ARW Regional Council Executive Meeting
2025-02-12 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-03-12 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)

HF Congregational Support Commission
2025-02-13 10:00, 2025-03-11 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)

Black History Month Event
2025-02-14 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom

WOW Pastoral Relations Commission Meeting
2025-02-18 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-03-18 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Toronto)

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

WOW Regional Council Executive Meeting
2025-02-19 09:30 (America/New_York)

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.

UCC 360 Anti-Racism Program
2025-02-19 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-02-26 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-12 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
UCC 360 ANTI-RACISM:

Have you engaged in previous anti-racism or racial justice training?
Are you ready to take your antiracism education a bit deeper, within a United Church context?

If you answered yes to both questions, this is for you:

UCC 360 Anti-Racism Program
with antiracism educator Rev Alcris Limongi, and Minister for Social Justice Dr. John Egger.
An in-depth 4.5 hour course offered over three weeks,
sponsored by the tri-regional councils of Antler River Watershed (ARW), Horseshoe Falls (HF) and Western Ontario Waterways (WOW).

Please plan to attend all three Wednesdays: Feb 19, Feb 26, and March 12, 2025 @ 6:00-7:30 PM Eastern
(Note: we take a week break for Ash Wednesday)
Session topics will include:
– A 360 View of Yourself, and developing your Antiracist Personal Purpose (APP)
– A 360 View of your immediate context (your church or regional council context)
– A 360 View of the United Church of Canada
.
(If you have to miss a session a recording of the session will be available, but will not include breakout discussions.)

This is not an introduction to anti-racism, but is intended for people who have engaged in some previous anti-racism training. If you are not sure if your previous anti-racism work has prepared you for this session, contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Advance registration required. Click to register now.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
There is no registration fee. The costs for this program are fully covered by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.
For information contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Bio: Rev. Alcris Limongi

The Rev. Alcris Limongi was born in Venezuela and has been a member of the United Church of Canada since 1996. She has served the Church in different capacities. She was a Th.D. candidate in NT at Emmanuel College and the Racial Justice, Gender Justice and Sexual Minorities Program Coordinator at the General Council Office. She also was the Liaison to the UCW National and to Affirm United. She was the staff lead for the GC40 Commitment to Inclusion, and has served as facilitator of the UC Racial Justice Mandatory training since 2009. As an Ordained Minister she served at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa for five years and currently is part of the Center for Christian Studies in Winnipeg staff team as Program/Educator.
She offers both experience and perspective from our national denomination structures a well from a local-congregational community and based ministries.
Rev. Alcris trained in Courageous Conversations about Race with the Pacific Educational Group. The focus has been identifying systemic racism and racial differential gaps, as well as facilitating Courageous Conversations.
Her own identity as a racialized woman in Canada, her life experience between marginality and privilege in different ways, combined with a sound theological education, and personal and theological commitment to justice, have helped her develop a particular lens, what she calls “the gift of her brown eyes” to the Church. Her passion is to encourage racial majority and minorities to engage together identifying, naming, interrogating, interrupting and dismantling racism. She is a teacher/preacher/facilitator with creativity, flexibility, and openness to respectfully listen and learn from cultural differences. She adds “English is not my native language, which is both strength and weakness. It is a strength because with language I also bring different perspectives of defining and understanding reality”.

This is not an introduction to anti-racism, but is intended for people who have engaged in some previous anti-racism training. If you are not sure if your previous anti-racism work has prepared you for this session, contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Regional Council Staff Meeting
2025-02-20 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-03-06 09:30 - 11:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom

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

Ontario Election 2025: More than Tariffs Workshop
2025-02-23 15:00 - 16:15 (America/Toronto) | Online by Zoom link
Ontario Election 2025:
More than Tariffs A panel discussion
Sunday Feb 23, 3:00-4:15 PM EST on Zoom
Information to help you faithfully discern your vote and continue advocacy after the Feb 27th election.
Brief presentations by five panel members on selected topics.
Panelists will respond to questions from the audience.

Advance registration required:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pfy-0rDhQt-l-V5KqspFkw
For more information contact:
Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca and John Egger jegger@united-church.ca

Moderator:
Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly serves as the Executive Minister to ECO and EOO Regional Councils in Eastern Ontario. He was ordained in 2020. He served for 5 years as Responsible, Ministries in French, for 9 years as the National Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Éric spent 17 years working in federal political circles and 7 years as a registered lobbyist. He also brings a hope-filled passion for the church.

Panel Members
Charles Barrett is a retired economist, who was actively involved in policy dialogue in North America, and the Asia-Pacific region in international economic relations, human resources development and capacity building. He has broad research experience and has written extensively on Canadian and international policy issues. He is a member of Riverside United Church, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council.

The Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington is an ecotheologian and ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Working at the intersection of ecology and theology for 20 years, she inspires people of faith to transform their actions in response to the climate crisis. She currently serves as commissioner on climate justice with the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Sign up for her weekly newsletter: Faith. Climate Crisis. Action. (https://jessicahetherington.substack.com/).

Bryan Smith is a long-term member of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice, an organization committed to work and advocacy on a wide range of social and environmental issues locally in the County of Oxford and across the planet. It stands in for the Ontario Health Coalition and stands up for public health. Bryan is a retired teacher, and is active in providing school lunches and community dinners, and promoting local foods, the avoidance of waste, community events, and public health.

Rev. Jeffrey Dale (they/he) is the Minister at College Street United Church in downtown Toronto. Jeffrey is a harm reduction advocate and community educator, working with harm reduction advocacy groups throughout the Province of Ontario to educate communities of faith and the wider society regarding the needs of people who use drugs.

Rev. Susan Eagle is the minister at Grace United Church in Barrie. She chairs both the Ecological and Social Justice Commission for Shining Waters Regional Council, and the Steering Committee of the provincial interfaith coalition, ISARC, which does policy analysis and advocacy for income security, homelessness and employment rights. She has worked with newcomer and low-income individuals and sole-support families as a community outreach worker, and served on London City Council for 13 years.

This workshop is presented by the Social Justice Network of Ontario Regional Councils (SJNORC) with representation from Eastern Ontario Outaouais, East Central Ontario, Shining Waters, Canadian Shield, Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways and Prairie to Pine Regional Councils of The United Church of Canada.
Engage, Pray, Vote.

100th Centennial Round Table - Children and Youth Ministry
2025-02-24 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom

WOW Discipleship and Justice Meeting
2025-02-25 19:00 (America/New_York)

HF Human Resources Commission Meeting
2025-02-26 13:00 (America/Toronto)

HF Regional Council Executive Meeting
2025-02-26 16:00 (America/New_York)

Ash Wednesday
2025-03-05

ARW Congregational Support Commission
2025-03-05 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)

Effective Transitional Leadership Training
2025-03-06 13:30, 2025-03-13 13:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom

Ministry and Personnel Gathering
2025-03-06 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

ARW Pastoral Relations Commission Meeting
2025-03-11 09:00 (America/Toronto)

ARW Discipleship & Justice Meeting
2025-03-18 10:00 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom

Neurodiversity Round Table - Children and Youth Ministry
2025-03-18 19:00 - 20:15 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Children’s Ministry Roundtable
Neurodiversity at Church – Drawing the Circle Wider

Join our guest, Tiffany Jull, as we discuss neurodiversity at church. As volunteers and staff, how do we tend the community of children who gather with us for programming and worship and be attentive to the neurodivergent needs of individual children?
Tiffany is a dedicated member of the United Church, starting in Nova Scotia and now at Knox United Church in Ayr. She has led Sunday School classes, Youth Groups, and Vacation Bible School. As a parent and a professional experience as a registered Psychologist, working with the Waterloo Region District School Board for over 25 years.
Choose to attend either session at the time that works best for you:

March 18th (Tuesday) at 7pm-8:15pm
OR
March 27 (Thursday) at 11am-12:15pm

These Children’s Ministry Roundtables are hosted by Regional Faith Formation staff:
Kathy Douglas (Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways)
Sharon Hull (East Central Ontario)
Shawn Redden (Canadian Shield, Shining Waters)

Sign up here:
Children’s Ministry Roundtable: Neurodiversity – Shining Waters
