Updates on participation and gathering spaces around the Apology
The United Church of Canada will offer an historic apology for ways in which the denomination has hurt and harmed 2S and LGBTQIA+ communities within and beyond the United Church. The apology will take place in the context of a special livestreamed worship service on Friday, August 8. The service will be held at Knox United Church, 506 4 St. SW, Calgary, Alberta at 9:00 am MT.
The service is open to anyone who would like to attend in person; it will also be available on Zoom, with interpretation in English and French. Register here. Online participants are invited to have a bowl of water and branches with them, for a blessing at the end.
There will be several ways for people to participate and gather.
How you can participate
General Council attendees
All participants at General Council will attend the apology worship service in person. That same day, there will be a closed lunch available for 2S and LGBTQIA+ people who are GC45 participants. Chaplains and Equity Support Team members will be available both in the closed lunch and in the broader space during the lunchtime gathering.
This gathering space at lunch is created recognizing that people who are 2S and LGBTQIA+ may be particularly affected by the apology, and so this is a space to gather and be together.
Information about the location for the lunch will be shared verbally before that lunch begins.
For non-GC45 participants in person in Calgary
Immediately after the worship service, Affirm United/S’affirmer ensemble and Affirming Connections leaders will host a group gathering at Knox United Church for people who are not participating in General Council. This will be an in-person gathering only, as Knox United is unable to support a hybrid gathering of people online and in person at the same time.
Several chaplains will be ready and equipped to offer pastoral care at the church afterwards. Some Equity Support Team members will be open for pastoral care, conversations, and to provide support in the space for in-person conversations after worship, while other team members will join the large group gathering.
Tea, coffee, and light refreshments will also be available after worship.
For participants who are joining online
People who are online and who would like to be part of a group experience and conversation can remain in the Zoom room post-service for continued conversation. This space will be hosted by leaders from Affirm United/S’affirmer ensemble and Affirming Connections. Unfortunately, it cannot be a hybrid gathering with people who are gathered in-person; it will be online only.
After the worship service, online participants can ask for individual pastoral care with a member of the Equity Support Team, by typing into the Zoom chat or by emailing equity@united-church.ca to be connected with an Equity Support Team member.
In addition, on the morning of the Apology, the full worship liturgy will be posted online, particularly so that online participants can follow along with the hymns. The worship bulletin is bilingual in English-French. The liturgy will be available in the following ways:
- online on the General Council website
- online in the Zoom chat
- online on the apology webpage
- online in YouTube
- shared on United Church social media
Group gatherings in regional spaces
Some regional councils, and some communities of faith, are hosting in-person gatherings to watch the apology worship service together. If you are interested in joining a group in your region, please contact your regional council to find your closest location.
In addition, Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble is posting information about gatherings on their website, as they receive that information. Please check their website for updates. If you are holding a gathering, and would like to let Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble know about it, please email executivedirector@ause.ca with details about your gathering space, and they will post it as soon as they are able to.