This past Sunday, the Gospel passage was about Jesus teaching The Parable of the Sower.

The sower is casting seeds into prepared ground.  But the thrown seeds fall onto four different types of soil.  The hard path is not receptive to the seed.  The rocky soil keeps the seed from growing strong roots.  The thorny areas choke out young plants.  And, finally, the good soil accepts the seed and results in an abundant harvest.

Jesus then explains what this parable means.  The four types of soil are the types of hearts that the Good News encounters.  The hard ground represents the hardened hearts who reject the message.  The rocky soil represents those who will hear the message and get excited, but won't take the message to heart.  The thorny soil keeps the message from being established, by cares of the world, desires and distractions.  But the good soil is the hearer who accepts the message, and grows in faith.

We are the sowers; the sowing of the Good News is our mission.  We are called by God to be constantly casting seeds.  And we will be rejected.  We will face obstacles in being missional.  But that is okay.  The results are not up to us.  The results are between God and that person.  Our job is to keep being missional.  God is preparing the hearts of those who will be good soil, the hearts of those who will hear and obey and be fruitful.  

May God be with us all as we answer His call to be missional.

Retirements:

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!

The Rev. Faith Mary Brace will be retiring from ministry in our Diocese as of July 31.  Since 2014, she has been an Honorary Assistant with the parish of All Saints, Cochrane.  We are grateful for her service, and pray for her and her husband in their move to BC.

Parish Changes:

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. 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. Seth Enriquez will be stepping down as Assistant Priest to the Bow Valley Ministry as of August 31, and has been appointed as Incumbent of St. George-in-the-Pines, Banff as of September 1.

- The Rev. Jagdutt Singh will be resigning as Interim Priest at St. Peter, Calgary as of August 31.  The Rev. Bonnie Luft has been appointed as Incumbent of St. Peter, Calgary as of September 1.

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.

July 15 to 30: Holidays

August 13: Cursillo Outdoor Service, Potluck & BBQ, Greenwood Campground, Sundre

Looking for a way to deepen your understanding of the Christian faith and enhance the connection between what you believe and how you live your daily life?  The Education for Ministry (EfM) program combines independent study and weekly small group discussions to provide a basic grounding in theology to Christian laypeople. The EfM curriculum explores the content and origins of Scripture, follows Church history from its earliest days, and examines issues in Christian theology. Group members engage in individual and group theological reflection throughout their studies to bring our different life experiences and perspectives into conversation with our faith, helping to discern God’s call to each of us. EfM is an extension program of an Episcopal theological school; there is a lot to read (including the whole Bible) but there are no exams. Students commit to one year at a time and those completing all four years of the program receive a certificate of completion.   

For more information on registration or this program, please contact Jennifer Solem at efmststephens@shaw.ca.  

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!

Holy Cross is located at 2828 - 19th Street NW, Calgary

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. 

Outdoor Ultreya – Campout – Outdoor Service - BBQ

The great Sundre Outdoor Ultreya, campout, outdoor service, and BBQ is being planned for the second weekend in August. 

Join us at the Double N Ranch, south of Sundre, AB on Saturday, August 12 for a Potluck and Ultreya.  Arrival around 3:00 pm, eat at 5:00 pm, Ultreya at 6:00 pm.  We have lots of room for campers and tents, even some RV hook-ups.

The Outdoor Service on Sunday, August 13 will take place at the Greenwood Campground Gazebo (in Sundre) beginning at 11:00 am, with Archbishop Greg presiding.  BBQ to follow; bring a salad or dessert for Sunday; we’ve got everything else.

Call to reserve a free camping spot at the Ingeveld Ranch at (403) 638-2356 or Jack Goodall for camping in Sundre at (403) 638-2130.

Online registration is now open for Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth CLAY 2023: Ashes & Embers, to be held August 10-13 in Waterloo, Ontario. Please spread the word to youth and leaders in your parishes!

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.

Our diocese is reaching out to spread the word about a Christian mom and her two teenaged children currently living in Pakistan who need our help.  Her husband and father, both clerics in the Anglican Church in Peshawar, were killed on two separate occasions by extremists, one in a terrorist bombing of the church and the other gunned down after he left the church after Sunday worship.  Because they were Christians.

We are working to get the mom and kids to Canada where they may be safe, as they have been living in jeopardy.  The mother qualifies for a new Government of Canada work program which requires a form of sponsorship.  We need everyone's help to spread the word.  Please read the link below to learn how you may possibly assist.

If you or someone you know would be willing to sponsor this woman as a home support worker, please contact St. George, Calgary at (403) 280-3579 or by email.

We have two clergy who are wondering if there are various items available.

One is a Gospel Book for a parish which does not have one.

Another is a travelling communion kit, no longer required by a retired priest.

Should you know of either of these items and would like to donate them, please let the Diocese Office know at your earliest convenience.

Join Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee and The Rev. Christine Conkin at the Sorrento Centre for a week of theological exploration towards a Christianity to Call Home. We’ll revisit some of the progressive theological texts of the 20th century (Religionless Christianity, Secular City, Honest to God, Comfortable Pew) to see what they have to say to us 60 years later. We’ll also tune into some of the theological voices of our own age (Richard Rohr, Ilia Delio, James Smith, Christina Cleveland, Kate Bowler and others) to see what new life-giving theology is emerging in these turbulent 2020s. 

To register, click here.

The housing crunch is impacting the youth of our communities and students in a terrible way. An article on this issue highlights how, for the second year in a row, the University of Calgary is facing full residences, with students scrambling to find alternatives.

Some are finding themselves homeless and living in their cars. Of note, the article delves into the housing task force, that was rejected by city council and then re-evaluated after significant public pressure. We expect another vote on these recommendations on housing affordability to come to council in September.

• By the way, if you have a spare room, the Students' Union at the UofC is a partner in running a website that is focused on student housing. Consider registering to advertise your spare room here.

• Our friends at Calgary's Future and ACORN are running a housing advocacy bootcamp, for taking action on housing affordability, in September. This is in lead up to the vote at council.

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 Barbara and Elizabeth, and Kathy;

- for those who have died and those who mourn;

- 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.