Bishop Joey Royal resigned his positions as Suffragan Bishop, Rector of Holy Trinity (Yellowknife) and Director of ATTS in October 2024. He took up a position in Ottawa with the Christian Embassy of Canada, and the move allows his son to attend a special school where he is making great progress working through his dyslexia. Pray for clergy families, as accepting a ministry posting in … Continue reading Retirements and Moves around the Diocese
Rita and I met in Hay River, NWT where we both worked for Canadian National Telecommunications (CNT) the parent company of several phone companies across Canada. We had a good income and plans to use that income to travel the world for two years. Then, during our travels, I got the sense that God was calling me to ministry, a ministry that I could not … Continue reading Bishop David’s Message: Seeing God’s Provision in the Rear-View Mirror
Bishop David’s Easter Message Today we live in the midst of a world of selfish independence. As a human race we chose to reject God, rejecting Jesus the gift of God. We have chosen to live a life of independence. Every day we listen to bad news. We are at war with ourselves, our beliefs and a world system which bullies any who will not … Continue reading Why the Cross?
“It feels different here.” This is the comment our eldest son made when he returned to the Arctic. We asked, ”Different how.” He said, “It feels good.” This is the feeling I have as I travel throughout the Arctic. There is a special feeling, it is hard to explain because I have been blessed to travel many of the world’s continents, yet in the Arctic … Continue reading I Feel the Winds of God Today
Yesterday I sat with Rev. Loasie Kuniliusee. He told me, “When speaking to Inuit they just want to hear what comes from the Bible. They know what the Bible says, so only speak from the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.” Wise words from a seasoned minister. The night before we had a retirement celebration for Loasie’s many years of ministry. Is … Continue reading Weekly Update: Ministry is like Building a House
Friends, we need to stir up the spirit within us. Let me explain. We have a body with its needs for food, drink, warmth, cleansing, and the like. We have a mind, our soul, emotions and thoughts to reason, think, and meditate as we choose to make decisions such as, “I will or I will not.” We have to protect our minds from being captured … Continue reading Weekly Update: Stir up the Spirit!
As the Bishop of the Arctic, part of my work is to help the church be a people of positive influence within society. Sometimes we forget who we are, where we came from and why we are here. In that, my job is to help people remember. I am to help learn the story and remember it. To recall the ancient story of God’s People … Continue reading Bishop David’s Message: Called to Remember, Empowered to Proclaim
By Bishop David Parsons This year as we began summer holidays, many needed prayer. Fires broke out at the Kátł’odeeche First Nation/Hay River NWT, Valleyview Alberta, in Val-D’Or Quebec, then fires broke out in Halifax. Later Halifax began to flood, and more fires broke out in Behchoko NWT and in BC. Following a 22,000 km road trip from Yellowknife to Newfoundland we returned to more … Continue reading Send Help, Lord! Send Help.
Stop…Be Still. Over the years, when we have found ourselves in times of great difficulty, we have been learning to stop leaning to our own understanding, to be still, and seek God’s advice, wisdom and direction. On August the 7th, Rita and I were feeling relieved to be back in Yellowknife after a 22,000-kilometer round trip to Newfoundland: glad to be home and back … Continue reading Bishop David’s Message: Let’s Replace the 53
Most communities in the North have a Co-Op. A co-op is a group of people working together for the benefit of all its members and the wider community. Across the Arctic there are co-op grocery stores, hotels, insurance companies, and many other services. Many communities have a Hunters’ and Trappers’ Association, which is another sort of co-op that works together to benefit its’ members and the community. Continue reading “We’re a co-op!” Churches working together with a Mission
