EVENTS WHICH HAVE TAKEN  PLACE:

No one can say it has been quiet in our Parishes over the past few months.

On September 27 we welcomed Bishop Sue to the Eastern Shore Region. It was good to have her amongst us.  Bishop Sue met with members of Regional Council and parishioners from churches along the Shore on September 28 in the Parish of Tangier. Her message that morning was on the Rule of Life.

Every Christian man or woman should from time to time frame for him/herself

A Rule of Life in accordance with the precepts of the Gospel and the faith and

Order of the Church, wherein they may consider the following: The regularity of

Attendance at public worship and especially at the Holy Communion.  The practice of private prayer, Bible-reading, and self-discipline.  Bringing the teaching and example of Christ into everyday life.  The boldness of spoken witness to faith in Christ into everyday life. The boldness of spoken witness to faith in Christ. His/Her personal service to the Church and the community.

The offering of money according to his/her means for the support of the Church at home and overseas.

That evening we celebrated at St. James, Dolby Hill with a Service of Regional Confirmation. Our confirmation candidates were: Joshua Stevens, Parish of Ship Harbour, Melissa Nieforth, Amy Nieforth, Colton Romo, Cheryl MacLeod, Parish of Seaforth and Mary Conrod, Vicki Crowell Leslie, Pat Lapointe, Sheila Watkins, Parish of Musquodoboit.  At this service, presentation of Diocesan Medals were presented to Eleanor Keeping and Eileen Humphrey.

On October 30, the Parishes of Musquodoboit and Ship Harbour met for their second Joint Service at St. Stephen’s in Ship Harbour.  The weather, which did not co-operate (heavy rain) did not spoil any of the warmth and fellowship as our congregations came together.  Our Theme was: We are the Church. Our Sunday School and Youth group came dressed as Biblical characters, our task was to recognize whom they represented.  Under the guidance of Rev. Tricia the service was very beautiful.  We welcomed Archdeacon Debra Burleson.  Rev. Marilyn Murphy, as Deacon saw that all arrangements relating to the vessels for Holy Communion were taken care of, these vessels came from all six churches in our Parishes.  Rev. Dr. Michael Foley was the Homilist, and who could not be moved by his reflection on the Readings and the account he gave on the life and death of Oscar Romera.  Following the service, we met together for a meal, and fellowship at Ship Harbour Community Hall. The loose offering for this service will be divided between the PWRDF and the Grandmothers for African Grandmothers formed under the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

For those who were unable to attend, a prayer written by Oscar Romera follows:

Prayer by Oscar Romera It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted,  knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

Shore Grandmothers for African Grandmothers:

Following is an extract summarizing a very successful Dare to Dine Dinner on October 29, 2011.

We raised $1070 with approximately 54, including us and our speakers, attending. As Marilyn Coolen and Dominica  Gardner speakers for the Stephen Lewis Foundation on Advocacy , emphasised…a few dollars given makes a great impact in Africa. They gave a thoughtful and insightful presentation about their experiences in Africa. Thanks should also be extended to our younger workers Gillian, Kristen and Elspeth. Delicious punch, Gillian! We are also very thankful that St James Hall was given to us free of charge. We are very lucky to have such a supportive community.

Update on PWRDF

On  September 18 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the Sikkim and West Bengal region in India.  10,000 people lost their homes and livelihoods in the quake.  PWRDF has provided $20,000 to the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action – a PWRDF partner in the region, who have been responding to the situation.

Thousands of people fleeing Somalia for desperately overcrowded refugee camps in Dadaab, Kenya.  Livestock dead.  No water, the soil turned to dust.  10.7 million people affected.  The numbers are staggering, and the images are horrifying.  This is the reality for so many people living in the Horn of Africa as the drought in the region continues, and the UN declares a famine in Somalia.

PWRDF is responding to this emergency through the ACT Alliance and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.  An initial $75,000 has been sent from PWRDF

The Canadian government has created the East Africa Drought Relief Fund to match donations made by Canadians to eligible charities retroactively from July 6 to September 16, 2011. They are matching all donations for the Horn of Africa drought dollar for dollar.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE IN OUR PARISHES WHO SUPPORTED THE HORN OF AFRICA DROUGHT AND FOR RESPONDING IN TIME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT MATCHING OFFER.

Remembrance Day Sunday Services

At St. James, Dolby Hill we were pleased to invite the First Responders of our local area.  Invitations went out to the RCMP, fire stations, Ground Search and Rescue, the Coast Guard, paramedics and Twin Oaks Hospital. Representatives from most of these groups attended.  Rev. Mike Foley led an inspiration service where our First Responders were recognized and honoured, Dave Ingram spoke on the war in Korea 1950-51 and the Parish People led with hymns and music of that era.  A delicious luncheon followed the service.

Four Harbours Legion members attended a service of remembrance at St. Stephens in Ship Harbour.  Rev. Tricia Ingram celebrated, and the Steeple Chasers provided inspirational musical leadership.  A time of refreshment and fellowship followed the service.

Rev. Marilyn Murphy led two services of remembrance in the Parish of Port Dufferin.

Christmas Ecumenical Musical Gathering, Sunday, Nov. 27, 7:00 pm at Marine Drive Pentecostal Church.  Come and enjoy the music and the fellowship. Saturday, December 3 6:30 pm Memory Tree Service at St. Stephens, Ship Harbour Sunday December 11 6:30 pm Memory Tree Service & Sunday School Christmas Pageant at St.            John’s, Oyster Pond Saturday, December 24 -          4:00 pm Children’s Christmas Service with Holy Communion at St. James, Dolby Hill -          6:00 pm Christmas Eve Service with Holy Communion at St. Johns, Oyster Pond -          7:00 pm Traditional Christmas Eve Service of Holy Communion at St. Thomas, Musquodoboit Harbour -          8:00 pm Christmas Eve Service of Holy Communion at St. Stephens, Ship Harbour Christmas Day Service, December 25, 11:00 am St. James, Musquodoboit Harbour

FOOD BANK – Thank you to all those who have been supporting our local food bank.

December –     canned fruit, canned vegetables

January –         cereal

February –       peanut free school snacks

Musquodoboit – first Sunday of each month

Ship Harbour Dec. 11- St. Johns, Jan. 15- St. Stephens, Feb. 26- St. James

PRAYER LIST One of the vital ministries of our church is the prayer list and its upkeep.  From time to time the comment is made, why a certain name is still on the list, they recovered weeks ago.  We are asking therefore, that you help us in ensuring that our prayer list is as up to date as it can be.  To do this, we need to maintain good communication with you.  If you would like someone to receive prayers, please call or e-mail the church office with your prayer request 889-3098 – e-mail: ingrams@eastlink.ca. We ask that you specify the name of the person, your name as the contact and your phone number so we can follow up on progress. All information given is treated in a confidential manner.  We will keep the name on the list for three weeks at which time it will be deleted unless we hear from you.  We believe strongly in the power of prayer and know that many people have been blessed by the Lord’s healing grace.  Thank you for your co-operation as we attempt to maintain a healthy prayer list.

CLICK HERE to open up the Advent Newsletter Photo Page (Microsoft Word Document).

We celebrate the planting of the sunflowers and the first joining of our Parishes at a Joint Service of Celebration of Sunday, May 29 at St. James, Head Jeddore.

Here we are ready to parade into church with our sunflowers, our Flat Stanleys and Flat Staceys.

We make a joyful sound.

On May 29, 2011 the combined Parishes of Musquodoboit and Ship Harbour celebrated their first joint service together at St. James, Dolby Hill.  In September of 2010 both Parishes began a new adventure of “shared ministry” .  With the support of Bishop Sue Moxley, both parishes voted to begin the conversation of how we could offer shared ministry together.  Services in each parish are offered as before 10:30 in Ship Harbour and 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. in Musquodoboit with the three clergy, Rev. Tricia Ingram, Rev. Marilyn Murphy and Rev. Mike Foley, along with the support of 4 lay readers in Ship Harbour and 3 lay readers in Musquodoboit conducting the services.

The combined service was truly a wonderful experience.  Our theme was ‘Love in Action.’ Focus was on our children.  They processed into church carrying sunflower signs, with photos attached of each of the six churches in our combined Parish.  These signs were placed in containers at the front of the church.  The children read the Readings for the day and the Psalm, our youth joined the combined musical groups, the Parish People and Steeple Chasers, playing their guitars and singing along. A puppet show was performed which held the attention of both young and old.  Sunflowers were everywhere – they decorated the church, sunflower seeds were presented by the children to the members of the congregation as they left the church.  Pots of sunflower seedlings were available to be taken to each of the churches by the children, and planted outside to be observed as they grow throughout the summer months.  When they come to full bloom – there will be a reminder of a spring service when we celebrated together for the very first time,   our worshiping together as a combined Parish.   We were very grateful to have in attendance Susan Naylor, the Youth Co-ordinator of the Diocese.  It is difficult to express in words the absolute joy which the service brought to each and everyone present, there was a feeling of happiness of course, as we watched the children, but there was also a reaching out to each other in fellowship, there were lay readers from each Parish standing side by side preparing to administer Holy Communion.  There was a sense that the Holy Spirit was truly moving amongst us, that barriers no longer existed and we were a united church family.  This same sense of fellowship and reaching out to each other in love continued as we shared a meal following the service at the church hall.  Along with delicious food, of course we had to have a birthday cake, as one always has when a celebration takes place.

There is an expectation that God has great things planned for us as we journey on this road together.  We can now concentrate on what our mission is all about.  With the sharing of finances, we are for the first time in many years able to meet at last our Parish allotment and thanks be to God, our Diocesan allotment.  Truly we heard good news when Rev. Tricia read a letter from Bishop Sue who noted that through our joining together, our commitment to our Diocesan allotment was up to date for this year.  We welcome the opportunity to share our Good News with you…… and we are looking forward to sharing our next combined service on October 30 at 10:30 at St. Stephen’s, Ship Harbour….

SUNFLOWERS AND MORE SUNFLOWERS Have you seen the sunflowers springing up in gardens everywhere?  Have you seen the sunflowers growing at our churches?  Together we are growing toward the “SON”  as we live out our theme of LOVE IN ACTION.  Thank you to all those who have given to the Primates World Relief and Development Fund.  You have given over $1000 towards the Horne of Africa drought which will be matched by the government.  Thank you!  Thank you!

Oct.  2 – Blessing of Pets. St. Francis of Assisi  Sunday 10:30 at St. Matthews, Owls’ Head and 10:00 am at St. Thomas, Musquodoboit Harbour.  Bring your pet (suitably restrained) to church to be blessed!

October 30 – 10:30 joint service of celebration at St. Stephen’s commissioning of Pastoral Care Workers – followed by lunch.  There will be no service held in the Parish of Musquodoboit, as we will be coming together.

Ship Harbour No Supper-Supper, October 24 – November 4.  Please drop off your donations to Pat Fahie’s house, Newcombe Lane, Ship Harbour.

Nov. 6 – Remembrance Day Sunday, 10:30 am St. Stephens, Four Harbour Legion Members invited.            10:00 am St. James, Dolby Hill, First responders invited with Luncheon to follow.

Nov. 20 – Reign of Christ Sunday Breakfast

St. James Hall 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Service at 10:00 am

10:30 am St. Matthew, Ship Harbour

When do Bible Studies begin?

Musquodoboit – Wednesday Oct. 5 9:15 at St. James Hall Dolby Hill

Ship Harbour – Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7:00 pm location TBA

Upcoming Weddings: Sat.  Oct. 1 Margaret Bennett and Frank Peel – St. Thomas

Sat.  Oct. 8 – Christopher Hartling and Nicole Paulin – St. John’s

Pastoral Visiting

Would you, or do you know of someone in the Parish who would like a pastoral visit? We now have a Pastoral Care Visiting Team who can offer home visits.  If so, please contact the Parish Office at 889-3098 or speak to one of the clergy at a service.

Financial Update – Shared Ministry

MUSQUODOBOIT

During the two years previous to 2011 we have not had sufficient finances to enable us to pay our full allotment to the Diocese. At the end of 2010 we were in arrears with our allotment payments.

The cost of our full time priest is includes salary, pension, housing and travel. The total income for our Parish is in the range of was not sufficient to cover all our expenses.  When we agreed to share ministry with the Parish of Ship Harbour, it meant that we would be in a position to retain a full time Priest and to meet our financial commitments. As a trial for the first 9 months (April to December 2011) we agreed with Ship Harbour that they would pay 40% of the cost of our full time Priest. This extra income has put us in a position where we are able to pay our full allotment and to cover all necessary expenditures.

We thank you for your continued financial support of the ministry we are able to offer.

As you may have noticed, the rock wall in front of St. Thomas has been repaired and painted this summer.  We have also completed the painting of the shed.  Please remember to continue to financially support the building fund for the care of our beautiful church buildings.

Good News!  Harvey Doan, Treasurer, Parish of Musquodoboit

SHIP HARBOUR

I am pleased to advise that the members of the Parish of Ship Harbour are meeting all our financial commitments, both for the Parish and Diocesan allotments.   All church treasurers are reporting that for the first time in many months, they have sufficient funds to cover their expenses.   It is great to be able to report this.  Let’s keep up the good work!

Good News!   Fran Lambert: Treasurer:  Parish of Ship Harbour.

Mothers’ Union will be hosting a Diocesan Fall Rally on Sunday, October 2, registration beginning at 1:30 at St. James, Dolby Hill.  Special guest speaker will be a member of the Eastern Shore Grandmothers to Grandmothers Group.  The Rally will include supper and a service of Holy Eucharist.  All are welcome.

St. James, Head Jeddore – GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING EVERYWHERE

St. James Church, Cemeteries and Hall are in the midst of makeovers and upgrades due to hard work by the members of many committees and other helpful people.

The Hall has had a complete new roof.  The ceilings in the bathrooms and entry to bathrooms have been upgraded and vented properly.  The lights in the main hall and kitchen have been replaced.  Electric fans were installed above the two stoves.  The sink area has been repaired, caulked and two new sets of taps installed.  Our water system has been overhauled and fixed thanks to the Comeaus’.  Ceiling tile in the kitchen were taken down, primed and painted.  Many small problems have been fixed, improved, added to, etc…..We applied for and received funds from municipal and provincial government for these projects.  Thanks to all those who worked on these applications and upgrades.

A work party on September 10 made great progress in improving the cemetery.  A big thanks to all who supported the Cemetery Committee as many headstones were straightened.  Donations toward the upkeep of your loved ones’ resting place are always greatly appreciated.

The Church – Money bequeathed to St. James by the late Garth E. Dooks has made our ‘little’ church the center of much planning and conversation – a sight that has to be seen to be appreciated!

When we work hard, struggle and sometimes wonder “What else can go wrong?” God is listening, watching, walking with us and when we are in the midst of question many things, God is giving us strength to go on, accept the next challenge and grow as a faith community.  Thanks be to God!

Please come and see the many blessings God has given to St. James.

We have a little fairy (Brooke Newcombe) in St. Stephen’s church garden – is she watering DAISIES, no they are SUNFLOWERS!!!!

PASTORAL CARE

The Roots of Compassion, Hospitality and Gentle Companship

Matthew 25:36b “I was sick and you visited me”.

Below is a quote from a Workshop on the Nature of Caring  given by Rev. Dr Jody Clarke on May 10, 2011.

Care is a state in which something matters.  Care is the opposite of apathy. Care is the necessary source of connection and intimacy, the source of human tenderness.  Care is similar to compassion, and yet the term care conveys a state of being and not only an attitude.  Each of us is constituted in our being by what we care about.  To the extent that we can never be at home in the world, we are at home not through dominating, or explaining, or achieving, but through caring and being cared for.  Caring involves a profound respect for the “otherness” of the other. Caring requires knowledge of the other’s needs and knowledge of the other’s needs and knowledge of what I can and cannot give.  It requires trust in the other (not only in my own ideas of what the other should become.) The aim of caring must never be one of self-fulfilment, caring in its offering and reception will come as a gift.  The language and shape of care are the language and shape of love.

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