New Vision Notes |
Thursday January 29, 2026 Welcome to a new edition of New Vision Notes! We are grateful to be reaching you each week. This Sunday will be the Fourth Sunday after Ephiphany and the First Sunday of African Heritage Month. Officially recognized in Canada since 1996, African Heritage Month is a time to highlight the histories, contributions, and lived realities of people of African descent, and to reflect on the ongoing impacts of anti-Black racism. The United Church offers resources for Black History Month in February and anti-racism resources all year. You can access them by clicking here. This Sunday, worship (with communion) will be led by Rev. Diane, Rev. Miriam and other marvelous folks from our New Vision Community. Worship will be upstairs in the Music Hall as renovations continue! Please enter through the door at the corner of Main and MacNab. Seun has made a helpful poster that you may download by clicking here. *** Accessible Viewing Room! Our Accessible Viewing Room is still open!! Because of our current building renovations, our current worship space is not as accessible as we would like it to be. In response to this, we invite anyone with any mobility needs to view worship from our Accessible Viewing Room. A large-screen tv provides a clear view of the service, and there is a coffee / tea station available to those gathering in the space. Enter through the red pillar doors off MacNab St. The space will be open from 10am to the conclusion of the service. Tri-Region PalNet Webinar! The Tri-Region PalNet (Palestine Network) invites you to a webinar about the involvement of the United Church in justice for Palestine. The webinar will take place on Wednesday February 11 at 7pm. Rev. Diane Blanchard and Rev. Miriam Spies, who attended the Kairos Palestine Conference in Bethlehem in November 2025, will share their experiences of solidarity visits in the West Bank as well as the urgent asks of the Kairos 2 document. Brian McIntosh, involved in this work for many years, will speak about why it’s important for our church and its members. Michiko Bown-Kai will facilitate a time for discussion about how to get involved. To register for the webinar, please click this registration link: https://united-church.zoom.us/ Membership Class! Membership class will meet after worship in the Southwest Lounge on Sundays, February 1 and 15 (February 8 is an event for newcomers about preparing for hearings and February 22 is our annual meeting), March 1 and 8. You need to attend at least 4 classes in order to be received as a member of New Vision United Church. Hearing Preparation Workshop for Newcomers! Are you preparing for an Immigration hearing on your case? Reviewing your story, making sure your paperwork is in order, and practicing your responses can help you feel more prepared for your hearing. Join us on Feb. 8th after the service in the Southwest Lounge (main floor) for a meeting about Hearing Preparation, back by popular demand. Helen and Miriam of the Newcomer leadership team will present a session on this topic. Come to learn, share your experience if you already had your hearing, and spend some time in fellowship. Mark Your Calendars! New Vision’s AGM is Coming Soon! On Sunday February 22nd following worship, New Vision will hold its Annual General Meeting. This is a very important time for the church community to gather and share important information with one another as it relates to our church. More information will be coming in the coming weeks, so please be on the lookout! A Very Exciting Sponsorship Update! We have good news: Sulah’s application to come to Canada as a refugee has received a G-number, which means his case is in the Canadian immigration system. He also has a Unique Client Identifier (UCI) number now. Secondly, Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has formally approved NVUC (us!) to sponsor him, and his application has been sent to the Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) authorities overseas. Separate from the sponsorship project, some time ago, NV committed to sending $200/month to help support the Nature Network, going forward. If you feel so led, please give to support some of our siblings who are living as refugees in Africa. Thank you! This is the final week to sign the Immigration and Citizenship Petition. It’s goals are to:
1. Create dedicated and expedited immigration pathways for LGBTQ+ individuals who face systemic discrimination, loss of rights, or threats to safety in their countries of residence;
2. Expand the use of humanitarian and compassionate grounds in immigration decisions where LGBTQ+ rights are under direct attack; and
3. Publicly reaffirm Canada’s role as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people worldwide, ensuring that Canadian immigration policy reflects this commitment
As an Affirming congregation, we hope all citizens and Permanent Residents will support this petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6864
A Song of Faith – A Song of Faith, adopted in 2006, seeks to provide a verbal picture of what The United Church of Canada understands its faith to be in the historical, political, social, and theological context of the early 21st century. It is also a means of ongoing reflection and an invitation for the church to live out its convictions in relation to the world in which we live. Please click here to view (and/or download) this important literature. Would you like to try leading a worship service? Our worship team is looking for some folks to consider leading worship. It’s a fun and meaningful way to contribute to our faith community! Please reach out to Julie or Dan to learn more about putting a service together. Enjoy Daily scripture readings from The Revised Common Lectionary: This three-year cycle of scripture readings is used by most churches in Canada and the US. Let the Word inspire you by visiting https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/daily.php?year=B#id79 You’re invited! Join us on Sunday mornings 10:30 am week to week either in person at 24 Main St. W. or on Zoom by clicking here. The link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/782292511. If you’re on Facebook, you may also want to consider joining our New Vision United Community Group , where we post updates and share with one another online. Together, let’s celebrate the gifts and graces of all! |
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