• Those who are sick, suffering, or in need: Karen, Bob, Lorelei, Marie, Cathryn, Sue, Connie, Doreen.
• Those who have died. Those who mourn.
• Those affected by conflict or natural disasters around the world.
• 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 at the end of those two weeks.

Bishop Stephen London celebrates the Rev. Tim Chesterton's 23+ years of ministry with St. Margaret's, Edmonton, on Sunday, December 17, Advent 3. 

Please hold Bishop Stephen London in your prayers as he serves parishes throughout the diocese and connects with our partners and friends beyond the diocese.

• December 19: Administration and Finance Committee, Zoom
• December 24:  Christmas Eve Service, St. Patrick's, Whitecourt
• December 24: Christmas Eve Service, All Saints’ Cathedral, Edmonton

Members of Queerly Beloved, a working group of the diocesan Social Justice Committee, hosted a recent Clergy Day in the parish of St. Timothy’s, Edmonton. The continuing education day was an opportunity to support church communities in their journey to become safe, affirming spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ followers of the Jesus way.

As the Rev. Clare L. Stewart, rector of St. Timothy’s and a member of Queerly Beloved, illustrated in her presentation to clergy on “The Church and Human Sexuality: Queer Christians & the Anglican Church,” the church has not always been a safe place for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, but the Edmonton diocese is committed to creating safe space.

Advent and Christmas greetings from our companion partners, the Diocese of Buye in Burundi, Africa:

"Advent greetings from the Diocese of Buye. I hope this finds you all well. Please find attached a Christmas Card from the Diocese of Buye." Blessings, Fr. Canon Dominique Ciza, Diocesan Executive Secretary

Members of All Saints' Cathedral and the Synod Office wish you a blessed Christmas. Pictured from left: Bishop Stephen London, Jeremy Spurgeon, Deacon John Gee, Dean Alex Meek, Vicar Ruth Sesink Bott, Sarah Kemp, Canon to the Ordinary Scott Sharman, RJ Chambers, Margaret Glidden. Photo by Jennifer Rees

The Synod Office will be closed for the holidays from Christmas Day until New Year's Day. Have a blessed holiday season!

In a world where you can be anything, be like Jesus! 

On a Friday night during Advent youth members of St. Augustine-Parkland, who were recently confirmed by Bishop Stephen London, gathered at the Red Apple store in Stony Plain to collect donations for the Kinsmen Christmas Hampers. Is there anything that warms your heart more than kids helping kids? It was a slow shopping night in the store, but these guys did anything they could to bring in donations. They all had such a good time together that in the new year we will be starting our first official youth group in a long time! Submitted by Michelle, Squance-Slade, St. Augustine's-Parkland

Members of St. Aidan and St. Hilda, Rexboro gathered, on December 17, to celebrate the 90^th birthday of Fred Bryant with his wife Eleanor, at Holyrood Extended Care.

The celebration included a Zoom call with Fred’s family in France, Germany and Vietnam.

Fred’s family has attended St. Aidan and St. Hilda’s since 1927. Fred began his music training in the parish at about 12 years old and, since the late 1980s, has played the original pedal-type organ for the appreciative congregation.

Thank You, Fred. We have been Blessed with your expertise and dedication. 

Pictures: Fred and Eleanor Bryant celebrate Fred’s 90^th Birthday, on December 17, 2023, at Holyrood Extended Care; Fred Bryant plays the pump organ for St. Aidan and St. Hilda's Lessons and Carols service on December 3, 2023.

Submitted by Mary Lynn Phillips, St. Aidan and St. Hilda, Rexboro

The Rev. Tim Chesterton's 2023 Christmas gift is an arrangement of the old Irish "Wexford Carol."

"It was translated into English in the mid-1800s, but the Irish original likely dates to the 15th or 16th century. As usual, I recorded it with the help of Curtis Jacobs, who has been doing this for me for many years now. This song comes with my love and best wishes to you all, and prayers for a blessed and peaceful Christmas."

The Diocese of Edmonton will be leading the Revive Discipleship Program, both in-person at St. Matthias, Edmonton; and virtually, beginning on January 13, 2024. Revive Schedule

• To participate online, register here: Virtual Attendance
• To participate in person, register here: In-Person Attendance

The diocesan courses will be led by the Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman, Canon to the Ordinary, and a team of Revive Animators including the Rev. Madeleine Urion, St. George’s, Edmonton; the Rev. Andreas Sigrist, St. Matthias, Edmonton; the Rev. Stephanie London, St. Columba, Beaumont.

The Edmonton diocese will begin a new formation program for Lay Evangelists in 2024. The formation will take place over 10 Saturday modules (approximate time frame 10 am - 3 pm), at Good Shepherd Anglican Church, 15495 Castle Downs Rd, Edmonton. We anticipate completing seven modules in 2024, and the remaining three in early 2025, concluding with a licensing of new evangelists later in the spring of 2025.

Clergy of the Diocese of Edmonton and their families (if you don't have a spouse or children, bring the person or people you consider to be family) are invited to a potluck dinner in celebration of Epiphany, on Saturday, January 6, at 5 pm. 

Let us help you promote your upcoming event in Synod Scene, our weekly e-newsletter to clergy, parishes and subscribers. Please click the link to the form below to tell us about your event (ie. youth gathering, parish fundraiser, worship service, community outreach, public lecture). Upload a graphic or picture (horizontal / landscape orientation; 1500x784 px), and your event poster. Events must be submitted by Tuesday at noon for inclusion in the current week's newsletter. Have Questions? Email Margaret Glidden, communications@edmonton.anglican.ca; or call 780-439-7344

Looking for a way to make a difference this Advent and Christmas? The PrayerWorks community meal outreach needs your support. A ministry of St. Faith's and St. Mary's Anglican churches, PrayerWorks is part of the Lodgepole Communitas. To learn more, visit www.lodgepolecommunitas.ca

With less than two weeks until the end of the year, Team Anglican is just one donation shy of our 2023 goal of 130 blood and/or plasma donations. Canadian Blood Services says blood and plasma donations are especially needed during the holiday season. Blood is critical for everyday medical care, including major surgeries, medical procedures, cancer treatments and managing diseases and disorders. Yet, at any given time, the need for blood outpaces the number of donations. 

To book your lifesaving appointment, call 1-888-236-6283 or visit Canadian Blood Services. Check your eligibility, then click here and enter our Partner ID: ANGL696986 to join Team Anglican. You won't just make a difference. You can make all the difference.

For nearly 25 years, the Edmonton & District Council of Churches (EDCC) has led a cross-denominational holiday campaign to raise money for housing and housing improvements for those in need. Churches and Christian communities are encouraged to support the annual No Room in the Inn fundraising project starting on the first Sunday in Advent, December 3.

The 2023 campaign is in support of A Safe Place residential facility in Sherwood Park for those who are escaping intimate or family violence.  The facility requires major roof repairs or a roof replacement. Please share the attached graphic and poster on your community web pages, social media platforms and in your parish bulletins. BROCHURE

Diocesan communications is looking for four to six people to contribute ideas as part of a Creativity Exchange.

The exchange is a new thing we are doing to explore communications through our gifts of art, poetry, writing, photography, videography, podcasting, you name it.

We will plan to meet four times per year, for a half-day workshop. We will likely have an inaugural, in-person meeting, with subsequent meetings to take place virtually on Zoom. It will be a chance to brainstorm story ideas, and different methods of sharing those stories.

We want to connect with passionate storytellers, no professional experience is necessary. If interested, please get in touch with Margaret Glidden by email at communications@edmonton.anglican.ca, or call the Synod Office at 780-439-7344.

We will form our Creativity Exchange early in the new year.

Camp Kuriakos, a vibrant Christian outdoor ministry located on the shores of beautiful Sylvan Lake, is seeking a qualified individual for the full-time position of Executive Director. 

As the successful candidate, you will be a Christian (ordained or lay) and enthusiastic about serving Camp Kuriakos as a Lutheran Ministry in Alberta. You will possess an undergraduate degree in a related field of study or an equivalent combination of education and experience. You will have excellent verbal, written and interpersonal skills combined with at least five years of supervisory and leadership experience preferably in a camp ministry, church, or non-profit environment.  

The Mustard Seed needs volunteers for its Coffee Connect program in the basement of Strathcona Baptist Church, 8318 104 St NW, Edmonton. We need people to simply hang out and have a cup of coffee with folks who are experiencing poverty or homelessness. This program offering emergency food/clothing, chaplaincy, and addictions support, runs most Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 am to 2 pm. Anyone who is interested must complete Safe Church screening before volunteering. You will also be trained/supported by Mustard Seed staff. For more information, please contact Chaplain Eric at ericjkregel@gmail.com.     

The Altar Guild of St. John the Evangelist, Edmonton is offering a set of altar clothes to a parish that can use them. The following items have been consecrated and the Guild would like to see them find a good home:

• White Damask – 34.5” in length (finished hems 4” on bottom and 2.5” on top) X 188” in width (with 1” hem). This cloth was made to fit an altar that had extra fabric that must have gone over or around something.  The dimension for the extra pieces (2) is 16”x46”. This fabric has been well used but has no rips or stains.   

Cold and flu season is upon us, and COVID persists in all its variations. As we spend more time indoors, it is becoming more difficult to contain germs and protect vulnerable members of our communities. Please remember that a minor infection for one person can develop into a major sickness for someone else. If you are feeling unwell (ie. have a cough, runny nose, sore throat, chest congestion, fever...), please stay home.