General Secretary

Note from Nora: Where Pain, Joy, Fear, and Hope Intersect

Lent is a time for contemplation, for going a bit deeper, for finding the places where pain and joy and fear and hope intersect.

Note from Nora: God in Unexpected Places

“Great is thy faithfulness, Great is thy faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see…”

For no reason I could think of, this was the song I was humming to myself as I set out for my early walk with the dogs on a recent rainy, windy, November morning.

Heading out in… Read more

Note from Nora: Traffic Jam Prayer

Time is such a precious commodity, and we often complain about not having enough of it.

Last weekend when the GC43 Executive Elect met to continue discerning how they will meet and be accountable and ensure that they hear from diverse voices, one of the things that was mentioned was that… Read more

Note from Nora: Endings and New Beginnings

By season, fall is a time of endings, but in most of our lives, and certainly, in our regular church cycles, it is a time of new beginnings.

For us in The United Church of Canada, this fall is a time when endings and beginnings are swirled alongside each other as we say goodbye to former… Read more

Speed Skating Lessons

I don’t know about you, but at our house we are preparing to begin binge watching the Olympic coverage starting this weekend. I am generally not a big sports fan, but there is something about seeing young people from so many parts of the world offer their peak performances after years of… Read more

I Welcome the Morning Snow

We are over a week into November and as I write this on Thursday night, the weather forecast says that we may get the first snowfall of the year in Toronto this weekend.

I am a little excited about the snow coming. Oh sure, it can be inconvenient in many ways, but I like winter. I also… Read more

Giving Thanks

A colleague mentioned that the salmon were spawning in the Humber River yesterday, so I chose that route for my run this morning. I stopped near a small waterfall and watched these sleek, gleaming, determined fish make their way against the current, trying again and again to overcome what looked… Read more

Fall Renewal at the General Council Office

Labour Day is past, kids are back in school, and churches across Canada are gearing up for all the busy activities of the fall season.

At the General Council Office, we are in the midst of massive upheaval unrelated to the change of seasons. After months of preparation, and weeks of… Read more

Petroforms

Not far from Pinawa, Manitoba there is a fascinating place where centuries ago, people arranged rocks into the shapes of turtles, snakes, fish, and humans. There is a sense of mystery, even of the sacred, as you walk among these ancient figures.

Our Reconciliation Journey Continues

This time between National Aboriginal Day and Canada Day is a good time for some reflection.

Some voices have questioned why we should celebrate … Read more