Employment Opportunity

THE APPLICATION DATE FOR THIS POST HAS NOW CLOSED

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
TEMPORARY, PART-TIME

The Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador (MCNL) requires an:

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Qualifications
Possess a minimum of two years of post secondary education in office administration or related field;
Have excellent administrative abilities and experience, and be self-motivated;
Be able to work with a minimum of supervision;
Have excellent oral/written skills;
Be proficient with computer applications and office equipment;
Be prepared to work with volunteer leaders from four communities;
Knowledge of Inuktitut an asset.

Duties
Responsibilities will include preparing correspondence, minutes (and getting translation done), arranging meetings/travel/accommodation, filing, record keeping, preparing written reports, and delivering all invoices and receipts to the bookkeeper. Some research as time permits, on ongoing projects, along with typing. Some sorting and filing of archival materials. Practice good office organization and procedures.

Communicate with Provincial Chair, MCNL Board members, the Board of World Mission, Moravian Unity (worldwide organization), congregations and members. Office administrator is the contact for all incoming communication.


Duration of employment: May 12, 2008 to March 27, 2009
Hours of work: 15 hours per week
Wages: $15.00 per hour, plus 4% vacation pay
Workplace: Office located in the Happy Valley Moravian Church annex.

Deadline for application: May 8, 2008, at 4:00 p.m

Please send resume to this address:
MCNL, Hiring Committee, P O. Box 220, Station B, Happy Valley, Labrador, A0P 1E0.

Or email: joanders@nf.sympatico.ca

Conference Highlights

Here are some highlights from the Provincial Conference of the Moravian Church in NL that was held in Nain, March 4-6, 2008.

* It was great to have Bishop Paul Graf attend our conference. He held the devotionals each day, and could speak to spiritual issues as they came up, with much wisdom.

* Bishop Graf was able to hold congregational meetings in Makkovik, Nain, and Happy Valley. Bad weather kept us from getting to Hopedale on Thursday. However, Bishop Sam Gray will be visiting Hopedale the week of July 7th, so that will hopefully make up for it.

* The conference went very well in Nain. We are especially grateful to the translators/interpreters, Katie Winters and K. Naeme Tuglavina, who did the simultaneous translation. This made the conference flow very smoothly. It was also great to have the use of the Nunatsiavut Government board room, so aesthetically pleasing, spacious and comfortable. And equipped with the microphones and headphones for translation.

* We got to meet representatives from each community, and to share reports from each congregation. We share similar concerns: small attendance, no ordained ministers, not much support for the few volunteers who keep the churches going. Hopedale has great involvement from youth on the last Sunday in each month. The school concert band, under the direction of Nicole Burt-Shuglo, accompany all the hymns at these services. Happy Valley has outreach with the Correctional Center, the Pine Lodge residence, and the Paddon Home for Senior Citizens.

* We had a presentation from Heather Angnatok about programs offered by Nunatsiavut Government’s Youth Division. We are impressed with how the programs bring youth and elders together. We put forward the request that if we do get a minister to serve the congregation, he or she could partner with the Nunatsiavut Youth programs as a way of reaching out to youth, and strengthening the spiritual focus.

* We had a presentation from Gary Baikie impressing upon the church representatives the need to preserve the old church properties in Nain, since they are historical icons, and with Nain becoming the gateway to the Torngat National Park, it will be important to keep these heritage buildings, and be able to tell their story.

* We talked about the need for congregations to become more supportive financially. Each congregation is expected to pay an annual fee ($5000) (4500 for Makkovik) to the provincial treasury of the Moravian Church in NL.

* Each church brought their financial statements, and while they are all in good standing at present, if we ever do get ministers and have salaries to pay, each congregation will need to raise part of that expense. The overall aim is that the Labrador Moravian Church will become self-sufficient and be able to meet all its expenses. Right now, we still get a hefty sum from the American Board of World Mission, but they are decreasing it each year, in hopes that we can become independent of them.

* We accepted in principle the revised Book of Order. It was revised by Rev. Sam Propsom, and we have since added some amendments and inserts. Dr. Hans Rollmann revised the section on the early history of the Moravian Church.

* The Book of Order will include in its appendices the process that one would follow if he/she wishes to become a lay minister, or an ordained minister.

* We talked about the need for church repairs in at least three communities. Loren Jendro, Labrador’s representative on the Board of World Mission, hopes to get some work crews from the U.S. to help local congregation groups get repair work done during the summer.

* The Inuktitut Bible will be printed under one cover, and we hope to hold the launch at some time this year. Plans will be made for a launch to be held in Nain.

* The Coordinator position was extended for one more year, to be reassessed again before March 31, 2009.

Sr Joan Andersen

Provincial Conference

The Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador will be holding a Provincial Conference in Nain, March 4-6 2008.

Board members, lay ministers, and delegates from each congregation will attend. Loren Jendro, Labrador’s representative on the Board of World Mission, as well as Bishop Paul Graf will be there.

Some of the agenda items include ratifying the revised Book of Order; drawing up the process to follow for ordination; ministry in Labrador and how to move our present situation forward; Moravian Youth Camp; Moravian Music Workshop; launch of the Inuktitut Bible; reports from each congregation; and more.

Bishop Graf will visit each church while in Labrador:
March 3- Makkovik
March 4 – Nain
March 6- Hopedale
March 7 – Happy Valley

At that time he will help each congregation assess themselves, to gauge how each church is growing in various areas, and to draw up a profile of the minister they want to serve them. This will help MCNL to better match a person to a place should inquiries from ordained ministers come in.

Sr Joan Andersen
Chair, MCNL

Alaska Conference

I went as a youth representative of the Labrador Moravian Church to Bethel, Alaska. The first day we attended the Provincial Women’s Meeting. There were woman from each church to discuss things such as projects their church ran during the past year, projects for the coming year, planning a Singspiration.

As well, the President Mary Gregory gave a special speech which I found inspiring. It was titled Walking the Talk and Faith. An important meeting that I participated in was the between the members of the First Nations Outreach. First Nations Outreach is a joint partnership between the Labrador Church, Alaska Province and the Morongo Church in California. It was developed to build capacity of each entity to be a more powerful force in protecting its youth from social problems, as each Church face similar social situations.

At the Synod myself, Joan, Loren Jendro (member of the Board of World Mission) and Arthur Coolidge (Lay Minister in Alaska) met to discuss how to better communicate with each other. As the distance between each church is extensive with the cost of travel expensive, it was suggested to form an online working group. This working group could include things such as a calendar to post events of each church, a place to post documents, and a discussion page. Each member of the First Nations outreach could have an access code to this online working group and add things to it, see what other members have added. This should be a great way to keep up to date on what is happening with each church with First Nation outreach initiatives.

Overall, this was an interesting trip, I have met some really inspiring people, and I hope to work with the First Nations Outreach in the future.

Tracy Evans

Makkovik

Alaska Synod

I had the privilege of visiting our Moravian brothers and sisters in Bethel, Alaska. We attended the Women’s Conference on February 2 and took part in the Sunday evening service on February 3, which was conducted by participants at the Women’s Conference. On Feb 4 the Synod began. Representatives from 23 congregations were present.

I gave a presentation with the message that Labrador has put out a call for ordained ministers to serve in our congregations. I also extended an invitation for some youth along with a leader to attend the Moravian Music Workshop to be held in Hopedale beginning July 7. (We have also invited a representative to attend our Provincial Conference being held in Nain.)

Our impressions of the whole experience were extremely good. Alaska Moravian Church is self-supportive. They are an independent province. Attendance at Bethel Moravian Church is high. The use of their native language is dominant, but most people we met were entirely bilingual. Their church services have a more evangelistic tone than ours. The singing was beautiful. A lot of four-part harmony, and about three different organists took part in one service.

On the last evening there, I attended a three-hour memorial service for pastors who had passed away during 2007. David Nanalook, who had visited Nain a few years ago, was one.

Overall, it is good that the lines of communication are open between Alaska and Labrador, since we have much that can be learned from each other, and shared.

Sr Joan Andersen

Chair, MCNL

Upcoming Events...

The Moravian Church in Alaska will be holding a Women’s Conference (Feb 2) and Synod (Feb 4-8) in Bethel. Joan Andersen, Chair of MCNL, will be attending, along with a youth, Tracy Evans from Makkovik. Tracy is Nunatsiavut’s Coordinator for the Status of Women, and will give a presentation at the Feb 2 Conference. Joan has a two-fold purpose for going: to spread the word to a wider audience that Labrador has sent out a call for ministers, and to further the Moravian First Nations Outreach partnership that was formed after last year’s Synod in Alaska.

The Provincial Conference of the Moravian Church in Newfoundland and Labrador will take place in Nain from March 4-6. Board members, lay ministers, and delegates from each congregation will attend. Loren Jendro, Labrador’s representative on the Board of World Mission, as well as Bishop Paul Graf will be there. Some of the agenda items include ratifying the revised Book of Order; drawing up the process to follow for ordination; ministry in Labrador and how to move our present situation forward; Moravian Youth Camp; Moravian Music Workshop; launch of the Inuktitut Bible; reports from each congregation; and more.

Bishop Graf will visit each church while in Labrador. One of his aims is to put together a profile of the minister each congregation would like to have, so that when we do get inquiries, we can better match a person to a place.

Sr Joan Andersen
MCNL Chair

Children's Day at Happy Valley

On Sunday, January 20, 2008 the Happy Valley Moravian Church held its Children's Day.

The celebrations began with a Lovefeast at the 11 a.m. service. There was enough buns and juice for everyone!

After lunch we held activities in the afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m. with a sing a long with camp director for the Labrador Christian YOuth Camp, Vicki Roeder-Martin and her helper from Katimavik Samantha. After singing the kids played games outside in the parking lot with capture the flag the favourite.

We then came in for a warm up playing Skip Bo with Simone Daniels being the Skip Bo champion. We had a snack of juice, hot chocolate, potato chips and cup cakes thanks to Regula Schule! Thank you Regula and yum!

Then we played another game of capture the flag and concluded with a movie. Joining in the celebration at the end of the day was a potluck with the congregation.

Thank you to all who helped, Beatrice Hunter, Justine Obed, Elias Daniels, Vicki and Samantha, Regula and the choir, Amos Lyall, Beatrice Hope, Rose Pamak, and Sue Felsberg. What a blessed and truly enjoyable day for all.

Sr Sabina Hunter

Sunday School Christmas celebration in Makkovik

Here are some pictures taken during this year's Sunday School Christmas service.

Caroline Groves and her assistant Cathy Semigak led the Sunday School children in a version of the "Friendly Beasts" at this year's children's Christmas pageant.

It is good to see aspects of the Christmas story reenacted by children. Even 2 year-old Lucas Lane took part as an angel!

The children would like to wish everyone much happiness in the New Year.

Eulogy and Remembrance Tribute

Following the passing of Revd Siegfried Hettasch please find the eulogy given by his daughter, Hannie (Hettasch) Fitzgerald, along with the remembrance tribute given by Revd Olaf Andersen.

Eulogy
Dad first saw the light of day on February 1st, 1915, in Nain, Labrador where he was the youngest of 6. As was the custom for Missionary children in those days, he was sent to a boarding school in Kleinwelke, which was near Bautzen in Germany. During holidays, he stayed with his Uncle Hans (who was a friendly person), and his aunt Tante Lottie who apparently was extremely strict! However, maybe Dad needed some discipline when you hear him tell of his escapades while at the boarding school….

There was a teacher who was not liked very much, and one day while the teacher was absent from the school, some of the boys, including Dad got his bed out of his room and hoisted it up a tree in the school’s garden! Needless to say, when the teacher came back late in the evening, he was not happy!

Another time, Dad and his pals got up to other mischief for which they had to pay a fine to the local municipality….when it came time to pay up the boys came in and one by one, each put their share of the fine, penny by penny, on the desk……

At the age of 16, he left school and went to Herrnhut, Germany to become an apprentice and learned wall-papering, upholstery, carpeting and saddlery over a period of 4 years. He traveled everywhere by bicycle, once cycling from central Germany to the west of Holland to visit relatives! After his apprenticeship, he went to England for 3 years of Theology, and 9 months of medical training (which was required of missionaries), where he also learned to speak English.

He was ordained as a Deacon in the Moravian Church on August 14th, 1938 after which he returned to Labrador. Missionaries in those days had to be a “jack-of-all-trades” and Dad was no exception. He was a doctor, a dentist, a teacher, a mechanic, a justice of the peace, a hunter, a fisherman and sometimes a referee in local family fights!

While stationed at Nain, he met and fell in love with a Dutch teacher whom he married August 18th, 1940 and they had 4 children, the first of whom died at the tender age of 9 months when a bad flu epidemic took over the whole village of Hopedale in 1942.

The only way to travel within Northern Labrador in the 1940’s and 1950’s was by boat, dog team or plane depending on the season. In the summer Dad’s Inuit church members went to their fishing camps spread out across the region, so Dad needed a boat if he was to visit them. While stationed at Hebron, he saw an unused 40’ lobster boat hauled up on shore at Saglek, (a US Airbase) some miles north of Hebron, and asked if he could buy it. He was told it was not for sale, but later when the boat had been dragged over the rocks to the water’s edge and had a hole punched into her side, Dad was told he could have her for free. He patched her up, built on a bigger cabin, and the “Hebron” was born and used by Dad for many years. We all have many happy memories of trips on the “Hebron”.

When skidoos came on the market, he bought one for his own use. While on a hunting trip one winter, his skidoo blew a gasket. Unfortunately no-one had spares, so being the jack of all trades that he was… he cut a new one out of the bottom of his frying pan and left the holey remains of the frying pan suspended over a dead tree!

Dad had dentures from the age of 12 years when he developed rickets which caused all his teeth to fall out. Out of necessity, he learned to make his own dentures. This was a good thing because of the time he was checking a trout net, then had a coughing fit which resulted in his teeth falling into the harbour!! He often joked that perhaps one day he would catch a fish wearing his false teeth!

Dad was fluent in 4 languages; English, German, Dutch, and Inuktitut. He often acted as translator for visiting VIP’s. In 1976 at the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Moravian Church in Nain, he was translating into Inuktitut what the Church VIP members were saying, and vice versa when the locals spoke. At one point, he got a bit mixed up and started paraphrasing one English speaker’s words, instead of translating into Inuktitut!

Dad was always full of stories and loved to talk to outside churches about his life and work. He would tell them about the time he was conducting a burial in the graveyard when the ground was wet; he stood too close to the edge which caved in. He had to keep a straight face as he climbed out and carried on with the service as if nothing had happened.

Dad always loved having children around him. When he retired in 1980, after 42 years of service, it was natural for him to want to be near his grandsons, Paul and Tim; who were living in Aylmer, Quebec at that time. Because of this he built a house in Perkins, Quebec where they lived for 16 years.

In 1996 he and Mom moved into Sarsfield nursing home, where they were given the best of care and became part of the family. He was always a gentleman, and will be missed by all.

In finishing, I would like to say the Lord’s Prayer in Inuktitut:

Nalegak Gude, atatavut Kilangme, attit nertortaule,
nalegaunet Kailaule; pijomajat piniartaule nuname sorlo Kilangme;
uvlome piksaptingnik tunitsivigitigut; idluinivut issumagijungnaikkit, sorlo uvagut idluitulivigijivut issumagijungnairvigigaptigit oktortaulungnermut pitinata; piulitigulle ajortumit;
Nalegaunek pitsartunerlo, ananaunerlo, pigigangne issoKangitomut,

Amen.


Remembrance Tribute

As a child, teen, and adult, the name “Hettasch” has always been synonymous with the Moravian Church in Labrador. I remember my parents talking of Rev. Paul “Pa” Hettasch. I also had the honour of working for 2 years with one of Siegfried’s sisters, known to everyone as “Auntie Kate”. She was certainly ahead of her time as far as women in ministry go. Then there was Siegfried…..young Hettasch ….. as many of the older people referred to him.

While serving the Church in Labrador for a few years and struggling with the Inuit language, I worked with an elderly gentleman who was very patient and understanding. He encouraged me by saying that I pronounced the Inuktitut words very well, especially when reading them. The problem was, understanding what I was reading! I asked this man about previous Ministers and how they were understood by the Inuit people. He made the following reply;
“If you want to hear the Inuit language spoken grammatically correct, listen to Rev. Peacock. If you want to hear it spoken as the Inuit speak it, listen to Rev. Siegfried Hettasch”.

Siegfried was a very practical man and therefore was understood by the Inuit people. If you wanted something done, you learned to do it yourself. If you wanted something fixed, you learned to fix it yourself. I believe that this was something all of the people in Labrador appreciated about him. I remember the many hours he spent in the engine house, which was the village power plant, getting the lights to go on again. I remember someone telling the story of a caribou hunt when Siegfried’s snowmobile got a broken piston….he fashioned a new piston head from a tin cup. The engine started, and even though there was not much power, he managed to bring the caribou to the nearest community where spare engine parts were available.

Traveling by open boat with family and friends, or on a mission trip for the church, Siegfried was the captain, first mate, and engineer. He knew the land, respected nature and was very knowledgeable about directions. All this was in the days of compass and common sense….there was no GPS then.

I believe that the greatest compliment I could pay Siegfried would be to say that he was a “people-pastor”. He made time for people, he tried to understand them and how they lived. He knew their strengths and their weaknesses, and worked to the best of his ability with what he had.

From someone who knew Siegfried Hettasch and who wishes he could have known him better, “Servant of God, well done
Rest from your loved employ.
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter your Master’s joy!”

Rev. Siegfried Hettasch, 1915-2007

Rev. Siegfried Hettasch passed away on November 25. The Moravian Church in Labrador would like to express condolences to his family members.

He was born in Nain, the son of Rev. Paul Hettasch; ordained in 1938, and began his ministry in Nain. His mother tongue was German, but he was fluent in Inuktitut and English. Rev. Hettasch was serving in Hebron at the time of relocation and followed his flock to Makkovik, where his language ability helped ease the transition for some.

Many people speak highly of his being a jack-of-all-trades. A church record book at Makkovik lists the following as his profession: saddler, upholsterer, decorator, paperhanger, missionary……no doubt his own humor coming through there. Add to that the other duties he is known to have had in Makkovik: taking care of things medical when the nurse was away; maintaining the mission boat; doing carpentry work; hen keeper and gardener; and the list goes on. Caribou hunters tell the story of how Rev. Hettasch’s snowmobile broke down while hunting inside of Davis Inlet. He made a packing for a cylinder head from a cast-iron frying pan, using an axe and a chisel!

Rev. Hettasch was predeceased by his wife Frieda (1913-2001).

Here are the funeral arrangements as provided by his daughter, Hannah:
Visitation on Monday, Dec.3rd, 2-4 and 7-9pm, at Kelly's Funeral Home on
Carling Ave, Ottawa.

Funeral on Tuesday, Dec 4th, at 10am in the Chapel at Kelly's with interment
of Mom AND Dad together in Capital Memorial Gardens following.
Rev. Olaf Andersen will be officiating.

Sr Joan Andersen
Chairperson, MCNL

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

Inuktitut Bible Project Update

On October 23-24, 2007 Hart Wiens, Director of Translations with the Canadian Bible Society and Sarah Townley, Hilda Lyall, and Sophie Tuglavina, Inuktitut translators, met for two full days and completed the translation of the first book of the ‘Walking with Jesus’ children’s series. The title for the first book is called "The Birth/Childhood of Jesus".

The completed translation continues in the process of being typeset, where the format of the Inuktitut text is prepared for printing. Hopefully once the typesetting is done a print of the first book will be available for use by Christmas.

The team plans to meet again after Christmas to continue to work on two more of the six book series. The text will be made available to the Lay Ministers for reading during the Christingle services on Christmas Eve.

Sr Sabina Hunter