Brandon

204-727-7550
diobran@mb.sympatico.ca

Companion: Internal –Essex Deanery in Diocese of Huron
Begun: Oct.2006
Expires: 2011 Renewable

Contact:
The Rt. Rev. James D. Njegovan
Box 21009,W.E.P.O.
Brandon, MB R7B 3W8
bishopbdn@mts.net

British Columbia

250-386-7781
synod@acts.bc.ca

Companion: Province of Myanmar (Burma)    
Begun: Oct. 1998
Expires: Oct. 2011

Contact:
Ms. Kirsten McMenamie
Chair Diocesan Partners in Mission Committee
404-1040 Southgate St.
Victoria, BC, V8V 2Z2
e-mail: kirstenmcmenamie.horncastle@gmail.com

Note: A pronunciation guide is available online.

Calgary

403-243-3673
diocese@calgary.anglican.ca

Companion: Windward Islands
Begun: Fall 2002
Expires: Fall 2012

Contact:
The Rev. David Holmes, Committee Chair
Box 199
Rimbey, AB, T0C 2J0
holmeskd@telus.net

Central Interior-Anglican Parishes

(778) 471-5573

Companion: Diocese of Montreal           
Begun: October 2008
Expires: October 2013

Contact:
The Rev. Isabel Healy Morrow
308 Royal Avenue
Kamloops, BC, V2B 3P5
(250) 376-3243
stgeorges@shaw.ca

Central Newfoundland

709-256-2372 (tel)
709-256-2396 (fax)
bishopcentral@nfld.net

Companion: Diocese of  Belize        
Begun: 2007

Contact:
The Rev. Yvonne Thistle
PO Box 107
Victoria Cove, NL, A0G 4N0
Phone and Fax: 709-676-2005
yvonne.thistle@nf.sympatico.ca

Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador

709-576-6697 (tel)
709-576-7122 (fax)
ecrisby@anglican.nf.net

Companion: Belize    
Begun: March 2010
Expires: No expiry date

Contact:
The Ven. Sandra Tilley
Diocese of Eastern Nfld/Labrador
19 King’s Bridge Road
St. John’s, NL A1C 3K4
stilley@anglicanenl.net
709-576-6697

Edmonton

780-439-7344(tel)
780-439-6549(fax)
churched@telusplanet.net

Companion: Diocese of Buye, Burundi
Begun: May 25, 2009
Expries: No expiry date

Contact:
Sarah Kemp
Executive assistant to the Bishop
10035-103 Street
Edmonton, AB, T5J 0X5
780-439-7344

Program website

Fredericton

506-459-1801 (tel)
506-460-0520(fax)
diocfton@nbnet.nb.ca

Companion: Diocese of Ho, Ghana Church of the province of West Africa
Begun: Mid-2007

Contact:
Heather Miller
102 Meadow Drive
Darlings Island, NB. E5N 6R3
506-832-7876
millerc@nbnet.nb.ca

Program website

Huron

519-434-6893(tel)
519-673-4151(fax)
huron@huron.anglican.ca

Companion: Diocese of Mthatha Umtata, Eastern Cape. South Africa
Begun: May 2003, renewed in 2008
Expires: May 2013

Contact:
Rev’d Deacon Hugh Gissing.
Chair, Bishops Companion Diocese Committee.
40 Maple Drive
Miller Lake, ON
519-795-7012
taskanee@mtelecom.net

Kootenay

250-762-3306 (tel)
250-762-4150(fax)
diocese_of_kootenay@telus.net

Companion: Northern Mexico
Begun: May 2000, reaffirmed in 2002
Expires: no expiry date

Contact:
Archbishop John Privett
1876 Richter Street
Kelowna, BC V1Y 2M9
250-762-3306 ext.10

Montreal

514-843-6577
bishop.office@montreal.anglican.ca

Companion: Diocese of Masasi, Tanzania
Begun: February 2008
Expires: January 2013

Companion: Anglican Parishes of Central Interior
Begun: October 2008
Expires: October 2013

Contact:
Penny Noel
Chair, Companion Diocese Committee, Diocese of Montreal
285 Inglewood Ave
Pointe- Claire QC H9R 2Z3
514-697-7636(tel)
450-226-7820(tel)

New Westminster

604-684-6306 (tel)
604-684-7017 (fax)
bishop@vancouver.anglican.ca

Companion: Taiwan
Begun: May 2005
Expires: 2016

Contact: The Rt. Rev. Michael Ingham
Suite 580, 401 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC, V6B 5A1
bishop@vancouver.anglican.ca

www.vancouver.anglican.ca

Niagara

905-527-1316(tel)
905-527-1281 (fax)
bishop@niagara.anglican.ca

Companion: Cuba
Begun: Nov. 1998
Renewed: 2012

Contact:

Mrs Karen Nowicki
Diocese of Niagara, Ext.380
252 James Street North
Hamilton,ON, L8R 2L3
Karen.nowicki@niagara.anglican.ca

Ontario

613-544-4774
synod@ontario.anglican.ca

Companion: S.W. Brazil
Begun: May 2003
Extendes indefinitely

Contact:
Anne Patterson
Diocese of Ontario
90 Johnson Street
Kingston, ON, K7L 1X7

Ottawa

613-232-7124(tel)
613-232-7088 (fax)

Companion: Jerusalem
Begun: October 2011
Expires: No expiry date

Contact:
The Rev. John Chapman
71 Bronson Avenue
Ottawa,ON K1R 6G6
bishopoffice@ottawa.anglican.ca

Program website

Qu’Appelle

306-522-1608 (tel)
306-352-6808 (fax)
quappelle@sasktel.net

Companion: Lichfield (U.K.)

Companion: Diocese of Muyinga, Burundi
Begun: Dec. 2009

Contact:
The Rev. Winna Martin
Assistant to the Bishop
1501 College Avenue
Regina. SK S4P 1B8
winna@sasktel.net

Quebec

418-692-3858 (tel)
418-692-3876 (fax)
synodoffice@quebec.anglican.ca

Companion: Diocese of Bujumbura, Burundi and Moray Ross & Caithness, Scotland
Begun: 2009
Expires: 2017

Contact:
The Rt. Rev. Dennis Drainville
31 rue des Jardins
Quebec,QC G1R 4L6
synodoffice@quebec.anglican.ca

Saskatoon

306-244-5651 (tel)
306-933-4606(fax)
anglicansynod@sasktel.net

Contact:
The Right Revd. David M. Irving
P.O. BOX 1965
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. S7K 3S5

or

1403-9^th.Ave. N
Saskatoon
bishopdavid@sasktel.net

Note: Currently looking at two possibilities

I woke up this morning feeling like we needed just one more blog post to wrap up our trip. The Primate suggested the title “Three happy cheers” because this is how we were welcomed in many places. These cheers were enthusiatic and loud—sometimes deafening.

I also wanted an excuse to show you this above picture of our Primate at the Garanga farm last week. At our farewell dinner, Archbishop David Vunagi commended our Primate’s “humility and perseverance.” Here he is bearing a long, hot journey with a big smile.

A couple of final thoughts on our visit:

• This was a visit to renew and refocus our churches’ longstanding partnership, which has been rooted in supporting theological education (through scholarships, and Canadian faculty visits) and has expanded much since then.
• 2013 will be the 50^th anniversary of our churches’ partnership. There are plans in the works to bring Archbishop Vunagi to Canada.
• We came away with plans to strengthen our cooperative work: visits on both sides, possible funding for the good ministry we’ve seen, website collaboration, and more.

So I promise, this really this is my last blog post. We are all so grateful to the Anglican Church of Melanesia for their welcome, which we echo back to them. Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! And thank you, thank you, thank you.

The TRC has gone through a process of public and closed hearings and has gathered around 5,000 pieces of information. They have written a report that many hope will be made public by July.

For an hour we listened and talked, comparing the work here to Canada’s current TRC on Indian residential schools.

We were especially interested to hear that churches here played a powerful role in the TRC because they were viewed as neutral. Here are some things we learned:

• The churches (in the form of the ecumenical Solomon Islands Christian Association) called for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
• Father Sam Ata, a Malaitan, was chosen as chair because clergy worked to be impartial during the conflict. Father Ata once had to tell a fellow Malaitan that he belonged to the church first, not Malaita.
• Father Ata cultivated a network of Christians who prayed for the commission. They would light candles in Australia and New Zealand whenever there was a public hearing.
• The Right Rev. Dr. Terry Brown, former bishop of Malaita and a Canadian, edited the report.
• Almost all of the public hearings happened in churches. Some Christian leaders were concerned about repurposing their worship spaces, but many eventually conceded.
• Father Ata hopes that now that the commission has ended, the church will take a lead in providing trauma counseling and exhuming bodies—the community networks know where people are buried.
• “The church speaks the language of reconciliation,” said Father Ata. “Not the government.”

So it was an inspiring and full day, after many inspiring and full days. Tomorrow we begin our long journey back (through Vanuatu, Fiji, and Los Angeles), so this will most likely be my last blog post. Thank you for reading! More stories from the Anglican Church of Melanesia will run in the Anglican Journal in the months to come.

I have another quick note for today, just to say that I found a gospel canoe. The Melanesian brothers used one at our morning service and when I snuck back to look at it I saw it was painted with these words: “Christ in culture.”

Indeed. Everywhere we’ve worshipped in the Anglican Church of Melanesia, there has been something uniquely Melanesian. Warriors. Bamboo wall panels. Hymns that sing of sea, fish, and islands. Inlaid shell designs in altars, prayer benches, and candlesticks.

There was even a canoe used at the cathedral service last week, to carry the sacraments during the offertory procession I wrote about earlier.

Is this what people mean when they talk of an “indigenized church?” Out of all churches I’ve seen in my limited travels, this one is the best at integrating local culture. Yet there are still echoes of the colonial period—old language and foreign imagery (like snow) do pop up in a service.

We have just one more full day here but I hope to talk to some of the leaders about this. How (and why) does ACOM foster indigenous culture?

When was the last time you met an Anglican nun? Here in the Anglican Church of Melanesia the religious orders are everywhere: approximately 600 members and growing.

Today we completed our tour of the church’s four communities, two male and two female. It’s been fascinating to see their different, but united, ministries. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many habits in my life.

Tabalia was our stop today, to meet the Melanesian Brothers, ACOM’s biggest religious community. The brotherhood has around 350 active members plus houses in the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu.

The Melanesian Brothers are also known for their recent martyrs. In 2003, seven brothers were killed trying to negotiate peace during violent ethnic tensions. We saw their pristine graves today and the Primate prayed in remembrance, linking hands with the head brother, Matthias.

Other ACOM religious communities are the Melanesian Sisters, the Sisters of the Church, and the Society of Saint Francis.

All support ACOM and they often have joint missions. The sisterhoods share leadership at the Christian Care Centre for victims of domestic violence. Today when we visited a correctional centre we also saw representatives from each community.

The orders are also deeply integrated into parish life. Many churches are linked to a brother or sister for prayer and spiritual direction. Many Anglicans here support orders as companions. You see the medals everywhere, hung from beaded shell necklaces.

So why do so many young people sign up?

Sister Marie, Sisters of the Church, told me that she wanted to explore beyond her village and help others. Brother Matthias said that he felt called to help the church in its mission. Many others join because it is an opportunity for education.

ACOM is known for these orders. Archbishop Hiltz emphasized several times that the Melanesian religious orders were an essential presence at the Lambeth Conference. Their gifts were panpipes, prayer, and joy.

A couple of times various ACOM staff have wondered aloud what a Melanesian community would look like in Canada. I wonder too. There’s something amazing about these faithful, generous people that gives a unique glimpse of the face of God.

Margaret Aihunu is one of the top women in the Anglican Church of Melanesia. She’s the only woman on the 20-member Cathedral Chapter, the provincial body that makes decisions between national meetings (like our Council of General Synod).

Margaret was stunned when the previous archbishop invited her to join back in 2000. “Why me?” she wondered. “O God, there are better women than me, women in higher positions.”

Women’s ministry is often separate in the ACOM. The Mother’s Union is the largest church organization—16,000 members strong. The women’s religious orders are also strong and growing. Wherever we go, women are active teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, and preparing meals.

Yet women do not serve in ordained ministry. Some dioceses want to ordain women but others say this runs contrary to Melanesian culture. Certainly this is the message at the national level; all members of parliament are male.

For many years Margaret faithfully served in traditional women’s spheres. She is a secondary school teacher and founded the cathedral’s Sunday school in 1973.

When she was invited to join the chapter, Margaret prayed and consulted for three months. She talked to her husband, the dean, and finally a retired bishop who told her, “God has made the decision. You have been chosen by prayers.”

Margaret decided to go for it. At first she was quiet during meetings but then she joined the debates.

“I wanted to help people make balanced decisions,” she said. “It’s important to share the ministry of women and remind men that women have the same knowledge and that in partnership we can make the church a better place for all.”

Her ministry proved crucial during the ethnic tensions of 2000. Margaret led a group of women who negotiated with militants on both sides of the conflict. Their work was strengthened by a maternal appeal.

“We told the militants we want peace for children and women because they suffer the most,” said Margaret. “I told them, I have two boys. I don’t want them to fight like this. Let us live in harmony.”

Archbishop David Vunagi has made women’s empowerment a priority in his ministry as Primate. So what will this process look like in a Melanesian context? Often Melanesians describe the church as one of three social strands, alongside government and traditional culture. Change will be dependent on these other parts, and in the meantime, Margaret serves.

 1. The Isabella

We were aboard the Isabella for 10 hours from Honiara to Santa Isabel. It was very much a public transport ship—big, creaky, oily and packed with people (and cockroaches). At 200 Solomon dollars one way ($30 Canadian) it’s the most affordable way to travel. We were among the privileged few to have a simple berth at the top of the ship.

2. Motorboat

There are hardly any roads and just a couple of cars on all of Isabel. Most people get around by hiring a motorboat to zip along the shoreline. You usually wade out to the boat in water that feels like a warm bath.

3. Tractor

To get to the farm at Garanga we travelled for 30 minutes by tractor. It was bumpy and hot but Bishop Naramana gave us each a hat to shield us from the sun. At one point we passed through a Malaysian logging camp and watched them haul enormous trunks of hardwood out to the Solomon Sea.

4. Wading

Just before we got to the farm there was a river to cross. We took off our shoes and grabbed the shoulders of our guides so we could make it over the slippery rocks. Hilda Naramana, the bishop’s wife, gave me her sturdy plastic sandals for the journey.

5. Plane

We flew back to Honiara on a noisy nine-seater plane. It took only 40 minutes and we could watch the little islands and turquoise reefs from above.

The only surprise on this last leg was that we had to wait for five hours before the plane arrived. There was no terminal so we were forced to sit outside and admire this view from our departure lounge. Not too bad.

It takes a lot of sweat and muscle to turn 15 hectares of dense forest into cocoa groves. For the labourers at the Diocese of Ysabel’s Garanga farm, it took a year and a half of chopping down trees and preparing soil with only basic machinery.

That started in 2004. Now the farm is running well, growing cocoa for export and other produce for the local market, including papayas, coconut, and betel nut for chewing.

The core funding for this work comes from the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund.

We saw it with our own eyes a couple of days ago. The Canadian team, Archbishop David and Mary Vunagi, Bishop Richard Naramana and others from the Diocese of Ysabel walked down a makeshift palm-tree boulevard in the centre of the farm and saw the lush crops on either side.

All around Garanga are elevated wooden buildings, homes for farm workers. There is also a newly built chapel with a handmade leaf roof.

We also saw the cocoa drier—net mesh high on a wooden platform with space for fire underneath. The cocoa is kept warm and dry until a boat arrives to take it to Honiara.

It’s high-quality produce. Last year Garanga’s cocoa was selected as an exemplary Solomon Islands crop for foreign buyers to taste.

Bishop Naramana explained to us the challenges of Garanga: the struggle to pay the workers (who in turn pay their children’s school fees), the continuing manual labour with axes and bush knives, and the floods that sometimes wash away crops.

The diocese perseveres because, as with its other ministries, they are driven by a vision.

“When the farm is in full fruition and can generate enough income it will support the mission of the church because now we are a growing but poor church,” said Bishop Naramana. Already the labourers have prepared another 20 hectares for farming.

Now the Canadian team can return with good news to PWRDF and encourage them to keep up their $15,000 annual grant. This farm is on the move.

The Primate visited with each family and blessed each child in the ward. He has asked for you to remember them all by name in your prayers:

Charleven
Eliem
Lydia
Benjamin
Margaret
Stephen
Myra
Godin
Santon
Janet
Dalrisa
George
Felix
Aisha
Miriam
Clyde
Junior Riala
Trevor
Barbara
Agnes
Calwin
Joween
Nason
Charlie
Shalton
Florence
Matrissa
Janet
Mary