The Council of General Synod Updates

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‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’  Jesus to the apostles, Acts 1.8

Identifying the issues

The Council of General Synod (CoGS) met this past week to devote two full days to clearly understand the current issues facing the Anglican Church of Canada. This is what they came up with:

  • a need for strong communications and stewardship education
  • a need to better understand the Indigenous journey towards self-determination
  • a desire for future church structures to be nimble and flexible

Opening passage, Acts 1 served to keep the end goal of action ever present in the minds of CoGS members. Another day in November will be spent charting action steps to address these issues.

Are we missing the point?

Are these really the issues we need to be focusing on? Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said he wasn’t convinced that members were grasping the urgency of our situation.

“We need to address [the issue] of finances and structure,” said Hiltz. “Things must change if we’re going to go ahead in the spirit of the Marks of Mission.”

More on the CoGS:
Fresh ideas for church structure, finances, elude CoGS
Council of General Synod Highlights: May 24 and 25
COGS Highlights

From the Dean’s Desk… 27 May 2012, The Feast of Pentecost

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It’s the birthday of the church of Jesus Christ!

It’s Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Our Lord, the birthday of the church of Jesus Christ, the joyful anniversary of the giving of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate with both Sacraments, our weekly meal of sustenance and strength for service as disciples, the Holy Eucharist, and also the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, the gift of God in the waters of death and life which brings us into the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, beginning our life as disciples of the Crucified and Risen One. Baptized today, a new sister and brother in Christ, are Andrew Micheal Sampson and Emily Anne Faethe Carroll.

I rejoice that I can celebrate all of this with you today, and give thanks that I am able to take the next two weeks off as holiday, spending at least part of that time in Minnesota with Melanie’s family.

Her mom, Cynthia, is in hospital recovering from a broken hip, hip replacement surgery, and pneumonia. I will be back here at work on Sunday, June 10th. In the interim the Venerable David Pate will be on call strictly for emergencies, essentially dying and death. God forbid that we should need him. David has also graciously agreed to preach and preside at both services, next Sunday, June 3rd. Thank you, David!

Monica Irene Kew

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Monica Kew
was a loving and beloved part
of the St. John’s Cathedral church family, and she will be sorely missed.

Monica Kew was a loving and beloved part of the St. John’s Cathedral church family, and she will be sorely missed.  She especially loved singing in the choir, as she loved all beautiful music.  She lived an amazing life, but now we entrust her to God’s loving mercy which sustained her all her days of her life.  Rest eternal grant to her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.

Below is her obituary as published in the Winnipeg Free Press on May 22, 2012.

The family mourn the passing of our sister, aunt and great-aunt, Monica Irene Kew. Born the oldest of the late Irene and Harry Kew’s children on July 21, 1932. Passed away in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Thursday, May 17, 2012, at the age of 79. Monica was born and raised in Hong Kong, attended the private Anglican British Girls School (Diocesan Girls School) and continued on to a nursing career in radiography. A change in career to social work took Monica to Winnipeg in 1963, where she obtained a BA and Social Work degrees. Monica had a wide circle of friends and many interests from English country dancing, classical and chamber music, to gourmet cooking and water colour painting. She volunteered and fundraised with several musical organizations including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and sang in the church choir. Her faith was important to her; she attended church regularly and served in various capacities in her church. She is survived by her siblings, sister: Veronica Lau in Vancouver; Jennifer (Matthew) Choy in Hong Kong, brother: Irvin Kew and sister-in-law: Nicola Kew in Victoria; nephews in Vancouver: Vernon (Betty) Lau; Verdi (Nancy) Lau; Alexander (Christine) Kew; in Hong Kong: Vergil (Sang) Lau; Benjamin (Joey) Choy; in Edmonton: Dr. Jonathan (Isabelle) Choy; in Victoria: Jason (Joan) Kew; niece: Henrietta (Nicholas) Gregory in Vancouver; seven great-nephews and seven great-nieces. A memorial service will be held at St. Michael and All Angels Church, 300 Hugo St. N., Winnipeg on Friday, May 25 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, if friends so desire, donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association or to the Canadian Cancer Society. Special thanks to Father Klassen and all her close friends who cared for her in her final days.


Ministry Opportunity: Annual Flower Planting

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Our annual planting of flowers in the cemetery, one of our very important fund raising projects, is scheduled for early June. Please sign up on the clipboard in the narthex.

Planters will need to bring their own trowels, knee pads, gardening gloves and watering cans. Planters might also want to bring a hat and mosquito repellent.  The Cathedral will provide the plants and lunch. We start at 9:30 a.m. and are done before Noon! Hope to see you there! Many hands make light work!

Around Rupert’s Land: Sacred Circle

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Homecoming: “Lighting the Home Fires”

June 15 and 16, 2012
St. Peter, Dynevor Anglican Church
Stone Church Road off St. Peter’s Road, East Selkirk

Sacred Circles

Sacred Circles are deliberate gatherings of people intent on being with the Creator to forge community and find common direction. Indigenous experiences of colonization and Residential Schools has led to a need for healing and reconciliation. This Sacred Circle will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of all ages to create an atmosphere of home and health and healing.

St. Peter, Dynevor Anglican Church has been home to two Sacred Circles.

Keynote Speaker

Mark MacDonald has served as the first National Indigenous Anglican Bishop since 2007. He was educated at Wycliffe College and traces some of his family heritage to Manitoba. Bishop Mark has travelled extensively across Canada, assisting Indigenous people in their journey of self-determination, healing and reconciliation.

Married on Nov. 11, 1989, Mark and his wife, Virginia Sha Lynn, have three children.

For an agenda, more information and to register,
download the Sacred Circle brochure.

From the Dean’s Desk… Sunday, 20 May, Seventh Sunday of Easter

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Christ is risen!  Yes, still, and always, but today we journey still in the great Week of weeks, celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord and the invincible hope that is ours, because we are joined to his death and the New Creation in the waters of life and death, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.  Easter is 49 days long; the 50th day, or in Greek, Pentecost, is next Sunday, when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ, of which the Anglican Communion is one expression.  Because it’s Pentecost, and we have two children to be baptized, we will also celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, the beginning of our life in Christ, along with our regular but always special celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the sustaining of our life in Christ.

Another sign of and opportunity for growth as disciples is community study of the Scriptures, often called ‘Bible Study.’  We already have a regular Friday morning study which begins at 10 a.m. and is done by noon, and all are welcome to that; we normally study the scriptures assigned for the coming Sunday, and the conversation is always lively, engaging and respectful. However, you should be warned that we also laugh and great deal, and we always have a time of prayer at the end of our study.

New Evening Bible Study

For those who can’t come during the day, we have a new and exciting offering: Ian Stewart has taken the lead, after consultation with me, in beginning a new evening Bible study this coming Thursday, 24 May, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. here at the Cathedral.  Again, all are welcome; it’s not a youth study, or a study for seniors, it’s a Bible study for disciples of all ages and experience in the church. Come if you can, if you’re interested at all, this just might be for you. (NB:  If you do come, please be sure to go to the office door to enter the Cathedral.) Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church, this church we call St. John’s, and that part of the church which is each one of you  who reads this. It will be an adventure for sure; the group will begin with St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.  Come if you dare!  It just might change your life, and it will certainly change our life together.  Thanks be to God!

Ministry Opportunity: Supporting Rio+20 Earth Summit in Prayer and Action

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Earth Summit: Rio+20

“With hope, audacity and renewed faith, I call on the Anglican Communion around the world to assume their prophetic duty to ‘take care of Creation.”
– Brazilian Primate, the Most Rev. Mauricio Andrade

Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue: a symbol for Christian support of the UN’s Conference on Sustainable Development.

The Earth Summit, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development will be held in Rio June 13 to 22 to discuss a green economy and an institutional framework for sustainable development. The event will gather leaders from governments, the private sector and NGOs. As Christians, what can we do to participate in Rio+20?

Continue reading →

Worshipping While Away

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On the road? Find local Anglicans

When travelling, attending a worship service at a local Anglican parish can help you keep the rhythm of your spiritual life.
Find out more about the resources available to help you connect with local Anglican congregations and communities while travelling for work or pleasure.

From the Dean’s Desk: Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Easter

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Happy Mothers Day!  To all mothers, and to all children… Happy Easter!  Christ is risen…  Today is the Sixth Sunday the Season of Easter, 49 days from the Easter Vigil to the Day of Pentecost. And yes, there is a connection…

God’s love abides, and we can abide in that love, even when mothers and everyone and everything else fails.

Today’s Gospel is all about love, perfect love, the love of Christ. I thank God that my own mother (and father) taught me about this love, Her love is amazing, but, she’d be the first to remind me, not perfect. And not everyone has now or has ever had a loving mother, tragically. The deepest love of the very best mother is a gift, straight from God, and we should always give thanks if we have been so blessed, but God’s love abides, and we can abide in that love, even when mothers and everyone and everything else fails.

There is no perfect mother; you probably know that by now, even all the mothers among us, maybe especially you. God bless you one and all, but for all of us, no matter what happens — and even the best mother dies — the love of God in Christ Jesus abides, and we are invited, welcome, to abide, remain, continue, stay put, in that love which is rich beyond our imagination but as close as our own heart.