• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: Brian, Jane, Joan, Eddie, Sheila and Meredith.
• Those who are struggling with physical or mental illness due to COVID-19; for "bending the curve" and bringing down the number of cases in Alberta; for all who are doing their best to serve others in this time.
• Those who have died: Joan, Bishop Jane Alexander's mother, and those who mourn: Bishop Jane and family, in Canada and the UK.
• 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.
• Click here if you would like someone's name included in this prayer list. We will use first names only. Names are kept on the list for two weeks unless intentionally renewed.

A virtual Farewell Service of thanksgiving for Bishop Jane’s extraordinarily welcoming, compassionate, courageous and inspiring episcopal leadership will be hosted by the Very Rev. Alex Meek and All Saints’ Cathedral on Saturday, April 17, at 3 pm. All are invited to watch the live stream of the service (details to come), and give thanks for Bishop Jane at a virtual reception via Zoom.  

In honour of Bishop Jane and her ministry, the Edmonton diocese wishes to gift the Diocese of Buyé with a community water spring improvement project. Burundi is blessed with an abundance of clean groundwater, but it is difficult for people to access the water without contamination. Each improved spring supplies an entire village and reduces waterborne disease, a major cause of illness and death, particularly in children.

Thanks to all from across the diocese who sent in nominations for the Search Committee! Diocesan Executive Council will form that Committee from the nominations on Thursday. It will include three lay people and three clergy; six individuals who will come together to take on a very big job. Check out the 67th Synod page on the diocesan website for full information on the tasks of the Search Committee and the nomination process, and watch next week for a complete timeline.

In this 14-minute video, Bishop Jane and rural clergy of Edmonton diocese mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic by sharing the scriptures that have sustained them, bringing comfort and hope through this difficult time. 

Trinity Youth Project has seen tremendous success in the past year, working with at-risk youth through TYP TOP Bakery, based at Holy Trinity Church in Old Strathcona, and under the leadership of diocesan Outreach Youth Coordinator Clark Hardy. You can help them manage their success and keep their focus on the kids by volunteering to make deliveries or help in the kitchen. Please click here for full information about the opportunities, or email Cathy Harvey at cathyrtharvey@shaw.ca 

Be sure to read this edition of The Neighbourly. It has a new look and a big new announcement! The Diocese of Edmonton is a founding and active member of the Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative.

In the recent issue of Straight from the Street, which is now available to read online, Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM) Pastor the Rev. Quinn Strikwerda describes the ways ICPM is continuing to “move amongst the people of Edmonton,” while facing the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. Although the Emmanuel worship community had to discontinue its Sunday worship services at the Bissell Centre in November, Pastor Quinn says the warm hearts of individuals and faith communities continue to help sustain people in great need of wholesome lunches and warm clothing.

Sadly, in December, ICPM lost two of its long-time supporters: retired pastoral associate Sr. Marion Garneau, who for many years helped organize the Good Friday Outdoor Way of the Cross walk through inner-city Edmonton; and Gord Holub, affectionately known as “Smudge Man” by the community of Emmanuel. This issue of the newsletter also includes reflections on the ministry of Sr. Marion and Gord (pictured, in 2018, reaching out to members of the Emmanuel community).

The March Anti-Racism Book Club, hosted on Zoom by Good Shepherd Anglican Church, will be discussing Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. If you plan to attend, please register in advance by emailing Archdeacon Jordan Ware at rector@goodshepanglican.org. She will send you the Zoom link. If you want to buy the book, Glass Bookshop is a locally owned/operated book store that focuses on Canadian writing and writers who focus on social justice. They offer free delivery within Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert.

The theme of justice pervades the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But readers frequently miss a key source, a writing in which justice is actually the central concern: the book of Romans. Please join Rev. Myron Penner as he hosts Dr. Douglas Harink for a series of discussions during the season of Lent. This series more or less follows the text of Romans, aiming to help readers trace the theme of justice throughout Paul’s letter. For more information on how to tune in, please visit https://www.stpauls-anglican.ca/events/resurrecting-justice-talks.

The Rev. Billy Isenor and St. Augustine Parkland are hosting a lenten series each Wednesday at 7:00 pm, which remains available tobe accessed anytime. It is called "Heart of the Word: Reflections on Lenten Practices." All are welcome to use thjis resource. It can be found on the St. Augustine YouTube playlists.

For Lent 2021, Rev. Sue is running a daily Bible reading challenge for tweens and teens of the Edmonton diocese. Sign up by emailing admin@christchurchedm.ca, then check your email daily for Bible verse challenges. There will be weekly Zoom check-ins, fun, games and prizes! Don't have a Bible? Contact your parish priest and he or she will hook you up! 

In this book, N.T. Wright argues that every world view must explain seven “signposts” of Justice, Spirituality, Relationships, Beauty, Freedom, Truth, and Power. Using the Gospel of John as his source, Wright shows how Christianity defines each signpost and illuminates why we so often see them as being "broken" and unattainable. You are welcome to join St. David's Anglican Church in Edmonton for this study on Wednesdays from 7:00-8:00pm, until March 24. Please email the Rev. Dr. Renée Desjardins  at rector.stdavid@gmail.com for more information and the Zoom link.

The Rural Ministry Initiative of the Edmonton diocese is hosting a Virtual Lenten Study, Wednesdays at 7:00pm until March 31. All are welcome to join!

For more info, including the Zoom link, please visit the Rural Ministry Facebook page, or email Chelsy Bouwman, canon pastor for rural ministry. See attached POSTER.

Lent is considered a special time of focusing on our spiritual lives and drawing closer to Christ. Christ came to heal our souls, to bring us into spiritual wholeness. He wants you to be fully the person you were created to be. How do we draw closer to Christ? The answer is a life-long practice of discipleship.  In our Lenten study this year, we will break discipleship down to the six essential questions that every Christian needs to answer. Join us Wednesdays at 7:00pm until March 31 as we go deep into what a renewed spiritual life in Christ looks like. Sign up on the St. Columba Beaumont website.

Join us Wednesday evenings as we gather to hear guest speakers from across the country and explore traditional Lenten themes with the help of Saints, theology and poetry.

• March 17: Rev. Dr. Paul Friesen | Listening to St. Patrick in the Wilderness 
• March 24: Ms. Witty Sandle | Listening to Julian of Norwich in the Wilderness     

To register, please email David at the Christ Church office, admin@christchurchedm.ca. We will send you the weekly readings and the zoom link.

St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in St. Albert has created a desert space in their sanctuary, which will be available for all to visit online through their Facebook page during Lent.

St. George's College in Jerusalem has kindly shared this six-part series with Edmonton diocese. These Lenten reflections explore the geography of the Holy Land, following Jesus from Galilee to Golgotha, through the Desert, the Well, the Mountain, the Sea, the Road and the Garden. Click here to link to the material, or sign up for yourself at resources@sgcjerusalem.org View details on this POSTER.

Join Bishop Jane and PWRDF Representative from Ottawa, the Rev. Patrick Stephens, as they lead us through this season of Lent, focusing on Creation Care-Climate Action:

• 40 days of Lent
• 40 days of stories about PWRDF
• 40 prayers for the Earth

Subscribe to the "Creation Care: Climate Action Lent" resource, which will be sent to your inbox throughout the season of Lent, and check out the Lent 2021 Children's resource.

St. Augustine of Canterbury in Edmonton will host three events over the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week and welcomes any from the diocese who would like to join. 

• Monday: a guided 'small retreat' on the passion story.
• Tuesday: a reading of the passion story with the feminine pronoun.
• Wednesday: Stations of the Cross

All events will be live-streamed starting at 7:00pm. Two include Zoom participation.

The Anglican Parish of Christ Church is pleased to present three unique evenings of learning, prayer and worship during Holy Week. Each will focus on a passage of scripture and excerpt from Handel's musical masterpiece: Messiah. Join us virtually on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week (March 29, 30 and 31), at 7:00 pm.   

All are welcome! Please email admin@christchurchedm.ca to request the zoom link.

The ACW of Edmonton diocese will hold its annual meeting via Zoom on Saturday, May 1, from 10:30 to noon. The theme, Use Your Gifts to Serve, will be based on 1 Peter 4:10-11. For more information and to register, email acw.dioceseofedmonton@gmail.com  POSTER

Just a reminder that Synod Office staff are working from home in compliance with current public health guidance in Alberta. The best way to get the help you need is by email. 

General office questions and communications
(Synod Scene, The Messenger):
Shelly King at reception@edmonton.anglican.ca

Questions regarding finances and giving:
John Gee at treasurer@edmonton.anglican.ca

Questions to the attention of the Bishop:
Jennifer Wirun at assistant@edmonton.anglican.ca
Bishop Jane at bishop@edmonton.anglican.ca

Contacts: 
*The Ven. Travis Enright, Archdeacon for Indigenous Ministry: rector@stfaithsanglican.org / 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 

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.

'Our Common Ground' invites you to welcome the Spring Equinox and explore teachings about this season of renewed life with Michelle Nieviadomy. We will gather virtually via Zoom, on March 21, at 7:00 pm. Please register by emailing Michelle at michelle.iskwew@gmail.com. She will send you a link for the event.

The six-week Survivors and Thrivers learning series will be offered every Thursday at 12:00 noon MT March 25-April 29. Indigenous speakers will share their experience of survival and how they are thriving and inspiring others in their lives now. Registered participants who are unable to attend the live session will receive a link to the recording. POSTER  

St. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) was the first Indigenous saint of North America. She converted to Catholicism at age 19 and, after refusing to marry, moved to the Jesuit mission at Kahnawake, south of Montreal. There, she lived a life of prayer and asceticism. Following her death, many miracles and supernatural occurrences were attributed to her. She was canonized in 2012. In Canada, her feast is celebrated April 17.    

This weekend retreat—April 16-18th—will focus on the relevance of St. Kateri’s spirit today, her relationship with our Creator God and the gifts of creation. Join online or with a limited number of in-house participants.

The sixth season of the Sacred Teachings podcast, has been titled "Suicide: The Other Pandemic."

This final episode, "You Are Original," features an interview with Mira Martin, from the Maori Anglican Church of New Zealand. The Sacred Teachings podcast will be back wiith a new season soon and in the meantime invites you to revisit previous seasons and episodes, and to look them up on social media. 

This season contains themes that may be harmful or triggering to some audiences. If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact The Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 833-456-4566 or send a text to 45645. Help is available.

This page lists online opportunities for worship, learning and virtual community provided weekly by parishes throughout the diocese.

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. You can make a secure online donation through the diocesan website.

The Chester Ronning Center for the Study of Religion and Public Life invites you to join its next lunch-time session on March 30: World-Repairing work and living well together in the New Diversity. 

This Lent, voices from a variety of Christian denominations share reflections on how scripture invites experiences of Divine providence. Listen to the weekly pre-recorded message (posted every Tuesday during Lent), and/or join other listeners and Providence Renewal Centre staff on Wednesday evening to listen and discuss what you noticed, wondered about, and appreciated. Wednesdays March 17 and 24 from 7:00 to 8:00pm. Join whenever you are able. There is no charge, but pre-registration is required for Zoom access. POSTER

This year, the season of Lent will be observed Febuary 17 to April 3. The Anglican Church of Canada is compiling a collection of resources. Please click below to find the resource that will be most helpful to you and your parish.

The 41st annual Outdoor Way of the Cross invites people to think about the relevance and importance of the Gospel message in our world today around the theme “From Fear and Fatigue to Hope and Action: Take Up the Cross and Follow Me.” Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s walk will be presented virtually, in video format.

The Diocese of Athabasca is preparing to host a Holy Week Bible Reading Proclamation on Zoom, for 100 hours non-stop reading of God’s word from Passion Sunday until Maundy Thursday. It doesn’t matter where you are, you can sign up to read for one hour. Already, Primate Linda Nicholls, former Primate Fred Hiltz, the senior Bishop of the ECLiC, and several other bishops have agreed to take part. If you would like to join, email Canon Peter Clarke at seens@telus.net   Proclamation Poster

Not sure about sending kids to camp this summer? Well, Hastings Lake Bible Camp is bringing camp to kids! They will be running five week-long day programs at central Alberta churches. The program, which will run from morning to mid-afternoon, will include indoor games, outdoor games, team building activities, crafts, chapel, skits, group activities, snacks, service projects and Bible studies. 

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is seeking applicants to its Primary Reserve Force (part-time faith leadership) in the region of the Edmonton diocese. The CAF has Primary Reserve Units all across the country and each is served by chaplains. Background information about the nature of this work and ministry is available here.

Please email questions about the application process to RCChS Recruiter Padre LCol James: Angela.James@forces.gc.ca