This is a reminder that neither Bishop Sandra, nor any other clergy, will ask you to send gift card details or funds through email. In the event this type of outreach is needed, gift cards would be collected in person and distributed in person to those in need. Our Diocesan finances are such that, should an emergency arrive, we have access to funds that can help and we would not be approach individuals to assist.

Schedule

Thursday April 17 – Staff meeting; online meetings; Maundy Thursday Service at The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax (7:00 pm)

Friday April 18 – Good Friday (Synod office closed)

Saturday April 19 – Meeting with representatives from the North American Mar Thoma Diocese and local community; Easter Vigil with Confirmation at The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax (8:00 pm)

Sunday April 20 – Easter worship with the Mar Thoma community at St. John the Evangelist, Middle Sackville

Monday April 21 – Easter Monday (Synod office closed)

Tuesday April 22 – Out of office

Wednesday April 23 – Staff Meeting; in-office and Zoom appointments; Parish meeting

Announcements

Bishop Sandra wishes to advise that the Reverend Ann Turner is no longer the Executive Director of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. We are grateful for Reverend Ann’s service to the diocese over the past 3 ½ years. The Executive Director email account and phone line will be monitored by our Executive Administrator, Jana Gauthier.   

Openings

Rector, full-time, Ecumenical Shared Ministry, The Anglican Parish of Tangier & The Sheet Harbour Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada

Rector, 3/4 tme, The Parishes of Musquodoboit and Ship Harbour

Rector, full-time, Collieries Parish

An Invitation for: Wardens, Treasurers, Secretaries, Parish Leaders, and Parish Councils

Thank you for saying, “Yes!” to the opportunity to lead in your Parish. Whether you are brand new to your position or returning for another year, we would like to help you with some helpful tools for Parish Leadership. This year, we are launching two new resources: The Parish Leader’s Handbook: A Governance and Policy Handbook and The Treasurer’s Toolkit: A Financial Stewardship Resource for Parish Treasurers.

Join us for an introduction to both of these resources as well as a Q & A session on one (or more, if you like) of the following dates:

Tuesday, May 13th - 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Tuesday, May 13th - 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Click on the date to register, you will receive the zoom link by email!

You will receive an electronic copy of both manuals before the information session. Contact Lawrence Roche at financialcontroller@nspeidiocese.ca for more details.

Reminder: The Annual Mailing materials are now available on our website, accessible via this link.

All forms and returns should be sent to Tonia Wright at office@nspeidiocese.ca as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Tonia—she will either assist you directly or direct your inquiry to the appropriate person.

Thank you for your prompt attention to completing these forms!

The next Anglican Foundation Grant deadlines are May 26, August 25, October 27, 2025.

Complete applications must be received by the Executive Secretary of Synod by those dates. execsecsynod@nspeidiocese.ca

Information for our Diocese in addition to the requirements from the Anglican Foundation

• The motion to move forward with this initative from the minutes of council are required
• The deadline for applying are earlier than the foundation dates as our applications must vetted and brought to Diocesan Council before they are sent to the foundation
• If the grant application includes working with youth your vulnerable sector policies must be included in the application.

To apply for a grant please go to the website  https://www.anglicanfoundation.org/apply/ 

and download all of the information to insure your application is complete.

*Please note the letter from the Bishop comes after the application is chosen by Diocesan Council and is not the parish's responsibility.

Please feel free to send any questions to the

Executive Secretary of Synod, execsecsynod@nspeidiocese.ca

Another strength of many churches is our music and choir. Whether it is an occasional men's choir, an ecumenical massed choir or a regular Sunday group of singers, music is a formative and impactful ministry. Read this article from Lewis Center for Church Leadership, 4 Functions of a Church Choir, written by Brian Hehn.

A SURVEY SEEKING SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS/COMPANIONS has been prepared and can be accessed below. I ask for your assistance: fill it out for yourself, if you are currently serving or are open to serve as a Spiritual Director; as well as sharing it with others you know in the community who are ministering in this capacity.
We will be looking to know such details as availability (day/evenings/weekends); in-person/online/telephone; willingness to take new directees; and, interest in becoming part of a group for further training opportunities.

Click here for Survey

Learning about the reality of human trafficking - slavery hidden in plain sight - is difficult to hear, but Rev. Canon Keirsten Wells, presenter and facilitator extraordinaire, offered a very moving workshop on Saturday, April 12 in the Church of Saint Andrew, Cole Harbour, as she shed a light on this travesty. In sharing her journey of awareness of this scourge, she helped the many participants appreciate that people of faith can play a helpful role. Shining a Light on Human Trafficking was a springboard to further engagement with specific actions - stay tuned to the Net News for more. Anglicans Powering Potential thank you, Keirsten, and the Rector and Parish of the Church of Saint Andrew, especially its Mission, Outreach, and Justice team, with MOJ Navigator, Rev. Marian Lucas-Jefferies.

By clicking the link below, you will find a list of key dates for our upcoming Synod, along with details on the location, convening circular, resolutions and more! 

Thanks to a generous donation from our Diocesan insurer, Ecclesiastical, we are pleased to share that the registration and accommodations for Youth and Children at Synod are not an expense that your Parish needs to consider.

Are you curious about the role of the Primate and the process for the election of a new Primate?

On June 26, members of General Synod will elect the next Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada. But what is a Primate, and how are they elected? Two new videos on the General Synod 2025 website provide an overview of the Primate’s role and the election process.

To view the videos, please go here.

Praying with the DEN Community, Diocesan Environment Network (DEN) 

For more information contact DEN at: endionspei@gmail.com

The Growth for Ministry Fund exists because of the financial stewardship of Anglican who have made planned gifts to the Diocese.  The purpose is to enable the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to respond faithfully to God's call to minister to a wide field of mission:

• to provide for development and/or expansion in new growth areas at the parish, regional or diocesan level;
• to provide seed monies for experimental and/or new forms of ministry;
• to provide funding for Outreach Ministry which touches the lives of those in need in society in general, and for the purpose of responding on short notice to situations in the community calling for concerned Christian response.

The Policy and Application can be found HERE.

St. Alban's in Dartmouth have 46 palm fronds available.

They are 4-5' in length and are $5 each or by donation.

If interested please contact stalbans@bellaliant.com or call 902-463-2493

In an effort to make EfM (Education for Ministry) more accessible, new formats and the 5th curriculum revision are being introduced. While the classic 4-year program remains available as EfM: Classic, the new curriculum will include a multimedia syllabus called Path, replacing the traditional Reading and Reflection Guide in 2025.

New offerings include EfM: Wide Angle, a one-year program that provides a taste of each of the four classic years, and EfM: Reflections, a six-to-ten-week program where participants explore books and reflect on where God is leading them.

For more information or to become a mentor, please contact David Harrison, EfM Diocesan Coordinator, at djh@djharrison.ca.

EfM (Education for Ministry) is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Canada and is inviting past participants to share their memories, stories, and photos. EfM Canada is particularly interested in recollections of the program's previous curriculums, including the early years with spiral-bound notes (1970s), the updated white books (1980s), the red binder system (1990s), and the academic text-based 4th revision (2000s).

If you have memories to share, please send them to David Harrison, who will forward them to EfM Director Annette Cowan. Join us in celebrating four decades of EfM in Canada!

Choral Evensong & Concerts every Sunday at 4:00pm

Presented by the Cathedral Church of All Saints & Capella Regalis Choirs

Free & Open to the public

Organist & Director of Music: Paul Halley

Asst. Director of music & Capella Regalis Choirs, Artistic Director: Nick Halley

An opportunity to join with the wider community of Northern Nova Scotia in commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the massacre in Portapique.

On the evening of April 18, 2025, Good Friday, the Veterans Memorial Park in Bass River will light 200 candles to commemorate the 22 lives taken in violence 5 years ago, many from the neighbouring community of Portapique. The candles scattered throughout the park’s shrubs and trees are meant to signify the souls’ spark of the divine, rising. Three days after the massacre, a White Hart or Deer was seen in Portapique. The white hart is a legendary creature, which dwells in the ‘sanctuary’. In some ancient Celt and Viking art, it represents our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. According to legend, the Hart will heal the land and defeat the darkness. Many believe the Hart was present that evening to collect souls. This year the third night will be Easter. Remembering: Jamie and Greg Blair, Lisa McCully, Corrie Ellison, Jolene Oliver, Aaron Tuck, Emily Tuck, Joy and Peter Bond, Dawn Madsen, Frank Gulenchyn, John Zahl, Joanne Thomas, Sean MacLeod, Alanna Jenkins, Tom Bagley, Lillian Campbell-Hyslop, Kristen Beaton, Heather O’Brien, Constable Heidi Stevenson, Joey Webber, and Gina Goulet. Into thy hands, we commend their spirits.

Children 12 and under welcome to come participate in an Easter Egg Hunt and enjoy Ice Cream Sundaes.

There will also be a jelly bean jar contest.

The event is free of charge.

Join us April 19th at 2pm as we watch The Shack - a powerful, transformative story of healing and hope.

Free Admission

Homemade Hot Cross Buns, just in time for Easter.

$6 for a pkg of 6.

Pre-order by text to 902-222-5018 or pre-order and pay to Smoshalifax@outlook.com

Deadline for orders is Sunday April 13th

Pick up will be Saturday April 19, 1pm to 3pm in the church hall (basement door)

All are Welcome for the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at St. James' Anglican Church.

Meet in the church at 2pm!

On behalf of the Atlantic Jewish Council Board of Directors it is our pleasure to invite you to our annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah.

Guest speakers: Shimon and Peggy Walt, Finding Our Jewish Family in Lithuania, in conversation with Olga Milosevich.

The program will include a candle-lighting ceremony and reception to follow.

R.S.V.P: Edna LeVine, Director of Community Engagement, engagement@theajc.ca

5440 Spring Garden Road, Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library

The Atlantic Jewish Council invites you to participate, as we join with Jewish communities throughout the world, in the public recitation of names of Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Now in its thirty-sixth year, B’nai B’rith International, the North American sponsor of this worldwide Holocaust memorial project, provides the opportunity to remember the murdered Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

To book a 10-minute time slot please email: Edna LeVine engagement@theajc.ca  

R.S.V.P: engagement@theajc.ca

Lobby, Canadian Museum of immigration at Pier 21

St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 3751 Robie St., Halifax, is holding a flea market on Saturday, April 26th 

Vendor tables are available for $15 each. Please call 902-453-6912 to book a table. 

Admission is $1 and there will be a canteen on site.

Join us and sing along to some Canadian favorites.

Tickets are $30/person (19+) and includes loggers meal of chili, roll & desert. (vegetarian option available upon request)

See poster for more details!

Join us to celebrate the past, present and future of AST!

Lectures and workshops with Diana Butler Bass and more.

All events are being offered to Alumni for $175.00

Click here to register.

Any Questions? email astinfo@astheology.ns.ca or call 902-430-7662

Live Music with Gloria Butler, Qunetin & Helena Christie, Jim & Judy Manuel, Shaun Richards & Mike Purdy

Doors open at 6:30pm, This is a first come, first served as seating is limited to 60 people.

Free-will offerings will be going to a local charity.

Freewill donations for the Boutilier's Point Rink Association.

St. James Yellow Church, 6991 St. Margaret's Bay Road, Boutilier's Point

Rural Routes Through the Holy 2025, will be held June 12 – 14^th at   Sackville NB at the Regional Office, 21 Wright Avenue  The theme is Life, Land, and Leadership: Loving with Your Feet and it will be led by Rob Fennell and Shawna Lucas. 

Registration fees for this and the in person gathering are available on the website.  Please follow us to receive our news.

If you have questions, or need a paper registration form, you can reach me (Catherine) at ruralroutesatlantic@gmail.com

Atlantic School of Theology Credit Course: Pilgrimage and Retreat Leadership

If you would like to participate in Rural Routes and receive a university-level course credit, you can do so by registering for a course at Atlantic School of Theology, entitled, "Pilgrimage and Retreat Leadership." For more information, contact Prof. Rob Fennell at rob.fennell@astheology.ns.ca.

The Diocese of NS and PEI Heating Oil Program with Irving Oil offers Churches of the Diocese and eligible Diocesan Clergy and Diocesan Staff a discounted rate based on non-profit status. This rate is not offered to individual Anglican parishioners. For more information, please contact: The Centralized Commercial Account Manager for the Diocesan Heating Oil Program, Ms. Sharon Williston by name at 1-888-310-1924 or by email Sharon.Williston@irvingoil.com 

The Furnace Oil price for the period  - April 12, 2025 - April 18, 2025.

Nova Scotia - $0.8830 Prince Edward Island - $0.8830

St. James, Armdale and St. Timothy's presents a "FUN"draiser concert in support of refugee sponsorship, starring the big band sounds of Atlantic Sound Machine! Dancing is encouraged!

Cost is $10 and there will be treats at intermission by goodwill offering, donations will be kindly accepted.

For tickets reach out to Alice Galpin at alicegalpin@eastlink.ca or Gillian Power at powergillian57@gmail.com.

Tickets will also be available at the door.