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On Sunday July 30, twenty-five members of the South Parkland Parish gathered for an outdoor service of Holy Eucharist followed by a time of gathering and sharing of food at St. Michael and All Angels in McCreary. It was a wonderful time; plans are being made other times of celebration. We are thankful and in awe of God’s creation and gifts.

Christ Church, The Pas, as submitted by the Rev’d Jann Brooks

On June 25, Christ Church, The Pas held their second annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic. It was a huge success with over 200 guests attending (which is 100% more guests than they had in 2022). They had all ages groups from infants and to toddlers and young families to mebers of the podcast “Young Voices of the North” as well as the Fur Queen and court volunteering. There were games (where every participant won a prize) to face painting, to a medical tent for teddies where real doctors and nurses fixed teddies needing care. They had a bouncy castle and plenty of hot dogs, hamburgers, cake and cookies and popcorn, which were all provided at no charge to participants. The entire day was free of any cost as a way to support families of all kinds to enjoy a wifi-free old fashioned picnic day together.

St. John’s, Kelwood, as submitted by Lillian Kien (with information from the Rev’d Garry MacDowell)

On July 16, 2023, the Rev’d Canon Joy Ruddock, a former Bishop’s Messenger, and long serving priest of the Diocese of Brandon, went to St. John’s, Kelwood to sign copies of the booklet about her life. On August 13, following the Sunday service at St. Mary’s, Brandon, Canon Joy signed more copies of this booklet for well-wishers.

Those who wish to pick up a copy of this booklet on Canon Joy’s life can obtain one through the St. Mary’s, Brandon church office at 204-727-3393. There is no cost to this booklet, although donations to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund in honor of Canon Joy would be greatly appreciated!

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

In June, Pat Wood coordinated a cold plate supper for the parish. In July, members of St. James’ deliver Meals on Wheels to residents of Rivers. This has been their assigned month for many years now. The meals are prepared in the hospital kitchen and are delivered to homes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  This July, the Ryalls, Allans, Carters and Roberts were on the roster for this very important ministry in Rivers. In addition to all this, a new sign for the parish has been made by Tom Ryall. Les Wood took the time to install it on the church property.

The Tri-Valley Parish (St. Mary’s, Virden; St. Mark’s, Elkhorn, St. John’s, Reston & Christ Church, Melita), as submitted by the Editor

It has been a busy summer for Fr. Matt: in May, he graduated with his (third) master’s degree: this time in Theological Studies from Trinity College at the University of Toronto.  He has no plans of returning to formal education in the near future! From June 25 through to August 26, Fr. Matt was also the chaplain to the Brandon Cadet Flight Training Centre that ran out of Brandon University. In this role, he was responsible for the morale, welfare and spiritual needs of approximately 125 souls, which included course and staff cadets as well as adult staff. (Fr. Matt’s photo in his “Word to the Editor” is also from his time as cadet chaplain!)

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Christ Church, The Pas

as submitted by the Rev’d Jann Brooks

The Rev’d Jann Brooks officiated at the Remembrance Day commemorations for St. Paul’s Care Home in The Pas. The local Legion, air cadet corps (303 The Pas Elks) as well as local bagpiper Don McKay participated in the service. 

They paused for a photo to commemorate the occasion.

St. Mary’s, Virden

as submitted by the Editor

On November 20, the Bishop came to St. Mary’s, Virden to baptize Kyler Clayton, as well as confirm Brooke McIntosh and Mckenzie Robertson. It was an extra special day for Mckenzie’s and Kyler’s family, as Kyler is the nephew of Mckenzie.

I’m told that the day was wonderful (and I was sorry to have missed it in person due to me contracting COVID-19, although I did watch via Zoom). 

Congratulations to Kyler, Brooke, and Mckenzie! 

We couldn’t be more thrilled for you all.

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Neepawa United-Anglican Shared Ministry

as submitted by the Rev’d Chad McCharles OSBCn

Members of the Mission, Service & Outreach Committee of the Neepawa United-Anglican Shared Ministry recently presented a cheque to the Principal of Hazel M. Kellington Elementary School of Neepawa. Through the month of September, the parish raised over $800 to go towards school supplies for children who can not afford them. 

In the photo below are the principal of the school, Allen Hanke, as well as Mission, Service & Outreach Committee members Bea Betts, Leona Kucher, Donna Newton, Elsie Slimmon, the Rev’d Chad McCharles OSBCn, and Susan Phillips (the Chair).

St. Paul’s, Dauphin 

as submitted by Sandy Pacey

On October 4, 2022 St. Paul’s Anglican Church Dauphin played host to God’s 4 legged friends in a Blessing of the Animals Service. Cats and dogs shared the pews with their human families as the Rev’d Pat Langlois led everyone in a short service and then each furry friend made their way to the front of the church for a personal blessing.

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Congratulations to Cairo Humphries and Morris Moosetail on their wedding on July 16, 2022. The Reverend Barry Nadolny officiated the service in St. Paul’s.

May God grant you both many years together.

The Tri-Valley Parish/St. Mary’s, Virden
as submitted by the Rector/the Editor

As you may remember from the last edition of the Mustard Seed, the rector’s office was undergoing a bit of a facelift. As the last edition of the paper was being put together, the office was being painted, which necessitated me working from a folding table in the hall for about a week. It was not ideal, as I quite like having an office to work out of, but at the end of the day, I was willing to give up a week of working in my office to see this long-talked about project finally come to fruition.

The repainting of the rector’s office at St. Mary’s is now complete. Overall, it took about a week, between having to clean out the office (it’s absolutely amazing at how much can collect in an office), collect the new furniture from varied and sundry places, paint it and let it dry, and then put everything back in the office.

However, all is complete now, and I couldn’t be happier with the results (shown below). Many people have commented to me that it looks a lot more inviting than it did before without the giant desk in the way.

My thanks to go the family of Allison Done (sometime Warden at the Cathedral), who donated the desk, the Dean, who donated the two burgundy chairs, and Jennifer Andrew who made the whole thing happen. It had been a project we talked about for a while, and I’m so glad we finally got around to it!

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A parish priest spends a lot of time in their office at the church. I have found that in my own ordained ministry, more often than not, people stop in because “they have seen my car out front of the church.” This is good, as it establishes that the church is a safe place to spend some time. At St. Mary’s, Virden, we’re blessed that we have a modern parish hall alongside a historical church, all situated among a churchyard that is the biggest in town (well, it’s really the only one, but no matter.)

From time to time, though, offices need to be refreshed, especially if the occupant spends a good amount of time working away. At the time of writing, the rector’s office at St. Mary’s is undergoing some painting. When that’s done, the plan is to add a new desk in the corner, along with some chairs so that the rector can hold small meetings. Photos to come in the next edition of the Mustard Seed!

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Congratulations to Captain the Reverend Chris Pilon on his marriage to Kenna Nelson in Regina on August 20th. 

Members of the Diocese of Brandon participated in the wedding service held in Kenna’s home church. The Bishop preached, the Rev’d Matt Koovisk provided music (alongside some of Kenna’s friends), and the Rev’d Chris Evetts read the first reading from Ecclesiastes 4. All three clergy from the Diocese of Brandon that participated in the service had been at Huron College with the groom.

Congratulations Chris and Kenna! May God grant you both many years together.

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Christ Church, The Pas
as submitted by the Rev’d Jann Brooks

“If you go out to the woods today, you are sure of a big surprise…”*

The Pas had a great surprise on Sunday, June 26th when Christ Church organized a free old-fashioned Teddy Bears’ Picnic for young families! With balloons and bunting, over 100 people enjoyed everything from face painting and arts & crafts to 3 legged and wheelbarrow races where everyone won a prize! There was even a First-Aid Station for Teddies who needed TLC, whether it was Well-Bear Exams with “COVID-19 vaccinations” to plastic surgery. Eighty-year-old teddy bear, Brother Ben, lost his eyes 75 years ago when Grant’s sister tried to steal him. Brother Ben received new eyes and many “bears” received stitches and bandages. For sustenance hot dogs, popcorn, freezies, cake and drinks were served. The Pas Animal Shelter brought live puppies (who were all adopted that day) to assure laughs and giggles. Next year’s Teddy Bears’ Picnic is planned for double the people and sponsors.

“And that’s the day, the teddy bears had their picnic…”*

*words composed by Jimmy Kennedy in 1932.

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As part of their outreach, St. Matthew’s Binscarth has made very generous donations in recent months. One was in support of the Ukraine to the Canada Ukraine Foundation. They also donated a laptop to assist a student recovering from surgery with school work and assisted a former parishioner who lost everything in the Abbotsford flood. 

On April 9, the Rev’d Chris Pilon was one of several Russell clergy who attended A Dinner for Ukraine. The money raised was given to the Canada Ukraine Foundation to support humanitarian relief in the Ukraine.

St. James’, Rivers
as submitted by Kathy Roberts

The ladies of St. James had a busy week when they served lunch on May 2nd and 3rd to the participants of the National Plowing Match held at Ryall’s farm, and lunch at a funeral on May 5th. 

Tom and Jean Ryall organized the plowing event and Sandy Donald was in charge of fundraising. Plowing participants came from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Vancouver Island. There were three classes, Senior Conventional, Senior Reversible and Junior Conventional. Winner of the Senior Conventional, Brian Davenport from Ontario and winner of the Senior Reversible, Tom Evans of Ontario will both attend the World Plowing Competitions in Estonia in 2023. The ladies were not overlooked as they were treated to a tour of Virden, Manitoba (including the Aud Theatre, a historical site within Virden.) From all reports, the event was a great success! 

Below are some photos of the tractors that were at the event. 

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Following the closure of their church, Christ Church, Roblin has gifted Christ Church, Russell with a Bible. The Bible had been presented to Roblin by the Rev’d Karen and Bob Binding “in loving memory of former members of the Parish.” 

Several members of Russell’s Christ Church and Knox United participated in a Lenten Bible study hosted by Grace Lutheran Church. Discussion followed readings from Voices at the Crossroads by Paul K. Peterson. 

The members of St. George’s Birtle have enjoyed the return of their coffee get-togethers following Sunday services. They had been halted due to Covid-19. 

Neepawa Anglican-United Shared Ministry
as submitted by the Rev’d Chad McCharles OSBCn

Throughout February, parishioners of the Neepawa United Anglican Shared Ministry challenged themselves to raise funds for the Vaccine Equity Fund of the PWRDF. As an outward and visible sign of these efforts, the Mission Service and Outreach (MS&O) Committee committed to posting one heart in the sanctuary for every $5 that was raised. By the end of the month, $2,762 was raised, which meant 552.4 hearts had to be cut out and posted on the walls of the sanctuary! This became such a task, that the MS&O Committee had to employ Sunday School to help with posting all the hearts. Across Canada, this PWRDF initiative has made a massive difference, with over $60,000 going towards ensuring everyone around the globe has access to the Covid-19 vaccinations. NUASM gives thanks to all who generously donated towards this initiative, both United and Anglican alike! Yet another outward and visible sign of the inner, spiritual ties that bind us together in love, with our ecumenical congregation, and our brothers and sisters around the globe. 

The Tri-Valley Parish (St. Mary’s, Virden; St. Mark’s, Elkhorn; St. John’s, Reston; Christ Church, Melita)
as submitted by the Editor

On March 24th, I celebrated my fifth anniversary in ordained ministry. I mentioned it to the parish secretary, who acknowledged it and went back to work. She eventually left the building to “run some errands.” About 20 minutes later, she returned with this cake that you see below. I wasn’t expecting it, 

and I’m thankful for the cake, the recognition, and my time here in Virden. Later that week, the article below appeared in the local paper, the Virden Empire-Advance. I include it below for your reading pleasure. 

Yesterday [the article originally appeared on March 25], I celebrated my fifth year of ordained ministry in Virden. On March 24, 2017, I was ordained as a deacon (the first ordination for many Anglican clergy) over at St. Mary’s. It was a day that was not only a long time coming, but it was also a day that I’ll never forget. However, all that being said, the first couple of months here I struggled. I wasn’t struggling because of anything anybody did (or didn’t do), but because I was going through culture shock. Some of you may know that prior to moving to Virden, I had really only lived in big cities. Sure, I had done a few stints in small towns in Saskatchewan and southwestern Ontario, but this was a different kettle of fish. I was moving from cities, where I could get anything I wanted at any hour to minister to small towns where the local grocery store closed at 6pm on weekends. 

I was ordained on the Eve of the Feast of the Annunciation, the Feast in the Church calendar where we reflect on the announcement that Mary was to become the mother of Jesus Christ. At the end of the story, we hear Mary say these words: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” As I was moving and starting out here, these words rattled through my head, as a kind of assurance that things were going to get better as I settled in. 

And frankly, dear reader, they did (but you probably knew that was coming.) I’ve been here five plus years now and I have learned that small towns have a charm about them that cities can never have. There is a sense of community here that isn’t present in cities – when I lived in cities, I didn’t know many people in the varied neighbourhoods I lived in. That isn’t the case in small towns – I’ve been made to feel very welcome here over the past five years. I feel like I’m part of this community and am known. 

So, thank you for opening my eyes to the charm of small towns. Thank you for welcoming this city boy with open arms and making him to feel like a part of the community. I look forward to more years in and around the town that means so much to many of us. 

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