Clergy Changes:

Archbishop Greg has given permission to The Rev. 'Daisi Oke to offer ministry to the parish of St. Francis of Assisi, Airdrie.  He is visiting our Diocese from Nigeria, and during his stay, he is offering his gifts in teaching and experience in contemporary worship to this parish.  Welcome, Rev. 'Daisi!

Archbishop Greg is pleased to appoint The Rev. Sean Devlin as the Interim Incumbent for St. Benedict, High River beginning January 6.  We ask for your prayers as this parish and Rev. Sean journey together, and in seeking a new Incumbent.

Archbishop Greg is also pleased to appoint Mr. Luke Lima as Interim Lay Minister for the parish of Grace Anglican United in Blairmore, beginning January 2.  We ask for your prayers for this parish, as they and Luke discern the future of this parish.

Annual Returns:

All parishes are reminded to begin their preparations for the Annual Meeting of Parishioners.  These Meetings are to be held within sixty days of the end of the financial year, which is December 31, and Annual Returns are to be submitted to the Diocese Office within fourteen days of the AMP.  If you have any questions regarding the process of holding AMPs or submitting Annual Returns, please let us know, and we will be happy to answer all your questions.

Office Closure:

The Diocesan Office will be closed for the Christmas season from December 21 until January 5.  

December 21 - Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Blue Christmas Service at St. James, Calgary at 1:00 pm

December 24 - Christmas Eve Service at the Cathedral, beginning at 10:30 pm

December 25 - Christmas Morning Service at the Cathedral, beginning at 10:30 am

January 5 - Bishop's Visit to St. Andrew, Gleichen

January 7 - Archdeacons' Zoom Meeting at 10:00 am

January 7 - Calgary School of Discipleship Board Meeting at 3:30 pm

Please hold Archbishop Greg in your prayers as he serves as our Bishop and Metropolitan.

Start Date: March 1, 2025

Christ Church is seeking a passionate and creative individual to serve as the Director of Children, youth & Family Ministry.  This half-time position offers an exciting pportunity to lead and grow our ministry programs for children, youth and families, and play a key role in nurturing the spiritual formation of the next generation.

Part-time (20 hours a week)

Flexibility in hours, including some evenings and weekends for ministry events.

Competitive salary and benefits (commensurate with experience).

For the full job description, please click here.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and references to Rev. Brandon Witwer by February 2, 2025.

This new course will provide you with a foundation to understand the writings and theology of the New Testament. It will explore how the four Gospels reveal the life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth as herald of the “Good News” of the coming of the Kingdom of God, and as the founder of a new Covenant with God. It will also explore, as reported in the book of Acts and the Epistles, the coming of the Holy Spirit as the creator of the Church by means of the renewal of the Image of God. You will also learn about the variety of literary genres present in the New Testament and how they detail the life and growth of the early church, as well as learning about the broader context of the ancient world in which the New Testament was written.

NOTE: This course will represent a serious time commitment (attending class, reading and assignments) for those taking the course for credit.

Date: Wednesday Evenings, January 22 – April 9, 2025

Location: In Person at St. Augustine’s Church, Lethbridge, or On Zoom

Time: 7:00-8:30 pm

Cost: $95

Instructor: Rev. Br. Jason Carroll

To register, please email Barbara Labrecque

Join us for an enchanting magical, festive concert of Advent and Christmas favourites with violin, golden harp, Celtic harp, voice, and guitar.

The concert is free; however, monetary donations for the Calgary Food Bank will be gratefully accepted. (Please do not make cheques payable to St. Barnabas.)

From their website: The Calgary Food Bank is truly "by community, for community."  In partnership with the food industry and people like you, for every $1 received, we can distribute $3.50 worth of food.  We invite you to help by contributing online, by phone, mail, or in person.  All donations over $25 made by phone, mail, or in person will receive a tax receipt.

Christ Church, Calgary invites you to Nine Lessons & Carols, happening on December 22 at 4:30 pm. This service is a wonderful way to journey through the scriptures and look toward Christmas. All are welcome.

Did you know that on the third Sunday of each month, The Rev. Rafiq Masih holds a service of Holy Communion in Urdu at St. Barnabas, Calgary?  Click here to hear an excerpt from their service which was held on December 15, during which they sang Christmas carols in Urdu.

There will be a Service on Christmas Eve at 11:00 pm.  The next monthly service will be held on January 19 at 1:00 pm.  All are welcome!

Each year, the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Airdrie prepares plates of cookies and delivers them to the Airdrie First Responders, as a thank you for their service.  It is a wonderful outreach to the RCMP, Fire Halls, EMS, and others.  The recipients are always surprised and very happy to receive the goodies.

Well done, St. Francis!

The University of Lethbridge Ecumenical Campus Ministry (ECM) has wonderful programs to create friendship and community for the students.  Providing Christmas dinners for hundreds of students, offering a place to receive Smiles and Snacks, being there to listen and maybe teach a new craft - this Ministry is doing God's work in this place, and continues to do so after 30 years.

The December Newsletter is available here, where you can read about their work, and find information on how to support this Ministry.

Taste and See...

Anglican Renewal Ministries is dedicated to bringing the life and power of the Holy Spirit to all Christians.  ARM has been serving the Anglican Church of Canada for over 30 years.  In addition to workshops on the person and gifts of the Holy Spirit, we also offer a quarterly magazine called “Taste and See…” with articles to uplift and encourage you in your walk with Christ.   We hope this magazine will be a source of encouragement to all.  Sample articles and a free copy of the magazine are available on our website. 

The Diocese of Calgary Anglican Church Women are very pleased to offer another Zoom Book Study!  This will be led by our Chaplain The Rev. Betty Piwowar.

There will be two opportunities a week to study: Tuesdays at 1:00 pm OR Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.  The Tuesday sessions begin January 14 and the Wednesday sessions will begin on January 15, and each will run for eight weeks (each session being 1.5 hours long).  

To register contact Margaret Newton or call (403) 734-2130.

For anyone wishing to join a new EFM On-Line group, one will be starting in early January, 2025.
The group consists of learners from across Canada and is likely to meet in the late afternoon to accommodate folks East of the Prairies.
Day and time to be decided in collaboration with those registered by January 1, 2025. Contact the Rev'd Paula Porter Leggett.

Prairie College has a long history of preparing men and women for a variety of roles in ministry. In January 2025, the inaugural fully-online cohort of this new Master’s program will begin. If you or anyone in your church may be interested in taking this program, please encourage them to apply now for free (Use promo code: CHURCH) by clicking on this link.

We are still collecting used postage stamps which the Canadian Bible Society magically uses to create Bibles to distribute to people in prison. Yes, the postal strike may interfere with those beloved Christmas greetings but those on strike will eventually get back to work. When they do, please clip those used stamps. Remember to keep the stamp on the envelope and cut out the stamp leaving a ¼” border around the entire stamp if possible. Leave the stamps in the collection box in the Holy Cross narthex or drop them off at the Diocese Office. Postage stamps – one of those little things that can add up to make a big difference. Questions? Please contact Donna Uncles or the Diocese Office.

The Mountain Rose Centre is seeking volunteers for their Warming Centre Shelter being started at the Food Bank so that the homeless community has a place to go at night this winter.

To assist with this, please be in touch with Lindsay Hunt at (403) 845-5339.

The Chair of Christian Thought, in partnership with the Calgary Institute for the Humanities, University of Calgary, presents An Evening with Rev. Tony Snow.  Rev. Snow is a member of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and the regional Indigenous Minister for the Chinook Winds Region for the United Church of Canada.  

Christian communities engaged in the work of reconciliation seek to repair relationships and histories often neglected, buried, and considered shameful to the society at large.  A retelling of this history necessitates a coming to terms with who we were then and who we are now, and all that our past has constructed to enable the enjoyment we see today.  It is the work of inculturation and diaspora that show us the limits of who we can be as we delve into the intergenerational work of reconciliation, not only with Indigenous populations, but through our efforts globally as we stand as a people of peace.  Scripture and history give us a context, but how we understand and develop our reconciliation social models is the critical enterprise we have committed to engage with and nurture in the years ahead.

January 16, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, 750 - 9 Avenue SE, Calgary.

Click here to register.

Would you like to help a child fall more deeply in love with God?

A children's class, guided by an adult catechist allows the child to learn about scripture and liturgy.  Together with the child, we wonder about the way that God entered the world, the parables that Jesus told, and the way that Jesus shareds his light with us.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd course (for Adults) is being offered in Calgary at Ascension Catholic Parish (in NW Calgary) from February 13 to 18, 2025.  Catholics and Non-Catholics are invited to attend this Christian formation program.  This course could be a wonderful gift for you or for someone you know!

Our desire is to have more children benefit from this experience with more catechists guiding them.  In order for the course to run, we need 20 participants to register by January 10.  Tuition can be covered (payment is due on the first day of the course or can be paid upon registration.)

For more information, click here or here, or feel free to contact Paula or Katy.

Please remember in your prayers:

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

- for the Anglican Communion, for our Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and for healing and direction moving forward;

- for the Windward Islands recovering from Hurricane Beryl;

- for the people of the Parish of St. Mary & St. George, Jasper, suffering the loss of their church home;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Barbara, Karen, Maureen, Ruth and James, Kate, Rosemary, Patricia, and John.  We pray for those who find Christmas to be a sad or lonely season.

- for those who have died and those who mourn;

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

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

- for refugees, remembering those fleeing regimes around the world;

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.

The views and opinions contained in Newsletter items provided by individuals or groups for advertisement belong solely to those individuals/groups and do not reflect the views, opinions or beliefs of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary.