Diakonia. Fall Warden s Message

Transcription

1 Lay Readers Association of the Diocese of NS and PEI Diakonia Fall 2016 Inside this issue: President s Message Echoes from the Past From the Editor s Desk Lay Readers Prayer Ribbons, Medallion' & Pins Association Executive Area Representatives Fall Conference Reg. Form Fall Conference Information Warden s Message That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by. Ecclesiastes 3:15 Greetings, Anyone planning a trip figures out not only the final destination but the start point as well. The person we are at any given point in our lives is a culmination of all that we ve experienced before. Memories add to the richness, joys and hopes of life. The past is important. It allows us to understand the present. It colours our anticipation of the future. There are individuals who have been with the Diocesan Lay Readers Association from the beginning. One such person is Warren Ervine. He has kindly offered to recollect for us glimpses into those earlier years. Enjoy the insights of Mr. Ervine as he writes feature vignettes for our newsletter describing the people, the decisions, and the workings that led to what the Association is today. The work of the Association continues. Our Board of Standards has recently developed a brochure for use among clergy and parishes and has revamped several lay readers forms. A certificate is now available to denote long and faithful service. The Association is looking ahead to expand the training syllabus, to update our constitution and bylaws, and to work with the Diocese to Fall This 2016 issue contains information on the upcoming Fall Conference Diakonia

2 equip ministry and mission to the world. There is much work left to do. We pray that God will uphold and bless our endeavours and seek out what has gone by through our witness to His glory. Yours in Christ, The Reverend Tom Henderson Warden, Diocesan Lay Readers From Generation to Generation In the church, we often separate people by ages. We do youth groups, Sunday school classes, seniors clubs, parents gatherings, the list goes on and on of programs or groups designed specially for people at a certain stage in their life. Those various things are an important part of supporting growth and faith formation, but so is time spent together as a broader community. Sunday services are often a time when people of all ages are gathered in one space. How do we minister to all of those people at once? How do we nurture a sense of community with 5 year olds and 95 year olds? How do we ensure that intergenerational worship doesn t just mean worship that s watered down so that it kind of works for everyone, but instead is a celebration of the diversity of people gathered? At this year s Fall Lay Readers Conference, Allie Colp will lead us in conversation, reflection, and dreaming about what intergenerational worship means, and how we can make it happen in our own contexts. Speaker Biography Allie Colp is the Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator for the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Her work focuses on equipping and resourcing youth and family ministry leaders throughout the diocese for their work in parishes and communities. Allie grew up in Nineveh, Nova Scotia and loves spending time outside, reading, and going on adventures with her nieces and nephew. He alone loves the creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbour. Venerable Bede ( ) Diakonia 2 Fall 2016 Fall Diakonia

3 President s Message As President of the Diocesan Lay Readers Association, I need to thank a number of people: First I wish to thank Shirley Williams, our new Past President. Shirley very ably filled the roll of President for her allotted term of two years, then very kindly offered to extend her tenure for one more year while I got settled into my new role as the Diocesan Education for Ministry Coordinator. I very happily accepted her offer. On behalf of all the Lay Readers, I wish to extend a very special thanks to Pauline Leingme, our Northumbria Area Representative, whose resignation was very regretfully accepted at our last Executive meeting. I also wish to thank Marilyn Massie-Clarke for accepting the role of Vice President at our last Annual General Meeting in Chester. Marilyn will be taking over as President at the 2018 AGM. Another new face on the executive, Georgina Granchelli, has taken over the role of Area Representative for Cape Breton. Many thanks, Georgina. Although not a member of the Lay Readers Association, she was a member for many years: I would like to thank The Rev d Darlene Jewers for accepting her appointment to the Board of Standards. Many of us knew The Rev d Darlene when she was a Lay Reader and as a member of the Executive. Our Association would not be the organization it is today without the hard work and dedication of many volunteers over the years. You will read in a separate article about some of our history, I am looking forward to reading it. Presently we are looking for some more volunteers: we need Area Representatives in the following regions: Northumbria, Halifax, and the Valley. The role consists mainly of collecting information about the activities of Lay Readers in your area to submit to the Diakonia Editor once a year. You would also be invited to a couple of Executive meetings every year. These are held at the Church of Saint Andrew, Fall Diakonia

4 Cole Harbour. This year we are going to try to hold the meetings on Saturdays. If you are interested, and wish to know more about the position, please contact any member of the Executive. Now something about me: I became a Lay Reader over thirty years ago in the Diocese of Qu Appelle in Southern Saskatchewan. At that time, our parish, the Parish of Prairie Cross, was composed of eight congregations spread over a vast area. We had one rector and eight churches that wanted regular Sunday worship. Obviously the rector was not going to be able to get to every church on Sunday morning, so it was decided to train one person in each congregation as a Licensed Lay Assistant. Our primary role was to lead Morning Prayer on the Sundays that the Rector was not present. Occasionally we served at Eucharist - usually at Synods and other large gatherings, but rarely in our local churches. As you can surmise from the above, I am a come from away! My wife and I retired from teaching in Saskatchewan 13 years ago and decided to move to Nova Scotia (my wife s home). This was a move that I definitely do not regret! I took up Lay Reading again, this time with the Anglican Churches of Pictou County. As a long time teacher, learning and continuing education is very important to me, hence my involvement in EfM. During the last ten years of my teaching career, I became very involved with implementing technology into the school systems of Saskatchewan, both from the techie and educational sides. Over the years, I developed a number of websites. I was very happy to have been asked to develop the current Lay Readers Association website, where we host the videos that we have developed to enhance the training of Lay Readers. We hope to have another video available fairly soon. This video will deal with pastoral visiting. Over the next couple of years I hope to encourage Lay Readers to enhance their knowledge of our faith. EfM is one source, but there are many others. I hope to use the website as a Diakonia 4 Fall 2016

5 tool to share resources for all of us. If you have questions, we can put them on the website and encourage everyone to respond. David Harrison President A Prayer for Today Grant me, O Lord, the strength today For every task that comes my way Cover my eyes and make me blind To petty faults I should not find. Open my eyes and let me see, The friend my neighbour tries to be Teach me, when duty seems severe, To see my purpose shining clear. Let me at noontime rest content The half-day bravely lived and spent And when the night slips down, let me Unstained and dishonored be. Grant me to live this one day through, Up to the best that I can do. [Written by Edgar A. Guest, who was born in Birmingham, England but lived in America and was best known as the People s Poet ] Upcoming Date to Place on your Calendar 2017 Annual Meeting Saturday, June 10 th Christ Church Dartmouth, NS Fall Diakonia

6 Warren Ervine has so very graciously provided us with an opportunity to look back to the past to see how the Diakonia came to be and to give us a glimpse into the minds and hearts of people back in the early 1980 s. We are delighted that Warren is prepared to share more articles with us in coming editions to help us understand how we have come to where we are today as an Association and as Lay Readers. I hope this information will be as interesting to you as it has been to me as I read it in preparation for this Fall 2016 issue of the Diakonia. The Editor ECHOES FROM THE PAST ---- By Warren B. Ervine, All Saints Church, Bedford, NS ---- At our most recent AGM at St. Stephen s Anglican Church, in Chester, NS, I mentioned that in the fall we would be beginning our 35th year of issuing the DIAKONIA. When I revealed that I was quite involved in the Association s activities in the early years, it was suggested that I should describe how DIAKONIA, and subsequently, the Lay Readers Handbook came about. So beginning with this issue, I will write a column for each edition of DIAKONIA, quoting articles from those editions that describe our activities in the early 1980's. I will re-print some of the articles and perhaps add a comment or two where appropriate. For those who have been Lay Readers for over 30 years, it will be a walk down memory lane. For newer Lay Readers, it will provide an historic account of activities and might provide explanations for some of what we currently do as Lay Readers. Where it all began In the Spring of 1982, the Diocesan Lay Readers Association held its AGM at Christ Church, Stellarton, NS. Since I had been a fully qualified Lay Reader for only 2 years, I wanted to attend the AGM to experience and understand the activities of the Association and to meet other Lay Readers. Diakonia 6 Fall 2016

7 As the meeting went on, I learned quickly that the activities and procedures of Lay Readers in the various parts of the Diocese seemed quite varied and, to someone new in the Association, rather different from what I had expected. So, towards the end of the business part of the meeting, I asked why we didn t have some kind of newsletter to give us an idea as to what was happening elsewhere. From the floor my colleagues replied, Well, that s a good idea; why don t you do that? Reluctantly, I made the motion to the effect that I would try to initiate a newsletter. It was voted on and approved. Then I indicated that the newsletter would need an editor. Again, my colleagues replied, That would be a good idea; why don t you do that? Although it was more than I had anticipated, or was prepared to do, I agreed to be the editor and made a motion to that effect. I did not ask any more questions! The first newsletter for the DLRA was sent out in the Autumn, 1982". As I had requested, some Lay Readers sent me some interesting articles and information. I would check each article for grammar and spelling and, although some were typed and others were hand-written, I re-typed them all on my typewriter. Each article was then cut-and-pasted into a folded 8 ½ x 14 format. I took the masters to the Diocesan Centre where they were copied, stapled, folded, stuffed into envelopes, addressed, stamped, and mailed. It was usually an all-day job. In this edition I have included below the first three articles from Vol. 1, No.1 of DIAKONIA pretty well as they were written at the time. They are fairly self-explanatory. For the following editions, I will include several more articles from the first edition: those that describe the activities of that time including one that explains the origin of the name DIAKONIA. Subsequent editions will include other articles with comments. A Newsletter is born Welcome to the first edition of DIAKONIA, the newsletter of the Lay Readers Association, Diocese of Nova Scotia. DIAKONIA Fall Diakonia

8 is designed to be the quarterly newsletter with editions in each of autumn, winter, spring, and summer seasons, and so deadlines for submitting material will fall on the 20th of August, November, February, and May, respectively. The idea for a newsletter was born from a need, expressed at our Annual General Meeting in April, for better communications among Lay Readers. While our Diocese is not large, it does have a rather irregular geography which makes it difficult to keep in close touch with activities beyond our parish. We hope, therefore, to render a service to all Lay Readers in our Diocese, not only to disseminate news and views of past, present and future events, but also to provide information which will allow us to become better Lay Readers. Contact with Lay Readers associations in other Dioceses is also worthwhile and we have already begun to do this. It shouldn t be too long, then, before we develop a corporate image of which we can all be proud and to which new members can aspire. DIAKONIA is designed for you, the Lay Reader, and will carry what you want to see. Besides, the news, it will have articles of general interest, specific information, book reviews, and information on educational materials; in fact, anything at all having to do with lay reading. It will also provide a forum for comments on articles appearing in earlier editions, perhaps in a Letters to the Editor. Contributions are welcome, and indeed, encouraged. The source of information or the author of the article, poem, etc. should always be stated if it is not your own. It is my hope that some of you will become regular contributors so that we can build a network of correspondents throughout the Diocese. Because this is the first edition, you will find welcoming letters from Bishop Hatfield and President, Eric Conrod. Also inside are two articles dealing with the Lay Reader as a servant. I think it is interesting, and perhaps worth some reflection, that both articles on the role of Lay Readers were written independently and without knowledge of the other. Might that in itself be a message? While the first edition does not carry a great deal of news, Diakonia 8 Fall 2016

9 it is probably better for newsletters, like babies, to be born somewhat on the small side and allowed to grow through careful and consistent nourishment from outside. So remember, this is your newsletter; it will be only as good as the information you feed it. Below, and on the following page are two items which were included in that first Diakonia: a letter from the Bishop of the day, The Rt. Rev. Leonard Hatfield and the 1982 Association President, Eric Conrod. Fall Diakonia

10 Excerpt from a Message by the 1982 President, Eric Conrod This newsletter represents an important milestone in the life of the Diocesan Lay Readers Association. It is indeed gratifying to know that we now have a method of communication and will be able to get to know each other better through reading about activities of our Association. The credit for this publication goes to Warren Ervine of All Saints Church, Bedford. Warren took on the job of getting this publication off the ground at our annual meeting in April; we are indebted to him for the work that he has put into this newsletter. As Lay Readers we probably have completed our busiest time of the year. As July and August are the months in which most parish priests take their vacation, many rely heavily on the Lay Readers to conduct services in their absence. It is unfortunate that the workload is unevenly distributed to Lay Readers in the Diocese. In certain parishes with several churches the Lay Reader is kept busy, while in other areas where there are retired clergy to fill in while the rector is on vacation, the Lay Readers are used only occasionally. While this may be discouraging to some of us who feel that we could be used more often, there is little that we can do about it. The fact that the Lay Reader is available and willing to do God s work is a step in the direction of serving Him. When we are called upon to serve in reading a lesson, to conduct a service, speak or assist at the Eucharist, we must give it our best effort. God s work must not be taken lightly. We should keep in mind that we are called as Lay Readers to serve Him. As Jesus said to his Apostles in St. John 15 v. 16 Ye have not chosen me, I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit... If we feel, and I think we should, that this passage applies to us, then our role as a Lay Reader should go beyond that of a reader to a servant. To interpret the role as only a reader is inclined to limit our services to God. We have been talking recently of new roles for Lay Readers, or expanded roles which could encompass more of the activities in the life of the Church. For the most part I feel that Lay Diakonia 10 Fall 2016

11 Readers are involved in the Church but there are areas in which we could play an even greater part. In one parish which I visited, Lay Readers were visiting people at senior citizens homes, welcoming newcomers to the parish and making hospital visitations. This is just a few of the activities which could be made available to Lay Readers. We should be doers as well as readers and it is my hope that this aspect of lay reading will grow in the future. It depends on us and, of course, the co-operation of the rectors of the parishes in which we serve. So my message to all Lay Readers is that we have a commitment to serve, give it our best effort, and show leadership in our parish church and community. Support Anglicans in Mission and keep in mind always that He has chosen us. Blessed in Order to Bless Matthew 16: [Taken from an article in an issue of Our Church Times a publication of the American Episcopal Church] A small boy had been cornered by an Aunt who had not seen him in a couple of years, and who enthused, My, Jon, I m surprised at how big you are now! But he drew himself up to his full fouryear-old height and replied, Oh, but I m much bigger than this! Something within him made him aware, even at four years old, that there was a good deal more to him than showed on the surface to this relative stranger. And he was right. How could this child s mere physical statue indicate the potential that lay within him, the dreams, the hopes, the possibilities that were even then a part of him? But the same is true of all of us. We can allow ourselves to be defined by what we have been, or we can hear the voice of God calling us ever on to realize more fully the status that is ours as sons and daughters of God. Fall Diakonia

12 From the Editor s Desk Faith not a sprint, not a marathon, but simply a daily walk with grace. I am not sure where I found this quote but it spoke to me probably because I am in the midst of doing a lot of gardening this summer the back-breaking work of removing weeds, spreading mulch and cutting back on flowers that have become overgrown. I am feeling that it is a daily walk with patience not a sprint to the end for sure but a daily walk knowing that God will give me the strength to preserver until the job is complete. Already people have noticed a difference in how the gardens look. Yeah! The job of putting together this issue of the Diakonia has been a bit like that as well not a sprint, not a marathon but simply praying that God would bring this issue together because finding an interesting topic was not that easy this time. However, both in seeking and praying, there in the midst of that was God s grace a gift Warren Ervine who so willingly agreed to give us a look back to where we were in the early 1980 s as an Association. It is good to know where we have been in order to know where we are going. We have definitely grown and the role of the Lay Reader has taken on new dimensions and lots of areas of ministry. Do we all have the same kinds of ministry in our Parishes? I would say that we probably don t as we know that so many Parishes still do not have full time clergy and therefore the Lay Reader(s) in those Parishes are really keeping the church alive. They are definitely living through the quotation above. I pray that your faith is a daily walk with grace as you enjoy the summer months and as we look forward to the Fall when so many activities and programs begin again and the church is alive and humming with activity. Diakonia 12 Fall 2016

13 Also the Fall Conference is in front of us and I am so looking forward to Allie Colp sharing with us her program on Generation to Generation and finding out new ways of engaging all ages in the life of the church. I look forward to seeing many of you in Prince Edward Island for the Conference and renewing friendships and making new ones. Until then, blessings on your ministry. Yours in Christ, Victoria Henrikson, Editor When you can t put your prayer into Words, God hears Your heart. Lay Readers Prayer Loving and eternal God, who through your Son, Jesus Christ, calls your people and sends them forth to witness and serve in your name, bless each member of the Lay Readers' Association of this Diocese. Give us grace that we, walking in the footsteps of your Son, and being filled and strengthened by your Holy Spirit, may serve you and your Church as faithful stewards in the ministry to which we are called and, by our example, enable others to know and love you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Fall Diakonia

14 Lay Readers Ribbons, Medallions and Pins Medallions can be purchased for $10.00 each and ribbons (blue or purple) for $5.00 each. The Association also has a Lay Readers pin which is available for purchase at $5.00 each. Orders for these items can be placed through Dennis Eisan by contacting him through any of the following means: a) Postal Dennis Eisan 1309 Main Street Dartmouth, NS B2Z 1B2 b) Telephone (902) c) dennislinda@ns.sympatico.ca A small shipping fee will be added to the cost to cover mailing costs, for example $2.00 for one medallion and ribbon. Diakonia 14 Fall 2016

15 Recognition of Service Certificate Our Association Executive & Board of Standards has just announced their new program of issuing a Recognition of Service Certificate to Licensed Lay Readers within the Anglican Church of Canada. To receive such a Certificate, a Licensed Lay Reader must have over 20 years of service and be recommended by their Rector/Priest-in-Charge. You will find the guidelines on how to obtain such a Certificate and also see what the Certificate looks like by visiting our website at: Our Lay Readers Association has a new BROCHURE How exciting it is to let you know that the Association had printed in the month of June, 1,000 copies of its new brochure entitled You and Your Lay Reader. This brochure is meant to be placed in the hands of clergy so they will know the steps for an individual to take to become a Lay Reader in Training and finally, a Licensed Lay Reader. We have also outlined in the brochure, the ministry of Lay Readers in the church. It is our hope to bring the brochure to the Atlantic School of Theology in the Fall and to make it more widely available to all clergy in the Diocese. Lay Readers who attended the Annual General Meeting of our Association back in June were able to take a copy of the brochure away from that meeting. WE AREN T HERE TO ONE-UP ONE ANOTHER BUT TO help one another up Fall Diakonia

16 Lay Readers Association Executive as of June 2016 WARDEN The Rev d Tom Henderson 76 Old Halifax Road. West RR#2 Windsor, NS B0N 2T t_w_henderson@hotmail.com PRESIDENT David Harrison 3252 Trafalgar Road RR#1 Hopewell, NS B0K 1C djh@djharrison.ca VICE-PRESIDENT Marilyn Massie-Clarke c/o Christ Church 61 Dundas Street Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4H (leave message) christ.church@ns.aliantzinc.ca PAST-PRESIDENT Shirley Williams 13 Highland Crescent Dartmouth, NS B2W 2L shirleywilliams35@hotmail.com SECRETARY Victoria Henrikson 1 Beck s Way Dartmouth, NS B2V 2C butterfly1@hfx.eastlink.ca TREASURER Wayne Hamlin 28 Overlook Drive Kentville, NS B2N 2P waymar@ns.sympatico.ca DIAKONIA EDITOR Victoria Henrikson (see contact information above) WEBMASTER David Harrison (see contact information above) Lay Readers Association website address: Diakonia 16 Fall 2016

17 Area Representatives as of June 2016 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Don Himelman 22 Mutch Drive, Apt. #109 Stratford, PE C1B 1S CAPE BRETON Georgie Granchelli 115 Patrick Ave. Sydney, NS B1P 3G CHEBUCTO (Halifax) Vacant CHIGNECTO Anne Williams 2200 Hwy 2 Milford, NS B0M 1Y s.sheck@eastlink.ca DARTMOUTH Billie Myers 160 Dempster Crescent Mineville, NS B2Z 1J billiedmyers@yahoo.ca EASTERN SHORE Judy Beaver Hwy #7 Murphy Cove NS B0J 3H sjbeaver@ns.sympatico.ca FORT SACKVILLE Lois Durant 157 Tanglewood Drive Mt. Uniacke, NS B0N 1Z Joyce.munroe@ns.sympatico.ca NORTHUMBRIA Vacant SOUTH SHORE Roger Demone 24 Orphans Home Road Oakhill, NS B4V 0E rogerandcharlene@hotmail.com VALLEY Vacant Fall Diakonia

18 DIOCESAN LAY READERS ASSOCIATION Fall Conference Registration Form Dates: September 16-18, 2016 [Friday Sunday] Start Time: End Time: 7:00pm [Friday] After lunch [Sunday] Registration Fee: $50 fee covers Meals/Accommodations NOTE: Supper on Friday Night is NOT included Location: Belcourt Centre 2211 Church Road South Rustico, PEI C0A 1X0 Emergency phone #: or NOTE: Pre registration is required Name: Address: PC: Phone: Parish: Region: Amount Enclosed: $ Accommodation Requested: Single Room Shared Room Please make your cheque payable to: Diocesan Lay Readers Association Mail your registration form & cheque to: Wayne Hamlin 28 Overlook Dr. Kentville, NS B2N 2P4 Remember to bring your alb, LR ribbon & medallion, Bible and prayer books. Diakonia 18 Fall 2016

19 equip ministry and mission to the world. There is much work left to do. We pray that God will uphold and bless our endeavours and seek out what has gone by through our witness to His glory. Yours in Christ, The Reverend Tom Henderson Warden, Diocesan Lay Readers From Generation to Generation In the church, we often separate people by ages. We do youth groups, Sunday school classes, seniors clubs, parents gatherings, the list goes on and on of programs or groups designed specially for people at a certain stage in their life. Those various things are an important part of supporting growth and faith formation, but so is time spent together as a broader community. Sunday services are often a time when people of all ages are gathered in one space. How do we minister to all of those people at once? How do we nurture a sense of community with 5 year olds and 95 year olds? How do we ensure that intergenerational worship doesn t just mean worship that s watered down so that it kind of works for everyone, but instead is a celebration of the diversity of people gathered? At this year s Fall Lay Readers Conference, Allie Colp will lead us in conversation, reflection, and dreaming about what intergenerational worship means, and how we can make it happen in our own contexts. Speaker Biography Allie Colp is the Youth and Family Ministry Coordinator for the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Her work focuses on equipping and resourcing youth and family ministry leaders throughout the diocese for their work in parishes and communities. Allie grew up in Nineveh, Nova Scotia and loves spending time outside, reading, and going on adventures with her nieces and nephew. He alone loves the creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbour. Venerable Bede ( ) Diakonia 2 Fall 2016 Fall Diakonia

20 Change of Address/ ? Please Let Us Know! Address: Phone: PC: Please mail your changes to: The Editor, C/o 1 Beck s Way, Dartmouth, NS B2V 2C Name: Diakonia 20 Fall 2016 Parish: Region: