During Asian Heritage Month, Noel A. Suministrado, a United Church minister from the Philippines, sees great opportunities for the church as it opens itself to Canada’s changing demographic realities.
As a recent immigrant from Asia, Rev. SunDo Hyun finds that opening oneself to intercultural opportunities — despite the challenges — can be transforming and life-giving.
Rev. Dr. Alan Lai writes about how Asian Heritage Month challenges us to grow deeper into intercultural awareness and understanding.
In his online worship service, Moderator Richard Bott shares a reflection about the followers of the risen Christ finding power and joy in the breaking of bread together - even when it's shared virtually during hard times.
For Vocation Sunday, Rev. Bronwyn Corlett writes about how others helped her develop leadership skills after she was first ordained.
Moderator Richard Bott reflects on the road to Emmaus story, and asks who are you walking with in this time of shock and tragedy?
Moderator Richard Bott shares a worship service for Sunday, April 19, 2020 and reflects on the role of doubt in our faith and how it can lead us to experience the good news for ourselves.
For Sunday, April 5, 2020, Moderator Richard Bott shares reflection on Matthew 21:1-11, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and urges us to keep our eyes on hope as we begin Holy Week.
At The Great Gathering in November of 2019, 24 people from United Church of Canada camps, joined more than 540 innovative outdoor ministry partners gathered at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The event was hosted by… Read more
Rev. Andrew Kinoti Lairenge writes that growing up in post-colonial Kenya, he did not know what it was to be a person of colour or visible minority. It is in Canada that he is learning to be Black.
In this excerpt from the new Lenten devotional "Faithfully Yours: Letters for the Wondering," Bri-anne Swan reflects on the perennial question, “God, where were you?”
We have all the tools we need to mend the world and bring about Christ’s Kingdom.
Alydia Smith writes, "It’s exciting and scary to imagine what change, God’s will, might actually look like."
Rev. Susan Lukey and Rev. David Robertson reflect on how Jesus is known by many names—but all of them mean love.
Alydia Smith shares an Advent mixtape to enjoy together, as we wait for Christ(mas).
Kathryn Gray muses on how we can be more mindful with gifts this Advent, and not give in to the pressure to shop/consume/shop some more...
Create an Advent-Christmas season that embraces the gift of God’s presence in Jesus.
The Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg reflects on how we can work to fight against antisemitism during Advent.
In this season, many things distract us from nurturing faith within our families.
For Remembrance Day, military chaplain and United Church minister Capt. (Rev.) Linda Tomlinson-Seebach reflects on the cost of war and peace.
December has a number of special days that call on people of goodwill to work together.
Reflecting on who we think Christ is as a way to help prepare for Christmas is an ancient tradition.
In this Christmas pageant, the sheep deliver the words we all need to hear.
The first Sunday after Christmas is a perfect opportunity to enjoy Christmas carols and stories.
Adding some different liturgical music during Advent can certainly make everyone take notice that it’s a new season.
During Advent, we prepare our sanctuaries and buildings to be symbols of preparing ourselves for the birth, and rebirth, of Jesus.
Rev. Stephen Fetter writes that, "Forgiveness is about being set free of whatever binds us, so we can become whom God wants us to be."
Basil Coward asks, Can you be both queer and Black, and enjoy a celebrated and visible presence in the United Church?
Jordan Sullivan asks, “What measure of privilege are we willing to give up to create equity for others?”
Two Canadian Armed Forces chaplains remember United Church minister, the Rev. William Alfred Seaman, who served as a chaplain during World War II and is among those who lost their lives in Normandy 75 years ago.
For Asian Heritage Month, YoonOK Shin writes that our diverse heritages are gifts to give and receive, transforming bleak cultural boundaries.
Row on row we stood… in the brand new courtyard… row on row of young girls in navy tunics or navy skirts, white starched shirts, ties, and polished oxfords. I wore my new navy blazer with its red school crest, because it was a special occasion. The Honourable Lieutenant Governor… Read more
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” —Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”
We have received many comments and questions about whether or not to incorporate the “’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime” into Christmas carol services. Thanks to Dana Lynn Seaborn, of seabornsong.com, who offered us a helpful response to start the conversation… Read more
People sometimes share that they forget I am a person who is totally blind. I experience this as a good thing, an acknowledgment that they feel acceptance, and embrace me for who I am, my abilities and disabilities.
When I or others are not focusing on my disability and “forget” it, so… Read more
When I acquired HIV in 1987, it was “a death sentence”. One of the first comments made by my GP in 1990 in Regina, when he gave me the HIV+ test result, was that I would need more tests to find out “when the clock started ticking.” Not very comforting words. My work in the community-based AIDS… Read more
How are you getting ready for Christ(mas) this year?
If you are celebrating the Advent season as a family—or as an individual or an all-ages group of any kind—Advent Unwrapped offers an alternative to the advertisements, shopping lists, and hype that we are bombarded with at this time of… Read more
The old, grey stone steps of my local United Church in Toronto were recently transformed. They are now awash in a cheerful rainbow of hues, almost daring people who bustle by on the busy Toronto street not to stop and smile. I’m sure more than a few pedestrians have wondered, “What’s going on… Read more
In 1971, the observance of June 21 as a National Indian Day of Prayer was formally recognized by The United Church of Canada, at the 24th General Council. In 1982 the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidary Day.… Read more
I am a third-generation Japanese Canadian living in southern Alberta among the third-largest concentration of Japanese in Canada; the other two concentrations of population are in Vancouver and Toronto. In my city of Lethbridge, no one questions our presence here, because people have grown up… Read more
To be candid, when I received an invitation to create a worship service and Bible study for Asian Heritage Month 2018, I hesitated at first. I am grateful for this opportunity to share why I accepted.
My father was not much of a churchgoer. I still vividly recall him putting dollops of pancake batter onto a sizzling griddle, or devouring the weekend newspaper, on Sunday afternoons when I came home from singing in the local church youth choir. But my father is a deeply spiritual… Read more
Earth Hour—Saturday, March 24, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.—marks its 12th edition this March.
I remember that first gathering in a darkened Church of the Holy Trinity next to the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto. We lit candles, we read scriptures and other readings, we signed a… Read more
Why did I write a worship service and sermon for Black History Month? It’s a difficult question to answer. I was filled with excitement and dread at the prospect. I was excited because the topic of race and identity is volatile at the moment (well, really, when hasn’t it been?) and the… Read more
Alydia Smith is the editor of the new United Church Lenten devotional, Why I Believe. She was interviewed by Tilman Lewis, an Editor/Resource Coordinator at the General Council… Read more
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated annually on December 3. This year, the day coincides with the first Sunday of Advent, when we traditionally celebrate a theme of hope.
Across the United Church, there are many approaches to marking Remembrance Day. In contributing a new selection of prayers for use in a Remembrance Sunday service, my hope was to address the wide variety of needs of different church congregations.
October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, an important date in the history of the United Church and for Reformed Churches around the world. To commemorate the occasion, we are publishing a series of blog posts by Trisha Elliott on "What Makes Us Protestant… Read more
Most of the reformers left it up to individual Christians to decide whether signing was an appropriate expression of faith, but there were some who condemned it as a form of idolatry. Gradually, it fell out of favour with the majority of Protestants.
Reformers disagreed about whether to reject or use the crucifix, to adopt an unadorned cross, or to discard the symbol altogether. Most Protestant churches today tend to be less ornate—a direct reflection of the Reformation call to integrity.
For the first thousand years of Christianity, and particularly since the Council of Ephesus in 431, Mary has held a special place in Christian faith. But for just as long, there has been debate about how “special” that place ought to be.
October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, an important date in the history of the United Church and for Reformed Churches around the world. To commemorate the occasion, we are publishing a series of blog posts by Trisha Elliott on "What Makes Us Protestant… Read more
I took these pictures last August while visiting my mother’s relatives in the central part of Saskatchewan on the Muskoday First Nation. They capture some of the 825 dancers that participated in the 25th annual traditional Powwow.
Canada Day is coming. Canada 150 celebrations are intensifying. I wonder how Indigenous people are feeling about it all. I asked a few Indigenous friends and leaders in our church: “If someone from one of our non-Indigenous communities of faith asked you about the 150th year of Confederation,… Read more
May is Asian Heritage Month, and the perfect time to prayerfully reflect on the contributions of Asian Canadians to Canadian society. Liturgies, songs, and other material that can be used in Asian Heritage Month… Read more
The United Church of Canada cares for refugees because we believe that sharing God’s love is our prime purpose. We believe that justice is the public face of God’s love, and work to share God’s love on a personal, local and global level.
I see the face of God in refugees’ faces:… Read more
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