Anglican Diocese Edmonton

The heartfelt poem by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, encouraging reflection during the Season of Creation. Download a PDF here :https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Creation-Season-poem-c-002.1.psd.pdf or find it, with a text-only version, on our prayers and poems page https://www.ecocongregationscotland.org/%20creation-2024-a-page-of-prayers%20/

Check out this week’s edition of the Synod Scene for news and events around the Edmonton diocese and beyond: https://edmonton.anglican.ca/newsletters/512/display SOC

The September issue of The Messenger, with stories from the Dioceses of Athabasca and Edmonton, can be read online at https://edmonton.anglican.ca/blog/the-messenger-september-2024

We are excited to announce a new partnership with the Faculty of Theology at Huron University College which will expand our list of theological and missional leadership courses available.

Students who are interested in expanding their knowledge and deepening their faith will enjoy taking courses from both the Niagara School for Missional Leadership (NSML) and the Licentiate in Theology Program at Huron University Collegee

If you’re interested in life-long learning, a deeper understanding of missional leadership, listening and watching for where the Kingdom of God is at work in the world, then please consider signing up for a course today! Courses are open to all: lay leaders, deacons, clergy, ministry leaders, students, and church volunteers alike! Register at: https://nsml.ca/

For more information, contact Sarah Bird ([email protected]).

Pictured: Olena Sevastyanova
***Olena cleaned our church and hall……she is near and dear to our hearts. She said just being inside St.Mary’s & St. George’s Anglican Church gave her the peace she needed as the war in Ukraine raged on***

From The Jasper Fitzhugh:

Over 100 Ukrainians escaping a man-made disaster had come to Jasper to work and live only to face a natural disaster two years later.

Inna Horkun and her daughters were forced to leave Ukraine in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country.

After seeing a Facebook post from Jasper resident Nancy Addison offering help to Ukrainian refugees, Horkun decided to try rebuilding their life from scratch in the small mountain town.

“My older daughter and I went to work where the employers, knowing our situation, were already waiting for us, and the younger daughter went to school,” Horkun said in an email.

She cleaned at the Astoria Hotel, describing the owners as “wonderful people” and noting how the staff helped her because she didn’t speak English.

Horkun and her daughters managed to make a life for themselves, which lasted up until the evacuation due to the wildfires in late July.

“The day of evacuation did not surprise us much because we experienced a similar situation when leaving Ukraine,” she said. “I think that the mother's instinct worked.”

They had to gather their belongings quickly because she had been at work during the evacuation.

“I was in touch with my children and friends all the time, so we supported each other and knew what each other's situation was,” Horkun said.

Horkun and her daughters are currently staying in an Edmonton hotel and have received support from the Red Cross and the Canadian government.

“At the first opportunity, we will return to Jasper, which has become our second home,” she said. “We really fell in love with this town and the lovely locals.”

Olena Sevastyanova, who also came to Jasper two years ago, had connected with Addison who helped her find a job and place to live.

“I fell in love with Jasper and hospitable local people with all my heart and thought that I would grow old in this wonderful, incredibly beautiful place,” Sevastyanova said in an email.

She first worked as a cleaner because her English was at beginner level.

“After a couple of weeks, I got one more job as a prep cook and dishwasher at Jasper Pizza Place to improve my English, but mainly so I could work all the time and not have time to think about what was happening in my country,” she said.

Sevastyanova got lucky last February when she landed a job at Patricia Street Deli, saying, “It was a happy time when work brings pleasure.”

During the evacuation, she had to stand in line at the gas station for two hours, and then a 90-year-old woman called her asking for help.

“And so, the old woman with her 17-year-old cat, my friend and I sat in the car for another four hours until we managed to leave Jasper,” she said.

Sevastyanova has since been temporarily resettled at a hotel in Edmonton and has received helped from the Red Cross and advice from the Jasper Employment and Education Centre.

The fire destroyed her rented apartment and damaged the building where Patricia Street Deli is located.

Sevastyanova described the loss of both her home and place of work as “another blow," and she hopes to return to Jasper and that temporary housing will soon be available for residents.

Nancy Addison, who helped settle these refugees and now finds herself without a home, is worried about what will happen to them.

“Normally, I would say, ‘Okay, come sleep at my place for a couple months till we figure it out,’ but I have nothing to offer them anymore,” she said in a phone interview. “I don't have a room. I don't have a place for myself. Yeah, it's tough. These are very sad times. Breaks my heart. Makes me want to cry all the time.”

With help from other Jasperites, Addison had been able to bring in over 200 Ukrainian refugees to Canada, with over 100 living in Jasper.

Addison met Ukrainian refugees primarily through Facebook and helped them find places to live as well as jobs, and she was among many residents to offer their homes to these newcomers.

She noted that these Ukrainians had helped Jasper address its labour shortage.

Addison had no firm numbers for how many Ukrainian refugees had lost their homes in the wildfire, but she estimated 30 or more.

She has remained in touch with her Ukrainian friends through Facebook and has been hearing lots of uncertainty.

“These guys, they got nothing and no one," she said. "They don't have a network of family or cousins, and they’re not savvy enough to set up a GoFundMe, as some people have done. All they know is work. Most of them have a minimum of two jobs. Some of them have more. They just work, and that seems to be what they know as a means to support themselves.”

Unlike when they arrived in Canada, however, most of them understand enough English that they will have an easier time finding jobs or a home.

Addison and her husband are now staying in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, living inside a 1928 cabin built by her grandmother, but will be required to leave in September and plan to house-sit in Vancouver.

“But I want to find my way back to Jasper,” she said. “I know there's work that needs to be done.”

She mourned the loss of the Jasper Anglican Church and the Jasper United Church, which not only assisted these refugees but also provided a safety net for lower-income workers and newcomers.

“It's these guys that are left without a safety net that really worry me, so I don't know what will become of a lot of them,” Addison said. “I'm hoping other people in other towns will see their worth and pick them up, but I'm not in a position to be able to do much anymore, which makes me incredibly sad.”

A $5 donation can help a person living in Burundi, Africa purchase a medical card to access medical care for an entire year at a savings of 80%. Learn more about the September Coffee-hour Appeal: https://edmonton.anglican.ca/events/september-5-coffee-hour-fundraiser

Check out this week’s edition of the Synod Scene for news and events around the Edmonton diocese and beyond:https://edmonton.anglican.ca/newsletters/511/display

Join St. Paul's at Fred John's Park this Sunday, August 18 at 10 am. Bring your own chair and perhaps a snack for coffee afterwards. Please note we will NOT be livestreaming our Service on Sunday. In the event of bad weather (rain or smoke) we will worship in the church.

Holy Trinity is looking mighty pretty as she prepares for the Fringe opening tonight!

Come check out our 15 shows playing on The Sanctuary Stage, The de Villars Jones LLP Stage, and the Bliss Stage!

Come hang out in Club Kunitz where you'll find the Sit and Sip and kids activities and kids snacks prior to 2pm - after 2pm the bar opens and copious snacks and drinks are available (non-alcoholic and alcoholic alike)!

Don't forget the amazing Tea Room, where you can have fresh, homemade scones (Fringe famous scones, if we do dare say so ourselves) and a cuppa tea!

So much to do! Fun for everyone!

The Anglican Journal reports on 7 hypotheses proposed by a national church commission in response to the need for a deep restructuring of the ACC. As a diocesan family, we are journeying together to a good future while keeping in mind that the church often encounters Christ most deeply, not when it is stable and static, but rather when it is in transition and on the move: "O God our Creator, you have always sent out your peoples in every age along unfamiliar paths as witnesses to your mercy and love. Each time you have shown us that it is in our faithful steps of journey into the unexpected where you will meet us afresh and anew..." - from a Prayer for the 69th Synod

Commission asks: Time to axe General Synod, Journal? - Anglican Journal Eliminating General Synod and the Anglican Journal are among a set of measures some members of the Anglican Church of Canada are being asked to ponder by a primatial commission tasked with finding solutions to the church’s structural challenges. The commission, officially titled Reimagining the Ch...

Frog Lake Wrap Around Services presents "Traditional Healing Cultural Day Camp", August 26-28, 2024. Please call to register at 780-943-0572. Please bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on!

September's Book Club book has been announced!

United Trinity Kitchen
11:30-1
Thursday, August 15
Edson United Church

Once again, Holy Trinity is a BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) for the Edmonton Fringe Festival which runs from August 15-25!

This year, we will have three stages: the Sanctuary Stage, the de Villars Jones Stage, and the Bliss Stage!

This year we will be the home of 15 amazing shows!

We will also have Club Kunitz where you will find the Sit & Sip tent, where you can get anything from snacks, to pop, to beer and wine, which will be family focused until 2pm daily, with bubbles, chalk, juice boxes and yummy kid-friendly snacks!

Downstairs, running throughout the festival from noon-5pm, with the exception of Sundays, you will find our talked about and much loved Tea Room where you can get a delicious scone, some yummy tea (hot and/or cold), and sit in the lovely ambiance of the relaxing garden room.

Curious about the shows being offered this year? Find the list and description below!

TRIAL BY JURY - POP GOES THE OPERA
Hijinks ensue in Gilbert and Sullivan's courtroom tale of Trial By Jury. The tale of a jilted bride and her erstwhile groom complete with an opinionated jury, a bevy of beautiful bridesmaids, a quirky lawyer and a lovable judge with a questionable rise to power.

THAT'S WHAT SHE SANG! - RON LONG
Step into the campy world of Ron’s Cabaret extravaganza where Broadway’s iconic female songs take centre stage. From Cole Porter to Les Mix and Sondheim, experience your favourites from a fresh perspective. With Spencer by his side, Ron infuses each hit with humour and heart, promising a show of laughter and love.

THE SWORD IN THE STONE - RICHARD F. GRAFTON
Follow young Arthur and Merlyn the Magician on a series of amazing quests to find the future King of England: from wandering wizards, amazing animals, dueling knights, and magical mayhem. The Sword in the Stone is a storybook comedy filled with magic, and puppetry that unlocks the imagination of heroes of all ages!

960 MONTHS AND COUNTING... - MIREILLE RIJAVEC
Born in the French speaking town of Delmas, SK, André Roy endured boarding school, before being let loose on the world of theatre, radio, and television. At 80, André looks back on a life and career that never strayed far from his roots.

THIS CALLS FOR DANGER - ODDLY ENTERTAINMENT
Fringe's most dangerous show! explore the obscene, the uncomfortable and insane! Classic and modern sideshow stunts and escapes with a comedic, fun and enjoyable spin on some legendary stunts.

27 PICTURES - LIAM WITTE & ERIN HARVEY
A young couple relive moments from their turbulent relationship through the pictures they’ve taken together on a disposable camera. As they unpack their shared memories, they must wrestle with what they mean to each other and whether their relationship is worth fighting for.

YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY - GLASS CONFETTI PRODUCTIONS
Sisters Jen and Penny are terribly late to a wedding they don’t want to attend. Watch as a pleasant drive down memory lane turns into a disaster of cosmic proportions, as perspectives clash, secrets are spilled, and tensions bubble over. Buckle your seatbelts, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

THE KID WAS A SPY - JEM ROLLS
True Story. New York 1944. Ted Hall, 19, the youngest Physicist in Oppenheimer's Atomic Bomb Project, asks himself a mighty big question: Will the world be safer if he gives Russia the bomb? And he does.

ELEANOR'S STORY: LIFE AFTER WAR - INGRID GARNER
Best of fest winning creator of "Eleanor's Story: An American Girl in Hitler's Germany" delivers a fascinating sequel to her grandmother's acclaimed memoir. In 1946, 16 year old Eleanor finally returns home after 7 years caught in WWII Berlin, but she struggles to navigate U.S. high school while haunted by war memories.

MOTHER GOOSE ON THE LOOSE - TBA THEATRE
All of your favorite Mother Goose characters take to the stage in this wacky, Looney Tunes-style physical comedy show. Mother Goose herself (riding in on a very fine gander) will take you on an adventure through her favorite nursery rhymes, in a way you have never seen before. Guaranteed to split your sides with laughter.

ALL HAIL MRS. SATAN - ADAM BAILEY
Award winning storyteller and playwright Adam Bailey isn’t evoking the devil (per se) in their new show but bringing you back to 1872 when the first woman who ran for President, Victoria Woodhull, was dubbed Mrs. Satan in the press before being erased from history. But if you are looking for a devilishly good time don’t look any further. Bailey is a multi-award-winning Fringe artist who is known for his truth-is-stranger-than-fiction solo shows including Franz Ferdinand Must Die, The Life Henri, The Truth™, and the coming-out comedy Adam Bailey is on Fire. The Toronto Star’s Glenn Sumi calls him “charming and imaginative”, Edmonton’s own Liz Nicols says, “This puckish urchin of a guy is agreeably user-friendly”, and The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix agrees, “Bailey is a historical tour de force…You cannot question his enthusiasm or his ingenuity in making history seem fresh”.

DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MAN - CLAYTON JEVNE
In 1877, near the end of his life, Dostoevsky wrote this fantastical tale crying out for universal love and equality. Traveling to another planet, a spiritually bankrupt man confronts his own responsibility for the reality he creates.

THE COWBARET - AMICA HUNTER & BRUCE RYAN COSTELLA
A rotating comedy variety show where ALL THE ACTS ARE COW-THEMED. It’s Udder Chaos! Featuring unhinged bovine brilliance by hosts Amica Hunter (ANATOMICA) and/or Bruce Ryan Costella (Spooky & Gay), and guest performances by fringe faves.

CONVERSATIONS WITH COWS - CURSIVE WRITING PRODUCTIONS
When the spouse's company barbeque goes to hell, a couple is forced to re-examine their relationship, her artistic obsessions, and the betrayal at the centre of his new circle of colleagues. Sometimes the best way for an artist to strike back is to grab a can of paint and go talk with the cows.

SLEEPING BEAUTY: RISE AND SHINE - SMARTBAR PRODUCTIONS
Aurora, a bold, unconventional young princess longs to follow her own path. When she encounters life's tests, she learns to believe in her authentic self and awakens, 'ready to rock'!

Pub Theology is BACK at Holy Trinity! Bring your questions and your curiosities and pull up a chair on Saturday, September 14th!
Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase!

Check out this week’s edition of the Synod Scene for news and events around the Edmonton diocese and beyond:https://edmonton.anglican.ca/newsletters/510/display

This month, Holy Trinity Church in Edson is raising awareness for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, of which the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund is a member.