life

DECEMBER 2014

anglican

A Section of the Anglican Journal1

December 2014

Habitat for Humanity - Page 3

New Bishops Chair - Page 5
Holy Confirmation - Page 6
Wildwood Singers - Page 7
New Deacon and Priest - Page 8
Away in a Manger - Page 11

Photo: Shutterstock - Anneke Schram

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

facebook.com/anglicanlife

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

twitter - @anglicanlife

Christmas Greetings

Bishop Geoff Peddle

Ive heard a lot of

Christmas messages
over the years: in churches, in schools, in concerts, on television and
radio. But one message
has remained constant
throughout my life and I
continue to hear it every
year. That message is
from the Peanuts cartoon
series and it was first
aired on December 9,
1965 as their Christmas
special for that year. In
it Charlie Brown states,
I guess I really dont
know what Christmas is
all about. He then asks,
Isnt there anyone who
knows what Christmas
is all about? His friend
Linus responds and tells
him, Sure Charlie Brown,
I can tell you what Christmas is all about.
And then we hear
Linus, in his childs voice
read that passage from
the Gospel of Luke (2:814) in the language of

King James:
And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their
flock by night. And, lo, the
angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round
about them: and they
were sore afraid. And the
angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto
you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign
unto you; Ye shall find
the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying
in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to
God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good will
toward men.
Linus concludes with
the words, Thats what
Christmas is all about,
Charlie Brown.
In a world that sometimes celebrates the
commercialization of
Christmas above the
message of God coming to us as a child in
Nazareth, it is good to
be reminded of what

Christmas is all about.

That reminder to me every year in the voice of a
child reading this Christmas scripture continues
to inspire me.
-Its a story about a
very special gift that God
gave, in the person of
Jesus.
-Its a story about
some pretty special parents who, I am sure, were
more than a little overwhelmed by the sudden
attention they received
from unexpected visitors.
-Its a story about a
journey that began long
ago, and continues to
this day, as God travels with his people in a
whole new way through
Jesus.
-Its a story about new
beginnings for those
people in the story back
then as they welcomed
the baby Jesus, and new
beginnings for us today, as we welcome him
anew.
May the story of that
first Christmas long ago,
inspire you this Christmas and every Christmas.
For unto you is
born this day in the City
of David, a Saviour, who
is Christ the Lord.

DECEMBER 2014

New AED
St. Thomas Church
Submitted by
Vera Schofield

In recent years we have

heard a lot about Automated
External Defibrillators (AEDs).
In fact, you may have even heard
of a few good news stories from
the media. Google AED Survivor
Stories and you will quickly discover just how valuable they are.
And you dont have to be old to
avail of its benefits. Just read the
stories of teenagers who have
survived cardiac arrest with the
help of an AED. They save lives!
Would it be possible to
have an AED at our church? was
the question raised by a member
of our Property committee. And
so, approximately a year ago the
Vestry of St. Thomas, St. Johns,
mandated its Property Committee to research and if possible,
acquire an AED. Since these
machines can be expensive they
were interested in seeking out
donations. Through the Heart
and Stroke Foundation they discovered there was indeed AED
machines donated to various
facilities. The church made application but was told that they
may not be eligible. As part of
the application process it was
important that they determine
the number of people gathered
at the church or Hall on a weekly
basis an important step in
determining eligibility. Saint
Thomas Church has a regular
weekly Sunday gathering of ap-

proximately 200. And because

our Hall is in use almost every
day and/or night of the week by
the church and various community groups, we qualified -- then
began the waiting process. After
many months we were finally
notified that a machine would
be donated and delivered to us.
Our donor was Scotia Bank.
Before our AED arrived and
was installed eight members of
our congregation and staff were
trained in AED and CPR. Training
in both is necessary to qualify in
using the AED. This course was
provided free, compliments of
the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Within a few weeks fifteen
other members of our parish
were trained and certified in CPR
and using the Defibrillator.
Needless to say we are a
happy bunch at St. Thomas to
have an AED on-site. What a
blessing! Of course we hope
and pray we never have to use
it. Many thanks to Scotia Bank,
the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and to Lori King (National
Rep. for BERRN Consulting and
coordinator of the AED training
for the Heart &Stroke), and last
but not least to Sheri Healey who
led the training classes.

To all our readers...

Merry Christmas

from ANGLICAN LIFE

anglicanlife

Photo: Shutterstock - K. Sena

DECEMBER 2014

Habitat for Humanity Being a Shepherd

Clarenville church shows hospitality

Volunteers with Habitat for Humanity

Submitted by
Harvey Locke

Habitat for Humanity, an

organization that takes the
mandate of assisting low income earners with acquiring
a house, is building a duplex
dwelling in Clarenville-Shoal
Harbour area. The organization
draws heavily on volunteers for
labour to build the houses and
solicits the community at large

for material assistance. In this

regard the various churches
in the area were asked to support the cause by providing a
mid-day meal and a couple of
bagged snacks for the workers.
Seeing the opportunity to serve
in this way as a form of outreach
to the community, the request
was taken up by the ladies of St.
Marys ACW.
The ACW membership contributed the food and seven

of them prepared and served

it. On September 27, 2014,
at the Angus Drover Hall, the
workers from Habitat for Humanity were served a lunch of
roasted hot turkey with all the
usual trimmings. The meal
was received with much thanks
from the group. It must have
been delicious! One worker
was overheard to say, Theyve
certainly set the bar high for
the others.

Clarenville ACW members (left to right): Alex Phillips, Iris Phillips, Pauline Hynes,
Marilyn Davis, Rev. Sheila Sceviour, Brenda Strong, Rev. Daphne Parsons

facebook.com/anglicanlife

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

And there were

shepherds living out in
the fields nearby, keeping watch over their
flocks at night. Luke
2:8 (NIV)
I was afraid that my
eyes were starting to
glaze over, and that my
neighbor would notice
as she spoke about her
trip and the fantastic
Christmas store she had
visited. She marveled
at how expensive and
beautiful everything had
been. My ever strengthening desire to be a minimalist was causing me
to cringe inside, and I
was growing bored with
the conversation. But I
felt guilty, too, because
I recognized judgments
forming in my mind.
While my neighbor
talked about the wondrous sights she has seen
in that store, my mind
was becoming even
busier with thoughts of
how I wanted to be a
shepherd this Christmas.
I tried to respectfully focus on her voice, but the
shepherds in my mind,
with their appealing lack
of possessions, kept running up and down the
hillside, eager to be off
to see this wondrous
sight about which the
angel had told them. I
smiled secretly at their
excitement. Fortunately,
my neighbor thought I
was smiling at her story
and slapped me on the
knee with enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, the shepherds in my overactive
imagination had lit out
for Bethlehem. They
were hurrying to see
this miracle in swaddling clothes. I longed
to follow them and my
leg muscles twitched as
my neighbors eyes grew
even wider in delight
over the colors available for decorations this
year. I just wanted to
flee the materialism that
is Christmas in todays
society and be like the
shepherds. Running to
witness the miracle of
Jesus birth, and then
spread the good news
to others.
When my neighbor

Stella Walsh

Columnist

went home, I gave a

small sigh of relief and
mulled over what had
taken place during her
visit. I did not want to
take part in a chaotic
Christmas by fussing
over decorations, perfect gifts and mountains
of food. I wanted to be
a shepherd, living simply, and viewing with
wonder the miracle of
the Incarnation. I wanted very much to be a
witness to those around
me who need so much
to hear the good news
of Jesus birth. I did not
want to focus on objects
and possessions, but
rather on the joy of the
indwelling Spirit.
At the same time, I
pondered how to be the
kind of witness who does
not judge, but instead
tries to engage in forming relationships that
are based on love and
respect. Do I judge my
neighbor for her decorating enthusiasm? Or
do I extend kindness and
interest in the things that
give her joy? I had felt
guilty about pre-judging
what was important to
her at Christmas, and it
gave me the opportunity
to examine what it might
mean to be a true witness during this sometimes overwhelming
time of year. Did I truly
want to be a shepherd?
Or did I just want to be
a self-righteous judge,
secure in my superior
minimalism?

twitter - @anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

Christmas Greetings

Bishop David Torraville

ANGLICAN LIFE in Newfoundland and Labrador is the newspaper

of the Anglican Church in the Province of Newfoundland and
Labrador. A co-operative effort of the three Dioceses in
Newfoundland and Labrador, it is publishes ten issues each
calendar year with an independent editorial policy.
Anglican Life is a section of the Anglican Journal
Editor:
The Revd Canon Sam Rose
8 Croydon Street
Paradise, NL
A1L 1P7
Email: samrose@nl.rogers.com
Advertising Rates and other information may be obtained from:
Bishop Donald Young
34 Fraser Road, Gander, NL, A1V 2E8
Phone: (709) 256-7701
Email: jointcommittee@nfld.net

Paid Subscription Rates:
Newfoundland and Labrador: $15.00
Outside the province: $20.00
International: $25.00
New subscriptions, cancellations, & changes of address should
be sent to:
Circulation
The Anglican Journal (attn. Bev Murphy)
80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 3G2
(416) 924-9192 (O) (416) 925-8811 (fax)
Email: circulation@national.anglican.ca
Each parish is responsible for maintaining its own subscription
list - please notify your parish office of any changes. Changes
sent to parish offices may take months to take effect. Please
also send your updated information to Circulation at the
Anglican Journal (above) or to Don Young at 34 Fraser Road,
Gander NL A1V 2E8.
Articles and photographs: Send to the Editor (above)
Letters to the Editor:
Send to the Editor, Sam Rose (address as above). All letters
must include the writers name, address, and telephone
number. Telephone numbers will not be published. Anglican
Life does not publish letters under nom de plume. Letters
should not exceed 300 words (one double spaced typewritten
page), and are subject to editing at the discretion of the editor.

I wonder what Mary

and Joseph took with
them for the journey
from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I expect they would
have travelled in company, taking some bedding as well as water and
food, but little else. Their
Christmas preparations
would have been quite
meager. They didnt even
make reservations.
For most of us, Christmas preparations are
elaborate with the shopping, the baking, and
the decorating. There
are those who love the
chaos, the frantic pace
but most of the people I
meet in the store or in the
church are not among
them. Many cant wait for
it to be over.
I am not sure the
Church is very different.
While we need to experience the excitement, and
the joy of Christmas we
need also to experience
the peace. In our frantic rush to decorate the

These policies were adopted by the Anglican Life Committee.

Layout & Design by: The Editor
Printed and Mailed by:
Webnews Printing Inc.
8 High Meadow Place
North York, ON, M9L 2Z5

Circulation: 20,288
anglicanlife

church, get the childrens

program ready, practice the music, prepare
the hampers and visit
the shut-ins and home
communicants let us not
forget the peace and
the assurance of Christmas. Our Christmas message is hollow if we are
too busy to embody the
presence of God.
The preparation of
Joseph and Mary started
with visits from angels
who told them not to be
afraid - to trust in God,
so we can be certain that
in the months which followed as the birth came
closer and then the journey toward Bethlehem
began, that both Mary
and Joseph journeyed
in prayer, with a sense
of the presence and the
wonder of God.
Perhaps the journey
of Mary and Joseph can
be our example. Few of
us are shaken to our core
by an angelic visit but
nonetheless could Marys
and Josephs journey be
an example of how we
can approach Christmas; in prayer, travelling
light, in company with
those traveling in our
direction, with a sense
of the presence and the
wonder of God? Perhaps if we can approach
Christmas in this way we

will not look forward to

it being over but look to
Christmas with anticipation, with the expectation
that the very presence of
God is coming into our
lives. Perhaps instead of
dreading Christmas we
can approach it with a
growing sense that God
is inviting us into the
Kingdom to do Gods
work, to be examples
of Gods peace, instruments of Gods love.
My Christmas prayer
for us as Church and
as individuals is that as
God bursts into Creation
at Christmas, we are inspired through Jesus to
give ourselves as gifts of
grace and forgiveness,
love and peace to our
families, our church and
our communities.
May Gods peace be
with us all as we proclaim
Emmanuel, God with
us.

DECEMBER 2014

New Bishops Chair

Keeping Christmas

Submitted by
Parish of Lake Melville

About a year ago Archdeacon Nellie Thomas had a request

from a church family to place
something in church in memory
of their deceased loved ones.
After much thought and
many suggestions, it was decided that it would be a Bishops
Chair. It seemed very appropriate in view of the fact that we
had a new Bishop who would be
making his first Episcopal visit to
Lake Melville Parish in October.
We wondered if the chair would
arrive in time.
Bishop Geoff Peddle came
to Happy Valley for the Annual
Labrador Planning and Strategy Meeting and Confirmation
on Sunday, October 5th. The
Bishops Chair, made to order
by Simply Amish of St. Johns,
arrived just in time for Confirmation on October 5th. Bishop
Geoff dedicated the chair on
October 5 and then used it for
the first time.
The chair was given in loving memory of parents Hayward
and Mildred Bird and Joan Neil.
We thank the Bird family for this
beautiful gift.

facebook.com/anglicanlife

Bishops Chair gift for St. Andrews Church in Happy Valley.

Pictured are the donors Irene Bird and Silas Bird, along
with Archdeacon Nellie Thomas (centre).

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

Christmas is for children, Christmas is all

about family are comments we hear this time of
year, as well as the lament
that Christmas is too commercial. This leads to the
question, What are we
celebrating at Christmas?
The Word became
flesh and dwelt among us
and we beheld his glory,
the glory of the only begotten Son of God, full of
grace and truth.
God so loved the
world that he gave his only
begotten Son.
Christmas is about Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Saviour of the world.
In the lead-up to Christmas we are engulfed in the
frantic commercialism and
entertainment which constitute the celebration of
Christmas for many in the
West. The attention is on
Santa Clause rather than
on Jesus Christ. Christmas
is viewed through different lens and presented in
various ways. We have to
decide which Christmas
we are keeping.
Christmas is about
mystery. For many of us
this mystery is obscured
by ignorance and confusion about the truth of
Christmas. We are taken
in by the artificial and the
superficial, and cannot
see beyond them to the
divine. Celebrating Christmas without Christ at the
center can be ridden with
anxiety and in the end it is
empty. Our over-spending
and busyness leaves us
drained.
It is difficult to celebrate any religious festival
today. When it becomes
widespread and popular, it is high-jacked by
commerce in the name
of consumerism (modern
paganism). When secularism is dominant, there is
little place for the sacred.
We have to make a special effort and it requires
a lot of discipline to be

The Rev. Everett Hobbs

Columnist

with God. We need the

restraint and withdrawal
that Advent can provide
to make space and a place
for Christmas
In a consumer world,
celebration is simply excess - too much of everything . True celebration
invites and requires moderation and discipline.
Celebration is more than
self-indulgence and having a good time. It is about
joy rather than pleasure:
one is interior and comes
from God, the other is
external and comes from
things.
St G re g o r y o f N a zianzus presents Christmas
in these words:
Christ is born: glorify
him. Christ comes from
heaven: go out to meet
him. Christ descends to
earth: let us be raised on
high. Let all the world sing
to the Lord; let the highest
heavens rejoice and let the
earth be glad, for his sake
who was first in heaven
and then on earth. Christ
is here in the flesh: let us
exult with fear and joy with fear, because of our
sins; with joy , because of
the hope he brings us.
What is Christmas all
about? O come, let us
adore him, Christ the Lord.

twitter - @anglicanlife

Holy Confirmation

Lark Harbour

DECEMBER 2014

Twenty-three young people

were confirmed on Sunday
2014 September 28 at St.
James Church, Lark Harbour, in
the Parish of Bay of Islands. The
sacrament was led by Archbishop Percy Coffin of Western Newfoundland (back row) who, earlier that day at our sister Church
of St Ambrose, Johns Beach,
had conducted his first confirmation since his elevation to
Archbishop. Rev Nelson Chatman, Rector of Bay of Islands
Parish, is seen at right of the
group. A congregation of about
140 parents, relatives and other parishioners attended the
2:00pm service at St James. Refreshments were served in the
Church Hall afterwards. Submitted by Stuart Harvey

On October 5th, 2014, the Most

Rev. Percy Coffin presided over
a confirmation at Holy Spirit
in Isle aux Morts. Pictured are
(front row) left to right: Desiree
Keeping, Carly Hodder, and
Amy Hulan. (back row) Desmond Keeping, Archbishop
Percy Coffin, and Abby Tobin.
Time of fellowship was held following church in Isle aux Morts.
Submitted by Karen Simon.

Isle aux Morts

The Confirmation Class of 2014

of St. James Church in Botwood
are pictured here (front row)
left to right: Nicole Regular, Isabella Mercer, and Kaitlyn Foss.
(back row): Travis Drover, Bishop David Torraville, Lauren Rise
and the Rev. Larry Chatman.
Submitted by Bruce Regular

Botwood
anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

Pillowcases for Haiti

Wildwood Singers
Music benefits church
Submitted by
Rev. Bryan Pearson

Rev Harold Harvey & St. Marys ACW packed 72 pairs of homemade pillowcase shorts for
Haiti. Photo by Linda Gibbons

Wisdom from Wales

Professors lead Eastern Diocesan Clergy Conference

Worship the Lord with

Gladness; Come into his
Presence with Singing
Psalm 100:12 Make a
joyful noise to the LORD,
all the earth. Worship the
LORD with gladness; come
into his presence with singing.
Music is and has always been a critical part
of the communal spirituality of St. George of
England Anglican Church,
Cormack, Newfoundland.
For a small congregation,
it is astounding that the
majority of them are musicians. Furthermore, many
of these musicians readily
lend their talent to the glory of God and his Kingdom.
Often, they play music in
weekly worship in their
parish and other parishes.
They regularly play for local charities, like the Vera
Perlin Association in Deer
Lake. Additionally, they
performing at community
fundraisers, seniors homes,
and many other events/
engagements.
One of the churchs
musical groups, in particular, has been very busy
this year with their ministry
of song. This group calls
themselves the Wildwood
Singers (George Crocker,
Kitty Rice, Jean Pinksen,
Bruce Pinksen, Milt Osmond, Linda Temple, Phil
Letto, Jodie Rice, Courtney Rice, and Daisy Tapp).
Formed in 1995, with the

official name being chosen

in 1999, the Wildwood
Singers have always considered the idea of recording
a CD and giving the proceeds to mission and charity. This year that dream has
become a reality and the
Wildwood Singers made a
CD, which was recorded,
mixed, and produced for
free by one of our parishioners, Jodie Rice. They
have sold over 300 CDs
and given all of the profit,
$4,290, to St. Georges for
a new roof. The CDs are still
in demand and more have
been order. The proceeds
from this round of sales will
be all be given to charity.
If you would to purchase a
CD and support the ministry of the Wildwood Singers, please contact George
Crocker, 6352670, or Kitty
Rice, 6357468. The CDs
cost $20.
As Rector of this parish,
I am always humbled by
the generosity exhibited
by the community of St.
Georges. I feel privilege to
see them minister through
their music and I cherish
the opportunity to support
them in their labour for
the Kingdom. I know that
the reason they play music
is because it is how they
lovingly respond to Gods
love for them and how they
feel they can best love their
neighbours. My prayer is
that God will continue to
bless them in this ministry
and bless the people benefiting from their ministry.

Diocesan Ministry Conference for Deacons and Priests on October 15 and 16 was held
under the theme: Nurturing the conversation between the Word of God and the People
of God: Supporting those to be ordained to the office of deacon and the office of priest in
the Church of God. The Revd Canon Professor Dr. Leslie J Francis and The Very Revd Dr.
Susan Helen Jones encouraged a conversation to develop between the Word of God and
the People of God and help us to hear afresh the messages of the Gospels to encourage
and to challenge those called to ministries, lay and ordained, in the Church of God. Pictured left to right: The Very Revd Dr. Susan Helen Jones, The Right Revd Dr. Geoff Peddle,
and The Revd Canon Professor Dr. Leslie J Francis Photo by S. Rose.
facebook.com/anglicanlife

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

twitter - @anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

The Greatest Gift New Deacon and Priest

Ron Clarke

Columnist

God so loved the world that

he gave us his only son to be

our Saviour. What a glorious

Christmas gift
One might expect that
such a wonderful Christmas gift
should come to us all in magnificent splendor - with hordes of
Angels, blasts of trumpets, etc.
After all, the gift was the kingly
Son of God.
But, that was not the way it
was. The Son of God was born in
a stable to a lowly carpenter and
his meek young wife. The fireworks, so to speak, witnessed
only by a few lowly shepherds.
Mainly because of this, the
people of that time found it hard
to believe that this carpenters
son, and a Nazarene to boot,
could be the Son of God. Far too
many people feel the same way
today.
Why didnt Jesus, the very
Son of an Almighty God, come,
witnessed by millions, in all his
splendid divinity and power?
Nobody would then doubt or
question who he was.
Gods ways, however, are not

our ways. Thats the answer.

Gods power is infinite. He
could indeed overawe us all with
his mighty acts. He could easily
overwhelm the whole world into
his kingdom.
But, our ALMIGHTY God is
a God of LOVE, INFINITE LOVE.
He wants every one of us to
be in his glorious, eternal new
Heaven and Earth. He loves us
ALL entirely, and he wants us to
truly and completely love Him.
Thats Gods way!
Oh, yes, the time will surely
come, sooner than we think
perhaps, that Jesus will indeed
come in glory, with splendor that
defies our imagination.
No one will then doubt that
He is truly the Son of God.
All Gods chosen people
will be enraptured by his love.
Our love for him, diluted by our
humanity far too long, will, at
last, attain its utter fullness. Love
will reign supreme in our new
heaven and earth.
How tragic that, as in Jesus
time on earth, so many (millions
even) today do not really believe in him. After two thousand
years of scriptural history, so
many choose to ignore the Risen
Christ.
This Christmas, despite the
massive worldly distractions,
may we all truly rejoice in the
birth of our Saviour. May we
give Him the honour and glory
He truly deserves. And, may we
believers, in any way we can,
show others around us how wonderful it is to really know, love,
and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, lets warmly and sincerely
invite them to join us!
A BLESSED Christmas to ALL!

Bishop Peddles first Ordinations

First Ordination. The Rt. Revd Dr. Geoff Peddle (left) ordained his first Deacon and
Priest on October 16. Bishop Peddle ordained Dr. David Bell (third from left) to the
Sacred Order of Deacons and the Rev. Keith Sheppard (right) to the Sacred Order of
Priest at the Cathedral. Also pictured right of the Bishop is the Venerable Charlene
Taylor, the Bishops Chaplain. Photo by S. Rose.

Confirmation teachers
Wally and Maria Gosse

Go where life takes you, but plan ahead.

As a free spirit, you rarely look back. But you

should look ahead - especially to protect your
loved ones when youre no longer there.
All it takes is a little preplanning.
Decide now on the funeral options and funding
arrangements that best meet your needs. Youll
lessen the burden for those who are left behind.
To learn more, call the number below. Well send
you a free Wishes and Memories Planning Guide.
Well also provide you with a no-obligation
consultation.
So make your plans, today.
Then follow your path wherever it leads.

FUNERAL HOMES
Preplanning
Crematorium
Chapel
Monuments
Flowers

Corner Brook Deer Lake

Stephenville Crossing
Port aux Basques Burgeo
Port au Choix Lanse au Loup
Happy Valley - Goose Bay

634-0077 1-888-868-6800
During your most difficult times... we are here to serve you.

6102663

For over 35 years, Wally and Maria Gosse have taught hundreds of young people
Confirmation Classes at St. James Church in Botwood. Pictured are left to right: Maria
Gosse, newly confirmed Nicole Regular and Wally Gosse. Photo by Bruce Regular

anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

Christmas Greetings

Archbishop Percy Coffin

Christmasaccording to Luke and John and

others.
Our notion of Christmas is the product of
many varied influences. Hordes of people
descend on malls and
box stores to do their
Christmas shopping.
Christmas cards bearing some, little or
no reference to the
Bethlehem event
are being mailed.
Old toy trains,
sleighs and reindeer are set in motion. Last but not
least is the Christmas pageant. All
these things make
for the most wonderful time of the
year. But its the
pageant that looms
largest.
In many cases Sunday-School
teachers, or class-room
teachers, where it is permissible to do so, are
time-crunched to do a
thorough job of rehearsing, costume design,
choir practice etc. The
show must go on. What
is Christmas without
oversized bathrobes,
bed sheets, angel wings
made of coat hangers
and Mary in her best
blue dress?
One year the classes
were all set to present
an exercise:C H R I S
T M A S L O V E. As
the group sang C is
for Christmas the child
would hold up the corresponding letter. H is
for happy and so on.
facebook.com/anglicanlife

It almost worked out as

planned until a shy little
girl held her M upside
down. While the audience giggled she boldly
held her groundheld
her W actually. After
so much chatter and
laughter the audience
hushed as each person
realized what had happened when the last
child finished with E is
for everyone The vivid
display across the stage
read, C H R I S T W A S
L O V E Indeed Christ
was love and Christ is
love.
As if the society in
which we find ourselves

has not done its best

to give us ambiguous
notions of Christmas
we have the Gospels of
Luke and John. On one
hand Luke gives us the
earthy details, the bitter
realities of foreign occupation, barriers, checkpoints and rejection.
They are still there in all
their harshness in the
West Bank. John on the
other hand begins with
a prologue, repeating
the opening words of
Genesis, In the beginning. Jesus comes as
a divine word. That
word is the flash-point of
all existence and shorefast of our being. The
ancient Greeks regarded

the word, logos as the

principle and order of
knowledge: the basis
from which all order follows. For John Jesus is
the cradle of existence
and purpose of order in
creation. On the stage of
Johns Gospel all history
and the whole cosmos
come through Jesus and
because of Jesus. The
story of Gods love began long before time.
Up front Luke and
John may appear to be
different but they are
not. The son of refugee
parents on the run is
the logic of the universe
since before time. The
boy will have his
share of what life
offers especially what it offers
the displaced,
the dispossessed
and the marginalized. When God
pitched tent in a
limestone cave
God was one with
shepherds, the
lowliest. Whether
we are shaped by
Pageant or Prologue we have to
have the story of
our salvation and
we seek to find our place
in that story.

The Light has returned

as it came once before,
the Song of the Lord
is our own song once more;
so let us all sing with one
heart and one voice
the Song of the Singer
in whom we rejoice.

Why Christmas?
For many people Christmas is the most joyous time
of the year it is surely a
time of joy and celebration.
Whose heart is not made
young again at the sight of
a childs wonder and excitement on Christmas morning?
Joy abounds for my wife and
me when our grandchildren
come to visit, all excited to
tell us and share with us
their gifts. Of course their
excitement and anticipation
might also have something
to do with the fact that we
have a few surprises waiting
for them. Three of them are
old enough now to appreciate the festivities and join in
on the singing. Then there is
the company of family and
friends getting together and
feasting. Yet, there are those
quiet moments when we
find ourselves remembering
those we love who are no longer here to celebrate with us.
My wife and I have lost
both of our parents as well
as our youngest daughter,
Amy. And even though many
years have passed, like most
people, Christmas time is
when we miss them most.
We miss the phone calls
Christmas morning to say,
Merry Christmas. We miss
the trips around the bay as
well as their visits with us to
share a meal together. We
miss the opportunities to talk
about what is under the tree,
or to reminisce about when
we were children. And so,
again this year, Christmas,
with its inevitable and sometimes mandatory merriment,
will be a painful reminder
for us and for many of you
of the loss and the grief and
sadness that accompanies
that loss.
But why do we celebrate

The Rev. Greg Mercer

Columnist

Christmas? Is it not because

Christ was born in that humble manger to bring us the
greatest gift of all ETERNAL
LIFE? The star that blazed
above the earth was the start
of heaven and the assurance
of eternity. Those who have
gone before us are receiving
the true gift of Christs birth.
Come Christmas morn we
will think about our daughter
and our parents, but with
the assurance that they are
forever safe and at peace
with God; that they too are
celebrating in the nearer
presence of God. As a popular Christmas carol says, And
man will live forever more
because of Christmas Day.
The first and greatest gift of
all is Jesus Christ and the
promise of eternal life that
began with his birth that first
Christmas morning.
May God richly bless
you and shower you with
his love this Christmas, and
may your hearts be bright
with the wondrous light that
God gave the world on that
first Christmas night. Merry
Christmas!

--Hymn 302, Common Praise,
When Long before TimeJoined by family and
staff in wishing everyone
Merry Christmas,
+ Percy

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

twitter - @anglicanlife

2014
10

A wonderful year!

Kevin Smith

Columnist

14 years ago I was approached by Archdeacon

John Robertson of the Anglican Church of Canada
and asked if I would be interested in working for the
Church in Newfoundland
and Labrador. I eventually
accepted the position and
on November the first, 2000,
I began my ministry to promote planned giving as an
important way to support
our church. Some preliminary work had been done by
others in the past in this area
but there had been no one
locally involved. The ministry
would depend largely on
input and endorsement from
rectors, vestries, Bishops and
Synod staff as well as many
supportive Anglicans around
the province.
Experience told me that
it would take a few years to
sow the seeds of planned
giving and admittedly there
were times when I wondered
if we were making a positive
impact. But whenever we felt
these negative vibes, along
would come a generous parishioner who would make a
bequest in their will, or purchase a life insurance policy
or an annuity for their church.
It gave me an opportunity
to meet some wonderful
people around this province
and it became abundantly
apparent very quickly that

Anglicans in this part of the

world are indeed a generous lot and they value their
church immensely.
The first planned gift I assisted with came in January
of 2001 and over the years
more gifts for the parishes,
the dioceses and the national
church began to trickle in. It
was very gratifying. And, the
sowing of the seeds began
to pay off to the point where
for the past number of years,
about a million dollars in
planned gifts a year have
been documented. That
includes planned gifts that
have come in (realized), gifts
that will come in some time
in the future (expectant) or
major donations that have
been raised by the parishes.
2014 has been no exception. Since January 2014, a
million dollars have been
documented for parishes, Dioceses, the national Church
and PWRDF. As we go to
print, here is the tally for this
year:
- 11 Realized Gifts totaling $256,700
- 7 Expectant Gifts totaling $365,000
- 17 Major Gifts totaling
$378,500
That means in 2014
there are 31 total gifts totaling $1,000,200!
Of course, I would not
be able to report all of these
statistics were it not for the
support and involvement of
rectors who keep me abreast
of what is going on and the
donors who contact me for
assistance or advice. I am
deeply indebted to you all
for your endorsements of the
ministry of planned giving.
In conclusion, my wife
Kay and I would like to wish
you all a blessed Christmas
season and a wonderful, safe
and healthy 2015!
Kevin Smith is the gift
planning consultant for the
Anglican Church of Canada. He can be contacted at
709 739-5667 or by email:
kevinsmith709@gmail.com

DECEMBER 2014

An Anglican In Deed
George Earle is remembered
Submitted by
Neil Earle

Jesus Saviour pilot me, over

lifes tempestuous sea
Beautiful for location, St.
James Anglican Church in Carbonear stands with its neo-Gothic
roof and stately bell tower as an
almost pointed rebuke to the
agnosticism of our age. The grand
old church is celebrating its 150th
anniversary this year which makes
it three years older than the nation
of Canada. How wonderful!
On Saturday, October 25, the
elegant interior of St. James Anglican hosted some 200 people who
had come to pay their respects to
my father, George W. Earle, former
town mayor, activist and booster
andunknown to manya quiet
supporter of his church across his
whole life.
A full-page article in the
hometown Carbonear Compass
of January 20, 2007 evoked biblical language by paying tribute
to him as Salt of the Earth, and
commented: He has to his credit
having a hand in helping build
two hospitals, a school (St. James
Anglican High Schoolsince renamed) and helping refurbish a
parish hall. All of this was done at
a time when one had to scramble
as best one could to make living.
George Earle was my father.
So this I know: He was in his glory
on the open water. He began to
build boats in the 1980s to the
tune of one a year which led
to him and his best friend, Eph
Laing, plying the waters around
Carbonear and Bristols Hope in
search of the wily cod. He began
his working life as a stationer on
the Labrador coast with his father
Thomas J Earle who has the distinction of being buried nearest
the steps on the south entrance
to St. James Anglican. Yes, close to
the action! Proper thing, for Tom
and Jessie gave birth not only to
a future mayor but to Helen Earle
as well whose life as an unforgettable Anglican was detailed in
the Newfoundland Churchman
of 2001, a woman whose churchly
career in support of a host of rectors, included an award from her

bishop for 60 years service in St.

James choir.
George and Helen were two
of a kind. Generous, salty, energetic, always found with something
in their hands, it seemed. George
would recall many stories of
small-town life and the impact of
being part of that Anglican parish.
At St. James Anglican he came
early under the tutelage of the
near-legendary cleric, Canon E.
E. Rusted, who was spoken of in
respectful terms when I was growing up. Once, when praying with
dad a few years ago he confessed
that, even though not a regular
attendee, he recited the Lords
Prayer and the Apostles Creed
every night before he went to bed.
The Apostles Creed as well
I replied. My parishioners cant
do that. Canon Rusteds influence,
eh? He smiled, Yes, boy, that and
the CLB.
George came into his own as
a fisherman. In 1949 he jigged
the largest codfish ever caught
by hook and line. That was off
the family plantation at Spear
Harbour, Labrador. The cod measured 5 11 and weighed 157
pounds. He had the picture to
prove it and distributed copies to
most people he met in later years.
No wonder. The record stood for
50 years.
One of his classmates at the
old St. James High School was Dr.
Ian Rusted, son of the esteemed
Canon and the brother of Nigel,
first doctor on the old coastal
steamer S.S. Kyle. Dr. Rusted
lived on to help set up Memorial
Universitys medical school while
his brother Edward served 18
years as a missionary to North
Borneo. Anglicans in action! Such
useful lives emanating from old
St. James Parish! A touch of that
muscular Christianity of a Victorian period so many sanctuaries
around Conception Bay connote
still. Thus George W. Earles penchant for public service was in
the air all around him growing
up. He was not only surrounded
by Rusteds but his principal was
the respected Stephen Russell
who later became Carbonears
first mayor.
George had spurts of church

attendance in the 1950s but for

complicated reasons began to
drift away from regular meetings.
Yet the St. James drama team and
the Roman Catholic neighbors
at St. Clares School had no hesitation for enlisting him in their
many Christmas Concerts in the
1950s, a staple of the decades before Entertainment Tonight. One
of my fathers prized possessions
was a certificate form the local
Catholic prelate thanking him for
his artistic services in the 1940s
and 1950s.
You can see from all this what
a rounded personality my father
was. But he was more than an
entertainer. It was a tribute to his
deep internalized and abiding
Anglicanism and standing among
the faithful that the local rector
called on dad to straighten out
some book-keeping irregularities
in 1963 and then asked him to
serve on the Building Committee
that helped build the fine new St.
James High School soon after.
Helen and I taught together there
the summer of 1965 and the
sturdy building still stands. Even
into his seventies dad stayed busy
adding some refurbishing touches to the new Anglican parish
hall orchestrated by the dynamic
Reverend Bob Rowlands in the
1990s, a hall that has been a real
godsend to the congregation ever
since.
How well, I remember my
father filling out his offering envelopes to give me every time I was
home on a visit and worshipped
again at old St. James. At these
meetings in the 1990s my aunt
Helen sang in the choir of course,
but wait--my mom, Frances Earle,
a welcome convert from the United Church down the road, was
playing the organ. Dad diligently
supported my moms thirty-five
years of dedicated service to St.
James as he drove her to church
every Sunday through storm and
tempest. An Anglican, if unawares.
The tributes that poured in
to celebrate my fathers life as
mayor, honorary fireman, Lions
Club executive secretary, hospital
board member in October, 2014
rightly cited his contributions to
the towna Carbonear legend,
he was calledbut his quiet Anglicanism obviously shaped his
early life and lived on till the end
of his days. An Anglican in deed.
(Carbonear-born Neil Earle is
a church pastor in Los Angeles and
an instructor in church history with
Grace Communion Seminary).

anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

11

Photo: Shutterstock - Dayna More=

God has spoken

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.

facebook.com/anglicanlife

anglicanlife.blogspot.ca

For generations the prevailing view of the universe

had been what is known as the
steady state theory. That is, the
universe has always been and
will always be - just eternal and
uncaused. Such a view was
materialistic and atheistic. It
contained no place for a Creator.
Theists tend to believe that
the universe must have begun
to exist. They believe that an
uncaused, changeless, timeless,
and immaterial being created
the universe. This Creator created time and space. Today many
people believe that the universe
had an instant of creation. It
came into being 13 to15 billion
years ago in a gigantic fireball
explosion that sent suns and
planets outward from this centre
into the form we observe them
now. They are still moving outward.
Science seems to suggest
that the original explosion destroyed anything that came
before it. If this was true, then
nothing before that point can
be known scientifically, including the cause of the explosion.
The Bible tells us simply, In
the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth (Genesis
1:1). God has no beginnings
at all. We cannot examine God
under our microscope.
The opening chapters of
Book of Genesis tell us the origins of matter, life, values, evil,
grace, and the human family.
Can we trust the story of creation
as recorded in the Book of Genesis? The account of creation
might have been written in one
of two ways: (1) in scientific
language, or (2) in straightforward historicalprose. According

The Rev. Michael Li

Columnist

to Frederick A. Filby who had

been a professor of chemistry
in England for many years, the
creation account could not be
written in scientific language.
Professor Fibby wrote: The
sciences which probe most
deeply into the ultimate facts
of matter and life are probably
astro- and nuclear physics and
biochemistry. But these sciences are written, not so much
in languages as in symbols. It
takes many pages of symbols
to discuss the nature of a single
atom of hydrogen. It has been
estimated that to give a complete account of the position of
the groups and bonds in a single
virus of molecular weight 300
million would take a 200-page
book.... If the scientific description of a single hydrogen atom,
or of a virus too small to be seen
without a microscope, takes
a book, what hope is there of
ever giving a scientific account
of the creation of man and the
universe?... If Genesis 1 were
written in absolute scientific
language to give an account of
creation, there is no man alive,
nor ever has there been, who
could understand it. If it were
written in any kind of scientific
language, only the favoured few
could comprehend it. It would
have to be rewritten every generation to conform to the new
views and terms of science....,
but Genesis 1 was written for all
readers,... (Creation Revealed,
1963, pp. 15-16).
Professor Filby concluded that only God could write
Genesis 1 in language simple
enough for all people in all time
to understand. Todaywe can understand Genesis 1. The creation
story tells us the existence of a
Creator. Christians believe that
Creator is God. God has spoken.
God said, Let there be light,...
(Genesis 1:3).
twitter - @anglicanlife

DECEMBER 2014

12

The Christmas Pageant

anglicanlife

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

YES! I enjoy reading Anglican Life. Enclosed is

my donation of support:
$25

$50

$100

Other $___

NAME _________________________________________
TELEPHONE ( ________ ) _____________________________
ADDRESS _______________________________________
TOWN _________________________________________
PROVINCE __________ POSTAL CODE ______________________
PARISH ________________________________________
EMAIL _________________________________________

Method of payment:

Mail your gift to:

Anglican Life
34 Fraser Road
Gander, NL
A1V 2E8

Cheque

Credit Card
VISA

Mastercard

Card #____________________________
Expiry (Month) __________ (Year) _________
Signature__________________________

YES, I wish to receive an Income Tax Receipt

Charity Reg No. 107020232 RR0001

anglicanlife

In Margaree-Fox Roost, the congregation of St. Augustine was treated to a

beautiful Christmas service and performance by the Sunday School Children. A
big thank you to Maggie Seymour who
did a wonderful job with the children.
Submitted by Karen Simon.