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

From the Desk of the Director

EFM Canada had a bumper year of graduates in June – over one hundred. It is good to report that many of these graduates were honoured with diocesan or parish graduation services, which not only paid tribute to the hard work of graduates and their mentors over four years, but also raised the profile of efm in their communities. As I read the Graduate Evaluation Forms, I discover that most of them celebrate how efm has made people better informed about their faith, and more willing to share it with others. Graduates also form a significant leadership group in parishes and dioceses (and other church bodies, as not all students are Anglicans), and give living expression to the program’s aim – to encourage the ministry of the whole people of God. Thanks, too, to graduates and their supporters who have contributed to the Bursary Fund, which enables us to help those for whom the annual fee is a significant burden.

Total enrolment for 2006-07 is down slightly – a reflection of the large number of graduates in the past year. There is, however, an encouraging number of people enrolled in mentor training, which suggests that new groups are being formed, and that the program will experience healthy growth in the future.

Patricia Bays of Ottawa, and one of our trainers, is the General Editor for the re-writing of the efm texts, which will take into account the critiques, as well as the affirmations, of the written materials. We are hoping that the new materials will become available on CDs, which would reduce shipping costs and generally provide greater ease of handling the materials. There have also been comments about hard-to-access supplementary materials. We will try to publish a list of websites which can easily be accessed, and would also welcome suggestions from you as to sites you have found helpful.

Once again, I would like to pay tribute to Sheila Mulgrew, our Executive Coordinator, who really is the mainstay of the EFM Canada office, as many of you know. As for myself, I am happy to report that I recently received a clean bill of health, thank you for prayerful support and encouragement, and trust that a return to normal energy levels will result in a renewed capacity to promote EFM Canada.

Finally, one of the graduates remarked that the filling out of the Group Status Reports, Departure Forms, and Graduate Evaluation Forms is a bit of a chore. I hope you know from reading the summaries published in the newsletter, as well as from my responses to individuals, that every one of these is read, and received as valued feedback. Thank you for the trouble you take over them.

Blessings to you all in the coming year.
Peter Davison

From the Executive Coordinator’s Desk

Welcome back to all continuing mentors and students and a special welcome to new mentors and students.

Enrollments for 2006/7 have been steady – a special thank you to those mentors who worked hard to send the orders to our office as close to the requested date as possible.

We are happy to announce that to date we have 437 students and mentors participating in the EFM program across Canada

OUR COLLECTIVE MINISTRY

Archbishop Stewart Payne

Archbishop Stewart Payne has graciously consented to be the Patron of the EFM Canada bursary fund. A long-time promoter of EFM, he has filled the roles of mentor and trainer, and continues to be active in the EFM network. We thank him for lending his name and his enthusiasm to this project. Thank you to those who have generously donated!

If you wish to donate to the fund, please make cheques or money orders payable to the Diocese of Kootenay (Memo: EFM-Canada Bursary Fund). Thanks to our diocesan office accounts manager, Official Income Tax Receipts will be issued for your donation.

REPORTS ON RECENT TRAINING EVENTS

May 5 - 7, 2006
Diocese of Kootenay
Combined Training
Trainer: Chris Ross
Coordinator: Marg Domaschuk

Certified Basic Trainees: Sarah Turgeon-O’Brien, Ted Mcleod (D. of BC), Jackie Hipwell (APCI)
Re-certified Mentors: Gail Clifton, Emily Turgeon, Al Leake (APCI),

May 12 - 14, 2006
Diocese of Qu'Appelle
Combined Training
Trainer: Patricia Bays
Coordinator: Joyce Hilton

Certified Basic Trainees: Lorraine Bonnell, Jean Dreher, Ron Hilton, Karen McBride, Eunice Patterson, Gail Ridgway
Re-certified Mentors: Joyce Hilton, Blair Dixon

June 8 - 10, 2006
Diocese of Ottawa
Combined Training
Trainer: Cathy Hall
Coordinator: Lisa Chisholm-Smith

Certified Basic Trainees: Sheldon Carr, Peter Crosby, Cathy Davis, Carol Kauk, Wayne Kauk, Portia Parsell
Re-certified Mentors: Peter Dawson, Brian Kauk, Pat Martin

Aug 31, Sept. 1 - 2, 2006
Diocese of Nova Scotia and PEI
Combined Training
Trainer: David Fletcher
Coordinator: David Fletcher

Certified Basic Trainees: Harrison Heidel, Marcie Nicholas (D. W. Newfoundland)
Re-certified Mentors: E. Jane Clattenburg, Kathryn Cook, Carl Fraser, Gloria McClure Fraser, Gary Yetman

Sept 14 - 16, 2006
Diocese of Rupert's Land
Combined Training
Trainer: Norman Knowles
Coordinator: Cathy Mondor

Certified Basic Trainee: Susan Roe-Finlay
Re-certified Mentors: Beryl Frederick, Cathy Mondor, Gordon Shields

Our congratulations and our thanks to these people, and to all who dedicate their time and talents to the mentoring and training functions of EFM Canada.

GRADUATES OF THE EFM PROGRAMME AS OF MAY 2006

Our apologies for omitting the names of the following Graduates in our May 2006, Newsletter

Diocese of KOOTENAY
Eva Froese, Simon Shenstone, Tracy Threinen and Cathy Straume, Mentor

PLANNED TRAINING EVENTS

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

LOOKING FOR SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCE MATERIAL FOR YOUR GROUP?

The efm-canada website offers suggestions about easily accessible and downloadable materials that can meet a number of your group’s needs. Please note the new website address www.efmcanada.ca

An archived copy of the January 2006 Newsletter can be found by clicking HERE

An archived copy of the May 2006 Newsletter can be found by clicking HERE

Last updated: October 28th, 2006