• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: for Denise, Jeannette; for all who are struggling with physical or mental illness due to COVID-19; for safety in efforts to re-open our society; for all who are doing their best to serve others in any way; and for all victims of racial prejudice and violence.
• Those who have died and those who mourn: for the repose of the soul of Raphael David Johnston a former priest of this diocese who later joined the Orthodox Church in America, David passed from this life on July 31, 2020; for his wife Debbie and his whole family.
• We pray for the people of Lebanon, remember our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, as they recover from the devastating explosion on August 4.
• We pray for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s Diocese of Athooch, where 23 people were killed and 20 others were wounded by gunmen on July 27.
• Bishop Sixbert and the Diocese of Buyé (Twinned Parishes). 
• Our brothers and sisters in Christ from Treaty 6 and Treaty 8 First Nations, from the Métis Nation of Alberta, and from the Métis Settlements in Alberta.
• Request a prayer Click here to let us know who you would like prayers for in the diocese. We will make sure they are prayed for by name.

The Rev. Ron Horst (ret.) invites Edmonton diocese to join in a prayer event this Saturday, August 8. 

“Pray on MLK” is a two-hour, event which will be located along streets and at memorials in the U.S. which are dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. It calls on participants to gather in these places, standing side by side but socially distanced, wearing facemasks that bear one prayerful word written on a piece of tape. The first hour is meant to be an hour of lament; the second, an hour of praise and worship. The event is being held on August 8 because the first street was named after Martin Luther King Jr. on August 8, 1968 in Chicago.

A US agency called civilrighteousness.org is coordinating this event, but Rev. Ron has created a Facebook page for all who are interested in connecting in the Edmonton area.

Bishop Jane Alexander is pleased to appoint the Rev. Ruth Sesink Bott as Vicar of All Saints' Anglican Cathedral, Edmonton, effective September 1, 2020.

As of August 1, the City of Edmonton requires face masks or coverings to be worn in all indoor public spaces including places of worship. Please wear a mask when attending in-person worship. *See Exemptions

On August 2, Lammas Sunday, members of St. Thomas', Wainwright gathered for prayers, for the presentation of the ‘Lammas Loaf’ and to share the joy of two ladies receiving their ACW life membership.  

Doreen Anderson and the Rev. Ann Marie Nicklin were presented with their ACW lifetime membership pin and flowers by Ruth Iverson of St. Thomas and Rita Fraser of St. Mary’s, Edgerton.

Cemeteries are something we don’t often think about in our day to day church life. Clergy, of course, are familiar with cemeteries because of the number of burials they do. But for centuries once of the ways in which the Church has ministered to the community is to provide a place to bury the dead, often in church yards.  

There are some 26 cemeteries in the Diocese of Edmonton. All, but one, are in current or former church yards. Five belong to active parishes (St. John’s, Cold Lake; St. John’s, Onoway; St. Peter’s, Lac La Nonne; Emmanuel, Gibbons; and St. Aidan’s and St. Hilda’s, Rexboro). All the rest belong to parishes that have been disestablished over the years, and thus they belong to the diocese. Two, Poplar Lake and Colchester, are maintained by nearby parishes (Good Shepherd, Edmonton; and St. Thomas’, Sherwood Park, respectively).

The steering committee of the Interfaith Housing Initiative has issued an appeal for support.

As we adjust to the changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and parishes make plans to safely re-open their churches, what are some of the challenges you face? Where do see God at work? How are you practicing your faith? What keeps you hopeful? If at all possible, please send us a picture that helps tell your story.

We stand in solidarity with all of the people of Lebanon, and we pray for all who are responding to this disaster with compassion and care. We mourn for the victims and pray for their families. PWRDF is accepting donations to provide assistance to the victims of the explosion. Please visit the online donation page at https://pwrdf.org/give-today/and make your gift in Emergency Response, indicating Beirut explosion in the message box.

The pandemic has had a profound impact on people in Canada and around the world. PWRDF recognises that individuals and parishes are facing financial challenges. This relentless virus has brought to light how truly connected we all are. Now, more than ever, we see the importance of caring for our neighbours, near and far. PWRDF's partners are working with vulnerable communities to provide Personal Protective Equipment and access to reliable health information and education.

This summer, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) will switch its publications distributor from Parasource Marketing & Distribution (Parasource) to a vendor based in Kanata, Ontario. A new e-store will launched this week and is accessible via https://anglican.gilmore.ca/ for all your printed church supply needs. 

Orders for the 2021 Canadian Church Calendar can be made online through the Anglican Church of Canada's new e-store (https://anglican.gilmore.ca/) which is now open for business.

Direct orders for 25 calendars or more are eligible for the discount and free shipping that used to be available only to the Synod Office, so diocesan staff will not be placing a bulk order for all parishes as in past years.

This year St. John the Evangelist, Edmonton has developed a five-day video Vacation Bible Camp and Backyard Circus on the theme of The Greatest Commandment. We’re happy to offer this content to any other interested families or parishes! 

Check out our trailer!

The camp is a series of five videos which families can do all in one week, or over the course of the summer.  The camp includes crafts, outdoor activities, bible stories, and discipleship challenges. The content is aimed at elementary aged children, though we have found that kids of all ages have been enjoying it.

On Eagle’s Wings Ecumencial Ministries is breathing a sigh of relief as resources for summer bible camps have now all been shipped to the northern communities awaiting them. Now, after all the boxes are packed and gone, OEW still has enough supplies left to provide about 20 families with one of these Vacation Bible School packs. If you would like one, please contact the Rev. Lesley Hand. Videos to go with the supplies are freely available on the OEW website. 

The Rev. Jonathan Crane, the Rev. Dan  Ash (ret) and Pat Jameson, all trained and experienced spiritual directors at St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church in Edmonton, will offer the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola beginning in September 2020. Also known as the 19th Annotation Retreat or the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life, participants commit to pray an hour daily, see a spiritual director once a week, and keep a journal noting both God’s activity and his or her response during the time of prayer. The length of the retreat depends on the activity of the Spirit, the retreatant, and the director, but usually extends over seven or eight months.

A simple online booking system is being implemented by St. Augustine's Parkland to provide an orderly way of controlling how many souls attend worship services. Adding other churches to the system would be easy at a very negligible one-time cost, so the scheme is being offered to any parish in or beyond the diocese who could benefit with a little pre-service organization. 

While some parishes in Edmonton diocese are beginning, very carefully, to try out in-person worship services again, many parishes in this and other dioceses continue to live-stream and/or record services and prayers online. This page lists online opportunities for prayer, worship, learning and virtual community in this season of physical distancing. 

Want to learn more about your faith? Want to be part of a group that engages in ongoing theological questioning? Consider enrolling in Education for Ministry (EfM), a theological study program that goes beyond traditional bible study, covering Old Testament, New Testament, Church History, and topics in Theology. It is a four-year program, but students commit and enroll for only one year at a time. EfM will enrich your understanding of the nature of faith and give you knowledge and tools to help you answer the questions of faith that arise in your life.

For more information, please contact the Rev. Robin Walker, Diocesan EfM Coordinator, at 587-589-3725, or by email at efm.edmonton@shaw.ca. Detailed program and registration information may be found on the EfM Canada website www.efmcanada.ca.

Canadian Blood Services' mobile community donor centres are open for August, although by appointment only. Please book online, on the app, or by calling 1-888-2DONATE. Answers to questions regarding covid precations can be found at www.blood.ca/en/covid19 . 

Register here for the Partners for Life program to make your donation count toward the Diocese of Edmonton annual donation goal of 100 units. Our code is: ANGL696986. Registration must be done online. Even if you've given blood before, if you register, your donations can be included retroactively toward our goal.

In this time of continued uncertainty, the Church, the Body of Christ, remains a loving and connected community. we hope to do all we can to support each other, and the diocese grateful for any and all donations we receive. If you are able, please continue to support the ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton. We continue to look for ways to support parishes and to ease the financial burden on those who will be struggling in weeks and months to come. You can make a secure online donation at edmonton.anglican.ca/give/donate. 

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. 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.

Indigenous Ministries of the Anglican Church of Canada has now hosted two live-streamed Gospel Jamborees, one on June 5 and one on Canada Day. These 'sing and share' celebrations, hosted by National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, The Most Rev. Mark MacDonald, have been so well received, preparations are underway for a third installment! Submissions are open for the next Gospel Jam on August 14. Send in your song, story, prayer, testimony, reading; whatever moves and inspires you. Anyone can take part!

The third season of Sacred Teachings: Dismantling Racism ventures into the timely discussion of racism and its place in the world. Eight raw discussions and teachings have been recorded remotely across Canada whilst we continue through the pandemic.

The series continues with Episode 5: My Own Canoe, in which Melanie Delva, Reconciliation Animator for the Anglican Church of Canada, interviews the Rev. Norm Wesley from his home in Moose Factory, northern Ontario.

Sacred Teachings is a joint initiative of Indigenous Ministries and Anglican Video at the Anglican Chuch of Canada. Find the podcasts on Vimeo, Spotify and PodBean.

Creating Hope Society is offering 10 sessions of Traditional Teachings online workshop starting August 12, 2020.

To register or for more information, please contact Delores Gladue by phone at 780-477-7961 / 780-655-4080 or by email at shcs.lead@creatinghopesociety.ca POSTER

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Athabasca University's Bannock and a Movie has movedto an online environment. The ongoing theme will revolve around Indigenous groups and their stories. Each month during the summer, we will provide documentary links and a discussion board to discuss the documentaries. We have included a bannock recipe for your use. Facilitators, Ivy Lalonde and Priscilla Campeau will answer questions in discussion rooms. We hope you will enjoy this. August offering: First Nations.  

Please access Bannock a and Movie here. The first time a person visits they will need to click on the “Create new account” button (at the bottom of the sign-up page) and create a username/password. After that they can visit Bannock and a Movie and click the “Enrol me” button.  

Step away from your routine to refresh your spirit and restore your soul. Savour the sights, sounds, and silence of summer while you pray with Isaiah 55. This at-home silent retreat includes the option of daily morning prayer and individual spiritual direction each day on Zoom.

Five-day option:  Sunday, August 16 (7 pm) to Friday, August 21 (noon) $250.00
Seven-day option: Sunday, August 16 (7 pm) to Sunday, August 23 (noon) $350.00