Pastoral Letter - General Synod 2010
From the desk of our Bishop, Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton,
concerning the events that took place at General Synod 2010
Please click here to read his letter
Welcome to the Diocese of Athabasca Website
The Diocese of Athabasca came into being in 1874 by the division of the original Diocese of Rupert's Land at the same time that the Dioceses of Saskatchewan and Moosonee were created. The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca was organized in 1876. The Diocese was incorporated by statute of the government of Alberta in 1914, with the See located in the town of Peace River. It is one of thirty dioceses associated with the Anglican Church of Canada and one of ten dioceses in the ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land.
The Anglican Diocese of Athabasca includes 33 congregations in the northern half of the Province of Alberta. These congregations make up 18 parishes being served by 18 clergy. Two of the parishes are shared ministries and several are multi-point parishes. From the Saskatchewan border in the east to the British Columbia border in the west; from the North West Territories border in the north to an east-west line running just north of Edmonton in the south, the Anglican Diocese of Athabasca encompasses an area of more than 317,000 square kilometres and has upwards of 3,500 people on the parish rolls.
The diocese is divided into two deaneries loosely framed along the Peace and Athabasca Rivers, the Deanery of the Peace and the Deanery of Athabasca, which are linked by road only in the south. Commercial airline connections are oriented towards the south and east through Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray to Edmonton, Calgary, and Toronto.
The oil and gas industry forms the backbone of the economic life of our diocese. While much media attention has been focused on the city of Fort McMurray, the oil and gas industry is active throughout much of the north. The current economic turmoil has affected our diocese as communities suffer from loss of jobs and shifts in population. However, since most of our congregations are found in smaller communities, farming and independent small business feature prominently in most parishes.
See a copy of an e-mail from David Phillip Jones,
Q.C., Chancellor of the Diocese of Edmonton detailing some of the history and
boundaries of dioceses in the area.
Evangelism and Church Growth Initiative
From the Anglican Communion Office, as part of its mission and evangelism work - A webpage listing
resources to study, encourage and support the work of evangelism in the church around the world.
growth.
Please click here to access this Web page
Back to Church Sunday - September 26
As some of you know Back to Church Sunday is September 26. The Anglican
Book Centre/Augsburg Fortress is offering parishes Back to Church Sunday
kits for $40.00 per kit. This apparently is the second printing and orders
must be received by August 15th, 2010. You can order your own at
www.afcanada.com/backtochurch or
1-800-265-6397
“Back to Church Sunday is endorsed by The Anglican Church of Canada, and used globally by many Christian denominations. The program is solely financed by the purchase of resource packs, without which the program would not be able to continue.”
On Eagle's Wings
This Diocese fully endorses the ministry of On Eagle's Wings. Click here to view their Website
What's Happening
Coming Soon!
Schedule of activity over the next several months as updated for September 2010
Youth Daze!
Conference
September 3 to 5, 2010
All Saints Anglican Church, Athabasca
The youth event on the Labour Day weekend was a great success for all in attendance. A special thanks to Bishop and Veronica Lawton, Michelle Miller, Joanna Muzyka, Evan Coote, Donna Pederson and Kim Marceau for organizing and chaperoning the event. A giant thanks to The Rev Greg and Nancy Lynn and the Parish of Athabasca for the wonderful food and hospitality. Most of all thanks to the youth for sharing their faith and ministry in the diocese and in their lives. The diocese commits to making this an annual event.
Synod 2010
53rd Synod of the
Diocese of Athabasca
October 14 to 17, 2010
Northern Lakes College,
Slave Lake
Synod 2010 Web pages (click here)
Please let the synod office (Donna) know if you are interested in coming on Friday during synod to listen to Michael Harvey (www.mjhassociates.org.uk ) who is joining us from England. We need to know who is coming as the event is being catered and we are asking participants that take part only for that day pay $40.00 to cover costs. Banquet tickets (Saturday evening) are available also for a fee of $20.00.
Theme of this Synod:
Making God's House Your Home (click here to view on-line)
Or, click here to open in PowerPoint or save on your computer.
If you need specific instructions to use PowerPoint for presentations to your congregation, use the contactus page to e-mail the Webmaster
Weekly Prayer Cycles
Who Said?
"Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide." Click here to find out