Category: New Vision Notes

Thur Jan 7 2021

1. Happy new year!
2. You may have noticed that New Vision Notes took a break during the season of Christmas. The last edition came out Dec 23rd last year. The Sloan Christmas tree came down and went out on the front yard yesterday, Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas.
3. As I mentioned in the Dec 23 New Vision Notes, the Church Council has let me know that our Designing New Vision’s Relationship Currency Project now has a Steering Group. Members of the Steering Group are Joda Kuk, Joey Ruiz, Dennis Sendyowa, Miriam Spies, Bernie Thompson and me. The Group’s mandate is to coordinate the New Vision Threshold Partners in achieving the objectives of the Project. The group is meeting early next week for its initial meeting.
4. I am delighted that this first New Vision Notes of 2021 features short bios of each of the members of the group saying a bit about why they said yes to joining the group and introducing themselves to you and the wider community.
5. Joda Kuk (he, his). I bring the perspective of a second generation Chinese-Canadian, whose parents are both immigrants from Hong Kong. I was born in Brampton, Ontario. I have lived in Hamilton for the past 21 years. I studied Medical Physics, Medicine, and specialized in Radiation Oncology through Mcmaster University. As someone who is a visible minority, who values their identity as a Chinese person growing up and living in the GTHA, I have thought about interculturalism every day of my life. I am excited to explore with New Vision how our community can become more intercultural step by step.
6. Joey Ruiz (she, her). I see my role as an equalizer, providing opportunities for individuals/groups to achieve equality, self-determination, respect and empowerment. My perspective was shaped by growing-up under martial law and being part of the socio-political movement that led to the end of 21-years of a one-man repressive regime. As a mental health provider/case manager/educator/trainer for 20 plus years for Latino, LGBTQ, Asian, Black, Indigenous, and White communities in North America and Manila, I understand families are held back due to lack of documentation/status, LGBTQ2S identities, stigma, lack of healthcare/basic necessities, migration, discrimination, intergenerational trauma, poverty, etc. I bring an affirming perspective, an ability to listen, facilitate, develop a consensus, collaborate, and organize. In the past, I was a board member of Centenary United Church of Canada in 2010-2012. For the past 3 years, I co-led the Affirming Spirituality Group that: a) deepens one’s spirituality and faith to achieve internal balance, recharge one’s spiritual battery and deal more effectively with life’s demands; b) explores social justice, and oppression, develops a personal understanding for those who are marginalized and learns ways to proactively deal with injustice as an ally and/or marginalized individual; c) builds a spiritual/relationship-focused community; and d) provides a confidential, accountable/safe space.
7. I am Dennis Sendyowa, 23 yrs old and Ugandan. Pronoun He. When I was asked to be a part of the intercultural workgroup, I saw it was my opportunity to share my gift I got from God by helping not only LGBTI people but everyone because I believe that everything on this planet wants to be treated equally. I promise to work with everyone so that we can bring everyone to our chest. I worked with some LGBTI refugee organizations in Kenya. Nature network as an Events Manager and also as a photographer, Team no sleep foundation as a volunteer and peer educator, Youth Uplift Uganda as a peer educator and mobilizer. I was trained as a paralegal by National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and also got training from Global Platforms Network Network for Youth Led activisim (act!on aid ) in movement building, holistic security, leadership and advocacy and campaigns.
8. Miriam Spies (she/her) is an ordained minister currently doing PhD studies at Emmanuel College. Her work surrounds how the church can support the gifts of disabled leadership. She has encountered Eric Law’s Holy Currencies in a workshop and has been involved in conversations around intercultural commitments at the national office.
9. Bernie Lee Thompson (he/they/them) is a member of the GLBTQ+ community, who recently transitioned from female to non-binary. Over the years they’ve sat on a number of church and community committees, in positions such as the Chair of Women’s Housing Planning Collaborative (WHPC) Advisory Committee, and volunteering at the AIDS Network. They bring a willingness to be part of a group, an ability to exist outside of their comfort zone, active listening, and an ability to multi-task. As a member of the Intergenerational Kitchen for the GLBTQ+ community, and a member of church and community choirs, they are quite active in the community, also taking part in a small discussion group on senior women, aging, and accessibility. They like to maintain an active lifestyle with Steps to Health, HOMES program, and racing groups. They love walking and running and have participated in over 20 races during 2020! They love animals, but cats hold a special place in their heart.
10. Rev Ian Sloan (he, him). I began my intercultural journey as a graduate student at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. I joined a self-described “intercultural” congregation of the United Church of Christ in suburban Ann Arbor in late 1991, The Church of the Good Shepherd. The congregation was (and is) an authentic effort in the post civil-rights era of the United States to live toward justice and peace in the discomfort of the fraught relationship between whites and blacks. At that time I was a candidate for ordered ministry in the United Church of Canada and was given the privilege by the Church of the Good Shepherd to serve in a lay capacity on their Church Council. My role in the New Vision Steering Group thirty years later is to provide support to the group’s work of coordinating the work of the project with New Vision’s Threshold Partners and friends.
11. There’s your Steering Group! Please hold them in your prayers. You will hear from them soon.
12. Because of the lock-down New Vision folks without access to Zoom have to suspend in-person participation at 24 Main W in our Zoom worship gathering on Sundays. We continue to connect with many who do not have the ability to connect to our Zoom gatherings by phone.
13. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
14. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
15. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

See you Sunday – again, or for the first time ~

Rev Ian

Wed Dec 23 2020
1.You’ll find  New Vision’s Christmas Eve At Home beginning at 7 pm on Christmas Eve in this virtual gathering spot. I’ll look forward to seeing you!
2. We’ll start the evening with a variety show, carol sing, and party games and then share in Christmas Eve worship with readings, songs and communion.
3. Given that we are in pandemic lockdown, we are, sadly, not able to host an in-person gathering at the church for this community time on Christmas Eve together.
4. Prepare some food and beverage for yourself for the party and then for communion. Bring paper and pen too for one of the party games!
5. Cater and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. It has been an extraordinary year, unrelenting in its challenges since March. We know ourselves blessed to be in this community. We’re privileged to offer to it some of its leadership. Our hope is that 2021 be better for us all, especially those most harmed by the pandemic.
6. The Church Council has let me know that our Designing New Vision’s Relationship Currency Project now has a Steering Group: Joda Kuk, Joey Ruiz, Dennis Sendyowa, Miriam Spies, Bernie Thompson and me. The Group’s mandate is to coordinate the New Vision Threshold Partners in achieving the objectives of the Project. You’ll hear more about and from the Group early in the new year.
7. Year-end contributions to our “Just Saying” campaign can be made by e-transfer to payments@newvisionunited.org. Please identify yourself in the message and that the contribution is for “Just Saying.” E-transfers to this address are automatically deposited into the New Vision bank account.
8. It’s a wrap – literally! Right until the very last day, Wesley Urban Ministries staff & volunteers worked tirelessly (and safely) to pack & deliver 2764 Holiday Hampers heaped with food & gifts. Wesley thanks all for the true community effort, helping families, seniors & the homeless. If you’re on facebook, here’s the direct link for you to like and share this message: https://www.facebook.com/wesley.urban.ministries/posts/4071959446165151
9. Because of the lock-down New Vision folks without access to Zoom have to suspend in-person participation at 24 Main W in our Zoom worship gathering on Sundays. We continue to connect with many who do not have the ability to connect to our Zoom gatherings by phone.
10. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
11. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
12. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Christmas Eve and on Christmas 1 this coming Sunday – again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian

Wed Dec 16 2020

1. New Vision gathers for our Service of Remembrance and Hope this evening, December 16th, at 7 pm. Here is the link to the virtual gathering spot in Zoom for the service.
2. We won’t do an in-person gathering at the church for the Service of Remembrance and Hope.
3. The past 10 months have had an extraordinary effect on us, bringing us unusual grief and losses. Our gathering will enable us to share courage with each other in the midst of the pandemic’s deprivations. Everyone is welcome.
4. If you have photo of your Christmas tree – past or present – please send it to us here at officeadmin@newvisionunited.org and we’ll make it part of our Sunday worship gatherings in the weeks ahead.
5. We will gather for our Christmas Eve service at 7 pm in this virtual gathering spot. Given the strong indications that we will be in pandemic lockdown, we are, sadly, not planning to include an in-person gathering at the church for this worship time together.
6. JR Digs Acoustic Christmas Special: Many things have changed this year, and even though we can’t host the same live concert that you know and love, we still have a great night planned – it’s the JR DiGs Acoustic Christmas Special! Go to this link to learn more about this Dec 23 at 7 pm live streaming special produced in the Music Hall at New Vision, and spread the word — this year’s concert is in part a fundraiser for the Music Hall renovations.
7. New Vision folks without access to Zoom are continuing to attend our Zoom worship gathering on Sundays in person at 24 Main W. Because attendees are at a religious gathering, pandemic health orders allow us to have 10 people together, when at present in all other circumstances gatherings are limited to 5 people.
8. If you are interested in attending the in-person gathering, please be in touch with New Vision by emailing officeadmin@newvisionunited.org. The gathering will observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.
9. We were the target this week of an email scam. The scammer created an fraudulent email address for “Rev. Dr. Ian Sloan” newvisionunited@gmail.com. If you received an email from this email address, please follow these instructions Gmail gives for anyone who receives fraudulent email from a gmail.com address.
10. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
11. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
12. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you Sunday — and this evening at 7 pm.

Rev Ian

Thur Dec 10 2020

1. New Vision gathers for our Service of Remembrance and Hope this coming Wednesday evening, December 16th, at 7 pm. Here is the link to the virtual gathering spot in Zoom for the service: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83139549693
2. We won’t do an in-person gathering at the church for the Service of Remembrance and Hope.
3. The past 10 months have had an extraordinary effect on us, bringing us additional grief and isolation. Our gathering will enable us to share courage with each other in the midst of the pandemic’s unusual deprivation of many of the comforts of the Advent and Christmas season.
4. If you have photo of your Christmas tree – past or present – please send it to us here at officeadmin@newvisionunited.org and we’ll make it part of our Sunday worship gatherings visuals in the gatherings ahead.
5. New Vision will gather for our Christmas Eve service at 7 pm in this virtual gathering spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84947511372. We won’t do an in-person gathering at the church for this time together.
6. New Vision folks without access to Zoom are continuing to attend our Zoom worship gathering on Sundays in person at 24 Main W. Because attendees are at a religious gathering, pandemic health orders allow us to have 10 people together, when at present in all other circumstances gatherings are limited to 5 people.
7. If you are interested in attending the in-person gathering, please be in touch with New Vision by emailing officeadmin@newvisionunited.org. The gathering will observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.
8. Christmas is right around the corner! As you might have already heard, Wesley Urban Ministries’ Christmas & Holiday Store will not operate like a store this year. Instead, it will provide hampers for people who participate in Wesley programs and through some of its community partners. For more information on how to get involved, please visit the website https://wesley.ca/holiday-assistance-program/.
9. Purchase donations and do a curbside drop off at 1974 King St E (Pioneer Church), December 6 – 22, 1 – 4 pm. Calendar is here: https://wesley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/christmas-holiday-hamper-calendar-2020.pdf
10. Wesley Donation Wish List:
    Plastic or re-usable bags
    Any non-perishable food in individual or family sizes
    New gifts: toys, hygiene items, small kitchen appliances, towel & linens
    Gift Certificates for Walmart, Giant Tiger, Canadian Tire, Toys ‘R’ Us
    New or gently used hats, mitts, socks, winter boots and coats (No clothing)
11. For those looking to volunteer at Wesley, their new volunteer roles and pandemic protocols are available online at the above link. There will be a limited number of on-site volunteers this year, however, you can also help from home by making pre packed hampers or volunteer as a driver to take the hampers to Wesley programs and community partners.
12. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
13. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
14. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Sunday – again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian

Wed Nov 18 2020

1.  On Trans Day of Remembrance this Friday join the Trans Peer Support Group to watch a live stream offered by SexGen at York University from 10am to 2pm, followed by a Zoom meeting from 7pm to 9pm to discuss the SexGen event and Trans Day of Remembrance in Hamilton. Registration is required for both events. You can register directly for the SexGen Trans Day of Remembrance event at this link. Contact transpeers@gmail.com to register for the post-event discussion via Zoom. https://rights.info.yorku.ca/trans-day-of-remembrance-2020/
2. A ceremonial unity fire will be lit on Sunday November 22, at 4PM, in honour of 125 days of Haudenosaunee land defense at 1492LandBackLane. The fire-keeper will be Phil Davis, and the event will be hosted by Tom Wilson (Kanien?kehá?ka, Hamilton/Kanehsatà:ke), a four-time Juno-award-winning multimedia artist and musician. The main fire will be held in Wilson’s neighbourhood in Hamilton, ON, territory covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Covenant, where he was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police officers for his involvement in supporting the #1492LandBackLane land defense.
3. You can join the ceremonial unity fire event by Zoom live through New Vision Community Zoom at this link. Joey will be participating by Zoom and lighting our diversity candle in solidarity at the time of the lighting of the unity fire. Have your own candle ready.
4. The slide deck we drew on in our second Threshold Partner meeting last Sunday to begin our New Vision intercultural relational currency design project can be found here.
5. Here are the motions passed by the Threshold Partners at the meeting on Sunday: a) That the Threshold Partners of New Vision United Church engage in “The Relationship Currency Project” in the calendar year 2021 as discussed in this meeting and the meeting on November 1 2020, based on our successful Mission Support Grant  Application “Just Intercultural Consultation with Diverse Communities,” b) That the Threshold Partners of New Vision United Church create a 5 member (including the minister) Steering Group to coordinate Threshold Partners in achieving the objectives of the Project accountable to the Threshold Partners through the Church Council, and c) That the Threshold Partners of New Vision United Church appoint a diverse group that is reflective of the goals of the intercultural relationship currency project to the steering group. Through the Church Council the group can add members in order to achieve the desired diversity stated above.
6. Several Threshold Partners are considering nominations made at the meeting that they join the steering group. Please hold them in your prayers. If there are others you would like to nominate, please contact Helen Bradley helen.bradleyrd@gmail.com
7. Given the news that the flu vaccine is in scarce supply locally, consider getting the flu shot at the walk-in flu clinics happening every Saturday at the Central Library through Saturday Dec 12. You can find out more information here.
8. New Vision folks without access to Zoom are continuing to attend our Zoom worship gathering in person at 24 Main W.
9. If you are interested in attending the in-person gathering, please be in touch with New Vision by emailing officeadmin@newvisionunited.org. The gathering will observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.
10. Christmas is right around the corner! As you might have already heard, Wesley Urban Ministries’ Christmas & Holiday Store will not operate like a store this year. Instead, it will provide hampers for people who participate in Wesley programs and through some of its community partners. For more information on how to get involved, please visit the website https://wesley.ca/holiday-assistance-program/.
11. For those looking to volunteer at Wesley, their new volunteer roles and pandemic protocols are available online at the above link. There will be a limited number of on-site volunteers this year, however, you can also help from home by making pre packed hampers or volunteer as a driver to take the hampers to Wesley programs and community partners.
12. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
13. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
14. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Sunday –  again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian

1. I am looking forward to the Threshold Partners meeting with you on Sunday that will put in motion our New Vision Relational Currency Project. We’ll meet as partners over lunch after gathering for worship  at the usual time – so prepare yourselves something to eat and drink before you attend the virtual worship gathering and then settle in and enjoy the next couple of hours!
2. The slide deck we drew on two Sundays ago to begin to design our project can be found here.
3. Here are two invitations to conversation for our sharing times together in break out rooms during the meeting this coming Sunday: a) you are invited to identify characteristics for which New Vision should aim in the relationships we seek to develop and b) you are invited to consider what the role of art/music/creativity is in the development of our relationships.
4. In line with the main themes of our project, you are welcome to participate in the Western (Canadian) Intercultural Ministry Group annual meeting and dreaming session, Tuesday November 17, at 12:30-2:30 MST (11:30 Pacific, 1:30 Central, 2:30 Eastern.) Two hours at most! Theme: “Building the airplane while flying it: Our 2021 Intercultural commitments”. Bring your favourite hot drink to enjoy. Email jgraham@united-church.ca for the Zoom link. All are welcome.
5. New Vision folks without access to Zoom or find it a barrier continue to attend our Zoom worship gathering in person at 24 Main W. A simple lunch will be provided for those who attend in-person this Sunday to make it easier for them to remain for and participate in the Threshold Partner meeting.
6. If you are interested in attending the in-person gathering, please be in touch with New Vision by emailing officeadmin@newvisionunited.org. The gathering will observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.  We need to know you are coming so that we can keep to mandated occupancy limits for in-door gatherings.
7. One of our themes for worship this Sunday will be the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR occurs annually each November 20.
8. Christmas is right around the corner! As you might have already heard, Wesley Urban Ministries’ Christmas & Holiday Store will not operate like a store this year. Instead, it will provide hampers for people who participate in Wesley programs and through some of its community partners. For more information on how to get involved, please visit the website https://wesley.ca/holiday-assistance-program/.
9. For those looking to volunteer at Wesley, their new volunteer roles and pandemic protocols are available online at the above link. There will be a limited number of on-site volunteers this year, however, you can also help from home by making pre packed hampers or volunteer as a driver to take the hampers to Wesley programs and community partners.
10. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
11. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
12. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Sunday –  again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian

Wed Nov 4 2020

1. Here’s why we are becoming an intercultural church — as expressed this past Sunday by participants in our worship gathering — people are finding community in the midst of our diversity at NV…Our [breakout] room had a beautiful diversity of responses!…We should be an intercultural church because the alternative would be an exclusionary church… which kind of sucks…we are in a different time period…we should be an intercultural church because … I’m part of this church…If not us then who?…Also, diversity is a clear message growing out of the gospel. We can model how to be in relationship with those from diverse groups…My sense is that if we’re going to be a church that lives out the gospel, we need to be an intercultural community…We are all one in Christ…We need to reach out and be a community which is not based on people’s cultural origins, acknowledging how little we understand each other based on superficial interactions…loved the point about prioritizing interculturalism in the church b/c we get to hear a variety of people’s perspectives on Scripture which leads to a better understanding of God! Hearing and respecting different perspectives is important to understanding and learning more about our neighbours and by extension LOVING them!! <3…God wants those who have struggles to have a place with those who have had the same/similar  experience…Just as we could not interpret theology and how to be as a church without LGBTQ+ people & their voices, similarly we cannot interpret theology and how to be as a church without acknowledging the voices and experiences of BIPOC people, and all other forms of difference that matter…I loved the answer one of our breakout group gave:  why not? such a positive response…One person in our group joined New Vision because we “welcome and accept everybody”…30% of federal inmates are of indigenous background, when they only make up 4% of our population.
2. Congratulations to Dennis Sendyowa, who was recently awarded a Bill 7 scholarship towards his PSW studies. He spoke eloquently at the recent virtual award ceremony, and shared how much he appreciates the support of the New Vision community. The Bill 7 Award is a registered charitable trust that awards scholarships to gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, two-spirited and queer students who are in financial need and studying at any post-secondary institution in Ontario to attain their first degree or diploma. This year they awarded 20 scholarships of $3500 towards the education of LGBTQ2S+ students.  The Bill 7 Award is named after the 1986 Ontario legislation that extended the protection of the Human Rights Code to lesbians and gays.
3. This Sunday Rev Miriam will be leading worship. I am on a study break this week.
4. Worship this Sunday will begin with an Armistice Day moment of remembrance.
5. The slide deck we drew on for our Threshold Partner meeting last Sunday to begin to design our New Vision relational currency can be found here.
6. The second Threshold Partner start-up meeting for our Relational Currency Project will take place on Sunday Nov 15 after our worship gathering. For more info, review the slide deck from the meeting this past Sunday following this link.
7. New Vision folks without access to Zoom have begun attending our Zoom worship gathering and Threshold Partner meeting in person at 24 Main W. We’ll continue with the in-person gathering in the Lower Hall as part of our Sunday virtual worship gathering this Sunday and the weeks ahead. If you are interested in attending the in-person gathering, please be in touch with New Vision by emailing officeadmin@newvisionunited.org. The gathering will observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.
8. The Resting and Hygiene Centre requests donations of winter hats and gloves for guests. Also, winter coats and boots are needed. Helen Bradley (helen.bradleyrd@gmail.com) can pick up from people’s homes if that helps.
9. A New Vision Virtual Lectio Divina prayer group is gathering weekly on Thursdays at 4 pm for an hour. You can join it by following this link.  All are welcome. This Thursday (tomorrow) the group will be praying with Psalm 46 verses 1-7 .
10. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
11. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
12. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope you get to the worship gathering on Sunday –  again, or for the first time! See you next Sunday Nov 15.

Rev Ian

Fri Oct 30 2020

1. Virtual Worship Gathering homework this week for developing your role in a New Vision practice of gracious leadership: Reflect on Jesus’ teachings and New Vision’s context and respond to the question, “Why are we being called to be an intercultural church?” Make a few notes and have them nearby Sunday for when we create braver space for each other through mutual invitation to share our responses.
2. You can see the slide deck that I used for Breaking Open the Word last Sunday here.
3. After our worship gathering this Sunday we are meeting as the New Vision Threshold Partners. The meeting is being convened as a check-in/temperature taking on how we all are doing in this time, and to advance the development of our relational currency through building on our plans for intercultural and intersectional consultation with Hamilton’s diverse communities and their creatives and activists.
4. We’ll take a five minute break after the worship gathering on Sunday for you to serve yourself lunch when we start the meeting up. Hope you’ll prepare your lunch in advance. Here’s what you will be invited to respond to through mutual invitation during the meeting: consider your own social location – how you experience privilege and marginalization in your life.
5. New Vision folks without access to Zoom will be attending our Zoom worship gathering and Threshold Partner meeting on Nov 1 in person at 24 Main W. for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic emergency! We’ll observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation.
6. We will be celebrating communion this Sunday, so have some type of bread and wine food and beverage nearby to participate.
7. The Resting and Hygiene Centre requests donations of winter hats and gloves for guests. Also, winter coats and boots are needed. Helen Bradley (helen.bradleyrd@gmail.com) can pick up from people’s homes if that helps.
8. A New Vision Virtual Lectio Divina prayer group is gathering weekly on Thursdays at 4 pm for an hour. You can join it by following this link. All are welcome.
9. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
10. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
11. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Sunday –  again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian

Wed Oct 21 2020

1. Virtual Worship Gathering homework this week for your part in developing a New Vision intersectional, intercultural practice of gracious leadership: Take a moment and write down what you have noticed as the biggest change(s) in Hamilton over the last five years, or, if you haven’t lived in Hamilton 5 or more years, ways in which Hamilton is different from a community in which you have previously lived. We’ll use break-out rooms to practice mutual invitation with our sharing of our responses to these questions this Sunday.
2. Our Church Council Chair Bob Marentette has called a meeting of the Threshold Partners for Sunday, Nov 1 after our worship gathering. The meeting is being convened as a check-in/temperature taking on how we all are doing in this time, and to advance the development of our holy currencies through building on our plans for intercultural and intersectional consultation with Hamilton’s diverse communities and their creatives and activists. We’ll take a five minute break after the worship gathering for you to serve yourself lunch when we start the meeting up. Hope you’ll prepare your lunch in advance.  
3. We will be inviting New Vision folks without access to Zoom to attend our Zoom worship gathering and Threshold Partner meeting on Nov 1 in person at 24 Main W. We’ll observe all the best practices for hygiene, screening, and sanitation. If you would like to be put on a list as a potential attendee of this gathering, please respond to this email with your interest. Whether or not we will be able to accommodate interest in attending the in-person gathering depends on the response we get.
4. We are going to maintain our virtual worship gathering on Sundays as they are for the time being. We are working on accessibility for those who cannot access Zoom. We keep in place our phone network to sustain our faith across the digital divide. We admit we miss those we don’t see.
5. The Resting and Hygiene Centre requests donations of winter hats and gloves for guests. Also, winter coats and boots are needed. Helen Bradley (helen.bradleyrd@gmail.com) can pick up from people’s homes if that helps.
6. A New Vision Virtual Lectio Divina prayer group is gathering weekly on Thursdays at 4 pm for an hour beginning tomorrow. You can join it by following this link. If you are interested in being part of an on-line prayer group during the week, and another time of day and day is better for you please get in touch with me by responding to this email note. We’ll see what we can organize. Here is a link to material describing lectio divina as a spiritual practice.
7. You are invited to join this Sunday’s amazing celebration of Black Women at the 2020 special edition of Women Who Rock. 29 Black women have been nominated for the Women Who Rock Awards. Get dressed up and join in for a special virtual gala presentation of the 2020 Women Who Rock Awards. Get your tickets here.
8. New Vision’s role in the campaign for the Music Hall at New Vision is to develop relationship currency for the social enterprise through an intercultural and intersectional consultation with Hamilton’s diverse communities with whom we will develop a cultural benefits memorandum, and codify the Music Hall’s role in providing those benefits with embedding a social enterprise charter in our social enterprise governance and operating structure. We continued our prepatory work for the consultation last Sunday, when we took in an overview the Kaleidoscope Institutes’ idea of the circulation of the blessings of holy currencies, and then focused in on the “currency of relationships,’ the “currency of truth,” and the “currency of wellness.” Thank you to everyone who has expressed interest in shaping and leading this important work.
9. You can watch the Do Well by Hamilton capital campaign launch video for the Music Hall at New Vision anytime at dowellbyhamilton.ca, the campaign website.
10. New Vision Virtual Worship is experiential, participatory, image-rich and collective, just like worship in person at New Vision! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week during the Covid-19 emergency by clicking here. If you want to put the link someplace easy to find each week, here it is:?https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. Please share it with others and invite them to a “different” kind of time on Zoom from the usual.
11. You can also call in to the gathering on the telephone toll free. Call 1 855 703 8985, then, when prompted, input the Meeting ID 782 292 511 followed by the # sign. Ignore the prompts for Participant ID and Password. You are in when the recorded voice says, “You are in the meeting.” If you can only connect by video on your computer with no audio, you can use the phone connection for audio and the computer connection for visual.
12. For updates on New Vision plans in the post Covid-19 emergency recovery, please visit http://newvisionunited.org/new-vision-covid-19-updates/.

Hope to see you on Sunday –  again, or for the first time!

Rev Ian