A NGLICAN Life SERVI VI VI VI VING NG NG NG NG THE D D D D DIO IO IO IO IOCE CE CE CE CESE SE SE SE SES OF OF OF OF OF WEST ST ST ST STERN N N N N NEWFO WFO WFO WFO WFOUNDL UNDL UNDL UNDL UNDLAND AND AND AND AND + C + C + C + C + CENTRAL AL AL AL AL N N N N NEWFO WFO WFO WFO WFOUNDL UNDL UNDL UNDL UNDLAND AND AND AND AND + E + E + E + E + EAST AST AST AST ASTERN N N N N NEWFO WFO WFO WFO WFOUNDL UNDL UNDL UNDL UNDLAND AND AND AND AND & L & L & L & L & LABR ABR ABR ABR ABRAD AD AD AD ADOR OR OR OR OR October October October October October 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 in in in in in NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR A Section of the A Section of the A Section of the A Section of the A Section of the Anglican Journal Anglican Journal Anglican Journal Anglican Journal Anglican Journal Submitted by Allison Billard Priest peddles for parish Saturday, June 18 th , may have dawned grey and overcast in the St. Philip’s area but at Whitbourne it was sunny side up! Or perhaps it was over easy, as Team Keep- ing loaded up on carbohy- drates at that famous lo- cal eatery called “Monty’s.” It was a deli- cious way to prepare for what has become an an- nual fund-raising event for our parish. One needs to fuel up before such an arduous journey and what better repast than a good Newfoundland breakfast! The Reverend Edward Keeping was bicycling from Whitbourne to St. Philip’s Church in St. Philips to generate extra money for our parish. Cy- cling is also an excellent form on aerobic exercise- good for body (especially after eating a breakfast special) and soul. The ride was not with- out a few mishaps. A cou- ple of flat tires and a skinned knee didn’t daunt the spirit of the Peddling Priest! He cycled gamely on to the goal of reaching the Parish Centre by lunchtime. Even the moose cooperated by staying well clear of our intrepid rider. Pledge sheets had The Rev’d Edward Keeping bicycles 88 km for parish Submitted by Wendy Decker been circulated and filled in until almost $2000.00 was raised for the church coffers. Congratulations to Rev. Ed our victorious ‘Vicar of the Velocipede’.
Transcript
1ANGLICANLife October 2011
ANGLICANLife
SSSSSEEEEERRRRRVIVIVIVIVINGNGNGNGNG TTTTTHHHHHEEEEE D D D D DIOIOIOIOIOCECECECECESESESESESESSSSS OFOFOFOFOF WWWWWEEEEESTSTSTSTSTEEEEERRRRRNNNNN N N N N NEEEEEWFOWFOWFOWFOWFOUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLANDANDANDANDAND + C + C + C + C + CEEEEENNNNNTTTTTRRRRRALALALALAL N N N N NEEEEEWFOWFOWFOWFOWFOUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLANDANDANDANDAND + E + E + E + E + EASTASTASTASTASTEEEEERRRRRNNNNN N N N N NEEEEEWFOWFOWFOWFOWFOUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLUNDLANDANDANDANDAND & L & L & L & L & LABRABRABRABRABRADADADADADOROROROROR
OctoberOctoberOctoberOctoberOctober20112011201120112011ininininin NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADORA Section of theA Section of theA Section of theA Section of theA Section of the
Saturday, June 18th,may have dawned greyand overcast in the St.Philip’s area but atWhitbourne it was sunnyside up! Or perhaps it wasover easy, as Team Keep-ing loaded up on carbohy-
drates at that famous lo-cal eatery called“Monty’s.” It was a deli-cious way to prepare forwhat has become an an-nual fund-raising eventfor our parish. One needsto fuel up before such anarduous journey andwhat better repast than agood Newfoundlandbreakfast!
The Reverend EdwardKeeping was bicyclingfrom Whitbourne to St.Philip’s Church in St.Philips to generate extramoney for our parish. Cy-cling is also an excellentform on aerobic exercise-good for body (especiallyafter eating a breakfastspecial) and soul.
The ride was not with-
out a few mishaps. A cou-ple of flat tires and askinned knee didn’t dauntthe spirit of the PeddlingPriest! He cycled gamelyon to the goal of reachingthe Parish Centre bylunchtime. Even themoose cooperated bystaying well clear of ourintrepid rider.
Pledge sheets had
The Rev’d EdwardKeeping bicycles88 km for parish
Submitted byWendy Decker
been circulated and filledin until almost $2000.00was raised for the churchcoffers.
Congratulations toRev. Ed our victorious‘Vicar of the Velocipede’.
as well as a full line ofGeneral ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric
ProductsProductsProductsProductsProducts
My walk to EmmausOne of the gifts that I re-
ceived this year was an oppor-tunity to be one of the chap-lains selected for a mini-sab-batical. I travelled to St.George’s College in Jerusalemand along with about 20 oth-ers from a variety of countriesparticipated in a course calledJesus of Palestine. There werevisits to holy sites in Jerusalem,the Galilee region and the areaunder the control of the Pales-tinian authority. I had the won-derful experience of celebrat-ing the Eucharist in a small out-door chapel by the Sea ofGalilee. We were given manyopportunities to discuss the his-tory of the region, the currentpolitical uncertainty and to re-flect on the wonder of thisplace that had been the genesisof the religions of Abraham.We were also encouraged tomake time for silence andprayer. I want to share withyou some of my thoughts onone of the reflective exercises.
In the 24th chapter ofLuke’s gospel there is the won-derful post-resurrection storyof Cleopas and another disci-ple of Jesus walking on the roadfrom Jerusalem to Emmaus.They are joined on the road bya stranger who walks and talkswith them. Of course, we allknow the stranger is invited atthe end of the day to stay anddine when them. When hetakes, blesses, breaks and dis-tributes the bread, the eyes ofCleopas and the other discipleare opened and they realizethat they have been in the com-pany of the resurrected Jesus.Their fatigue is forgotten andthey begin the journey all theway back to Jerusalem so that
they can tell the other follow-ers the good news.
This Emmaus story has al-ways been very meaningful tome. Its parallel to the ecuharisticmeal has always reminded methat the eucharist is not just aremembrance of Christ’ deathbut also a celebration of his res-urrection.My curiousnature hasalways hadme wonder-ing thoughabout theidentity ofthe unnamedd i s c i p l e .Luke was anhistorian andin manyparts of hisgospel he isvery precisecompared tothe otherSynoptics.Why theevasivenesshere? Somehave sug-gested thatthe other disciple was a secretfollower, whose name was notused for the sake of his safetyand the protection of his posi-tion. Subsequently, it was lostto history. Others have sug-gested it was the wife ofCleopas and there was no needto name her because she wasonly a woman, after all. This isa sad commentary on the placeand value of women in 1st cen-tury Judaism but a theme thatmany Christians continued toperpetuate. A kinder view ofthis is that Luke has left roomfor us in this story. In not nam-ing the other disciple, Luke al-lows us to insert our ownnames and walk on the road toEmmaus with Jesus.
You will find in the Holy
Lands that things are not al-ways clear about the exact lo-cations of the Holy sites.Nasser, our guide said, “Thereare a number of traditions,many, many stories and a fewfacts.” Emmaus is not on themap today and there are at least4 sites that biblical scholars
contend could be Emmaus. Oneof the more probable sites is thetown of Abu Ghosh. There isan unexcavated Roman roadcalled the Maza Road that fol-lows the direction from AbuGhosh to Jerusalem. We weregiven the opportunity to walkan hour in silence on that road,reflecting on the journey ofCleopas, the other disciple andJesus. We were also encour-aged in our own silence to havea conversation with Jesus andto ask him the questions thatwere resting on our hearts.
How wonderful it was towalk with Jesus. That was myfirst learning. These disciplesand Jesus walked all day to-gether. Yet, most of the timewhen I read this story I forget
the journey and rush to themeaning and the symbolism ofthe breaking of the bread.
How wonderful it was tohave a conversation with Jesus.I am pretty deliberate aboutmaintaining a consistent prayerlife but being able to walk thatroad with Jesus gave me an im-
m e d i a t esense that myheart wasb u r n i n gwithin me. Inthe beginning,I was able torevisit withJesus some ofthe most com-pelling of ourc o n v e r s a -tions. I wastransformedinto thatlonely littleboy missinghis deceasedfather, thatconfirmand of12 trying totell his familyand commu-nity of his vo-
cation. I was once again thatyoung parish priest of 22 ac-companying an even youngerRCMP Officer to support fami-lies visited by tragedy. I wasthat inexperienced chaplain ac-companying the crew of theHMCS PROTECTEUR to thePersian Gulf. Then I was thatyoung man preparing to askNancy to marry me. I was thatchaplain in Bosnia trying to shareChrist message of reconciliationto those who ought to haveknown it well. There were thechats with Jesus of a few yearsago when I was trying to helppatients and families of thosewounded or killed in Afghani-stan to find comfort and hope.There were other conversa-tions recalled too. Conversa-
tions about times when weAnglicans of BCP vintagewould say I had done thingsthat I ought not to have doneand had left things undone thatI ought to have done. Even inthese times our talks were fullof assurance and forgiveness.God still loved me and Jesus stillredeemed me. Finally, therewas the conversation about thefuture. What are the things thatI need to do to be fulfilled inmy life and faithful in my voca-tion?
After this wonderful walkwe continued by bus to AbuGhosh where we met togetherfor the Eucharist. The next dayI wrote in my journal: “This ismy last day in Jerusalem and Iam ready to come home. Thismay be a holy place but it isnot the only holy place. It hastaken me 48 years to have theopportunity to walk the pathsof the historic Jesus, but thank-fully I did not have to come hereto meet Him. He came first tomeet me. In his sermon yester-day in Abu Ghosh our chaplainRod asked, “Why are youlooking for Jesus in the gravesof the dead? Why are youlooking for the living among thedead? Jesus has gone out infront of us.” It is very reassur-ing to know as we return to ourministry that Jesus has gone outbefore us and is awaiting ourarrival.”
It has been my practice toend Eucharistic celebrationswith an incarnational blessingthat begins: May the Lord Je-sus Christ, who walked withwounded feet, walk with youalong the road. May you allcontinue to experience the joyand the comfort of walking andtalking with Jesus.
Submitted byThe Rev. Commander Baxter Park
Formation ChaplainAnglican Canon Recruiter
The Rev. Commander Baxter Park celebrates the Holy Eucharistin Galilee
The Anglican Diocese of Central Newfoundland Cursillo held a Weekend at Mint Brook on May 20-23, 2011. It was a busy, Spirit-led event, with twenty-four new Cursillistas attending. (In Spanish,Cursillo means a short course in Christianity.) The presence of the Holy Spirit was evident at alltimes, resulting in life-changing and joyful experiences for the newest participants, as well as atime of renewal for all who attended. Some of the words and phrases that the new Cursillistasused to describe their weekend experience include, “spiritual stimulation,” “more than I couldhave imagined,” “positive impact,” “life-changing,” “absolutely marvelous,” “amazing andwonderful,” “so uplifting,” “I have grown in my Christian faith,” “a weekend I will never forget,”“filled with love,” and “a stronger feeling of the Holy Spirit in my life.” The Anglican Diocese ofCentral Newfoundland covers a large area geographically and it is encouraging to see so manycommunities represented at events such as this weekend. It demonstrates the tremendouscommitment that Christians in Central Newfoundland feel for this Christ-centered movement.And it is a blessing that the support starts at the top with Bishop David Torraville, who alwaysmakes time for Cursillo. For anyone who is interested in attending a Cursillo Weekend, the CentralNewfoundland Cursillo offers the choice of either a May Weekend or an October Weekend.Information about attending a Cursillo Weekend can be obtained from parish clergy or anyCursillista. Photo by Kent Froding. Article by Stella Walsh.
The Rev. Michael LiColumnist
Looking at thewaves
After Jesus had fed the fivethousand, He sent the disciplesto the other side of the Lake ofGalilee. The disciples probablystarted across the lake at aboutsunset. Their boat was out to-wards the middle of the lakewhen Jesus walked across thewater to it. Peter had sufficientfaith to ask to come to Jesus,walking on the water himself.He was enabled to do so byJesus (Matthew 14:29). He hadfaith. He believed that Jesus hadpower to hold him up as hewalked toward Him.
Peter walked on the wa-ter to Jesus. Then, when Petersaw the strong wind andwaves, he became afraid andstarted to sink. His faith fal-tered at the point. But his faithdid not fail utterly. He stilltrusted Jesus at some level sincehe called out to Jesus for help.Jesus rebuked Peter by saying,“You of little faith, why did youdoubt?” (Matthew 14:31). Je-sus did not rebuke him for hav-ing no faith at all but for havinglittle faith. People have more orless of faith. There are degreesof certainty. Faith can increaseand grow. People can become“more certain”. If faith meansabsolute certainty, how couldit become greater?
Peter produced his owndoubts by looking at thewaves. Logically one either be-lieves or doubts. But, doubt isnot unbelief. It is something mid-way between faith andunbelief. If Christians alwayssaw things clearly, doubt couldnot occur. But, we do not al-ways see things clearly, doubtoccurs. Our thinking is oftenclouded by our physical condi-tion or circumstances. We con-tinually believe in Jesus, but wemay occasionally doubt.
We are ignorant of manythings. We cannot be certainabout everything. Perfect cer-tainty is impossible. Degrees ofcertainty is possible even
where “perfect” certainty isnot. A slight possibility that aperson jumping out of anairplane without a parachute willnot die. But, few people wouldconsider the outcome uncertainenough to warrant a test.Rather than talking about per-fect certainty, we can talkabout being “sure enough” toact upon a proposition. The manwho sold all he had to buy apearl (Matthew 13:45-46) maynot have known “perfectly”that the pearl was not fake. Yethe had enough confidence totake this dramatic action.
Peter’s faith had not gone,but because it was weak, doubtmastered him for a moment. Hecried for help and Jesus caughthim. We will not need to cryout like that if we only keep onlooking at Jesus. Peter wasnearer Jesus when he was sink-ing than when he was walkingon the water. When he waswalking on the water, Petermight think he was on the topof the world, congratulatinghimself that he was the onlydisciple who dared to walk onthe water. When he was introuble, Peter was driven to Je-sus. In times of trouble, faith inJesus can grow strong. Stoplooking at the waves and lookto Jesus. Jesus is the Lord of allcircumstances. Jesus is thesource of our faith.
In this life, we cannot re-solve all of our doubts. The keyto victorious Christian living isnot to have all our questionsanswered, but to learn to livesuccessfully with unansweredquestions. We can trust Jesus.We can depend on Him. Keepour eyes on Jesus, not thewaves.
The Anglican Parish of Fortune-LamalineAll Saints Church
Fortune, NL, A0E 1P0
The Rector, Churchwardens & Vestry of All Saints ChurchCordially Invite You To Celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary
Of The Laying of the Cornerstone of the Church
Anniversary Banquet - November 5, 2011 - 7:00 p.m.Anniversary Service - November 6, 2011 - 11:00 a.m.
RSVP-September 30, 2011
October 2011 ANGLICANLife4
ANGLICANLifein NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
ANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is thenewspaper of the Anglican Church in the Province ofNewfoundland and Labrador. A co-operative effort of thethree Dioceses in Newfoundland and Labrador, it ispublished monthly, except July and August, with anindependent editorial policy.
A section of the Anglican Journal
Editor-in-Chief:The Rev’d Sam Rose8 Croydon StreetParadise, NLA1L 1P7Email: [email protected]
Advertising Rates and other information may beobtained from:Bishop Donald Young34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8Phone: (709) 256-7701Email: [email protected]
Subscription Rates:Newfoundland and Labrador: $15.00Outside the province: $20.00International: $25.00
New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of addressshould be sent to:CirculationThe Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy)80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2(416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax)Email: [email protected]
Each parish is responsible for maintaining its ownsubscription list - please notify your parish office of anychanges. Changes sent to parish offices may take monthsto take effect. Please also send your updated information toCirculation at the Anglican Journal (above) or to DonYoung at 34 Fraser Road, Gander NL A1V 2E8.
Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor-in-Chief(above)
Parish Bulletins and Letters to the Editor: Send to theEditor-in-Chief, Sam Rose (address as above). All lettersmust include the writer’s name, address, and telephonenumber. Telephone numbers will not be published.Anglican Life does not publish letters under nom de plume.Letters should not exceed 300 words (one double spacedtypewritten page), and are subject to editing at thediscretion of the editor.
These policies were adopted by the Anglican Life Committee.Layout & Design: Sam RosePrinted by:Signal Star Publishing, A Division of Bowes PublishersLimited,Industrial Park, 120 Huckins Street,Goderich, Ontario, N7A 4B6
Circulation: 21,777
Politics and religion
Father Sam RoseEditor
Does your faith influencehow you vote in elections?
For many Christians, es-pecially in the United States,the faith of the candidate de-termines if they will vote forthem or not. The ReligiousRight in America has, formany years, rallied to put“God’s man or woman” in po-sitions of influence in gov-ernment. They are a domi-nant lobby group when itcomes to policy making.
There is an old expressionwhich says that politics andreligion should not be dis-cussed at the dinner table.However, both are powerfulinstruments which, whenplayed together, can providea loud voice in benefittingthe common good of all hu-manity.
One such instrument isthe Religious Social ActionCommittee in our province.According to their website,“The Religious Social ActionCoalition of Newfoundlandand Labrador is a nonparti-san group from a broad arrayof religions – Christians,Muslims, Jews, Hindus andothers – united in our reli-gious commitment to call onsociety to abolish poverty athome and abroad. The sadfact is that economic in-equality is growing, and hu-man beings are sufferingneedlessly. It is the goal of
our coalition to call upon allcandidates to pledge to moveour society toward greatereconomic fairness. And it isour goal to get citizens talk-ing about poverty – and tomake Ending Poverty a vot-ing issue.” (source: http://candidatesagainstpoverty.ca/about )
One way in which thisgroup has made its voiceheard is by asking all candi-dates to take the followingpromise: I pledge to work toclose the growing gap be-tween rich and poor in New-foundland and Labrador.
Their website allows vot-ers in all 48 ridings to seewhich candidates have madethis pledge. The website alsoincludes the questionnaire wesent to the leaders of all threeparties – and lets you see theiranswers.
The fact remains, accord-ing to statistics on theirwebsite, that, “Thanks to oiland other resource industries,Newfoundland [andLabrador]’s GDP per capitais high. Along with Albertaand Saskatchewan, it is oneof Canada’s three “have”provinces. Yet hourly wagesare lower than the Canadianaverage. And personal in-comes, shockingly, are stillthe second-lowest in thecountry – $5,000 per personper year less than the Cana-
dian average. Workers’ shareof provincial GDP (capturedin wages and benefits) islower than anywhere else.”
As their website furtherstates, “The religious leadersand worshippers who makeup the Religious Social Ac-tion Coalition of Newfound-land and Labrador are deeplytroubled by the growing gapbetween rich and poor in ourprovince. And we call on allcandidates for the House ofAssembly to work to closethat gap.”
Perhaps when a politicalcandidate visits your door-step, you could exercise yourright, as a concerned Chris-tian, to ask if they have takenthis pledge and if not, why?
Visit http://candidatesagainstpoverty.ca/to learn more.
5ANGLICANLife October 2011
The Eulogy
Kevin SmithPlanned Giving Consultant
A senior lady friend ofmine recently asked me to doher eulogy at the service uponher death. While this lady isnot likely to die soon, I felt alittle like the author MitchAlbom who in his book,“Have a Little Faith”, writesthat he was asked by hisRabbi to do the same thing.His reaction: “It stopped mein my tracks. I had never beenasked this before.”
My first reaction to herwas: “Well, you should writeit for me.”
She replied, “No, youwill find the words.”
How would you react?I had never been asked to
do such a thing in my life butI just couldn’t say no. Aftersome thought, I said yes. Ihave known this lady a longtime and I am perhaps a natu-ral one to do it.
But, how does one writea eulogy. An internet sitesuggests: “Giving a eulogywhile coping with the loss ofa loved one could be a verydifficult challenge. However,giving a eulogy is also likegiving a tribute to the personwho has passed away.”
It goes on to suggest dif-ferent types of eulogy couldincorporate giving detailsabout the deceased life his-
tory, shared memories, trib-ute, and legacy. Regardless,the purpose of giving a eu-logy is sharing a person’s lifein one single speech.
I hope I can indeed findthe words when the timecomes.
One good example offinding the right words wasthe homily delivered by TheRev. Canon Reuben Hatcherat the funeral for Roy Ashrecently. Roy was a friend ofthe CLB, his parish and theAnglican Church in generalas well as many charities andpeople in need. While CanonReuben talked about Roy’sgenerosity, he also explainedthings about his remarkablehumanity. And, that’s noteasy to do. Thanks to CanonReuben for his marvellouswords and eloquence in talk-ing about a wonderfulNewfoundlander and Angli-can.
Someone has written thatwriting a eulogy may seemlike a daunting task but it canbe one of the most reward-ing and healing experiencesyou may have in your life. Itrust this will be my experi-ence too.
Kevin Smith is a giftplanning consultant for theAnglican Church of Canada.
sharing stories from the diocese of western newfoundland
For many of us, familycamping is a fun, but routineand taken-for-granted part ofsummer. But for many resi-dents of Dunfield Park in Cor-ner Brook Family Camp refersto a camping ex-perience that is ina class of its own.
For four dayseach summer,families from theneighbourhood aregiven the opportu-nity to escape thepressures and con-cerns of their life inthe city and retreatto the natural se-renity and openspace freedom ofK i l l d e v i lCampground inGros Morne Na-tional Park.
And familiesrespond – withnumbers increasing every yearsince the initial two day campfour years ago. For this year’scamp when the applicationscame in there was a waiting listbut in the end, all fifty camperswho were able to go, includingthirty-one children, attendedthe camp on August 2-5, 2011.Kayla Matchim, of the Tenant’sAssociation, explained the in-terest, “A lot like the experi-ence. They get away from thecity. Children have freedom torun around without worry
Family Campabout cars...It gives children achance to socialize with otherchildren... The kids are phe-nomenal. There is less pressurefrom their peers and it is morepositive here than in DunfieldPark. People always feel bet-ter when they leave than whenthey came – more relaxed. We
love it. We look forward toit.”
Cathy Anderson, a thirdtime camper, in describing herexperience, confirms both thevalue and the appreciation ofFamily Camp. “It’s somethingfor my family to gettogether...Watching my grand-children and children having lotsof fun and experiences... it’samazing to watch their faces.Kids are able to run around andbe free, ...having campfires... Itgives families something to look
forward to. All through theyear you talk about it. Wecouldn’t wait till this year tocome again. As the kids getolder they do more... it’s relax-ing, too.”, “Kids connect hereand when they go back homethey continue to look out toeach other.”
And what didthe children have tosay? “It’s so muchfun!” “Enjoyed it!”
The seeds ofthe Family Camp ini-tiative came fromSt. John the Evan-gelist Cathedral,where there wasstrong leadershipwith an interest inproviding meaning-ful, effectiveoutreach, where themen’s club includedresidents from theDunfield Park neigh-bourhood, andwhere the then newDean, Michael Rice,
was familiar with the familycamp concept from his time inBritish Columbia.
Dean Rice and EileenChurchill of the CathedralOutreach Committee workedin partnership with BenFitzgerald and Steve Huxter ofthe Dunfield Park CommunityCentre and later added theTenants Association to turn the
Intergenerational fun at Family Camp.Photo by Cathy Anderson
Continued on page 9See: Family Camp
October 2011 ANGLICANLife6
Fun at the beach
Father & daughter ministry team
On July 31, 2011, RonaldClarke, a Layreader for 64years and his daughter,Melanie in her first year ofLayreading, participated in aservice of Matins together atSaint Luke’s Chapel. Thiswas Melanie’s first time giv-ing the reflection as aLayreader. Melanie has beena Eucharistic Minister atSaint Luke’s Chapel for 20years. Melanie’s mother,Vera, is also a volunteer atSaint Luke’s Chapel as amember of the Altar Guild.
The community of SaintLuke’s Homes would like tothank all the Clergy and LayPeople for their efforts at thechapel, who give generouslyof their time for regularweekly services to the resi-dents at the home and the ten-ants of the cottages andBishop Meaden Manor.
Our best wishes go toMelanie as she pursues hernew role in church work.This is truly a family affairas the Clarke family continueto support the ministry atSaint Luke’s Chapel.
Submitted byMarina Pitcher
Resident Care ManagerSaint Luke’s Home
All in the family: (Left to right): Vera Clarke, Peter Clarke, Melanie Clarke, Ron Clarke, Sarah Clarke, Jennifer Clarke andBradley Clarke - three generations of Clarkes minister at Saint Luke’s Home. Photo by Ruby Cluett Kocurko
Fun at the beachThe Parish of the Ascen-
sion in Mount Pearl holds ‘fam-ily, fun and fellowship’ event!On the evening of September1, a group of parishioners andfriends of the Church of theAscension met on TopsailBeach for a bonfire coupledwith a ‘corn boil.’ With sum-mer days fleeting, it was a greatopportunity to meet for fam-ily, fun and fellowship. Oncethe idea was planted, contactwas made by way of the As-cension e-news, Facebook ,Twitter, and from the pulpit;and, at six o’clock on Thurs-day evening we gathered withpots, firewood, chairs, blan-kets, sweet treats and ofcourse cobs of corn. Storiesof summer adventures wereshared between bites of but-ter-drenched corn. We werealso treated with a glimpse ofGod’s handiwork - a glorious,breathtaking sunset over Con-ception Bay.
Submitted byJean Nash
7ANGLICANLife October 2011
CONFIRMATION
The three congregations of St. Luke’s (Port-de-Grave), St. Mark’s (Bareneed) and St. George’s (North River) in the Parish of Port-de-Grave celebrated a momentousoccasion on May 8th 2011. Seventeen children were confirmed by Bishop Cyrus Pitman, Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. St. Mark’s Church was filledto capacity with over 300 people in attendance. Bishop Pitman addressed the confirmands with perennial questions of faith, and guided them to answers containedin scripture and the Apostles’ Creed. The questions and answers were the essential facts that are going to guide and sustain them through their journey of faith. It wasa joyous service with servers, readers, choir members, element bearers, family and congregational members all participating in the confirmation of four childrenfrom St. George’s, three from St. Mark’s, and ten from St. Luke’s. Many thanks to our priest, the Rev’d Paul Rideout, assisted by our lay reader, Mr. John Sparkes, whoprepared our young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thanks also to the Wardens, organists, photographer, and two traffic control persons who helped theConfirmation Eucharist run smoothly and successfully. It was yet another milestone in the 195-year journey of faith at St. Mark’s. Submitted by Marguerite Boone
On Sunday 5 June 2011,the Rt. Rev’d Percy Coffin,Bishop of the Dicoese ofWestern Newfoundland,visited the Parish ofBonne Bay South for theservice of Confirmation.There were sixcandidates confirmedfrom the Church of theEpiphany. They weresupported by thegathering of a largenumber of parishioners,family, and friends.Following the service apotluck dinner wasserved in the Church Hall.The Confirmation Cakewas cut by the newlyconfirmed and theBishop. The Rector, therev’d Charlene Laing,presented eachcandidate with theirConfirmation Certificateand a gift. We are blessedto have our six newlyconfirmed memberstaking an active role inour worship and faithcommunity. It was awonderful time ofworship and fellowship.Submitted by FlorenceCritch.
October 2011 ANGLICANLife8 BISHOP’SMESSAGE
Making our Church a safer place
Bishop Percy CoffinDiocese of
Western Newfoundland
Theology sir is a fortress;no crack in a fortress may beaccounted small. ArthurMiller, The Crucible
By the time you receivethis edition Anglican Life theDiocese of Western New-foundland will have hostedits annual Fall Clergy Con-ference at Killdevil Camp. Asignificant block of time wasto be dedicated to introduceand familiarize clergy anddesignated lay persons witha document entitled: AAAAAPROTOCOL on SAFEPROTOCOL on SAFEPROTOCOL on SAFEPROTOCOL on SAFEPROTOCOL on SAFE
CHURCHES and PRO-CHURCHES and PRO-CHURCHES and PRO-CHURCHES and PRO-CHURCHES and PRO-MOTION of RESPECT-MOTION of RESPECT-MOTION of RESPECT-MOTION of RESPECT-MOTION of RESPECT-FUL RELATIONSHIPSFUL RELATIONSHIPSFUL RELATIONSHIPSFUL RELATIONSHIPSFUL RELATIONSHIPS.Those so equipped will thencontinue to conduct similarexercises in the congrega-tions. In essence the policystates that misconduct, sexualor otherwise, involving pas-toral care by any member ofthe clergy, staff person orvolunteer will not be toler-ated. In particular clergy, andthose responsible for parish,educational or recreationalactivities are expected tomaintain the highest ethicalstandards in all their rela-tionships with those forwhom they have responsibil-ity. Pastoral counselling andcare create a special relation-ship of trust and power. Ex-ploitation or abuse of thistrust and power through mis-conduct, as defined by thepolicy, will not be tolerated.
Abuse, in any form, con-stitutes a profound violationof trust in human relation-
ships. Anything thatdisrespects the dignity ofevery human being has thepotential to cause devastatingpain and damage for theabused and their families. Inthe closely knit out-ports,towns and cities in which weoperate the community islikewise affected. Ultimatelywhen one of Christ’s own ishurt then the church, theBody of Christ, is broken;‘there is a crack in the for-tress’.
In Chapter, 18 St. Mat-thew calls for the church tobe a safe haven for childrenbut a highly unsafe place forabusers. It calls for a churchstructure that is vigilant. Beon the watch for misconduct;misconduct that includes, butis not limited to, abuse, har-assment and exploitation ofchildren and whoever elsethat might be deemed vulner-able. Children particularlyrequire strong gatekeepers.Keep in mind that while we
may introduce codes of con-duct and protocols to helpclarify boundaries we requirethe courage to confront. Theincidence of abuse is oftenthe result of the failure ofmany of the key players in thelife of the vulnerablewhether in institutional orfamilial settings. Parents es-pecially must be vigilant;parents need to seek God’shelp to properly discern andconfront situations in whichtheir children could be a tar-get for abuse. Parents areforemost the first teachersand protectors of their chil-dren.
The implementation ofthis protocol on the parish/congregation level may atfirst be seen as a nuisance; itmay be inconvenient for aperson in a position of lead-ership or trust to submit tosecurity checks by police;others may be offended be-cause their integrity is ques-tioned. All things considered,
these requirements are asmall price to pay in the de-fence of children.
While much remains tobe said about the offendedand the offender, the churchand the community, theologyand law, it will have to be inanother context and time. Toprove that we have heard theGospel is to maintain theconviction that abuse is anintimate terrorism thatstrikes into the heart of thevulnerable. Our response tothe Gospel is to uphold it.
“See that you do not lookdown on one of these littleones. For I tell you that theirangels in heaven always seethe face of my Father inheaven.” Matthew 18:10.
Ronald ClarkeColumnist
Thanksgiving
It is that time again –Thanksgiving.
Many people, includingme, ask: “What’s there todayto be really thankful for?”
At first glance, thereseems to be a whole lot notto be thankful for. So let’sexamine the world situationat this moment.
First, what about the fi-nancial situations of mostcountries today? Thingsseem very uncertain indeed.Possible, even probable, re-cession, and dare we say aDepression threatens theUnited States and much ofEurope. Their economies arevital to our world structure.If these fail, the whole worldeconomy will surely fail too.Everyone suffers in a depres-sion – just think back to the1930s.
Second, what about theworldwide political condi-
tions? Unrest and turmoilprevails nearly everywhere.Uprisings, civil wars, and re-bellions impact theMiddle East.Many other na-tions inevitably be-come embroiled inconflict. Terroristelements pose veryreal threats to theWestern world.When, and where,will the next 9-11,or worse, occur?Many countries,including Canada,are on edge today.
Third, whatabout our Climate?Global Warmingis certainly our most seriousthreat. Many negativechanges have already oc-curred. Higher temperatures
have changed wind and rain-fall patterns causing droughtand flooding. Melting polar
ice has changed our oceantemperatures and has raisedour ocean levels. ClimateChange will drastically
change our fishery and agri-cultural resources. This allsounds frightening!
And thelist goes on!So, what isthere to betruly thankfulfor? God,that’s what!
In thesescary times,how wonder-ful to realizethat we surelyhave an om-nipotent God!A God withcomplete con-trol over eve-r y t h i n g .
Nothing is too big, too evil,too destructive, too wide-spread for our God to handleand fix.
And of course, all truebelievers know that our Godis a God of love. That Godtruly loves everybody. Cer-tainly everything will, inGod’s own time, be madeperfect.
Eventually, the Scrip-tures assure us that God willwipe out all evil, and estab-lish His new heaven andearth. This will be a perfect,eternal Kingdom of Light,Love, Peace, and Joy. Isn’tthat something to reallythankful for?
May all of us completelytrust our Almighty God thisyear. If we do, than everyday, for us, will be Thanks-giving Day.
9ANGLICANLife October 2011
Our History - Canon FletcherDavid Davis
Columnist
The writer of the follow-ing article chose this subjectas a sample of the lives ofmany of the missionaries ofall faith groups who left theirhomes, principally in theBritish Isles, to serve theneeds of the people of New-foundland and Labrador.
Most of the missionariesthat have appeared in this se-ries of articles lived in amuch earlier period of time;however, we should remem-ber that missionary activitiesare not limited to the eight-eenth and nineteenth centu-ries. Canon Edgar HenryFletcher seems to have beenone of the later missionarieswith work experience on thesparsely settled southwestcoast of Newfoundland in theearly twentieth century. Inthis area almost all travelingwould have been by boat.
He served for a period inSt John’s where he appears tohave met his wife Elsie Kins-man, an adopted daughter ofGeorge Davey who with hisbrother Edward Henry was aprominent builder in StJohn’s, especially in the re-pairs to the Cathedral in StJohn’s, seriously damaged inthe city wide fire of 1892.
When they returned toEngland in 1921, he becamethe curate at Bourne in Lin-colnshire, in central England,on the edge of the Fens,touching the North Sea. As acurate Mr. Fletcher was start-ing at a subordinate position(assistant priest) in the Dio-cese of Lincoln.
The other positions Mr.Fletcher served in were in thearea of Lincolnshire whichincludes farm land and thegreat area of fens on the eastcoast of England which runsroughly north-south until itcomes to the Wash which isa broad inlet in the coast, afavourite landing for invad-ers of England.
Lincoln has been an ag-ricultural county of Englandright up to the present day ascan be found in any referencework. However, a good wayto see the county is to use theonline utility Google Earth(www.earthgoogle.com)which will fly you to Lin-colnshire and show you thegreen fields. Of course youcan use a paper atlas for thepurpose, but finding themany features of Lincoln-shire is simpler once youhave mastered the onlineutility, especially zoomingonto individual villages.
There are other utilities suchas www.british-towns.netwhich do this work, but acaution, no utility will doeverything for every requestfor information and it is notalways easy to find the rightutility for your need, but agood one like Google Earthis very attractive.
In this rural environmentmany of the communitieswere parts of a collective par-ish much as occurs in New-foundland. Three of theplaces mentioned in the text:Bilsby, Marky andFarlesthorpe were parts ofsuch a parish and the Dean-ery of Calcewaith andCandleshoe included thesame three places plus manymore. Some of these placesand parishes were connectedto Canon Fletcher’s career inLincolnshire.
His connection with Lin-coln Cathedral is unclear,was he a canon of the cathe-dral as his title would sug-gest? And was he Rector ofthe Cathedral? The currentwebsite of the Cathedral doesnot register such a position.It could be that the titles inthe Diocese of Lincoln havechanged since the days ofCanon Fletcher; this causessome confusion for thewriter. But we can see theprogress of his career fromcurate to a deanery with awide responsibility.
When readers are looking at an old newspaper some caution should be exercised as the newspaperstaff had to depend on the contributor of the article for the accuracy of information appearingin the newspaper.The author wishes to thank Ms Gladys Benson for bringing this item to his attention.
Evening Telegram, May 23, 1967(used with permission)
An Anglican priest, ordained in Newfoundland in 1909, who later became the Vicar of Bilsby, andFarlesthorpe, England, died recently at Lough County Hospital, EnglandCanon Edgar Henry Fletcher was 80 years old.
For 13 years after his ordination, Canon Fletcher served was pastor to a number of Newfoundlandcommunities, mainly on the south west coast of the province.
In 1919, he became acting rector of St Mary’s Anglican Church in St John’s upon the resignation of theRev Henry Uphill. Later, Canon Fletcher became superintendent of the Church of England Orphanageand taught at Bishop Feild Collage.
He returned to England in 1921to become curate at Bourne, a post he held for five years. In 1926,Doctor Fletcher, was appointed to Bilsby. From1921 until his death, he served at a number of parishes.He was Dean of Calcewaith from 1951 to 1964 and Rector of Lincoln Cathedral.
He also served as chaplain to the Territorial Army for 21 years and as officiating chaplain during the warto the army camp at Bilsby and the RAF at Shendleby.
Canon Fletcher has left behind in England many memorials, for he made it his life’s work to restoreevery one of his five churches which came into his charge in sad need of repair. One of the churcheswas the famous little thatcher church of Markby, a major attraction for pilgrims to Lincolnshire.Born in Walsall, Staffordshire, Canon Fletcher married Elsie Kinsman, adopted daughter of George A.and Charlotte Davey of St John’s in 1911. They had one son George. His wife predeceased him in 1959.
The Document
vision of the Family Camp intoreality. The planned activitiesinitially included programmingfor parents, including engagingthem in letter-writing to politi-cians in support of the tirelessefforts of Ben Fitzgerald inseeking funding for a new com-munity centre. Currently theplanned program includescrafts, swimming, canoeing,and a campfire, but stays looseenough for families and friendsto relax and enjoy just being to-gether in such a beautiful,peaceful place.
The camp is made possi-ble by the financial support ofthe Anglican Charitable Foun-dation for Children, which cov-ers the cost of the children whoattend. The expenses associ-ated with the parents have beenborne by the Cathedral. Threeyears ago a one- time donationfrom the Bank of Nova Scotiaallowed a third night to beadded and this continued withsupport from and a bequestfrom a deceased parishioner ofSt. John the Evangelist.
When we first met to talkabout the initiative, EileenChurchill explained, “Wewanted to give a place forsense of community and time
apart, a safe place that wouldbe really special for them. Aplace where children can playfreely, parents relax and inter-mingle and people care for eachother — like the African say-ing, “it takes a village to raise achild”.” What a wonderfulshared vision, and from theevidence I saw, heard, and feltwhen I visited the camp duringthe past two years, the FamilyCamp is that vision in reality!It is also an example of whatcan happen when caring peo-ple work together to achievetheir vision, believing they canmake a difference.
Family CampContinued from Page 5
October 2011 ANGLICANLife10
Mottos
The Rev. Greg MercerColumnist
Spiritual vs. Religious
In August of this year Imade my very first trip to“The Wonderful World ofDisney,” Orlando, Florida. Imust admit that I was a kidall over again. It is amazing,the empire that has evolvedfrom what started out as asingle cartoon character,‘Mickey Mouse,’ back in themid-nineteen hundreds.Walt Disney was more thanjust a dreamer, he lived bywhat he believed, and fromthe start he envisioned ‘The
Magic Kingdom’ to be the‘Happiest Place on Earth.’Essentially, his motto, hisvision, his purpose – call itwhat you like – was toMAKE PEOPLE HAPPY.From that simple statementof belief we now have one ofthe largest empires in theworld employing over600,000 people in Floridaalone. Are mottos impor-tant? They sure are!
By now my brain haskicked into high gear and I’mreflecting some of thisthought onto the church. Ithink in the area of psychoa-nalysis they call that ‘trans-ference.’ Over the years thechurch, too, has on occasionengaged in the process of de-fining itself. Who are we?What are we about? Why dowe exist? From one genera-tion to another we have writ-ten ‘Mission Statements,’ ‘Vi-
sion Statements,’ lists of‘Core Values,’ ‘Statements ofPurpose’ and so on, only tobe stored away somewhereon a shelf gathering dust.And then we wonder why weare struggling? Probably wecan learn a thing or two fromWalt Disney. And I’m notimplying that the church ex-ists to ‘make people happy.’But in a culture that seems tohave lost its way and in mostcases totally indifferent to theinstitutional church, prob-ably we too have lost ourway. We react by toeing theline and resign ourselves tochaplaincy – a “give up” men-tality – or we look for the nextavailable gimmick or guruthat will maybe attract a fewbystanders.
Why does the church ex-ist? I suppose the simplestanswer to that would be ‘toGlorify Christ.” True
enough, but what does thatmean? Probably we just makethings too complicated forpeople with all of our reli-gious jargon. Keep it simple,that’s what I would say.
Back to the issue of mot-tos again – at Disney, and inkeeping with the Walt Dis-ney motto, everything hasbeen carefully planned, built,and executed so that peoplewill WANT to return. Andthey do! Can we say the samething about the Church? Whywould anyone want to seekout the church? Is there butone simple motto? I mean therole of education has beentaken from us. When onceupon a time the churchplayed a major role in healthcare, it has now been reducedto chaplaincy – and even thathas been stifled by the newlegislation about confidenti-ality. There are few nursing
homes left in the provincethat can be labelled ‘faith’homes. Food Banks are be-coming less and less the do-main of churches. Most wed-dings today are performedoutside the church (at least inthe city of St. John’s). We stillhave a fairly strong hold onfunerals but even that is slip-ping. Why? What is it thatwe stand for anymore thatpeople want? And can it bepresented in a few simplewords, yet, words strongenough that they compel usto work hard enough tomake it a reality and power-ful enough to catch the atten-tion of seekers?
Why are you involved inchurch? What does churchmean to you? What is itabout the church that drivesyou? Say it! Define it if youcan! HOPE!
Allison BillardColumnist
Courtesy of a number offriends on Facebook, I re-cently read a column by aminister who was bemoan-ing having to listen to allthese “spiritual but not reli-gious” people who feel theneed to explain themselves toher when they find out she’sa minister.
While I’m not a memberof the clergy, I’ve had simi-lar experiences. So when shesays “Spiritual but not reli-gious? Please stop boring me”I have to admit I chuckled.I’ve had the same reaction.
I re-posted the article onmy own Facebook page forothers to read and form theirown opinions. I had a veryinteresting conversation withsomeone after she had read italso.
She joked that she wantedto reply to my post by sayingshe was “religious but notspiritual.” In my mind, it isquite difficult to identify asChristian (which this woman
does) and not be spiritual. Itis the very foundation of ourfaith - we profess the won-der of the Trinity and believethat the Holy Spirit resideswithin all of us. However, Ilet that go as this was not thetopic of our conversation.
First my friend expressedher dismay at a ministersneering at someone else’sexpression of faith choices. Ihadn’t really thought about itthat way and that is a fairpoint – of all the people tojudge another’s choices, youwouldn’t think a ministerwould be the first in line.
The other point that cameup was a general query as towhy some folks feel the needto explain themselves and es-pecially why they would getinto a spiritual vs. religiousdiscussion with a minister atall. Now, I’m all for a gooddebate and I know others outthere who feel the same way,but from what I gathered from
the column I read was thatthis wasn’t so much a debateor friendly exchange of per-
spectives. The writer felt thatthis person was trying to jus-tify their own actions be-cause they recognized themto be different and perhapsnot accepted by the ministerin question.
I’ve heard the “I don’t goto church but that doesn’tmean I’m not spiritual/reli-
gious” conversation, particu-larly those who have recentlylearned of my involvement inthe faith community. It’s likethey need me to accept thatthey’re still good people, thatI need to see their choices as
legitimate, that they need todefend their actions. It’s a bitsilly really; I certainly don’tspend my time justifying whyI do go to church and why Iconsider myself both spiritualand religious.
Whether or not you go tochurch or participate in thefaith community is up to you,that’s the beauty of free will.You don’t answer to me, orthe priest at the local church,or the pastor who’s sittingnext to you on the plane orbus. Our responsibility, asChristians, is to spread theGood News and welcomeothers into the community –but whether or not they ac-cept the invitation is ulti-mately up to them, and God.
Maybe that’s what thewriter was getting at - makeyour choice and live it, justlike we are doing.
Have you made yourchoice?
11ANGLICANLife October 2011
Since 2006, through the gracious generosity of readers like you, the Anglican Life Appeal Anglican Life Appeal Anglican Life Appeal Anglican Life Appeal Anglican Life Appeal has raised over$190,000!$190,000!$190,000!$190,000!$190,000! This overwhelming response means that we can continue to provide Anglican Life as a sourceof good news to the Anglican Church in Newfoundland & Labrador and beyond.
Anglicans have many great stories toshare. We are blessed that Anglican Lifeis the means by which we can shareour stories with one another and withthe wider church.
Once again, we respectively ask youconsider a financial gift towardAnglican Life. No gift is too small ortoo large. Your financial commitmentensures that our beloved churchnewspaper will continue to tell God’sstory in our three dioceses for futureyears to come.
We give God thanks for your support!
Bishop David TorravilleDiocese of
Central Newfoundland
Bishop Percy CoffinDiocese of
Western Newfoundland
Bishop Cyrus PitmanDiocese of
Eastern Newfoundland& Labrador
Thank You!
October 2011 ANGLICANLife12
YouthYouthYouthYouthYouthLifeanglican youth stories from newfoundland & labradoranglican youth stories from newfoundland & labradoranglican youth stories from newfoundland & labradoranglican youth stories from newfoundland & labradoranglican youth stories from newfoundland & labrador
The Ministry Plan for theDiocese of Eastern New-foundland includes the 5Marks of Mission. The fifthmark of mission is; to striveto safe guard the integrity ofcreation and sustain and re-new the life of the earth. It isfrom this Mark of Missionthat the 9th annual CampAwesome in theArchdeaconry of Labradortook its theme.
The camp was held Au-gust 31-September 4 at theLabrador Christian YouthCamp at Gosling Lake, 25minutes from Happy ValleyGoose Bay. The clergy, adultchaperones and youth of theArchdeaconry of Labradorexplored how God’s wordcalls each of us to be goodstewards of creation. The
areas of learning focused onrecycling, water, litteringand air. In the process ofsharing in the fun campingactivities like worship,swimming, and camp fires,the youth of theArchdeaconry compiledtheir knowledge of creationstewardship into bulletinblurbs that will be sharedwith the Diocese. The youthof Labrador feel it is part oftheir mission as followers ofJesus Christ to care for crea-tion and to spread the wordto others.
As the familiar hymnsays, This is my Father’sWorld, and for all partici-pants of Camp Awesome2011, it will be somethingthey will not soon forget.
God’s Awesome Creation Submitted byThe Venerable Charlene Taylor
Archdeacon of Labrador
The race is on!Central Boys’ Camp 2011
What do you get whenyou combine the Christianfaith with a lot of testoster-one? The Diocese of CentralNewfoundland’s Boys Camp2011 at Mint Brook, that’swhat!
When they weren’t thun-dering across the field in ahorse race, or canoeing up theBrook to the falls, or pullingback on a bowstring to shootan arrow, or skulkingthrough the woods during anight game, or hauling on arope during tug-o-war, theboys and young men wereexploring the miracles of Je-sus on expeditions to the Ant-arctica, Egyptian desert, Bra-zilian jungle, Mount Everest,and Pacific Ocean.
And when they weren’teither helping with dishes,leading chapel, organizingcampfire, making crafts,spooning chocolate duringpudding races, or just plainhanging out, the young buckswere filling their faces withleftovers during a late nightkitchen raid. Those guyscould eat! The cooks neversaw anything like it!
We sure had a lot of funwith the kids this year. Wereally hope that, if you’re aguy, between the ages of 8and 14, and got a lot of en-ergy to burn, you’ll come toCamp next year. We’ll evensave you a spot over by the‘Wild Baloney’.
