St. Paul’s, Dauphin, 

On March 18 the ACW at St. Paul’s in Dauphin held an Irish Stew supper. The stew and biscuits were delicious and the number and variety of lovely desserts was amazing. It was a wonderful time for fellowship and fun. The winner of the door prize was Haylee Nadolny. She won a pair of tickets to see Daylin James in his Elvis impersonation, singing Gospel songs. The winner of the spring gardening raffle was Cindy Parsons. The basket of spring items made it feel even warmer in the hall.

St. James’, Rivers, as submitted by Kathy Roberts

On Mothering Sunday (the Fourth Sunday in Lent), March 19th, the Rev’d Sally Carter presented the mothers and grandmothers with flowers. Pictured here is Sally holding the flowers that were presented.

Pelly Plains Parish, as submitted by Virginia Beelaert

Pelly Plains Parish began a series of Holy Week unity services with Palm Sunday at Christ Church, Russell. Following the pot luck several of the men stepped forward to take care of the kitchen duties.

The post News from the Pews: May 2023 appeared first on The Mustard Seed.

Rest eternal grant unto Antoine, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.
May his soul, along with all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

The post In Memoriam: The Reverend Antoine Lathlin (1945-2023) appeared first on The Mustard Seed.

Ed and Hazel are survived by their children: Gilbert (Esther), Noreen (John), Ken, Glen (Maureen) several grandchildren, many great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren.

Thank you to the staff of the Westman Nursing Home who gave Mom and Dad special care, and the Rev’d Sally Carter and Fr. Matt Koovisk for prayers. We extend our gratitude to all who sent condolences, flowers, cards, food and donated in honor of Mom & Dad’s memory.

The funeral service will be held on June 10th, 2023

at 2:00 (Central Daylight Time) in the Miniota Community Hall.

The post In Memoriam: Ed Wadham, Lay Reader (1924-2023) & Hazel Wadham (1927-2023) appeared first on The Mustard Seed.

So much of putting Easter into action can be put down to living a new life, as a new humanity in a new way.  The new thing Jesus was doing in all of creation had been accomplished and so we were called to live in a way that showed forth that new life, new humanity and new world that we lived in. The readings after Easter each week assist us in facing all of the doubts and misunderstandings that follow from that new life. Thomas and his unwillingness to open his heart which had been broken only three days before. The blindness of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, reminding us of who the good shepherd really is, Jesus reassuring us that he is indeed the way to the Father, the assurance that the Spirit would not leave us orphaned and finally, just before Pentecost, Jesus prays for his disciples, that they would be one with him and with one another.

These weekly lessons are meant to strengthen us and reassure us that we have not been left alone in this new world, as a new humanity. The loss of what we knew is being comforted by God who is reassuring us that the new thing that is being done includes strength and hope for the days to come. You may not recognize it, but new life is not only on the way, it is here in your midst – now.

This mirrors the reaction of Mary Magdalene in front of the tomb on Easter morning. So focused on caring for the Lord’s body that she cannot recognize him as risen and glorified – Jesus has to call out her name in order to be recognized. Mary was determined to live out the consequences of the terror of the last three days, so determined that she couldn’t recognize the new life that was standing right before her. God is promising a new life to us, one that is so filled with his love and glory that we wouldn’t recognize it if we saw it, and those around us might not recognize us when we are in it. This is the promise of the resurrection: A new and deathless life.

So it is time to put Easter into action. Time to live in a way that opens hearts to God and sees new life around us. Time to recognize in those who are unseen or forgotten the people whom Jesus came to love and serve. Time to join in the chorus of praise and glory to the One who has made all things new around us, and in his own ultimate goal, defeated death itself.

May this Easter season continue to bless us all as we begin to recognize the gift we have been given and then grant us the will to live it out.

The post A Word from the Bishop: May 2023 appeared first on The Mustard Seed.

Seven years ago the people of St. George’s, Brandon, pondered a possibility: was God leading them to continue the mission that He had entrusted to them from a different location?  Was God leading them out of the building that they had gathered in to worship Him together for 60 years?  The results of their consideration were, at that time, inconclusive.

A Church building is a great resource for ministry, it is a focal point that both brings us together as we do the work of God’s Kingdom, and gives us a secure place to launch out of as we minister to the surrounding neighbourhood.  Church buildings carry a burden of visible presence in a community, and St. George’s building has been no different from other Anglican Church buildings, in that regard.

But something has happened over the past seven years.  When a priest comes to serve a parish, there is an agreement between the parishioners, the priest, and the bishop – an agreement that this is a team that will work alongside one another for the sake of God’s mission through that community.  Since arriving in the parish shortly after the indecision regarding the ongoing ministry of the parish through the current St. George’s building, I have urged that the building is a great resource for ministry – until it isn’t.

The agreement of the Church around a ministry relationship is only one factor in carrying out God’s mission for His Church.  God’s mission, itself, is another factor (and it comes in multiple sizes: God’s mission for all of His people; God’s specific mission for a specific people in a specific time and place).  The people that a church is called to minister the healing balm of God’s Kingdom among – well, the people are the other factor.

When the Church fails to fully understand who it is they minister among, terrible things can happen; when the Church fails to recognize what it has been equipped with, by which to meet the needs before it, terrible things can happen; when the Church fails in carrying out God’s mission to administer the healing balm of the Gospel to the sinful ailments of our world, terrible things can happen.  But when we bring all three of these factors together: when there is consonance between our God’s mission, our parishioner’s ministries, and our community’s need; when we get it right, something beautiful can happen.

You may have heard that now, seven years later, St. George’s has petitioned the diocese for permission to sell their building. You may have heard that our Diocesan Executive Committee has granted that permission.  Please understand that God is doing a new thing among us, and that inasmuch as He isn’t finished with us yet, we are not yet done. St. George’s was founded as a parish in 1905, and their first church building was located at 801 10th St. in Brandon.

From what I can tell, fruitful ministry was carried out by the parish while it met there.

But that wasn’t the end of the story – because God opened a new door, and in 1956 the parish was rehoused, under the leadership of Fr. Dan Noonan, at its current location, 1011 5th St.  Over the past 67 years there has been a fruitful ministry carried out from this building – Christ Jesus has been honoured, people have found the freedom of serving Him; they’ve grown in love, in joy, in peace; lives have been transformed by God’s Holy Spirit.

The story doesn’t end there, either.  God has opened a new door, and given a fresh vision to His people in this parish.  The parishioners of St. George’s are in a time of transition, and it is not a time of ending.  Instead, it is a time of re-focusing, a time of re-imagining.  God’s mission for His Church is to make disciples of all nations, and with these people – at this time – that means finding a new neighbourhood to be His presence in.

I invite you all to pray for the people of St. George’s as they explore God’s future for them, and seek the people whom He is calling them to now: people He has gifted them to minister among; people He has entrusted their ministry to them for.

I write this piece to you at this time both to apprise you of the situation as it is, but also to challenge: how is your parish fulfilling the ministry God has entrusted to it?  What of those three factors – God’s mission (and the local manifestation of it in your midst), the gifts and abilities that He has entrusted your people for ministry, and the people among whom you minister – what is the intersection of those three factors?  How might your parish best serve God’s Kingdom purposes where you are?

As we mourn the way things were before the pandemic, and adjust to the current realities, my hope is that we would face the future keeping God’s mission front-and-centre in our decision-making processes.  God bless, all!

The post St. George’s, Brandon: God is Doing a New Thing appeared first on The Mustard Seed.