• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: Brian, Denise, Daphne and Will.
• Those who have died and those who mourn.
• Our brothers and sisters in Christ from Treaty Six and Treaty Eight First Nations.
• Bishop Sixbert and the Diocese of Buyé (Twinned Parishes).
• Request a prayer Click here to let us know what you would like 'pray-ers' in the diocese to pray for. We will use first names only which will be removed after two or three weeks.

At a Greater Edmonton Alliance (GEA) Action Assembly on December 4, the Rev. John Gee thanked City of Edmonton representatives for their support of a recently adopted policy ensuring all contracted service providers pay a living wage. A living wage, he explained, is the amount of income deemed sufficient to meet a family’s basic needs – not luxuries, but the necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. Currently the living wage in Edmonton is $16.51 per hour. GEA’s Living Wage Campaign aims to convince more employers to meet this standard.

Want to give the best gift there is this season? Donate blood and give the gift of Life! And while you're at it, let them know you're Anglican! Donate through the Partners for Life program using our code: ANGL696986, and help us meet our goal of 100 units of blood donated by the end of December.

• sign up here to become a Partner for Life
• make an appointment to donate at the Edmonton Donor Clinic (8249–114 Street)
• find a mobile clinic in a community near you for December or January.

In the spirit of giving, the Synod Office and All Saints’ Cathedral are having a friendly competition to see who can bring in the most non-perishable food donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank. The food bank’s annual Festive Campaign will run until January 10, and we want to help them reach their goal of collecting 370,000 kilograms of food! If you’d like to help us, just drop by the Cathedral and leave a donation under the tree in the narthex - you can't miss it. THANK YOU! 

Local churches and individuals from many denominations join together around Christmastime to provide financial support to a housing provider to the homeless or those at risk in the Edmonton Capital Region. NRII is based on the biblical story of Mary and Joseph being forced to take refuge in a stable after discovering that there was no room for them in the inn in Bethlehem.

No Room in the Inn (NRII) brochures are available for pick-up from the Synod Office and can be downloaded here.

Grounded in the Anglican tradition, Canterbury Foundation, a private not-for-profit charitable organization in Edmonton, is seeking members for its Board of Directors. The Foundation has provided quality seniors accommodation and related supportive services for more than 40 years, and is currently undergoing a major Court Modernization and Expansion Project. Interested candidates must be an active member of an Anglican Parish within the Diocese of Edmonton. Please see attached document, or contact Brian Popp for more information: brpopp@telusplanet.net. Application deadline is February 14, 2020.

Parish treasurers, clergy, wardens, and anyone else who does financial tasks in their parishes are invited to attend one or both of these sessions offered at the Synod Office on Saturday, January 18, 2020. Lunch is provided. Please register on eventbrite: https://parishfinancestrainingday.eventbrite.ca by no later than January 13.

Contacts: 
*The Ven. Travis Enright, Archdeacon for Indigenous Ministry: rev.enright@gmail.com / 780-477-5931
*Fiona Brownlee, Aboriginal and Rural Communities Liaison: f.brownlee@edmonton.anglican.ca / 780-312-9070
*The Rev. Nick Trussell, Urban Reconciliation Facilitator: n.trussell@edmonton.anglican.ca / 780-488-1118
*The Rev. Lori Calkins, Priest: loriinkster@gmail.com

Resources: Please see the Indigenous Ministries section of the diocesan website for leaflets, web links and other resources to help you pray and take action for reconciliation. See also the Anglican Church of Canada Reconciliation Toolkit.

Creating Hope Society invites you to a Community Festive Gathering on December 20, 2019, 11:00 am–1:00 pm, at the Edmonton Intercultural Centre Lunchroom, 9538-107 Avenue NW, Edmonton. Everyone welcome!

For more information Please contact Chery, 780-477-7961, or info@creatinghopesociety.ca

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On the last Friday of November, St. David’s held our annual Silent Auction and Dinner. Before, during and after the meal, people bid on auction items – popular are gift baskets with consumables! Each year a different charity is chosen to receive half of the proceeds.   This year, we chose to support a clean water project in Buyé diocese. The Rev. John Gee gave a compelling presentation about improvements to water management so that people could access uncontaminated water, thus reducing the incidence of water-borne illness. Inspired by the presentation, we raised $1,940 towards clean water projects in Buyé! Submitted by the Rev. Dr. Renée Desjardins, Rector, St. David’s Anglican Church 

Last Christmas the folks of St. Thomas', Wainwright and St Mary’s, Edgerton had a friendly competition making up Food Hampers for the Wainwright Food Bank (we will call the end result a tie, but I think Mary beat Tom by one hamper). This year we have switched gears and focused on peanut butter. One of our parishioners is having a fun completion with her sister, Lorna in Calgary. The goal is to see how much peanut butter will be collected for food banks in Wainwright and Calgary. At the time of this report St. Thomas' folks had collected 165 containers of peanut butter putting us slightly ahead of Lorna’s group. Submitted by Allan Samm, cub reporter, St. Thomas' and St. Mary's

Join us at St. Mary the Virgin for a few hours of quiet amid the hectic pre-Christmas rush. Bring a friend and explore together ways to enter into the beauty and sacred holiness of Advent.
Where: 5042 48 Avenue, Vegreville
When: 10:00am - 1:30pm, December 14
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All Saints', 5212 - 47 Ave, Drayton Valley will be holding their annual ACW Christmas Bake Sale on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 1-3 pm.   

Holy Trinity Anglica Church in Old Strathcona, 10037-84 Ave, Edmonton (lower hall), is hosting an Intercultural Latin Music Fundraiser to provide Christmas Hampers for King Edward School families. Please join us Saturday, December 14, at 7:00 pm, for a musical journey through Latin America, featuring tropical, ballads, cumbia, salsa and musician Jimmy Cano. Tickets are $10 per person. Scan the code on the attached POSTER to purchase tickets. There will be a cash bar and food available for an additional cost. Sponsored by Sabroso Foods and Holy Trinity.

St. Augustine's Parkland will host a reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on December 14 at 7:30pm. All readers are CBC on-air presenters. Plus, look forward to special music by Tag Along, Ian Bowden, Bill Werthmann, The Parkland Bells of St. Andrew’s United Church and Lorne Manweiler. Tickets are $30 in support of Auggie's Cafe and can be purchased online. Festive desserts and refreshments will be served at intermission. POSTER

St. Peter's Anglican Church, 11035-127 Street, Edmonton, welcomes all to its Christmas Community Lunch on Wednesday, December 18, at noon. Join us for turkey and carol singing! POSTER

Holy Days at the Parish of St Stephen the Martyr, 11725-93 Street, Edmonton

December 20 St. Thomas the Apostle, 7:00 pm: Solemn Evensong
December 24 Christmas Eve, 10:00 pm: High Mass
December 25 Christmas Day, 10:30 am: Low Mass
December 26 St. Stephen the Martyr, 10:30 am: High Mass
December 27 St. John the Evangelist, 7:00 pm: Solemn Evensong
December 28 The Innocents’ Day, 10:30 am: Low Mass
January 1 Circumcision of our Lord, 7:00 pm: Solemn Evensong with devotions to the Blessed Sacrament  

St. David's, 8345-79 Ave, Edmonton, welcomes everyone to join us as we celebrate Christmas. We have three Christmas services:   

Christmas Eve: Children’s and Family Eucharist: Tuesday, December 24, 5:00 pm. Please join us for our early Christmas Eve service, which is suitable for Children and Families. 

Christmas Eve: Traditional Eucharist: Tuesday, December 24, 10:00 pm. Please join us for our late-night traditional Christmas Eve service.

Christmas Day Eucharist: Wednesday, December 25, 10:00 am. A morning Eucharist to celebrate the Birth of Christ.   

The local ecumenical community will mark The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2020, with a prayer service on Sunday, January 19, 7 pm, at St. Patrick’s Anglican Church, 334 Knottwood Road North, (one block south of 23rd Avenue on 85 Street), Edmonton.  

The international resources for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by representatives from Malta. The theme, “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2), remembers the historic shipwreck of Paul on the island of Malta and calls us to a greater generosity to those in need; moving us from shared prayer to shared action. Access planning resources at weekofprayer.ca  

Good Shepherd Anglican Church seeks an enthusiastic and flexible Youth Children’s Ministries Coordinator who loves to share the Good News of God’s love with children, teens, and their families. This is a part-time, independent contractor position with flexible hours and paid planning time. Join our team of passionate volunteers as we seek to equip families to grow in the knowledge and love of God not only on Sundays but all week long. For more info about this opportunity, please see Ministry Profile 

The Rev. Dr. Adenike Yesufu, a vocational deacon at St. Faith’s, Edmonton, has recently published a book titled Exploring Jesus in the Bible. The book includes a Foreword message by Dr. David Williams, President, Taylor Seminary, Professor of Theology and Ethics, Director E. P. Wahl Centre. Adenike would like to share her book with members of the diocese. Copies are available for $10 (half the retail price) at the Synod Office and you are welcome to come by and take a look. Adenike’s book can also be purchased online at full price: iuniverse 

The Anglican Church of Canada has been invited to send delegates to the 2021 Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Karlsruhe, Germany. Applicants may be clergy or lay and must be at least 18 years of age by September 2021. There is no cost to a delegate to attend. Applications to serve are being accepted through December 15 via the online FORM on the national church website.

The Anglican Diocese of Athabasca is looking for a full-time Administrator/Bookkeeper. The ideal candidate should have excellent oral and written communication skills and experience with the Sage bookkeeping program, as well as knowledge of all aspects of payroll processes and reporting requirements. An understanding of the Christian faith and things ecclesiastical would be considered an asset. Click here for the full job posting. Closing date is December 15, 2019.

In her book Boundless Compassion, Joyce Rupp invites us to enter into a transformational process for developing and deepening compassion for others, for ourselves, and for the world. In the comfort of your home, read and reflect on the first two chapters of daily meditations before we gather to share on January 8th. We will continue to meet every two weeks to share our experiences and thoughts around this powerful process for developing our compassionate consciousness and skills. Wednesdays: January 8, 22, Feb 5 (1:00 to 3:00 pm)
$60.00/person (book not included, needs to be started before 1st gathering.) Register by: December 19  

Every December, Kokopelli hosts Edmonton’s largest seasonal choral concerts. This year, we present seven ensembles of all ages, for a total of almost 400 singers. Wintersong fills historical McDougall United Church (10025-101 Street NW, Edmonton) with music Saturday, December 21, at 2 pm (featuring Tamariki, Kikimasu, Shumayela, Kokopelli, Òran, Vacilando) and 7 pm (featuring Kikimasu, Shumayela, Kokopelli, Òran, Vacilando, and ChandraTala). Both concerts will embrace a wide array of holiday music and traditions—with the afternoon concert including the abundant charm of our youngest ensembles. Tickets ($25 adults, $20 students, $15 ages 6-12, 5 and under are free with ticket and accompanied by an adult) are available at Tix on the Square, from choristers, and at the door. POSTER

Spiritual growth often occurs when we are able to explore our experiences of God with another person, particularly when that person is trained in active and reflective listening. This is the primary activity of spiritual direction, sometimes also known as spiritual accompaniment. The Studion School for Spiritual Direction is currently seeking volunteers willing to receive spiritual direction from our second-year students as they complete their practicum requirement. If this opportunity interests you, contact us by email at thestudionschool@gmail.com to find out more.

The Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action welcomes faith communities to view the new video documentary Building Bridges, which explores the ways diverse faith groups are working together in the city of Edmonton. To arrange a screening for your community, email interfaith@shaw.ca    View Film Trailer