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Embracing the Spirit update - October 2, 2019
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Church in the Neighbourhood


Dave Harder from Parish Collective has been thinking about what church could look like in the neighbourhood... The experiment began with the Story Nights series that launched earlier this year, as a gathering together with music, poetry, and stories. These were stories of hope and imagination.

We quickly realized that these nights of music, story, and relationship building were actually becoming communities of faith. This led to more questions about hospitality, prayer, and how to live out our faith in the community.

One of the gatherings that sprouted in Ottawa now meets regularly in the neighbourhood; see what this looks like, or watch the full video.

Find out more about Story Nights and the Parish Collective at the Re-Imagine Conference on October 18–19!

[Photo by Daan Stevens on Unsplash]

Think Like a Hub? Join the Discussion

Every month, communities of faith that think like hubs gather together. They gather to share their stories, their challenges, and their inspiration. Check out the last hub talk here.

Do you think like a hub? These monthly gatherings are facilitated by the Community Innovation Hub. Join the conversation by connecting with Colleen.



Port Nelson’s Speaker Series


Compassionate Canada is a speaker series that's been running at Eglinton-St George’s United Church in North Toronto for 10 years. Every fall, it launches with hundreds of people coming into the sanctuary on Sunday afternoons to hear from amazing speakers in the justice system. The founder of the speaker series has been passionate about encouraging other communities of faith to consider something similar around a social justice issue that they are concerned with.

Port Nelson United Church in Burlington has just launched with their first justice speaker series; see how it works.

Want to learn more? Show up! Or connect with Dan.

[Photo courtesy of Port Nelson United Church]



Fashionably Different


Want to try a different kind of fundraiser? Check out what Stamford Lane United Church is doing!

[Photo courtesy of Stamford Lane]




Ecumenical Outreach with Boarding Homes


From our friend Kate McGee at Boarding Homes Ministry. Above: Lay leaders and volunteers at Metropolitan United Church participate in written reflection with Boarding Homes Ministry instructor Andi Yumansky.

Thanks to the help of an Embracing the Spirit grant as well as from the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Canadian Ministries, Boarding Homes Ministry was able to launch an exciting new ecumenical project this year.

Boarding Homes Ministry is a small inner city ministry founded in 1996 to combat social and spiritual isolation in Toronto boarding houses. Many of the people we visit live with mental illness and addictions, and all of them live under the weight of poverty. Stigma often means that our friends are pushed to the margins of society. Too often they are up against systems that focus on assessing their symptoms, rather than lifting up their strengths. Through our visits, we forge deep and lasting connections that celebrate the deep goodness of every human person.

Our beloved founder, the Rev. Rodger Hunter, died in 2017. After deciding his work must continue, the ministry underwent a year of renewal and discernment. One result of that discernment was that we decided to launch a new educational program. The people we visit have great spiritual gifts and deep spiritual needs, but they are often wary or uncomfortable with visiting traditional houses of worship, often for very real reasons of rejection and abandonment. So we go to them.

But there is another side to this story: those traditional houses of worship are increasingly interested in becoming more accessible to and inclusive of people who have mental health challenges. Our new Program, “Welcoming the Stranger: Education for Mental Health Inclusion” seeks to do just that. We confront the “strangeness” in ourselves that can throw up barriers to fully including others.

Our pilot workshops began in early 2019. Over the summer, we have begun to roll out our paid model. Faith communities first receive a consultation visit at no charge to identify their specific needs. Then BHM staff craft a specialized workshop for that community, built from a menu of options including items such as “emotional regulation”, “verbal de-escalation”, role plays and spiritual reflection. There is the option of doing this as a day-long retreat with shared spiritual practice, as well. The workshops themselves are often offered for lay leaders and congregational volunteers, but could include the whole congregation. They typically last 1-4 hours.

It has been an exciting time, meeting new communities and seeing the excitement and receptivity of different congregations to our message. It is our fervent hope that these relationships continue, and that with a sense of curiosity and hope we can find new ways of practicing radical inclusion together.

[Photo courtesy of Kate McGee]

Embracing the Spirit is a learning network and innovation fund. It offers funding and support for innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter.

If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! Proposal deadlines are quarterly, and due on the 15th of the month: January, April, July and October. Find out more


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