On Sunday, January 15, Christ Church, The Pas commissioned members of the Guild of Lectors. They are pictured here alongside the parish lay reader, Yvonne McKenzie, the parish deacon, the Rev’d Maureen Maciesza, and the Rector, the Rev’d Jann Brooks.

St. Paul’s, Dauphin, as submitted by Sandy Pacey

On a very cold day, January 29, we held our AGM at St. Paul’s in Dauphin.  We warmed up first with a lunch prepared by the ACW.  We also had a cake to commemorate the 133^rd anniversary of the church.

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Human nature says so much about our resolve and our ability to see through a task. The number of jokes among my gym-going friends when the crowds of early January thin out so quickly by the third week are significant. Some of my more dedicated gym-going friends hate January because of all the new people who show up and are gone within 6 weeks. Then the gym quiets down to the regular folks who use it at their regular times and the cycle continues.

The Christian life is an example of the need for the disciplines which the Lord taught forming and training us to respond to the highs and lows of our life in the way that a disciple should. Regularity of prayer, focus on and study of the scriptures,

participation in parish worship and fellowship – these are the “going to the gym” of being a Christian disciple. They are the exercises which focus us and form us to be the persons that God has created us to be. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are another set in our repertoire of spiritual exercise. They are meant to break down our ego so that our spirit might be strengthened. This way, Christ can grow in us and continually teach us to live into the promise of eternal life.

If prayer, fasting and almsgiving; regularity of prayer, study of scripture, attendance at worship and fellowship are all the exercises we are meant to use to build up our spiritual muscles, then Lent is the seasonal gym in which we are put through our exercises and seek to develop further.

I have seen personal trainers who encourage and push their clients to reach the goals they have set, and rejoice with them when they achieve the gains they have been attempting while they develop themselves. Lent is slightly different. Lent is a period of time set aside to prepare ourselves for the Easter celebration. It’s not like we are seeking to fit into a better bathing suit – that’s not the kind of preparation I am thinking of – rather, that we are taking the time to focus on the magnitude of God’s love for us, and so we are preparing ourselves to meet him on Good Friday, facing up to our sin, and rejoice with him on Easter Day where we are set free from fear and death.

I should note too that this time set aside for us comes around every year like clockwork because of our human nature. We are meant to do this again and again so that we don’t forget it.  It is only human to be impatient, to lack compassion, to be angry or short with others. It is human nature to be selfish and blind to the needs of others. It is human nature to fail at the goals we have set and hide from responsibility. Scripture tells that whole story from the very beginning in the garden. Human nature will get in the way of our relationships with one another and with God. In order to overcome this we need discipline – and to be disciples.

So it is time to think about our Lenten disciplines, and concentrate hard on our exercise regimen so that we can deepen our relationship with God and be ready to enter into the Paschal mystery more deeply. This practice can and will change our lives if we just stick with it…and the best part is we are not alone while we exercise. We are surrounded by other disciples who are also working to become more patient, kind, compassionate, prayerful, wise or any other number of gifts the Lord would like to lavish upon us.  We only need to get started and now is the time.

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Draw Date: June 15, 2023 at Noon
3 tickets for $20

Tickets available to purchase through your parish or by contacting Deacon Cheryl in the Synod Office (204-727-2380 or admin@brandon.anglican.ca).
Payment can be made by etransfer to finance@brandon.anglican.ca. Use the password raffle.

1st Prize: 3 Night stay at Geiler Corner, Wasagaming,any time between October 2023 and May 2024 (a $1550 value)
2nd Prize: Giant Talon 1 Mountain Bike (from Stream & Wood, a $1199 value)
3rd Prize: Meat Package (donated by Robert Jasper, a $500 value)

Bonus prize draw with each camp registration in by June 15: Camping package or Beach package!

2023 Camping Season: Camp Dates! 

Family Camp: July 2 – 5
Teen (Grades 7 & Up): July 7 – 13
Intermediate (ages 10-12): July 16 – 22
Junior (Ages 8-10): July 23 – 29

2023 Camping Season: Registration Deadlines

Early Bird Date: May 31, 2023 (fees: $300)
Cut-off Date: June 15, 2023 (fees: $350)
Family Camp Fees: $60/adult/day; $40/child/day;
5 and under – free

2023 Camping Season: We’re Hiring!

We are looking for enthusiastic and inspiring people for the following:

Paid Positions: Cooks, and a Maintenance Person

All positions are full-time and have a good wage with board and room provided. Secondary students encouraged.

Volunteer Positions: Camp leaders, chaplains, health officers, counsellors

To find registration forms & further information (like our social media), visit our website at anglicanmemorialcamp.com.

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The Neepawa United-Anglican Shared Ministry is home to a community within a community since the founding of the Anglican Benedictine Community of Saint Joseph in early 2022. In 2013, I first became involved in the modern monastic movement to deepen my spirituality, better attend to my daily offices of Morning and Evening Prayer, and to combat the sense of isolation that many rural clerics feel.  It became clear to me very quickly that exploring Benedictine spirituality was a good fit for me beyond my initial reasons for doing so, as the very human, down-to-earth, approachable, and humble  teachings of Saint Benedict deepened my calling to serve God and His Church.

A foundational tenet of Benedict’s approach to the Christian faith is community, which should come as no surprise given the Rule of St. Benedict was written for Monks and Nuns in 561AD.  However, what spoke to me was the Rule’s ability to transcend time and circumstance and enrich and refresh my life as someone living nearly 1500 years later, and not in the cloisters of a monastery! The modern expression of monastic life is seeing a revival throughout the Christian world because people are yearning for connection to that which is rooted and grounded in stability and truth.  Saint Benedict’s Rule provides just that for whomever you are, wherever you are, and whatever circumstances you find yourself in.

The Anglican Benedictine Community that I am a part of has communities in Victoria British Columbia, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Tempe Arizona, Tucson Arizona, and Neepawa Manitoba! Last year, Bishop William gave permission (and our community’s name) for the creation of the Community of St. Joseph here in our parish, as a way for me to fulfill my vows to always be in Benedictine community.  It has also been a wonderful way for parishioners to explore OSBC (Order of Saint Benedict Canon) life, spirituality, prayer, study, and their own response to those aspects of our faith.  We hold Chapter meetings the last Tuesday of each month, September through May, which involve reading and reflecting on the Rule of St. Benedict, scripture reading accompanied by commentary reflection on the rule, and we conclude with a service of Compline from the BCP.  It is a quiet, safe space to deepen our spirituality, ask hard questions, share with one another, and deepen the bonds of community.

I encourage you to discover more about our wider Benedictine family on our website www.osbcn.org.

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