anglicanlife

APRIL 2015

April 2015

A Section of the Anglican Journal

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Jerusalem

Photo: MFA Pikiwiki Israel | Creative Commons License

Coming too late to the Tomb

Submitted by
Rev. Jonathan Rowe

There is an elaborate
ritual for locking up the
doors at the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre in
Jerusalem at the end of
the day, and another first
thing in the morning for
unlocking them again.
Having read about these
rituals, when I was in Jerusalem during my sabbatical, I was determined
to see them for myself.
A normal person
might have opted to
watch the closing-up
at eight in the evening,
but I had decided that I
was going to go see the
opening of the church
at five in the morning!
On an earlier visit to the
church, I had hoped to
visit the tomb of Christ,
but the line was long,

and I hadnt been looking forward to that kind

of a wait. By going early, I hoped to not only
watch the opening of
the doors, but also to be
able to beat the crowds
and get into the tomb
before anyone else.
As I walked through
the empty streets of Jerusalem towards the Old
City, I couldnt help noticing the appropriateness
of the situation. Here I
was, like the women in
the Easter story, making
my way to the tomb early
in the morning, while it
was still dark. If only it
were a Sunday morning,
that would have made
the scene perfect.
When I got to the
church, however, I discovered that the opening times were more
imprecise than I had

expected. Although my
watch said it was still
five minutes before five,
the doors were already
open, and I had missed
the show! Stepping inside, I realized that I was
not going to get into the
tomb, either: I learned
that the Armenian Orthodox church had already begun their daily
liturgy inside the tomb,
and that when they were
done, the Franciscans
would take over.
A little disappointed
at missing both of my
reasons for setting out
at such an awkward hour
of the morning, I found a
place near a pillar from
which I could watch the
exotic and incredibly foreign liturgy taking place.
I dont know a word
of Armenian. I dont recognize any of the letters

when its written down.

None of the sounds of
the language are at all
familiar to me when spoken, let alone chanted in
a liturgical setting. And
yet, for all that, the liturgy
was strangely familiar.
I knew what they were
doing: they were celebrating the Eucharist. In
the midst of prayers and
processions, Scripture
was being chanted, and
in the course of time,
the celebrant emerged
from the tomb, carrying
the sacrament which was
given to the faithful.
It was an experience
for all the senses. The
early morning air was
still cool, especially in the
darkened stone building. Clouds of incense
hung in the air, mingling
with the smell of burning
oil lamps, and the per-

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

fumed oil from the Stone

of Anointing inside the
door, where it is believed
that Christs body was
laid between being taken down from the cross
and being placed in the
tomb.
All the while, Armenian deacons chanted
away, in an almost hypnotic baritone drone.
Suddenly, a new voice
chimed in: the priest,
coming out of the tomb
with the sacrament,
wearing a saghavard,
or silver crown, soared
above the others in a
beautiful tenor voice.
And before I knew it,
other voices started: in
a smaller chapel on the
Continued on Page 2
See: Holy Sepulchre

APRIL 2015

Holy Sepulchre

An Easter Message

Archbishop Percy Coffin

The Revd Jonathan Rowe visited the Holy land in 2014.

Here he is pictured surveying the Judean wilderness. Photo:
J. Rowe

Continued from Page 1

back side of the tomb,

the Coptic liturgy was
starting, and the Copts
were growling away in a
basso profundo. To top it
all off, at six oclock, the
great bell in the tower
began to toll, adding
yet another dimension
above and behind and
underneath everything
else I was hearing.
When I made my way
back to St. Georges College for breakfast, new
friends who were on the
pilgrimage course with
me wanted to know how
my morning had been:
had I seen the opening
of the doors, and had it
been everything that Id
hoped? Sadly, I had to
admit that Id missed the
opening of the doors. In
fact, this would turn into
a running joke with the
pilgrimage groups, and I
never did manage to get
there in time to see them
opening.
But the more I
thought about it, the
more I realized that I had
gotten my early morning
experience at the tomb
just right. The gospels
dont necessarily tell us
what the women in the
Easter story were hoping
to find when they set out
for the tomb, but like
me, when they got there,

they had missed the big

show. The Resurrection
had already happened
before they got there,
and they could only
see its results: an empty tomb and discarded
grave-clothes. That has
always been my favourite part of the Easter
story: God acts when we
are asleep, safely out of
the way, lest we should
force our way into his
work of salvation with
our own plans and agendas. When we arrive on
the scene, later, our task
is to respond to his work,
first and foremost with
praise and thanksgiving.
Before the pilgrimage was over, a friend
and I would return to the
Holy Sepulchre, at a time
when the church was inexplicably nearly empty,
and had a chance to go
into the tomb without
any wait at all. It was a
moving experience, but
it couldnt hold a candle
to my own early morning Easter experience at
the tomb. In those early
hours, the angels in the
story happened to be
Armenians (and some
gravelly-voiced Copts,
and one thunderously
heavy bell) already gathered in one of Christianitys holiest sites to celebrate the Resurrection.

On this day the Lord

has acted; we will be
glad and rejoice in it.
(Psalm 118:24)
Winston Churchill
is claimed to have said
that the heaviest cross
he had to bear during
WWI was the Cross
of Lorraine the symbol of the Free French
Forces. In fact what he
dreaded more was an
arrogant, autocratic
unreasonable General
Charles De Gaulle the
Leader of Free France
(1940-1944). Despite
these claims De Gaulle
was, at the heart of
what matters, a very
good man.
Charles and his wife
Yvonne, fortunately,
were devout Catholics.
It was their deep faith
that sustained them
when they learned that
their daughter was
born with Down Syndrome coupled with
injuries that jeopardized her mobility. At
a time when disabled
children were institutionalized, her father
was insistent that she
remain at home and
not be made to feel different or less than anyone else. De Gaulle

was noted for his reserve even with family

members but it seems
as if he had a lifetime
of warmth reserved
for Anne whom he referred to as my joy
because she helped
me overcome the failures in all men, and to
look beyond them.
In her moments of
reflection Yvonne was
known to have said
to her husband, Why
could she not be like
the others? In the fullness of time their beloved daughter died
at age twenty leaving
them heart-broken. At
the graveside Charles
said to his weeping
wife, Maintenant, elle
est comme, les autres.
(Now she is like all the
others.)
We are Easter people! We dont turn away
from the ills and evils
that surround us: the
wars that have killed
over 100 million people in the last century;

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

the poverty that has a

hold on half the human
race: the starvation
that robs the dignity
of millions of lives; terrorism; the discrimination that splits families,
races and countries.
We do not deny that
these miseries exist
nor will we surrender
to their corrupt power because we have
faith in the resurrected
Christ.
The Easter message
is that suffering will be
vindicated, death will
be overcome and new
life will emerge. Just as
Jesus passed through
the gate of suffering
and death so will he
bring the whole world
to the glory of new life
and we will be like all
the others who are
grafted into Christs
body.
With Christ our
Passover all things are
possible.
Happy Easter,
+ Percy

APRIL 2015

Anglican Prayer Central clergy thank

Conference in St. Catherines
June 2015
Submitted by
Rev. Randy Lockyer

Submitted by
Rev. Greg Mercer

The Anglican Fellowship

of Prayer (Canada) will hold
a National Consultation in
Newfoundland inJune 2015
The Anglican Fellowship
of Prayer (Canada), exists to
encourage and enable the
ministry of prayer inCanada.
It is inclusive of all forms
of expressions of Christian
church life, whether they
be lay or clerical,catholic
or evangelical, monastic or
secular, formal or informal.
AFP (Canada) seeks to be a
teachingresource to assist
both individuals and congregations to grow in the life of
prayer. It seeks to increase
andstrengthen the companionship of Christian prayer
throughout the world.
From June 1st to 5th,
2015, AFP diocesan representatives will be gathering
at the Lavrock Centre inNewfoundland for a National
Consultation conference.At
this Conference, attendees
will have opportunity tomeet
with the National AFP Executive as well as share in fellowship with other diocesan and
parishrepresentatives.
The purpose of this AFP
National Consultation meeting is for members to partici-

pate in an exercise to further

its ministry.The AFP seeks to
be relevant to the needs of
church and wants the input
of participants. Ultimately,
theAFP seeks consultation
from its many supporters
to ensure that the organization continues its focus on
promotingthe practice of
Christian prayer by all as well
as bringing people into a full
redeeming, sanctifying communionwith God through
Jesus Christ.
Diocesan AFP Representative for Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador, The
Revd Greg Mercer, states
that hishope for this national
gathering would be, A time
of renewal and affirmation.
The work and mission of
the AFP (Canada) is supported by the prayers of many
and by donations which are
always welcome and appreciated. For those seeking to
learn more about the work
and ministry of the Anglican
Fellowship of Prayer (Canada)
or to view our Newsletter,
visit their website at: www.
anglicanprayer.org.
To learn more about the
Anglican Fellowship of Prayer
(Canada) National Consultation, you cancontact: Valerie
Kenyon at vvkenyon@rogers.
com

The recent pre-Lenten clergy retreat was both a time

of great rejoicing and some
sadness for the bishop and
clergy of the diocese of Central
Newfoundland.
After more than 40 years
of providing a place of hospitality and spiritual growth and
development, the Presentation Order of Sisters made a
decision to close St. Catherines Renewal Centre in Grand
Falls Windsor sometime this
year.
The diocese of Central
Newfoundland on many occasions over the years have been
a recipient of the kindness,
generosity and accommodation of the Presentation
Sisters, as we have used the
facility for clergy retreats, diocesan conferences, programs,
courses, quiet days, A.C.P.O. ,
or simply a place to seek quiet
and refuge for individual clergy needing a few days of rest,
reflection and renewal.
Over the years we have
gotten to know each of the sisters and been blessed by the
gracious ways in which they
have welcomed and nurtured
us in that special place. Bishop
Torraville felt that if this was to
be our last opportunity to hold
a clergy retreat or other diocesan events at the Renewal
Centre, we must express our
gratitude and appreciation
to the Sisters for all they have
done for us for so many years.
At the end of the retreat on

Bishop David Torraville (right) presents a Sister from St.

Catherines Renewal Centre in Grand Falls-Windsor with a
token of appreciation. Photo: P. Thoms.
Thursday, February 5th, a service of The Word (put together
by the Rev. Dr. Joanne Mercer)
was held in the chapel, where
the Presentation Sisters were
invited to come and share with
us. Both the Rt. Rev. Edward
Marsh, and the Rt. Rev. Donald
Young, retired bishops of the
diocese, also took part in the
worship service. It was a very
moving experience for all of
us, including the sisters, who
expressed their appreciation
to our diocese for being an important part of the history of St.

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

Catherines Renewal Centre.

Bishop Torraville presented
the sisters with a monetary gift
to be used in support of their
Dominican charity.
Many thanks to all the
sisters that have received us
so graciously and treated us
so kindly for so many years.
We will surely miss that place
of spiritual growth and the
wonderful relationship we
have had with the Presentation
Sisters.

APRIL 2015

An Easter Message

Bishop David Torraville

ANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is the newspaper

of the Anglican Church in the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador. A co-operative effort of the three Dioceses in
Newfoundland and Labrador, it is publishes ten issues each
calendar year with an independent editorial policy.
Anglican Life is a section of the Anglican Journal
Editor:
The Revd Canon Sam Rose
8 Croydon Street
Paradise, NL
A1L 1P7
Email: samrose@nl.rogers.com
Advertising Rates and other information may be obtained from:
Bishop Donald Young
34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8
Phone: (709) 256-7701
Email: jointcommittee@nfld.net

Paid Subscription Rates:
Newfoundland and Labrador: $15.00
Outside the province: $20.00
International: $25.00
New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of address should
be sent to:
Circulation
The Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy)
80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2
(416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax)
Email: circulation@national.anglican.ca
Each parish is responsible for maintaining its own subscription
list - please notify your parish office of any changes. Changes
sent to parish offices may take months to take effect. Please
also send your updated information to Circulation at the
Anglican Journal (above) or to Don Young at 34 Fraser Road,
Gander NL A1V 2E8.
Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor (above)
Letters to the Editor:
Send to the Editor, Sam Rose (address as above). All letters
must include the writers name, address, and telephone
number. Telephone numbers will not be published. Anglican
Life does not publish letters under nom de plume. Letters
should not exceed 300 words (one double spaced typewritten
page), and are subject to editing at the discretion of the editor.

I was at the funeral

of a friend some time
ago and the priest in his
homily told a story. Many
years ago in a small
Newfoundland community on an island, now
resettled, during a Lenten Study he spoke of the
resurrection. He asked
an elderly woman, who
seldom missed Church
what she thought. He
assumed that such an
elderly stalwart of the
faith would of course
support the tradition
of the church but to his
surprise she said No,
I do not believe in the
resurrection.
The story took me
aback for a couple of
reasons. First of all, is
a funeral the place to
explore doubt? On reflection, of course it is.
Many of those attending

a funeral will be unfamiliar with and uncommitted to the language

of liturgy and resurrection. The preacher was
not asking a question,
or exploring a doubt
that most of the people
in the church had not
already asked or felt
themselves.
Secondly, unthinkingly and quite naively
I view doubt and challenge of the tradition
as a modern trend without acknowledging that
every thinking person
from Jesus to Cranmer
to, the likes of we have
challenged the tradition.
That is how we have arrived at the tradition we
have.
There are many
among us who find the
prospect of a resurrection life regardless of
how great the reward;
living in mansions, on
golden streets, fishing,
chatting with lost relations, knitting or playing
cards, or even laying
crowns before thrones,
a fairly anemic eternity.
There is a tremendous lack of imagination around resurrection, around Easter. The

These policies were adopted by the Anglican Life Committee.

Layout & Design by: The Editor
Printed and Mailed by:
Webnews Printing Inc.
8 High Meadow Place
North York, ON, M9L 2Z5

Circulation: 19,223
anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

God who created the

universe is not limited to our imagination
but I imagine that the
New Jerusalem will be
at least as miraculous
and beautiful and challenging and engaging
as the old. I see such
glimmers of the New
Life in people of faith;
people who are generous when generosity
is undeserved, merciful when vengeance is
easier, faithful when betrayal is what the world
expects. If such faith
and beauty and selfless
service is possible in our
broken creation how
much more has God in
store for us in the New
Creation.
My wish and hope
and Easter prayer for
you is that you may
imagine an eternity beyond imagination. My
prayer is that we may
face eternity with a joyful
abandon, knowing that
whatever else is, there
is God.
Happy Easter,
+David

APRIL 2015

New servers in Botwood

In the Garden

The Rev. Michael Li

Columnist

During a Holy Baptism and Eucharist on February 1, 2015, St. James

Anglican Church, Botwood welcomed four new youth (Isabella Mercer, Christian Torraville, Miranda Regular and Norah Grant) to their
servers group. This was a great milestone in their spiritual life, especially for Christian, who was also baptized on this special day. God
bless you in your new ministry. Photo (Back Row): Daphne Parsons,
Christopher Seymore, Nicole Regular, Rev. Larry Chatman, Brook
Lillquist, Kaitlyn Foss and Myles Parsons. (New Servers - Front Row): Isabella Mercer, Christian Torraville, Miranda Regular and Norah Grant.
Photograph and story by Daphne & Myles Parsons.

Worship has become performance rather than praise.

Contemporary worship is more
egocentric than theocentric.
The aim is less to give glory
to God than to satisfy our
ownlongings. Some of the
new choruses speak of falling
in love with Jesus.
No doubt human emotions (awe, fear, gratitude, and
love) may all be experienced
in worship. But our emotions
should not be the controlling
factors. The object of worship
is God. We worship God by
praising andthanking Him.
We listen to the Word of God
read and preached. We sing
hymns to God. We offer our
prayers andoffering to Him.
We confess our sins and we
participate in the Lords Supper. We worship God the
Father through God the Son,
and by the Holy Spirit.
Music occupiesa very important place in worship. Often
we tend to pay more attention
to the melody than the words
we sing. Occasionally we sign
hymns which are theologically
incorrect. On Easter Day, some
congregations enjoy singing
the sentimental song, In the
Garden.
The words are:
I come to the garden alone,

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

While the dew is still on the

roses,
And the voice I hear, falling
on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and
He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His
own;
And the joy we share as we
tarry there,
None other has ever known.
The writer of this song
apparently had in mind the experience of Mary Magdalene
at the tomb of Jesus on the
first Easter morning. Marys
experience was unique, not
shared by believers today.Today we have not entered a
garden alone in the morning
and heard an audible voice
of Jesus. Certainly we cannot
sing the repeated refrain saying that we can experience a
joy which no one else has ever
known. It is wrong to sing that
we share with Jesus a special
fellowship that no one else on
earthhas ever experienced.
When we worship God we
should sing of things that are
true. Let me give a few examples of singing a falsehood.
Many people have sung Every
day with Jesus is sweeter than
the day before. Every day
with Jesus I love Him more
and more. No one could sing
these lines honestly, for this
is not our actual human experience. We experience ups
and downs in our Christian life.
Some hymn texts suggest that
God may revoke our salvation,
and we sing suddenly return,
and never, nevermore Thy
temples leave (Love Divine).
We sing Joy to the World at
Christmastime, even though
this hymn is about the Second
Coming of Jesus.
Letus continue to worship
God in spirit and in truth.

APRIL 2015

Confirmation in Seal Cove

Confirmation in Seal Cove Parish. On Sunday February 8, 2015, Confirmation services were held in the Parish of Seal Cove by Bishop
Percy Coffin. At St. Pauls Church in Baie Verte, two adults, Beverly & William Snow (second picture), were confirmed. At St. Peters
Church in Westport, ten young people were confirmed (first picture). Front row: Maxine & Melody Greenaway, Abigail Ricketts, Stacie Twine, Karissa Jacobs. Middle row: Mackenzie Randell , Tamara Jacobs, Allison Jacobs. Back row: Zachery Jacobs, Bishop
Coffin, Leroy Warren & Rev. Charles Harris. Submitted by Gary Rideout.

Youth lead worship

Submitted by
Denise White

The Confirmation
Class of the Parish of
Port Saunders was
responsible for conducting the complete
service the first Sunday in Advent. On November 30, 2014 the
class led the service,
with all the youth participating in one way
or another from the

readings, announcing,
collection and Advent
Wreath Lighting. And
thanks to Crystal for
serving. All that was
left for Rev. Paulette
to do was the sermon!
A hot turkey lunch
was held in the church
hall for all the candidates, family members
and church community. No one left hungry
except we ran out of

carrots!
That same week the
kids made their own
Advent wreaths to use
at home. Thanks for
the entire volunteer
and parent support
during these events
and to Rev. Paulette
with all her patience
and love for the youth.

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

Anglican Life!

APRIL 2015

Grand Bay ACW help Haiti

Members of St. Pauls
A.C.W., Grand Bay completed 53 pillowcase
dresses. These dresses
are sent to HATS (Hands
Across The Sea) which
a registered non-profit organization directed
by Canadian and Newfoundlander, Karen Huxter. She has been living
& ministering in Haiti
since 1995. Karens organization runs a family-style orphanage and
currently has 17 children
in her care. In addition,
numerous families in the
community are supported in order to maintain
the family unit whenever
possible. The ladies who
completed these dresses
are pictured (left to right):
Pat King, Shirley White,
Vanda Anderson, Doreen
Dowding, Bernice Janes,
Nancy Mushrow, (missing from photo: Lorraine
Kettle). Submitted by By
Ernest Dowding

Exploring autism in Bonavista

Submitted by
Rev. Shaun OConnor

Autism is a common yet

seldom talked about neuro-developmental disorder
looking for acceptance. On
Autism Sunday, February 8,
the Parish of Bonavista got
to hear what God has to say
about it. Our guest speaker
was Mrs. Treshana Gosse of
the Autism Society NL.
Using fireworks glasses, peppermint spray, rain
sticks, feather dusters, a
wind cannon, and megaphone during a game of
Simon Says, Treshana
helped us experience how
overwhelming autism is
to a persons senses. Her
address during the sermon
was also an eye-opener.
Rev. Shaun tied in her presentation to our reading
from Isaiah for the day.
We are to be compas-

sionate to people with autism and their families.

And as Christians, were
to take that a step further:
were to extend the hand of
sincere friendship, accept
them as fellow ministers of
the gospel and help them
find their calling. People
with autism have incredible
gifts to offer the church and
the world, but are often not
encouraged to find and use
them in their own unique
way.
People with autism
have things to teach us.
For instance, their single-mindedness can cross
over to their devotions,
their devotion to God, and
their approach to ministry.
So many of us say things
like, Oh, Im not good at
singing, instead of just
finding something and
doing it. But people with

autism dont worry about

what theyre not good at;
they just take something
and go with it.
Isaiah said, O Israel,
how can you say the Lord

does not see your troubles? We dont know

whats going on in each
other, whether we have autism or not, but God knows.
Whatever our shortcom-

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

ings, he provides strength

when we are weary and enables us to rise on eagles
wings.

An Easter Message

Bishop Geoffrey Peddle

The Lord is risen! He

is risen indeed! Alleluia!
For centuries Christians have greeted each
other on Easter morning with these words.
In churches across our
diocese this Easter Sunday the Day of Resurrection they will once
more be spoken: the
good news of Easter in
a single phrase!
Did you know that
the word Gospel
means good news?
The Christian Gospel
contains what Christians
have always regarded
as the best good news
there is: the story of
Jesus birth, life, death

and resurrection. The

Easter story in particular
is filled with good news.
According to Matthew, the story begins
in the early morning
with Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary
coming to the tomb
of Jesus. But the stone
covering the entrance
was rolled away and an
angel was sitting upon
it. The angel said to the
women: Do not be
afraid; I know that you
are looking for Jesus
who was crucified. He
is not here; for he has
been raised, as he said.
Come, see the place
where he lay. Then go
quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen
from the dead.
Put yourself in the
place of the women
that morning. They had
probably come to the
tomb early to complete Jesus burial. But
what did they find? ...
an empty tomb, and
an angel telling them
that Jesus had been
raised from the dead.
This was not at all what

Go where life takes you, but plan ahead.

As a free spirit, you rarely look back. But you

should look ahead - especially to protect your
loved ones when youre no longer there.
All it takes is a little preplanning.
Decide now on the funeral options and funding
arrangements that best meet your needs. Youll
lessen the burden for those who are left behind.
To learn more, call the number below. Well send
you a free Wishes and Memories Planning Guide.
Well also provide you with a no-obligation
consultation.
So make your plans, today.
Then follow your path wherever it leads.

FUNERAL HOMES
Preplanning
Crematorium
Chapel
Monuments
Flowers

Corner Brook Deer Lake

Stephenville Crossing
Port aux Basques Burgeo
Port au Choix Lanse au Loup
Happy Valley - Goose Bay

634-0077 1-888-868-6800
During your most difficult times... we are here to serve you.

6102663

they had expected. After all, their Lord had

been crucified. Could it
possibly be that he had
overcome the bonds
of death? Perhaps it
was too much to hope
for, but if it were true,
wouldnt it be the best
good news they had
ever received? They
came expecting to find
death but instead found
life in all its abundance.
Jesus, whom they had
loved and followed was
not dead but alive!
The surprising good
news of that first Easter morning is also the
surprising good news
of this Easter morning. The good news of
Easter is not only that
Jesus Christ rose from
the dead but that we
too will rise if we hold
firm with him in this
life. Easter is the eternal victory of life over
death, goodness over
sin, hope over despair.
For Christians it is the
pivotal event in human
history. In the midst of a
world that is often filled
with bad news and sad
tales, Easter reminds
us of the power of God
and of the eternal victory of Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we are
always Easter people
filled with good news.
May we embrace the
new life our Lord brings
us at Easter, and echo
the words of those first
disciples so very long
ago:
The Lord is risen! He
is risen indeed! Alleluia!

APRIL 2015

The Church
is people
Submitted by
Rev. Jolene Peters

In 1972, Richard K. Avery

and Donald S. March wrote the
hymn We are the Church.
The first verse in that hymn
is The Church is not a building,
the church is not a steeple, the
church is not a resting place, the
church is a people. Just shy of
18 months in my first parish as
an ordained priest I cannot find a
more fitting hymn for what I have
witnessed here in the Big Land
of Labrador West.
When I arrived here in September of 2013, the Parish was
two congregations with a church
in Labrador City and a church in
Wabush. My days at Queens
College were wonderful ones but
you quickly learn there are some
things you cannot learn through
textbooks, lectures or seminars.
You simply have to experience
them and trust you have been
equipped with what you need
to handle all that parish ministry
can bring your way.
This became evident to me
at my very first annual meeting
when a discussion was had
around possibly closing one
of our churches, St. Peters in
Wabush. I learned from my
internship supervisor, mentor,
and now my Bishop that what
I needed to do in that moment
was simply listen to what the
people were saying. Priests will
come and priests will go but the
people in the congregations will
live through it all, and at the end
of the day it is the people who
must decide.
After the annual meeting we
held a congregational meeting
in the spring to hear the needs
and concerns of the local congregation. It was clear at that
time a change was needed. That
night there was laughter, tears,
memories and facing reality.
I was so proud to sit at a table
with devoted people who clearly
loved their church, but realized a
difficult decision had to be made.
In your first year of parish
ministry you expect to learn the
ins and outs of the parish, the
people, to get your feet wet and
gear up for the ministry you will

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

have in this place. You dont

expect to be holding meetings
around closing a church. It has
been a learning experience for
me.
In December 2014 after
several pastoral letters, meetings
held with the Diocesan Bishop
and congregational meetings,
we met as a community at St.
Peters church with Bishop Geoff
and a vote took place. That night
a decision was made that as of
Easter 2015 St. Peters church
would close. I saw pain, I shed
tears with them, I hurt alongside
them but I also rejoiced. I was
filled with Gods spirit as I saw
the beginning of what I call hope,
prosperity and healing.
What have I learned? I
learned that yes, we have these
beautiful buildings, stained glass
windows, beautiful furnishings,
but that is not the church. The
church is the people who gather, the people who hold each
other up in difficult times of
life and celebrate when there
are moments of joy. A decision
that has been years in the making has now been made, and
those who once gathered in that
building now join in fellowship
and worship with the congregation of St. Pauls in Labrador
City. Our ministries are being
strengthened, our parish is being renewed and Sunday after
Sunday when I gather with the
people I experience a little more
of the kingdom of God here on
earth. This decision was not easy
and as we gather in April for a
service of deconsecration there
will be tears of sadness, but I give
thanks. I give thanks for the many
years St. Peters Church building
served the needs of the people
of Wabush, I give thanks for the
many hours of dedication and
service of the members of that
congregation over the years and
I give thanks that as they have
reached this point in their ministry together that I can journey
this road with them as we learn,
grow and serve God together.
The church is not a building,
the church is not a steeple, the
church in Labrador West is most
certainly a people!

APRIL 2015

70 years of dedicated service

Submitted by
Jack Morgan

Aubrey Dawe of Upper

Gullies has just completed
70 years as a member of
the choir at St. Peters Anglican Church, CBS. Aubrey joined the choir in
1944, and other than a
scattered family vacation or under the weather due to illness, he has
not missed a service. Mr.
Dawe was recently recognized for his dedication
with the presentation of
a framed certificate by
The Rev. Dr. Geoff Peddle, Bishop of Eastern
Newfoundland and Labrador. In the photo L-R: Fr.
Mark Nichols, Rector of St.
Peters, The Most Rev. Fred
Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Mr.
Dawe and Bishop Peddle.

Most wonderful words

Ron Clarke

Columnist

A group of us seniors
were reminiscing one
afternoon.
One lady said that
very afternoon, she had
heard the most wonderful words of her lifetime.
The doctor declared that,
at last, her daughter was
cancer-free.
Each one of us, then,
revealed our most wonderful words. Will you
marry me one stated.
The wars over, one old
soldier declared. Our
son just won a big lottery
prize. And so it went.

One gentle old man

topped us all. Ive heard
the most wonderful
words over and over, at
a very special time each
year. My most wonderful words are: He is Risen. The Lord is Risen
indeed.
We all agreed with
his choice.
He is Risen; the Lord
is Risen indeed were
certainly the most dramatic words ever heard
by the followers of Jesus
that first Easter morning.
For two days they had
been locked away in a
securely boarded room.
They were, of course,
totally grief-stricken.

Their beloved Messiah had been seized

by his enemies. He had
been mocked, despised,
spit on, tortured. Then,
most horrible of all, he
was crucified- a death
reserved for sinners, and
criminals. All seemed
lost!
And so they cowered
in terror for two days and
nights- certain that they
too would soon share
their masters fate.
Then, in the midst
of their gloom, some of
their own who had gone
to the tomb, burst in to
report that He is Risen,
The Lord is Risen indeed. Can you imagine

their reaction?
Amazement surely,
too good to be true,
perhaps. But then, their
Lord himself had raised
three people from death,
didnt he?
The great news
changed them all, and
made each one an unstoppable zealot.
These truly wonderful words should be likewise dramatic for us.
When a loved one
dies, or when we ourselves are facing death,
we too have the ultimate
comfort of knowing for
sure that, because our
Jesus conquered death
once and for all, we too,

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

like him, shall live forever.

Our enemy, death,
becomes for us the gate
to everlasting life.
How truly marvellous
is Jesus promise that
he will come and get us,
and take us with him into
eternity.
May He is Risen
be the most wonderful
words for each of us, not
just for Easter Sunday,
but for the rest of our
lives! Alleluia!

APRIL 2015

10

No pie in the sky when I die

The Rev. Greg Mercer

Columnist

By the time you read this

article we have already celebrated the most important
day in the lives of Christians
Easter Day. But Easter is
a seven week celebration
seven weeks of wonderful
Gospel stories that point to
Jesus as the bearer of hope
and the future Kingdom. The

Gospel of John 3:16, which is

so often quoted, summarizes
the whole purpose of Jesus
mission: For God so loved
the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him may
not perish but have eternal
life [emphasis mine]. Martin
Luther called this verse the
Gospel in miniature.
However, if we understand Jesus teaching correctly, the Kingdom and heaven is
not just about pie in the sky
when I die.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey wrote in
his millennium devotional,
Jesus 2000, [Heaven] is not
some kind of divine aspirin
to get us through the daily
grind of life on earth. Eternal
life does not simply await us
when we die; it starts right
now in a relationship with

God, through Jesus Christ,

which continues forever.
The opening chapter of
the Gospel of Mark contains
these words from Jesus himself: The time is fulfilled
and the kingdom is at hand
[emphasis mine] (Mark 1:15).
Jesus message was the
kingdom but not just as some
future reality to aspire to. For
Jesus the kingdom was first
and foremost the rule of God
in the hearts and lives of all.
It was therefore a process, a
journey to know God and to
grow in relationship to God,
through Jesus Christ. It is
no easy task to preach the
Resurrection since it cannot
be presented as though it
were simply a future hope,
even though that is true. It is
also a present reality. When
the resurrection lays hold on
a person it is a transforming

experience. There they stand

on the other side of the tomb;
there they have crossed over
into the new age. They have
been reborn into a present
reality of hope.
In an old classic by Neville
Clarke entitled, Interpreting
the Resurrection, the author
writes, There is indeed a
hope to be awaited. But the
not yet is the fulfillment of
the already. It is because
they have risen with Christ
that they move towards the
resurrection of the body.
Neville speaks of an experience in philosophical terms
but essentially what he is
saying is this: The content of
Christian hope and Christian
experience is seen and understood not of life after death or
life apart from death, but of
life through death. Without
the dying there is no rising.

This is true not only of eternal

life but of life in its present
reality. Probably a few lines
from the poem Dying in
Order to Live More Fully will
help shed a little light.
I believe we are born to die,
to die that we may live more
fully;
Born to die a little each day to
selfishness, to pretense, and
to sin.
I believe that every time we
pass from one stage of life to
another
Something in us dies and
something new is born...
I believe, too, that we are
dying before our time
When we live in bitterness, in
hatred, and in isolation...
To those who believe in
Christ, death is a gateway,
A gateway to eternal life.

The future for Queens College

Submitted by
Cynthia Haines-Turner

Some, when looking at

that title, might be tempted
to ask, Is there a future for
Queens College? The answer to that is a resounding
yes.
In 2016, Queens College will celebrate the
175th year since its founding. Things have changed
a great deal in 175 years,
in fact given the pace of
change in modern society, things have changed
a great deal in the last 5
years. Those changes have
been in terms of what the
college offers, the types

and needs of the students

studying at Queens, the
context in which ministry
takes place in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In many places in our
province, the model of
one parish/one priest is
not longer a viable option.
Cluster ministry or team
ministry where several parishes come together to
provide a more efficient is
common. Lay people wish
to enroll in programs to
better equip them to carry
out their baptismal ministry. In some areas, there
is a re-emergence of the
permanent diaconate. Pop-

ulation decline in rural communities means there are

fewer people but the need
for ministry remains. People are interested in training for ordained ministry
but are not always able to
leave their communities to
train in a residential setting.
All of those changes affect
the kinds of programs and
program delivery that students require. As a result,
programs like Associate
in Theology or Diploma in
Theology providing training for lay leadership and
local ministry have been
quite successful. Distance
or on-line programs are

meeting a very real need.

Distributed learning offers
new possibilities for local
theological education. Distributed learning is different from distance or online
learning as it allows instructor, students, and content
to be situated in different
locations.
Queens College is
committed to continuing
our response to a changing
context and new models of
both learning and delivery
of ministry. Through cooperation with Memorial University and making use of
adjunct faculty, the College
is taking steps to ensure its

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

long term viability. Some

of these are:
- Queens has adopted
the Exploring Faith program which uses distributed learning. Students meet
as part of a group with all
the richness that comes
from interaction with other
students.
- will explore ecumenical cooperation;
- will explore partnerships with other colleges;
- will remain an Anglican College;
- will explore possibility of students doing work
elsewhere;
- will offer a component
of continuing education for
ordained clergy.
This is the beginning of
a process of adaptation that
the Corporation believes
will allow us to be more
nimble in responding to
changing expectations and
needs and will forge an
exciting future for Queens
College. Please continue
to uphold Queens College
in your prayers through this
time of transition.

APRIL 2015

11

Thank you, John Propitiation

Kevin Smith

Columnist

Last month I was saddened

to hear that my friend and colleague in planned giving with
the Anglican Church of Canada,
Archdeacon John Robertson,
will be retiring from his position
as the national Planned Giving
Officer. His retirement takes
effect on April 30, 2015.
I first met John at a national
conference in early 2000 when
he recruited me for the job as
gift planning person. Immediately we bonded and over the
years have become good friends
in addition to respected colleagues. John was the one I sent
my monthly reports to and was
the one to whom I turned when
I needed some advice as to how
to approach a certain issue with
a donor. He was also the one
who supplied me with financial
proposal required for an annuity
application for a parishioner. He
was always there for assistance,
advice and encouragement.
Archdeacon John M. Robertson was appointed as the
National Gift Planning Officer of

the Anglican Church of Canada

in 1994. Through nearly two
decades, he has become a wellknown and respected speaker
in the field of gift planning and
stewardship education and has
met with thousands of donors,
helping to facilitate millions of
dollars worth of gifts that have
benefited the work of parishes,
dioceses, General Synod, and its
national partners. In 2005 the
University of Toronto presented
Archdeacon Robertson with the
prestigious Arbor Award for
exceptional volunteer service to
the university.
A graduate of Rutgers
University
(Economics)
and Trinity College, University of Toronto
(Sacred Theology), Archdeacon Robertson
is currently a
member of
the Canadian
Association of
Gift Planners
as well as the
Association of
Fundraising Professionals. Prior to his appointment to the
General Synod, he served as a
parish priest for nine years in
the Diocese of Caledonia and for
19 years in the Diocese of New
Westminster.
At home in Kingston, Archdeacon Robertson is a priest
of the Diocese of Ontario and
serves as Honourary Priest Associate of St. Georges Cathedral.

He is also a chaplain with the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
An article distributed by
the national church upon his
retirement commented on his
gift of friendship, Johns enthusiasm and love for the churchs
ministries was infectious and
his sense of gratitude and generosity led many others to generous and grateful gifts to Gods
mission through the life of the
church.
I am really sorry to see Archdeacon John retire. He has been
a remarkable leader, mentor
and inspiration
in the Churchs
planned giving
ministry. He
has produced
some marvellous results
over the years
f o r P W D R F,
the Anglican
Fo u n d a t i o n ,
the National
Church and
many dioceses and parishes. He will be
tremendously
missed.
We wish him all the very
best for the future. Thank you,
John, my friend.
Kevin Smith is the gift
planning consultant for the
Anglican Church of Canada.
He can be contacted at 709
739-5667 or by email:
kevinsmith709@gmail.com

of our sins

Stella Walsh

Columnist

Easter is a complex and

weighty topic to think about,
much less to try and write
words about that others may
find useful or inspirational.
I struggled with this right
up to the deadline for this
column to be submitted. I
finally decided that I would
simply try to explain why I
struggle with Easter. And
it has to do with this verse:
1 John 2:2 And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and
not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world.
(KJV)
The most civilized and
rational image that we have
of God today is that He is
love. He is not a merciless
judge who delights in sending the wicked to hell. As
much as that image might
appeal to our sense of vengeance on some occasions,
it is not accurate. And so, I
find it very difficult to believe
that our loving God needed

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador

a human sacrifice in order

to be appeased so that we
would find favor in His sight
this way. If that seems like
it is a harsh description of
a traditional image of the
atonement, it is not. If you
look up the meaning of propitiation, you will find that
this is what it refers to. It is
a pretty primitive image in
light of our belief that God
is loving and merciful.
It is important to understand that I am not attempting to negate the value and
importance of what Jesus
did on the cross. I do not
find it difficult to accept that
Jesus allowed Himself to be
crucified to show His love
for us and to demonstrate
the power of God (love)
over death. I do believe that
the spiritual world and the
physical world were united
(reconciled) in His death and
resurrection. That is a different point of view and it is
not irrational to understand
that a loving friend would lay
down His life for those He
loves. People do this all the
time. They sacrifice themselves and their lives for
their family and loved ones.
And I believe there is a
mystery to the crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus
that we cannot fully understand while we walk on
earth. But I cannot accept
that it has anything to do
with Him being a demanded payment or sacrifice to
appease a God who needed
that payment in order to
love us. That is not in line
with the unconditional love
that Jesus demonstrated in
His life.
One of the reasons that
I struggle so much with this
image these days is because
I spend a fair amount of time
volunteering with young
people in Confirmation
classes and a youth group.
We welcome young people
into our youth group no matter what their background.
Some do not attend church
at all. I find it very difficult
to accept that while we welcome them unconditionally,
they need to accept that we
worship a god who needed
a human sacrifice to love us.

APRIL 2015

12

Church checkup:
part two

The Rev. Everett Hobbs

Columnist

General Synod of the Church

of England is described as dysfunctional, not very effective or
efficient. It is innately conflictional, there is little space for
listening or genuine engagement,
membership is often complacent,
static and resistant to change or
reform. It has the worst features
of parliamentary democracy with
little positive aspects. Structures,
patterns of governance, procedures appointment processes,
canon laws and traditions need
to be examined.
Recommendations include
using the findings of Organizational Behaviour (OB) which
studies how organizations behave. Authoritative and pre-

scriptive change will not work:

widespread inclusion of church
members required for planning
and implement change (requiring
strategic planning over months or
years for staged or implements
change). Another resource is Theory of Change (ToC) widely used
by voluntary organization and
NGOs - team working, collective
ownership, flat relationships,
alliances. One encouraging note
is the impact of Fresh Expressions.
Worrying is the decline of
clergy available for full-time parish ministry. This in spite of the
growing number of ordained
women. Also since the 1980s
many new clergy are ordained
later in life. Loss of clergy exceeds
new recruitment. It is phrased as,
There are not enough troupes left
in the show and the show will have
to change.
There are observations about
clergy functions and their influence, the quality of ministry,
leadership style and personality.
Deployment of clergy is affected
by overall organization, methods
of appointment, Lone Ranger
syndrome and lack of co-operation between parishes/clergy.
There are also concerns about
quality of leadership: nature
of authority; responsibility; accountability. Other issues are that

clergy dont want to be managed,

governed or led, many do not
pursue continuing education and
in-service training, and the lack
of clergy reviews and evaluation.
How to involve laity is
a continuing challenge. How
many who want to serve are left
out? Much lip service is paid to
the notion of shared leadership,
lay ministry and priesthood of
all believers but little is done
in practice. The result is often
frustration and confusion. While
some laity do undertake a great
deal of ministry inside and outside
the parish, there is a great deal
more of untapped potential which
could make a difference considering the shortage of human and
financial resources. Therefore,
there is an emphasis on church
growth and re-imagining ministry.
In short, [The Church of
England] is faced with a demographic shift, secular materialism
and dislike for religious institutionsThe Church needs strong
leadership, clarity of vision, disciplined use of resources and unity
of purpose.
As we celebrate Easter, let us
remember that resurrection is not
just about us: it is about the restoration of the whole creation. And
it is about the reform and renewal
of the Church.

Saint Lukes Homes to

recognize volunteers
Submitted by
Robert Sexty

Saint Lukes Homes

has been fortunate to
have the help of many
volunteers over its 50
years and this year, in
celebrating our 50 Years
Caring for Seniors, we
are hosting a reception
for all past and present volunteers of Saint
Lukes Homes.
These volunteers include: residents of home,
the Residents Council,

families and the Family Council members,

residents of the cottages and Bishop Meaden Manor, the Anglican
community including the
tea servers from several
parishes, the St. Marys
Mens Group who hold
a monthly birthday party,
several clergy and lay
readers, the Alter Guild,
Saint Lukes Auxiliary, the
Board of Directors, the
Kiwanis Club, the Royal
Canadian Legion, the
Youth Volunteers Corps

Program, members of
the management and
staff, and members of
the community.
A list has been prepared of those persons,
but we do not want to
miss anyone! The event
will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at
7:30. If you would like to
attend this event, please
contact Pamela Jesso at
pamela.jesso@easternhealth.com or 752-8926
by April 10, 2015.

Queens College
Alumni news
It is always a pleasure
to greet you as your President of the Queens College Alumni Association.
I thank you for your support of Queens College,
both financial and in other
ways not the least of
which is prayer. My message will focus on two
matters, which I consider
to be exciting news.
Firstly, The Queens

sary of its founding in the

year 1841. This is a significant anniversary in the
history of our Province as
well as for the Church and
for theological education
in Canada. In addition to
being the first institution
to offer postsecondary
education in the Province,
it is also among the oldest
theological colleges in
this nation. You will be
informed of celebrations
as details are finalized;
we invite all alumni and

College Alumni Scholarship Fund: When the

Alumni Association set up
this scholarship, the goal
was to raise a capital sum
of $100,000. As of January 1, 2015, about $66,000
had been received in donations, which as of that
date had a market value
of $86,868.21. The goal is
now within our reach. Our
scholarship fund is a registered charity and can receive bequests, memorial
donations, as well as other
gifts for which Income Tax
Receipts are issued. As
the Association has been
raising these funds, we
also present at each Convocation two scholarships
to students named by the
College faculty. I urge
all alumni and friends to
continue your support.
For further details you may
phone Queens College at
709-753-0116.
Secondly, The 175th
Anniversary of Queens
College: The exciting
news from Queens is that
in the year 2016 it will celebrate the 175th anniver-

friends to participate.
The story of Queens
College is written in the
lives of faculty and graduates over these 175 years
a story of sacrifice and
commitment (which includes spouses of graduates), a story of faith and of
concern for education and
for the social well-being of
people, a story in which
we can all rejoice. But the
anniversary not only calls
us to look backward; more
importantly it beckons
us to look forward to the
future, with faith, conviction and courage a faith
that affirms the intrinsic
worth and dignity of every
human being, the conviction that we can make our
global village a better
place for all, and the courage to realize this vision. It
can be done!
In conclusion, as we
celebrate the success of
the Scholarship Fund and
the story of Queens College, I invite all of us to
unite our efforts to make
the future even better than
the past.

Submitted by
Rev. Canon Frank Cluett

anglicanlife in Newfoundland&Labrador