anglican life october 2014

1OCTOBER 2014

facebook.com/anglicanlife anglicanlife.blogspot.ca twitter - @anglicanlife

anglicanlifeA Section of the AnglicAn JournAl

OCTOBER 2014 NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

Bonanza in BonavistaGarden Party Fun at the Church Street Festival

I can’t drive this thing!! John Russell is given a push on a go-cart by some young friends. Photo by Crystal Sexton.

Submitted byRev. Shaun O’Connor

It was a relatively cool day amongst the scorch-ing heat of July that the Parish of Bonavista held a Garden Party as part of the Church Street Festival. It was intended as a gift of Christian love to the com-munity and part of being a good corporate citi-zen. Besides, given that the annual Festival takes place on Church Street, the churches should be

involved!We offered old favour-

ites such as lawn-bowling, tug-o-war and potato sack racing. We also offered parachute games, road hockey, go-cart races, balls, sidewalk chalk, skip-ping ropes and bubbles. For those preferring a more leisurely pace there was bingo and prizes. Ac-cordion, fiddle and guitar provided background mu-sic and accompaniment to square-dancing and waltzing.

The white picket fence along the Street was deco-rated with huge bright-co-loured flowers and trees from our Vacation Bible School held earlier in the month. Everyone could see and join in. Everything was free, including the home-made ice-cream, cookies, popcorn, lem-onade and tea. Over 120 people attended, both parishioners and passers-by. It was truly a blessing to us all.

Who wants some ice cream? Horace Russell making home-made ice-cream. Photo by Herman Callahan.

Swing your partner. Square-dancing fun at the Church Street Fes-tival. Photo by Herman Callahan.

• Young Missionary Amy Short - Page 2• Education for Ministry - Page 3• Bishop David’s half glass of water - Page 4• The Boys of Summer - Page 6• Codroy Church turns 100 - Page 7• Cartwright stained glass - 0• Anglican Life Appeal - Page 12

anglicanlifeinside this issue

OCTOBER 20142

anglicanlife

Miss Myra’s ministry Myra Langdon-Smith reflects on the Girls’ Sanctuary Guild

Submitted bySarah Sharpe

Earlier in July, I made a visit to a dear friend Myra Langdon-Smith of Hodges Cove. My purpose was purely selfish. I had heard Miss Myra tell stories about the Girls Guild and wondered what it was?

We sat at the dining room table and I asked, “When were you born and who were your parents?”

Myra replied, ”I was born on 23 July 1929, and my father was James Langdon ,and my mother was Mariah Smith. I married Norman Smith of Is-land Cove and we had one son Ron who lives in Toronto.”

“Now tell me about the Girls’ Guild?” I asked.

Myra began, ”I was twelve year old when I joined St. Mary the Virgin Girls’ Guild on 4 February 1941. Meetings were held at the local school on Thursday of each week. Each sister was responsible for bringing the ‘fire’ in turn. Meet-ings always opened and closed with a prayer which, of course, was led by the Minister. The weekly fee was 5 cents. The money was given to the treasurer, and your name was recorded in the book as being paid.”

At her first meeting as per her Minute Book it states that $1,300.00 was cash on hand. There was $5.00 paid for church fees and $100.50 paid for lamps. The page is signed by Incumbent, The Rev. James Pike, and Secretary Nellie Peddle. The old red faded book with its words fading off the pages has a special place in Myra’s heart! She tells me that, “Sometimes when I am going to bed I will find the book and have a read; sometimes I get such a chuckle out of it. It beings back many a good memory.”

Maybe it is the names of her friends or the things they did togeth-er, or perhaps it could be the times they shared. Myra goes on and lists the name of the membership from 4 February 1941 until January 1949.

“There was”, she says, “ Marjorie Peddle, Delilah Smith, Myra Peddle, Ella Thomas, Minnie Drover, Minnie Peddle, Flossie Butt, Alice Peddle, Blanche Peddle, Annie Boone, Myra Langdon...Oops! That’s me! Laura Smith, Mary Hiscock, Kathleen Drov-er, Winnie Spurrell, Jean Peddle, Nellie Peddle, Albina Drover, and Frances Butt.”

Myra looks up at me and says,”Sadly they are all gone now, all but four members: Albina Drov-er-Bursey, Winnie Cooper, Nellie Peddle-Martin, and me.”

I asked her, “What did you have to do to become a member of the Girls Guild?”

Myra replied, “Well now, the correct name was the Girls’ Sanctuary

Guild, and one had to be a communi-cant and attend church on a regular basis. As Rev. Pike stated: is was an honourable role to work on the Sanctuary area.”

She recalls Rev. Pike teach-ing the girls how the altar clothes should be folded in order to avoid any creases. Taking the altar cloth in hand, he spread it out on the altar and began to roll it. Then he showed

it to the girls telling them this is how you fold the clothes. Myra gave a chuckle, “The cloth was not folded at all! It was rolled and laid in the storage closet.”

With that evening’s lesson over, the meeting adjourned with prayer and a hymn.

“Another entry was around the issue of lamp oil,” Myra says, “There was no oil for the lamps for the meeting ,so me and Nellie Martin-Peddle wanting to save the evening meeting, went along to Mrs. Andrew Peddle’s home out the road, and asked her for a drop of oil’. Aunt Vertue Peddle gave us a pint of oil and told us, ‘Mind you have to bring the oil back to me, and if you don’t ; you will have to pay me 5 cents to replace it.’ We agreed, and off we went back to the school, lit the lamps and continued on with the meeting. “

At another meeting in Decem-ber 1941 Rev. Pike suggested that the Treasurer give him the money to purchase 2 lbs. of sugar and a half pound of tea for our use while at meetings. Mr. Pike also required some money to purchase silks so we could finish our needle work.

At another meeting, Myra stated, “We noticed we were out of Brasso, so I was asked to walk to J. Frost’s Store in Long Beach to pick up two tins of Brasso. The Bras-so cost 10 cents a tin, I was given 20 cents to make the purchase.”

In December 1943, with the arrival of Rev. Batten, Myra was once again informed what being a member of the Girls Sanctuary Guild meant, and was told by Rev. Batten that, “being a member of the Guild was a privilege and an oppor-tunity to serve. Servers in the Guild

should be regular communicants, at-tend church regularly, and pay one’s dues which was 5 cents per week.”

In March 1946, the Incumbent was M.C.M. Jones, and some new members joined the Guild. Those were: Mary Hiscock, Kathleen Drov-er, Minnie Spurrell, Jean Peddle, and Mable Peddle. Officers for the upcoming years were: Nellie Ped-dle, President; Blanche Peddle, Vice

President; Mable Peddle, Sec-retary; Kathleen Drover, Trea-surer, and Mrs. Jones Honorary President. Each member was tasked with the job of cleaning the church or lighting lamps, bringing wood for the fire and lighting it. These positions rotated on a regular basis.

The year 1949 was a sad one for the Girls Sanctuary Guild, because it had to be closed due to so many sisters of the Guild moving out of the area.

Myra recalls, “We were informed that the altar would be looked after by the C. E. W.

A. with Mrs. Jones as superin-tendent. The remaining money on hand, $94.98 would be used to pur-chase carpet for the Chancel. There had been a leak on the spiritual prayer cards, and they were no longer useful. Meeting closed.”

This is the last entry in the book , and I can only surmise that the women left behind were devastated for their loss, because it was at those meetings where the social activities, fund-raisers, and having a ‘time’ was made . It was there the women did their works, made their crafts, and prepared for the upcoming events, It was there where they shared an hour or two and a cup of tea.

In 1961 Myra Langdon-Smith joined St. Mary the Virgin ACW under the guidance of Mrs. Ethridge. Myra served in many roles during her tenure, but it was in fundraising she found her niche . Myra had two women she worked with throughout the years. One was Mrs. Effie Peddle and the other was Mrs. Ivy Baird. It was Myra and her partners who were given a letter by the Incumbent of the day , granting them the right to repre-sent St. Mary’s Church in any current Fundraising Business at that time.

Myra is an amazing woman she has always put her Church and others ahead of herself. However, she has had to overcome two battles of breast cancer and continues to be a survivor of that dreaded disease. Today she is still an active member of the Hodges Cove ACW and continues to support it as best she can. Her age and arthritis no longer permit her body to work the way it once did but she continues to help out wherever and whenever she can.

Myra Langdon-Smith

Young missionary Amy Short of Clarenville

Submitted byJune Holloway

Amy Short of Claren-ville, pictured here (centre), with her grandparents, Rev. Robert (left) and Fannie Oldford (right), Rector of the Parish of Smith Sound, had a wish for her grade 12 graduation. That was to serve with a Mission Team Overseas.

Amy left in July to serve with a Medical Special Pro-gram with Projects Abroad in a Children’s Cancer Hos-pital, an Orphanage and a HIV Clinic in Tanzania, South Africa.

The ladies of St. Aidan’s Port Blandford ACW and

other members of the con-gregation and Amy’s fam-ily donated items for Amy to bring with her for the children in these hospi-tals. The items of clothing, blankets, personal items, books, colouring books and crayons, caps for cancer patients, were brought into St. Aidan’s Sunday morning worship on July 6th and blessed and dedicated by her grandparents.

The church wishes Amy a safe and blessed trip and pray for the children whose lives she will touch and for those who will touch Amy’s life as well.

Diocese issues statement concerning former Rector

Submitted byDiocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador

The Diocese of East-ern Newfoundland and Labrador acknowledges the plea of guilty by Mr. John Dinn to two crimi-nal charges of fraud and one criminal charge of theft in relation to funds to which he had access in the Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Topsail in which he held the po-sition of Rector.

Mr. Dinn’s license to practice ordained min-istry in the Diocese has now been revoked and

he is no longer eligible to hold any position in the Diocese requiring such a license.

Mr. Dinn had been on a leave of absence pend-ing the investigation of financial irregularities in the parish which re-sulted in these criminal charges. This leave of absence is now at an end and he is no longer em-ployed in any capacity by the Diocese.

3OCTOBER 2014


Education for Ministry New graduates complete course

Submitted bySylvia Payne-Gould

Little children The Kingdom belongs to them

Stella Walsh

Columnist

‘When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little chil-dren come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”’ Mark 10:14 (NIV)

There are famil ies where the parents make the effort to get everyone fed, dressed and out the door on Sunday morning, doing what they feel in their hearts to be the right thing. And as many of us know, that is not always an easy thing, especially if Sunday morning is one of the only down times during a hectic week of school, work and activities.

These families arrive for church, sometimes already feeling frustrated and frazzled, and some of the children don’t settle down, for whatever rea-son. But because of the tradition of the Church as we know it, this stands out as somehow being unacceptable. And unfor-tunately, sometimes these families are subjected to the disapproving looks and comments of other parishioners.

I understand the need to be reverent and re-spectful in God’s pres-ence, but I have a feeling that Jesus did not hang out with people who al-ways sat quietly and hung on His every word, espe-cially when children were present.

Children need to know that they are accepted by Jesus and the Church exactly as they are. And we need to bear in mind that we are the Church. It is we who have to wel-come them among us as we worship and show our love for God.

Jesus did not attach any conditions to the com-

mand to let the children come to Him. He did not say, but keep them home if they can’t sit up in their seat quietly for an hour or more; and keep them home if they struggle with a condition such as ADHD; and keep them home if they might get tired, hun-gry or just plain cranky; and keep them home if they want to stretch their legs; and keep them home until they can act like min-iature adults, and not gen-uine little children.

On a couple of oc-casions over the years, I have witnessed the hurt expression on a parent’s face when they have en-countered disapproval of their children from another member of the congregation. Does that encourage them to make the effort the next Sun-day? We must reach out and support families who make the effort to get to church on Sunday morn-ing. Frustrated parents of active children, who are growing up in today’s hyper-active world, do not need our judgement. They need our understanding and open arms. When we do that, we too draw a little nearer to Jesus.

EFM graduates. Nath Larkin (left) of Port-au-Choix and Marie Smith (right) of Port Saunders received their EFM Certificates from Rev. Canon Paulette Bugden (centre) at St. John Divine Anglican Church in Port Saunders in June of this year. Photo by Sylvia Payne-Gould.

Education for Minis-try (EFM) is a program of theological educa-tion by extension for lay people.

There are four years of study , but partici-pants commit for one year at a time meeting in a small group with a trained mentor. The program combines ac-ademic study with inte-grative components to help participants take what they learn about the scripture, church history, theology and

ethics into their own lives and hearts, sup-porting them in living out a vibrant baptismal ministry in the church and in the world. Stu-dents who meet in a weekly group that’s led by a trained men-tor share their faith journey and reflect on issues from their daily lives and their studies. The only out of class work is reading and there are no papers or exams, just discussion.

EFM on the North-ern Peninsula is cur-rently accepting new

s tudents and th is course is open to ev-eryone regardless of your church affiliation. Two students have cur-rently completed this four year program, Nath Larkin of Port-au-Choix and Marie Smith of Port Saunders, and was awarded their cer-tificates at St. John Di-vine Anglican Church in Port Saunders.

For more informa-tion please call Rev. Canon Paulette Bug-den at 709-248-5351.

OCTOBER 20144

anglicanlife

A half glass of water Bishop David reflects on a life-altering experience

anglicanlifeNEWFOUNDLAND & 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 publishes ten issues each calendar year with an independent editorial policy.

Anglican Life is a section of the Anglican Journal

Editor:The Rev’d Canon Sam Rose8 Croydon StreetParadise, NLA1L 1P7Email: [email protected]

Advertising Rates and other information may be obtained from:Bishop Donald Young34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8Phone: (709) 256-7701Email: [email protected] Paid Subscription Rates: Newfoundland and Labrador: $15.00Outside the province: $20.00International: $25.00

New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of address should be sent to: CirculationThe Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy)80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2 (416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax)Email: [email protected]

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.

Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor (above)

Letters to the Editor: Send to the Editor, 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 by: The Editor

Printed and Mailed by:Webnews Printing Inc.8 High Meadow PlaceNorth York, ON, M9L 2Z5

Circulation: 20,288

The Rt. Rev. David Torraville

BishopCentral Newfoundland

Just after being elected bishop in 2005, I had the experience, along with a number of then, recently, elected bishops, of spend-ing some time at Canter-bury for a “Bishop’s School.”

Surrounded by the in-tellectual riches of the wise, the magnificent architecture of the cathedral, the beauty of the liturgy and music, the Holy Spirit spoke most memorably to me, surpris-ingly, in the cafeteria, over a half glass of water. When the bishops from the Sudan sat to eat and poured their water they never poured more than half a glass and never left a drop in their glass when they left the table. In speaking with one of them, I discovered that for him it was not the history or architecture, or the wise counsel of Canterbury, but the abundance of water which spoke to him. It was a continuing shock to him that in some parts of the world there was enough water that people wasted it without thought.

For me, this experience put the cathedral, and the Church into a different fo-cus; I realized and continue to realize that I find too much of the fabric of the church too appealing and feel myself in constant ten-sion; pulled between the siren call and imagined peaceful orthodoxy of the past and the allure and imagined success of a new and innovative future. There is part of me that wants to believe that the right deci-sion, the right theology, the right ethic; will lead to the right answer.

It is, of course, a fool-ishness which comes from placing my faith and hope in the fabric of the church. It comes from living in a church and a community that is so rich in the abun-dance of the Holy Spirit that we waste it without thought, in endless disputes with ourselves, using God as God can best be used to serve our own purposes.

So often, I think of that half glass of water; cher-

ished, and drunk to its last drop and pray that as a church we can learn not to waste the abundance of the Holy Spirit by seeking to impose our will, disguised as God’s.

I pray not for what we have done in the past, nor what we might do in the future but for the ever pres-ent now that we may be the Spirit’s bidding.

5OCTOBER 2014


Can you identify this Church?

DiscipleshipCounting the cost

The Rev. Everett Hobbs

Columnist

“When Christ calls a man [sic], He bids him come and die.”

This is a quotation from The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was published in 1937 when the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime was un-derway in Germany and it is against this background that Bonhoeffer spells out what it means to follow Christ. He relates the cost of discipleship to the dif-ference between ‘cheap’ and ‘costly’ grace.

“Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a prin-ciple, a system. It means forgiveness of sins pro-claimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian ‘conception’ of God.”

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repen-tance, baptism without church discipline, Commu-nion without confession, absolution without person-al confession.”

“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.. . It is to offer ourselves to Jesus but on our own terms. It is the grace we bestow upon ourselves, following him on our own terms.”

“Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of the Church. We are fighting today for costly grace.”

“Costly grace is the treasure in the field ; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. . . It is the kingly rule of Christ . . . it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. It is costly because it calls us to submit to the cross of Christ.”

“Costly grace is the good news which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which one must knock.”

“Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives us the only true life. Above all,

it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son.”

Kierkegaard distin-guished between Chris-tians as admirers (cheap grace) or as followers (cost-ly grace).It is the difference between spectators watch-ing a game and the players taking part. It reflects the words of Jesus that many will call him Lord but fail to do the will of the Father. It is a confession of faith but no real obedience. Put an-other way, you can worship Christ, but still not follow Jesus, or you can accept Jesus as Saviour but not follow him as Lord.

Bonhoeffer contends that as Christianity spread, and the Church became secularized the under-standing of the costliness of grace gradually fad-ed. The world was Chris-tianized , and grace be-came its common prop-erty to be had at low cost, which is still the case today, whenever the Church con-forms to the world and colludes with the state.

The Churches in Ger-many either supported Hitler or did not speak out. Bonhoeffer and others of the same mind formed themselves into the Con-fessing Church to protest as Christians against the evil. In March 1943 Bon-hoeffer was arrested and imprisoned for his resis-tance. On April 9, 1945, he was taken from his cell and hung. His death by execution for witnessing to Jesus Christ came about because he had already given his life for Him, an-swering the call to come and die.

Submitted byThe Rev. Irving Letto

ARE YOU ABLE TO IDENTIFY THIS CHURCH?

The Rev. Irving Let-to is researching the life and work of the clergy who served in Northern Newfound-land and the Labra-dor Coast in the 19th century.

The above picture of a church is a copy of a glass slide that belonged to the Rev. Henry Leggo who served in the Mission of Flower’s Cove from

1900-1903. He also served in the Parish of Spaniard’s Bay from 1903-1907 before studying in England. After returning from England he served in the Parish of Badger’s Quay before moving to the Diocese of Nova Scotia, where he died in 1922.

Rev. Leggo was a very good photogra-pher. Unfortunately only a few of his pic-tures exist. This pic-ture of the church was coloured at a photo studio, probably in St. John’s, before be-

ing made into a glass slide. The picture was taken about 1900.

Rev. Letto hopes that readers of An-glican Life will recall seeing a picture of this church in one of their old photographs. Anyone thinking they know the location of the church is asked to contact Rev. Letto at 709-771-1623 or by email at [email protected].

OCTOBER 20146

anglicanlife

Photos byJames Spencer &

Pamela Gosse

The Boys of SummerChurch boys’ camp fun at Mint Brook

There’s an elephant in the room...Literally! At Mint Brook

Boys’ Camp 2014 we went on Safari to explore the wild side of God’s love. A life-sized elephant model stood proudly against a Serengeti backdrop at the front of the conference room. From the flag-raising in the morning to chapel and campfire in the evening, we were reminded t h a t G o d cares for us. In between, lots of wild a c t i v i t i e s took place. We learned new skil ls and inter-acted with one anoth-er in “retro fresh” ways – no elec-tronics!

T h i s year saw a great mix of return-i n g a n d f i r s t - t i m e campers. Four new coun-selors-in-training joined us, and did an exemplary job of leading and learning. One taught techniques for making survival bracelets and fire starters – wonderful skills that the campers and leaders enjoyed learning. We rode the rapids – or rath-

er meandered with the cur-rent, made animal inspired prayer beads, re-enacted Bible stories, shared our talents, ate, ate, ate, canoed, had marshmallow fights, led worship, sang, wrote Christmas cards for Cana-dian peace keepers serving in Africa, launched rock-ets, made fires, swam, and,

of course, did chores.

F r o m a K e n -y a n b o y n a m e d R i c h a r d T u r e r e , w h o i n -v e n t e d “ L i o n Lights,” we l e a r n e d that God’s gifts to us enable us t o h e l p o t h e r s . H i s s t o -ry is both inspir ing a n d e m -

powering. From a world away, he taught us that God is the giver of all good things. Our fondest hope is that we leave camp with a greater desire to know, love, talk to, talk about and work for God.

Submitted by Sandra O’Connor

7OCTOBER 2014


Holy Trinity Church, CodroyCelebrating 100 years of continuous ministry

Submitted byLinda Kendell

Holy Trinity Church in Codroy,NL, celebrated its 100th Anniversary on August 20, 2014.

C o n s t r u c t i o n o n t h e f i r s t H o l y Tr i n i -ty Church was started in 1904 with completion of the belfry in December 1906. On January 9, 1912 a wind storm blew it down.

The foundation for the present day church was laid on August 18,1913. The first worship service was held on August 16, 1914 at 8:30 a.m. pre-sided over by the Rev. J. H. Reid. The present day church was built by free

labour with men cutting and sawing by hand. Many additions have taken place over the years including a new bathroom, kitchen and meeting room.

On August 20, 2014 the congregation celebrat-ed with a church service at 3p.m. in which many for-mer clergy attended. This was followed by a supper at the Codroy Valley Fire Hall. Attendance for both the church and supper was over 200 people.

Special guests includ-ed: Bishop Percy Coffin, Bishop Leonard Whitten, Archdeacon John Meade, Archdeacon Ed King, Rev. Tom Moulton, Rev. Evelyn Smith, Rev. William Bel-

lamy, Rev. David Hewitt, Rev. Duncan Granter, Rev. George Critchell, Rev. Dawn Barrett, Rev. Clayton Billiard, Rev. Stephen Maki (present day clergy). Also attending was visiting cler-gy Rev. Gerald Giles and Rev. Maryrose Colbourne.

The MC for the eve-ning was the Rev. Evelyn Smith. The anniversary cake was cut by John Tom and Alma Hilliard.

As Holy Trinity cele-brates the past history of faith, they now make his-tory going forth to serve and praise the Lord in all that they do.

100 glorious years! Retired Bishop Leonard Whitten (centre) along with over 200 people enjoy the celebrations in Codroy. Photo by Linda Kendell.

One door shutsGod opens another

Submitted byLouise Smith

When I was a young girl growing up within the warmth and security of our family home, I often heard my mother use the term, “When one door shuts another opens”. I believe it was her favourite say-ing. But it takes many life experiences to fully com-prehend the significant message that this quote conveys; not least among them, our evening assem-bly at church on July 6, of this year.

It was on that day that the Old Heritage Church of St. John the Evangelist in Topsail opened it’s doors once again, to commence the 7 o’clock Sunday eve-ning worship for July and August, preceded by a guided tour of its historical environs.

This practice had be-come a tradition, not only for our parish family, but also for the many visitors who have faithfully come to participate in our liturgy and fellowship over the years. However, at our first service on July 6, one very familiar face was missing, because since our last time together, we were shocked and saddened by the sud-den passing of Howard Brown, a devoted and very active member of our par-ish family. When it came to matters of the old church, whether it was ringing the bell, greeting at the door, distributing information, reading scripture or guid-ing tours, Howard was the nucleus around which the rest of us gravitated.

But like everything in life, we are often thrown a curve ball, which challeng-es us, often reluctantly, to

embrace change.At the same time, Lisa

Cox, a theology student in a BA program through Glyndwr university in the UK, had just received her designation and license to assume the role of Lay Reader. So as Rev. Parsons prepared to go on vaca-tion, he appropriately as-signed Lisa to facilitate the opening and subsequent service at the old church in his absence. Lisa and Howard had worked very closely together as mem-bers of the Old Church committee that he chaired , and to whom he passed the torch. And since we all knew that this would be an emotional time, it felt and looked very fitting to see and hear Lisa addressing the congregation from the altar.

Prior to the order of Evening Prayer and Song, a calming message was presented together with a tribute and a moment of silence.

As the service con-cluded, the congregation was slowly ushered out amidst the peel of the or-gan; though most of them paused to view a framed picture of Howard erected in the foyer in memory of his presence in both the old church and the new.

So in acceptance of the fragility of life, we are reminded that just as each Shakespearean tragedy is followed by a rebirth or renewal of life, so does Lisa’s acceptance to chair the Old Church commit-tee arise from Howard’s sudden and untimely de-parture.

“When one door shuts, another opens.”

OCTOBER 20148

anglicanlife

Thanks Dad!

Ron Clarke

Columnist

All my life I was es-pecially blessed by two wonderful parents. Our relationship lasted many years. Dad lived till I was 46; mother till I was 75!

I loved my parents dearly, perhaps even too dearly, if that’s pos-sible. And they both literally treasured me, partly because I was an only child, and even more because I became handicapped at age 9, and nearly died at age 10.

Dad was especially close to me, and to me he was my indestructi-ble hero. We did every-thing together, and I was his “somewhat clumsy” helper.

Nobody was more generous than dad, and he’d “give the shirt off his back”, not only to his family, but to anyone or everyone he considered in need.

Dad gave, expecting nothing in return, but he loved gratitude. Grate-ful people usually gave him sincere thanks and his face displayed his pleasure.

Sometimes individu-als were not grateful, ex-pecting or demanding more. Father would be

disappointed, but he’d give again and again when necessary. Dad loved the ungrateful, ex-cusing their ingratitude.

God is our Heavenly Father. God gives us ALL we have, even life itself. How often do we stop to “count our blessings”? Our Heavenly Father, like our earthly, expects gratitude. Surely God is pleased when we give him genuine thanks and praise.

October is our month when we should/must give our loving Heav-enly Father thanks and praise.

Often when God gives us blessings we attribute them to “good luck”. “How lucky was I” we say. Obviously God is disappointed when his gifts are regarded as “lucky breaks”.

This October let us all make a special ef-fort to be thankful. Let’s spend some time listing the many blessings that are ours in this good land in which we live.

And let’s show real gratitude to God: by prayer, by attending all the worship we can, and in our gratitude let’s try to focus our attention, and our giving, on God’s starving, homeless chil-dren, in so many parts of our worldly home.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Parish Life in Focus

God’s Garden. This year, the Parish of Upper Island Cove decided to support their faith commitments by planting a flower garden in front of St. Peter’s Church. We hope to invite future classes to add to it. It is just one way to watch our faith grow. Submitted by Rev’d Bill Strong.

Vacation Bible School. Another successful year at All Saints, Parish, Foxtrap, Concep-tion Bay South. The theme for 2014 was Jungle Safari, where children explored the nature of God. It was well attended with approximately 90 children and 50 leaders, mostly teenage leaders. Children and leaders attended a week-long session from 9am - 12 noon which started on July 7-13. The oldest child was Rachel Fagan and the youngest being a twin, Hunter & Carson Holmes. An awesome decorating job on the church was done and it looked like a jungle for the 10:00 a.m. service which was the closing service for Vacation Bible School. The children enjoyed it so much, they wanted to continue throughout the summer and the support from the parents was phenomenal. Submitted by Sandra Taylor.

9OCTOBER 2014


From praise to service

The Rev. Greg Mercer

Columnist

Like most of us I was nurtured in the Anglican Tradition in which the Sun-day morning service began by the people standing and singing a metrical ver-sion (commonly known as Plainsong) of the Ninety Fifth Psalm (The Venite). “O Come, let us sing unto the Lord:/ let us heartily re-joice in the strength of our salvation” (BCP version). Later, with the introduction of the Book of Alternative Services, we had the option of saying the Venite or the One Hundredth Psalm (The Jubilate). “Be joyful in the Lord all you lands;* serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song” (BAS version).

Both psalms are liturgi-cally appropriate since they are both entrance psalms, composed to be said (or sung) in order to bring the believer into the presence of God with a heart full of praise and thanksgiving. That is to say, they intro-duce the congregation to the praise of the Lord. It led the people through words that, had they ears to hear what they were saying, constituted them as what they should be and led to their doing what they should do. Then at the end of the service – at least in the small town where I grew up – the peo-ple were often dismissed with these words: “Grant, O Lord, that what we have said with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts, we may PRACTICE and show forth in our daily lives, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN.” It was a fitting end to a service that began in praise and thanksgiving to God and then reminded the people at the end, through prayer, that they have now been equipped for the work of ministry; to go and SERVE the Lord.

October month is that time of the year when we Canadians celebrate Har-vest Thanksgiving. No doubt many of our church buildings will be decorated with local produce (vege-tables, pumpkins, salt fish, and the like), and our wor-ship will be built around the theme of thanksgiv-ing. Some churches I have

known will continue the celebration with a fund-raiser or parish fellowship. And chances are many families will come together that day for a feast of their own. They will all gather around a well stuffed tur-key with all the trimmings and probably a little wine to top it off. All is well and good. But for those of us who are religious, and who frequently worship, our liturgy reminds us that thanksgiving has little to do with roasted fowl and mashed potato. However, it does have a lot to say about who we are as the people of God.

If someone were to ask you, “What does it mean to be an Anglican?” The best answer you can give them is to simply say, “Come and see” or “Come and worship with us.” Why? Because our liturgy defines who we are and what we ought to be. It is through the rep-etition of psalms like The Venite and The Jubilate that we BECOME people whose lives are lived in gratitude to God – day in and day out. Not just on a Sunday morning or some annual feast day. For those who have ears to hear, the psalms mold us into what we should BE and lead us into how we should live.

Isaiah 12:4-5, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations... Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.”

Happy Thanksgiving!


Seniors Luncheon. The Outreach Committee of All Saints Church in Corner Brook pro-vided a Soup and Sandwich Luncheon to 65 seniors on May 3. After lunch, a singsong was held with music provided by Jim and Ethel Simms. Pictured in the photo are: (left to right) Shirley Balsom, Outreach Committee Chairperson, Rev. Tanya White, Rector, Elsa Carpenter and Harold Pafford. Submitted by All Saints’ Parish.

Navigating the Storms of LifeSubmitted by

Rev. Jacintha Penney

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the utter-most parts of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand hold me fast,” states the writer of Psalm 139. Some-times it is helpful for us to reflect on scripture passages where God interacts with water or “the waters” to aid our understanding of divine involvement in times of hardship and heartache. Indeed, the varying character of the sea can be appreciated as a metaphor for life. Sometimes all is calm. At other times, storms can rage and wreak havoc on our existence as we know it. Certainly, we can identify with the psalmist who composed Psalm 69:1 when the author cries, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”

However, those of us who respect the power of the deep further comprehend the impor-tance of learning how to swim. Just as powerful waves change our coastline, the waves of grief and sadness force us to re-shape our lives. How, then, do we best navigate through rough seas? The image of an anchor holding firm is a useful way to illustrate our unbreakable link with our Creator. On the other hand, a careful read

of certain passages suggests that we do better in times of upheaval when we are able to “roll with the waves” and hold firm to the knowledge that God’s presence travels with us. Isaiah 43:2 in which the author asserts, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you,” are words which capture our imaginations and help us appre-ciate the sustaining presence of God and God’s son, Jesus.

Consequently, it’s interesting to tweak the imagery we use to convey a sense of the reality of God in the midst of life’s figura-tive storms. During a vacation to Hawaii, I tried surfing. For some of us, the light, but strong ankle link keeping us attached to our surfboards serves as a powerful metaphor for the indissoluble link we have with God our Creator. We never lose our surfboards, regardless of how many times we crash into the water! Holding fast to our surfboards keeps us afloat when we are fatigued and need to rest. When we are ready to do so, the surfboard is ever-present as we paddle out into the deep once again to attempt to ride the waves of life.

At times, we feel like we’re going to sink. Family illness. Employment difficulties. Relation-ship conflict. Death of loved ones.

These are the stormy seas of our lives. Indeed, the Bible contains numerous messages of hope to storm-battered humankind. Romans 8:12-25, for example, reiterates that suffering is not for-ever. Besides reassuring people that hardship is not permanent, this portion of Scripture empha-sizes that creation will one day be renewed. In other words, God may appear to go “below deck,” but He never abandons ship. Al-though God may have a different sense of time, God’s promise to faithfully journey with us through each generation signifies God’s interest in humanity as a whole.

Of course, the greatest sign of God’s engagement with us is the fact that he sent his son, Jesus. Jesus’ words to his disciples in Mark 6:50, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” are encouraging. Winds can howl and storms can rage but Jesus journeys with us. The God of Israel is also the God of Newfoundland Labrador. Jesus is a continual source of love, com-fort, and strength on whom we can always depend. His care and concern for us remain constant.

As we chart our course through various situations and life events, may we remain open to accessing the sustaining pres-ence of Jesus. May we keep our focus on Him. And may God grant us the courage to do so.

OCTOBER 201410

anglicanlife

Faithful supporterClaudine Samson, 1918-2014

Kevin Smith

Columnist

Kevin Smith is the gift planning consultant for the Anglican Church of Cana-da. He can be contacted at 709 739-5667 or by email: [email protected]

St. Martin’s Cathedral has lost another faithful parishioner. Claudine Sam-son passed away recently at the Caribou Memorial Veterans Pavilion. She was 96 years old.

Claudine was originally from Flat Island, Bonavista Bay and has had a remark-able background. She was a teacher for several years and taught school in Tack’s Beach, Curling and Pouch Cove prior to enlisting in the Canadian Air Force during World War Two. She served in Ottawa and acquired the trade of ac-counting. After the War, she worked as an accoun-tant for the Department of Transportation in Gander until her retirement.

In his homily, the Rev. John Watton warmly re-membered Claudine as a faithful supporter of the parish and a wonderful human being. He said she was incredibly tolerant of some of his antics to generate more interest in the ministry life of St. Mar-tin’s. He also joked about receiving some frozen grapes from her- a sign that she really liked him.

I first met Claudine in 2005 when she called me and asked about a gift plus annuity for St. Martin’s. She called me again in 2007 and wanted to donate an-other one. A gift plus annu-ity is a wonderful way for senior Anglicans to make a gift now and receive in-

creased after-tax income. A part of the donation goes directly to the church (usually 25-30%) and the rest is used to buy an annu-ity from a major insurance company which will pay the donor an income for life. Because both annu-ities were guaranteed for ten years, the residue of the annuities will now be paid to the parish.

At one point, I asked Claudine why she was making these generous donations, she responded by saying she had three reasons:

1. She heard Rev. John preaching about the needs of St. Martin.

2. She had read my ar-ticles in Anglican Life.

3. And finally, she said she would rather give her money to God than the government.

What better reasons!I visited with her on

a number of occasions in Gander and here in St. John’s and it always a joy to be in her company. She had so many stories to tell.

By the way, when I saw her in her home in Gander, she always offered me fro-zen grapes as well.

C l a u d i n e w i l l b e missed.

Cartwright stained glass

Donor’s daughter sees gift for the first time Submitted by

Rev. Jeffrey Petten

In 1957, when the cur-rent St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Cartwright was consecrated the parish was given the beautiful gift of two stained glass windows. One window de-picts the crucifixion. A Eu-ropean Jesus on the cross with Labrador natives standing at the foot of the cross. There is snow at the foot of the cross with foot-prints left by those who have been there before yet room for more footprints. For the most part in Cart-wright, when the Queen of Festivals is observed, there is still snow on the ground and the harbour is still frozen. The other window depicts the As-cension. Ascension is the coming on of spring, thus the same people standing at the feet of the risen and ascended Lord are in the dress of the season. There is no ice in the harbour and such vegetation as the ever popular bake-apple and Labrador tea are so ever evident. These windows were given by Mr and Mrs Lawrence and Norah Pilkington. They served with the Grenfell Mission during the years of the Great Depression (1932-1934).

On 6 August – The Feast of the Transfigura-tion – Isobel Henniger, daughter of Lawrence and Norah Pilkington, visited Cartwright and for the first time and the first one of her family, saw the stained glass windows that her parents donated to the church. In talking with Isabel, I learned that her mother was from Ontario. After completing her train-ing to become a teacher, Norah had encountered trouble in acquiring em-ployment as a teacher. Af-ter a while she did find em-ployment with the Grenfell Mission and for two years was the principal of the Lockwood School – the residential school that saw children from the commu-nities of the Sandwich Bay and surrounding coastal communities. Lawrence Pilkington was a WOP (worker without pay) for

the Grenfell Mission. They met while they were here in Cartwright, fell in love and the rest is history. In gratitude for their time in Cartwright they gave the windows that people have looked upon and meditat-ed since 1957.

The windows were designed and made by British Stained Glass Artist Rhoda Dawson. Dawson also had a connection with the Grenfell Missions. According to the Summer 1992 issue of the Canadi-an Parliamentary Review, Dawson, an English art-ist, “came out to New-foundland to work for the mission which had been founded in the country by Sir Wilfred Grenfell in 1892.”

These windows have

The Crucifixion Window. Isobel Henniger, daughter of the donors of the stained glass windows of Cartwright finally sees her par-ents gift after 57 years. Photo by Olive Davis.

been the back drop of numerous weddings, fu-nerals, baptisms, celebra-tions of the Holy Eucharist and numerous liturgies of morning and evening prayer since they have been part of the fabric of the church building. Not only have they been part of the fabric of a worship-ping community but they were pictured in post cards which are in the church as well as; also they were part of the book written by the late Venerable Francis G. Buckle, The Anglican Church in Labrador: 1848-1998.

May these windows be appreciated by all who have seen them, those who currently see them and those who will see them.

11OCTOBER 2014


Equal payfor all people

The Rev. Michael Li

Columnist

Peter wanted to know what reward would be given to those who give up everything to follow Jesus. Jesus told him the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). The landowner in the parable finds his first set of men at about 6 a.m. and agrees to pay each worker the normal wage for a day labourer. He goes out to hire more workers throughout the day at different times. The first group had a con-tract. There is no word of contract for those who were hired later. At the end of the day, all the workers received the same pay.

The point of this para-ble is not finding enough workers earlier in the day at the marketplace. It is not that those who work just an hour do as much as those who work all day. It is not that Gentiles are the latecomers in contrast to the Jews. It is not to promote the idea of equal pay for unequal work. It is not that all in the kingdom of God will receive the same reward.

Then, what is the meaning of this para-ble? The landowner rep-resents God. He goes to where the day labourers gather to invite them to work. God is the One

to invite. At the end of the day, every worker re-ceives the same pay. The first group got exactly what they bargained for, but the others got more than they deserved. To receive what we deserve is not Good News. No-body deserves to go to heaven when he dies. God does not operate on the basis of what we deserve. Instead, God’s ways are full of grace. We want legalism or justice, but grace is so much better. God wants His grace to be experienced equally.

The parable is fol-lowed by a statement: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16). This statement means that if we are striving to be first, we will not make it. We should work for the joy of serving God. That is why the last will be first and the first will be last. We are to serve God faithfully and let Him worry about the reward. We should serve God because we love Him, not because of what we can get Him to do for us.

Nobody deserves anything from God. Whatever we receive from Him we receive only because He is gra-cious. God’s gifts are not earned. God is just. God is sovereign. God is generous. The day of judgment will be full of surprises.


Exploring The Circle of The Church Year. On Sunday June 8th, The Anglican Parish of Lab-rador West joined together with Carol United Church for a joint family service. Archdeacon Sandra Tilley was with us for our service and despite a planned power outage we had a won-derful attendance. This year the Anglican and United Church in Labrador West joined together to bring Godly Play to our churches and have seen great success with this program to date. During our joint service the church was decorated with balloons as Rev. Jolene lead the chil-dren around the church telling the Godly Play Story “the circle of the church year” By using coloured balloons the children explored the seasons of the churches year, what the colours they see in church mean and what the “great times” of our church year are. This special service was enjoyed by all who gathered. Submitted by Rev. Jolene Peters.

Letter to the EditorDear Editor: I was glad to read the

article about St. Mary’s the Virgin Church, Clar-enville receiving an AED (Automatic External De-fibrillator).

I am now the Par-ish Nurse at St. Peter’s Church, Cobourg, On-tario. We, too, have one given by our Men’s Club. Education has played a

part in everyone becom-ing more comfortable with it. This equipment is very user-friendly. It tells the rescuer exactly when to initiate it and is designed to never discharge at the wrong time. It is meant to fire only when the person is in a fatal rhythm (ventric-ular fibrillation).

An AED is one of those things you pur-

chase and hope to never use.

I hope more AEDs will be available in more parishes.

Blessings,

Karen LiCobourg, ON

OCTOBER 201412

anglicanlife

Florence loves to receive Anglican Life and the Anglican Journal.

The papers tell her the stories of what God is doing in her province and beyond.

It makes her proud of her Church. So Florence supports her Church newspaper by sending a donation to ensure we can continue to tell God’s Story.

We thank Florence, and others like her, who support Anglican Life.

Would you consider making a gift?

anglicanlifeNEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

YES! I enjoy reading Anglican Life. Enclosed is my donation of support:

NAME _________________________________________TELEPHONE ( ________ ) _____________________________ADDRESS _______________________________________TOWN _________________________________________PROVINCE __________ POSTAL CODE ______________________PARISH ________________________________________EMAIL _________________________________________

$25 $50 $100 Other $___

Cheque Credit CardVISA Mastercard

Card #____________________________

Expiry (Month) __________ (Year) _________

YES, I wish to receive an Income Tax Receipt Charity Reg No. 107020232 RR0001

Mail your gift to:

Anglican Life34 Fraser Road

Gander, NLA1V 2E8

Method of payment:

Signature__________________________

Anglican Life

Pho

to b

y A

nglic

an Jo

urna

l

anglican life october 2014

Documents