Archdeaconry of Fredericton

Greater Chapter April 9, 2011
St. John the Evangelist Worship Centre

1. Worship led by Canon Bill MacMullin

2. Past minutes available on website – www.anglican.nb.ca – look under Governance-Archdeaconries

3. Report from Archdeacon Drummond
A. Corn Grinder update – slideshow on Diocesan website from recent trip with Canon George Porter
B. Foundation for Life – fundraising effort to give funds to rural or struggling
parishes for new and innovative projects
- $28 000 raised, ¾ funds have been dispersed
- One project was funds given to Threshold Minister Debora Kantor of Cambridge & Waterborough parish to visit families & youth – designed to assess the needs of the community and provide Christian education resources to families
- other money given to parishes for projectors in worship and youth groups
- The Foundation for Life appeal will be an annual event – each Fall – all parishes
are encouraged to apply – some money from 2010 will be rolled over to next
year as not all has been dispersed
C. Communication officers
- Designated position in parish to enable better passage of information, particularly in parishes that might not have an incumbent.
- need person who is computer literate who will be able to receive and communicate information like meeting times, etc.
- Original training session cancelled due to snow – meeting rescheduled for May 28, 10-3pm place TBA (Fredericton)
D. Parish and Archdeaconry assessments and plans
- ideas from Nicodemus project – plans to help move forward
Archdeacon has not received all assessments
- Oct 28-29 Synod Journal will publish which parishes have done assessments,
Archdeacon looking for whether it has been submitted, how the assessment was done, and 3 most important items that each parish will move forward with
- Closing date for submission of report on assessment is June 1.
- Need to compile Archdeaconry plan
6. Responsibilities of Diocesan council representatives
-Handout- Acknowledgement – My Commitment as a Potential Member of Diocesan Council
- Elections held in Sept for Diocesan Council – each archdeaconry has clergy rep, lay rep, youth rep (16-25)
Positions require responsibilities – people need to be aware of what is required – eg., need to attend meetings, be prepared for meetings, be prepared for to participate on committees, fairly reflect the decisions of Greater Chapter to the parishes – need to consider prayerfully if you can fulfill the requirements.

7. Budget realities – Martha Jo Hoyt
- review of past decisions – two task forces: Rural and Struggling Parishes & Budget support
- 10-10-10 how to fund shared ministry budget – based on tithe: Individual tithes 10% of income, parish tithes 10% of income, diocese tithes 10% to national church
Driven by shared mission – what we want to accomplish together
2010 Shared Ministry Budget – small shortfall from parishes, but reduction in operating costs 2011 Shared Ministry Budget – approved Congregational Development Officer – found other funding
Challenges of funding budget
-Work toward embracing concept of tithe – acknowledge that it takes time
-DCIF – Diocesan Consolidated Investment Fund – collectively investing money

8. Discussion about Stewardship
A. What is it?
From Bishop Salmon:
1) Strengthen parishes
Stewardship of the Gospel
Stewardship of leadership
2) Learn to share God’s many blessings
Time, talent and treasure

B. What next?
We are all part of the solution
Thinking beyond our current situation
Support one another and our communities
Congregational Development Officer position developed and funded to help parishes put plans into place

C. Stewardship Toolkit – resources available on the website – different resources may work for different parishes.

D. Two important Stewardship events coming up:
1. April 30 – Essential Stewardship Conference – with Peter Misiaszek, Director of Stewardship Development, Diocese of Toronto, Cathedral Hall, Fredericton
2. Every Member Visitation Workshop
14 May 2011 – Cathedral Hall, Fredericton

9. Ideas for the Archdeaconry Plan
1) Living the Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20: Canon Bruce McKenna
“Go” and make disciples –
Our God is a “Sending” God – God the Father sends the Son
We are in the same way sent into the world
God gives us his authority to go out in the world
Participate in God’s movement of love toward the world
Anglican way – to make Jesus real in the parish, to incarnate Christ in the parish – make Jesus real to others
Need to tell people our motivation for doing things in the community – why are we doing what we do?
Diocesan mission statement: Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the
making of disciples
Fresh Expressions – recognizes that community is no longer geographic, but
exists through networks of relationships
Freshexpressions.ca
Perhaps invite Nick Brotherwood, team leader FXCA to come present to us.
2) Grieving – The Rev. Lisa Pacarynuk
What are the discussions we are not having about loss and change in our communities? Two resources:
Beth Ann Gaede, ed. Ending with Hope: A Resource for Closing Congregations,
Bethsada, MD: The Alban Institute, 2002.
Jaco J. Hamman. When Steeples Cry: leading congregations through loss and
change, Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2005.

3) Home Church – Canon Bruce McKenna
Presentation by Caitlyn
-Foster intimate relationships, pray for one another
Format
Welcome
Worship
Word
Witness –pray for people, building bridges

The Challenge of Cell Church, Phil Potter

Issue is not attendance, rather it is discipleship
Perhaps bring in resource people as archdeaconry to help do this

4) Everybody Welcome
Video presentation

5) Messy church – http://www.messychurch.org.uk/

10. Next Greater Chapter meeting: May 25, 7pm. St. Margaret’s, Forest Hill Rd

will be on Wednesday, May 25 from 7 – 9 p.m. at St Margaret’s, Forest Hill Rd.

Minutes, October 7th, 2010. St John the Evangelist Worship Centre

Worship: The meeting opened at 7:30 p.m. with Worship and Praise led by Canon
Bill MacMullin. The theme was “Thanksgiving.”

Business:
Item 1: Meeting open.
The business meeting began at 8 p.m. chaired by Archdeacon Pat Drummond. She opened with a welcome and thank yous and outlined the agenda for the meeting.  She then introduced the newly ordained Lisa Pacarynuk who is presently serving in the Parish of Gagetown/Cambridge Waterborough and will be shortly ordained a
preist.
The minutes of the last meetiing were unable to be e-mailed or circulated due to technical problems, but a copy was obtained and read by the Rev’d Ian Wetmore.
Minutes were approved as read.

Item 2: Presentation on Clerical Travel Reimbursement;
Jack Walsworth, vice chair, Human Resources Committee of Diocesan Council, gave a detailed presentation of the proposed changes to the Clerical Travel Reimbursement Fund. He outlined the pros and cons of the present and proposed systems and outlined how the propsed changes would benefit the parishes. The
changes would mean extra work for parish treasurers. Handouts oulining the presentation were given out along with feedback forms. It was requested that these be filled out and given to the archdeacon. The feedback and outcome of the seven greater chapter meetings will be reported at the updoming meeting of Diocesan Council in November.    There was a Q and A period following the presentation.

Item 3: Presentation on communication:
Bill Turney, Communication Team of Diocesan Council, gave a presentation on our need and desire for better communication throughout the diocese. This was an
initiative that came from Synod 2009 and Bill outlined the committee’s response.    E news is a succcessful form of communication and Bill said plans are in place to upgrade and improve the NB Anglican. A letter was circulated that had previously been sent out to all parishes oulining the wish for a Communications Officer to be appointed from each parish. We are asked to continue to do our part by sending communications to the NB Anglican and the E news.

Item 4: Items of interest by Archdeacon Pat Drummond;
The corn grinder project led by the Companion Diocese Committee has proved to be successful. Funds have been sent to the Diocese of Ho and the first corn grinder has been purchased and is in place. Each of the seven archdeaconries was asked to raise $4000 for a total of $28,000 to purchase 7 corn grinders for Ho. So far this archdeaconry has turned in $1000 (plus a donation from the Mothers’ Union for the project) Each parish in this archdeacory was to raise $300. We were reminded that Oct 31, 2010 is the date set for donations to be received by the Synod Office.

Parish assessment were to be done and turned into Archdeacon Drummond by June 2010. So far several parishes have not completed theirs.

Rural and Struggling parishes: Archdeacon Drummond read a section of the report from the 2009 Synod Journal and then outlined the importance of funding and
assistance for innovative projects in struggling parishes. She then presented the pamphlet oulining the new Foundation for Life Fund, the idea for which is based on a fund begun by Bishop Salmon in the Diocese of South Carolina, and a letter from Archbishop Miller to be sent to each Anglican household in the diocese. Packages of these were sent home with clergy or wardens to be passed out in church the following Sunday.

There was a reminder that there are a number of parishes in the archdeaconry that havve yet to update their 2009 statistical and financial information on the Diocesan website. This should be done following each annual meeting. The information is one of the ways the diocese is able to ascertain whether or not new initiatives to strengthen and renew parishes are working.

Item 5: Handout on upcoming events in the Diocese.

Oct 19, 2010 – Back to Church Sudnay founder, Michael Harvey, at Christ Church (Parish) church Oct 29 and 30, 2010 -

Leadership Conference with the Rev’d Chuck Owens of South Carolina at St Mary and St Bartholomew, Saint John. No fee but pre registration required.

Nov 6 – Natural Church Development Day, Christ Church (Parish) Church. $25 registration fee

Nov 20 – Parish Visitation workshop, Trinity Church, Sussex. $5 registration fee

Item 6: Discussion
A short time was allotted for Group Dioscussions within our table groups.

Clopsing prayers were led by the Rev’d Ian Wetmore.

Respectfully submitted by
Heather Carr
Parish of Stanley

Saturday, April 9th, 2011, 8:30 a.m. – 12:15p.m.

St John the Evangelist Church Hall, 75, Main St, Fredericton

Agenda

8:30 Continental Breakfast

9:00 Worship

9:20 Diocesan updates: Parish Support and Development

Communications Officers

Parish and Archdeaconry assessments and plans

Responsibilities of Greater Chapter reps and Diocesan Council reps.

9:40 approx Budget realities

10:10 approx Presentations to introduce and discuss some archdeaconry plan possibilities

Living the Great Commission: Matthew 28: 16-20. Canon Bruce McKenna

The writing on the wall – how can we help churches grieving loss? The Rev’d Lisa Pacarynuk

Home
Church
Canon Bruce McKenna

Everybody Welcome and Messy Church. Canon William MacMullin and Archdeacon Drummond

12:15 Close

You will be given a take home sheet for thought and possible discussion before another Greater Chapter meeting at the end of May.