Ordination Announcement:

Archbishop Greg is pleased to announce that, God willing, he will ordain to the Priesthood The Rev. Deacon Luke Lima of Grace Anglican United, Blairmore.  The Service of Ordination will take place at Grace Anglican United on Saturday, January 17 at 2:30 pm.  Please pray for Luke as he prepares for his new ministry.  Clergy in the High River Deanery are expected to attend; we ask all clergy to attend if they are able, to support their colleague.  Color for this event will be White.

Admin and Finance Committee Chair:

Mrs. Karen Larsen, who has been the Diocesan A&F Chair since 2021, has stepped down.  We are grateful for her leadership, wisdom and organization, and look forward to continuing to work with her as a Committee member going forward.  We are pleased to announce Archbishop Greg's appointment of Mr. Richard Williams as the new Chair of A&F beginning in January. 

Morning Prayer Services at St. Edmund's House:

The Diocese Office holds a Morning Prayer service each Wednesday morning at 9:00 am.  All are welcome to drop by and join us for this Service.

Office Closed for Holidays:

The Diocese Office will be closed for the Christmas season from Friday, December 19 until Sunday, January 4.

Scam Emails:

Once again, there have been scammers sending out emails that ask for funds or information.  Please be aware that our Archbishop, clergy, Officers of Synod or Diocesan Office staff would never send emails soliciting funds or ask for information from "church directories."  Always check the email address carefully and if it looks suspicious, please delete the email.

December 17 - Service at St. Augustine, Lethbridge, to hear Oaths from Rev. Lawrence Kopp and The Right Rev. Michael Hawkins

December 20 - Blue Christmas Anglican Fellowship of Prayer Service, St. Edmund's House beginning at 11:00 am

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

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

December 28 - Bishop's Visit to All Saints, Cochrane

January 6 - Joint Deanery Gathering - Lethbridge/Medicine Hat and High River Deaneries

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

The Ministry Development team offers time for lay ministers from around the diocese (new and locally ordained too!)  to gather each week to discuss and reflect upon the readings for the week in preparation for preaching. Academic resources (commentaries, etc) will be made available for participants, and it will be a great opportunity to share ideas and resources for lay ministers who are preaching in their local services.  

Time: Tuesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm

Location: on Zoom

Please contact Br. Jason Carroll to sign up or for more information. 

The Ministry Development team offers time for lay ministers from around the diocese to gather once a month for discussion and conversation around the opportunities, challenges and needs of lay ministry. It is also a great opportunity to create connections and fellowship with other lay ministers in the diocese. 

In the third week of each month, we will be producing a podcast with a different guest and topic for discussion. The Round Table will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month on Zoom in the afternoons, where the podcast and any other issues are on the table for discussion!

Please contact Br. Jason Carroll for more information (jcarroll@calgary.anglican.ca)

This course will provide students with a foundation to understand the Old Testament.  In particular, this course will provide an understanding of God's covenant of faithfulness in the creation of humankind in his Image, and in the history of the redemption of his people through his covenants with Abraham, Israel, David and the New Covenant promised by the Prophets.  Students will also learn the variety of literary genres present in the Old Testament and how they function in making God known to his people, as well as learning about the broader context of the ancient world in which the Old Testament was written.

This is one of the required courses for CSD licensing.

Dates: Wednesday Evenings, January 14 to April 1, 2026

Location: on Zoom

Time: 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Cost: $100

Instructor: Dr. Joel Anderson, PhD

To register, please contact Barbara Labrecque.

This course will introduce students to the discipline of theology. We will discover the "why" and "how" of theology, drawing on some of the most important theologians of Christian history. The course will be structured around the Apostles’ Creed as the backbone of theology. We'll also cover how Anglicans approach theology.  And we will begin to see how theology is lived out in our daily lives. 

This is an entry-level course and will be tailored to different levels. It will, as much as possible, be seminar-style or discussion-based rather than lecture-based. We will be reading both primary and secondary sources.

A second class may be considered if this time does not suit many students or if interest greatly exceeds the 12-student limit.  A syllabus is available.  Students should register early to secure a spot and order their texts.

Date: Saturdays, January 31 to April 18, 2026

Location: On Zoom (and Google Classroom)

Time: 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Cost: $100

Instructor: The Rev. Greg Clark

To register, please contact Barbara Labrecque.

In many people's minds, the word "ministry" refers to a domain restricted to clergy.  All baptized Christians, however, are called by God into ministry.  This course will explore how our personal faith journey and the living out of our baptismal vows relates to how we are called to engage the world as followers of Jesus.  Jesus calls us to follow him, and that means he also calls us to be a Christian for others.  Students will explore how their spiritual formation and discipleship engage the world.

This is one of the required courses for CSD licensing.

Date: Saturdays, February 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2026

Location: on Zoom

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Cost: $60

Instructor: The Rev. Chris Roth

To register, please contact Barbara Labrecque.

St. Edmund's Food Bank held their annual Christmas Tea and Sale on December 6.  Marilyn, Rozanne and all their volunteers did a fantastic job of putting  on a lovely tea and a fantastic sale.  They are pleased to announce the Christmas Tea & Sale brought in over $1700 for the Food Bank, to cover the utilities and expenses on the Mission Hall building.

They would like to acknowledge the donations from Costco at Beacon Hill that supplied door prizes and raffle prizes.

St. Edmund's Food Bank continues its volunteer work this season with their Christmas Hampers.  Prayers are asked for all the volunteers who are getting the 120 - 130 hampers ready for distribution, from December 15 to 20.  If you have some time to spare in the next week, please contact Marilyn to see where she could use a hand.

Donations for the hampers are always accepted.  You can call ahead at (403) 288-6330.  Monetary donations can be e-transferred to foodbank@stedmundscalgary.org.  Please include your name, address and contact information for tax receipts.

Once again - thank you to all the volunteers, customers and donors for such a wonderful Christmas Tea!

- photo and write-up contributed by Linda Anderson

The Anglican Fellowship of Prayer will hold a Blue Christmas Service at St. Edmund's House on Saturday, December 20, beginning at 11:00 am.

For more information, please contact AFP Fellowship.

Admission is free, but donations will be received for Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee and Cochrane Pregnancy Care Centre.

The latest issue of Anglican Renewal Ministries Newsletter is now available.

If you would like to receive paper copies for distribution in your parish, please contact the ARM office.

Anglican Renewal Ministries relies entirely on the support of our readers.  If your Parish Council would consider a donation towards the ministry work of ARM, it would be greatly appreciated!

We pray you will have a Spirit-filled Advent and a very Merry Christmas!

There will be two EfM Online groups starting in January 2026.

Sunday Group led by the Rev Paula Porter Leggett who is based in the Diocese of New Westminster. This class is going into its second year and starts at 3:30pm PT (4:30pm Mountain).  For information on this class, please contact the Rev’d Paula Porter Leggett at 2rev2pl@gmail.com or text at 1-604-329-8701 and she will call you back.

Tuesday Group: led by David Harrison who is a member of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This class is brand new and starts at 7:00pm Atlantic (4:00 Mountain). Please contact David at djh@djharrison.ca.

EfM Classic is our traditional four year program and has a new format this year, entirely digital.   This opens up new opportunities such as film clips, documentaries, and other virtual resources.  There are more resources to guide learners in our reading week-to-week, new essays by ‘Sojourners’ - faith communities that are praying for us all year and traveling alongside in our reading.  All the text-books but one are new to us. 

EfM Wide Angle is a new, one year program, which runs concurrently with EfM Classic. It is suitable for those people who are interested in EfM but do not wish to commit to a four year program. The texts used in the Wide Angle program are different from those used in the Classic classes. Wide Angle is also suitable for EfM graduates who wish to continue on the journey!

EfM is for lay people, to grow their faith as adult learners, discern how God is calling them, and discover gifts for ministry in the company of others on this pilgrimage, enriching our discipleship.

Interested in either program?  For more information, please contact David Harrison at djh@djharrison.ca

EfM website:  efmcanada.ca

Recruiting will begin by early November and close on January 4th, 2026.

The Wisdom Centre announces that Dr. Hillary McBride will be in Calgary for two events on January 25 & 26.  This includes a public lecture (with livestream option) to be held on the evening of Sunday, January 25, and a professionally oriented workshop to be held on Monday, January 26.

Tickets are available for the lecture (live or livestreamed) or as a package which includes the lecture and workshop.  

Please remember in your prayers:

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

- for the Anglican Communion, and our new Archbishop of Canterbury-elect, The Most Rev. Sarah Mullally;

- for the work of the General Synod, and for our Primate, The Most Rev. Shane Parker;

- for our Companion Diocese of the Windward Islands;

- for those who are sick, suffering, isolated or in need.  We ask for prayers for Barbara, Maureen, Karen, Ruth and James, Kate, Rosemary, Patricia, Rob, Alan, Gloria, Joan, James, Doug, Beth, Janis, Faten, Janice, and John and Lucille;

- 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.

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