Anglican Diocese of Niagara

We hope you'll worship with us this Sunday as we mark the feast of All Saints. We're back at our original time of 10am! Join the livestream a few minutes early to say hello! You can download the order of service here: https://tinyurl.com/y5xlc96j

We're excited to launch for the first time Youth Alpha this January! Every day youth ask hundreds of questions such as: What should I wear today? What is for dinner? Who should I spend time with? They also ask deeper questions that are often hard to unpack and find the answers to, such as: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is there more to life than this? Youth Alpha provides a safe and comfortable space to virtually explore life’s most challenging questions. All those aged 14-18 are welcome to join a weekly two-hour Zoom gathering in January. Click the link below for more information and register.

You may have read about this heart-warming story about the refugee sponsorship underway through the Church of St John the Evangelist, "The Rock on Locke" in this month's Niagara Anglican newspaper. It's a testament to the power and networks of the Anglican Communion. After fleeing Iran for Turkey, the three women, who are Christian, attended an Anglican church in Ankara. Eventually, they met Bishop David Hamid, formerly a priest in the Diocese of Niagara and now suffragan bishop for the Diocese of Europe. Bishop Hamid connected them to Scott McLeod who oversees refugee sponsorships in our diocese and St. John's embraced the opportunity to sponsor this family.

In this week's JUSTFriday, Deirdre Pike gives a shout-reach Canon Jody Beck and invites us to participate in two upcoming justice events! Watch to learn more!

In a video message to the The Anglican Church of Canada, our Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, reflects on the challenges we face, both as individuals and as a community of faith, during this time of pandemic. The light on the darkest days is our shared faith in Jesus Christ, and our practice of prayer brings us the gifts of stability and hope.

We hope you'll join us for worship on Sunday as we lift up our prayers and praises to God. Download the order of service here: https://tinyurl.com/y39fsyq6

The convening circular of the 146th Synod of the Diocese of Niagara, containing the agenda, resolutions, reports, and other documents related to synod, has been posted on our synod webpage. Our first ever virtual synod will take place on Saturday, November 7 via Zoom. In the lead up to synod, we invite you to keep the members and work of synod in your prayers.

This week for JUSTFriday, Deirdre Pike highlights the missional moments which were shared at synod, the upcoming ISARC poverty forum on Nov. 25, and the Proud Anglicans. Advent resources from the Social and Environmental Justice Committee of the Diocese of Huron and from the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund get a nod as well.

We hope you'll join us as we lift up our prayers and praises to God this Sunday! The order of service can be downloaded here: https://tinyurl.com/y6znvjbs

There's still time to register for tomorrow's special presentation with Dr. Dianne Saxe from 7:00-8:30pm! It'll be a wonderful evening where we explore the climate crisis as a moral issue, our own climate pollution, and the need for moral leadership required in our faith communities to make a difference in practice and advocacy. Dr. Saxe is one of Canada’s most respected environmental and climate lawyers, with 40+ years’ unparalleled experience writing, interpreting, and litigating Ontario’s energy and environmental laws. Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner from 2015-2019, she reported to the Legislature on the province’s environmental, energy, and climate performance.

Halloween is one week away, and the Anglican Family Hub has adapted for the times, with a virtual celebration, complete with games, crafts, a Halloween devotion, and a costume contest! Join in the festivities on Friday October 30th at 6:30pm on Zoom! It’ll be a great event, designed for children aged 4-16 years old (*young children are required to bring a parent or guardian).... A voucher for a family pizza party will go to the winner of the costume contest, so be sure to dress up. To RSVP or for more information: contact Sarah Bird by email: [email protected]

This article from the Niagara Anglican highlights how our ministry with migrant farmworkers has adapted with the pandemic by providing grocery and clothing drop-offs. As we celebrate the abundance of the harvest, we give thanks to God for all who grew and gathered it, especially the many migrant farmworkers who have laboured in our diocese this season.

We invite you to join us this Sunday at 2:00pm for a special Thanksgiving service as we give thanks to God for the blessings which flow to us each day.

May you have a safe, and a heartfelt Thanks-giving this weekend. Read Bishop Susan Bell’s most recent pastoral letter below.

While we may not be able to gather together in-person, we are delighted to have the opportunity to spend an evening together online with Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. We hope you will join us on November 30 as we celebrate our diocesan family and welcome our distinguished guest! Members of the Bishop's Company will be invited to ask the Primate anything from the work to renew the mission of the Anglican Church of Canada to her favouri...te canoeing spot. There will also be music to enjoy and, of course, a toast to the Queen and the Church! Click the link below to become a member or renew your membership with the Bishop's Company and be part of this evening of laughter, friendship, and community building.

As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, we're so grateful for this year's 33 recipients of the Order of Niagara and their outstanding contributions to our ministry! Online services were held on September 20 and October 4 via Zoom, during which the citation for each recipient was read aloud by the bishop as their videos were spotlighted to the virtual congregation. Then, recipients they were invited to put on their medallions to the joy of those participating in the service. More than 250 households participated in this year's celebration!

Leaders from the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada call upon the Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia for an immediate intervention in the Mi’kmaw fishing crisis.

In a special Thanksgiving letter to Anglicans in the ecclesiastical province of Ontario, Archbishop Anne Germond, on behalf of the province's bishops and executive officers, offers a message of encouragement and gratitude. While our Thanksgiving celebrations will be very different in our sanctuaries and in our homes this year, as God’s faithful people we remain joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer (Romans 12.12), lifting our eyes to God whose unend...ing faithfulness, generosity, and graciousness sustains and nurtures us." The letter notes that with the pandemic surging, this is a time for heightened vigilance adherence to the new protocols that have been put in place. Read the full message on the website below.

Archdeacon Tim Dobbin has been appointed by Bishop Susan Bell to serve as rector of Christ’s Church Cathedral in Hamilton and Dean of Niagara, beginning January 1, 2021. I am absolutely delighted that Archdeacon Dobbin will be assuming this important leadership role with our cathedral and our diocese, said Bishop Susan Bell. Tim brings with him a vast amount of ministry experience and a deep commitment to helping the established church transition to the next season of it...s ministry by better connecting with the unchurched and dechurched. As the fourteenth dean of Niagara, he will serve as the senior priest of the diocese, offering counsel to the bishop and exercising leadership in the councils of the church, such as synod council and the diocese. It will be a joy and privilege to build on the Cathedral’s many God-given strengths: a tradition of excellence in liturgy and preaching; strong and diverse lay leadership; well-established links with the wider Hamilton community, said Archdeacon Dobbin. I see enormous potential for missional engagement with the Jamesville neighbourhood and for influencing the life of the Diocese.

Join us for our monthly celebration of the Eucharist with Spiritual Communion as we celebrate the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. Download the order of service here: https://tinyurl.com/y6gm2dve

The next in a series of workshops being held to complement the basic workshop offered to parish leaders each spring will focus on human resource matters, hosted by Canon Terry DeForest. Planned for Saturday, October 24 from 9:30-11:00am, participants will receive and review the latest (recently updated) templates for offers of employment, and to discuss a range of Human Resources practices and protocols which guide case by case situations related to hiring, accommodation for returns to work, sick and other job protected leaves, layoffs, increases and reductions of hours, terminations, etc. Terry will also take time to answer questions from participants. Learn more and register below.

For this week's JUSTFriday, Deirdre Pike highlights the Chew on This! campaign. Join our justice partners in the fight against poverty tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Calling all members of synod! No need to remind you: we’re in a moment. Our Church is called to new ways to serve, to bless, and to speak out. Are you called to contribute on a wider canvas as a member of Provincial Synod for 2021? Is this the time for your part in forming broader Anglican responses to homelessness and poverty? - to the pandemic of loneliness and isolation? - to the stewardship of the earth? These are a few of the issues that compel a wider, deeper Spirit-...led response provincially. Please give this your prayerful consideration as a calling to contribute your own special energy and personal gifts. You’ll see we’ve tweaked the nomination process in these temporary pandemic circumstances. The nomination deadline of October 9 is fast approaching! Learn more about this opportunity, and download a nomination form, by visiting our provincial synod webpage.

This afternoon we hosted the second of two online induction services for this year's Order of Niagara recipients, an honour which celebrates outstanding lay ministry. Blessings and joy abound! Congratulations to all of these fine and faithful servants of Christ!

We hope you'll join us for our diocesan worship service this Sunday as we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis and lift up our prayers and praises to God. You can download the order of service here: https://tinyurl.com/y2ndnxkn

For JUSTFriday this week, Deirdre Pike gives a shout-reach to our Order of Niagara recipients, speaks about Niagara in Action, and shares details about the upcoming workshop: "Creation Care that Counts," October 14, 7 p.m.. with Dr. Dianne Saxe, presented by Climate Justice Niagara.

Today is #OrangeShirtDay, a day to remember students who attended Indian Residential Schools in Canada. Our diocesan staff, along with special guest Archbishop Anne Germond, gathered together this morning via Zoom to mark #OrangeShirtDay2020. Learn more here: https://www.kairoscanada.org/orange-shirt-day-is-about-chan