May 15- Fifth Sunday of Easter

May 11, 2022

“Hope matters”

Dear People of Kootenay,  

Greetings for this 4th week of the Easter Season.  This season is an exuberant celebration of Christ’s resurrection, of God awakening us to seeing new life, even in the midst of the current reality.  The second reading for this coming Sunday repeats the theme of our Kootenay Synod last May:  "See, I am making all things new." 

This past Sunday I visited St. Barbara’s Okanagan Falls, and enjoyed a parish reception in the hall after worship. The joy of being in person for worship still feels new!  I was delighted with lively music, with the congregation joining in with rhythm instruments. The Rev. Guna Vaddadi picked up a guitar at the reception and sang a song for mothers.  Hidden talents!

Afterwards Gerald and I drove to Vancouver (through snow).  I was able to enjoy a mother’s day dinner and have a day off and a walk on the beach with my youngest, Anne.  

On Tuesday I spent some time at the library, caught up with a few people at Vancouver School of Theology (VST), had dinner with Bishop John (New Westminster) and Bishop David (Caledonia), and then we attended the VST Convocation (first in person for three years).  The convocation speaker was Dr. Elin Kelsey, author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis.  She reviewed current research on hopeful actions that are creating positive changes in solving the environmental crisis.  Studies have shown that people who “doom scroll” through the bad news about the environment lose hope and discontinue their efforts to make change.  With a wealth of scientific examples and analyses, she reminded us that there are real solutions and we need to cultivate habits of practicality and hope.  She was empowering and uplifting, calling us to compassion, strength in community, the contagion of hope that will give us energy to continue working for change.  Her speech is available here.  I have ordered her book.  

The other thing that was a boost of hope, a glimpse that God is doing a new thing in the church, was the diversity of students who were graduating with various theological certificates and degrees.  Not only a huge diversity of denominations studying alongside Anglicans, but also a diversity of age groups and differing calls to ministry.  Retired business people, nurses, social workers, community planners….all studying theology, not necessarily heading to ordination but to something new;  God is calling them to offer the world all their gifts and experience in new ways.   Lots of young people. The highest number of Indigenous graduates ever, a new generation of Indigenous leadership.   I was also struck by the cross-cultural and interfaith mix (and see further in the newsletter the picture of The Rev. Jackie Graham, priest at St. George’s West Kelowna). If any of you read this and feel a longing to study theology, please call me!!

I am excited that VST has hired The Reverend Canon Dr. Rob James as Associate Professor of Anglican Formation and Studies who has worked in biblical interpretation in Anglicanism, biblical interpretation in African Christianity, terrorism studies, post-colonical studies and New Testament studies. 

Tomorrow I head to Sorrento Centre for the annual ACPO (Assessment Committee for Postulants for Ordination).  Please pray for me, the Assessors, and the Inquirers for Ordination as we move through this discernment process.  The three Assessors from the Diocese of Kootenay this year are Joan Bubbs, Kenneth Phillips, and the Rev. Yme Woensdregt.

Next week, I am away on a week of Study Leave and registered for the Festival of Homiletics. This year's theme is “After the Storm:  Preaching and Trauma”.  I look forward to studying new imaginative approaches and new insights into the Biblical texts and the art of preaching.

May God bless you with renewal of hope in this Easter Season.  May God bless you with new eyes to see what new things God is up to! 

Yours in Christ,

+Lynne  

Sunday, May 8, 2022 (Mother's Day) - Following Bishop Lynne's sermon at St.Barbara's (Okanagan Falls), Rev. Guna Vaddadi sang a song to honour Mothers.

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May 12-13 ACPO Assessor Training at Sorrento Centre

May 16-20 Festival of Homiletics (Reading Week)- Bishop will be out of office

May 19- BARDS

May 23 Victoria Day (Office Closed)

May 24 Territory of the People Meeting

May 25 Investment Committee

May 26 General Clericus, Finance Meeting, Induction Service for Rev. Jackie Graham

May 27 St. Margaret Peachland Visioning Meeting

May 27-29 Territory Assembly Kamloops

May 31 LTP Meeting

June 2 Provincial House of Bishops, BARDS

June 3 West Kootenay Workshop in Trail

June 4 Provincial Council

June 5 Pentecost Service at St.Saviour's Nelson

June 6 Deconsecration Service for St. Michael Balfour

June 7 Diocesan Council

May 18 + 19, 2022:  ASIST Training at Sorrento Centre

May 26- June 5, 2022: Thy Kingdom Come (resources here)

June 18, 2022: Warden Zoom Workshop

June 21, 2022: National Indigenous Day of Prayer (resources here)

July 2, 2022: Memorial Service for Rev. Jeff Donnelly at St. Saviour's Nelson

September 1- October 4, 2022: Season of Creation

October 1, 2022: Diocesan Synod (virtual)

October 17-20, 2022: Clergy Conference at Sorrento Centre

FREE EVENT. Online Community? Church Hybridity? The Digital Body of Christ? If these are realities which continue to excite, disturb, or otherwise engage you, then mark your calendars for the first annual summer learning event co-sponsored by the three schools of the Saskatoon Theological Union in partnership with St. Thomas More College. Details HERE

FREE EVENT. For the detailed agenda and to register: https://www.trinity.utoronto.ca/events/ecumenism-conference/ 

Greetings from St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Rīga!  We have a huge favour to ask all of you: Each year in Latvia at the end of May we have a country-wide event called "Baznīcu nākts" (Night of Churches) where almost every church hosts concerts, lectures, discussions, etc, and visitors will visit multiple churches throughout the night. Our church also usually displays different exhibitions of art done by our members, and one idea I had for this year would be a wall/display of postcards from many different churches throughout the Anglican world! That way, we would be able to represent not only ourselves on this special occasion, but our entire denomination and your church as well! It would be fantastic if your church could send us a postcard with a small message for St. Saviours or for Latvia in general written, preferably one with your church pictured if possible. If you don't have one with the church building visible, any postcard from your parish will do! If a post card isn't possible at all, you can also send a picture of your church along with a digital greeting to admin@anglicanriga.lv that we can print out in postcard size. We will make sure to display them so both sides are visible and your messages are visible as well. If you are so kind as to send us one, we will send you one back as well! 

 Thank you so much in advance, and we look forward to sending you greetings! Blessings, Joe Horgan, Churchwarden at St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Rīga 

Learning on Purpose: Changing Leadership for a Changing World is the Centre for Christian Studies’ 2-week intensive leadership development module.  It is a practical, holistic, hands-on, learning community experience, and those who take it come out feeling transformed (in a good way!). Register for Learning on Purpose

Learning on Purpose 2022 will be held in London, Ontario at Metropolitan United Church. Learning on Purpose is open to Continuing Studies students as well as CCS diaconal ministry and certificate students beginning their programs.

Archbishop Welby's Apology to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada; Sermon Video