• Those who are sick, suffering or in need: Rhea, Erin, Paul, Gail, Bill R, Bill, 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 high number of cases in Alberta's third wave; for all who are doing their best to serve others in this time.
• Those who have died and those who mourn.
• 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.

Delegates to the electoral synod and other interested members of the diocese joined in one of two days of reflection and prayer last week. Just under 70 active and retired clergy met by Zoom on Thursday, May 13, and around 90 members of the laity met Saturday, May 15. The two days followed the same pattern and included the same content. 

With the deadline for proposals now passed, the Diocesan Search Committee is busy collecting information from candidates and assessing their suitability according to the constitutional requirements for a bishop and the local requirements developed in the diocesan profile (a.k.a. 'the memorandum'). The deadline for candidates to provide a curriculum vitae and to answer all the questions in the profile is May 29 (see the form for candidates). The committee must present this information to the Diocesan Administrator no later than June 5. 

Would you like to share worship music from your parish with the diocese during the virtual synod, June 26? Organizers are collecting mp3 or mp4 audio files of pieces performed by people in parishes across the diocese that can be compiled and played on that day. We invite you to share your audio files by clicking on this link https://cloud.trussell.ca/index.php/s/CsogEQF4zgxDRWX and dropping the files into a Nextcloud folder started by Nick Trussell. Likewise, if you have a photo you would like to share with synod, please drop it here: https://cloud.trussell.ca/index.php/s/n9e8qcwxLotQXpP.

The congregations of WE (St. Thomas’, Wainwright & St. Mary’s, Edgerton) Parish donated non-perishable food items to a curbside drop-off for the Wainwright Battle River Food Bank. While dropping off donations, WE was invited to sign a card of appreciation for our tremendous hospital staff. The congregations, along with community members from both CFB Wainwright and Edgerton, collected 509 items - enough to fill the rector’s Ford Explorer! Our fantastic community is blessed by God and we try also to be a blessing to God’s people. Submitted by the Rev. Rachael Parker

It’s no secret….we are heading into our second Pandemic Summer. As a result, many of us will be planning adventures closer to home. What better time to pack up the family vehicle and hit the open road for a day trip to communities around the Edmonton diocese.

This month the Rural Ministry Initiative and diocesan social media pages began sharing information about rural parishes and communities. We are blessed with an abundance of rural communities and parishes in the diocese. This week we invite you to head on over to Drayton Valley and Devon, home of All Saints' and St. George's Anglican churches and communities full of rural heritage and hospitality!

**Please Note: When you visit communities in the Diocese you are asked to follow the guidelines mandated in Alberta.  Stay 6ft apart. Wear a mask. Stay home if you are sick.

We hope you will join us for our 4th Zoom Ultreya on May 21 at 7:00pm.
It should be an awesome night! Please save this date in your calendar. Below is the Zoom link:  
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89175941460?pwd=Q2paTEVwSE9TUGdBRE9zaG42Z0wrQT09  
Meeting ID: 891 7594 1460
Passcode: 718740

The Anglican Parish of Christ Church will host a Virtual Neighbourhood event on Wednesday, May 19, 7 pm, on Zoom Meeting ID: 880 5857 2386 Passcode: 964259. Guest speaker the Rev. Heidi DeJonge, pastor at Westside Christian Fellowship in Kingston ON, will give a talk on The Neighbourhood to Come.   

Throughout the season of Easter, The Anglican Parish of Christ Church explored themes of justice, sabbath, love, neighbourliness, diversity and faith using the example of the life and faith of Fred Rogers.

The Anglican Parish of Holy Trinity Riverbend, Edmonton must rehome (free to other churches in the diocese) items including a beautiful, working condition pump organ and more (see Inventory List). Items can be picked up at the church on Saturday, May 22, from 9 am to 1 pm. If other arrangements must be made, items can be picked up by May 29 at the latest. Everything is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

St. Augustine’s Parkland Anglican Church, 131 Church Road, Spruce Grove is holding part two of its annual Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 22, from 10 am to 1 pm. Individual geraniums, dahlias, and begonias, bedding plants, as well as some herbs and vegetables will be available. Please wear a mask and practice safe distancing. Accepted methods of payment: cash, e-Transfer or cheque 

Did you know that while places like Canada, the US, the UK, and elsewhere are well on their way in COVID-19 vaccination efforts, many other parts of the world who have not been able to receive a single dose yet (and will not in significant numbers for months or even years)? Canon Dr. Scott Sharman, ecumenical and interfaith coordinator for the Edmonton diocese, says this is, quite simply, a moral crisis. What does it mean to love our neighbours in the context of vaccine access? What would Jesus say to us about vaccination justice and equity?

The Love My Neighbour project, in partnership with UNICEF, is a grassroots Canadian interfaith initiative which is seeking to respond to these questions by encouraging people of faith and compassion - Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, and many more - to "gift forward" the cost of 1 vaccination in another part of the world for every 1 vaccination administered in Canada. For just $25, you can cover the costs for someone else to be vaccinated and multiply the gift you were blessed to freely receive. Visit www.lovemyneighbourproject.org for more information, and a link to the donation page.

Registration for Education for Ministry is now open. The program gives lay people a basic grounding in the main theological subjects. It runs September through May, with registration due by July 15. For detailed information on the program, go to the EfM Canada website at www.efmcanada.ca. Interested people are asked to email the Synod Office (churched@edmonton.anglican.ca) for diocesan information. BROCHURE

Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Edmonton seeks a Parish Administrator to help support the rector, staff and parishioners. GSAC values diversity and welcomes applications from visible minorities, First Nations, Inuit, Metis and new Canadians. For more info, see attached Job Profile.

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):
Margaret Glidden churched@edmonton.anglican.ca
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 Diocesan Administrator:
Jennifer Wirun at assistant@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.

Nukskahtowin, the Indigenous Meeting Place of Athabasca University, invites you to engage with two documentaries first shared last Spring. 

Gifts from the Elders (60 mins) follows five Anishinaabe youth on a summer research project with their Elders which guides them on a journey back to proceeding generations that lived a healthy lifestyle off of the land before the devastating impact of environmental and cultural dispossession. The Sacred Relationship: Healing the Water, Healing Ourselves (60 mins) explores how reconciling the relationship between Indigenous people and Canada can lead to healthier water. Click below to create a new account or sign in if you have already registered. Please contact Ivy Lalonde with any questions at ivyl@athabascau.ca

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.

Once again this year, Christians from around the world are being called to 10 days of prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to draw more people to faith in Jesus Christ. This initiative, which began with the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in the Church of England, has increased dramatically since its start in May 2016. Click below to watch a video describing this amazing growth. Click here for resources to help you and your parish participate. 

Over the next five months, the Anglican Church of Canada is encouraging parishioners across the country to join in prayer, reflection and conversation about those things we have learned through our experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click below to watch a video of Primate Linda Nicholls and to find resources to help you and your parish participate. Responses will be collected and shared in a special celebration on Thanksgiving 2021.

The News from General Synod e-newsletter includes online resources and information about upcoming virtual events, including the following:

Anglican Lutheran National Worship Conference, July 6-7, 2021

Anglican Deacons Canada Virtual Conference, July 9-10, 2021, Registration Open. 

PWRDF Accepting Donations for India: via Primate's World Relief & Development Fund (PWRDF) is now accepting donations to support India as it struggles with the current COVID-19 outbreak.

AFC Say Yes! to Kids Campaign: The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) is using the 10th anniversary of the Kids Helping Kids Fund (KHK) to launch Say Yes! to Kids—a campaign to raise $100,000 to fund post-pandemic programs for children, youth, and young adults in Canada.

The Greater Edmonton Alliance (GEA) for the common good is hosting virtual, introductory training for members based on the philosophy and practices developed by the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). This is an opportunity for members to learn why the community organizing approach achieves concrete and winnable outcomes. Learn about the organizing cycle, relational meetings, listening sessions, problems vs. issues, the power of negotiating and more. Please RSVP. For more info, email GEA.

Star of the North Retreat Centre in St. Albert is happy to partner with The Anamcara Project, a contemporary apprenticeship model of training and certification for caregivers and spiritual seekers. Anamcara is a Gaelic word for “soul friend”.  This two-year spiritual formation program starts in September 2021.

Join us for a free, online question and answer hour with founder Richard Groves and Canadian director Debbie Doornbos to learn more about this program that helps us learn to be a soul friend to others through the various aspects of living and dying.

The Anamcara Apprenticeship is co-sponsored with the Sacred Art of Living Centre. Click below to register to join us on Wednesday, May 19 at 12:00 noon MST. Please note that we will host a second Q & A on Wednesday, June 16 at 7:00 pm (MST).

Throughout the months of May and June, The King's University invites you to attend an ongoing series of public lectures exploring topics like natural theology, wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes, and faith organizations in the pursuit of environmental sustainability. These lectures will take place via Zoom on Thursday evenings, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, and are free of charge. Register today at kingsu.ca/public-lectures

May 20 - Hannah Arendt, Charles Taylor, and Christ Jesus: Authenticity in Times of Uncertainty
May 27 - Following in the Footsteps of Jesus
June 3 - Working for God and Sustainability: Tales from Two Continents
June 10 - Astronomy and the Muse

Enjoy our Marriage Retreat from the comforts of your home, live online via Zoom, June 4-6, 2021. Sessions run Friday, 7:00-8:30pm, all day Saturday, and Sunday, 8:30am-3:00pm. "Live your best life in love" by spending a weekend focusing solely on each other. Click below to access our newly updated website, where you can find more information, watch our new video and register today. Give yourself the gift of Marriage Encounter.    

“This experience is a MUST for all couples. It brings back the closeness, joy & romance in your marriage.” Oliver A.

All are welcome to register for this free, Zoom-based webinar, featuring Archbishop Mark MacDonald, Dr. Eileen Scully, Dean Ansley Tucker, and Rev’d Garfield Wu. The pandemic’s current and future impact will be explored from various perspectives, such as sacramental theology, liturgy, and evangelism. Presentations and a panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A. For more info, see the Facebook event page.

Join us this summer for the Lutheran-Anglican National Worship Conference, happening July 6-7 online. Every two years, the NWC gathers worship leaders, musicians, clergy, and interested people from across the country to learn and reflect on the worship life of the church. This year’s theme, Disruption and Grace: Learning Edges in Liminal Times, reflects the many ways COVID-19 has challenged our worship to adapt and grow. We are excited to bring you an engaging group of speakers and workshop leaders to inspire you. Register now at nationalworshipconference.org. POSTER