HF Online Clergy Gathering
2024-05-15 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-17 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-10-23 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-11-20 15:00 - 16:00, 2024-12-18 15:00 - 16:00, 2025-01-22 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

WOW Online Clergy Gathering
2024-05-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-07-18 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-10-24 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-11-21 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-12-19 14:00 - 15:00, 2025-01-23 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

Save the Dates: Spring 2024 Tri Regional Council Meeting
2024-05-24 - 2024-05-26
Spring 2024 Tri-Regional Council Meeting
REGISTER for the Tri-Regional Council Meeting
Time will be designated for each individual Regional Council to meet separately. Each Regional Council will be electing their GC45 Commissioners, President Elect and slate of Executive/Commission members.
Friday May 24: 2 PM start & Friday evening The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne will speak
Saturday, May 25: All day. Includes Celebration of Ministries Service in the afternoon
Sunday, May 26: 9 AM to Noon: Includes Honouring of Retirees, Jubilands, In Memoriam, Community of Faith Life Cycle Changes

You can do hard things
2024-05-24 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
You can do hard things:
How to Preach on Stewardship and Talk about Money

A workshop for ministry personnel and those who lead worship in their communities of faith.10am-12pm on Friday, May 24 at Port Elgin United Church Stewardship, like prayer, worship, or loving service, is a critical aspect of our lives of faith. The Bible is chock full of passages about how money and wealth harm people and communities, and how generosity liberates us from those corrupting influences. As preachers, we have an amazing opportunity to tell people that they belong to God, not their bank accounts, and because of that, they can make a difference by sharing their gifts. Yet so many of us avoid talking about money. The truth is, whether or not we discuss it, the people in our congregations are thinking about money all the time. How do I decide how much should I give? What should I spend it on? How do I raise generous kids and grand-kids? Whether they have a little or a lot, money takes up a lot of spiritual and emotional space. So how can we deepen faith and generosity as spiritual leaders?

In this workshop, participants will:

Process all the fears and worries around preaching on money (no, you’re not just preaching for your salary!)
Learn techniques for stewardship preaching that will encourage and inspire
Look at some of Jesus’ messages on money and talk about the good news that could be used in a sermon.
Be introduced to resources that can give you more confidence when talking about money and ministry

For more information, please contact your Stewardship Support Staff, Brenna Baker, at bbaker@united-church.ca

Port Elgin United Church840 Bruce St, Port Elgin, ON N0H 2C2
Google Map

Registration Link:

https://regionalcouncil789.formstack.com/forms/you_can_do_hard_things

'The Basics': Ministry & Personnel Committee Workshops
2024-06-25 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
‘The Basics’: Ministry & Personnel Committee Workshops
Online by Zoom, Spring 2024 dates:
February 15th 2-4pm, March 19th 7-9pm, May 8th 2-4pm and June 25th 7-9pm
with Micol Cottrell, Minister, Pastoral Relations

Ordered ministers and designated lay ministers while in paid accountable ministry positions are office holders within The United Church of Canada.
While there may be elements similar to employment,
the essential nature of the relationship is a covenant.
~ Statement on Ministry in The United Church of Canada (2012)
New members are often elected to the vital Ministry & Personnel Committee near the start of the year, although M&P Committee membership can change for many other reasons throughout the year.
The Basics will help a new member learn the essentials of this crucial role. More experienced members of M&P Committees are invited to take this workshop as a refresher with their team, and keep up with changing United Church practices and policies. This workshop is open to members from Western Ontario Waterways, Antler River Watershed and Horseshoe Falls Regional Councils!
Please Note: each member of your M&P Committee attending this workshop is required to register.
In your Confirmation Email, you will receive the Zoom link and material in preparation for the meeting to make the most of our time together. If you have questions about the content, please email Micol Cottrell, Minister, Pastoral Relations, at MCottrell@united-church.ca, or better yet, write down the questions to bring with you.

ARW Online Clergy Gathering
2024-07-16 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-10-22 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-11-19 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

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

HF Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-10-04 - 2024-10-05 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

HFRC Fall Meeting (online): October 4-5, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: To be confirmed

ARW Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-10-25 - 2024-10-26 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

ARWRC Fall Meeting (online): October 25-26, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: To be confirmed

Ministry and Personnel Gathering
2024-11-07 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-01-09 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Ministry & Personnel Gatherings
A time for collegiality, learning, and conversation about issues facing M&P committees.
Participants must have completed M&P: The Basics on Zoom or through the recorded training.
Participants are required to agree with the confidentiality and group norms agreement as found below.
Situations discussed will only be talked about by broad themes without reference to individuals.
November 7th 2024, 2-3:30 PM
January 9th 2025, 2-3:30 PM
March 6th 2025, 2-3:30 PM
May 1st 2025, 2-3:30 PM
Worship, 30 minutes learning time, 30 minutes of conversation, Question and Answers, etc. ending with a time to make suggestions for future learning.
By registering you agree to the following
Confidentiality Agreement:
I agree to maintain and respect the confidentiality of all information that is shared by group participants. I will not share individual conversations or situations that are shared by other members of this group. I understand and agree that failure to maintain confidentiality will result in my being asked to leave this group.
Group Norms:
I will trust that God has gifted me with wisdom to share and with wisdom to gain from others.
When sharing I will attempt to put situations into broad questions and not provide details about individuals. I will strive not use the names of ministers, employees, or congregation members. For example, I will ask about a situation. If not sure how to ask a question, I can private message Micol Cottrell or the host and they will help frame the question in broad terms, or without context of the church, minister, and staff. Note: you can always contact Micol Cottrell MCottrell@united-church.ca with situations that you need to talk about and in that conversation can be more candid.
I will respect that what others share is confidential and will not share that information outside of the group. This allows for learning drawn from individual experiences.
I will appreciate that the questions people ask may not be about a situation that they are facing as an M&P Committee at this moment, rather a question for future learning.
I will respect that different M&P committees work differently depending on context.
I will be gentle with myself and with others trusting in God’s Spirit in leading us to learn together.
Register Now

WOW Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-11-16 - 2024-11-17 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

WOWRC Fall Meeting (online): November 16-17, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: To be confirmed

ARW Online Clergy Gathering
2024-12-17 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
Clergy Gathering: In this Advent season of waiting, watching and preparing, you are invited to come and join with colleagues in ministry for a time of conversation, community and information sharing.

Dec. 17, 2024 ARW online gathering 2-3 pm

Dec. 18, 2024 HF online gathering 3-4 pm

Dec. 19, 2024 WOW online gathering 2-3 pm

ARW Online Clergy Gathering
2025-01-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
As we move deeper into this new year, you are invited to come for a time of conversation with colleagues in ministry and sharing of information about our various ministries.

ARWRC – January 21, 2-3pm
HFRC – January 22, 3-4pm
WOWRC – January 23, 2-3pm

Peace,
Kevin

ARW Online Clergy Gathering
2025-02-18 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
As you continue your preparations for the Lenten season, you are invited to come and join with colleagues in ministry for a time of conversation, support and information sharing.

ARW gathering Feb. 18, 2025 – 2pm
HF gathering Feb. 19, 2025 – 3pm
WOW gathering Feb. 20, 2025 – 2pm

The meeting link will be sent the week of the gathering.

Peace,
Kevin

HF Online Clergy Gathering
2025-02-19 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
As you continue your preparations for the Lenten season, you are invited to come and join with colleagues in ministry for a time of conversation, support and information sharing.

ARW gathering Feb. 18, 2025 – 2pm
HF gathering Feb. 19, 2025 – 3pm
WOW gathering Feb. 20, 2025 – 2pm

The meeting link will be sent the week of the gathering.

WOW Online Clergy Gathering
2025-02-20 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

Flourishing: Spend a day with the Moderator
2025-02-22 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Toronto) | Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Avenue, Stratford, Ontario, N5A6N4, Canada
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
