This in no way takes the place of your work at the convention where you will hear other voices. It is merely a beginning point in the conversation and a way to familiarize yourself with the process of decision making that occurs at the convention. Please RSVP by June 7th to the synod office (dbeyer@elcic.ca) to indicate whether you will attend so that we can prepare refreshments and our meeting space for the group. We look forward to your participation.

A sustained season to read, to reflect, to collaborate, and to write. The Louisville Institute grants pastoral leaders time away from the office to invest their energy in projects that matter for the whole church.

Grants of up to $15,000 make it possible to take time away from the press of your workplace and pursue a project you have long desired to undertake or complete. Pastoral Study Project grant proposals are due August 15.

A time apart to renew your vocation and ministry. The Louisville Institute offers leaders of Christian ministry institutions sabbatical opportunities for rest, reflection, renewal, and recreation. Grants of $10,000 (eight weeks) or $15,000 (twelve weeks) will be awarded for an uninterrupted time to refresh you and revitalize your ministry. Proposals for the Sabbatical Grants for Pastoral Leaders program are due September 1.

Both Bishop Elaine and Brian encourage as many cyclists as possible to head to the Village that weekend for the event. However, if you can't participate in person or support participants from your own congregation with a pledge, why not join in by making a pledge in support of Bishop Elaine and Brian.

The suggested minimum pledge amount is $25 ($1 for each of the Bikeathon's 25 years). Please send cheques made payable to Luther Village to the Synod Office and be sure to provide a return address so that a tax receipt (for donations of $10 or more) can be mailed to you.

Help support our camp and its ministry to individuals, families, young people and others in communities beyond MNO Synod.  And watch for news and pictures in the June issue of Crossword.

Take a picture, write a story and email them to Rick Scherger: rscherger@elcic.ca

Upcoming deadlines: June 10 (nearly full) and July 12.

Don't keep your special events a secret.

No doubt people will understand that things will be a little wild for a time at the Urban. What is meant by wild is that my pace will increase to a new level. Aubrey took care of our Men’s Drop In on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday is also a meal day in the evening. We have just entered into a project with a young woman from UNPAC. The goal is to assist men in learning new skills. We asked the men what they wanted to learn in order to provide meaningful workshops. Today we will be showing them how to do simple clothing repairs. We will be doing future workshops on housekeeping tips such as using household products for tougher cleaning jobs instead of having to buy expensive products. There has also been a request to explain how to sort and wash clothes.

Due to the increase in workload for me, I have asked Maureen Benoit to coordinate the meals for when we do not have a meal team. We have several open slots coming up and so she will be contacting some of the groups who do meals occasionally.

We still do not have a firm date for when the work will be starting at St. Matthew’s and so we are in a holding pattern for now.  We will have access to the kitchen until we move and so we can have meal teams bring a variety of meals.

We had a family that experienced a house fire and the donations have been coming in. They have found a new place to live and are just waiting for an agreement to be reached with their worker. It sounds like a lovely house and one that will bring this family great joy. Almost all of our community members cannot afford insurance and so they must replace everything. We also have a couple that barely escaped from a fire in a rooming house. We were so over joyed to see that they were ok. Instead of bemoaning their losses, they were so very thankful that God saw them safely out of the smoke filled building. It was a time to celebrate survival.

I will be going on holidays for two weeks in June. I will be away from June 19th to July 5th. There are many good people who will be looking after the Urban while I am gone. I look forward to having some time for myself and my family. We wish everyone a joyful summer.

One of the activities we play at Luther Village is Clue. This is not an ordinary game of Clue. We go around camp asking people about the mystery. For example, we go to the dining hall and ask Colonel Mustard, "Did Miss Scarlet kill Mr. Green with a clothespin in the life jacket shed?" The camp staff dress up and act out the Clue characters. Playing Clue is one of my favorite Luther Village activities.

At Luther Village we go fishing a lot. I have my own tackle box. Once when we were fishing on Bob Ray lake, me and my dad caught a 36 inch long jack fish. We didn't keep it because we thought it was too big to keep. Another time my mom caught 13 fish in one hour, but they weren't very big. Bob Ray Lake is my favorite lake at Luther Village.

At Luther Village there is always a different theme each year. Once the theme was about teams that played in the Olympics which was my favourite. We dressed up as Ethiopians. When the theme was fairy tales, we dressed up as Jack and the Beanstalk. I was Jack, my brother was the harp, my mom was the beanstalk and my dad was the giant. This year the theme will be the 1980s.

When my family goes to Luther Village, we bring our 5th wheel camper along. Our boat is towed behind our camper. My brother and I have bunk beds. I have the top bunk. Once I fell out of my bed! Luckily my dad caught me. I almost landed on my brother! I was asleep the whole time. We have a TV and a bath tub in our camper too. Our table transforms into a bed. Living in a camper at Luther Village is almost as good as living at home.

We go canoeing every year at Luther Village. We usually canoe to an island. Once when we were canoeing with a group to a big island 30 minutes away, there was a big storm. Lightening flashed. It was raining hard. So we had to go to a very small island because it was closer. We put a tarp up so the rain would not hit us. After the storm we made chocolate chip bannock. Then we went swimming off of a rock. After that we had to head back to camp. Canoeing is one of my favorite activities at Luther Village.

My other favorite activity on the water at Luther Village is tubing. My dad owns a big boat. It is over 200 horsepower. We like to go fast. We have 2 tubes. I wish I could go tubing at home too!

Luther Village is one of my favorite places to spend the summer. I wish I could go more often than just in the summer. Every year we always come back to Luther Village. In just over a month I will be fishing and tubing there again. Maybe this summer I will learn to water ski too!
~Ben Clark, grade 3 student

On top of that, we will be helping children learn to know God through prayer.

This year’s camp runs August 29th – September 2nd from 9am – 3:30pm and is open to children from ages 4-12. We supply all the food. Register for the cost of $40 per child. Don’t forget to register early!!!!!

Any questions feel free to call or e-mail:
Teresa Peters
VBS Coordinator
204.775.6477
tj_peters@shaw.ca

This year, 2011, marks the 20th HPCM Annual Provincial Palliative Care Conference. The first Annual Provincial Palliative Care Conference occurred in 1991, several years before palliative care was named as a core service within Manitoba. Until April 1999, palliative care was provided only in St. Boniface Hospital and Riverview Health Centre. In 1999, the Minister of Health for Manitoba announced $3 million would be provided over two years for palliative care.
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On June 12, 2:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran, 211 Kimberly Ave, Winnipeg, NEST is having an anniversary party with speakers, special guests, entertainment and refreshments. RSVP asap to jimmair@shaw.ca All are welcome.

Interested persons may request a complete parish profile and the procedure for making an application from:
The Bishop's Office
935 Nesbitt Bay
Winnipeg, MB R3T 1W6
204-992-4212 or e-mail: ssuppes@rupertsland.anglican.ca
The deadline for receipt of applications for the position of
Incumbent of St. Mary Magdalene is 4:00 p.m. Monday June 6, 2011.
Read full synopsis here

(8 hours/week – September 1, 2011 to May 30, 2012)

Responsible for

1. a) Coordinating Sunday School;
2. b) Coordinating youth events once a month.

St. Stephen’s Anglican Church
220 Helmsdale Ave. Winnipeg, MB

Interested applicants should send C.V. to: ststephens@mts.net or call 204-661-2432

Closing Date: June 15, 2011