We’re looking for amazing projects to fund through the second round of the My Main Street Community Activator program!
The program, funded by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, supports placemaking projects across southern Ontario in 2022, with reimbursements between $25,000 and $250,000.
Learn more by reviewing the application guide and apply by completing and submitting the application form. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2022.
We’ll also be hosting information sessions and events to encourage bold, ambitious projects that will drive economic activity and support the inclusion of equity seeking groups.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to placemaking@mymainstreet.ca. Or feel free to book some time with Cecile or Jared to discuss by phone.
The Government of Canada has launched the New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) 2021-2022 call for proposals (CFP) for community-based projects across Canada.The online application and applicant guide is available on the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). For information, please consult the ESDC Funding Programs page. The deadline to submit applications will be December 21st, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. EST.
WHAT’S NEW FOR THE 2021-2022 CALL FOR PROPOSALS?
One application stream: Community-based projects are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding. New applicants and organizations that have not been funded in the past five years are encouraged to apply.
To simplify the application process and provide funds to communities more rapidly, organizations will need to complete and submit their application online. The deadline to submit is December 21st, 2021.
Organizations will be invited to apply for funding that supports the program’s national priorities:
1. Supporting healthy ageing
o Including addressing social isolation, including through supporting seniors’ digital literacy, addressing ageism, mental health and dementia, and by developing and delivering virtual programming for the above.
2. Preventing senior abuse
o Including helping seniors navigate access to government benefits and providing support to file their taxes, supporting financial empowerment of seniors, and measures to reduce crimes and harm against seniors.
3. Celebrating diversity and promoting inclusion
o Including promoting intergenerational mentoring and engagement, and serving members of the following vulnerable groups: Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of racialized and newcomer groups, members of LGBTQ2+ communities, low-income seniors and veterans.
4. Helping seniors to age in place
o Including providing practical supports to seniors to help them remain in their homes longer.
Advent and Christmas Greetings from President Jane
Lists! Grocery lists. “Honey-do lists.” And, at this time of the year, Christmas lists. I wonder what’s on your Christmas list or that of your children, your grandchildren and other family and friends with whom you exchange Christmas gifts.
Two years ago, my theatre friends and I were sitting in the Grand Theater in London waiting for the Christmas show to begin. Barbara, who works for Canada Post was telling me about the letters that come into the post office where she works. In particular, she was talking about letters addressed to Santa, the North Pole, HOH OHO – Ho! Ho! Ho! The letters, in the form of Christmas lists, are sent by children living in hopeful anticipation of that great day coming.
As the grandmother of a pre-schooler, I was curious to know what was trending. What do children have on their Christmas lists these days? The answer Barbara gave was not the one what I was expecting. One of the letters received included two Christmas lists, presumably from siblings. On the one list there were 28 items listed. Every item listed began with “Santa, I want.” The other list identified 6 items. The message to Santa began, “Dear Santa, I would like any one of the 6 items listed. You choose.”
Trying to imagine Christmas morning in this unidentified household, my hunch is that the child who would like anything from among the six items listed, may have had a happier Christmas morning than the child who wanted all twenty- eight things listed.
What’s on your Christmas list?
In part, the lectionary appointed faith stories during Advent point to difficult times. They also encourage us to prepare ourselves, our hearts, our minds and to be ready for the good things yet to come. Fear not! Good news of great joy awaits you!
During these Advent days of waiting in hopeful anticipation of good news of great joy, we do so in a time of pandemic living; in a time of climate change as evidenced by floods and fires destroying the earth and claiming lives and property; in a time of racism and vigilante justice. In times such as this we are called to prepare, to be ready. Fear not!
My prayer this Advent season is that our Christmas lists include the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. My prayer is that these gifts, the gifts of Christmas, will be given generously and received graciously by all people that on earth do dwell.
To each of you the members, friends, and communities of faith within the Antler River Watershed Region, may the Advent season and the celebration of Christmas fill your hearts with joy and wonder sustaining you in the year ahead.
In Faith & Hope,
Rev. Jane Van Patter
President, Antler River Watershed Regional Council
**Canada, Stand up for Palestinian Children’s Rights**
Join this International Day (Nov 29) of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Light a candle for the Palestinian Children.
Join the UNJPPI campaign to support Palestinian children living under the Israeli military occupation.
https://www.unjppi.org/join-childrens-rights-campaign.html
Sign up through this link http://eepurl.com/htSZpb to receive information about the campaign and how to participate.
Last fall Parliamentary Petition e-2667 was presented to Parliament. It called on the Government of Canada “to ensure the human rights of Palestinian children are protected by instructing a Special Envoy to promote, monitor and report on the human rights situation of Palestinian children living in the occupied Palestinian Territory and Gaza”.
Early in 2021, the Executive and Commission members of the regional council together attended the four sessions of the United Church’s racial justice training. That experience informed the spring meeting where time was devoted to Indigenous justice and anti-racism. It also informed this fall meeting where the traditional Land Acknowledgement shifted from a formula into a reflection. The title became “Reconciliation Focus” and we considered the nearest First Nations to us, the name of an Indigenous leader who influenced us and our next step in this journey towards reconciliation. The names were formed into a word image:
Indigenous Leaders Who Have Influenced Us!
Just as prominent as the names of national leaders were the names of Indigenous leaders known to us personally, such as Geraldine Robertson, Grafton and Eileen Antone and Janice Rising. We give thanks for these elders among us.
We were pleased to have Elaine Jacobs introduce us to Walpole Island (Bkejwanong Territory) and Tarance Whiteye to introduce us to the ministry of the congregation at Moraviantown. Chief Denise Stonefish of the Eelŭnaapéewi Lahkéewiit (Delaware Nation at Moraviantown) also joined us to share with the regional council her people’s deep connection to the land where the village of Fairfield once was and their hopes to create an interpretation centre there to expand the story curated by the museum.
Karlene Brown-Palmer opened our sessions with the lighting of the flame and offered us words of wisdom and insight in worship. Her unshakeable faith and powerful messages inspire long after the service ends. Many, many thanks to all who framed our worship and sessions with music. Your extraordinary talents were a gift that lifted our hearts and our hopes inspiring us to “Keep Calm and Rock On”.
The fall meeting of the regional council had two main foci:
Business and accountability;
Proposals to General Council 44.
The regional council received one proposal for its own consideration concerning the role of former ministry personnel continuing to offer ministerial leadership in a community of faith where they no longer serve. This was passed and directs the regional council to develop an educational plan and to raise concerns with the Office of Vocation concerning ministry personnel who continue to do this.
Another six proposals for General Council 44 were presented. Author, Jim Evans, shared these were formed from concerns voiced at a gathering sponsored by UniFaith. One of the six was withdrawn as a commitment has already been made to what it was requesting (a review of the new structure). The regional council’s role was to determine if it agreed or did not agree with the proposals. The regional council elected to agree with all proposals, adding a further note to a few of them. The proposals can be found in the workbook here:
Many thanks to President Jane Van Patter and Agenda and Business Chair Kenji Marui for helping the regional council navigate its first experience of significant online debate.
Treasurer, Doug Cameron, gave an update on finances and outlined the principles that informed the preparation of the 2022 Budget which the regional council adopted. The way that the income earned on investments supports our priorities was highlighted.
Unfortunately, the time needed for business truncated the opportunities for small group time. Please consider drawing together neighbours to discuss the thought-provoking topics prepared by Christina Crawford: What did the spring meeting, with its focus on Indigenous justice and anti-racism, spark in you? Where is sacred space for you? How are you doing (at this point in the pandemic)? and, lastly, What are you taking home and how will you share it?
The Planning Team hopes you will take home a sense of being in community, dealing with complicated topics, being inspired in worship and learning more about the work of the regional council. Many thanks to the Covenant Commission, Human Resources Commission and Mission and Discipleship Commission for the video presentations of your work and the written accountability reports. The latter can be found in the workbook and the former will be posted on the regional council website and are below. Also below and to be posted on the website, a helpful video prepared by Stewardship and Gifts Officer, Dave Jagger, that we did not have time to share.
The United Property Resource Corporation (UPRC) video and the video introducing the United Church’s new mission statement: Deep Spirituality, Bold Discipleship, Daring Justice will also be added. These latter videos may not be posted quite as quickly as we need to confirm access first.
General Secretary Michael Blair brought the words of our new statement to life for us with his message at the Celebration of Ministry Service on Saturday evening at Byron U.C. Many thanks to Byron and their minister, Greg Brawn, for all they did to make the regional council welcome and for the ways they supported and enriched the service. Congratulations to Karlene Kimber on being commissioned as a diaconal minister. Karlene is well known from her days as the Director of the Middlesex Presbytery Resource Centre. We are delighted for her and for the Belmont-Harrietsville-Mossley Pastoral Charge where she serves.
We look forward to gathering in the spring. We hope to have an in-person meeting then but that depends upon the public health guidelines at the time. We’ll keep you posted but, in the meantime, may you “Keep Calm and Rock On”!
The Celebration of Ministry live stream
is available to view on Youtube!
Rev. K. Virginia Coleman, former General Secretary from 1994–2002, died on April 3. She oversaw several milestones for the church, including the church’s 75th anniversary and addressing the church’s… continue reading
The United Church is excited to partner with Cosmopolitan Affirming Community, who provide spiritual support, mental health care, community, and healing for LGBTQIA+ Africans
In the Toronto Star, The United Church calls on Canada to oppose the US violation of Cuban’s right to self-determination, uphold international law and increase humanitarian assistance
In the shadow of the escalating war in the Middle East, the United Church urges participation in the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment in Palestine and Israel campaign “From… continue reading
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
