ANGLICANLife
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February 2011
ANGLICANLife A Section of the Anglican Journal
in NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Queen’s College student honoured by Knights
February 2011
Stewardship not so scary after all
Divinity Student receives Bursary from Knights Templar. (Left to right) Supreme Grand Master, Knights Templar, Thomas Janes, Student, Jeffery Petten, Rev. Dr. Wayne Short, Rector St. Mark’s St. John’s, Sponsoring parish. Submitted by Jim Fitzgerald Submitted by Jim Fitzgerald
The Knights Templar Charitable Foundation of Canada were pleased to recently present Divinity student Jeffery Petten with a $1500 Bursary to assist in his
studies toward Christian Ministry at Queen’s College at St. John’s , NL. The Knights Templar are Masons with Christ at our centre. Knights Templar are a very ancient order and try to promote the values of their ancient society in the promo-
tion of Jesus Christ in today’s hectic world. The members of Knights Templar wish Mr. Petten every success in his Studies in Christian ministry and trust that our Saviour will watch over him.
Queen’s College Appeal Help Support Queen’s College See page 12
Western Diocese hosts Stewardship Conference. Bishop Percy Coffin addresses the participants of a gathering on stewardhip in Port aux Basques. Submitted by Canon Roberta Woodman
“It began with a bang!” says Diane Hewitt of the Parish of St. James the Apostle, Port aux Basques. From 19 to 21 November 2010, the Stewardship Committee of the Taking Care of God’s Business Task Group moved into the South West corner of the Diocese of Western Newfoundland to hold its first regional Stewardship Weekend. The Parishes of Rose Blanche, Isle aux Morts, St. James and Grand Bay engaged in a process of better under-
standing stewardship. Through the Congregational Development/Stewardship Education Initiative and by acting on the Stewardship element of our Diocesan Strategic Plan, this weekend provided an opportunity “to teach and practice a holistic understanding of stewardship”. Using as a resource The ‘S’ Word by Archbishop Douglas Hambidge, and through worship, Bible studies, small group discussions, role play and fellowship, this Continued on page 6 See: “Stewardship”
SERVING THE DIOCESES OF WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND + CENTRAL NEWFOUNDLAND + EASTERN NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
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February 2011
Dearly Beloved... The church that came from cave to nave, is often reticent to shave, and down-size from its ample girth, which now, no longer, fits its berth.
ANGLICANLife
Isle aux Morts ACW Quiet Day
Some souls who need our comfort most, don’t get to share the holy host; bewildered brethren in the wing, might want to hear the choir sing. Do perceptions of the place we pray, persuade the skeptical, to stay? and are we user-friendly to, the ones who are not in our pew? The last of any stubborn breeds, may not dismount from trusty steeds, and smell the roses by the roads, which might refresh beloved abodes! Robert LeMessurier Maddox Cove, NL
Holy Spirit ACW, Isle aux Morts, held a Quiet Day on 30 November 2010. After prayer and meditation, the group created a Christmas craft for its youth. Also, they prepared several large boxes of treats and personal items for Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan. Submitted by Dorothy Rector
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February 2011
George Gardner - His Legacy (part 1) Founder of the Society of United Fisherman, 1873 Submitted by Norman Hiscock
There is only one known photograph of The Rev. George Gardner, which was taken about 1875. He is wearing the S.U.F. regalia of a Grand Master of the Order. That suite of regalia is in the archives of the Order. Rev. Gardner was the founder of the Society of United Fishermen and was its first Grand Master. James Gardner Sr., the father of Rev. George Gardner, was born about 1813 in Luton, England, a town situated about thirty miles north east of London. On May 29, 1837, James married Amelia Pavitt in St. Mary’s Whitechapel, London, England. Six children were born to them. The first, George was born about 1838, Emma Amelia in 1849, Louisa in 1850 and James about 1852. Born in Newfoundland were John in 1854 and Mary Elizabeth in 1856. After the family’s rope and straw hat manufacturing business fell on hard times it was closed. James Sr. and his family immigrated to St. John’s, Newfoundland as teachers in 1853. They taught school in St. John’s, but moved to Harbour Grace about 1857. Here, George attended St. Paul’s Church of England School, and upon graduation studied for the Church Of England Ministry at Queen’s College, St. John’s. He graduated from Queen’s College in 1861, and as a deacon, he was appointed by Bishop Field as Rector of the Mission
of Heart’s Content, which comprised the communities of Heart’s Delight, Heart’s Content, New Perlican and Scilly Cove (later renamed Winterton). In 1864, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John’s, he was made a priest. On November 29, 1861, Rev. Gardner married Miss Frances Mary Ann Marett, the daughter of Mr. D. D. Marett, of St. John’s, at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Harbour Grace by Rev. Bertram Jones. They took up residence at Heart’s Content, their home for the next seventeen years. Ninety-nine percent of the people of Newfoundland were fishermen, which at the best of times in the 1800’s was a precarious occupation. Mr. H. T. Moore, the member in government from the area, in his speech of January 1862 said, “the short catch of fish of the past season caused a great amount of pauper relief”. On July 9, 1862, the Harbour Grace Standard newspaper, stated that, “At Heart’s Content and along the South Trinity shore, it (the fishery) is worse than it has been up to the present time for some years. If the fish do not strike in it will be the worse ever.” In the February 8, 1864 edition it states, “that the chilling blast of poverty still continues to visit us.”
It adds, “that the root of the evil of poor relief must be attacked at its root or the consequences will be fatal. Fishermen have to learn that failing fisheries can and must be counteracted by more cultivation of the land if they wish to keep the wolf from the
The Rev’d George Gardner 1875
door.” It was felt that pauper relief was destroying the future welfare of the country. The year 1866 was described as, “the year of the terrible fishery when hardly enough was caught to eat and that people MUST cultivate the land because the fishery cannot feed them.” Life was hard for the families, who eked out a living from the sea, especially in
times of disastrous fishing seasons. The fishermen were mostly always in debt to the fish merchant, who controlled the price of their catch, and the price they paid for necessities. Government services were practically non-existent. Most of the people were poor, illiterate and malnourished. Many families suffered terribly, especially in times of sickness or the death of the father. In such cases the family often had to rely on the charity of others, who often had little or nothing themselves. Poverty and destitution were a common sight. Mortality rates were high, especially among the children. The horrors of drunkenness were prevalent. In the 1860’s when the population of Newfoundland was approximately 40,000 persons, over 250,000 gallons of rum were imported. The appalling conditions of so many people grieved Rev. Gardner deeply. To try and relieve some of the suffering of families during sickness and/or death, in 1862, Rev. George Gardner formed ‘The Heart’s Content Fishermen’s Society”, to which men could join, pay an annual fee, and in times of sickness, no matter how long, he would receive weekly financial help. In
times of death there was a ‘death financial benefit’ that enabled one to receive a decent burial and to provide some financial resources for the family. Men, regardless of religious denomination could join, and within a short time nearly three hundred men were enrolled from the six adjoining communities. Its benefits were a godsend to the people in that it addressed, to a great extent, the suffering, privation, and hunger of families in times of sickness and death. The Heart’s Content Fishermen’s Society was managed by an elected executive board, of which Rev. Gardner was president throughout its eleven-year history. The news of the benefit society spread, and in a few years other communities in Trinity and Conception Bays requested to have its benefits extended to them. However, under the Society’s system of administration, it was impossible to do so. To extend the Society’s benefits to other areas, a re-organization was required. To that end, on January 1, 1873, the Heart’s Content Fishermen’s Society was dissolved and was reorganized as the Society of United Fishermen, still as a benefit society to its members. Within three years it was extended to thirty-two communities in all parts of Newfoundland. Eventually the Order had over ninety Lodges, four of which were Continued on page 5 See: “S.U.F.”
BISHOP’S MESSAGE
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ANGLICANLife in NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
ANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is the newspaper of the Anglican Church in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. A co-operative effort of the three Dioceses in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is published monthly, except July and August, with an independent editorial policy.
Advertising Rates and other information may be obtained from: Bishop Donald Young 34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8 Phone: (709) 256-7701 Email: jointcommittee@nfld.net Subscription Rates: Newfoundland and Labrador: $15.00 Outside the province: $20.00 International: $25.00 New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of address should be sent to: Circulation The Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy) 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2 (416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax) Email: circulation@national.anglican.ca Each parish is responsible for maintaining its own subscription list - please notify your parish office of any changes. Changes sent to parish offices may take months to take effect. Please also send your updated information to Circulation at the Anglican Journal (above) or to Don Young at 34 Fraser Road, Gander NL A1V 2E8.
ANGLICANLife
The glory of the Lord
A section of the Anglican Journal Editor-in-Chief: The Rev’d Sam Rose 8 Croydon Street Paradise, NL A1L 1P7 Email: samrose@nl.rogers.com
February 2011
Bishop David Torraville Diocese of Central Newfoundland
“And the Glory of the Lord shone round about them...” Some time ago, before Christmas, my wife, Karen and I, visited a dear lady in her home who was in the latter stages of cancer. She couldn’t have been much more than 80 pounds and yet every ounce of those 80 pounds expressed joy and welcome, in her brilliant eyes and glorious smile. The Glory of the Lord shone around her, and in her, and through her. She has since died and her years of faithful service to her Lord in her parish and in the diocese will continue to be an inspiration to me and to others who knew her. “The Glory of the Lord” is not just a Christmas phenomena. I remember a number of years ago a little
girl, a new server, writing a note to the assistant in Gander who was training her, “I love to dance to church.” The Glory of the Lord “shone through her, and around us, as we read that little note. Years ago, as a student at Queen’s College, during a parish placement, I was invited to visit a very elegant older lady of the parish. When I visited she had sherry in fine crystal and tea from a silver tea service, linen napkins and china plates. I was feeling very special, being treated this way, in my fledgling clergy role. The door bell rang. It was the paper boy, perhaps 11 or 12 years old. It had started to rain and the little fellow was drenched. He asked the lady if he could phone his mom to pick him up. While he waited for his mom, she invited him in to the living room, sat him, wet as he was, next to me on one of her very fine pieces of furniture, got him a towel to wipe his face and hair and brought him milk in a huge crystal goblet, candy in a dainty little porcelain dish, peanut butter crackers on a china plate, all served on a silver tray. I realized that it wasn’t that I
was special - everyone who entered this woman’s home was special to her. In her home the gift of hospitality was not shared by degrees based on position, it was generously offered to all who entered her door. The Glory of the Lord shone around her and memory of the glory has been with me ever since. The Glory of the Lord accompanied the angels to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth but that Glory also comes to us daily in the person of God’s messengers who touch our lives, often unnoticed, and unremarked. As well, of course, there are those moments when the Lord gifts us to be a messenger of Glory through an act of faith, or generosity, or kindness, or forgiveness or mere presence. Christmas has long gone but the Glory of the Lord is still around us, and in us, and working through us. We are called not to be spectators but participants in that Glory thanks be to God. Thus we pray weekly, “Glory be to God, whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine...”
Dinner theatre
Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor-in-Chief (above) Parish Bulletins and Letters to the Editor: Send to the Editor-in-Chief, Sam Rose (address as above). All letters must include the writer’s name, address, and telephone number. Telephone numbers will not be published. Anglican Life does not publish letters under nom de plume. Letters should not exceed 300 words (one double spaced typewritten page), and are subject to editing at the discretion of the editor. These policies were adopted by the Anglican Life Committee. Layout & Design: Sam Rose Printed by: Signal Star Publishing, A Division of Bowes Publishers Limited, Industrial Park, 120 Huckins Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 4B6
Circulation: 23,058
The Stewardship committee of St. Augustine’s Church in Margaree - Fox Roost held their annual dinner theatre on two sold out nights in November 2010. In the photo are (back row) left to right: Lorna Lafosse, Maggie Seymour, Mary Carter, Pam Granter, Bernice Sweet, Mildred Park, Marie Farrell, Jessie Meade & Lorena Kendall. (Front row) left to right: Karen Simon, Rev Duncan Granter and Rowena Doyle. Missing from photo: Jeanette Billard and Mary Carroll. Submitted by Karen Simon.
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February 2011
S.U.F. founder honoured Christmas church Continued from Page 3
in Nova Scotia. The whole idea of the Lodges was to extend “benefits” to more people in all parts of the country. Its first constitution in Article 2 states, “It (meaning the Society of United Fishermen) shall have as it’s aim and objectives the promotion and protection of the fisheries, and the mutual aid and assistance of a benefit Society, in which every member paying regular dues, shall be entitled to certain sums in time of sickness or other calamity as may be provided for by the By-Laws of each Lodge and further, the mutual protection and help which every Brother member of the Society, wherever he may be, can reasonably accord another.” Each Lodge therefore had to stipulate in its By-Laws, which had to be approved by the Grand Lodge of the Order, its annual dues rate and its system of looking after its sick and distressed Brethren and their families on his demise. In this respect, the constitution made provision for a Relief Committee in each Lodge, which was to be composed of six elected members annually, and its constitutional duty was to enquire into all cases of sick or distressed Brethren and to see that each received his weekly financial allowance and to see that the Brother and his family received all necessary help. This Committee reported to the Lodge on a weekly basis. It is difficult to describe the ‘benefits’ that was pro-
vided to so many during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and even until the 1950’s because such benefits extended to the whole family. A Lodge with 150 members could conceivably be providing help for 600 – 1000 people. Prior to the 1950’s many people did not have social services, doctors, health care, communications, education facilities or nutritious food like we do today. It is not an exaggeration to say that longterm survival was at times precarious. A family often found itself in adverse circumstances particularly when the father became sick or suffered an injury whereby he could not fish and carry out the work of providing for his family. In such cases the blessings of the weekly financial help from the Lodge and the help and support of the Brethren can hardly be imagined. The following is typical of the help and support that a Brother of a Lodge could reasonable expect to be afforded to him and his family. Consider a Brother, who was ill for four years, and who had no one, other than his aged wife to look after things. His Brother fishermen in the Lodge came to their aid with weekly money, and did all that was necessary for their welfare by tending his fishing nets, planting and harvesting his gardens, making certain that the wood-box and the water-barrel were full, and did all necessary repairs about his home, all done FREELY by willing hearts and hands. For months, night after
night, two Brothers stayed up in his home to see to him and to give his wife some respite and rest. During the last weeks of his life they were there at his house 24/7. After his demise the Brethren and the Lodge saw to all aspects of a decent burial, from making his coffin to laying him in the ground. The Lodge continued to look after his widow. His wife was wont to say many times, “what would we have done without the Lodge?” This is just typical of the many thousands that were helped. Their stories would fill books. In the 1800’s most Newfoundlanders were fishermen, and therefore 98% of the members of a Lodge were active fishermen, when the cod and seal fishery was the main stay of the economy. Thus it was natural that the Society would have as one of its aims and objectives ‘the promotion and preservation of the fisheries.’ From its birth until the late 1950’s the Society was involved in all aspects of the fisheries, and on behalf of fishermen it petitioned the government with respect to fish aquaculture, bait depots, lighthouses, reef markers, a doctor for the Labrador fishermen, better prices, improved quality, improved marketing, conservation, and wharves, to name examples. Members who because of storms or disasters lost fishing boats, nets, fishing premises, and supplies received help from all Lodges. Part 2 of George Gardner’s legacy continues next month in the March issue of Anglican Life
attendance declining Article Ed Bevan Source: www.churchtimes.co.uk
One in three people attended a Christmas service at church this year, new research suggests. A survey by ComRes, published by the think tank Theos, questioned more than 1000 British adults on their attitudes to Christmas, and found that 36 per cent of respondents will be attending a church service at Christmas, while 62 per cent will not. Two years ago, 44 per cent of those surveyed said that would attend a service.Fortysix per cent of those polled said that the birth of Jesus was irrelevant to their Christmas, while 51 per cent said it was relevant. Young people aged from 18 to 24 were the age group most likely to agree that Jesus was relevant to
Christmas (55 per cent agreed). The survey also suggests that poor people in the UK are likely to find Christmas difficult: of those questioned, 22 per cent in the lowest socioeconomic group were likely to dread Christmas (compared with the national average of 18 per cent). A total of 61 per cent of those polled agreed that Christmas was mainly for children.The director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said the research showed that society was split down the middle over the religious significance of Christmas; and that “it will surprise people that young people are most likely to believe that Jesus is relevant to their Christmas.”Mr Woolley said that the differences between Christmas for the rich and poor in society “should trouble us”.
Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Diocese of Central Newfoundland is sponsoring a
LENTEN RETREAT at St. Catherine Renewal Centre Grand Falls-Windsor
APRIL 5 TO 7, 2011 Retreat Leader: Rev. John Watton Rector St. Martin’s Cathedral
COST: $75.00 (Includes meals from noon on 5th to noon on 7th) Apply to: Synod Office: Rev. Perry Cooper 34 Fraser Road Gander, NL A1V 2E8 email: executive@nfld.net
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Doors, Wallboard, Paints, Plumbing Supplies and many types of Roofing, Sono-Tube Concrete Forms, Aluminum Doors as well as a full line of
General Electric Products
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February 2011
ANGLICANLife
Stewardship conference ease fears Continued from Page 1
first Stewardship weekend has paved the way for future events throughout the Diocese. Two local music groups, New Wine and St. James Gospel Band, offered their gifts of time and talent to provide inspirational and uplifting songs of praise, thus adding flavour to the event. Plenty of ‘bread and fishes’ was provided by the ACW’s of each parish while ‘food for thought’ came from all participants, including Bishop Percy Coffin and members of the Stewardship Committee. Along with the workshops and worship, the Stewardship Committee from Isle aux Morts portrayed their talents and hospitality through an evening of Dinner Theatre. On Sunday morning, Diane Hewitt and Sam Keeping gave the following reflections about their experience of the weekend. These reflections are valuable instruments in the life of a steward. Hearing from and sharing with one another in public worship is one way of helping others learn more about our role as stewards in God’s kingdom. The more we live the life of a steward, the more visible Christ becomes in our neighbourhood and our world. We are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. As disciples, our response is to be caretakers in God’s vineyard caring for all that God has entrusted to us. The mathematical equation is that discipleship equals stewardship. Thanks be to God. Submitted by Canon Roberta Woodman
To learn more about the Stewardship Initiative “Taking Care of God’s Business” in the Western Diocese visit:
www.godsbusiness.ca
Reflection from Sam Keeping My first serious experience with the word ‘stewardship’ and what it means first happened several years ago with a trip to Stephenville with Rev. Evelyn Smith concerning the “letting down the nets” project. My first impressions, right or wrong, were that stewardship meant getting people to pay more money so that the church could get richer, or getting them to make a commitment to pay more money for this purpose. Since that time, my views on stewardship have changed, and I see it as much more than what I first believed, and culminating with our workshop yesterday I have a better understanding of what stewardship really means. Being now aware that everything we have comes from God, as good stewards it is important for us to pay back some of the good things that God has given us. Yesterday’s workshop has made me realize that there must be a holistic approach to stewardship. Yes, the financial aspect of stewardship will always be important but we must remember God has given us many other gifts. The giving of our time and talents are equally important, and as good Christians this is an important part of our ministry that cannot be overlooked. I also now realize that the financial aspect of stewardship has to have a purpose, and that purpose as I previously thought is not to just make the church richer. A good steward is one who gives for a number of reasons, from giving to improve the worship of God in his/her own church to helping the less fortunate in faraway places in the world. Being a good steward may also be an avenue for a re-vitalization of one’s church goers to attracting new members, something that is desperately needed. The workshop has also made me aware that there are resources within the Diocese that are very capable of helping any parish who plan to go ahead with any stewardship initiatives. No one is alone in this venture. Being a good steward is an important part of being a good Christian.
Reflection from Diane Hewitt Friday night, November 19, the Stewardship weekend began at St. Paul’s Church in the Parish of Grand Bay. It began with a bang with a night of music and prayer in the celebration of Holy Eucharist followed by a wonderful fellowship. Then on Saturday morning all four Parishes gathered at St. James Parish in Port aux Basques to continue our Stewardship weekend. On Sunday, we gathered at Holy Spirit Church in Isle Aux Morts to conclude this wonderful weekend with Holy Eucharist, prayer and music, followed by a fellowship lunch. When we heard about this weekend awhile ago, of course we were all wondering what is this all about. Naturally the first thing that came to people’s minds was money. Then you would hear ‘I am not going to attend that if they are going to talk about money’. Well if you did not attend you missed a wonderful weekend of fellowship and learning. We did learn that Stewardship is about our treasures but we also learned it is about much more. We talked about our talents and our time which is also a form of stewardship and there are many hidden talents out there that could come out in a form of Ministry. I learned something else this weekend. I learned how to build a house. When the staff from Synod office arrived here on Friday night they didn’t even own a piece of land but by the time Saturday afternoon arrived they had land and had a house built. Not bad eh? But as they were building that house they were building up our knowledge on what Stewardship is all about and how we were going to deal with this project in each of our Parishes quite a challenge indeed. Before I attended this workshop I did not realize I had a Ministry. I thought because I could not sing or play, my few talents did not mean too much. I now realize how important my talents and my time and, of course, my treasures mean. I am a pastoral care worker and I devote a lot of my time to the ACW which is a very important part of my life, not to mention the Altar guild and Social Concern of which I am the chairperson on the Diocesan Board. I want to thank the staff from Synod Office who took their time to come out here this weekend and help me and other people realize just what Stewardship is all about.
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February 2011
CHRISTMAS 2010 PICTURES It was a busy Advent and Christmas for St. James, Gillams in the Bay of Islands. On 14 November 2010, we collected forty Samaritan’s Purse shoe boxes for Haiti. Next year the goal is fifty. The boxes were filled by members of the congregation and brought to Corner Brook for preparation for shipment to Haiti. Many thanks to those who participated in making a child’s Christmas a little happier. On 20 November 2010, the church women held their fall sale and supper. A large crowd showed up to purchase crafts, knitted goods, preserves and baked items. A lovely turkey supper was served followed by a card game. Then, on Sunday 21 November 2010, a party was held for the Little Helpers of the congregation. There were songs, stories and everyone had cake and ice cream. It was a great time for all involved. Submitted by Audrey Park.
On Sunday 12 December 2010, St. Boniface Anglican Church in Ramea celebrated the season of Advent with everyone that attended the service that morning. The Sunday school children all came forward and dressed the Jesse tree with symbols they made in their morning classes. Following the Jesse tree program, the dressing of the evergreens took place. All members of the congregation took part by placing poinsettias, evergreens, Star of David, bells, mistletoe, candy canes or gift wrapped boxes in their appropriate places. At 7:00 pm, the service of remembering took place. Clyde Dominie opened the service by singing “What Christmas Means to Me,” and many more people from the congregation took part by doing a reading or lighting the candles. At one point in the service the congregation came forward, with names of loved ones who would not be home this Christmas, and placed them on the tree of memories. Also names of members in the Canadian armed forces both at home and aboard were represented on the tree of memories this year. The Jesse tree, service of the evergreen and the tree of memories is a major part of the advent celebrations at the church in Ramea every year. Submitted by Arthur Marsden .
Send Anglican Life your pictures and stories. Email - samrose@nl.rogers.com
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COLUMNISTS
February 2011
ANGLICANLife
Be Still and know that I am God Allison Billard
Something I have always enjoyed is silence. And boy is it hard to come by these days. Sometimes life is chaotic. While we don’t have children yet, our home life is still pretty busy with my husband’s shift work, my multiple jobs and classes and our commitments with the church. And don’t
get me wrong, I love every minute of it. Most days I feel like I am exactly where I should be, even if I don’t think I’m accomplishing all I would like to do. “One day at a time” has become my mantra. But sometimes I just sit, take a deep breath, close my eyes and listen. What I hear with my ears doesn’t much matter: traffic, neighbours, and the cat chasing a toy in the living room. But it is in these moments that my heart has time to listen to God. It is a time for me to really listen to see if any of my questions get answered, if solutions to problems come to mind. And
quite often they do. It’s no coincidence I’m sure. This is when the Spirit is leading me in the right direction. I’ve been fascinated by the idea of spiritual disciplines. I’ve been reading about contemplative practices like Lectio divina, the Jesus prayer, the Daily Office and active practices like the labyrinth, pilgrimage and Sabbath keeping. But what most appealed to me was the idea that silence and solitude can bring you into a closer relationship with God. We all pray, right? Some more than others I’m sure. I’m not nearly so good at organizing and formalizing my
thoughts into prayers as I probably should be, but I give it my best shot most days. But what I find helps, and I was encouraged to realize that I’m not the only one who has resorted to this particular technique, is to just be quiet. Prayer is not a one way street. We bring forward our thanks, praise and petitions to God, but we have to listen too, and see what he has to say. God doesn’t just step down out of the heavens to sort out our problems. He uses the talents we have (that He has given us) and his Spirit guides us. I don’t think I really believe God is “talking” directly to me, that seems
almost blasphemous. But his Spirit lives in all of us, and our lives are supposed to reflect His purpose for the world, so I think it makes sense that the answers and solutions that come to me are not just borne of my own, flawed, brain. I might pretend I’m brilliant, but really I owe it all to God. So next time you’re praying remember to leave a minute for silence and just be still and listen. “ Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Who knows what you might hear.
standing before God just after our death. “God will surely judge us, he said. “The Scriptures say so.” “An angel,” he continued, “will open for us three books. The first will be a record of the sins we had committed. Many of us, not being criminals, murderers, or evil doers, won’t feel too bad when this book is presented. We weren’t too bad, were we?” “The second book,” he said, “will be a record of our sins of omission. An endless list of good deeds, both small and great, that we should have done but were too busy or too selfish to do. How guilty and how sorry we will feel - if we only knew!”
My grandfather concluded, “The third book will be a record of our good deeds. Since we think we have done our best, or at least tried to do our best, we may even be somewhat pleased, especially the do-gooders. But, sad to say, our bad deeds will greatly outnumber our good ones.” “We will surely hang our heads in shame,” my grandfather projected, “especially when we fully understand what time and opportunities we’ve wasted. Too much bad and too little good has been done.” “The,” he was certain; “Jesus will stand beside us. With his loving arms around us, he will proclaim that his cleansing blood has com-
pletely erased all of our sins, both of commission and omission. Entirely justified and purified, we will be led into God’s glorious eternal kingdom. How wonderful for our Saviour to pay the price for our stupidity and sin!” We all know since Jesus assured us that when we truly love and unselfishly serve our neighbours, we also do it for him. Should not we always, every day, do his will? Sacrificing ourselves for others is sacrificing for Jesus Christ. Don’t worry if you can’t do the big things. Most times the little things may mean more to others and to Jesus. So let us all be dogooders everyday for the rest of our lives.
Do-gooders Ronald Clarke
My grandfather, who died when I was quite young, tremendously influenced my life. A devout Christian, he was revered in his community as the ultimate “dogooder.” He was, it seems, always doing something good for someone – and he loved it. “You don’t have to do big things for people,” he once
told me, “because maybe you don’t have the money or the time or even the opportunity to do so. The so called little things can often mean a lot for people in need or distress.” He continued, “Always show a genuine interest in others. Give a helping hand. Say a kind word. Smile a warm friendly smile. These little things can often be comforting and encouraging. It is candy for the soul.” “Every day,” my grandfather emphasized, “presents dozens of opportunities to be nice to others. Failure to do so is a sin; a sin of omission.” Since I did not really know what a sin of omission meant, my grandfather gave me his vision od us mortals
ANGLICANLife
February 2011
OUR HISTORY
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John Leigh, 1822 (part 1) David Davis
John Leigh is well known in Newfoundland, on the positive side, for his vocabulary of the Beothuk aboriginal people and his reconstruction of the parish registers of Twillingate from which are found in the same correspondence file as the document in this article comes from. On the negative side, he was presiding with Captain David Buchan in the Surrogate Court when the notorious Butler and Landrigan cases came before the court. By subjecting these people to severe corporal punishment Mr. Leigh and Captain Buchan sank into the emerging Newfoundland political environment and found a question mark placed after their names. Any reader interested in the Beothuk vocabulary can look at the article on John Leigh in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography on the internet by doing a Google search naming the dictionary and then follow the links offered. Mr. Leigh appeared in two previous articles in this series: in April 2008 (the price of provisions in Newfoundland) and February 2008 (life in Twillingate). We will see a theme from this last article repeated later in this article. Readers should have the usual warning that because some words in the text of the article are missing due mainly to damage to the microfilm on which document is available in Newfound-
land and Mr. Leigh’s habit of jumping from one topic to another with little connections in his letter, it is not always easy to follow his thread of thought. However this document is one of the largest from a missionary in Newfoundland discussing issues of importance to the church so the writer will devote three articles to it. Readers might want to save the previous articles to help make sense of the current one(s). The church in Newfoundland had laboured under a severe disability for many years; the lack of any oversight or leadership position to make the church operations better coordinated. It was exceedingly difficult to find missionaries and to hold them, for any length of time. The first step in this process was finding a visiting missionary as is noted in the text, this position would a traveling supervisory position such as was used for many years in education in Newfoundland, a combination of an inspector of work and a resource person for improved work. When we begin the document below, we find Mr. Leigh has been appointed Ecclesiastical Commissary for Newfoundland, the somewhat vague “visiting missionary” has been given more substance. He is now a sort of assistant bishop reporting to the Bishop of Nova Scotia. But as one would expect the appointment has made him none too popular among his colleagues in the church.
30 Roe Avenue, P.O. Box 348, Gander, NL A1V 1W7 Telephone: (709) 651-4100 Fax: (709) 256-2957 email: info@waltershoffe.com
However, his appointment was one small step that led to Aubrey Spencer’s appointment as Bishop of Newfoundland later. Now we come to the item mentioned above in the article of February 2008 and many other articles: the difficulty in collecting the missionary’s stipend. Because of complaints about the high cost of living in Newfoundland the stipend was set at £200, quite a sum. We see here that less than _ of that amount had been collected in Twillingate. Mr. Leigh raised the issue of the amount spent by inhabitants on rum which would have paid the priest’s stipend. The most persistent issue connected with the colonies was schooling and especially the availability of books. Books were essential to church and school especially at a time with a low rate of literacy, people could be read to. Books were very expensive and had to be shipped from England, but they had a high status value even among people who didn’t read. Mr. Leigh’s moving the books from Twillingate to Conception Bay was likely to raise hackles all around even if they could be more used in Conception Bay which had more churches and schools. He also had to cope with evangelical writers which annoyed him but this was just part of the developing of Methodist groups which appeared in the previous century in England and had such a positive effect on society. Lawrence Coughlin who came to Conception Bay in the past had been a follower of the Wesley brothers even though he had been appointed to Newfoundland by the Bishop of London. Please note that in the Document, Due to the missing word(s) the symbol “.. .” has been used to mark the gaps.
The Document
Harbor Grace, 12 January 1822 My Dear Sir; I trust ‘Ere this you have received my letter . . . with a packet for . . . of the boat Roma - If you should have seen my worthy friend Captn Buchan you have doubtless heard from him the feeling that has been excited by my appointment . . . has afforded my enemies . . . or as most . . . attack upon me in one of the public Newspapers- I mentioned this mistake to you when in London, and my friend Mr. &Mrs. Burt recollect my sanctioning it to them, as soon as I read the report last October, twelve months, which was the first time I had ever seen any reports since I had been in the Society’s service- and I have now a letter before me from Mr. Carrington wherein he says, speaking of the School, “I am perfectly satisfied, you mentioned it in our house last summer in the presence of Messrs. Spencer & Laughorne, and wherein I have heard the subject mentioned, I have always said that I heard you contradict having made such statements to the Society, and therefore I have as to the doubt of its being corrected in the report of next year”- And in the hope of convincing the board and yourself that it was not my statement, I have taken the liberty to send you the following extract from my letter Novr. 4 1817 “Accept my . . . thanks for your very kind letter and I hope you will communicate to the board my wherein ledger accts for the very flattering and handsome manner in which they have complied with my wishes - I was with you on this occasion with as much pleasure as I did before - but my flock much like the Burin Gentry abound in professions of attachments to the Church & like them too they do not like to contribute towards its support - yesterday two of the planters finished collecting my stipend & they paid into Mr. Colburne’s on my account £68.7.0 . . . instead of £ 200- thus do they entice clergymen to leave their homes, friends and every thing that is dear to them, to deceive the - they cannot here plead poverty as in many parts of the Island, would they but save 1 a ½ gallon of Rum a Year for a man they might easily pay more than the sum - such were there professions as wish only since, that I could not have had a shadow of doubt & my stipend - How happy am I Charles Sergent did not come out -As I cannot support myself on this remuneration for my endeavors to serve them, and as the . . . I am confident - do not wish to see their Missionaries succeed in their service I must beg leave to move next Spring provided that I cannot my parishioners to a more liberal contribution -“ I have made this full extract to show the feeling under which I then wrote, far different would they have been, had I the satisfaction to have seen such a National School established ; I should not then have rejoiced that the master had not come out, although I had not received my dues for if that had been in so flourishing a state as is mentioned in the Reports it would have maintained & the Schoolmaster - for your answer to that letter dated from the London postmark 9th January 1818 you say “It was with much pain that I laid your letter of November 1817 before the Board, as the information it contained naturally destroyed those pleasing expectations, which your former correspondence encouraged - I am instructed to recommend you take all possible legal means . . . for the recovery of your fees, and to assure you that in the event of some failure the Society will . . . every disposition to afford you some temporary . . . “ copies of it . . . if required . . . in an another thing stated in the report as coming from me, which has called forth expressions very unpleasant to me, ( i.e. “that “one” of the Clergymen could & should be a appointed a Rural Dean “by referring to my letter of 3 Augt you will see that I there stated “The Church interest would gain ground could a Bishop visit the Island, and confirm the children once in three or four years, & in the mean time the Clergyman at St John’s should be appointed Rural Dean” - And if you recollect that at Dr. Martin’s Library, and behind the service on the 20th July last, where you intimated to me the intention of the Society to recommend me to His Lordship the Bishop of Nova Scotia, for some office of Ecclesiastical and authority. I then stated that I thought the person living in St John’s should hold such office but had no hesitation in accepting the office of Visiting Missionary although neither of my Brother Missionaries would accept it - as to the insinuation that I have made an improper use of the books &c sent out by the Society, I have not troubled myself to take any notice - But to the Society I feel bound to account whenever called upon - and even before I beg leave to remind you, that I stated in my letter to you on leaving Twillingate, that I should take all the books, the Society so liberally afforded me, with me to Harbor Grace, with the exception of Tillotsons Sermons which I left there for the use of the Church - The School here at Bay Roberts, Brigus, Bearneed, & Portugal Cove, have been supplied from that stock, & some number yet remain - And would I again be supplied with the same quantity they would be extremely useful - I had in 1817 . . . (of 50 each) Natl. School books - 10 dozen slates c 1000 Slate Pencils - I did not thinks it right to enter in particulars with an anonymous writer, considering that if I was to notice every such random and ephemeral statement, I might thereby necessarily involve myself in the most unpleasant situation - I have entered thus fully into these subjects to show you how extremely capricious our assistants are here even the expression in the report 1819 although it is not mentioned either of my letters of 5 July 1818 - 12 June 1819
STRAIGHT TALK
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ANGLICANLife
Is Christmas a pagan hoilday? The Rev. Greg Mercer
We are over a month removed from Christmas but I could not pass up the opportunity to comment on a tract that came across my desk during the Christmas season with the above title. The religious group responsible for this article identifies themselves only as ‘Word of God’ and claims to have no affiliation with The Vatican, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Mormons, nor any other religion. So what are they saying? They are saying that Christmas is a pagan festival and is not the will of God. To quote them directly, “The
Christmas season along with anything else associated with that time of year in any way, shape or form, is not the will of God, nor is it founded on any Biblical principles or authority by Jesus or any of the apostles. Yet religions, Christians and non-Christians alike continue to indulge year after year in a concept built upon lies. For those who celebrate Christmas, we stand out from the crowds of people who do! The world has been deceived” (The Spirit of Christmas: Christian or Pagan by wwcj.com). What we don’t need is another group of literal fanatics who believe that the Bible, along with every word in it, is meant to control us like a bunch of robots. Granted, they did their research and presented a fine argument to justify their case for a pagan festival. But it didn’t end there. They went on to con-
demn, with fine polemic, the customs and traditions associated with Christmas like the evergreen tree, gift giving, the feasting and a host of other things. Birthdays are not in the Bible either, so they condemned that. And did I mention that the only true Word of God is the King James Version of the Bible (so they say). True to their style they quoted Scripture to justify their theory instead of working the other way around. — So much for good, sound, exegetical work. This kind of literal approach to the Bible is an insult to any form of reasoning and shows total disregard for hundreds of years of church tradition. Who cares if we don’t know the exact date (month and day) of the birth of Christ! After all, none of the four Gospels give us the same story of Jesus’s Incarnation. Moreover, it is not the events
of his birth that are important but its meaning. And did I not read somewhere that Jesus attended a wedding. Oh yes, he also celebrated the Passover of the Jews with great feasting and tradition, with lamb and herbs and wine, and then he began a new tradition whereby he became the sacrificial Lamb. Yes, I remember something about that now! I wonder, did Mary celebrate Jesus’ birthday? It doesn’t say so in the Bible but it does say she sang a song of joy after it was announced to her by the angel Gabriel. “Goodness gracious” my dear mother would say, “what next, that Easter is not the will of God either.” If I sound a little satiric in my comments I don’t really care because it is this kind of approach to the Bible that makes Christianity look bad. Jesus told stories, for God’s sake. He didn’t give
us a list of do’s and don’ts. Is everything that Jesus ever did recorded in the Gospels? NO! And are not the Gospel writers themselves interpreting many of the facts about Jesus? YES! Who cares if there were two wise men or ten, or even if Christmas was super imposed on a Pagan festival in the 4th century. What matters is that God valued humanity so much that he sent his Son; he sent us a Saviour for ALL the people. Now that’s something to be celebrated, don’t you think? One more point. I am speaking as an Anglican and like all Anglicans I value and believe in the authority of Scripture, but properly understood in the context of reason and the tradition of the Church. What utter, utter, nonsense to say that Christmas is not of God. I think we should ‘make Merry’ and celebrate Christmas as often as we can.
quality time with God. It can be a time of exploration as we search for the true God and the true me. There is an ancient wisdom that says, “Stay in your cell and your cells will teach you all you need to know.” It referred to monasticism but it is pertinent for everyone. The “cell” is the occasion of solitude and silence, and to stay there means that you seek no distraction or diversions, and allow the silence and stillness to be means of facing God and yourself. There are a number of ways to find solitude and silence. You can spend 30 minutes or so a day in silent prayer. You can take
some time on Sunday to be alone. Another way is to take a day monthly or quarterly and simply do nothing. Let the Spirit guide you. A silent retreat of a few days is a more concentrated time for this experience. And Lent can be a good time to have more time for solitude and silence. If you want to learn more, there are numerous books on the subject. Here are a few: Moments of Christ (John Main); Walden (Henry David Thoreau); Solitude (Anthony Storr); The Way of the Heart (Henri Nouwen); Desert Solitaire (Edward Abbey); A Gift From the Sea (Anne Morrow Lindbergh; Solitude (Robert Kull); A Book of Silence (Sara Maitland); Hermits (Peter France); Alone (Richard Byrd); The Solitary Life (Thomas Merton); A Simplified Life (Verena Schiller).
LET US PRAY
Into the Silent Land The Rev’d Everett Hobbs
Into the Silent Land is the title of a book by Martin Laird. It is about solitude, silence and stillness, a study of the Christian tradition of meditation and contemplation. While useful for beginners, it has particular value for those who want to journey yet deeper into the silence of God. In the words of one reviewer, “with wisdom born of a life of prayer and study, Martin Laird invites us out of distraction into the silent land where God is waiting.” One time we can seek solitude, silence and stillness is Lent. Traditionally, Lent was a time of withdrawal from normal activities to spend
more time with God in prayer, study and other disciplines. It modeled the forty days Jesus spent in the desert where, free from attachments and attractions, he must face God and himself and is called his temptation or testing. We live in an environment which seems constantly bombarded by noise and filled with activity. I expect few of us have built into our lives much time for solitude and silence. We need to cultivate “Sabbath” time for retreat, rest and restoration just for our own benefit. We need “Sabbath” to spent
Into the Silent Land by Martin Laird
ANGLICANLife
February 2011
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COLUMNISTS
God’s Story Capital Campaigns
The Rev. Michael Li
History is God’s story. The Bible records from God’s story of the creation of the universe to the creation of the new heaven and the new earth.Some people think of history as cyclical, deterministic, and lacking any progress.Things occur in endlessly repeated cycles.Others do not see history as a fulfillment of God’s purpose. While still others believe that God will bring an end to history outside history. Regardless, the study of history can make us alert to the mistakes of the past. Christianity is an historical religion. Our faith is built on actual events.God has revealed Himself in specific external events, e.g.the exodus, the crossing of the Jordan, the return from captivity, the birth of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, etc.But it is often not easy to discern what God is saying to us through historical events. After the creation of the world including the human race, Adam and Eve sinned against God. The fall of humankind affects everyone. The fall was followed by the calling out of a specific people through whom a Redeemer would come. Then the appearance and work of Jesus, and the establishing of the church are to be followed by the Second Coming of Jesus in the future. God redeems us through the work of Jesus. God is in control of history. This does not mean that people are not free to make
their own decisions. God can overrule even the evil deeds of people so as to make them serve His purpose. For example, Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Genesis 37:28). Later, Joseph became the chief ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh and was instrumental in preserving many from famine. History has meaning and direction.It is a linear process moving toward a meaningful end under God’s guidance. We enjoy the powers of the coming age, but we are not yet free from sin, suffering, and death. We must still daily confess our sins. The optimistic view of history as progress has been shattered by two world wars and numerous smaller wars. Evil and good continue to exist side by side in the church and in the world. Error and evil continue to coexist with truth and good. Jesus has won the victory over the powers of evil. This means that the ultimate outcome of things is bound to be good. It is true that the world has changed dramatically since Jesus’ day, and goes on changing with ever more speed. God continues to speak through what He has spoken.His Word is a living message for the contemporary world. It remains a lamp to our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). God is active in human society. He gives the world the blessing of good governments by which evil is restrained, while the redeemed community can influence the world for good.We should continue to trust God. We should believe that God is working out His good purpose in history. History or God’s story is moving toward God’s goal - the full realization of God’s kingdom.
Kevin Smith
A number of parishes are engaging in capital campaigns to raise funds for various reasons such as windows, roofs, furnaces or even new buildings. These initiatives are designed to raise money that is over and above the regular givings to the church. If the campaign goal is large enough, some parishes elect to hire an outside consultant to guide them through this process. There are a number of these consulting firms in Canada and their names can be identified if requested. My recommendation to parish leaders is that a capital campaign is an ideal time to increase the promotion of planned giving. While at first glance it may appear that the two are mutually exclusive, upon closer examination it becomes quite clear that both
strategies, if managed properly, can be complimentary. A capital campaign usually is directed at immediate needs and requires funds now. Planned giving offers some distinct advantages to the campaign process such as: - Many typical planned gift vehicles provide immediate gifts. - Our Church has need for both outright, immediate gifts as well as deferred gifts supporting future ministry. - Not all donors are in a position to make an outright gift or pledge. Deferred gifts may appeal to these donors allowing them to play a significant role in the campaign and our Church’s future. - Those who are able to make an outright gift may also be anxious to support our Church with a deferred gift, perhaps to build an endowment. I would suggest that the parish committee in charge of the campaign would be welladvised to include planned giving in every aspect of the proposed campaign. Doing so will assist your parishioners to discern their response to the campaign challenge using immediate, pledged or deferred gifts. The end result
will be a stronger campaign for current support accepting a variety of gift vehicles, and a significant future support for the campaign objectives through endowment. Thus the support for new ministry objectives garnered by the campaign will continue indefinitely into the future. Integration of planned giving into a capital campaign process will allow a parish to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers. Planned giving should be included in the campaign brochure and other materials mentioning types of gifts and the case for support specific to planned giving. Planned giving materials should be designed to co-ordinate with campaign materials and be included on all response devices. Campaign reporting materials should also include progress in planned gifts and donor profile stories. In conclusion, fully integrating planned giving into the your capital campaign will ensure that your parish is ready to accept all appropriate types of gifts, that sufficient support is secured for future ministry and that planned giving will thrive during the campaign and beyond.
Port Blandford Christmas
In spite of the nasty weather, a nice crowd came on Thursday night 23 December 2010 for the Children’s Christmas Program at St. Aidan’s Church in Port Blandford. The children did a wonderful job with recitations, Christmas songs, piano solos and created a beautiful Nativity Scene. Submitted by Steve & June Holloway
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ANGLICANLife