Attend a national gathering for peace, justice & human rights in Palestine Israel!
The United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine/Israel (UNJPPI) is a country-wide network of people, many connected with the United Church of Canada, who are concerned about justice and peace in Palestine/Israel. We focus on advocacy, education to uphold human rights and justice in the region.
Every year, UNJPPI organizes a national gathering. Now that pandemic restrictions have eased up we are grateful for the opportunity to gather again for the first time since 2019 and would like to invite you to join!
We meet May 5-8, 2022 in London, Ontario. The gathering theme is “Responding to a Cry for Hope.”
UNJPPI’s May gathering is an opportunity to learn regardless of your previous knowledge or engagement with peace and justice in Israel and Palestine.It is a chance to hear from dynamic and diverse speakers, form connections with like minded advocates from across the country, gather strength and inspiration as we emerge from pandemic shut downs, form community over meals and music, engage in meaningful learning sessions and discussions, and envision how we carry the work for peace and justice forward.
UNJPPI is working to make this gathering a meaningful and memorable learning opportunity!
More information (program outline, speakers, logistics and registration) is available on the event website: www.unjppi.ca
Antler River Watershed Regional Council Members Let Sunflower Seeds of Hope Abound in ARWRC
Sunflowers! The national flower of Ukraine.
When explorers returning home from North America brought sunflower seeds with them, the seeds were planted in the rich dark soil of Ukraine where they flourished. While other fats and oils used for cooking were forbidden by the Orthodox Church during Lent, the oil from sunflower seeds found its way into Ukrainian cooking and culture. Throughout Ukraine’s history the ubiquitous sunflower has been a symbol of peace.
Since late February the sunflower has become a global symbol of resistance and solidarity in support of Ukraine. It is rooted in a news story about a bold, brave and courageous Ukrainian woman who offered sunflower seeds to heavily armed Russian soldiers invading her country. “Take these seeds,” she said, “so that sunflowers grow when you die here.”
Sunflower seeds of hope … hope that good will triumph; hope that through the darkness beauty will grow. Death and resurrection.
On Ash Wednesday, on behalf of the Antler River Watershed Regional Council (ARWRC), I wrote a letter of support to the Ukrainian faith communities located within the region.
Here is an excerpt:
We watch with dismay and disbelief as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. Our hearts ache because of the violence, death, pain, destruction, and the displacement being visited upon Ukraine’s people, many of whom have family members and friends living in Canada.
In a time such as this, we pray that the Spirit of God’s love will provide strength for the people, political leaders and spiritual leaders of Ukraine. We pray for peace.
We are holding and encouraging you as we stand in solidarity with you. support
And now to the Sunflower Challenge!
During Lent, and beyond, I encourage all communities of faith to plant sunflower seeds of hope and to adorn your worship spaces with sunflowers … be they real ones, photographs or made of construction paper. My hope is that the ARWRC will become a field of sunflowers. It will become an expression of our “Voices United” in hope and in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their loved ones around the world.
Beyond the sunflowers, please also check the UCC website for many more ways to help and show support for Ukraine and its people.
In Faith & Hope,
Rev. Jane Van Patter
President, Antler River Watershed Regional Council
Ahead of PIE Day 2022 (March 14th), a small group of friends of Horseshoe Falls and Shining Waters Regional Councils came together to talk about the ways Scripture has been used – and misused – to cause harm to 2SLGBTQIA+ people. We talked about ways the United Church perpetuated that harm. We talked about how far we have come as a denomination – and how far we have left to go. We celebrated the progress that has been made and we wondered what we might offer to help communities of faith engage in an important conversation on a day that has been set apart for acknowledging our call to be Public Intentional and Explicit in inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ kin.
The result of our conversation is this resource – reflections on lectionary readings for March 13th , 2022 (the Sunday before PIE Day), a litany of persistence and resistance, and even a story for children’s time. We pray this offering will generate meaningful dialogue and creativity about the ways we embrace the wonderful diversity of all God’s people.
Use this resource. Share this resource. Add to this resource.
The Love Story of David and Jonathan, written by Deborah Laforet and narrated (and illustrated!) by the children of St. Paul’s United Church, Oakville, can be found here:
You are welcome to use the story for children’s time, in Sunday School, or for whatever purpose makes sense in your context.
Scripture Reflections/Sermon Starters for Sunday March 13th, 2022 By Jeffrey Dale
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
God’s covenant of Abram comes with devotion and work. As we read through Genesis, we consider the ways in which we have been called in our covenant with God. For some it maybe through the ministry of preaching, pastoral care, education, justice and/or service, while for others it maybe through ensuring church buildings are maintained. We all are called by God in our ministry. In this week of PIE Day, there is a myriad of ways to consider God’s covenant with queer Christians, and the call that God gives to heterosexual Christians to respond to the queer covenant. Consider, as you are reading Genesis, how you are called to be public, intentional, and explicit. Consider how that PIE call feeds your desire to be present in relationships with queer folks throughout this church.
Psalm 27
The psalmist invites us into considering the ways in which God comforts and protects us. For many of us, we see church as a place in which we may seek sanctuary in a world in which being who you are is often not a lived reality. We still experience spaces in which transgender people consistently experience misgendering and erasure, and gay and lesbian people experience homophobia through words and actions, while bisexuals and asexual people experience a barrage of doubt and questions. If we consider what the psalmist writes in verse four as a focal point of this particular psalm, we can acknowledge, that the desire is for us to not only be loved and understood by God, but to also be integral in the living space of God’s house. Consider, if you will, the ways in which your church has been a house of dissent, consider the ways in which your worshiping community of faith continues to be inaccessible to queer people, and then consider the ways in which you can truly work together, as a community of believers, to build God’s house in your community.
Philippians 3: 17 – 21
We live in our bodies, and as Philippians informs us, there will come an experience in which what we know physically today will be manifested in a way that is now a holy mystery to us. Reading Philippians, consider the lives and experiences of Dominque Jackson, January Marie Lapuz, and Raymond Taavel, who experienced physical violence and death because of who they were and whom they loved. Our bodies are vessels on this earth, and we embody both our relationships with one another and our experiences of God. As such, we belong to God fully and wholly. As you read through the Philippians scripture, challenge yourself to consider how the queer experience is an embodiment of God’s presence here on earth.
Luke 13: 31 – 35
It has been a regular occurrence for queer people to experience brutality at the hands of the systems of power, whether they be police, religious, or political, and yet, queer people still continue to exist. Consider for a moment the movements that existed in the United Church of Canada’s history that desired erasure of queer voices in our church, such as the Community of Concern, and yet queer people continued to show up in spaces of spirituality and religion. We have a history in the United Church of Canada where queer existence was desired to be erased, regardless of the work and care that queer people, and often we do not talk about the experiences of the trauma and damage that occurred because of the organizing against queer people in the United Church of Canada? Why? We must wonder. This week, as you are reading this passage from Luke that is about Christ’s continued presence in direct response to adversity, research and ponder, question, the ways in which members, ministry personnel and lay, of the United Church of Canada have worked to erase queer people from this church’s life – and how other members, ministry personnel and lay, fought to ensure that did not happen.
Tri Regional UCW of Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils met on Saturday, February 12th, 2022. Enjoy the video of the event and stay connected.
Contact Kathy Douglas for information on future UCW events.
Since COVID struck, visits to Canadian food banks have climbed 20 percent. Already, over 33 percent of food bank users are children. In 2022, food prices are predicted to rise another 5 to 7 percent.
We can do more to support our friends and neighbours living in Canada. That’s why on February 21―as many provinces celebrate Family Day― we are hoping you will encourage those in your network to support families by giving the gift of a meal through our Mission & Service partners. A gift of just $25 will provide a family of four with a warm, nutritious meal.
You can support the appeal by sharing social media posts and announcements l and this Mission & Service story.
Whether you are celebrating Family Day, Heritage Day, or just another day, please join us in making February 21 a day of generosity. A day to show that we as a whole United Church really care about our neighbours.
We can do more to support our friends and neighbours living in Canada. Support families by giving the gift of a meal through our Mission & Service partners. A gift of just $25 will provide a family of four with a warm, nutritious meal. $50 will support a family with two meals. $175 will ensure a family can eat a good, healthy meal every day of the week. Make a gift today!
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