• Those who are sick, suffering, or in need: Kenidi, Savanah, Colin, Melissa, Jennifer, Thomas, Richard, Louis; Jordan; Max; Doug and Elyse; Grayson, Jean, Cheveyo; Jordan, Paul, Bjorn, Mike, Bob and Jen; Gabe; Glen.
• Those who have died: Peter; and those who mourn: Lois and family.
• 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.

Please pray for Bishop Stephen London as he serves parishes throughout the diocese and connects with our partners and friends beyond the diocese. God willing, Bishop Stephen will attend the following public events, meetings and services:

• December 18: Advent Service, St. Thomas, Sherwood Park, 7 pm
• December 19: Episcope Circle, Good Shepherd, Edmonton
• December 22: St. John the Divine, Onoway, 10 am
• December 24: Christmas Service, St. Patrick's, Whitecourt, 10 am
• December 24: St. George's, Edmonton, 4:30 pm
• December 24: All Saints' Cathedral, 10 pm
• December 25: St. John the Evangelist, Edmonton, 10 am

The Anglican Diocese of Edmonton Synod Office staff wishes you and yours a peaceful Christmas and every blessing in 2025! 

'And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
Luke 1:45

The Synod Office will be closed from December 25 to January 2.

For more than a decade, Fiona Brownlee and Hugh Matheson have ministered to parishes in the Edmonton diocesan community.

Due to diocesan budget constraints, Brownlee’s position as Aboriginal and rural communities liaison, a role she pioneered as part of the Indigenous Ministries Team, will end in January 2025.

Matheson has announced his intention to retire as rector of Immanuel, Wetaskiwin in February 2025.

Thank you for encouraging us to be good neighbours, Fiona and Hugh! Your friends in the Edmonton diocese pray for you as you enter this transitional time.

The Rev. Dr. Iain Luke is joining the Edmonton diocese until June 2025 to serve as interim priest in charge at St. Paul’s in Edmonton. He is the principal of the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad, an Anglican theological college in Saskatoon. 

Luke is on sabbatical leave from the college to “refresh and update his familiarity with congregational life, ministry, and leadership” to better understand how parishes articulate their identity and purpose. He is “looking forward to discovering what St Paul's parish can share from their experience in these areas, as well as offering his support during the transitional time between rectors.”

Parishioners support the Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM) year-round by helping with lunches and donating warm winter clothing. The postal strike has heavily impacted the fundraising work of the ICPM and now more than ever, they need cash donations. Please read Pastor Quinn Strikwerda's Advent Appeal and consider donating.

The Canons and Constitution, a set of rules and regulations by which parishes and the diocese are governed, was updated following the direction of the 69th Synod. View the Canons

Can parishes accept non-cash gifts? If the parish wants to accept such a gift, for sure!

In-kind donations are non-monetary gifts that support the work of the parish. Parishes are not required to accept in-kind donations if they do not want to receive them.

In-kind donations may be receipted provided the giver is at arm’s length from the recipient of the funds and the items donated are deemed to be at fair market value. The CRA has a comprehensive description for determining fair market value which may be found here.

You are invited to a Queer Belonging Advent, as we share our sorrows and joys, celebrating the warmth of God’s love together! Let’s fill our queer hearts with joy and let our lights shine bright this holiday season. We can’t wait to see you on December 18, 6 pm, at Lodgepole Communitas, Alberta Avenue, 11725 93 St NW, Edmonton. POSTER

Join the Rev. Helen Chan Bennett in the Death Cafe YEG! at Wildroots Cafe, St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, 6110 Fulton Road, Edmonton, December 20, at 7 pm. This non-religious group is for anyone interested in exploring the topics of death, dying, and end-of-life care in a safe and supportive environment. Inspired by the IDEA Cafe, Cafe Lovers, Conscious Dying, and Socrates Cafe philosophies, we gather to have open and honest conversations about mortality, meaning, and what it means to live fully. Whether you are curious, fearful, or simply interested in sparking meaningful discussions, we invite you to join us for thought-provoking conversations and connections with like-minded individuals. Let's embrace the taboo and explore the inevitable together. Come join us! Please share this UPDATED FLIER with your parish community.

Join us on Sunday, December 22, at our 8 am and 10 am worship services, as we look at Mary's role in the Christmas story. In celebration of her upcoming due date, we will be having a Baby Shower for Mary. Please bring donations of diapers, wipes, formula, onesies, or any other baby necessities. All items will be donated to our 2024 Christmas Charity "A Safe Place" and the expecting mothers who reside there. After our 10 am worship service, you are welcome to join us for a Baby Shower-themed coffee hour!!! POSTER

We have some wonderful services coming up at St. Paul’s, 10127 145 ST NW, Edmonton, this Advent and Christmas season:

• December 22, 10 am, Lessons and Carols
• December 24, 7:30 pm, Evening Communion Service
• December 25, 10 am, Christmas Morning Service

POSTER

Continuing our Walking Together series with Temple Beth Ora and Oskya Matchetawin, All Saints' Cathedral is planning a moment in the river valley (Rio Terrace community) on Sunday, December 22, at 3 pm. There will be a short walk (200m) to a view of the River Valley, where we will smudge, pray, and reflect together as long as the weather allows. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate (provided) in celebration of the Winter Solstice. The meeting location will be provided when you sign up. Please share POSTER

This Advent, an online prayer group is starting for people in the Diocese of Edmonton to pray the Daily Offices together twice a day, except Sundays. We intend to use the orders found in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and the Book of Alternative Services (BAS), and are open to using other resources. If praying the Daily Offices, whether you've done it before or not, interests you, please contact Mr. Brad Lindseth CD at brad.lindseth@gmail.com or 780-903-1484 for details and to sign up.

• Experience with others the joy of connecting with God.
• Learn tools to cultivate your spiritual life and know yourself as God’s beloved.
• Respond to the invitation to be on a journey of healing and transformation.
• Grow your capacity to engage love’s ongoing labour of making all things well.

Registration is now open for the next offering of the Revive discipleship program. The Revive program is offered at no charge to all who are interested. You may register to participate in person or online, Tuesday evenings, from 7 to 9 pm. Download Participant Guidebook

We are happy to share news and pictures, or help promote upcoming events (ie. youth gathering, parish fundraiser, worship service, community outreach, public lecture) 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 news and event . Upload a graphic or picture (horizontal / landscape orientation; 1500x784 px), and your event poster (if you have one). Submissions must be received by Tuesday at noon to guarantee their inclusion in the current week's newsletter. Have questions? Email Margaret Glidden, communications@edmonton.anglican.ca; or call 780-439-7344

The Bishop of Edmonton invites applications for the incumbent of St. John the Evangelist in Edmonton. The closing date is January 31, 2025.

St. John the Evangelist (SJE) is a richly diverse and complex community. As one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Edmonton, it serves a broad multi-generational community that includes a vibrant children’s ministry and a robust youth ministry. The parishioners come from many racial, cultural and economic backgrounds. Read Parish Profile

Thank you, Team Anglican donors for helping us reach and exceed our 2024 goal of 130 blood and plasma donations - we are at 176! Making time to donate blood or plasma is a selfless act that can help save another person's life. Holidays tend to be a slow time for donations. If you have time, please consider booking an appointment. Most donor clinics have holiday hours.

We hope to keep growing our team and you can join us with a few simple steps. To book a life-giving appointment, call 1-888-236-6283 or visit Canadian Blood Services. Check your eligibility, then click here and enter our Partner ID: ANGL696986. You won't just make a difference. You can make all the difference.

As the Canada Post strike continues to impact charitable appeals across Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada philanthropic partners—the Anglican Foundation of Canada, Giving with Grace, and The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (Alongside Hope)—have produced a downloadable church bulletin that parishes can use in their weekly communications. BULLETIN

No Room in the Inn appeals to the people of Edmonton and area churches at Christmas time to think about those living in our community who do not have adequate and safe housing. Some churches ask their members to contribute on Christmas Eve, some choose a Sunday in December and others contribute from the parish/congregation funds.

This year the No Room In the Inn Campaign is supporting Youth Empowerment & Support Services (YESS). A new roof is needed for the YESS Youth Support Centre (YSC), an evolution in youth care and crisis management, providing a centralised place for those in crisis to get immediate support, stabilisation and assessment.

Accompanying this invitation is a brochure that can be printed locally, as well as a page that describes more fully the work of YESS and its need for support. BROCHURE / YESS INFO

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.

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, all are invited to The de Margerie Lectures on January 22 and 23 at 6 pm. The lectures honouring the late, local ecumenist Fr. Bernard de Margerie, are live-streamed and can be accessed remotely here. Guest lecturer Sandra Beardsall, a noted local ecumenist with a global profile, is coordinating the 2025 World Council of Churches' celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, and will speak about how that event so long ago still calls Christians to visible unity and a sharing of the apostolic faith.