Windsor/Essex County Pride Parade
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The Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne Moderator of The United Church of Canada
INSTALLATION: Sunday, August 7, 2022
Nominations closed for 44th Moderator of The United Church of Canada on June 17. The United Church of Canada requires an election process for Moderator, so the nominee, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Kwisa’lakw, attended the election on July 23 ….. and the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Kwisa’lakw, will be installed on August 7, 2022. Learn more about the nominee in this biographical statement.
For those unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed on othe UCC YouTube channel.
SAVE THE DATES: ANTIRACISM and the UNITED CHURCH – INTENSIVE WORKSHOP in 2023
SAVE THE DATES: ANTIRACISM and the UNITED CHURCH – INTENSIVE WORKSHOP in 2023
Are you interested in furthering your engagement with anti-racism?
Save the Dates for this two-session workshop:
Tuesdays February 7, 2023 and March 7, 2023 @10:00-11:30 AM EST
Feb 7- Part 1: Antiracism Workshop with Selam Debs.
March 7- Part 2: Antiracism for the UCC with a UCC BIPOC theologian/racial justice educator. Facilitator TBA.
Selam Debs is a Black Ethiopian queer Anti-Racism Coach, Consultant & Trainer specializing in anti-Black racism, equity, inclusion and implicit bias awareness.
PREREQUSITE: in preparation to engage on a deep level with themes of White supremacy culture, racism and antiracism, participants are asked to first complete the UCC’s current 4-session Racial Justice Workshops. Register for Fall 2022 Racial Justice Workshops at United-in-Learning.com
To apply for funding to take the Racial Justice Workshop go to:
Leaders Fund Grants | Antler River Watershed Regional Council (arwrcucc.ca)
For more information contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca
Mission Support Grant Applications 2023
Here is the Mission Support Grant application for 2023. The deadline for submitting an application is 12:01 am Tuesday September 6th, 2022.
Completed application packages can be sent to Kathy Douglas at KDouglas@united-church.ca
Upon receiving your email, Kathy will let you know she has your application. If you have not heard from Kathy within 3 working days, please be in touch with her to ensure she received your email.
If you have any questions or concerns as you fill out the application, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any of the staff members
Kathy Douglas: KDouglas@united-church.ca
Thérèse Samuel: TSamuel@united-church.ca
Diane Matheson-Jimenez: DMatheson@united-church.ca
Application link:
2023 Mission Support Grant Application
Call for Applications – Ontario Grant
The Ontario Grant to Support Anti-Hate Security Measures for Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations is now accepting applications for 2022-23. Organizations that applied for the grant in 2021-22 can apply again for 2022-23.
The deadline to apply is August 31, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
As with the previous round of the program, the grant can go towards expenses such as security equipment or training to respond to hate-motivated incidents. Funds must be spent on eligible expenses by March 31, 2023.
Further information can be found on the website. For additional questions or help, please contact ServiceOntario. Call centres are open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding government and statutory holidays:
- Toll-free: 1-855-216-3090
- Toll-free TTY: 1-800-268-7095
Ontario Grant to Support Anti-Hate Security Measures for Faith-Based and Cultural Organizations
COVID: Outside Legal Counsel Summary – April 26, 2022
COVID POLICIES
from the National Office of The United Church of Canada
With restrictions easing across the country, the United Church sought the advice of outside legal counsel for communities of faith. Excerpts from the legal opinion are provided below. Please note it is based on policies currently in place and the assessment of them as reasonable.
Assuming that the original rule issued by the Church or congregation concerning masking or proof of vaccination status was reasonable, there is nothing about the removal of the various provincial mandates that would make it improper or illegal to continue with a rule that required masking or proof of vaccination status. In fact, pursuant to relevant Occupational Health and Safety legislation,
employers have a duty to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to keep workers safe.
For at least some time, we suspect that there is a good argument that a continuation of restrictions, such as masking, (and possibly a vaccination policy, depending on its requirements) is reasonable.
Please note these considerations will depend on the actual vaccination policy that has been implemented, as it could vary. COVID-19 restrictions implemented by congregations and other measures, such as masking, are generally founded on obligations pursuant to relevant Occupational Health and Safety legislation. Accordingly, the Church (and its congregations) continue to be subject to their obligations pursuant to the relevant Occupational Health and Safety legislation in each applicable province…
Any vaccination policies that are currently in place will also have specific considerations, as they often require the disclosure of vaccination status.
These policies will need to be reasonably balanced. Any collection of vaccination status should only be done as part of a reasonable vaccination program that appropriately balances the rights to privacy and bodily integrity of its employee’s and congregant’s legitimate interests and obligations. To continue with a vaccination policy, the congregation would need to ultimately determine that it is reasonable in the circumstances. This will be a contextual analysis that balances the privacy interests of the employees and/or congregants with the actual policy.
Relying on applicable Occupational Health and Safety legislation requires that current measures be supported by current and up to date science in order to support that the policy makes the workplace “safe” and is a “reasonable precaution”, in the words of the Ontario statute vaccination policy requirements…
Depending on how the pandemic and scientific evidence continues to unfold, it may be more challenging to assert they are required though. Masking or other COVID-19 requirements follow a similar analysis. The congregation or Church should be considering whether such requirements are necessary to ensure a safe workplace.
Requiring masking or sanitization are certainly less intrusive measures than requesting vaccination status, so can generally be more easily justified…
We would caution that the requirement to mask should apply equally to all employees and congregants, regardless of their vaccination status… The above noted conclusions could change as scientific evidence and public health guidance evolve. Having said that, the Church can currently proceed with reasonable restrictions. Without a detailed review of vaccination policies/practices in place, it is challenging to opine on whether specific vaccination related restrictions would remain reasonable. However, masking/sanitizing would be a reasonable restriction as of the date of this opinion.
Congregations are reminded to continue to ask people to stay home if unwell or if they have tested positive for COVID.
Cheryl-Ann Stadelbauer-Sampa
Executive Minister
