Creator God,
from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name.
You have rooted and grounded us
in your covenant love,
and empowered us by your Spirit
to speak the truth in love,
and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness.
Mercifully grant that your people,
journeying together in partnership,
may be strengthened and guided
to help one another to grow into the full stature  of Christ,
who is our light and our life. Amen

Please visit the Anglican Church of Canada Website for resources for honoring this day.

I love ice cream.  It is one of my great joys in life.  On a recent road trip, I had the chance to visit several independent ice cream shops.  As I stood in line, it was hard to choose from the miriad of flavors, both simple and inventive.

Our Christian walk is like ice cream.  There are a multitude of expressions of faith and how we prefer to worship.  No two parishes are alike; no two parishioners think identically.  Whether we're Rocky Road or smooth Vanilla, three scoops in a waffle cone with sprinkles or a single scoop in a paper cup, we all come before our Lord to love and serve Him, with the gifts He has given us and taking on the outreach He has set before us.  God loves us all in our uniqueness.

Let us go out into the world to serve Him, bringing flavor and sweetness to all we encounter.

Ordinations:

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, God willing, he will ordain to the Priesthood The Rev. Deacon Daniel Joseph.  As well, God willing, he will ordain to the Diaconate Dr. Megan Roberts of St. Barnabas, Three Hills.    The Service of Ordination will take place at The Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Calgary on Wednesday, June 21 at 6:30 pm.  PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF START TIME!   Please pray for Daniel and Megan as they prepare for their new ministries.  Color is Red.

Retirement:

The Ven. Dr. Stephen Hambidge, Incumbent of Holy Trinity, Calgary will be retiring as of mid-August, with his final Sunday being June 25.  He has ministered to this parish for 29 years, as well as serving as Archdeacon of Bow Valley for seven years.  We have been blessed by his ministry to this parish and our Diocese, and we pray for his retirement and continued faith journey.  Thank you, Stephen!

The Rev. Howard Thornton will be retiring as Incumbent of the two parishes of St. George-in-the-Pines, Banff and St. Michael, Canmore as of August 31.  He has been priest to the Bow Valley Ministry since 2014, as well as serving the Diocese on Council.  We ask God to be with him in his retirement  and are thankful for his ministry.  Thank you, Howard!

Parish Changes:

The Rev. Bonnie Luft and The Rev. Deacon Rob Petkau will be stepping away from ministry at Holy Cross, Calgary.  Bonnie's last Sunday will be June 25, and Rob, in preparation for his move to Wycliffe College this fall, will be finished at Holy Cross on July 30.  We wish them both well on their future ministry journeys.  

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, God willing,:

- The Rev. Simba Mutandwa will be Holy Cross' new Interim Priest beginning August 1.  

- The Rev. Daniel Joseph will be the new Incumbent of St. Francis, Airdrie, beginning in early July.  We are thankful for the ministry of The Rev. Tony Hilling during this time of transition.

- The Rev. Rafiq Masih will be Interim Priest at All Saints, Cochrane beginning August 1.  This will allow The Rev. Fariborz Khandani to take time to fully mend following cancer treatments.  

- The Rev. John Chuol has been appointed as Incumbent of St. Andrew, Calgary.  A Service of Induction will be announced at a later date.

We ask for your prayers for these clergy as they transition to their new roles, and ask God to bless the parishes as they journey together.

We want to send our congratulations to Bethany Vanderputten, Music Team Leader at Holy Trinity, Calgary, and Michael Hoskin, our Diocesan Archivist, on their recent engagement.  Please pray for them as they prepare for their wedding in October.

The Celebration is fast approaching!  Please join us for an Open House Retirement Celebration for the many years of service that Pastor Stephen has given to Holy Trinity.  We would ask you to bring a pre-cut dessert to share with others.  If you would like to bring a card, there will be an opportunity to drop this off.  In addition, we would love to share pictures from over the many years.  Please share a few by sending them to socialmedia@htacc.org and we will include them at the event.

This event will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church at 18 Hidden Creek Road NW, Calgary.

Wednesday, June 21: Ordination of Rev. Daniel Joseph to the Priesthood and Dr. Megan Roberts to the Diaconate - Cathedral Church of the Redeemer

Thursday, June 22: Diocesan Council - Diocesan Office & Hybrid meeting

Sunday, June 25: Confirmation Service at St. Peter, Okotoks

Tuesday, June 27 to Sunday, July 2: General Synod hosted by The Diocese of Calgary

On Sunday, June 25, St. Martin's will host Eric Crow Shoe, the Diocesan Spiritual Elder, and Peter Strikes With A Gun.  Both are Elders from the Piikani Nation.  The Service will begin at 11:00 am.  It will feature a smudge and teaching about Indigenous culture and spirituality.

For more information, contact St. Martin, Calgary at (403) 249-3014.

Everyone is invited to a family-friendly, FREE breakfast with entertainment provided by The Calgary Fiddlers.  There will be games and activities for children and youth.  An outdoor Eucharist will follow.

Love catchy songs, creating boatloads of crafts and playing fin-tastic games? Want to tuna into a weeklong networking session on Jesus? Then, Holy Cross Anglican Church’s Vacation Bible School is the place to be! Running from July 24-28, 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, the Jesus is My Lighthouse VBS is the perfect opportunity for children in kindergarten to Grade 6 to learn how Jesus is fishing for us, calms our storms, casts our fears aside, performs impossible feats so we don’t flounder, and is always ready to shine the way forward.

With different Bible-themed messages, crafts, games and snacks each day, children will be in for a weeklong Jesus adventure! Register by July 19 using the link below, and hop aboard the VBS boat! Best of all, it’s FREE!

In 1997, the two Anglican parishes of St. Michael's and All Angels (established in 1909) and St. Cyprian (established in 1925) amalgamated and were renamed the Anglican Parish of Holy Cross. Join archivist David Peyto on a tour of the church, view the new parish garden, and hear the details of our shared history. 

Are there kids in your house who need some fun this summer?  St. Barnabas, Calgary is hosting a Summer Drama Camp from Monday, August 14 to Friday, August 18.  Taught by theatre professionals from Fire Exit Theatre, this all-day camp for 8-12 year olds will give an overview of theatre arts through instruction, crafts and games, and together campers will write and perform a play for the final day of camp.  Lunch and snacks are provided.  The camp is fully subsidized; there is a $20 registration fee.  Click here to register.

The Diocesan Refugee Committee is urgently in need of volunteers to welcome arriving newcomers at the airport.  This is the most joyous part of this ministry and we really need to share the joy!  If you are interested and able to help with this very important ministry, please contact the Chair of the Refugee Committee, The Rev. Canon Erin Phillips at refugee@calgary.anglican.ca 

The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) is pleased to announce a $100,000 Request for Proposals (RFP) aligned with the Assembly 2023 theme of "Let There Be Greening." Funding for climate care projects and new or "green shoots ministries" will be considered.  For more information, please click here.

With a new quarterly grants cycle, the AFC grants program is more accessible than ever. If you missed the April deadline, don’t worry: the grants portal is open, and the next deadline is July 1. For more information on all AFC grants visit the portal now. 

MST is a consortium of theological colleges affiliated with McGill University. The Director of Field Education plays a key role in coordinating the final year of the Master of Divinity program while also teaching within that year. For more information click this link. 

Please remember in your prayers:

- for peace within our country, and in the world, for victims of violence and natural disasters, and for areas of unrest and riots.  We ask for wise discernment in our leaders;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Monica, Terry, Janet, Victoria and Lily, Donna, Barbara and Elizabeth, Cathy, Vic, and Fergus;

- for those who have died and those who mourn, remembering John;

- for the poor, the homeless, and the needy in our communities;

- our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and their leaders in our diocese and country; 

- refugees, remembering those fleeing regimes around the world, and those fleeing war in the Ukraine.

Request a prayer:

Send prayer requests to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca to let us know how we can pray for you.  We will only use first names which will be removed after two or three weeks.  We will also pray for you during our regular Chapel services each week.  Please ensure that you have permission from those whose names you are submitting for prayer, and that they understand their name will be made public to all who subscribe to the Newsletter.

We are interested in what is happening in your parish and would love to highlight those events and news in our newsfeed.

We look forward to your contributions - feel free to forward your event announcements, your parish news, your stories.  Send in your details and pictures to ctubman@calgary.anglican.ca.