• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: 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.
• 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.

Bishop Jane is asking churches across the diocese to adopt the practice of wearing face masks or face coverings when attending in-person worship, though we may temporarily remove a face covering to receive communion. The Province of Alberta recommends the use of masks and the City of Edmonton has passed a by-law requiring it, as masks do reduce the spread of COVID-19. Even in areas where the risk seems low, it is good to take measures to protect each other as much as we possibly can during these days.
*See City of Edmonton information on exemptions.

In 2019, Edmonton diocese raised $5712 USD for medical cards for our brothers and sisters in Burundi. As all countries grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important that we do it again. Medical coverage is out of reach for most seniors in Buyé Diocese, but our support will help the Buyé Mothers Union to buy and distribute medical cards for only $5 each, that are good for a full year with 80% coverage. These cards also help women in need and children under 18. Please click below for details.

Many parishes in the Edmonton diocese have a website designed by Ascend. As you may know, Ascend recently merged with Tithe.ly. This is good news resulting in a lower monthly fee ($12 through an Anglican Church of Canada partnership) for hosting and support, plus features like e-newsletters, online giving and event registration, sermon and video players and live streaming.

To be eligible for the new fee you need to sign up for a free Tithely Giving account (if you don't already have one) and migrate your site to the Tithely platform. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete the migration. Step-by-step instructions here 

St. Timothy’s ACW will host an ACW Regional meeting by Zoom from 10:00am to 12:30pm on Saturday, September 19. The theme will be "Serve One Another" (Peter 4:10). Thanks to the Rev. Lorne Manweiler for hosting the Zoom technology for this meeting. Please see the letter of invitation from St. Timothy's ACW president, Gen Ashwell.

2020 has been an added challenge in countless ways. Has Covid-19 created more stress in your relationship?

Plans have been laid for a completely ‘covid-friendly‘ Marriage Encounter Weekend November 6-8 at the Providence Renewal Centre in Edmonton. All presentations focus on and mentor participants in a communication technique that is simple, effective and non-confrontational. Check out our website for more details and testimonials.     

“This weekend literally changed the tone & understanding in our marriage. We left feeling more in love & connected than we had for a long time. It was hard work, but it was refreshing!”    

Alicia Brown, Communications Manager for the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada has responded to requests for a sneak peak of next year's church calendar. 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 open for business. Direct orders of more than $50 are eligible for the 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.

The Anglican Parish of St. Paul, located in the community of Grovenor, in Edmonton, Alberta, is expanding its staff to better meet the future needs of the parish. The Director of Community Outreach will be a part-time leadership position responsible for providing Christ-centred programming consistent with the values, vision, and mission of St. Paul’s in order to maximize parish engagement with and inspire response to the needs of the Grovenor Community, its surrounding communities, and the wider City of Edmonton. 

The Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church in the U.S., along with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in both Canada and America, have created a series of weekly devotionals to guide us through the upcoming Season of Creation in a prayerful, thoughtful way. Please download the pdf document, "Renewing, repairing and restoring our commitments to God, to one another and to all creation" for personal use and for use in your parish.

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. 

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.

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 7: Haudenosaunee Law (part 1). This episode features renowned Mohawk lawyer Dr. Beverley Jacobs talking about Haudenosaunee Law. Come back next week for Part 2.

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

Please click here for the latest Anglican Reconciliation Connections newsletter from Melanie Delva, Reconciliation Animator for the Anglican Church of Canada. This issue includes a challenge to learn more about the Indigenous languages spoken in your area and a call to push forward again for the implementation in Canadian legislation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).

The deadline for applying for a grant from the Anglican Foundation of Canada is September 1. AFC provides grants and loans for innovative ministry and diverse infrastructure projects and theological formation across the Canadian church. NOTE: The September 1, 2020 grant application deadline is still in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic. If your application for funding is going to be delayed because of difficulty obtaining signatures, quotes, etc., please email foundation@anglicanfoundation.org.

AFC has also launched a podcast about generosity, Foundation Forward, in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The podcast is hosted by Toronto musician and media professional Christopher Dawes. Each 7-10 minute episode features the thoughts and experiences of a prominent Canadian with a unique take on the subject.

The government of Canada announced a 1:1 match for funds donated to the Lebanon relief until August 24. Funds donated to PWRDF are eligible through our membership in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. PWRDF stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, and we pray for all who are responding to this disaster. Many people are still missing and tens of thousands have lost their properties. 

To donate to PWRDF in support of the victims of the Beirut 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.

September 24, 7:00 - 8:30 PM, Ronning Centre 

Webinar with Rev. Naomi Tutu - minister, activist, educator, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu "Truth & Reconciliation in a Time of Crises"

The Rev. Tutu will speak to us at the University of Alberta about her work and activism for human rights in South Africa and the United States, in relation to current issues and crises. How can we move forward in this difficult time, to confront and combat racism and sexism, to acknowledge the truth of colonial and gendered violence, and to work toward reconciliation in today’s world? And, given the focus of the Chester Ronning Centre, how does and should religion play a part in this process?