Preparing for the Day of Pentecost May 19th
May 13, 2013
Dear friends in Christ,
You are invited to check out our latest Pentecost newsletter: “The Power to Serve”. Just click on Pentecost 2013 Newsletter
In Christ,
Ed Hird+
Breaking the 500,000 barrier
December 26, 2012
I found it ironic that the 500,000 barrier was broken on Christmas Day. Thank you for the 500,000 viewers over the past three years.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby: man of steel?
December 3, 2012
By Rev Ed Hird
The excitement about +Justin Welby’s appointment has been remarkable. Biblical Anglicans around the world have welcomed his appointment with open arms. Perhaps the fact that Bishop Welby has visited Africa sixty times has helped endear the Global South Anglicans who have often felt left out in the cold. It has been said that in the Anglican world, the Africans pray, the Americans pay and the British set the rules. Because of the enormous financial clout of the American Episcopalians, they have openly flaunted the global Anglican standards on biblical marriage. Will Welby have what it takes to bring the errant Episcopalians back into biblical Anglicanism?
John McManus writing for BBC News said, “Justin Welby’s appearance was characterized by one very important quality – his steeliness.” It will take a man of steel to bring North American Anglicans to biblical transformation. Welby has the reputation of being a consummate negotiator, who deeply listens while holding clear principles. Charles Moore of The Telegraph says that Justin Welby can provide the tough love that has been so sadly lacking.
Perhaps Welby’s time as an oil industry executive will prove useful in his bringing order out of the Anglican moral chaos. Perhaps Welby’s involvement in Holy Trinity Brompton with its world-famous Alpha Course will help him birth an Anglican Church that is both vibrant and faithful. Anglican leaders that I trust are telling me that we need to give Welby the benefit of the doubt. My prayer is that Archbishop (designate) Justin Welby will prove to be a spiritual man of steel who can give new hope to the Anglican Communion.
Rev Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the Light Magazine
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Two-for-one e-book deal for Christmas
November 19, 2012
As a special pre-Christmas offer, if you purchase the eBook Battle for the Soul of Canada for yourself ($6.99 Christmas discount), you will receive a second complimentary copy as a Christmas present for your family or friends.
The ebook will be emailed to you (normally the same day as your PayPal order) in three versions: epub which works with KOBO, pdf, and MOBI (which works with Kindle). To obtain the ebook, this can be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . The other option is to mail a cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC Canada V7N 2J7.
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October Baby a Quiet Hit
September 11, 2012
By Reverend Ed Hird
How many of you are October babies or have October baby children? My children’s birthdates are in March, June and November, and I and my wife am born in January and August. So no October babies for us.
This past month the Deep Cove community was privileged to have the first BC showing of the acclaimed film October Baby. We were pleasantly surprised by the great interest shown and wide variety of people who turned up for the first viewing. For those of you who missed the first presentation, we anticipate October Baby being shown again on the North Shore. It has just been released as well in DVD and Blu-Ray edition. You can obtain your own copy online .
October Baby is a surprise hit opening at No. 8 against THE HUNGER GAMES and other big-budget movies, although opening on half as many screens. October Baby ranked No. 3 in per screen average sales. The film earned more than $5.3 million at the box office, appeared on page A-1 of the New York Times and was named among Entertainment Weekly’s “15 Most Impressive Box Office Performances for 2012.” New York Times called October Baby a ‘quiet hit’. Film directors and brothers Jon and Andy Erwin have been amazed at the strong response to their film.
The movie begins with the heroine Hannah hesitantly taking part in her theatrical debut in college. Before her first lines, she collapses. Numerous medical tests all point to one underlying factor: Hannah’s difficult birth. This revelation is nothing compared to discovering that she was actually adopted with complications for an early traumatic birth.
Hannah is frustrated and baffled that her medical doctor father never told her that she was adopted. This cast Hannah into an identity crisis: “My parents are not my parents. I don’t know who I am. They lied to me. Whom can I trust?”
Hannah goes on a road journey with Jason, her oldest friend. Her dad was not pleased. In the midst of her incredible journey to discover her hidden past and find hope for her unknown future, Hannah sees that life can be so much more than what you have planned. I particularly appreciated the way that Rachel Hendrix played the part of Hannah. It was engaging, believable and transformative. My hunch is that Rachel has a great film career ahead of her.
Everytime I have watched October Baby, I found myself weeping. It is an amazing story of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. Hannah was told: “You have the power to forgive, to choose to forgive. Let it go. Hatred is a burden you no longer need to carry. Only in forgiveness can you be free, Hannah…if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.” October Baby is really a love story with a surprising ending. If I tell you any more, I will spoil the story.
My prayer for the those reading this article is that we will all be reminded that life is beautiful.
Reverend Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the October 2012 Deep Cove Crier
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mailed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Naome Uwamahoro’s visit to St. Simon’s NV from Rwanda
October 10, 2011
Thanks to the generosity of the Rev Ken Bell and St Timothy’s North Vancouver, we had a visit from Naome Uwamahoro the Rural Development Officer for the Anglican Diocese of Kigeme.
Naome was able to initially join us for our inaugural Saturday morning 9am Prayer Meeting on Oct 8th with our Bishop Silas Ng
Naome with our People’s Warden Candace Gillespie
Hilary King our Rector’s Warden with Naome. Translation services were provided by Naome to the Embrace Rwanda team that Hilary led this summer.
For more information about the remarkable Embrace Rwanda team, just click on this link .
Glen Houghton, a member of St. Simon’s NV, attended our inaugural St. Simon’s NV Prayer Meeting. He loves to pray and leads the Prayer Canada meeting at the District of North Vancouver City Hall.
Fifteen people were present for our inaugural St. Simon’s NV Prayer Meeting at our Modular Building at Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School. You are welcome to join us every Saturday at 9am to 10am for our St. Simon’s Prayer Meeting.
Our hi-tech Bishop Silas Ng led us in a devotional from his Daily Discipler 123 Blog . This blog can be accessed daily in written form, or as an English podcast or Cantonese podcast.
Our Bishop Silas Ng is passionate that people become disciples of Jesus Christ who disciple others in daily intimacy with Jesus Christ, and pass this on to others. He has almost finished his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary on this subject of Leadershp Development and Discipleship.
Why not dial in right now and join our Bishop Silas Ng? He is passionate that we bring a breakthrough in daily discipleship and intimacy with Jesus. Only 10% of Christians have a regular daily time of intimacy with Jesus.
Naome gave a wonderful testimony at St Simon’s NV about her recovery from the trauma of her pastor father’s death during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. Click to view this story.
Naome also shared a Rwandan song with us which you can watch by clicking.
The St. Simon’s NV family listening attentively to Naome sharing about Rwanda.
Janice Hird our St. Simon’s NV Music Director led our joint Choir in a Harvest Thanksgiving anthem.
Naome having lunch afterwards with other St. Simon’s NV leadership, including Jill Cardwell our Youth & Young Adult Pastor. Jill is leading our 30th Alpha Course for young adults. Click to learn more.
By clicking on the following link, you can watch the film ‘Mothers of Kigeme’
In Christ,
Ed Hird+
The AM–Canada/Anglican Province of Rwanda
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
-In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
-You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Welcome Home…
September 2, 2011
Dear friends in Christ, 
You are invited to check out the Fall 2011 ‘Welcome Home’ newsletter.
Blessings, Ed Hird+
http://stsimonschurch.ca
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
StS News Fall 2011 (click to open up the newsletter)
More adventures in Kigeme, Rwanda
August 14, 2011
By Rev. Ed Hird
After a night’s sleep, Janice and I continued our explorations of the Kigeme area with the most helpful assistance of Pastor Paul, Dean of the Kigeme Anglican Cathedral.
The beauty of Rwanda’s hills is truly breath-taking.
Through Pastor Paul, we led a Marriage Preparation session for four couples about to be married at the Kigeme Cathedral.
Pastor Francis is one of the Anglican clergy serving in the Kigeme diocese.
We were fortunate to be there the same time as the team from Christ the Redeemer Pender Harbour, led by the Rev Caroline Spence.
We were privileged to be hosted by the Bishop’s wife Virginia and her family.
Rev Jean Chrysostom and his family.
A music workshop led by Janice in Kigeme Cathedral
The Pender Harbour mission team
Janice Hird at the Kigeme Anglican High School
The Kigeme children did not need much to enjoy themselves.
Lush and tropical wherever you look, with two harvesting seasons each year.
An outdoor Bible Study held on the Kigeme Cathedral grounds.
Some of the newer diocesan outreach facilities.
The Kigeme Diocesan offices.
Being welcomed for tea by Virginia, the Bishop’s wife.
Previous Rwandan bishops
The hospitality of the Bishop’s wife was most appreciated.
The Bishop’s family with Janice
Janice really appreciated the welcome that we received.
The gracious hospitality of the Rwandan Anglicans in Kigeme was a real blessing.
Greetings from Kigeme to Canada
14,000 kilometres to meet these dear people.
The door was wide open to our ministry among the Kigeme Anglicans.
High School education means a lot to the Kigeme Anglicans.
Many people in Kigeme are very gifted at carrying goods on their heads.
Walking up to the Kigeme Anglican High School.
Welcome to the Kigeme Anglican High School
We were given a tour by the Chemistry teacher.
It was starting to become darker quickly as we toured the High School.
A sign encouraging the High School students to wait until marriage.
Day is done, gone the sun, as we finish our tour of the Kigeme Anglican High School
Rev. Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
Greetings from Rwanda
August 13, 2011
By Reverend Ed Hird
As you are reading this Deep Cove Crier article, my wife and I are still in Rwanda (note: we have since returned to Canada). This is our first time to Rwanda. Our former youth pastor for fourteen years, the Rev Ken Bell, now the rector of St. Timothy, recently returned from Rwanda with a team from his congregation. This seems to be the year for the North Vancouver/Rwanda connection. Having met with Ken Bell+ before I flew to Rwanda, I became more excited about this trip that I have dreamed about for many years. My wife Janice as a professional musician and director will be meeting with Rwandan musicians to share resources. As a priest, I will be both listening to and preaching in congregations throughout the Anglican diocese of Kigeme which is led by Bishop Augustin Mvunabandi. Many Canadians don’t realize that most Anglicans, in fact most Christians, now live in Africa and the Global South. The African Church is growing at an unprecedented rate that no one would have imagined thirty years ago.
Hilary King, our Rector’s Warden for St Simons’ NV, has lived in the Seymour/Deep Cove area for years, being very active in the North Shore Health Region. Currently in Rwanda with eleven people on our sixth Mission trip to Rwanda, Hilary is having a powerful impact on the health of the mothers of Kigeme, Rwanda. Hilary began initially with the Healthy Mum’s Project where people bought goats for single Rwandan moms so that they could use the manure for fertilizing their kitchen gardens. The results have been very impressive with these mothers being able to give birth to healthier, full-term babies. With the broader name Embrace Rwanda, Hilary has birthed a number of projects, including supporting a Rwandan nurse to work with the local Mothers Unions in their aiding single moms. A film producer made a striking movie entitled Mothers of Kigeme telling this good news story. It looks at the lives of three women living in Kigeme, Rwanda. The film tells about a community nurse that seeks to improve their lives by teaching women how to improve their health while they are pregnant. As they battle poverty, the mothers participating in the project are discovering new skills within themselves, and a new hope emerges as they begin to support one another. This film can be accessed on the Embrace Rwanda website.
So many good things have happened during these six 
mission trips. In partnership with the Schmidt Family Foundation, two chapels have been built in the Kigeme Diocese and three more are under construction. These buildings will be used for worship as well as providing a much needed facility for the development of pre schools. It is also hoped to use one of the new chapels as a facility where teenage boys will be taught construction skills.
Hilary King’s remarkable leadership proves that a congregation does not have to be a mega-church in order to make a positive difference in the lives of others. We can partner together in doing good for others. You are invited to consider how you might play your part in helping Rwandans rebuild their lives and families through Embrace Rwanda. For more information, please contact the Embrace Rwanda Canadian Office at Unit 301 – 3980 Inlet Crescent, North Vancouver BC, V7G 2P9: Tel. 604.929.1837
The Rev. Ed Hird, Rector
St Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article published in the August 2011 Deep Cove Crier
-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’
http://battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
-In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
-You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide
Visiting Kigeme, Rwanda
August 13, 2011
By Rev. Ed Hird
Having spent the first day at Rwanda’s capital of Kigali, we took a sardine-packed bus to the southwestern town of Kigeme. 
Before leaving Kigali, we met Bishop Mpango, a retired Tanzanian bishop staying at the Kigeme Cathedral guest house. He is very interested in helping launch people in businesses that can sow back into God’s Kingdom work.
Meeting with Kigeme diocesan staff.
Janice Hird, my wife, led four music workshops during the week at the Kigeme Cathedral.
Upon arriving at Kigeme, we stumbled in on a music practice in the Cathedral. Their passion and giftedness was most enjoyable.
This is a view of the choir from the back of the Kigeme Cathedral.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say ‘rejoice’.
Janice enjoying being in Kigeme.
Esther sharing about the Healthy Mums Project in which Hilary King has been giving leadership.
Bishop Augustin of the Kigeme Diocese at the All Africa’s Bishops Conference
Anglican Educational Leaders in the Kigeme diocese
Esther has been a key leader in the Healthy Mums Project, which has greatly reduced the infant mortality rate.
Janice Hird with Jeanne D’Arc, Leader of the Anglican Schools
Education, health, and church planting were core values of the original Anglican missionary who came to Kigeme in 1932.
Preaching the good news throughout the Kigeme area.
Meeting the Anglican High School students.
Muraho means ‘hello’ in Kirywandan.
Key diocesan leaders in the Kigeme area. Rev Jean Chrysostom organized our overall schedule for the week and kept in touch by e-mail during our preparations in Canada.
Rwanda is truly the land of a thousand hills.
Logging is often done by hand.
The Kigeme Anglican Hospital was birthed from the original 1932 vision for medical care and healing through prayer.
We had an opportunity to meet the Director of the Kigeme Anglican Hospital. The love of Jesus has been rooted into the DNA of this hospital. The staff starts every day with a half hour of worship.
Ananias is the director of Human Relations at the Hospital. He is also a senior Catechist leading an Anglican Chapel.
A mission team from the Anglican congregation in Maidenhead, UK, came to do many tasks, including rewiring the Kigeme Anglican Hospital.
Thank God for people with electrical skills who can use them for the Kingdom.
Janice Hird being given a tour of the Anglican Kigeme Hospital.
We were also given a tour of the Maternity Ward.
Pastor Samuel is the Chaplain for the Kigeme Anglican Hospital. I found him to be very godly and Spirit-filled.
Pastor Paul Karangwa and Janice Hird in front of a hospital ambulance.
The Anglican investment in health has made a significant difference for local Rwandans in the Kigeme area.
A calendar on the wall showing the Rwandan bishops in both Africa and North America.
It was great to see our previous Bishops for Canada being listed, Bishop TJ Johnston and Bishop Sandy Greene. Bishop Silas Ng is our first Canadian bishop covering Canada.
This poster summed up what the Anglican diocese of Kigeme is seeking to accomplish. Their goal is that everyone plays their part in extending God’s Kingdom and rebuilding their nation.
edhird
