Official Launch of the Inuktitut Bible (part 1)

On January 20, 2009, the Inuktitut Bible "Gudib UKausingit" was officially launched at a ceremony in Happy Valley. An Inuktitut Bible has existed in the past, but in ten volumes. They had been printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society. Now the Bible is contained in one book. The publication was made possible thanks to funding received from the Tasiujatsoak Trust.


Hart Wiens of the Canadian Bible Society told of their involvement in the project. A video was made during the Launch, and it can be seen at www.biblesociety.ca


Julius Ikkusek of Nain expressed his appreciation for having the Inuktitut Bible under one cover.




The translators expressed their joy at seeing the completed Bible under one cover.




Rev. Brian Burrows (Hopedale) and Bishop Paul Graf (Wisconsin) conducted the bilingual service at the Moravian Church in Happy Valley.

News from India...

Br Russell Winfield writes with news from his latest placing...

Dear All,

I have exchanged the South African Rand for the Indian Rupee and I write to you from my new home in Rajpur, Dehra Dun, which is about 250km north of Delhi, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

I hope you have had a good Christmas and New Year, and are your winter, i hear that after an unusally warm spell of weather you have recently faced a lot of snow and it has got very cold. I have had a hectic few months, from finishing my work in South Africa, spending time at home in England with friends and family, and then travelling round the world to get to India. Leaving Cape Town was very difficult, not least saying goodbye to the street boys I had grown very close to, and the congregation (Moravian Hill) and friends I made during my year.


On my way to India(!) I was able to visit Vancouver and took in a hockey game - the Flames v Canucks, and here is a picture of me in the arena:


The Flames won which I was very happy about, although I could not find any Flames jerseys for a photograph with, so opted for a Canucks one, but my allegiances have definitely not changed. I had a look at the recent NHL standings and Calgary continue to do well, I note that Montreal are going strong, poor old Maple Leafs seem to be suffering!

I flew into India after Vancouver but then had to return home to England as my Grandma passed away. So I actually began my work here on 29th December. Thankfully my train stop was the final stop as I had fallen fast asleep and it was only when the minister of the Church here where I am working boarded the train looking for me that I woke up and was able to introduce myself! Not my best first impression. Dehra Dun is nice, much quieter than Delhi although still quite a bustling place, and the place where I am staying is about 10km outside in an area called Rajpur, which is beautiful.

I am based in a school called the Moravian Institute (MI) which has about 400 K-12 pupils, aged 4-18, and of these 180 or so are boarders. The MI is a free hostel and education facility established in 1963 for underprivileged children from varying backgrounds, be it street children, Tibetan refugees, poorer families, etc. The MI is led by a minister called Revd Thsespal Kundan, who is Principal of the School, and co-leads the local Church. I am staying with Thsespal and his family, in my own room, but share all my meals with them and report to him directly each day. They have truly welcomed me and I feel a really part of their family which has made settling so much easier, and they were very kind and considerate when my Grandma died. The Church is quite a spectacular building, which is separate from the MI although many of the pupils attend (it is their free choice).



My work is twofold, although it may become ‘more-fold’ I figure. Firstly it is in the school helping them with their administration and finances. Dehra Dun as an area is very famous for its education (Doon School is known as the Eton of India), but the cost of these places is very high for most Indians. The school I am based at is a more affordable, in fact free for vast majority of the students, and was started firstly to serve refugees from Tibet who could not afford or access education. The school is well organised and run but they just need some assistance in future planning. I am helping investigate and plan with the aim of improving the conditions and number of pupils that can study here.

Secondly my work is in the Church, helping out the pastors, and will include preaching. The main language here is Hindi, which I have yet to master, but English is widely spoken and understood and so with patience and some translation I am hopeful to be able to get my message across. I also am getting to know a lot of the younger people and I will be working with them as well.

Finally, the food. I wasn’t sure what to expect...being English our national meal is the supposedly Indian inspired Chicken Tikka Massala and our most popular restaurants are Indian, but I have tasted here nothing like what is served in them. Rice makes up the staple part of any meal, with daal and usually some curried vegetables and a rooti (a type of small chipati). Excuse my spellings on all these words. The food is delicious, my portions are always very large. I can easily judge how hot something is going to be by the number of eyes watching me eat...the hotter the more people expectantly wait for me to react, but so far so good.

I should get back to work now, the electricity here tends to breathe, as the lights brighten and dim in some strange rhythmic pattern.

It is no exaggeration to say I miss Labrador greatly, all the people, especially at this time of year.

My prayer is that you are all well, and continue to see God at work in your lives.

God Bless,
Br Russell

Music Worshop in Hopedale...

Music Workshop
Hopedale
Mainly geared towards junior and senior high school students
July 8th – July 13th 2008
Travel days, July 7 and 14.
(Begin on Tuesday and conclude workshop on Saturday, with a presentation on Sunday.)

The Moravian Church in NL is pleased to sponsor this Music Workshop. It is the brainchild of Bishop Sam Gray and Rita Andersen. Other musician leaders include Glenna Tasedan, Rev. Tim Byerly, Dr. Tom Gordon, and Natalie Fost. Students from each of the four Moravian congregations are invited to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It will be devotional, educational, creative, practical, and fun.

Deadline for applications: June 16th
Registration fee for those travelling in: $75.00

Summer Camp at Gosling Lake...

Summer Camp
For 13 to 15 year olds
June 29th – July 6th 2008
Deadline for applications: June 16th
Registration fee is $75.00 per camper

Labrador Christian Youth Camp
Gosling Lake, Happy Valley-Goose Bay

The Labrador Christian Youth Camp offers a wide range of outdoor activities in the wild beauty of Labrador. The week will be a great opportunity for young people to canoe, hike, swim, play games, learn about God, and many things besides. Participants (5) from Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, and HVGB are invited to attend, along with Moravian leaders from the United States. Bishop Sam Gray will accompany the two returning leaders, Glenna Tasedan and Rev. Tim Byerly. Each community will also send a leader/chaperone.

Bring: Bible, sleeping bag, toiletries, swim suit, rain gear, warm coat, bug repellent, snacks, musical instrument, flashlight.

News from abroad...

Brother Russell Winfield was with us for a year from last September, and as he continues his work for the Moravian Church overseas, we hear from him on his arrival in Cape Town, South Africa…

Dear Labrador Friends,

Hello from Cape Town, my home for the next twelve months!

I miss being in Labrador a lot – it doesn’t seem long ago that I was just settling in Makkovik and dressing as a pumpkin for Halloween parties. It will seem strange this winter not having the snow, in fact we are just moving into summer here, and not getting to spend Christmas in Makkovik, Easter in Hopedale or seeing the ice break up in Nain will be sad, I do terribly miss being there with you all.

Below I have tried to outline a little bit of what has been happening over the last few weeks…

District Six, Cape Town

Cape Town is beautiful – I am living in an area called District Six, which has had a tumultuous history following the forced relocation of non-whites during apartheid into townships, and now is undergoing the slow process of land being returned to the people who were forcibly removed, and homes rebuilt. No homes survived as they were all bulldozed, and indeed one of the few original building that remains is the Church that I am working for. The Church is on the left of the picture, and then on the right is the house I am staying in, that was formally a Church manse, but is now used as a B&B, it is a lovely place for me to stay.

District Six as an area is itself somewhat of a paradox. During the day all is relatively calm and peaceful, however I am unable to go outside in an evening. This I guess is true of many parts of Cape Town, but there is an element of danger here that I have not experienced before. Travelling on the trains is also not to be done, nor are the buses particularly safe! What this means is that I am now exploring the option of purchasing a car, which will help with my own travels but also with the youth and the older people in the Church.

My work

My work here is varied but my role here for the next twelve months is threefold:
1. Provide pastoral leadership for the District Six Church
2. Develop a vision for outreach with the Technical College (situated next door)
3. Explore and develop the concept to use the facilities in District Six as a training centre to learn about mission and missional imagination in the context of Cape Town.

Well that’s what they tell me anyway. It all seems quite daunting to be honest!

What it has meant in the first few weeks is that I have begun to try and establish links with the young people in the area, attending youth groups and events, to evaluate what work is already taking place. I have also begun the process of identify what other organisations and work is ongoing so that we can support that and not duplicate anyone else’s work. I am keen to get involved with social justice related projects, such as homelessness, as I feel this is important for both the Church to be active in and also for the wider community to be passionate about. It will be interesting to see how things develop and I am very much in God’s service as I do not have a clue!

On Saturday the Church suggested it would be beneficial to attend the Women’s Conference about 90 minutes drive outside of Cape Town, so off I went. The clue was in the title of the conference really – I arrived to be the only man but they seemed pleased enough to see me, all 212 (two hundred and twelve!!) of them, and I had an enjoyable time learning about the work they have been doing. One of the challenges that I face the world over is introducing myself – my pronunciation of R’s is obviously not what it should be and so invariably I become “Wilson” or “Whistle” or “Roger”! As I vaguely attempt saying my name a third or fourth time to some confused person I can see them begin to glaze over and so they opt for just using my surname – which is usually adapted to “Winfred” or “Wilford”. All in all it means I have to be pretty alert to anyone calling my name as I have a number of pseudonyms!

Cooking

The weather is hot here, well after 12 months in Labrador most things seem hot I guess, and not to be outdone – I have begun cooking somewhat disastrously ‘hot’ meals. Now I am not the next masterchef by any stretch of the imagination but I have begun branching out slightly. I started with a simple beef stir fry which was nice but a bit plain, until I discovered something called Chilli Atchar – which sounded like it would do the trick, so I bought a jar and chucked about a quarter in with my stir fry. Reading the ingredients told me the main ingredient was green chilli’s, and for any accomplished chef this may have set the alarm bells ringing. Sadly I am no accomplished chef. I tucked in and it seemed to have a bit of oomph to begin with, and then it just went downhill. My mouth felt like it had just exploded and my eyes began to water, I persisted though as I had made it myself, and that was not a good idea either. Come half way through the plate I could no longer see due to tears, my nose had well and truly joined the party, and my mouth was now seriously in danger of giving up the fight completely. In a blind panic I managed to find my way to the bathroom and grabbed the first thing that I could – mouthwash. Now I don’t know what goes in a mouthwash, but “Never mix with Chilli Atchar” should be on the label! It basically just became some sort of nuclear event in my mouth. After about 2 hours of a near death experience (for my mouth at least) things began to calm down and I was able to bring a bit of balance back to my day, and a few days and I can begin to taste things again. Still, a lesson learnt at least.

Until I am more settled that is about all the news for now, it doesn’t seem much at all but I think people thought I had disappeared completely and so wanted to put something in writing.

I shall write again before Christmas when I will have a lot more news about the work I am doing and a lot less about cooking disasters!

God Bless,
Russell

A Belated Thank You

I realised I had not written a note on the blog about the conclusion of my time in Labrador other than the postings about the Summer Camp we ran in July, and to pass on my sincere thanks for the truly wonderful time I enjoyed in Labrador.

The end of camp also sadly signalled the end of my time in Labrador (for now), and I departed home for England via Vancouver. I have had an enjoyable month back home catching up with friends and family and it has been a real privilege to be able to speak about the wonderful experiences and people I met in Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik and Happy Valley Goose Bay.

My 11 months in Labrador was a truly life changing experience and I genuinely loved every moment, from getting used to the cold weather, to trying new foods, to being involved in Church and community life.

I wish I could write every single persons name from every community as way of thanks but that would take far too long, but my thanks and prayers are with you all.

I can be personally contacted on russjw@hotmail.com. One day I do hope to return to Labrador and spend more time with you all, God willing, I will just have to be patient and see what the future holds.

The Moravian Church in Britain & Ireland are now sending me to South Africa to help work with a Church in District 6 of Cape Town, a different type of challenge, and this winter won’t feel the same without the snow, skidoo, and seal skin gloves!

I miss you all,
Yours in Christ,
Br Russell Winfield

Labrador Fishery Legacy Workshop

Each year the Battle Harbour Historic Trust organizes the Labrador
Fishery Legacy Workshop. The topic for the 2007 workshop is the role of
the churches in the lives of people who lived and worked on the coast of
Labrador and made their living from this incredible fishing industry.
Guest speakers will present a series of talks on a variety of topics
including the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches in Southern Labrador,
the Moravian Church on the North Coast, the influences of itinerant
ministers and clergy, and other topics related to the significance of
the Churches in the coastal communities.

2007 is an ideal time for this workshop as it is the 150th anniversary
of the consecration of St. James the Apostle Anglican Church at Battle
Harbour. The Trust, in conjunction with the Anglican Church, is
planning a celebration to mark this historic occasion. The workshop
will coincide with the celebrations which will take place on Sunday,
August 19.

For more on Battle Harbour information please visit www.battleharbour.com

For more information on the workshop or traveling to Battle Harbour,
call Gordon Slade (Chair, Battle Harbour Historic Trust) at 709-728-6329
or email gordonslade@yahoo.ca or information@battleharbour.com

Revd Sam Propsom

Many of you will know the news of Revd Sam Propsom's recent ill health, here is a link to keep up to date with his progress:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/samuelpropsom

Please keep Sam, Debbie and all the family in your prayers.

Summer Camp 2007 photo's

If you wish to see more of the photo's from the Summer Camp please visit this link:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/3255682/bd5979c1/sharing.html

You will need the password everything

Summer Camp 2007

On July 1st till 8th 29 young people from the Moravian Church gathered at Gosling Lake Christian Youth Camp, Labrador. Some 10 months previous the late Bernie Broomfield had the vision to reinstate the youth camp for Moravian young people from all across Labrador, and this camp was the fulfilment of that vision.

The camp was attended by 6 young people from Hopedale, 6 from Makkovik, 6 from Nain, 9 from Happy Valley Goose Bay, and 2 from North Carolina, USA. The leadership team was made up of one person from Hopedale (Sarah Jensen), one from Makkovik (Rebecca Pretty), one from HVGB (Sabina Hunter), one from Nain (Russell Winfield) and 3 from North Carolina, USA (Revd Tim Byerly, George & Glenna Tasedan). We were also fortunate to have Emily Osmond and Joshua Wahl who are working full time for the Labrador Christian Youth Camp this summer.

On Sunday the young people from the coast arrived (on 3 separate planes), the US contingent was already in town, and the Happy Valley participants travelled out to the camp. After sharing in some food and playing some games (Volleyball and Touch Football) we settled into our groups for the week and took the time to get to know each other.

Each day followed a fairly simple pattern for the morning. Firstly we would serve breakfast at around 8.30am for an hour (expertly prepared by George everyday). The young people would filter in throughout this hour, and immediately following breakfast we would move to a time called “Daybreak” – a 20 minute session basically opening the day up to God, singing a couple of songs and giving the chance for the leadership to share a few thoughts. After this we would have some free time for the young people to relax whilst the leaders spent time in prayer for 15 minutes or so.

The rest of the morning would be split between “Explore” and “Create”. Within “Explore” the young people would be split into groups of 4 or 5 with a leader(s), and would look at the day’s theme, discuss different subjects, have role playing games and just be able to share things within that group of friends. “Create” was a time for creative work – and the youngsters would rotate between: photography, creative writing, photo framing, food, drama and music. This would take us up to lunch – which the young people prepared.

The afternoons were slightly more varied depending on whether we were on site or off site. On site activities included canoeing, archery, hiking, t-shirt painting, and volleyball. Off site activities saw us visit the 5 Wings Swimming pool twice (Tuesday and Friday) and the Soccer pitches to play the Goose Bay All Star team (we beat them 13 – 2!). After these acitivites when we were off site we visited Pizza Delight, A&W and Subway for food. When we were on site we had the privilege of two ladies from Happy Valley (Ann Marie and Wilma) visiting the camp site to cook the meal for us all. On Wednesday evening we stayed in Goose Bay a little longer to go ten pin bowling.

On the Friday of camp we visited Happy Valley congregation to serve a buffet of food and present an informal service, inviting the local congregation and friends, as well as Hopedale music band, who were in town for the 550th Celebrations. Despite being a very warm evening this was a lovely time for us all to share in worship together. On the way home we treated the young people to a visit to Tim Hortons for a drink and a donut!

The evenings on camp site were mixed between celebrations – in which we sung songs, performed drama skits, interviewed staff, and looked at photo’s of the day, along with more informal activities such as a quiz, and on the last night, a dance. Each evening ended with “Simmer Down” – an end of day review as we gave thanks to God for the day just enjoyed.

During the week the camp was also featured on CBC Radio, CBC Television, and The Labradorian Newspaper.

Despite some problems with flights up the coast, all the young people made it home safely by Monday afternoon, and back to their respective communities. The details given here are brief, so please do talk with the young people from your community to find out more about our week together.

We thank God for a wonderful week, for 29 wonderful young people, for the wonderful weather, and the chance to serve Him in this way.

Yours in Christ,
Br Russell Winfield

Summer Camp thanks...

The young people of Labrador have just finished their week long summer camp and here is a list of companies and organisations that helped make it happen (in no particular order). Pictures and report will follow shortly.

• Torngait Services
• Voisey Bay Nickel Company: http://www.vbnc.com/
• Innu Mikun: https://www.provincialairlines.com
• Aurora Energy: http://www.aurora-energy.ca/
• Serco: http://www.serco-na.com/
• Valley Business Equipment Inc
• Scotia Bank

Also each congregation fund raised for the young people and the activities.

Thank you to everyone who made this camp happen.

Unity Board Meeting

The Provincial Board meeting was held in Barbados last month and below is the letter sent to all provinces from the Chair of this meeting. Our own Sr Joan Andersen attended this meeting representing MCNL and she will post her own report shortly.


THE UNITAS FRATRUM
THE UNITY BOARD MEETING
BARBADOS, MAY 18-24, 2007

MESSAGE TO THE PROVINCES OF THE UNITY


Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We the members of the Unity Board of the Moravian Church, Unitas Fratrum, meeting in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Barbados greet you in the name of Jesus our Chief Elder. We have chosen for our theme: Discerning God’s Mission Through Our Unity.

We expressed our appreciation to our immediate past President, Br. Robert Sawyer (Southern Province, U.S.A.) for the leadership he gave to the Unity during his tenure as President. Sr. Angelene Swart (South Africa Province), Vice President of the Unity Board was elected as President in November 2006. Our meeting elected Br. Paul Gardner (Jamaica Province) as Vice-President. We have been inspired by Br. Sam Gray’s daily Bible Studies throughout the meeting. We enjoyed the generous hospitality of our host the Barbados Conference of the Eastern West Indies Province. It has been a joy to share in worship in the congregations and to have fellowship with members and their families.

As we meet we are cognizant of the fact that we are gathered in a year of special anniversaries. It is the 550th Anniversary of the Unitas Fratrum, the 275th anniversary of Moravian Missions, and the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. It is indeed a moment of special significance and as a Unity we recognize the need to recommit ourselves to be faithful to the Mission of our Lord. We must continue to treasure the legacies of our church and forge ahead to be relevant in the various contexts within which we are exercising ministry. It means that we should be faithful stewards as we build bridges of harmony and peace across the world; across cultures and peoples. The Abolition of the trading in Africans reminds us that we must recommit ourselves to uphold the dignity and worth of all human beings who are created in the image of God.

The reports that we received from the Provinces provided us with an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful things that God is doing in the Provinces of the Unity. The area of new work being undertaken represents the church’s commitment to continue to do mission both within and without our respective Provinces. We had to grapple with the challenges being experienced by many of our provinces and empathize with our sisters and brothers as they seek to discern God’s will in the face of many challenges.

The Czech and the Honduras Provinces continue to be a concern of the Unity. We ask you to commit these Provinces of the Unity to our Lord as we pray for real unity in this our 550th year of witness. The fellowship that these provinces enjoyed has been fractured and we remain resolute in our attempt to search for restoration of such fellowship to all parties within the Unity. As we work towards this realization, we must recommit ourselves to the principles of the Unity; affirming and embracing this unity of the church in its diversities. We must remain a single church of mutual accountability to the Unity Synod and the Unity Board.

We accepted the Moravian Church in Congo and the Moravian Church in Zambia as Affiliated Provinces. The Moravian Church in Northern Tanzania, Moravian Church in Eastern Tanzania and Zanzibar and the Moravian Church in Malawi as Mission Provinces. The South-Eastern section of Kenya was accepted as a new Mission Area under the supervision of Western Tanzanian Province and the San Juan de Lurigancho area of Lima, Peru was accepted as a Mission Area under the supervision of the American Board of World Mission. Our decisions will be taken to The Unity Synod for ratification.

Sisters and brothers, we are conscious of the nature of the world in which we are exercising the ministry of the Church. We ask each Province to be discerning of the time and the context within which such ministry is being exercised. We urge you, therefore, to commit to prayers the work of our Church in all the Provinces of the Unity.

May God grant us success in our work and in our attempt to heal relationships within the Unity.

Yours in His grace,
Angelene Swart
President, Unity Board

Note from the editor…

This is the first post of the Labrador Moravian blog in 2007.

We have decided to use a blog to communicate up-to-date news of Church life here in Labrador to those both inside the province, and those further afield.