As we enter the somber and reflective season of Lent, I am requesting and inviting all members of CALC to join in prayer and fasting for the salvation of the lost and the revival of our CALC congregations.
Prayer is a gift to us as believers and holds great power. Please join me in this effort.
Be strong in the Lord!
Pastor Jim President
Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations
CALC's President Visits Guyana
A team consisting of President Jim Bredeson, Pastor Sherland and Shanta Chhangur, and ILT Executive Vice President Leon Miles visited the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Guyana. The visit was spearheaded by Sherland Chhangur in response to the pastoral training needs in Guyana. The church consists of 43 congregations with only 5 ordained pastors. Our desire is to see pastors trained in country in order to encourage the retention of pastors in country rather than emigrating to North America.
Left to right:Pastor James Jones, President James Bredeson, Rev. Sherland Chhangur, President Leroy Nicholson, Mr. Leon Miles
The highlight of the visit was a meeting with members of the executive of the ELCG including President Leroy Nicholson and Pastor James Jones. We proposed that CALC would help facilitate ILT training of pastors in Guyana. The educational level of the Guyanese, the fact that English is the native language, and the time zone is Atlantic Time all add to the possibilities here. We also are looking forward to the possibility of a relationship between CALC and ELCG.
The swan is seen in every Lutheran Church. This is rooted in what proto-reformer, Jan Hus, a priest in Bohemia one hundred years before the Lutheran Reformation. When he was burned at the stake Hus allegedly proclaimed, “Burn this goose (“Hus” is the Czech word for goose) and in a hundred years a swan will arise.” The Lutheran Church in Guyana is a swan which carries the gospel to the people of that land just as CALC does in our country.
April 21-22 2023 Annual General Convention Holiday Inn & Suites Edmonton Airport - Conference Center, Nisku, AB Registration fee for in-person attendance: $240.00 per person.
Registration fee for online attendance: $125.00 per person. Click here for a brochure on the convention. Click here to register for the convention.
April 19-20 CALC Pastors' Study Retreat 2023 Hastings Bible Camp, Sherwood Park, AB Registration Fee: $120.00 per person. Click here for a brochure on the study retreat. Click hereto register for the study retreat
There will be two vacancies on our National Council which must be filled at the business meeting of our 2023 Annual General Convention on Saturday April 22, 2023.
The vacancies are:
Vice President(currently Mr. Fred Schickedanz)
Treasurer (currently Mrs. Helen Zacharias)
Click hereto access information on the office of the Vice President, the office Treasurer and the procedure for nominating a candidate.
Click here to nominate a candidate for either of these offices.
Get ready to hear about an exciting journey to the heart of Guyana!
The Executive Vice President of ILT, Leon Miles, joined President Jim Bredeson of the Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations (CALC) and Pastor Sherland Chhangur of CALC in a recent visit to Guyana. The purpose of the visit was to offer assistance in training ELCG pastors and to meet with the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Guyana (ELCG).
During the meeting, Mr. Miles, President Leroy Nicolson and council members Pastor James Jones and Secretary Elucia Smith discussed the urgent need for more pastors and training to support the growing population in Guyana. In March, the national council of the ELCG will be meeting to discuss a potential partnership with ILT and CALC.
Let’s join in prayer for the ELCG and their journey towards a brighter future. Perhaps, God will bring us together to serve his people in Guyana in a truly special way!
ILT's Christ School Of Theology
Ph.D. Program
Are you aware of the meteoric growth of the Ph.D. program at ILT's Christ School of Theology? Beginning in the fall of 2019, the program currently has twenty five students from around the world enrolled.
Besides working with the faculty of the Christ School of Theology, our Ph.D. students have the opportunity to work with three distinguished Ph.D. Fellows who mentor students, read exams, offer courses, and who direct Ph.D. projects.
Meet our Ph.D. Fellows!
Dr. Paul Hinlicky has been with ILT since its very beginnings and was named a Ph.D. Fellow in 2019. He is author of over 10 books and scores of academic articles and reviews. With a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary, Paul offers many courses to our Ph.D. students including a seminar on the work of Robert Jenson this semester.
Dr. Mark Mattes has been working with ILT for many years and was named a Ph.D. Fellow in 2019. He is the author of 5 books and many academic articles, reviews, and videos. With a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, Mattes is teaching Gadamer and the Hermeneutical Tradition to students this semester, and just completed a January course on the Theology of Oswald Bayer.
Dr. Dennis Ngien was named a Ph.D. fellow in 2020. He is the author of 10 books and scores of academic articles. With a Ph.D. from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, Ngien will be teaching on Luther and spirituality in the summer of 2024
Add these three powerful scholars to the work of our faculty in Luther Studies (Jack Kilcrease and Dennis Bielfeldt) and you see what a special Ph.D. program ILT has. Join the renaissance of the study of classical theology at ILT. We study the sources deeply, and with a Lutheran eye!
Victory Lutheran Church is passionate about Word Sacrament, and Spirit, and its vision is to be a church for the city, building families and impacting the community. In pursuing this vision, Victory is actively involved in our local community of Medicine Hat, Alberta, chiefly through a para-church ministry called MyCityCare. Through MyCityCare we host a free clothing store, a free food pantry, offer free counseling sessions with professional Christian counselors, gifts for children of needy families at Christmas time, and a “prom night” for children and adults with physical and/or mental disabilities. Victory is also keen on educating laypeople in the rich heritage of Christianity by offering a Classic Christian Texts study class as well as sharing our Lutheran theology through an all-ages Confirmation/Catechism class and a Lutheran Confessions study class, in addition to our Bible studies.
Though grounded and committed to the Lutheran theological tradition, under the direction of Pastors Roland Weisbrot and Grant Crichton, Victory actively pursues a convergent model of Christianity which seeks to benefit from the insights of other Christian theological traditions. This has made Victory an ecumenical hub in Medicine Hat, a fact attested to by the attendees of the Installation service in January of this year; on the one hand there were Anglo-Catholics present, on the other hand, there were Evangelicals present, and everyone in between! Victory is proud to be a regional leader in the new ecumenical movement, one not based on doctrinal uniformity, but based on our common worship of Christ. It is our belief that God is bringing down age-old intra-Christian barriers and proclaiming, “behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19a, ESV). Victory seeks to contribute to this “new thing” by being authentically Lutheran and embracing a charismatic understanding of Article VII of the Augsburg Confession. We look forward to connecting with other churches as we move forward into future, proclaiming together the Gospel of the Christ Who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, ESV).
Pastors Roland Weisbrot and Grant Crichton,
VICTORY LUTHERAN CHURCH
2793 Southview Drive SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1B 2H1
Telephone: (403) 527-5617 Website: Click here.
Email: contact@victorylutheran.ca
Pastors: Roland Weisbrot and Grant Crichton
Help for Earthquake in Syria and Turkey
Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) continues to appeal for help to support their response to the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, They ask that we please keep their partners in our prayers — so many of the people delivering this emergency response are themselves survivors of this tragedy.
Through ACT Alliance, CLWR is in touch with their partners daily. These are local churches and organizations based right in the affected communities who are able to immediately deliver support. But they are also deeply touched by this catastrophe themselves. The death toll from this tragedy has risen to over 46,000 and is expected to still climb significantly. And many of us are already aware that the people of northwestern Syria have already dealt with so much and were already in need of aid — this is crisis layered upon crisis. But the support provided by ACT is making a difference. (If you've been meaning to give and haven't had a chance, you can do it now — visit clwr.org/earthquake or call 1-800-661-2597)
Below is a video, captured by one of CLWR's partners at Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). Rogina Makhoul is a mother who survived the earthquake and made it to a shelter where MECC is providing emergency support, and she describes firsthand what it was like for her family when the earthquakes hit and how it's been since. (Click below to watch)
Congratulations to Pastor Lucretia van Ommeren-Tabbert, for winning a Queen Elizabeth ll’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for her faithful dedication to the Service of Family, Community and Country!
The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medals were awarded to Albertans throughout 2022 in recognition of significant contributions to the province.
Pastor Lucretia is the Pastor of Emmaus Lutheran Church, Edmonton, AB. She is one of the Keynote Speakers for CALC's 2023, Annual General Convention and Pastors' Study Retreat.
News From Rwanda
Greetings to all Christian Members of the Victory Lutheran Church!!
We would like to thank you very much for your Prayers and your Donation to the work of God in Rwanda.
We shall continue to appreciate you and be thankfully to God for your great support to this church of God in Rwanda. May God continue to bless you and your family and God bless all members of your congregation in the name of Jesus Christ.
On December 30th, 2022, we were able to distribute School uniforms to the Orphans and the children from poorest Christian families who are from within our local congregation of BUFUNDA and the local congregation of GISHORORO.
We distributed these uniforms to 81 children (students who are in Primary schools). And we still have others who did not received uniforms, and we are praying for them.
Thanks be to God for your Prayers and Donation to the church of Rwanda. Your prayers will continue to be important before our Heavenly Father God. Thank you.
With these donation of the school uniforms, these orphans and vulnerable children have seen the love and the goodness of God.
God bless you and God bless the Victory Lutheran Church and God bless your country of Canada.
In His Services!
Pastor Jean Claude MANIRAGABA
Church President
Reformed Lutheran Church of Rwanda
Founder & President
Harvest of Friends and Compassion
We hope you were blessed by this month's edition of the e-Connector. Our hope and prayer is that this electronic newsletter will truly keep CALC informed and connected.
The article on Victory Lutheran Church above is the first in a series of articles that will highlight one of our congregations. Watch for next month's edition for the addition of two new member congregations!
If your congregation is celebrating a milestone, such an anniversary, the installation of a new pastor, new construction, a mission activity, and/or the launch of a special new ministry, let us know. We would love to share your joy with the other members of CALC
Contact info for the editorial team: Pastor Ed Skutshek: Tel: (250) 801-3860 Email: skutsheke@gmail.com Sarah Dunphy: Tel: (613) 324-6554 Email: sarahdunphy@calc.ca
