The United Church of Canada

Thea Sheridan-Jonah's reflective "100 Words of Hope," looks forward to Earth Week and implores us to engage with the realities of our environmental situation and to seek transformative action. I pray an invitation to act, to make change, to choose the hard decisions, to be a co-creator of a healing world. I pray that we feel the grief, the grief that will move us enough to care enough to act. I pray for community, for the people and communities that pull us out of hopelessness, out of despair, and in with love. A love that pushes each of us, the love of community that keeps us going, that gives space for our passions, that keeps us accountable, that reminds us we are never alone. In your embracing name we pray. Amen. —Thea Sheridan-Jonah, Member of the General Executive Council We're inviting people to share "100 Words of Hope" that draw from deep spirituality to speak to these moments of high anxiety and change in the church, Canada, and the world. You can read more of the "100 Words of Hope" submissions on our blog: https://ow.ly/5onO50VnH84 We invite you to share your own 100-word reflection, poem, or prayer that conveys hope and faith in these times here: https://ow.ly/Hzlp50VnH85, or add them to the comments below. Together, we can inspire each other to live out the call of the church to deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice. We are not alone. #UCCan #DeepBoldDaring #100WordsofHope

Please join us Wednesday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET for a LIVE online Cross-Country Check-in with General Secretary Michael Blair and members of the General Council Executive. Hosted by Treena Duncan, Executive Minister for Chinook Winds Region and Pacific Mountain regional councils. Find out more and save your spot today on CHURCHx: https://lnkd.in/gtxqz9by [Image credit: 33066673 | © Bilaphotos| Dreamstime] #UCCan #DeepBoldDaring

100 Words of Hope: We are not alone... we live in God's world. This affirmation of our faith reminds us not only of the Divine Presence who accompanies us through the joys and the challenges, the mountaintops and the shadowed valleys of our personal and collective lives. It also alerts us to the fact that this whole world is teeming with a wide abundance and variety of persons, only some of whom are human. We are also companioned by the tree-persons, the four-legged persons, the rock persons, the finned persons, the feathered persons, as well as all our ancestors. Truly, we are never alone. —Shawn Sanford Beck, GreenSpirit Chaplaincy, nested within Grosvenor Park United Church, Saskatoon, SK, Treaty Six Territory We're inviting people to share "100 Words of Hope" that draw from deep spirituality to speak to these moments of high anxiety and change in the church, Canada, and the world. You can read more of the "100 Words of Hope" submissions on our blog: https://ow.ly/tbQL50VnH86 We invite you to share your own 100-word reflection, poem, or prayer that conveys hope and faith in these times here: https://ow.ly/7bzH50VnH8b, or add them to the comments below. Together, we can inspire each other to live out the call of the church to deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice. We are not alone. #UCCan #DeepBoldDaring #100WordsofHope

🏳️🌈 📢 In the news! The United Church of Canada's celebration of National Affirming/PIE Day on March 14 received significant media coverage in several areas of the country. PIE Day is a day marked by the United Church and many others to be "Public, Intentional, Explicit" in the celebration of full inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in faith communities and beyond. PIE Day challenges individuals and community organizations to widen inclusion and welcome, and to embody love and celebrate gender and sexual diversity in all its forms. (For more information, visit: https://ow.ly/l7Bq50VmKQc.) Local PIE Day events at Kamloops United Church (Kamloops, BC), McKillop United Church (Lethbridge, AB), and Knox, Trinity and Forrest United Churches (Brandon, MB area) were featured across CBYK-FM, the Lethbridge Herald and the Brandon Sun. Coverage strongly emphasized the significance of PIE Day to The United Church of Canada, particularly in today’s political climate. Check out the media coverage: CBYK-FM (radio) https://ow.ly/Jjc450VmKQj Lethbridge Herald (print and online) https://ow.ly/vUU450VmKQk Brandon Sun (online) https://ow.ly/7GoF50VmKQf With 2SLGBTQIA+ rights under threat, it's more important than ever to celebrate PIE everyday. #UCCan #PIEday #DeepBoldDaring Ronda Parkes

100 Words of Hope: God’s Unstoppable Love A minister in the early church, Paul, said it well for me, "No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation can ever separate us from the love of God, revealed in Christ Jesus..." Two-thousand years ago or today, this is world-changing. Even in moments when humankind's worst impulses are enormous, there is a real, vital, overwhelming impulse that draws us towards healing and wholeness—God's love—and there is *nothing* that can stop it. It may be hard to believe, it takes a lot of work, but we live in that hope. —The Very Rev. Dr. Richard Bott, Grace United Church, Burlington, ON We're inviting people to share "100 Words of Hope" that draw from deep spirituality to speak to these moments of high anxiety and change in the church, Canada, and the world. We invite you to share your own 100-word reflection, poem, or prayer that conveys hope and faith in these times here: https://ow.ly/HQIA50Vmx7V Together, we can inspire each other to live out the call of the church to deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice. We are not alone. #UCCan #DeepBoldDaring #100WordsofHope #DeepSpirituality

The 44th General Council Executive (GCE) met in person in London, Ontario, on March 6-9, 2025, for the final planned meeting of the triennium. Over the two-and-a-half days, the Executive dealt with a number of proposals directly as well as receiving reports and proposals that will go to the 45th General Council in August. The GCE also included time for some important, intentional visioning as the church looks forward to 2035. Read the full meeting summary (available in English and French on the website): https://ow.ly/Wg8s50Vk0Ko #UCCan #UCCanGCE

Are you an expert in a financial discipline and feel called to serve the church in its faithful stewardship of resources? There are two finance-related national committees with openings: Audit Committee The Audit Committee oversees the integrity of the management control and information systems of The United Church of Canada. Finance Advisory Committee We are seeking members with expertise in various financial disciplines for this committee, which meets primarily through videoconference call. Express your interest in getting involved or nominate someone else for these or other current opportunities to serve: https://lnkd.in/dEWTFgb Deadline: Thursday, March 20. #UCCan #CalledtoServe #FaithfulStewardship

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the sudden passing of our beloved colleague and friend, Rev. Kendall Harrison, on March 10, 2025. Kendall was the Regional Minister of Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council and the Conference Personnel Minister of the former Maritime and Manitoba Northwestern Ontario conferences. There are no words to make this loss feel any better, and I’m sure our minds will turn to Kendall’s partner, Carmen, his son, Isaac, and all his beloved family members. Kendall will be missed by many, but none more deeply than his family. We ask that you hold them all in your prayers. Many of you will have special memories of your relationship with Kendall. During this time of grief, we encourage you to think on those things, with gratitude for his life. Please hold our staff in the three eastern regions, our clergy, lay members, and Kendall’s Pastoral Relations colleagues from across the church in your thoughts and prayers. With deep appreciation for all of you in this community we call church. Sincerely, Rev. Faith March-MacCuish Executive Minister Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council (PE, NB, Gaspé) Bermuda-Nova Scotia Regional Council (NS, Bermuda) First Dawn Eastern Edge Regional Council (NL)

Today, March 14, is National Affirming/PIE Day, a day to be "Public, Intentional, Explicit" in the celebration of full inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in faith communities and beyond. This day also reminds and challenges us to continue widening our welcome and using the concepts of PIE Day to embody love and celebrate gender and sexual diversity in all its forms. (https://pieday.ca) Join Moderator Carmen Lansdowne as we highlight the incredible affirming work happening across the United Church and lift our voices in song. Discover the inspiring submissions from the PIE Day song contest and find ways to take action. With 2SLGBTQIA+ rights under threat, it's more important than ever to celebrate PIE. Visit PIEday.ca and Affirm United to learn more. Additional PIE day resources can be found on our PIE Day page in the Worship section: https://lnkd.in/gu4b3x7n For a captioned version of this video, visit our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/gbFH7hEt #UCCan #PIEday #PublicIntentionalExplicit #AffirmingChurches

In 1988, the General Council declares that "all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, who profess their faith in Jesus Christ are welcome to be or become members of The United Church of Canada" and that "all members of the United Church are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry." This decision opened the door for openly Two Spirit and LBGTQAI+ people to be accepted into ministry in The United Church of Canada. [Photo: 1988 General Council meeting, Victoria, BC. Credit: United Church of Canada Archives] #UCCan #UCCan100 #DeepBoldDaring #PIEDay #AffirmingChurches