October 21-23 | St. John’s, NL
Synod 2026 in St. John’s
Our annual Diocesan Synod is in St. John’s, Newfoundland this year! We will be hosted by the good people of Church of the Good Samaritan along with volunteers from our other congregations around Newfoundland. We are so grateful for their hospitality and care for us in so many ways as they welcome us to their church home and city.
Synod is both a joyous time to encourage and worship with one another, as well as a responsibility as a diocese to gather in unity and continue to help steward the resources and opportunities we have been given. On the Wednesday night (Oct 21) we will have our Opening Eucharist service and it is free and open to anyone. So please come! Whether you are a delegate or an observer or just coming to Opening Eucharist we would love to see you there.
OUR THEME
Church Planting & Revitalization
Our synod themes over the past few years have focused on our diocesan ministry priorities, and this year we will have a special focus on Church Planting and Revitalization. As a diocese, our mission is to build Biblically faithful, Gospel sharing, Anglican churches across our nation. It is a mission carried out through vital, vibrant, and healthy churches that are willing and able to send out, support, and plant more churches and reach more people with the Gospel of grace. This multiplication is central to our calling as Christians and as God's Church on mission. It is a work relevant to every single congregation, regardless of size or season.
With this in mind, we are greatly looking forward to presentations from our newly formed Church Planting Servant Leadership Team, headed up by Canon George Sinclair. We are also very grateful that Canon Mark Eldredge, Director of Church Revitalization for the American Anglican Council, will be with us as one of our keynote speakers. You can learn more about him below.
Registration
If you are a clergy delegate or an elected lay delegate please register as soon as possible. If you are not a delegate but would like to attend Synod, you can register as an observer.
Notes:
If you are registering multiple people, please register each person individually.
Registration closes on September 21st.
Refunds are available before September 21st, if necessary, minus the transaction fees.
Schedule
We will have a draft agenda soon and it will be updated as needed as we get closer to the event.
Days will usually begin at 9:30am and typically conclude around 4pm. Lunches will be provided. On Friday we will finish by 12pm.
Livestreaming
We are intending to livestream most of the morning services and Bible teaching, along with the Wednesday Opening Eucharist. You’ll be able to watch on our YouTube channel.
Venue
Anglican Church of the Good Samaritan
10 St Clare Ave,
St. John's, NL
A1C 6N4
Featured Speakers
The Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge
Canon Mark is president of the American Anglican Council, director of Anglican Revitalization Ministries, and a member of our provincial ACNA Executive Committee. As director of Revitalization Ministries, Mark works with congregations all across the ACNA to assess, enrich and revive their structures and culture towards greater health and missional effectiveness. He will be with us to talk on the subject of Church Revitalization and provide resources towards that goal.
Mark was born near Buffalo, NY but grew up in Palm Coast, FL. He received his Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and his Master of Divinity from Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. After serving as an Associate Priest for three years at an Episcopal Church in Midland, TX, Mark moved to Jacksonville to be the Senior Pastor of Epiphany Episcopal Church. While leading that church through revitalization, he also moved the church into what has become the Anglican Church of North America. After 14 years in that church, Mark is now the Director of Church Revitalization for the American Anglican Council serving the Anglican Church in North America by helping local congregations better fulfill the Great Commission in our times. He also served a similar role as the Canon for Congregational Health for the Gulf Atlantic Diocese based in Jacksonville, FL for 8 years. Mark is married to his best friend, Ame, has three adult children and two grandchildren.
The Rev. Canon David Short
Canon David will be with us to provide our main Bible teaching during Synod. David is the retired, long-time rector of St. John’s Vancouver and our diocesan Canon for Preaching. David and his wife, Bronwyn, live in Vancouver, BC. Bronwyn will also be with us to speak to our clergy spouses during Clergy Day on the Tuesday.
Accommodation & Transportation
Accommodation and transportation are the responsibilities of each attendee. You are welcome to stay wherever you like during synod. However, we do have a group rate with a hotel and many will be staying there.
Hotel Group Rate
We have a group rate with the Hilton Garden Inn. It is 650m from our synod venue and approximately a 9 minute walk on average.
Here are the ways you can book with them:
Our Group Rate code is: 90C
Phone: 709-383-1310
Web: Book Online
Transportation Options
There are many transportation services in St. John’s. If you’re coming from the airport there are a variety of options including taxi services, Uber and buses.
