BISHOP'S LENTEN PROJECT 2005

January 2005

Dear Children's Ministry Reps.,

In this package you will find all the materials necessary to implement this year's Project in your Parish.

Please click this link to find out a little more about the Comfy Cozy Fund.

We would encourage you to work with the children in your church to set up a display including all the Resources found in this package.

Also enclosed is a sheet of suggestions for activities in Lent. This page is for photocopying and can be handed out to all those participating in the project.

We hope that your congregation will be anxious to join in with other churches promoting this project which is so kindly endorsed by our Bishop.

Last year close to $2,000.00 was raised for our Residential Schools project, this year we hope that we can, at least, equal that achievement as we reach out to children who are patients of the Oncology Dept. at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Please do contact me if you need any other information or if you have suggestions and comments.

Every blessing to you and the Children in your care as we approach the Season of Lent.

Here are some activity ideas for the Bishop's Lenten Project 2005 Comfy Cozy Fund.

In His Service,
Valerie

p.s. The Children’s Hospital has provided us with some collecting cans. These are not intended to replace the children’s individual collecting containers but could be placed near your B.L.P. display or at Coffee Hour etc. We are trying to find ways to get them out into the Parishes as efficiently as possible. At the end of Lent please empty the cans and add the contents to all other contributions. The resulting total should be sent as a Cheque made out to- The Synod of the Diocese of Montreal, with a notation Bishop’s Lenten Project. Please do try to send your donations in by April 30, 2005.

BISHOP'S LENTEN PROJECT 2004

This year, Kidstuff, with the full endorsement of Archbishop Andrew, has chosen to focus the BLP on the Settlement Fund for Residential Schools to which our Diocese, along with all others across Canada, has made a commitment.

We, at Kidstuff, felt it was important for our children to feel included in this larger covenant and to understand at their own learning level, something of the history behind the Residential Schools.

Without expecting children to take the blame for past wrongs we do see that learning about First Nations culture, respecting our aboriginal brothers and sisters, sympathizing with those who were hurt as children, and finally, working for a better future in which such situations will not arise again, are all constructive ways in which to engage children in this Project.

A full package is available for download and includes:

1. Maps outlining the location of the Residential Schools and other Background Materials;
   
2. A Let's Get Involved sheet to photocopy for each child;
   
3. A pattern and instructions for making a Teepee Collecting Box;
   
4. Four weekly subject outlines to explore with the children either at church or at home;
   
5. Excerpts from poetry and prose that, along with other materials, could be assembled as a display board in your Church, serving as a reminder of both the Settlement Fund and the Bishop's Lenten Project to the whole congregation.

To download the Bishop's Lenten Project Package for 2004:

Because of the large file size (about 1MB) it is recommended that you download the file to your desktop before printing it from your computer by right-clicking (on the mouse) or control while (keyboard) clicking (one button mouse)
The Bishop's Lenten Project Package for 2004 file is available from this link in
Adobe Acrobat PDF files.The Acrobat document reader is usually included with your WWW browser (Netscape Navigatior or Internet Explorer) but may be downloaded for free at the Adobe Acrobat Reader page.

BISHOP'S LENTEN PROJECT 2003


2003
Last year the Bishop's Lenten Project will focus on Estere Cernat's ministry with Gypsy families and orphanages in Romania. We hope that your congregation will be anxious to join in with other churches promoting this project which is so kindly endorsed by our Archbiship.

Last year over $2,000 was raised for our 9/11 project. This year we hope that we can, at least, equeal that achievement as we reach out to the gypsy children of Southern Romania.

Please contact Valerie Taylor if you need any information or if you have suggestions and comments. Every blessing to you and the Children in your care as we approach the Season of Lent.

• The endorsement from our Archbishop
• A letter from the Cernat's ministry in Romania

Have you received your Bishop's Lenten Project 2003 package?

If not, please contact Robert Camara at the Synod Office (514)843-6577 and he will make sure that your name is on our list.

BLP 2001
Our total for 2001 was close to $1,500. If we could top that this year, then the children of our diocese will have made a significant contribution to help rebuild two areas devastated by recent world crisis.


PLANNING FOR PARENTS OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

A special program of long-term planning of handicapped children was recently launched in Montreal by the Foundation of the Mentally Retarded. It is designed to provide lifetime personal networks for these children after the death of their parents. Named the William Shannon Endowment Program (WSEP), after a past president of the Foundation, it is base on an advocacy program set up in Vancouver 10 years ago.--
“Essentially what we do is create a circle of friends for each child, who will make sure that the child’s needs are met throughout his or her lifetime,” says Nichole Marchessault, WSEP executive director. “WSEP makes a commitment to the family to maintain and monitor that circle even when some members want to, or must be, replaced. The important thing for us is that members have a real in-depth, relationship with the handicapped person.”
Membership in WSEP is $700. Given that the Vancouver organization has been able to attract corporate sponsorships for families who would need financial assistance to join, WSEP will be also looking at that possibility here. For further  information: 620-4380



CUT and PASTE NEWSLETTER
A Children's ministry newslettter.

• An opportunity to share opinions with church school leaders
• Provides ideas for successful children’s ministry programs
• Photocopy able for use in your church

Subscriptions are $20 for 5 issues Make checques payable to
“St. Chrisptopher's Church Cut and Paste and mail to:

Cut and paste
St. Christopher's Parish Centre
662 Guelph Line
Burlington, ON, L7R 3M8

Really Practical a useful way for us to network. St. James, Gravenhurst, On.” Many congratulations it looks really good and accessible.
Janet Marshell Elbner, Diocese of Toronto

In children's ministry we are always looking for ideas asking questions and posing possibilities is appealing.
Dr. Beth Posterski, Tyndale College and Seminary, Toronto, Ont.

In Christ Church Cathedral we greet people from Ste. Catherine Street who are waiting for the parade and offer them hot chocolate, a chance to warm up, listen to organ music, chat or view a video inside the Cathedral. This program has been a resounding success. We are offering it again this year. This years' Santa Claus Parade Outreach will take place on Saturday, November 15th (10AM - 1PM) in the Narthex of Christ Church Cathedral. Anyone wishing to spend an hour or more volunteering with this project (handing out hot chocolate & our special Gospel packages) please contact Valerie Taylor by e-mail or phone at 484-1414.

This is a wonderful outreach to our community and a wonderful opportunity for deaneries to work together as a team and volunteer as a deanery. Maybe someone else in your deanery wants to help but not alone. So call your Regional Rep.

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It’s hard to believe, but there are people in this world who have never sung a note in their life. There are people whose days are not filled with the urge to copy the song of a bird, or to sing along with the office radio. There are people who never play anything but the news, or the sports or worse, the weather, on their car radio. But music relaxes you; some even takes you to a higher place in consciousness, elevates your soul, enables you to become a better person. My task was to bring them the joy of music, so they, in turn, would let music resonate in their lives, and so, make them better Looking at the Children’s Choir, listening to them has been a wonderful part of my life for about four years. It soon became apparent to me that I was doing more than just teaching people how to read music and play an instrument. I took over teaching the children of the Choirs elements of musicianship and also vocal coaching. And in the past two years, through observing the children, their wants and needs, the music programme has developed into the music and Dance programme, where children of school age can sing in the Choirs, conducted by the Cathedral’s music director, Mr. Patrick Wedd, learn the basics of dance with dancer-choreographer Ms.Rosemary Cass-Beggs, and develop their vocal technique and musicianship in weekly coaching sessions with me.

And then, there was Josh. Josh couldn't have been more than four years old when he came with his dad to help around during the girls choir weekend. As we were getting started in learning short and long turns in a procession, Josh ran down the aisle, shouting "wait for me! Wait for me!". So we did. Someone handed him a hymnbook, which he held upside down, and we gave him the middle spot at the end, just before the last row of processors. He was beaming. And although he was too young to join the choir (one must be able to read words), something had to be done for Josh and children under 8. So was born the latest addition to the Music and Dance programme: The Youngsters. Their age and reading abilities are keeping them away from the choir for yet a little more time, but their willingness and eagerness is hard to miss! The children are here, now; now is the time to start teaching them. Someone whose name sadly eludes me once said: "educate your young, you will provide for your future". It's not nearly enough to wait in hope that children will develop into thriving members of society; it makes sense to give an early start to those who are, so to speak, waiting in the wings, along with guiding the young singers through the learning of their craft. But what about other children, the ones who don’t know they have access to all of this? The recent addition of Kids in the City to our family of Music and Dance has a goal to cater to those children. Aged 8 to 18, we welcome them once a month for an afternoon of choral music, which culminates with the broadcast of Evensong on Radio Ville-Marie (91.3 FM, Sundays at 4 pm). But this is not the end, rather the beginning of an era where children, of all ages, are enabled to enjoy music not only through listening, but performing. The quality of music is a priority to us. We hope that through our Music and Dance programme we are reaching the soul of future generations.

Ms. Mayer can be reached at the Cathedral office (514)843-6577, and by e-mail at mayerlucie@hotmail.com
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Is an organization that collects shoe boxes of small gifts/articles to be distributed to children around the world. These boxes of simple gifts are normally the only Christmas present the children receive. In order to cover the cost of shipping and distributing the boxes around the world, $5.00 is needed for each box. Since this can prove to be a major expense, donation (s) to assist with the shipping costs may be also requested from the congregation.

Astrid Norquay will be doing it in her own parish, unfortunately she is unable to co-ordinate a large scale effort throughout the Diocese this year. She is more than willing to speak to anyone who would like any information, videos, contact people's names and the locationof this year's processing centre. Anyone who would be interest in helping to co-ordinate this program throughout the Diocese please call Astrid Norquay (819) 687-3776 or e-mail-- norquay@rougenet.qc.ca

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Kidstuff is a regular contributor to this extremely worthwhile organization. As a part of their 50th anniversary celebration they are offering very attractive Christmas Cards to order. Box sets are $10.00.