and American children like to dress up as witches and devils on one night of the year that is not a problem. If it is just a game, there is no harm in that." In more recent years, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has organized a "Saint Fest" on the holiday. Similarly, many contemporary Protestant churches view Halloween as a fun event for children, holding events in their churches where children and their parents can dress up, play games, and get candy.
-Wikipedia
Confirmation Classes - Next Sunday, November 7th, candidates for confirmation should be present at the 10:30 service. That Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day, and remember the sacrifice of past and present generations in the pursuit of justice, peace and freedom. As we remember these and all saints we will focus on confirmation, a call for us to be strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve God in this world. There will also be special prayers for the candidates. Following the service candidates for confirmation we will meet in the church hall for a bowl of chilli, a hot dog or both. Over lunch we will introduce the program and attempt to answer your questions. Parents and guardians are invited to attend.
I was pleased to meet with Marilyn Hamlin as she continues her process of discernment towards ordination to the Vocational Diaconate. Please continue to hold Marilyn in your prayers as she continues to pursue her call to ordained ministry.
The Prayer Group resumed meeting this past Wednesday. We discussed a number of options as to how we would format our time together to pray for Christ’s Church and for one another. One option was that we would offer our prayers during the celebration of Holy Eucharist. We will be doing that this coming Wednesday morning. Eucharist will be held in the Choir/Fellowship room. All are welcome. Please note that we will meet at 10:00 a.m. not 10:30.
I met with Rev. Judie to be briefed on the Spiritual Development meeting which was held on Tuesday night. They are planning a number of events that will promote the spiritual and communal health of our congregation.
I met with Arch Deacon, Mark Kingsbury, to discuss Regional Projects and initiatives. On the go now in our Region is a Puppet Ministry, and a Layreaders Training Course. Future events will include opportunities to discuss the recent pastoral letter from our bishops regarding the blessing of same sex couples as well as a workshop on behavioural covenants.
The book study group met again on Thursday afternoon and despite the absence of the book we intend to study we had a great conversation and learning experience. Thank goodness my frustration with the book supplier is overshadowed by the groups patience and understanding. We will not meet on November 11th, Remembrance Day, but will meet on November 18th at which time I hope and pray that all present will have nice new copies of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. All are welcome.
I was pleased to meet with Doug Gillett on Friday morning. Doug wears a number of different hats in his ministry in our parish. He has been our person on the ground regarding the sale of the St. Luke’s property. The realtor that we had listed the property with has not renewed the listing so we need to plan a new marketing strategy. Doug has made several contacts with realtors, developers, and prospective buyers and will present a report to our next meeting of parish council in November. We also set dates for a Finance Committee meeting, and a meeting of the Action Committee to continue the work we began earlier this year.
I had occasion to meet with a number of people in the office this week on other matters ranging from pastoral to administrative. Again I remind you that I hope to be present in the office on Wednesday and Friday mornings between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
The Men's Breakfast group met to begin a new season on Saturday morning. We gathered twenty-six strong to enjoy one another's company and a main course of Newfoundland Steak (bologna). Many thanks to Don Schwartz for his leadership with this group and to all who work to make it a fun and successful event.
Following breakfast I was happy to meet with the Rev. David Dellapina to discuss the upcoming Confirmation Program. We are most fortunate to have David and his wife Bev help develop and lead this process. I am confident that candidates will be well prepared for confirmation when the bishop visits on March 6th.
Blessings
Rev. Mike
The Silent Night Project
I am sure you remember The Amazing Grace Project, the wonderful event that brought many of Anglicans together to sing, to make videos and collect toonies for the ministry of the Council of the North. The final result, a short documentary called “Amazing Together”, won an award for creative excellence at an international film festival in Houston, Texas. The toonie collection exceeded $100,000! The Council of the North used the funds to launch a suicide prevention program, which is now being developed across the northern dioceses. We were truly blessed by this project and by the grace and creativity of all who participated.
At the General Synod here in Halifax, we were introduced to the “Silent Night Project”. Once again we are asked to contribute a toonie when we sing. At the request of our Primate, Archbishop Fred, all proceeds will go to the Anglican Military Ordinariate, in support of our Armed Forces Chaplains. Some of you may find it appropriate to sing on the Sunday when you mark Remembrance Day. Otherwise church groups across Canada are asked to sing “Silent Night” on the first Sunday of Advent (November 28th). Please send any videos or photos to Bev Murphy at bmurphy@national.anglican.ca .
I invite you to lend your visible and energetic support to the Silent Night Project. Anglican Video will make a compilation video which will go on the website by Christmas day, to celebrate our common faith and raise our prayers for the peace of a “Silent Night.”
Thank you for your support for this cross country project.
+Sue