New Vision Notes for Thursday March 13, 2025

Welcome to a new edition of New Vision Notes! We are grateful to be reaching you each week. This coming Sunday we mark the Second Sunday in Lent. Our worship will be led by Luke, and other fantastic folks from our New Vision Community.

New Vision needs to do some repair work on the building exterior! For everyone’s safety, some parts of the sidewalk around our building are now closed. Please continue to use the accessible door on the corner of Main and MacNab (close to our illuminated sign).

Right now in Alberta, a small town’s government is threatening to close and relocate a library that is known as a safe haven of social justice and diversity. In response we intend to mail paper hearts with messages of love, hope, and solidarity to the folks at the Valleyview Municipal Library. We will have the hearts in our worship space until March 16th, so you may take a moment to share your messages of love. To learn more about this ‘shadow war on libraries’, please check out this informative article from Fifth Estate: https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/a-shadow-war-on-libraries

PIE Day is tomorrow, March 14, a time to celebrate the full inclusion of Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ people in communities of faith and beyond, across Canada.

The theme for PIE Day 2025 is “Sing Out Proud”! With Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ rights under threat, it’s more important than ever to show your support. Join Moderator Carmen Lansdowne as we highlight the incredible affirming work happening across the United Church and lift our voices in song. Discover the inspiring submissions from the PIE Day song contest and find ways to take action. Visit PieDay.ca and Affirmunited.Ause.ca to learn more. You can find more PIE Day resources on the United Church website.

On Friday, March 14th (Tomorrow) from 7-10 p.m our friends of the Affirming Team at Faith United (842 Main E) are hosting a PIE Day Karaoke Social! Admission is free and there will be light refreshments provided. Let’s join in the fun and make some new friends!

No Other Land – A special screening of the 2025 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary will take place at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre (357 Wilson St East, Ancaster, ON, L9G 2C1) on Monday March 17th at 7:15pm. Proceeds from the screening will benefit Ancaster Community Services.

Synopsis: Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta on the West Bank, has been fighting the mass expulsion of his community by Israel’s occupation since childhood. He documents the slow-motion eradication of the villages in his home region where soldiers deployed by the Israeli government are gradually demolishing houses and driving out their residents. At some point, he meets Yuval, an Israeli journalist, who supports him in his efforts. An unlikely alliance develops. But the relationship between the two is strained by the enormous inequality between them. This 98 minute film by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists has been made as an act of creative resistance on the path to greater justice. For information and to purchase tickets please visit: https://www.memorialarts.ca/films/no-other-land

Join us for another Cross-Country Check in on April 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET, for a live, insightful conversation with General Secretary, Rev. Michael Blair, and General Council Executive guests. Following their final meeting, we’ll dive into the key decisions and dialogues. Our previous Cross-Country Check In drew over 330 participants, and we’re eager to connect with you again! This is your chance to directly engage with leadership, whether you’re listening or participating actively. The General Secretary and GCE members are ready to hear from you, live and in real time. All are welcome. Register now on CHURCHx. The discussion will be facilitated by Treena Duncan, Regional Executive Minister, Pacific Mountain Regional Council.

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.