• Those who are sick, suffering, or in need: René and family, Anne, Walter, Gail, Sheila, Meredith, Christabel, Blossom, Madison, Paul, Grayson, Rhea, Kenzie, Megan, Steve, and Emerson.
• Residents in BC affected by flooding and landslides.
• People around the world who are persecuted for their race, gender, religious beliefs and political affiliation. We pray they find the refuge they so desperately seek. 
• Those who have died and those who mourn. 
• Those who continue to battle COVID-19 in Alberta, especially our health care workers.
• Archbishop Sixbert and the Diocese of Buyé (Updated list of Twinned Parishes).  
• Our relations 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.

The Parish of St. Saviour’s, Vermilion celebrated the faithful ministry of the Rev. Elizabeth Metcalfe on Sunday, November 21. “We created many wonderful memories together during the past five years,” read a post on the parish Facebook page. During her time at St. Saviour’s, Metcalfe who is an avid kayaker and outdoor enthusiast, helped the parish make the most of its beautiful surroundings by introducing creative worship opportunities such as Wild Church; an invitation for people to experience the presence of God in the natural world. 

On Sunday, November 21, Bishop Steve London conducted a service of confirmation and renewal of baptismal vows at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Edmonton. It was London’s first confirmation service as bishop, and special in its own right in the way it blended Anglican and Indigenous tradition. 

Members of Holy Trinity Riverbend, Edmonton held their Annual Winter Warmth Clothing Drive recently. During a month-long campaign, they collected several bags of warm clothing, boots and winter accessories, as well as monetary donations for the Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM).

“I was overwhelmed at the generosity of our members as we gave Quinn over half a dozen bags of warm clothing, jackets, and boots,” says Holy Trinity Riverbend Rector the Rev. Rebecca Harris, pictured with the Rev. Quinn Strikwerda, ICPM Pastor, accepting some of the donations.

The Ven. Jordan Haynie Ware officiated at the baptism of one of her adult parishioners on November 1; a man who had taken time and thought before making this step of faith. Paul had been worshipping with Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Edmonton since the summer and was baptised on All Saints' Day.

“He wanted to count the cost of discipleship and make sure he was ready to live into a lifelong commitment to follow Jesus,” said Ware, rector of Good Shepherd in north Edmonton.

“It was with great joy that we marked him as Christ's own forever. I got emotional handing him the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, after months of offering a distanced blessing. Something about facilitating that holy connection between Saviour and saved was truly powerful.” 

Starting next week watch the Synod Scene and the diocese's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds for Advent devotionals by Bishop Stephen London. 

Bishop Steve has hit the ground running in his new role in the Edmonton diocese and in the Anglican Church of Canada. One of his ambitions is to visit every parish in the diocese as soon as possible. The following events are among those in is his itinerary for the next few weeks:

• November 28: Sunday service, St. Peter, Edmonton
• November 30: ACW Mid-day Eucharist, All Saints'Cathedral, Edmonton
• November 30: Preparing the Way Advent Evening Retreat @ Providence Renewal Centre

Bishop Steve's calendar is full in these first months of his episcopacy. As well as visiting for Sunday and special services in various parishes, he is making time for smaller meetings with rectors, vestries and corporations mid-week. You can keep up with Bishop Steve through his FaceBook page, and the Synod Scene has begun a collection of pictures from visits thus far.

The Anti-racism Virtual Book Club invites readers to its upcoming conversations. All are welcome to join Archdeacon Jordan Haynie Ware on Zoom. On Monday, November 29, the Building on Foundations group will delve into Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys by Richard Twiss. Both conversations start at 7:30 pm. If you order your book from the Glass Bookshop, you'll receive a discount! Register on Eventbrite

Teens and Tweens in the Edmonton diocese are invited to join Rev. Sue for a Bible Reading Adventure during the season of Advent. Starting the week of Thursday, December 2, explore themes of gratitude, gift-giving, presents and joy with daily bible readings and once-a-week virtual meetings. To register, email christchurchedm@gmail.com or speak to your parish priest. POSTER!

Please come and join the ACW for our first in-person gathering for everyone since the start of COVID-19. A special Mid-Day Eucharist Service with ACW Patron Bishop Steve London presiding will be held on St. Andrew's Day, Tuesday,  November 30. The service will begin at 11 am at All Saints' Cathedral, 10035–103 Street NW, Edmonton Covid-19 protocols of masks and distancing will be followed. For those not able to attend in-person, the service is being live streamed and recorded on YouTube. For more info, email Elaine at acw.dioceseofedmonton@gmail.com 

On Sunday, November 28, 2:00 pm, the Concert Choir of Concordia University of Edmonton with Holy Trinity presents "From Darkness to Light: A Concert of Advent Carols, Readings and Organ Music". Join Kim Cousineau, Piano; John Brough, Conductor and Organ; with music by Jacob Handl, Healey Willan, Morton Lauridsen, Karl Jenkins at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037-84 Avenue NW. Admission by donation. Please note: the Restrictions Exemption Program will be in effect for this event, so all audience members must be able to show proof of vaccination.    POSTER

The parishes of the Whitemud Deanery are joining together to host a reflective season of prayer this Advent on Zoom. Tune in every weekday at 7 pm from November 29 through December 23. 

An Advent Clergy Day will be held at the Cathedral onThursday, December 9, 10:00 am-3:00 pm (lunch provided). Please RSVP to the Bishop's assistant by December 3. ID and proof of vaccination will be required to attend. Let us join together for a much needed day of prayer and fellowship as we journey through this season of Advent in faith, hope, joy and peace.  

Thursday, November 25, 2021 1:30 – 2:15 pm  POSTER

The dialogue this Thursday between Scott Sharman of Edmonton diocese and Kevin Guenther Trautwein of Lendrum Mennonite Church is the first in a series of interfaith conversations at the U of A called Lunch Talks. If you have acquaintances, children, grandchildren or friends who are university age and might appreciate the opportunity to dialogue with those of other faiths, please invite them. This event is sponsored by the InterFaith Chaplains at the University of Alberta.

All Saints' Cathedral invites all to the following events and services for Advent:

• Beginning November 24: Advent Book Study: Honest Advent: Awakening to the Wonder of God-with-Us Then, Here, and Now, by Scott Erickson. To register, email Sara:admin@allsaintscathedral.ca
• Beginning November 28, the Cathedral will be back to offering three Sunday morning services: 8 am, 9 am and 11 am   
• Beginning December 2: Thursday noon-hour Eucharist at 12:10 pm
• December 5: Evensong and Lessons and Carols, 7 pm
• December 21: Darkest Night service at 7 pm. A service of prayer and communion for those finding the season difficult. 

Watch this space for Christmas service updates!

All Saints’, Drayton Valley is holding an online holiday auction! The bidding will start at 5 pm on Sunday, November 28, and will conclude at 5 pm on Saturday, December 12, in time for Christmas. (Items will be available for pick up at the church or in Edmonton at an address near the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market.) If you would like to donate items or services for the auction, please email a digital photo of the item, along with a description and starting bid suggestion, to the Rev. Christopher Cook. View the auction items here!

The Annotated Christmas Song Book is an original podcast celebrating the music and lore of the holidays. Each episode will be released daily through the Advent season and features an original performance of a Christmas song accompanied by an annotation; a story that illuminates the song. An entertaining and enlightening podcast celebrating the joys, wonders and eccentricities of Christmas. Premiering November 28. Check out the preview HERE.  

Starting in January, St. Faith's Anglican Church will be home to a Collective Kitchen community on the second Tuesday of each month, from 1 to 3.30 pm. Enjoy cooking with a small, friendly group. Help make three ready-to-eat meals and muffins to take home for $4. Enter from the parking lot on 92 St between 117 and 118 Avenue, Edmonton and remember to bring containers to take your meals home. Please call Trish at 780-464-5444 to reserve your spot.

Holy Trinity Riverbend, Edmonton has a new temporary home at Providence Renewal Centre beginning December 5. In preparation for in-person worship, the parish is in need of approximately 30 copies of the Book of Alternative Services. Please contact the Rev. Rebecca Harris if you have spare copies of the BAS.

As a Partner for Life with Canadian Blood Services, the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton has pledged to donate 100 units of blood in 2021. We are on track to meet and exceed our target! Thank you to our team members who have donated or have an appointment to give. Why not join our team? It's a simple but powerful way to give back to the community.

Click here to join Team Anglican. Our Partner ID is ANGL696986.  To donate blood, call: 1-888-236-6283 or visit Canadian Blood Services.

You are invited to join one of several Centering Prayer Groups meeting in person or online.

Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him.                

Click here to find a group near you.

A retired priest of the diocese recently left two stoles in the Synod Office, hoping to find them a new home. Feeling a connection to its history, St. George by the U of A has claimed the older and beautifully crafted white stole. The purple stole, (52" 1/2 length) is still available. Call the Synod Office or email churched@edmonton.anglican.ca if interested.

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.

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 Shuswap Emergency Program has been sending evacuees from the Merritt-area flooding to Sorrento Centre for help with basic needs, accommodation and meals. The families, including some with pets, are warmly welcomed with typical Sorrento Centre hospitality as we help them settle in our apartments, lodge rooms and cabins.

We want to assure you, you can help us help. Here’s how:
1. Use our secure credit card portal: www.sorrentocentre.ca/donate 
2. Mail a cheque to Sorrento Centre, PO Box 99, Sorrento, BC, Canada, V0E2W0
3. Call our office at 250-675-2421 to arrange an e-transfer or with questions.

All donations will receive a tax receipt, and the money you send comes directly to Sorrento Centre within days so we can continue our boots-on-the-ground efforts to provide hospitality to those who need it most. 

Preparing the Way is an Advent evening retreat offered in collaboration with the Edmonton & District Council of Churches on Tuesday, November 30. Spend an evening of prayer and reflection in our sacred spaces as we begin Advent, preparing our hearts for the Christmas season. You will be welcome to walk and pray the indoor labyrinth by candlelight and to spend quiet prayer time in our chapel. Come when you can, for as long as you can, between 5:30-8:30 pm. Take a short prayer break on your way home from work, or spend a full evening in silence and retreat time. (Light refreshments available but no meal provided.) Covid restrictions apply. This event is free, but pre-registration is needed by November 24 on the PRC website. SCHEDULE for the EVENING

Each year, the Anglican Church of Canada works with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to create the Churches Beyond Borders Advent devotional series. This year’s devotions will be “timed with and inspired by the United Nations’ annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.”

The 16 Days of Activism run from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on November 25, to Human Rights Day, on December 10. As this overlaps Advent, Mary’s Magnificat—found in Luke 1:38-55—was selected as a guide for the devotional booklet.

The national office of the Anglican Church of Canada will host another Advent Lessons & Carols service this year. Save the date for Friday, December 17, 8pm Eastern (6pm Mountain time). Audio and video will be made available a week prior to the livestream, so that dioceses and parishes may integrate them into services and events on or after the live broadcast. More details to come!

The Edmonton and District Council of Churches (EDCC) 2021 No Room In the Inn (NRII) campaign is now underway. Traditionally, many Anglican parishes in Edmonton have taken up a Christmas Eve collection for NRII. Please invite your parish community to support the campaign (information attached).

This year, No Room In the Inn is supporting L’Arche Edmonton, which provides supportive housing and assistance for adults with special needs. With the funding raised in this year’s campaign, L’Arche Edmonton will be renovating and upgrading one of their seven houses in the Edmonton area. 

Canterbury Foundation’s 2nd Annual Online Auction is back, with all winning bids matched by presenting sponsor Bird Stuart Olson, up to $10,000. 100% of auction proceeds will go to:
**Expand Life Enrichment programs in our 3 retirement living options.
**Ensure ongoing development of dementia care and end-of-life care.
**Ease the financial effect of critical safety response - like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Anglican Diocese of Edmonton is a founding partner and active participant in the work of the Canterbury Foundation.

Spiritual growth often occurs when we are able to talk about our experiences of God with another person, especially if that person is trained in deep and reflective listening. This is the primary activity of spiritual direction. The Studion School is currently seeking volunteers to receive spiritual direction from its second-year students, as part of a supervised practicum. The practicum lasts one year and begins in March 2022. If this opportunity interests you, please email thestudionschool@gmail.com, or call the Rev. Shelly King at the Synod Office: 780-439-7344.

St. Stephen’s College is now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 academic year to all of our programs, including the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) and Doctor of Ministry (DMin). Applicants interested in various dimensions of human services, care, and social transformation are invited to explore our newly crafted MTS programs in “Faith and Culture”, “Spiritual Care”, and “Contemplation, the Arts, and Social Engagement”. POSTER

The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) Advent resource Thread of Hope can be used for personal prayer or group study. It ties together a diverse array of writers, viewpoints and activities suitable for adults and youth alike. Each week of Advent begins with an illustration and scripture passage that takes us through the familiar Advent story, from the angel messengers and the journey to Bethlehem, to the shepherds responding to the call and the birth of Jesus. On Sundays you’ll receive a reflection from a PWRDF partner, volunteer or staff member, followed by a guided meditation from the Rev. Cheryl Barker (read or listen!). During the week, a different writer will reflect on a scripture passage and offer a prayer for each day, followed by a PWRDF story. This resource can be received as a daily message in your email or downloaded here in its entirety. To learn more or to subscribe, go to pwrdf.org/Advent2021 

As an alternative to grocery stores, food security initiatives like Khair For All provide food boxes for donation to another community member, to pick up at a designated depot, or be delivered directly to your home for a small fee. Food boxes are available in a small size for $25 and a large size for $50. The cost of the grocery boxes is 20-30 per cent less than grocery stores like Superstore. In the Edmonton diocese, every Wednesday the Manna Market offers grocery bags for $5 at All Saints' Cathedral, while the Lodgepole Market offers bread and produce at St. Faith's.