Rendez-Vous 2024 - Audacious Hope
2024-07-03 - 2024-07-06
Youth, Young Adults, and Those Who Lead Them:

Save the Date!

Audacious Hope
July 3-6, 2024, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON

Brought to you by the Rendez-vous team of The United Church of Canada and the LIFT team of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

More information soon!

#UCCan #AudaciousHope2024

Ask An Expert
2024-09-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
We’re trying something new. We’re introducing an Ask An Expert series in partnership with the General Council Office. You ask the questions, and we’ll provide the expertise.
Who are the experts? Well, it depends on the topic and staff availability.
Maybe you want to know more about the insurance partnership between the GCO and Communities of Faith. Or what you do when the local newspaper calls (or when you want to get a good story out). Or what the new government relations officer does. Or what the cost-of-living-adjustment is.
It’s kind of like a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure book. Here’s how it works:
1. You send us your questions here: https://forms.office.com/r/q7UM9spU9z
2. We find the expert who can answer them.
3. We all tune in on Wednesday September 18th, 7-8 p.m. by Zoom here: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/89972136949
4. As many questions will be answered as can be within the allotted time. Unanswered questions will carry over to the next session, or we’ll answer them on our Regional Council Facebook group.
5. Tough questions are okay. We’ll do our best to answer them, and if we can’t on the spot, we’ll follow up with the right information.
So, pick your adventure. Will it be insurance? Or grants? Climate justice? Governance? Media relations? Government relations? Global partnerships? Or something else?
You pick. Ask your question here: https://forms.office.com/r/q7UM9spU9z. Join us on Wednesday September 18th at 7 p.m. to get an answer in real time. Don’t have a question right now? Listeners welcome!
This session will be facilitated by: Michelle Owens

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
2024-09-30, 2025-09-30

Flourishing: Spend a day with the Moderator
2025-02-22 09:00 - 16:30
Flourishing: Antler River, Western Ontario Waterways, and Horseshoe Falls Regional Councils
Spend a day with the Moderator, engaging in reflection and energizing activities towards dream-oriented actions for our churches and communities.
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (local time).
9:00am -9:30am Registration and coffee/tea
9:30am – Welcome and Introductions
In person
Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford, ON N5A 6N4
All around the world – from universities to the United Nations, from corporations to community organizations – people are talking about flourishing. Rooted in belonging, flourishing means living with purpose and joy, and bringing bold collaborative solutions to our world’s challenges.
The Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, wants to bring that conversation to The United Church of Canada. She invites us to connect to one another in hope, with a deep conviction by a belief that, despite all the challenges of church life in this day and age, we can move from despair to transformation – from languishing to flourishing.
Is your church flourishing?
(Perhaps that’s the wrong question.)
Is your church contributing to the flourishing of your community?
How might we truly be a flourishing church in the world? How might we live in deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice, linked from coast to coast to coast in ministry that transforms us and the world around us?
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Flourishing Workshop

Ontario Election 2025: More than Tariffs Workshop
2025-02-23 15:00 - 16:15 | Online via Zoom
Ontario Election 2025:
More than Tariffs A panel discussion
Sunday Feb 23, 3:00-4:15 PM EST on Zoom
Information to help you faithfully discern your vote and continue advocacy after the Feb 27th election.
Brief presentations by five panel members on selected topics.
Panelists will respond to questions from the audience.

Advance registration required:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pfy-0rDhQt-l-V5KqspFkw
For more information contact:
Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca and John Egger jegger@united-church.ca

Moderator:
Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly serves as the Executive Minister to ECO and EOO Regional Councils in Eastern Ontario. He was ordained in 2020. He served for 5 years as Responsible, Ministries in French, for 9 years as the National Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Éric spent 17 years working in federal political circles and 7 years as a registered lobbyist. He also brings a hope-filled passion for the church.

Panel Members
Charles Barrett is a retired economist, who was actively involved in policy dialogue in North America, and the Asia-Pacific region in international economic relations, human resources development and capacity building. He has broad research experience and has written extensively on Canadian and international policy issues. He is a member of Riverside United Church, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council.

The Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington is an ecotheologian and ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Working at the intersection of ecology and theology for 20 years, she inspires people of faith to transform their actions in response to the climate crisis. She currently serves as commissioner on climate justice with the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Sign up for her weekly newsletter: Faith. Climate Crisis. Action. (https://jessicahetherington.substack.com/).

Bryan Smith is a long-term member of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice, an organization committed to work and advocacy on a wide range of social and environmental issues locally in the County of Oxford and across the planet. It stands in for the Ontario Health Coalition and stands up for public health. Bryan is a retired teacher, and is active in providing school lunches and community dinners, and promoting local foods, the avoidance of waste, community events, and public health.

Rev. Jeffrey Dale (they/he) is the Minister at College Street United Church in downtown Toronto. Jeffrey is a harm reduction advocate and community educator, working with harm reduction advocacy groups throughout the Province of Ontario to educate communities of faith and the wider society regarding the needs of people who use drugs.

Rev. Susan Eagle is the minister at Grace United Church in Barrie. She chairs both the Ecological and Social Justice Commission for Shining Waters Regional Council, and the Steering Committee of the provincial interfaith coalition, ISARC, which does policy analysis and advocacy for income security, homelessness and employment rights. She has worked with newcomer and low-income individuals and sole-support families as a community outreach worker, and served on London City Council for 13 years.

This workshop is presented by the Social Justice Network of Ontario Regional Councils (SJNORC) with representation from Eastern Ontario Outaouais, East Central Ontario, Shining Waters, Canadian Shield, Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways and Prairie to Pine Regional Councils of The United Church of Canada.
Engage, Pray, Vote.

ARW UCW Annual Gathering 2025
2025-04-26 08:45
Click here for Agenda
Click here for Registration Form

Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion – Online
2025-09-24 10:00 - 11:30 | Online via Zoom
Join us online Wednesday, September 24th at 10:00-11:30 AM for Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion, and take your acknowledgement of Territory to the next level by considering the Spiritual Covenant.
Many congregations who have been acknowledging the territory for the past few years are asking what meaningful action they can take to move their acknowledgment from words to actions. You are invited to Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion, an online opportunity to begin the conversation about making a spiritual covenant.
You’re warmly invited
to this special event featuring Adrian Jacobs of the Turtle Clan, Cayuga Nation, sharing on the Spiritual Covenant—a reflection on land, relationship, and reconciliation on Wednesday, September 24th, from 10:00-11:30 AM.
Adrian Jacobs will offer a leadership in this workshop and communion service that will inform and inspire the discernment of churches on any traditional territory who wish to consider concrete action to live into their acknowledgment of territory. The workshop and worship will be grounded in history and scripture, and will invite you to deeper relationship with the land and the peoples on the land, and the Creator, Christ and Spirit. (For more information about the Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion and the Spiritual Covenant, see below.)
The road to a decision about a faithful action by your community of faith is an ongoing journey. Come prepared to engage and to learn, and then bring your reflections to your home church for prayerful consideration.
Bread and Juice for Communion
This workshop will include an online communion service, so have your own juice and bread ready. For juice, you are invited to honour Indigenous tradition with strawberry juice, a local Indigenous medicine. If you would like to make strawberry juice, here is a simple recipe you can use:
https://tworowtimes.com/healthy-roots/jihsodahk-the-leader-of-the-plants/. If you are not able to use strawberry juice, feel free to bring any fruit juice of your choice.
Register in advance for this event:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/2BNM7atZRhKNuAGAeO_1nA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Read More Here

Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion
2026-06-13 09:00 - 13:00
Learn about Spiritual Covenants and how your church can live into right relations by attending the all-ages Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion.
Don’t miss this special all-ages community event, online or in-person at Six Nations Polytechnic in Ohsweken, Sat. June 13.
Click for Info and to Register Now
