Zion Calendar

Monday 7 April 2014

General Secretary's Weekly Letter





April 4, 2014


Dear Friends,

I was in Edmonton last week for the whole week. I haven’t been travelling a lot since taking on family responsibilities three years ago, but this was important.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, created out of the settlement agreement between Aboriginal groups, churches, and the federal government to address the legacy of Indian Residential Schools, held its seventh and final national event It was the same week that all of the Conference Executive Secretaries and Speaker would normally have gathered in Toronto to meet with management staff from the General Council Office for our semi-annual “staff leaders” meeting, so we held those meetings in Edmonton instead to enable the whole group to be part of the Truth and Reconciliation event.

The United Church of Canada was instrumental in forging the settlement agreement 8 years ago and, with the leadership of successive Moderators and the Indigenous Justice and Residential Schools Committee, this work has been high priority for us ever since. With the Commission’s mandate just over a year from completion, the Commissioners are entering their writing phase, and the churches and other parties are reflecting on the work that will need to continue after the Commission’s work is completed.

For anyone who has not been to any of the national or regional Truth and Reconciliation events, I can just say that they are a powerful experience. Well, I will say more, but in saying it I recognize that whatever I tell will convey so much less than having direct encounters and hearing the stories of individual survivors.

There were a lot of United Church people there: in addition to the Moderator and staff leaders, there were many from Alberta and Northwest Conference and neighbouring Conferences, significant groups from Toronto Conference and the All Native Circle Conference, and the president of London Conference. I kept running into people I knew, and I know there were many others I didn’t see. I was struck by comments from people who had heard about these issues for years, and were surprised to find the depth of understanding that came through experiencing this event. Hearing the stories, told with anger and with grace, simply is terribly moving.

I was one who approached the event with some degree of apprehension. I’ve heard some of these painful stories before and seen the impacts of the residential schools on friends and colleagues. I knew it would be a painful time, and it was. It was also an uplifting time and a time of learning. I’ve encountered some of the difficult stories before, but there is so much that I haven’t heard, that I don’t know. For any of us who did not attend residential school, we will never fully comprehend the experience, and can always seek deeper understanding.

Being the United Church representative in a listening circle with a group of survivors was an uncomfortable yet precious experience. The experiences those survivors told have left strong images in my mind of the children they were and the things they experienced.

Here was a young teen sent home after a year at her school because of her rebellious nature, now doing healing work helping others in her community come to grips with the aftermath of their residential school experiences.

Here was a lonely 6-year-old who wanted to go to school to be with his older sisters, but wasn’t allowed to talk to them at the school. Instead he talked to the moon he saw out the window at night and thought of it shining over his parents at home, too. The gentle elder remembering these things said he learned to cope by supressing his emotions.

Here was an elder who has shared traditional spiritual practices with people in his First Nation, and others across Canada and in other parts of the world. A holy man. He studied the Bible at residential school, but knows the sacred truths it contains were broken in the way the students were treated.

Here was an elder telling of his 4-year-old self leaving on a boat, and looking back to see his mother crying on the shore. The abuse that followed at the school was so shockingly different from what he had known at home. Sixty years later, the sense of desolation is still there.

There are common threads through these experiences, and yet each story is unique, personal, and important.

Statements made on behalf of the United Church, and the Canadian Council of Churches, left me feeling both proud and humble.

Many elements of the event were livestreamed , and we have posted videos on the United Church’s YouTube channel. There was so much to hear, and so much to say about the experience of hearing these things.

The Truth and Reconciliation experience is heavy, but not unrelentingly so. Part of the way survivors cope is by enjoying visits with schoolmates, sharing funny memories, looking at pictures of themselves as kids, and lifting up hopes for better lives for children and grandchildren.

Personally, I found balance in enjoying visits with church friends, northern friends, First Nations and Inuit friends, non-Aboriginal friends, survivors, and the next generations.

It is in relationship, as well as lifting up the painful stories that must never be forgotten, that we will, together, figure out the things to do to make sure that these things are never repeated. There is a place for all in our church, and all Canadians, in this process.

Peace be with you.

Nora

The Zion Family sends our Sympathies and Condolences to the family of Kirk MacLeod

Kirk MacLeod passed away early Sunday morning April 6, 2014 after a long battle with cancer. The Zion United Church has set up Love Offering for Kirk's children, in support of Gabriel and Cleo's Education Fund. You can donate through the Church on Sunday's or you can donate through the fund which is explained below. 

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The following is a message from a friend of Kirk MacLeod's who set up the KIRK FUND to help the family of Kirk MacLeod. 

When you meet Kirk MacLeod you come away with a strong sense of the kind of man he is: passionate, driven, fearless. Whether you met Kirk in a war zone during his UN service or in the water while he was training for the BIG SWIM, you remember him. His presence alone leaves others inspired to push themselves out of their comfort zones and to work harder to reach their dreams. You get the feeling that Kirk has never met a challenge he didn’t take on 110%. He inspires us all. 

In the past year we have seen Kirk handle a great deal of personal hardship and loss with strength and grace. He amazed us all when he registered for the BIG SWIM shortly after finishing cancer treatments. He was not a swimmer yet he committed to the challenge, trained hard, raised a great deal of money for a children’s charity and not only finished the swim but walked out of the water in PEI strong and proud. 

Always willing to give of himself for the benefit of others, Kirk has shared himself with us as a media spokesman for the BIG SWIM and has motivated both the BIG SWIM and BIG RIDE participants with his story. When others may have preferred privacy, Kirk bravely told us all about his cancer story, the struggles and the triumphs, and left us all feeling motivated to do more, give more and live better. 

Many of us touched by Kirk’s story want to help. His friends and family were happy to donate to his BIG SWIM fundraising efforts but there is a strong urge to do more to support Kirk and his family directly during this difficult time. As you can imagine, the financial situation over the last several years has been difficult for Kirk & Paige.  We all know Kirk to be a very proud man who's reluctance to ask for financial assistance has been prominent.  Kirk has only just returned to his home after once again being admitted suddenly into the hospital, and underwent yet another surgery.  After many requests and some prodding, Kirk and Paige have reluctantly agreed to a fundraising effort, with the caveat that the funds will go to support their children. We may not be able to be there in person to bring a hot dinner or lend a helping hand but we can band together to support this amazing family by giving them an amazing experience.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-kirk-fund

It's National Volunteer Week Apr 6-12.

Greetings from the General Council Office,

To recognize and celebrate National Volunteer Week (April 6–12, 2014), the United Church’s Moderator, the Right Rev. Gary Paterson, has written a letter of thanks to the many thousands of United Church members and adherents who generously volunteer their time and talents every day.

The Moderator’s letter can be found at the end of this message. It is also posted on The United Church of Canada’s website
http://www.united-church.ca/communications/news/general/140404 as a PDF document so that, if you wish, the letter can be printed and posted on a bulletin board or copied and given to volunteers in your congregation.

Also, as a special tribute during National Volunteer Week, we are inviting United Church individuals and congregations to celebrate the contribution of the volunteers in their midst by telling us about what they—and you—are doing and how this work has had a positive impact in the community.

Please post your tributes on The United Church of Canada’s Facebook page:


Mary-Frances Denis
Program Coordinator
Media and Public Relations
The United Church of Canada
416-231-7680 ext. 2016
1-800-268-3781 ext. 2016

Moderator’s Letter

Friday, April 4, 2014
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 (NRSV)
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I am writing today as Moderator to say thank you to the many thousands of volunteers who are part of our United Church family.

Volunteers are the heart, soul, and backbone of The United Church of Canada from coast to coast to coast. It’s impossible to calculate the number of volunteer hours offered each day, week, month, and year in congregations and communities throughout Canada and around the world; the positive impact of that work is equally immeasurable. But when you stop to think about it, even within your own congregation, it is truly impressive.

In my travels as Moderator, I have met many hundreds of faithful volunteers, all of whom have offered countless hours in service to others. And United Church people don’t limit their volunteering to church activities—you will find them involved in projects that benefit the whole community, assisting individuals in need, and contributing their time and talents in ways that help to make this a better world.

Whether it’s working at a food bank, being a volunteer driver, organizing a fundraiser, or visiting a patient in hospital, there is always much to do. And you do it, faithfully, generously, and with a smile.

Thank you.
The Right Rev. Gary Paterson
Moderator
The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada