Church of the Advent | Anglican Church in Colwood

What does a deacon do?

On Sunday, September 12th, I was ordained as a transitional deacon in Christchurch Cathedral. Many people have asked me “what exactly is a deacon and what does a deacon do? Here is a brief explanation.

The diaconate is one of the three orders of ordained ministry in the Anglican church, the other two being priests and bishops. Every priest is first ordained as a deacon. In the Anglican church, we view ordination as a sacramental act, so the result is not simply functional, but also ontological. A person is ordained as a deacon not only for a local congregation, but for the entire church and is under the authority of a bishop rather than a local congregation. There are two kinds of deacon: vocational deacons who remain as deacons, and transitional deacons who will be ordained as priests at a time determined by the bishop.

Becoming a deacon in the Anglican church begins with a call in the heart of the individual to serve the church in a specific way. A deacon must have a heart for service. It is her job to bring the concerns of the world into the church and the Gospel of the church into the world, essentially standing with one foot in the church and one in the world.

The main role of the deacon is service. In the ordination service, the Bishop tells the ordinand, "It belongs to the Office of a Deacon, to assist the Priest in public worship, especially in the administration of Holy Communion; to lead in public prayer; to proclaim the Gospel, to preach, and to instruct both young and old in the Catechism, and to baptize and officiate at weddings and funerals. It is also the task of a deacon to work with the laity in searching for the sick, the poor, and the helpless, that they may be relieved." Liturgically, the deacon will vest and process for all services, read the Gospel lesson, prepare the altar for the consecration of the elements, and assist in the distribution of Holy Communion. In the absence of a priest, a deacon can lead Sunday morning services and distribute Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament. In addition, a deacon will typically have a ministry to the congregation, such as of assisting the priest in the spiritual care of the people, helping the poor and needy, leading specific ministries, or teaching classes. The job description for the deacon of the church could simply read, "All duties as required."

It is my joy to serve the Church of the Advent as a deacon at this time and I look forward to sharing our faith journey together. Thank you for welcoming me into the community and to all of you who witnessed our ordination last Sunday.

After 15 years of service to the diocese, Judith Coleman, receptionist at the synod office, has announced that it's time for her to retire. Her last day in the synod office will be October 14, 2021.

Judith has long been the "heart and soul" of the synod office, and many of us will miss her cheerful voice on the other end of the phone, or even better, her warm greetings at the door. She has served three bishops and seen our diocese through times of grief, adaptation and celebration. At the synod office, we're already lamenting the loss of Judith's incredible "institutional memory." You can always count on her to know the answer to, "Hey Judith, do you remember in the early 90s what happened when..." Mostly though, the whole diocese will miss Judith's care and attention for every single person who walked through the synod office doors or sent an email asking for help. She has been constant source of positivity, guidance, and care to all of us.

However, after 50 years of working, we know Judith is looking forward to discovering the joy of retirement.

Congratulations Judith!

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A personal note from the Synod office:

For Judith’s retirement, we’d like to inundate her with cards of thanks. Over the next three weeks, we envision that every mail delivery to the synod office to have multiple envelopes addressed to Judith!

If you are able, please pick up a card that reminds you of Judith and write words of thanks, congratulations, and best wishes: tell her your favourite memory together; tell her your best retirement advice; tell her what you’ll miss most about her; tell her thanks for everything! Drop it in the mail addressed to:

Judith Coleman

Anglican Diocese of BC

900 Vancouver Street

Victoria, BC V8V 3V7

It would be ideal if all the cards could be mailed by Friday, October 8, so that they all arrive before her last day on October 14 (but anything that arrives after that we’ll forward on to her).

Although we hope to be able to celebrate in person with our recipients, it is likely that numbers will be limited. Please plan to join us online. The service will be live streamed on the diocesan and cathedral websites.

A list of 2021 recipients will be published in early September. Look for more in the Diocesan Post and on the diocesan and parish websites then.

About the Order

The Order recognizes the faithful and outstanding service of people to various diocesan and parish ministries.

Rank

Ranks are the levels within an Order. For example the Order of Canada has three: Companion, officer and member. Our diocesan Order has two: Officer and member. The rank of member is conferred on a lay person in recognition of their outstanding voluntary serve in the parish for a significant period of time. The rank of officer is conferred for diocesan or national church volunteer service over a significant period.

Honorary positions

Both the member and officer ranks have an honourary equivalent. As we strive to strengthen both our ecumenical and multi-faith ties, these allow the diocese to recognize the individuals of different denominations and faiths who have upheld and served to promote the same ideals we espouse.

Nominations

The nomination period for this year’s investiture closed April 30, though given it was new we were accepting up to the end of May. Those being honoured were advised earlier this month.

It is expected that there will be an investiture once every two years and nominations for the next investiture, in the autumn of 2020, will open in January of 2020.

Each parish has the opportunity to nominate one of their own to the rank of member each time. (Though not every parish took advantage of the opportunity in this inaugural year, we hope all will wish to next time). In contrast, there can only be a maximum of five officers invested each time and because this is in recognition of diocesan work their nomination must be endorsed by at least five people from five different parishes.

In addition to the above, the bishop has within her gift, the ability to appoint five members and two officers to the Order each time. There is also a limit three honourary members and one honourary officer that may be appointed at any one time.

Regalia

At an investiture the recipient receives the following:

Neck medal—This medal is a replica of the insignia of the Order, which itself is the new diocesan badge that was granted by the chief herald of Canada in 2017.

Designed especially for the purpose, it contains two main elements. At its centre is the “Bishop Hill” cross from the diocesan coat of arms, granted in 1859, this represents the rich history of our diocese. The second element is four dragonflies, one between each of the arms of the cross. This is to depict the continuing journey we are on, not least with our First Nations brothers & sisters. The dragonfly was designed for the chief herald by Doug LaFortune of the Tsawout First Nation on the Saanich peninsula.

The medal’s main colours are the same as the insignia, red and blue. The member medal is on a “silver” base whilst the officer medal is on a “gold” base. The ribbon is specific medal ribbon, which was obtained from the same supplier in the UK as supplies the Order of Canada (and everyone else — it’s a very specialized thing it seems). We designed it to complement the medal, with again a slight difference between member and officer.

Lapel pin — As the neck medal should only be worn on specific occasions each recipient also receives a lapel pin intended for everyday use.

Certificate — Each recipient also receives their official letter attesting to their appointment to the Order, it is signed by the registrar and secretary of the Order and affixed with the seal of the Order.

Motto

“Faithfulness” This single word has been used to honour the faithful service over a considerable time by the members of the Order to their parish family, the Diocese of British Columbia and the wider church and community. It also acknowledges that our service is rooted in faithful adherence to the teachings of Christ.

The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia (also known as the diocese of islands and inlets) is seeking a part-time (21 hrs/wk) administrative assistant to support the synod office, located in Fairfield/downtown Victoria.

The administrative assistant will maintain regular weekly office hours and provide support to several departments within the synod office, including the bishop’s office, communications, finance and the archives. The assistant will fill a broad and varied spectrum of tasks, including (but not limited to) responding to public requests for information, file management, handling mail and correspondence, scheduling, and basic office organization/purchasing (i.e. ordering supplies, liaising with vendors, etc.). The assistant will also help organize one-off projects such as communication campaigns, fundraisers and special events.

The assistant must possess excellent verbal and written English communications skills, enthusiasm for change and adaptation and a positive, optimistic attitude.

We are looking for an individual who has a minimum of five years experience in administrative work and, ideally, a post-secondary education in office administration. Advanced computer literacy is a necessity, and proficiency with the Microsoft Office365 Suite is preferred.

The following skills or experience are not required, but would be an asset:

accounts payable/receivable experience or training
writing or proofreading
communications (branding, messaging, social media, etc.)

Candidates must be able to provide a Police Information Check with a Vulnerable Sector search, and abide by the diocesan policies including a confidentiality agreement, information security policy, social media policy and privacy policy.

About the synod office

The synod office is a professional but casual working environment where a small, tight team works together to serve a diocese of forty-six worshipping communities through the administration of people, payroll, insurance, property management, refugee programming, community and congregational development, and archival management.

The Diocese of British Columbia is an equitable employer that operates on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Broughton Archipelago with humility and gratitude to the First Peoples of Turtle Island on whose traditional lands we work and play. We are a regional expression of the Anglican Church of Canada, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We are a progressive church where seekers are welcome to receive communion, baptism, marriage, and ordination on an equal basis.

COVID-19 precautions

The synod office is a stand-alone building that has a total of 10 staff members working in it; most weekdays there are 6-8 staff in the building. The office has COVID procedures in place, however, the administrative assistant would be required to interact with some members of the public, such as couriers and individuals with appointments.

How to apply

Please address your résumé and covering letter to The Right Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee, bishop of the diocese. Applications can be emailed to jobs@bc.anglican.ca. Deadline to receive applications: September 27, 2021, 5:00pm

For a limited time, your donation to the Shelbourne Community Kitchen will be matched by a generous donor!

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen provides FRESH & HEALTHY food to 650 adults and 90 children through their pantry program.

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen's (The Kitchen) latest fundraising effort has been given a huge boost by a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The donor has offered to match any donations up to $20,000.

This generous offer could not have come at a better time as the need for programs has more than doubled due to COVID, and The Kitchen has moved to a new location in order to meet the growing community need for food security. The Kitchen is so grateful for donors who step up at times like this.

The Kitchen now has over 1,100 members and 830 participants who access programs, has faced numerous challenges over the past year. The Kitchen is so proud of how their team pivoted in 2020. They never missed a day of service and went above and beyond to keep healthy food accessible even as their numbers doubled.

Growing need, along with the expense of renovating and moving to a larger space has resulted in the need for additional funding. Due to the move and COVID, The Kitchen has had to rely more grocery vouchers and less on food donations. It is hoped the fundraising campaign will raise enough cash to meet this need as well as help equip The Kitchen for its new opening, expected in September. The new location is in Unit 101, 3787 Cedar Hill Road, just a few blocks from the old location.

Donations can be made through the website www.shelbournecommunitykitchen.ca or directly through www.canadahelps.org and search for the Shelbourne Community Kitchen.

See more information at
the Shelbourne Community Kitchen's Double the Need, Double the Donation page.

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