Please read the EFM Newsletter from Sewanee on their website: Newsletter EFM Sewanee

New Director for EfM Canada

During the summer Bishop John Privett announced that Peter Davison had communicated his intention to retire as Director of EfM Canada, after six years in the position. Peter was thanked at the Training of Trainers event in Kelowna in August, at a dinner which included trainers, Adminstrative Council members and their spouses. His final column as Director follows below.

Bishop Privett is pleased to announce that he has appointed the Reverend Dr. Catherine Hall as the new Director of EfM Canada. Catherine has been a Mentor and a Trainer for many years, and is currently the incumbent of St. Andrew's Church Kelowna. Her Doctoral thesis was a study of EfM as a program of adult lay education in Canada. The EfM community across Canada will, we are sure, continue to flourish under Cathy's leadership, and with your support.

Hail and Farewell

This is my final column as Director of EfM Canada. After six years, and at the age of 73, it seemed right to make way for new leadership. It is also a time of transition for EfM, not only in Canada, but in the USA and elsewhere. The Strategic Planning sessions at Sewanee, in which I took part, spelled out some new directions, including revised texts and a greater use of EfM Online all of which bodes well for the future of a program which has for over thirty years demonstrated its significant role in revitalising the church.

How grateful I am for the privilege of having been the Canadian Director of the program! I had heard of EfM as far back as the late 1970s, when it was known as TEE (Theological Education by Extension); but it wasn't until I came to the Diocese of Kootenay in the early nineties that I was involved as incumbent of a parish where it was well established, and soon as a mentor. EfM has added to my own theological education some elements I did not benefit from in seminary. When Archbishop David Crawley invited me to succeed Jack Greenhalgh as Director, I became much more aware of the national and global scope of the program. I was privileged to take part in the first international directors' meeting in Woking, England, in 2007, which led me to invite Elaine Graham to lead workshops on Theological Reflection in Vancouver, Calgary and Vernon in 2008. At General Synod in 2007 a strategically located display enabled me to meet with almost every delegate, as well as with a number of the Lutherans at their national synod. Finally, as already noted, I tried to represent the interests of EfM International at the strategic planning sessions in July and December 2008. I have been blessed by the whole experience.

I am greatly pleased by the apparent surge in enthusiasm for Theological Reflection. There are some who still find it difficult, and there has even been the odd group which has avoided it altogether. It really is critical to our task of becoming "reflective practitioners of our faith" and articulate leaders of the church, so I am happy at our increasing comfort with it. I feel reflection on the ministry of all the baptized should be a major focus from year 1 to the end, and that all TRs conclude with the implications for our ministries as individuals and groups.

I'll finish by mentioning three people in particular. The first is Sheila Mulgrew, who has been the personal face of EfM Canada for most of you from the outset. We owe her an enormous debt for her dedication, enthusiasm and efficiency, as well as her care for trainers, mentors and students. The second is Sissie Wile, who has been the Interim Director at Sewanee for the last couple of years, and played a crucial role in keeping the whole program on track and steering it through some difficult times. Her deep faith, affirming ways, and southern charm have been critical for the well-being of us all. Lastly, let me thank Cathy Hall for her dedication as mentor, trainer and member of the Administrative Council. She brings to her role as Director a wealth of experience and skill. I know you will support her as she leads EfM Canada into its next phase, and she will also have the support of the trainers, and the Administrative Council members, whose dedication and insight is so important to us ­namely Wayne Close (Treasurer), Richard Simpson (Diocesan Coordinator for Kootenay), Kit Carson and, of course, Sheila.

Thank you, and blessings to you all.
Peter

Training of Trainers focuses on EfM in the Emerging Church

The Canadian Training of Trainers week in Kelowna in August focused on the role of EfM in the emerging church. Special attention was paid to the role of technology, and the growing importance of EfM Online. The week was led by Patricia Bays and Cathy Hall. Patricia substituted for Norman Knowles, who is still recovering from cancer treatments. The good news is that Norman is cancer free, but has been told to curtail his activities while he continues his recovery.

During the meeting, Sissie Wile noted that proposals for the re-writing of the texts were progressing through various stages of approval at Sewanee, and that a number of highly qualified candidates had applied for the position of U.S. Director, with hopes of an announcement shortly. The training took place at the height of the forest fires burning in the Kelowna area, but, apart from smoky haze, was unaffected by them. The five Canadian trainers were joined by four from the USA, including Interim Director Sissie Wile.

A Hymn for the EfM Community
Peter Davison, May 2009
Suggested Tune: Kremser (CP #342)

We journey together,
explorers, companions;
old pathways, new vistas
excite and inspire;
no doubts can deter us,
no fears can disturb us
sustained by hope and grace
more than we can desire.

The banquet is ready,
and all are invited: so let us all gather
to share in God's feast.
Let none be excluded,
no miracle precluded
the first ones to be welcomed
are the last and least.

The God of the ages
still calls us to service,
equipping the saints
for the work of today.
Through joy and through sorrow
Christ leads us to tomorrow
to God be praise and glory
on the pilgrims' way.

Peter W.A Davison, 2009
This hymn may be used by the EfM community with acknowledgment. It is offered in appreciation of all the comments and insights received in various reports, and also in recognition of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela by Jack Greenhalgh, our first Canadian Director.

A Word from Sheila Mulgrew

Peter, it has been a privilege working with you for EfM Canada these past six years. Your knowledge and passion for the program have made you a very effective Director. Your communication skills have been a great benefit to many people, and have promoted EfM Canada far and wide. Thank you for all you have done for the EfM community. We will miss you!

Cathy, congratulations on being appointed our new EfM Canada Director. With your passion for and understanding of EfM we look forward to your new leadership.

...and from our New Director

I feel quite privileged to accept the appointment of Bishop Privett as Director of EfM Canada. As the third Director of this program I am aware of those who have gone before me. Peter Davison has served for these past six years and brought his great knowledge of the Anglican Church of Canada and his knowledge of the Anglican Communion to the program. Jack Greenhalgh was the founding director of the program and the one who saw it grounded in Canadian soil and built it to record student numbers before his retirement. As I begin my task I hope that I can serve the EfM program in ways that will build on the work these two leaders have accomplished.

Another hero of the program needs to be named. One who has been with the program since it came to Canada; one whose voice and encouraging attitude is known from coast to coast in this country. Sheila Mulgrew has been with the program since it was established as EfM Canada. She has served through the terms of all of the directors and is deeply loved by mentors, coordinators and trainers across Canada. I know that I will be counting on her as much as Peter and Jack have done and I look forward to our work together.

I bring my experience as a mentor, as a trainer, as a long-serving Board member and my passion for adult Christian Education to this task. I look forward to seeing the program continue to thrive in Canada and be a blessing to the church.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Just after we went to press for the last issue, we received the sad news that Sr. Peta-Ann, SSJD had died. We remember her with gratitude, and offer our condolences to her family and the Community as they both grieve her loss and celebrate her entry into life eternal. May she rest in peace.

EfM NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

See our web page for full information (On Line Course) Email Catherine Dafoe Hall:EfM Online Coordinator

EfM Canada Website

Many of you have asked where you can find additional resources for individual and group study. We recommend that you visit the EfM CANADA website, which is always being updated by one of our Trainers, Chris Ross. In addition to general information, you will find useful links, pages about and for mentors, coordinators and trainers, forms you can download, upcoming events (including training events), tips for students, contact information, and supplemental books and internet resources. You can find it at www.efmcanada.ca

Don't forget the Supplementary Reading list compiled by our Trainer, Patricia Bays and others. Click on the following link: Supplementary Reading List

PLANNED TRAINING EVENTS

Please click on the link to see the training events for EFM-Canada Training Events

ARCHIVED COPIES OF THE NEWSLETTERS

EFM-Canada operates across Canada as a program of the Diocese of Kootenay, under licence from the Faculty of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. The Bishop of Kootenay is the Right Reverend John Privett. The Director of EFM-Canada is the Reverend Canon Peter Davison. The Executive Coordinator of the program is Mrs. Sheila Mulgrew. Please feel free to contact us with comments, suggestions or enquiries:

Last updated: November 17th, 2009