Creating Conversation is a video series that features a variety of topics that youth and young adults are keenly interested in exploring further. These short videos have been created so that communities of faith may utilize them in their engagement with youth and young adult ministry. To access the videos, please go to: Creating Conversations - Shining Waters (shiningwatersregionalcouncil.ca) This project is sponsored by the United Church of Canada’s Vison Fund, and was supported by:...
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The meeting opened with President, Robert Lawson, interplaying the theme with T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Hollow Men”. This image was woven through both the Thursday evening and Saturday morning sessions. Wendy Lowden, Chair, Agenda, and Business, led worship on Thursday evening, building on the theme. Diane Matheson-Jimenez and Thérèse Samuel led community-building time in small groups naming bold and brave figures from the Bible, identifying actions considered to be brave and bold, and...
Are you looking for ways to be more engaged in your local community? Are you looking for ways to fund all the community work you’ve dreamed of? Look no further! All Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, and Western Ontario Waterways changemakers, innovators, and community animators are invited to a Zoom gathering to learn about the exciting new grant opportunity, My Main Street. The My Main Street Community Activator provides funding for placemaking projects that help strengthen the...
Be Bold, Be Brave. “What is the most important quality for a minister to have?” “That’s easy,” said the candidate for ordination, “bravery.” The chair of the interviewing committee was taken aback. “Bravery?” she asked. “Why is bravery important? What about faith? What about hope? What about love?” “Well,” said the candidate, “I think faith is a kind of bravery. I think hope is a kind of courage. And, I think love – real love – requires an incredible amount of fortitude. “I see,” said the...
Regional Staff wearing our orange to show Every Child Matters, and to remember the children who never made it home from Residential School.
Thank you to local community of faith leaders. When they accepted these roles, few expected to be coping with a global pandemic. The regional council offers advice but the decisions are made in the community of faith. All congregations are encouraged to applaud and support the efforts of leaders who have been navigating changing regulations, consulting with their local health unit and instituting protocols to keep the church available to others and to ensure the safety of all who access it....
Living into Right Relations (LIRR) This monthly bulletin offers a listing of events, actions and resources for people interested in right relations and supporting Indigenous initiatives. It is curated by Nancy Dykstra, a first generation Canadian of Dutch descent and a member of Parkminster United Church in Waterloo. Nancy was inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Report of 2015 to become active in working toward right relations. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - Thursday,...
Several communities of faith have inquired if the vaccine passport being instituted in Ontario applies to them. The legal advice the regional council has received to date is that communities of faith do not have grounds to request this information. Privacy legislation protects medical information and there has been no provincial action mandating such information be shared in a community of faith. In fact, worshiping communities have been specifically exempted from the vaccine passport. There...
RIGHT RELATIONS EVENTS 2021 The following Right Relations events are all being offered by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways regions of the United Church of Canada. Please note that you are able to call into the Zoom meetings with a regular phone call if you do not have access to video calls. For more information contact Thérèse Samuel, Minister, Right Relations and Social Justice at TSamuel@united-church.ca. WORKING TOGETHER FOR RIGHT RELATIONS: Networking and...
Becoming Nakuset The Story of a Sixties Scoop Survivor September 8, 2021 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET / 4:00pm - 5:30pm PT On September 8th “Becoming Nakuset” will be hosted by United in Learning in partnership with Indigenous Ministries and Justice and Shining Waters Regional Council. It is an important award-winning short documentary of one woman’s experience of the Sixties Scoop, and a story that needs to be known in the non-Indigenous church. The film will be followed by a listening circle led...
The United Church, in conjunction with For the Love of Creation, is searching for delegates to form a virtual delegation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26). The four COP26 goals set by the host countries UK and Italy are a step change in commitments to emissions reduction, strengthening adaptation to climate change impacts, getting finance flowing for climate action and enhancing international collaboration, including for the COP26 campaigns on energy transition, clean...
The United Church of Canada is in contact with Mission & Service partners in Haiti to find out how we can support their communities. Make a gift to support immediate needs including emergency shelter, clean water, and food. We are also asking for prayers for our partners and the Haitian United Church community in Canada, who are trying to contact family and friends in the devastation. Read more about the situation here.
On July 23rd, the Israeli military shot 17-year old Mohammad Munir Mohammad Tamimi(opens in a new tab) in the back. He died after hours of surgery. On July 28th, Israeli soldiers shot and killed 11-year old Mohammad Mo’ayyad Bahjat Abu Sara(opens in a new tab) while he was sitting in his father’s car. In the morning of July 29, the main offices of Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP), a United Church of Canada partner based in Ramallah, was raided by Israeli forces. Computers...
A special worship service was created with ecumenical and interfaith leadership for August 1, 2021, the first federally recognized Emancipation Day throughout Canada. Emancipation Day we remember that on August 1, 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect, putting an end to legalized enslavement of people of African and Indigenous ancestry in the territory now known as Canada. This ecumenical service can be used in February (African Heritage Month/Black History Month), or...
The Kaleidoscope Institute presents a Summer Series of learning for Ministry Personnel and Lay Leaders The Kaleidoscope Institute's founder, Eric Law, is the author of Holy Currencies, and many churches have found this a helpful resource and will find the Summer Institute programs invaluable. The Kaleidoscope Institute is offering a Summer Institute intercultural experience on: Liberating Hope: Truth, Connection & Wellness / Esperanza Liberadora: Verdad, Conexión y...
The Right Rev. Dr. Richard Bott, the Moderator of the United Church responds to Residential School burial sites: More resources for Indigenous Justice here. Photo credit: Sonya Romanovska via Unsplash
On Sunday July 4th, Jarvis Community Church celebrated it's inaugural service. Rev. Kim Shantz led the service with 70+ people and four ministers of different denominations in attendance. This is the beginning of a new ecumenical ministry in Jarvis, Ontario, (Horseshoe Falls Regional Council) between Wesley United Church and Knox Presbyterian Church. Photos provided by: Ross Gowan Doug McBride of Knox Presbyterian says “We’re looking for a future for our...
The Skylight Festival has new dates for the summer. We have postponed to Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29. We are excited to announce the Final line-up of our Contributors for our 2021 Festival! We will have two venues, all on the upper campus of Five Oaks, with some recreational options offered at times. We will join together with the whole community for a program on Saturday evening and a Sunday morning gathering. Pandemic protocols will need to continue to be practiced during...
