Alongside Hope Reps Come Together to Make a Difference

Representatives of the Athabasca and Edmonton dioceses gathered on Saturday morning at St. George’s Anglican Church in Edmonton, and on Zoom, to talk about a collaborative approach to parish and diocesan support for Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF). 

Jeffrey Hanger, Alongside Hope Rep for the Edmonton diocese, shared a video message from Calgary Diocesan Rep Lois Reid. She recently returned from Kenya where she saw firsthand community projects being supported by Alongside Hope (AH) and its partners. She expressed her appreciation for the work being undertaken by AH. She also observed that funding cuts to the U.S.A.I.D. budget are impacting the economies and lives of people in developing countries.

Donna Pederson, Parish Representative for St. Andrew’s, Camrose, shared that the children in her church are encouraged to take up a “Joyful Noise” collection for Alongside Hope once a month. The kids canvass their congregation for spare change collected in tin cans that they then shake to make a joyful noise. 

The Rev. Mark Vigrass, Parish Rep for St. George’s, Edmonton, said his parish participated in PWRDF Sunday last September. “Hearing Donna speak has inspired me to reengage with promoting Alongside Hope in our parish,” he said.

The Rev. Terry Francis, rector of All Saints’, Athabasca and Athabasca Diocesan Rep, said his parish supports a different project each year and recently raised $1,000 to fill a barn with livestock and feed. He said an unexpected, yet welcome offshoot of these initiatives is that parish giving overall has increased. Many of Athabasca diocese’s 16 parishes struggle to find an Alongside Hope rep, however, they pull together when informed about the impact Alongside Hope is having in areas of the world where the need is great.

The group concurred it would be a good idea to provide Alongside Hope updates to parishes regularly, along with an invitation to share the information with their congregations.

Looking ahead, the reps will organize an Alberta Alongside Hope Day for the fall.

As parting gifts, Hanger provided participants with bags, pens, pins, brochures and postcards emblazoned with the new Alongside Hope logo.

Alongside Hope is offering a Volunteer Information Session, via Zoom, on March 27, 11 am MST, with Kim Umbach, volunteer coordinator. “This will be a great opportunity for new Parish Reps, or anyone interested in becoming a Parish Rep to learn about Alongside Hope and our network of volunteers,” she says. Click HERE to register.

If you are unable to attend the volunteer session but would like to learn how you can support the work of Alongside Hope in the Edmonton diocese, email Jeff Hanger at jeffhanger71@gmail.com