New Stories Every Week!

January saw some exciting stories shared and some amazing milestones reached.

United Church COP25 Delegates

Climate justice is something that more and more communities of faith are deeply engaged in. Rev. Wendy Evans and Tony Snow tell their story on representing The United Church of Canada at COP25, and how the experience deeply impacted them and their faith. Watch their story here.

Islington United Church’s 40-year anniversary of working with refugees

Islington United Church was one of the first communities of faith to take part in the refugee sponsorship program, having been involved since 1979 when the Federal Government created the private sponsorship arm of their refugee program. Barbara Sheffield tells the story of the roots of this work and how it has grown into the Islington United Church's Refugee Network. Watch the story here.

[Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash]

Be Part of the Future!

New Year, new volunteer opportunities! Are you called to serve? Recruitment for subcommittees for the exciting new music project "Sing 2025" is happening now—take a look! The deadline for nominations/expressions of interest is February 10.

Web Content Development Subcommittee, Sing 2025
Marketing / Animation and Funding Subcommittee, Sing 2025

Canada Summer Jobs is Open!

Have a new idea but need more help to get it off the ground? Like new ways of communicating? A Vacation Bible School? A community garden? Maybe to bring in new ideas? Want to hire someone under 30 to work at your community of faith? Now is the time to apply for Canada Summer Jobs through the Federal Government!

A Garden Story: Pictou United Church’s Contemplative Garden

Contributed by Pictou United Church

The north lawn of Pictou United Church at the corner of Faulkland and James Streets had always been well maintained, but in 2016 a small group of gardeners within the congregation felt it could serve the congregation and its community far better as a contemplative garden. Following an inspiring visit to the Church of St. Joseph’s gardens at Kelly’s Cross, P.E.I., and having received suggestions from and the blessing of the congregation, planning began under the guidance of retired Truro landscape architect, Ron Laking. Project priorities were established as follows:

accessible and welcoming for all
multi-use: meditation, worship, entertainment, gardening, mentor-ship…
sensory engagement through carefully chosen plantings and features
environmental stewardship
the establishment of living memorials
selection of species likely to be long-lived
ease of maintenance to ensure long-term viability

See how they did this.

[Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash]

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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