After a very long journey Rev. Carolyn is at the rectory in Neil’s Harbour. Her belongings are on route and should be arriving within the next few days. We wish her well and would like everyone to do their part in welcoming Carolyn not only to our Church but our communities.

A Parish update

This has been a very busy month and a half for our Parish; the lobster supper at St. John’s was a huge success to start the long weekend with, followed by the St. John’s ACW Breakfast, Vestry meetings at both Churches, a Parish Council meeting, a very successful St. John’s Silent Auction (thank you to the communities and local Ingonish businesses for your donations) and a very tasty Strawberry Shortcake tea.  To wrap up the fundraising this month on Friday, July 26^th St. John’s is hosting another Lobster Supper and we invite all to come and join us.  The dinner begins at 4pm. 

On this coming Sunday, July 28^th we are sharing our last services with our “Priest in Charge” Gloria McClure-Fraser.  Rev. Gloria has been a blessing to us since January, we have enjoyed her company, wisdom, advice and charm, she is a very special lady who will never be forgotten and always appreciated, 

On Tuesday, July 30^th our student minister Lorraine Otto is sharing her final service, an evening service with the Parish at St. John’s Church at 7pm.  We wish to thank Lorraine for her time and dedication to our Parish during her stay and wish her the best in her education and life achievements.  We would also like to thank all who donated items to the rectory to insure that Lorraine had a home to come to when she arrived and to those that came out to set it up as many hands certainly made light work. 

On Monday, August 5^th the Wardens of our Parish will meet at the rectory to discuss a three week work project to prepare the rectory for

Rev. Carolyn.  If you or anyone you may know would be willing to donate any skill or talents to the effort please let one of the warden’s know. There is painting to be done inside, a step to be built, odds and ends to be repaired such as screens, loose tiles, cleaning etc.  Any amount of time you are willing to give would be appreciated.   Rev. Carolyn is due to arrive on August 26^th or 27^th. 

Rev. Glen Kent will be joining us for services on August 4^th and 25^th; the layreaders will be leading services on August 11 and 18^th.  Rev. Gloria has made arrangements for us in the event of any emergencies until Rev. Carolyn arrives, please feel free to contact one of the Wardens is you need to and they will make the necessary arrangements. 

Wardens in Ingonish are Eleanor March 285-2931 and Clara Hardy-Scott 285-2117
Wardens in Neil's Harbour are Sheldon MacKinnon 336-2678 or Steve Coutts 336-2543

Welcome Rev. Dr. Carolyn Sharp

It is with great joy that we announce the appointment of Rev. Dr. Carolyn Sharp to our Parish effective September 1/13. 
Rev. Sharp comes to us from the Diocese of Ottawa and we are looking forward to sharing our lives, Parish and villages with her.   Welcome Carolyn. :)

Parish Annual Meeting 2013

Parish Annual Meeting

March 19^th 2013

St. John’s Hall 5:30pm to 9:00pm

Attendees:  Lenora Dunphy, Darlene Williams, Rhadie Murphy, Linda Symes, Dale Hussey, Donna Lynn MacLean, Eleanor March, Carl March,

Clara Hardy-Scott, Kelvin Hussey, Wayne Budge, Keith Hussey, Steve Coutts, Sheldon MacKinnon, Rev. Gloria,  and Adrianne Chapman-Gorey.

Or annual meeting began with a lovely meal this year, with many thanks to Donna Lynn, Eleanor and Carl (and Katelynn) for preparations and to all attending for your donations to the meal.

Rev. Gloria opened the meeting with prayer. 

Sheldon nominated Rev. Gloria for Chair, this was seconded by Kelvin. 

Kelvin nominated Clara for secretary, this was seconded by Wayne.

Kelvin read the minutes of our 2012 annual meeting. 

Questions arising from the minutes:

• Kelvin confirmed the safety deposit box held at Scotiabank is indeed a Parish one and the cost for it will be a sharable.
• David Donovan has taken papers into Dan Chiasson in Baddeck to find us the deeds to Neil’s harbour property or land grants. Lorrianne Slowpeck from the Diocese was contacted numerous times by Sheldon over the past 1 ½ months with her returning his call only today.  Ms. Slowpeck will be in touch with Sheldon tomorrow, March 20/13 with numbers so that he will be able to look up the deeds/grants himself. 
• Cemetery, “ALL” funds must be used be used for cemetery purposes.
• Rev. Gloria suggested that Parish Council have a conversation as was stated in 2012 minutes about a Memorial Wishlist so that the word can be spread to our Parishioners.  Money in memory of should be going into our general account, not left in memorial account.  Any monies given for something specific must be used for that purpose within a year or the money goes to the general account.

Sheldon moved that the minutes from 2012 be adopted as revised, Keith Seconded, motion carried.

New business: 

Keith asked about the status of the rectory and the parish wishes for it in the midterm of seeking an incumbent.  It was agreed by all that the heat remain on 10 degrees until we meet again.

Rev. Gloria asked if the safe at the rectory is indeed fire proof and she was insured it was. 

Rev. Gloria mentioned that there needs to be two people at all times, opening envelopes and counting money, a safety precaution for all. 

Sheldon and Clara asked to be let know when someone in our Parish is sick or in need as often they just don’t hear and they need to be letting Rev. Gloria know and perhaps visiting themselves. 

Rev. Gloria said that she is loving her time here with us in this Parish.  We in return enjoying having her and are most grateful.  

Regional Council will be meeting in Ingonish on September 21^st. 

Clericus will be meeting in Ingonish on June 20^th. 

Both visits will require a meal being prepared.

Correspondence: 

Reed Moore contacted Keith about 2 prizes that are needed from our Parish for the “Friends of the Bishop’s” Dinner.  It was agreed that each Church would come up with one prize each. 

Sheldon moved that all written non-financial reports be adopted as read and this was seconded by Kelvin.

Presentation of Audited Financial Reports

St. John’s investments are stated to be used for the general day to day operations of the Church.

There was much discussion on endowments and investments, as it seems noone has a clear picture Rev. Gloria suggested we invite the Regional Dean, Rev. Carl Fraser down answer any questions we may have. 

Insurance declaration was reviewed.  Kelvin asked that perhaps our Regional Dean may speak on this as well when he is invited down.

Sheldon asked for a confirmation of Rev. Gloria’s cost to the parish while there were many around the table so everyone would know. 

$100 per month for being Priest in Charge

$100 for Sunday’s in both Churches, $75 for the first $25 for the second, there are two per month.

$100 for a visitation day, there are two per month

$50 for visitation on Sunday afternoons while she is doing the services

.35 cents a km return each trip into the Parish.

It was moved by Kelvin and seconded by Steve that all financial statements be adopted, Motion carried.

Presentation of the Parish Budget

It was noted that the Parish Budget should be completed each year in December; this is to be done with the Minister, all wardens and treasurers. 

Motion to accept the Budget 2013 by Kelvin and seconded by Rhadie.

Note:  All Parish buildings are now on the Diocese Oil Rate of 98.6 as of January 2013.  Kelvin is looking into how far back the company can go for reimbursement.

Rev. Gloria encouraged us to use the budget and as well to have our money from each Church into the Parish treasurer in a timely manner.

Election of Officers

Wardens   Eleanor March (Two to three year)

                 Sheldon MacKinnon (One to two year)

Treasurer:  Kelvin Hussey

Secretary:  Clara Hardy-Scott

Members at Large:  Steve Coutts, Linda Symes, Lenora Dunphy,

Valerie MacKinnon, Darlene Williams, Helen Budge, Dale Hussey,

Rhadie Murphy, Keith Hussey, Donna Lynn MacLean, Wayne Budge

Synod Delegates: Keith Hussey, Valerie MacKinnon

 and Adrianne Chapman-Gorey

Auditors:  Dean Lefriend, Rhadie Murphy, Karen Smith and Dale Hussey

Regional Council Representatives:  Kelvin Hussey, Sheldon MacKinnon, and Wayne Budge

Correspondence – Diocesan Times:  Donna Lynn Maclean

Opening for Parish Priest

Notification of Openings

In accordance with Diocesan Canon 25, The Right Rev’d Sue Moxley is inviting applications for the positions of Rector of the following parishes:     Neil’s Harbour with Ingonish     Aylesford/Berwick The Parish Profile is on file with the Bishops’ Office and may be reviewed by any prospective applicant.  If you wish to be considered for this position, the profile and application form may be obtained by contacting – in advance – Jana O’Neil at joneil@nspeidiocese.ca or phoning 902-420-0717. * Clergy from outside the Diocese of Nova Scotia and P.E.I., must present confirmation that they are a priest in good standing and have their bishop’s permission to seek employment opportunities outside their own diocese. The deadline for receiving applications is Friday, April 19th, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. A copy of Canon 25 can be found on our website at : http://www.nspeidiocese.ca/canons/Canon%2025.pdf The Right Reverend Sue Moxley Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island 1430 Martello Street Halifax NS  B3H 2Z1

Annual Meetings

St. John’s Annual Meeting was held on March 4^th, 2013. 

Warden for a 2 year term          Clara Hardy-Scott

Warden for a 1 year term          Eleanor March

Treasurer              Lenora Dunphy

Secretary              Darlene Williams

Members at Large

2 year:  Rose Donovan, Keith Hussey, Stewart Best,Donna Lynn MacLean and Kelvin Hussey

1 year:  Marilyn MacKay, Richard Nolan, Rhadie Murphy and

St. Andrew’s is hosting it’s Annual meeting on March 10/13

St. John's Annual Warden's Report

St. John’s Warden’s Report, 2012

2012 proved to be another challenging year in our Parish and our Church.  We have had many a stumbling block appear, we have suffered financially, we have had many deaths, we have had members step down from their positions, we have had our Parish Priest move west so that his family may be together.   But we have had positives as well.   Rev. Gloria was appointed Priest in Charge, and her husband Rev. Carl became our  Regional Dean, with these two wonderful people to help us and with Rev. Brenda as our Archdeacon  what a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow.  With their wisdom, strength, and open personalities new light shines on our Parish

The Parochial Committee was formed in December, and the Parish Profile is complete.  The open position of Parish Priest will be advertised across Canada shortly.  We thank our fellow warden’s at St. Andrew’s, Linda Symes and Sheldon MacKinnon,  as well as Wayne Budge and Kelvin Hussey who all worked many hours to develop the Parish Profile and were once again rewarded with a new sense of respect, strength and camaraderie between one another.   

We have talked at great lengths this past year about beginning a stewardship campaign, something we hope to get underway in the near future. 

We will have the job of doing some touchups to our buildings as an independent building inspection was done in the fall of 2012, and we hope to prioritize the list and begin the work in the spring.

The wonderful gift of windows from the memorial donations in the memory of Melvin Hardy will certainly be a beautiful addition to our already quaint hall.

 

Our finances are in somewhat stable condition, thanks to our loyal weekly contributors, to the ACW for their never-ending devotion and to

“The Friends of St. John’s”, spear headed by Ann Hussey. 

Our music ministry continues to grow with Adrianne Chapman-Gorey and our latest musician, Katelynn March, we thank you both for your wonderful gifts of music. 

To our extended Church ministries, those that do it all behind the scenes,  a huge thank you, your gifts that you constantly give without even thinking are never forgotten, we appreciate the snow removers, the altar guild, the side persons, the readers, our fellow vestry members, Dorothy who takes hall bookings, Stewart who is our go to guy, to Ewart for the hours of work maintaining the cemetery.  To Lenora and Keith for their excellent, bookkeeping skills, there are no words to fully express our constant gratitude to you both for your ministries.  To the people who donate to our functions and volunteer to help out in anyway we are indebted to you all.

As we journey into 2013 we are most thankful to our lay readers, Kelvin, Keith, Darlene, and those from St. Andrew’s (Sheldon, Linda, Valerie, Wayne, and Cheryl) we welcome you all gratefully into our Church to make our services possible while we await a new minister. 

To our families who gracefully permit us the time to give of ourselves to our Church, thank you for your unending support.

Blessings,

Clara and Eleanor

Parish Council Minutes Nov. 20th, 2012

Parish council minutes for Nov. 20^th 2012

In Neil’s Harbour 6:30pm ending at 9:20pm

Meeting attended by:  Linda Symes, Helen Budge, Dale Hussey,

David Donovan, Keith Hussey, Dean Carl Fraser, Stewart Best,

Lenora Dunphy, Steve Coutts, Wayne Budge, Kelvin Hussey, Darlene Williams,

Clara Hardy-Scott, Rev. Warren, Eleanor March, Valerie MacKinnon.

Meeting opened with prayer. 

Rev. Warren graciously agreed to chair the meeting.

Clara read the minutes from the previous meeting. Hearing no errors or omissions the minutes were accepted as read by Kelvin and seconded by Steve.

Business Arising

Land papers sent to Dan Chiasson were only for the land Van Seffland Bros. is interested in.  Wayne will drop in to check on these and to inquire about deeds for Parish property while there.

Co-op land update:  Co-op Atlantic will be making a presentation to the local board on Dec. 3^rd.  The plan is to go to the right of the existing store about half the size again, extending the parking lot as well and covering the area where the little building is.  The land in the back toward the ocean was viewed and determined not to be usable by them.  There was discussion as to the land they have included in their plan being in fact usable as there is a culvert running through the area. 

Layreaders:  One gathering so far, two new people have shown a slight interested in joining the group, they will be getting back to Rev. Warren.

Messy Church:  No takers on this.  However Clara may be interested in starting a Church School had has made inquires to the school board to use Cape Smokey. 

Insurance: No updates, Valerie thought Sheldon had the copy of the Church inventory for St. Andrew’s and will check on this.

Kelvin explained that as it stands presently St. John’s has full replacement, an AA rating coverage on St. John’s Church of $630.000 with a cost of $1807 and the hall of $507.900 at $1466 This replacement is prorated and you must replace.  If they were to switch to B Ratting and an allowable cost of $300.000, it would cost $1633 for the Church, only a savings of $174 but with the B rating you get a cash settlement of the full $300.000. 

Dean Carl felt that this is something we should consider………if St. John’s burned, would we want to replace it as it stands now or with 5 buildings in the Parish would it be not a smart idea?  Food for thought.

Travel: Review for the 3^rd quarter is complete. Rev. Warren asked council to direct Bev Hawley not to pay him a travel cheque for the month of December 2012.  Steve made the motion and Wayne seconded it. 

Parish Treasurer: Kelvin still has not heard from Bev Hawley concerning a meeting to discuss procedures with Kelvin taking the position as Parish Treasurer in January 2013 this is of the upmost importance.  Valerie agreed to phone Bev and ask her to meet with Kelvin.  The paper work for this matter was filled out and signed by Eleanor March at this meeting so it may be forwarded to the Diocese.    

Sexual Misconduct Policy: Rev Warren will put these in the Churches for signatures.

Correspondence:

David MacKenzie who did our building inspections has not gotten back to Eleanor yet with the written documentation of recommendations.  She has left several messages.

Irving Maintenance Agreement for the Rectory Furnace has been renewed.

St. John’s General Account is up this month because the ACW gave them a $3000 donation.  Lenora now is believed to have the correct numbers for allotment and stipend fees, as she has been without since January, she made a guestamit and St. John’s has been overpaying approximately $200 a month so presently has a credit.

The wardens met with Rev. Warren and discussed a door to door campaign to try and increase our many ministries.  Perhaps develop a check list to ask, who in the household is Anglican? What talents or gifts you may have time to give to the Parish ministries.   What are we missing as a Parish that we are not giving you?  It was suggested by Wayne B. at St. Andrew’s vestry meeting to do a positive letter up, visit with the letter and return two weeks later for discussion.  Items such as PAR, What programs people care about?

Dean Carl mentioned we all get mail asking for money…………remember if you go door to door and/or do a letter remember that this is about your ministry not money.  Knock, shake their hand and let them know we care about you. How can we help you?  Do you have any questions? Can we restore your relationship to the Church?  He then did an interesting exercise by asking those present individually in one word to describe how you feel about our current financial situation.  Scared, perplexed, hopefully and proud that we had come so far and concord so much in the last year. He asked this because some may think we are in crisis.  We are not.  We have money in the bank, our bills are paid.  What we are is a Parish with a Challenge.

 He suggested we plan the annual meeting dates, think about what we are going to talk about, the positives and the issues. A letter about your future together needs to go out to let people know you are going door to door, think about what we want our Parish to look like. Think about the next years budge and ask yourselves, will we be in a position in Sept. 2013 to hire a priest? Think about officers to represent you.

Motion was made by Keith and seconded by Kelvin to accept the Parish Financial Statement.

No Warden’s report

Rector’s Report

Rev. Warren is very proud of where we have come and the hope that is here. You have overcome your goals, and keep talking about your ministries, keep focusing on that. They have a load of items ready for the dump.  The many lists required to be in order before Warren’s departure are coming to together many thanks to everyone for their assistance.  

Dates:

Vestry meetings: December 3^rd St. John’s, 4^th St. Andrew’s and 11^th for the Parish in Ingonish. Clara will contact Brenda Drake to see if she needs to speak with us about ministry Brenda’s wishes for travel times will determine the time of the meeting. Clara will be in touch with everyone. Clara as well will contact the Diocese Stewardship group and ask if they may be able to work with us on our approach with the door to door campaign.

Candlelight services St. John’s Dec. 18^th and St. Andrew’s 19^th

Christmas Eve: St. John’s at 8pm, St. Andrew’s at 11pm. 

Farewell service Dec. 30^th 11am at St. Andrew’s with lunch to follow in the hall.    

Tentative dates for Church Annual Meetings FEB 17^th and 18^th

Parish annual Feb. 19^th

New Business:

Carl’s celebration of New Ministry into live as Regional Dean is taking place at St. John’s in North Sydney at 7pm on Wednesday, Nov. 28^th.  He is looking for a person from each Parish to give a little speech about how life is in our Parish. Every Parish has also been assigned another Parish to pray for on this night.

The meeting closed with the Grace. 

Respectfully submitted by

Clara Hardy-Scott

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

We begin our 2013 year with changes to our Parish, our priest Rev. Warren and his family leave us this week for new adventures in Saskatchewan.  We wish them safe travels and much happiness in their new life. 

Rev. Gloria McClure Fraser was announced this week as being our “Priest in charge”.  Rev. Gloria is a dear friend of this Parish and we are excited to be working with her.  The Wardens are meeting with Rev. Gloria this evening, January 06 at 5:30 to discuss scheduling. We will send out calendars once the schedule is in place.

The Parochial Committee was elected as you know on Dec. 11^th.  Clara has been working on the Parish Profile.  The Parochial Committee will need to meet this coming week to finalize the written copy and review what has been completed.  It is then entered electronically into an on line form and forwarded to Archdeacon Brenda  who will read it, make suggestions and then return to Ingonish for a meeting with Parish Council to be voted on.  This all needs to take place by Feb. 9^th.   January will certainly be a challenging month but we will do our best to keep everyone updated.

Special Parish Meeting - with Regional Dean, Gloria McLure-Fraser

Special meeting with Dean Gloria McLure Fraser on November 30th 2011 at St. John’s Hall

There were 40 in attendance and are as follows: Annie Budge, Kelvin Hussey, Dean Gloria, Rev. Warren, Michael and Adrianne Gorey, Selma Doucet, Barb Anderson, Clara Hardy Scott, Marilyn McKay, Donna Lynn MacLean, Lynn and Chris Gorey, Stella Hardy, Ewart Hardy, Dean and Mary Lefriend, Steve Coutts, Wilfred Lillington, Bunny McIssac, Heather McIssac, Dale Hussey, Jonathon Smith, Laura Rose, Winnie Seymour, Stewart Best, Keith Hussey, Lois Hardy, Darlene Williams, Helen Budge, Bernice Ingraham, Valerie and Sheldon MacKinnon, Jackie Organ, Kathy MacKinnon, Linda Symes, Katelynn March, Eleanor March, Rhadie Murphy, David Donovan.

Dean Gloria opened the meeting with a reading from Matthew.

Dean Gloria then asked those present why we were there.

Steve gave an explanation that finances are very low and expenses are up. Some valuable financial givers are no longer with St. Andrew’s and are not being replaced with new Church goers. The Lord’s Acre which is a voluntary $10 per week from each Anglican fisher is also down. The attendance at St. Andrew’s is from 20 to 30 which only represents a very small portion of the 120 family possibilities.

Linda Symes felt that there were not enough vestry members from St. Andrew’s as well.

Kelvin spoke that we follow the Canon 35 and it has been 38/62 sharing until our last meeting and on November 22nd a motion was put forward and agreed upon that the sharables be 50/50 with the understanding that they would once again be reviewed when the parochial returns were completed in the spring. St. John’s finances have not increase in fact are down a bit since this time last year so the feeling is that because we are paying an extra 12% we will be in the same financial situation that St. Andrew’s is by March or April. In order for the Parish to survive we need a solution.

There was some discussing about our Church cemetery funds being placed in the Consolidated Trust of the Diocese because both Churches have substantial amounts. Money in small amounts of not more then $2000 could be easily accessed within a few days when needed.

Dean Gloria then asked if St. Andrew’s had money.

Steve said there are 4 endowments: Lizzie Hawkins, Gallen Strickland, Martin Sweet and Feeney Crew, they total approximately $10.000, but they at present do not know the original wishes or how they were set up. Sheldon spoke that depleting these endowments would not solve the financial problem and Steve agreed but did suggest that access to these funds might be used to do much need repairs to the Church. Peter Fleming had been contacted by Steve and asked but he was not able to offer any assistance.

Another asset St. Andrew’s has is a few parcels of land. It was explained the Archdeacon Brenda has someone looking into what may or may not be permitted to do with these as well as a small parcel St. John’s has.

Valerie spoke about the fact the hall belonging to St. Andrew’s had been taken over by another group of 6 people and it has been wonderful. All the bills are being paid for the hall by the committee as well as the All Souls Chapel in the basement which is being heated by the committee and used by the Church after Christmas until spring therefore no heat or light bill would exist for St. Andrew’s for their Church during this time. The committee as well in return for the use of the hall pays the St. Andrew’s insurance on the Church and hall.

Dean Gloria suggested we list all bank accounts and institutions on our annual reports.

The 5/3 program is a program which is called “A Journey just begun”, where 5 questions are asked of the Parish and worked through by a facilitator one at a time. It may take more then one setting to do each question. Questions like, do all members know who they are and know what you have been called to do? Do we have the resources and leadership we need? What is our vision statement? What is it to be a Parish? Stewardship/Finances, stewardship not being just about money but time, talents, prayer and money.

Clergy should not be the facilitator perhaps someone from the Diocese would come out and that would be an expense. Clara asked if Dean Gloria would be willing and she said yes if that was our wish as she has the training. Clara was part of the “Freshstart” and feels that Dean Gloria would be most appropriate as a facilitator.

Kelvin asked if there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Will the Diocese help us out financially?

Both Dean Gloria and Selma suggested that Parish Relations should be contacted and they meet next Wednesday, the 7th of December and not again until two months. If a Parish is struggling with paying their allotment and for us to remember that allotment is not a tax it does far more we should contact Parish Relations. It was felt that a letter should be sent via email to the Parish Relations committee and the following: Bishop Ron Cutler, Peter Fleming and Gordon Redden. The letter should ask for forgiveness for a period of time because we are struggling. Mention that we have met several times as a Parish and that Dean Gloria was here and spoke with us as well about the Visioning Process.

Selma also suggested the “Growth for Ministry Fund”. They meet once a year and we may be able to access monies. They only meet once a year and she believed that to be in January.

Kelvin asked if someone from the Diocese would come here and talk to the Parish regarding the proper procedures for doing our finances and was reminded that Peter Fleming had travelled to the industrial part of Cape Breton last spring and noone from our Parish other then the minister had attended. Selma said yes, Peter Fleming will come and help us in anyway he can. Gloria was given a bit of a background about how finances are handled in our Parish. It all appears very confusing to most.

Sheldon said, “We need a solution.” He feels that we need to connect. Dean Gloria suggested that this comes from a personal invitation, not the Priest but the parishioners. There is a part in the visioning process that deals with visitation but it all takes people, time and energy.


Where are we at?
Steve and Kelvin will get together with Clara and Friday, Dec, 2nd to draft a letter to be sent to those mentioned. Dean Gloria will let us know when she hears from the Diocese about the Visioning process beginning.

David mentioned that everyone is here, this is it. Dean Gloria said then this is who we need to rejuvenate. She said it starts with us.

Dean Gloria asked if there were other questions and hearing none, Kelvin thanks the Dean for coming and we closed with the Doxology.

Parish Council July 5, 2010 draft

Parish Council Meeting
Ingonish, July 5, 2010


Helen read the minutes from our last meeting in was moved by Kelvin and seconded by Keith that they be approved as read.

Clara read the minutes from the Feb. 22nd meeting as requested as she did not show for the previous meeting and did not send the book with the minutes included. These minutes where moved by Keith and seconded by Steve to be adopted as read.

Those in Attendance:
Rhadie, Linda, Valerie, Helen, Steve, Kelvin, Dean, Mary, Clara, Bernice, Lenora, Keith, Rose and Rev Warren

Business arising from the minutes:
• There will be no cabbage roll supper
• Dean provided a copy of the letter that Kelvin had sent to Bishop Sue. Dean and Kelvin will be working on a new one together.
• Rev. Warren introduced the prayer beads and it was motioned by Rhadie and seconded by Helen that we sell the beads for $15. For the wooden ones and $20 for the glass. Rev. Warren determined that each Church will be billed according to what they sell. Linda asked Dean to include this in the newsletter.
• Rev. Warren reported that visitation is going well and are a result of the lists that folks are providing him with.
• July 12th will be the date of the Eucharistic workshop which will be held in St. Andrew’s Church
• July 26th will be the date of the Lay readers workshop which will be held in St. John’s Church
• 300th anniversary history book was on hand for those wanting a peak. If the Parish sells 20, they will cost $30 each.



• Dean mentioned the lack of information that he is receiving for the newsletters from the Ingonish wardens and Neil’s Harbour in general. He feels folks may feel that Neil’s Harbour may be feeling left out that is not his intention. Helen passed along information for Dean at the meeting to include in the next letter.
• Steve still has not heard anything on the letter that he sent out in regards to monies the Diocese feels our Parish owes for arrears payroll.
• Bible study had gone well the first night but no one has been in attendance since. It was suggested and agreed upon that we postpone the bible study until the fall.
• Compline service has been enjoyable and a summary of the services will be provided in the fall by Warren.
• Every Thursday during the summer the ecumenical family of reverends North of Smokey have been providing services in the unique Churches and this will continue.
• The Diocese has put a hold on its Non Stipendiary ministry program as it was felt by council to be loosing site of its intended cause. This is currently being looked at by their council.
• Warren asked how to ship the communion set to Quebec and it was suggested by Dean to use Star. Rev. Warren will inquire.
• Warren suggested that our Advent devotion perhaps might be to establish a Parish Vision Statement,

Correspondence:

• Insurance letters that we received are wrong, the state that our deductable is $50000.00 and should read $5000, Helen will check with Bev on this matter.
• Ken Jante of Wander voyage pilgrim group sent a letter of thanks to St. Andrew’s and they will be returning on July 11th, 2010
• Home communion sets still have not been paid for $277.45; Helen will mention this to Bev.






• PWRDF envelopes have sent a card reminding if we are going to purchase from them the time is now.
• Anglican foundations monies are due. Keith motioned that we once again send the $50 and this was seconded by Steve. Warren will try and find the statement and send it to Bev to be paid.
• Peter Fleming has heard our request for financial training and has been in contact with Brenda Drake we will know more when things are finalized.


New Business:

• September 26th is Back to Church Sunday. Mary Lefriend and Warren are going organize this event. It will be held separately in each Church.
• Our Registered Charity form is complete.
• The main entrance door and floor at the Rectory needs to be fixed as it is rotting. Steve to contact Billy Hogan and Derek Smith to ask them to fix this. All materials to be ordered through the Home Hardware. This was motioned by Keith and seconded by Bernice.
• Helen asked Dean why St. John’s vestry minutes where not on line and Dean felt that they should be there although he had included in the newsletters that it would only be Parish Council minutes. This to be done by St. John’s after their next meeting.

Treasurer’s Report:

• Both St. John’s and St. Andrew’s reports where read: St. Andrew’s with a balance of $5317.59 in their general account and St. John’s with a total of $2609.48 in theirs.

• A motion to approve both financial reports was made by Keith and seconded by Helen.





Next meeting: September 27th 6:30pm, St. Andrew’s

Kelvin moved that this meeting by adjourned.

Parish Council May 24, 2010

DRAFT MINUTES

Parish Council Meeting, May 24th., 2010

Rev. Warren opened our meeting with prayer. 14 members in attendance.
Valerie sent her regrets as she was out of town & couldn’t attend.
The minutes of our last meeting wasn’t available & will be read at our next meeting.

Kelvin read the letter Rev. Fred sent after meeting with Rev. Warren & the Wardens. He suggested we read Cannon 35 & this will provide the information we require. We must improve our communications. He suggested Rev. Warren & the 4 Wardens meet before our Council meetings & go over the agenda & set times for discussion. Communications will improve over time. Moved by David, seconded by Reid. M/C..
Moved by David, seconded by Kelvin we add our Chair to these meetings. This was done in Dean’s absence.
Rev. Fred spoke on Pastoral Care in his letter. He thought we needed more. He suggested the wardens provide names to him for visitation. A book has been provided at the church’s entrance for the congregation to provide names. Rev. Warren said he is ½ through the names on the visitation list. He visits on Mon., Thurs. & Sat. & asked if anyone would like to go along with him. He is a little behind on his administration work.
He will be showing the Anglican Rosary to some residents at the Manor & teach them how to use it. Parish Council members were also interested in having one. He will order 24 of them at $10.00 each. Rev. Warren will speak to both congregations re the rosaries.
Rev. Fred suggested we have another meeting with the Archdeacon in 6 mths..
We welcomed Rose Donovan to our Council. She is our Fresh start rep..
We will continue our Fresh Start programs in Sept..
Rev. Warren will provide education around Eucharistic Ministry. He will explain the how & why & ask for volunteers from both Churches. Also, ask for volunteers to give home communion to those who can’t make it to church.

Church schedules: Our church services will alternate between 9am & 11am.. On a trial basis he will also provide a Compline Service at 7pm in the church that has the 9am service.
Children’s service will stop for July & August.
Rev. Warren will be in Halifax on June 6th. To attend the 300th anniversary Service. Lay Readers will provide the service at St. Andrews & St. Johns. Rev. warren will help them with or provide the service.
Bible study, and/or a Theology book &/or studying the next week’s readings was discussed. Rev. Warren is interested in leading a study of some kind. Helen suggested a paper be placed at the back of the church for names of those interested in attending.

It was suggested we put birthdays, anniversaries, etc. in our bulletin. Names be given to our Wardens to send to Dean.

Steve sent an email to Christene Newcomb in reply to the bill we received from the Diocese for monies they “missed “charging us from 2001 to 2008 stating we do not believe we owe this money. Our accountant read the letter/figures sent & didn’t see where we owe money. It was a very good letter! The email was sent 6 weeks ago & he hasn’t received another bill or reply.

Finances. St. John’s has $3,398 in their general fund. No report given for Memorial & other funds. St. Andrew’s report wasn’t received. Bev asked St. Johns to categorize their bills in the format of the parochial report. Rev Warren said he will get together with Ing. after the Annual meeting & help with this.
The insurance bills are out.
Bev sent the new percentages based on the 2009 PAROCHIAL REPORT.
St. Andrew’s = 59%, St. John’s = 41%.

Kelvin submitted a copy of the letter he sent to Bishop Sue requesting monies for the rectory improvements we did before Rev. Warren arrived. He will inform us when he receives a response.

On Father’s Day, June 20th., we will have a cabbage roll supper at St. John’s hall. There is a golf tournament on that day at Highland Links & it was suggested we sell tickets on 2 doz. Lobsters at one of the holes on the Links also. We talked about meeting to prepare the cabbage rolls & Reid suggested we buy the cabbage rolls. He can get them for us from Sisco & will get back to Steve re price. They come in a foil roaster & cost aprox. $1.00 each, but he will check to make sure of this. The cost of the supper will be determined.
Helen asked if we should be having fund raisers on Sundays as this is opposite to what the Commandment teaches us re the Sabbath. We’ve done it over the years but aren’t we disobeying this commandment. Rev. Warren said we should think about this. He talked about this & most thought we should have fund raisers on Sunday.

Clericis will meet in Neil’s Harbour on June 24th..

Helen moved for adjournment.

Meeting closed with prayer.




H. Budge


In attendance: Rev. Warren, Steve, Lenora, Darlene, Keith, Eleanor, Rhadie, Kelvin, Rose, Reid, Dale, Johnathon, Linda, Helen, David

St. Andrew's Vestry Draft Minutes - Apr 22, 2010

St. Andrew’s Vestry Meeting, Apr. 22 nd., 2010

Rev. Warren opened our meeting with reading the 23rd. Psalm. Discussion followed. 7 members in attendance.
March 22nd’s minutes were read & approved. Moved by Linda, seconded by Bernice.
BUISS. ARRISING FROM THE MINUTES: Rev. Warren said visitation is going well. He visited with 8 people this week. A list of people to visit was given to him by the Warden’s. Steve will get a list of civic #’s for him. Linda & Helen will try to complete the list of phone #’s & addresses.
We will find out if we get a summer grant on May 15th..
Fresh Start was cancelled this week as Rev. Gloria was ill. We will discuss a new date for this at our Parish Council Meeting.
Linda has a receipt book to issue receipts for rent of the little bldg..
April’s rent hasn’t been paid yet.
Norwegian chalice: Some clergy suggested we send the broken chalice to D. Robataille in Montreal for an estimate on the repair.
There’s a Family Folk & Fun Fair in Syd. Mines at Trinty Church, on May 16th.. Each Parish to provide 2 games & prizes for children. We were asked to have some youth partake in the concert.
We were asked to take a couple of older interesting items from our church to Nth. Syd. For a special service to help celebrate 2010. We are taking the Norwegian chalice. Maggie Mac Kinnon did a presentation of this last yr. & still has the material. We will ask her if she would like to do this presentation again. We have a nice picture of Simon Gibbons which we will take with any information we can gather about him.
Sheldon Lambert will be a church auditor this year.
The Rector/Warden’s meeting with Rev. Fred went well, more info at the Parish Council meeting in N. Hbr. On April 27th. At 6:30 pm..
We will meet at the church on Apr. 28th. At 1pm. To fill out the insurance papers & take pictures or a video. We will also list the items not being used & bring it to our next Vestry meeting where we will decide whether we keep them or pass them on.
We talked re the letter to the community re our church finances. Nothing finalized.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Total current assets: $21,066.22. Our checking account is minus $227.37. Moved by Linda, seconded by Valerie. M/C Rector’s report: 2010 Celebration Service in Halifax on June 6th..Celebrations will be going on all year in our Parishes. Lay Readers who attend will robe & have special seating. Clergy suggested we have a service of celebration in the Parish of Neil’s Harbour sometime during the year.
The Regional Banner is here for a month. Rev. Warren will explain the meaning of the banners to the congregation.
Warden’s Report: Senior’s Dinner. Linda informed us we failed to send receipts in from the last Senior’s dinner but will do so. Valerie has info & will work with Linda to get this done.
Church Porch windows & doors. Steve said he contacted Carmichael’s Custom Building in Baddeck & he came to see what needed to be done. We must take the stained window out, put in an energy efficient window & put the stained glass window back in & the reworking of the doors after replacing the window. The new window & other work is quoted as Window & materials $ 1099 plus tax & labour $1750 plus tax. We expect there may be a bit of rot, etc. & we agrees to spend $4000.00 of our Concert Series monies on this. Moved by Valerie seconded by Reid. M/C.
We must write a letter to the diocese for approval. Rev. Warren will write this letter.
Our next meeting will be May 17th..
Rev. Warren will be away on May 11th through 14th.. He will be in Halifax for continuing education, attending an ordination & 2 days of personal business. Rev. Carl & Rev. Gloria will be on call.
If we need the grass mowed before we receive a grant we will take care of it as required.
Valerie asked if there will be Lay Reader training before they start serving the wine. Rev. Warren said there will be classes. Rev. Warren makes the whole wheat communion bread. He suggests if you want the Host hold out one hand, for the whole wheat hold out 2 hands.
Reid moved for adjournment.
We closed with a prayer.


Chair:

Sect.

In attendance: Rev. Warren, Steve, Linda, Reid, Bernice, Valerie & Helen

Parish Council October 6, 2009

PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES, OCT. 6TH., 2009, ST. JOHN’S HALLRev. Warren opened our meeting with a Bible reading, Matthew, ch. 6, verses 24-34.Each person had a turn to say what it meant to us. Minutes of May 11th.’s meeting were read & approved. Moved by Kelvin seconded by Steve.BUISS. ARRISING FR. MINUTES: Kelvin, Wayne & Sheldon spoke with Bishop Sue re repairs/upgrading made to the rectory this summer. Kelvin will contact Rev. Carl to see if work must be inspected before applying for monies. Clara will fax info to Kelvin & he will prepare a list of expense incurred & cost of work still to be completed - maybe a generator..CORRESPONDANCE: nilFINANCIAL REPORT: St. John’s: $37,149.98St. Andrews: #34,627.13Lenora didn’t get list of sharable from Bev. since March.Kelvin moved, Bernice seconded the financial report be accepted as read. M/CWARDEN’S REPORT: Neil’s harbour: We must get the basement at the rectory cleaned out & move the bureaus & area rugs Rev. Warren didn’t need down to the basement at the hall. Steve repaired the drain that was causing trouble in St. Andrew’s cemetery. We discussed our policy on Burial plots & after much discussion we decided we would revisit the pamphlets on Funeral Policies & Marriage Policies at our next meeting.Rev. Warren ordered a resource book which lists the daily readings, where to find them, the collect & the hymns to use.Helen to email Bev & ask if she has the insurance policy.Clara sent an email to the diocese to see how the moving expense is split & it will be St8%, St. Andrew’s 62%.The Annual Clergy Conference in Halifax will cost $300.00. The bishop requires Rev. Warren to attend. Kelvin moved to pay this, seconded by Dean. M/C Linda has the letter from Bishop Sue, Helen to forward it to Bev.We will have a joint service in Dec. It will be a service of New Ministry at 3pm.. The Covenant will be read at this service.Rev. Warren spoke about refugee families & how our region could be a sponsor. We would probably be a funded sponsorship & help a special needs family. The government would pay & the church sets up school enrolment, a tutor, a doctor, someone to help with language, ESL necessary & supporting their set up in the community. Regional Council asked all clergy to approach their parish Councils. Rev. Warren feels we could be a host & it would be a wonderful thing for our communities. For a 3 or 4 person family it would cost us between 1 to 3 thousand dollars per yr. & we would have to commit to helping the family /students until their language improves. At the end of 2 yrs. they would be on their own & would be free to live where they wanted. It was moved by Keith, seconded by Darlene that Rev. Warren approach the other denominations Nth. Of Smokey to see if they’re willing to make it a community event. Moving expense: $11,201.28. Clara has the moving expense policy. If Rev. warren moves before serving 3 yrs. He has to repay this expense. Helen to send a copy of the bill to Bev.. Kelvin will speak to Rev. Carl to see if out Celtic Concert monies can be used to pay this.Our new service schedule will be one 9am service, two 11am services & one 7pm service starting in Nov..Covenant: Clara explained how it was set up. She read it & it was accepted & will be signed at our Joint service. Kelvin complemented Rev. Warren, Rev. Fred & the parochial committee on the preparation of the covenant.Neil’s Harbour will have it’s All Soul’s Remembrance Service on Nov. 1st. At 7pm.. Rev. Warren will announce it in church on the Sunday’s leading up to the service. Kelvin asked St. Andrew’s if we had our Advent folders. Helen to contact Laura.It was moved by Kelvin, seconded by Keith we contact Peter Fleming or Rev. Brenda Drake re finance training/info. Rev. Warren said we are required to have a parish treasurer who is accountable to the church. Neil’s harbour must get a treasurer & Bev. Will bring the two churches finances together. Lots of discussion on this!!!We talked about the memorial Fund which goes into the General Fund unless those donating specify where they want it to go. We will discuss this with Peter Fleming or Rev. Brenda when they come. Bev will also attend this session. We will discuss what programs we would like to do, how much money we need to budget, etc.. The Warden’s & the treasurer must feel comfortable signing checks Dean said St. John’s was quite satisfied with Lenora’s work.Dean suggested the minutes should be put on a blog.Next Parish Council meeting will be on Dec. 1st. At Neil’s Harbour. Meeting closed with the Blessing.　　　　In attendance: Rev. Warren, Dean, Linda, Keith, Rhadie, Lenora, Nancy, Mary, Bernice, Jolene, Valerie, Steve, Ivy, Darlene, Helen, Kelvin

Parish Council December 1, 2009

Parish Council, Neil’s harbour, Dec. 1st., 2009
Rev. Warren opened our meeting with a reading from Luke.
Oct. 6th.’s minutes were read & approved. Moved by Reid, seconded by Marion. M/C
BUIS. ARRIS. FR. MINUTES: Kelvin read the letter he sent to Bishop Sue on Nov. 30th. re financial help for repairs to rectory & with the cost of repairs at St. Johns. (Letter on file.) Hall basement: Cleaned & bureaus, etc. from rectory are in use or stored.
Funeral Policy: A committee was formed to meet & discuss changes. Rev. Warren, Kelvin & Valerie are on this committee with Steve & Dean to be asked to join. They will try to make the Policy easier to understand & present.
Clergy Conference, Truro: Rev. Warren said it was his first chance to meet fellow Priests, he attended workshops & brought back info.
New Ministry service will be at 2pm on Sat., Dec. 5th. At Ingonish. St. John’s will provide sandwiches & St. Andrew’s will provide sweets & buy the cake. This will be a service where Rev. Warren will be presented with the keys to the churches, etc. . Valerie will contact Clara & they will get people to do the presentations. Rev. Warren was ordained on Thurs. in Halifax.
Kelvin will speak to Rev. Carl to ask if St. Andrew’s can use their Celtic Concert money towards the moving bill.
All Souls memorial Service at St. Andrews went great!
We are still waiting to hear from Peter Flemming as to when he can come from Halifax to speak/teach church financing.
St. Andrew’s pizza night didn’t go well - nobody showed up. This was due to several basketball games at Cabot. We will try again.
The minutes were sent to Rev. Warren but didn’t make it to the blog.
Refugee program scrapped for now.
CORRESPONDANCE: We has a letter saying we must put hand sanitizer in our churches. Is shaking hands healthy? Left to one’s discretion. Bishop Sue says we cannot dip the wafer in the wine during Communion. If we do not wish to use the chalice we should cross our hands over our chest. Much discussion followed. If 1/3 of people are missing Rev. Warren can decide to cancel church, etc..
TREASURERS REPORT: St. John’s $25,424.04 as of the middle of Nov., St. Andrew’s as of the end of Oct., 29,246.86. Moved by Mary, seconded by Linda.
WARDEN’S REPORTS: Kelvin attended a Fresh Start program which was presented in Ingonish by Rev. Gloria Fraser & Rev. Peter Rafuse. They had many topics, such as adopting to new clergy, parishes in transmission, etc. which could be presented at a day course which they will travel to our Parish to present one day a month. ( List on file) Kelvin passed out the list of topics & gave us some info. The programs are open to anyone but except church leaders to attend. It’s paid for by the Diocese & we provide a place to hold it & provide lunch. We’re thinking of starting in the new year, maybe the last Thurs. in January. Bishop Sue expects the Vestry to partake in these sessions. Kelvin will speak at both churches re these sessions & it will be in our next newsletter.
NEW BUISNESS: We were given papers to fill out & return to church by Dec. 31st... It was a survey by the Diocese re allotment. What do we seek? Should we continue to cut allotment?
We are too late in St. Andrew’s to do our usual buying selected gifts for the children who have requested it from Community Service. We will contact Faye to ask her to put us on the list for next year & this year we will do the white paper giving.
Rev. Warren said he will earn 10 days vacation by Jan. 1st.. He can take his vacation at any time providing he clears it with the Wardens. He will take days off during Christmas week.
When asked about visitation Rev. Warren replied he has no set schedule yet.
We stressed visitation is very important to us. Rev. Warren said he is an introvert. Linda volunteered to accompany him on his first visits & they will start on Thursday.
It was brought to our attention that sometimes the speaker the readers use isn’t turned on or not working. We will check it before services.
Reid moved for adjournment.
Rev. Warren closed with prayers.
　
　
　
In attendance: Rev. Warren, Kelvin, Steve, Linda, Reid, Marion, Mary, Valerie, Ivy, Lois, Rhadie, Donna Lynn, Helen

Newsletter October 2009

Schedule October 2009

Letter of Resignation

To the Wardens and Congregations of the Parish of Neil’s Harbour with Ingonish
From the Reverend M. Elliott Siteman, Rector
Regarding Canon 25
14 September 2008, Holy Cross Day

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

After a great deal of prayer, conversation, discernment and some prodding by our Bishop I have submitted, and the Bishop has accepted my resignation as rector of this parish.

This resignation will take effect on the 29th of November 2008 so that I may accept the Bishop’s appointment as Rector of the Parish of St. George’s, New Glasgow on the First Sunday in Advent, the 30th of November 2008.

I know this may seem too soon; indeed I had not anticipated a move for a few more years yet but what we must keep before us is that God’s plans and our plans do not always match.

I want you all to know that this was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life – next to getting married and becoming a parent. God called me to this place to be amongst you for a time. Now God calls me onward. I have done faithful service here and in order to continue to be faithful I must follow God’s call in my life. I perceive God’s call in my own prayer and contemplation, in the voices of other people, and in the voice of my Bishop. That call is what drew me to this place and that call is what is drawing me to New Glasgow.

We will have a few weeks to say our good byes and I will be putting in place some things to ensure that ministry will continue in this place. The Lay Readers and I will be doing some education together around scheduling, services & home communions. Also Kelvin & Wayne will continue in their Education For Ministry Program, which will only be beneficial to this parish.

Finally, you will not be abandoned. Bishop Sue will be appointing a Priest-in-Charge and, along with the Archdeacon, you will form a Parochial Committee to seek out a new Rector to come amongst you for a time. I pray that in due time you will be sent another faithful servant, one who will walk with you as you continue your journey in faith.

As this announcement is being made on the festival of the Holy Cross it is important to note that it is the cross of Jesus that leads us into the future and as long as we keep that cross in sight we will be walking the path of discipleship.

God bless you all.

Yours truly,
The Reverend M. Elliott Siteman
Rector

Welcome!

This week in the life of our Parish we welcome Shona Boardman. She is a theological student and postulant for our diocese and will be with us for the month of July. We are blessed to have a student amongst us. Come out and support her as she continues her training here in this place.

Celtic Concert Series

This summer we will be holding a series or concerts as a fund raisers for the parish.

For more information or to reserve tickets please check out the website we have created for these events.

Concert Series Website

It should be a grand time!

Holy Week Schedule

Services for Holy Week leading up to the celebration of Easter are scheduled for:

Palm Sunday 16 March 2008
9am Holy Eucharist with Palms, St. John's
11am Holy Eucharist with Palms, St. Andrew's

Monday of Holy Week 17 March
10am Holy Eucharist, St. John's

Tuesday of Holy Week 18 March
10am Holy Eucharist, St. Andrew's

Wednesday of Holy Week 19 March
7pm Holy Eucharist, St. John's

Maundy Thursday 20 March
7pm Institution of the Lord's Supper with Foot Washing, St. Andrew's

Good Friday 21 March
1pm Ecumenical Service, St. Andrew's

Holy Saturday 22 March
8:30pm The Easter Vigil, St. John's

Easter Day 23 March
9am Holy Eucharist & Baptism, St. Andrew's
11am Holy Eucharist & Baptism, St. John's

All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome - come and worship

Lenten Study Group 2008 - Session One

With Lent comes our annual program of study. This year we are looking at the Sacraments of the church and we begin with Baptism & Confirmation.

Click HERE to look at the opening presentation for this session. Please feel free to make comments and/or to come and join us. The schedule for our sessions is as such:

Session One - 14 February 2008, 6:30pm, St. John's Church - Baptism & Confirmation
Session Two - 21 February 2008, 6:30pm, All Souls' Chapel - Eucharist
Session Three - 28 February 2008, 6:30pm, St. John's Church - Holy Orders
Session Four: 6 March 2008, 6:30pm, All Souls’ Chapel – Reconciliation & Unction
Session Five: 13 March 2008, 6:30pm, St. John’s Church – Marriage

An Explaination

My friends I would like to share with you the details about a decision that was made for the congregation of St. Andrew's.

Recently we have been worshipping in All Souls' Chapel instead of in St. Andrew's Church. The vestry made this decision based upon the financial realities that we must live with in this part of our parish. Last year (2007) we spent over $4000 on electricity for St. Andrew's the bulk of that money needed to heat the church. Last year (2007) the congregation of St. Andrew's lived beyond its means - we had to spend much more than was offered - and so we fell into a deficit situation.

As I stated in my sermon for Epiphany the Vestry, Wardens and I have been very worried about this situation and we have been trying to think of ways to help ourselves out of this hole. Using All Souls' Chapel is a good use of our resources. The 46 people who came on the 13th of January and the 26 people who came on the 20th of January were well housed in the chapel. Most of those who came thought that the worship had an intimate feel about it.

We are called to be good stewards of that which God has blessed us with and using our Chapel for regular Sunday worship lives up to that stewardship.

I would like to make one thing very clear:

WE ARE NOT IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING St. ANDREW'S CHURCH.

Please do not think this for one moment! For the winter months when we do not have a special service we will be using the Chapel. When the warmer weather returns or for our Joint Services or for our Family Eucharists we will be using St. Andrew's.

If you have any questions about how this decision was reached please do not hesitate to contact me, I will be all too happy to answer your questions.

Blessings,
Elliott+

Thanksgiving Time

My dear Sisters and Brothers,

It is hard for me to believe that this is my fourth Thanksgiving celebration amongst the people of this parish. Time is something that we all have to be thankful for, as once it is spent it can never be retrieved again. Time is the only gift that, once given, can never be retrieved again.

I have much to be thankful for this year. As I watch Magdalene grow, develop and mature I see everyday that I have been blessed greatly by our God. The love I feel for her is unlike any love I have felt before in my life and the more I feel it the more I come to understand the love that God has for each of us as his children.

I learn many things from my daughter that teach me about thankfulness and God’s grace here in this world. I am thankful that she is healthy, happy and secure in who she is. I am grateful that Wendy Faye has the freedom to be at home to provide the primary care that Magdalene needs. I thank God that He provides for my needs in all that He gives me and in all that He does for me.

Our Parish Family has much to be thankful for this year as well. Our revitalized fundraising efforts have proven to be tremendous successes. Both St. John’s and St. Andrew’s have engaged in a great deal of planning and work to bring people out in support of our Parish. The Vestry at St. John’s and the Fundraising Committee at St. Andrew’s have shown great leadership in providing the kind of fun and delicious events to help us raise funds for the glory of God and the good of His church here on earth.

I want to personally thank everyone who supported the 130th Anniversary events at St. Andrew’s. If you made food, served food, ate food, attended the historical presentation and the celebration Eucharist and/or helped out in any way you have my sincerest gratitude. Events like this give us a sense of our history and show us where we have been so that we can point ourselves toward the future certain of our past.

All these efforts are valuable for more than just the funds that they generate for the glory of God and the good of His church. These events also bring us together as a community for fellowship. There are four major anchors that hold the church together: Worship, Work, Fellowship, and Education. When we can properly balance all of these things in our own personal lives then the church will grow and thrive in this part of the world.

At a recent meeting of our Parish Council we discussed the things that we do well here in this place as a community of faith. Overwhelmingly we agreed that the worship and preaching that we offer and hear in this place are valuable, life giving, and engaging. I urge you all to consider how it is that you organize your time and consider how much time you spend in corporate worship. Services filled with people are joyful come and see what our Parish Council is so excited about. For a faithful Christian cannot live the vows of Baptism in isolation. A truly faithful Christian needs to come to the community as much as the community needs the faithful Christian.

In today’s culture I know that the hope of the Gospel is not something that is of use to many people – or at least that is what many people think. But nothing is further from the truth. Our lives are filled with hardship, heartache, grief and trouble – all of which the church community can help you with. The message that the Gospel shows us all is that God loves us and desires a relationship with each of us and how better to further that relationship than by coming to worship each week to give thanks to God for all the blessings of our lives.

I am thankful to those of you who are extremely faithful attendees of our services. Your faith gives me hope for the future of our Parish. Your job is to spread the word about the kind of uplifting worship you feel when you come and encourage others to join us. Coming to worship should not be seen as a duty but as a joy. Coming to worship should not be seen as an ordeal but as an experience worth sharing. Coming to worship should not be seen as something to be taken for granted but as something to be anticipated and looked forward to. Those who are responsible for leadership in these services work hard to ensure that this will be the case.

The hard work that so few people do to plan, organize and present our parish events and worship is something that we all have to be thankful for. We are in need of more people to offer themselves as Vestry members, Parish Council members, ACW members, Altar Guild members, Readers, Servers, and much more besides. If God has blessed you with a skill, ability or talent please consider offering it back to God by serving Him and His church.

Wendy Faye and Magdalene join with me in wishing you all a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. May it be a time for you to consider that which God has blessed you with and how it is that you can offer a portion of that back to God in thanksgiving.

Yours faithfully,
The Reverend M. Elliott Siteman
Rector

Rectory Repair Day

A group of very hard working men came to the Parish Rectory on the 22nd of September to shingle the roof.

A pictorial record of the event can be found by clicking HERE.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to keep the rain out!