Thurs June 10 2021
- To begin the notes this week, I invite you to take the time to read this post by The United Church of Canada: “United Church condemns attack on Muslim family in London ON.”
- The second of the town halls by our Holton campus property redevelopment partner the United Property Resource Corporation will take place from 6 pm to 7:30 pm this evening. To attend the town hall simply go to the website https://www.85holtonave.com/ just before 6 pm and click on the link that takes you into the meeting. There is no requirement to register. I was at the afternoon town hall and can attest that it is an excellent event. You can offer questions and comments during the town hall and then, with the feedback form on the 85holtonave.com webpage. Click on the “contact” tab on the right side of the tab menu at the top of the webpage to be taken to the form.
- The three site studies being presented and discussed have been released. You can find an overview of them here.
- This Sunday, June 13, we will bear witness as a community to St. Andrew’s United Church on the mountain becoming an Affirming Ministry. Dixon Challoner will be presenting their Affirming Ministry certificate to them. We all will be attending by gathering virtually at our usual time of 10:30 am in our virtual worship gathering on Zoom to take in their live stream service together.
- Correction: St. Andrew’s was not begun with help from the former St. Giles congregation as I stated in last week’s notes. Melrose United helped St. Andrew’s start. St. Giles helped Emmanuel United Church on Upper Ottawa start. Not so close a connection as I thought between St. Giles and St. Andrew’s – those Scottish saints will do it to you every time.
- Sunday June 20th is our 7th anniversary. Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann has accepted our invitation to come speak as our guest at our worship gathering on that Sunday. Other pieces are in preparation, particularly around the day as the National Indigenous Day of Prayer.
- With June being both Pride month and National Indigenous Heritage Month, the United Church of Canada is presenting a webinar called “Two-Spirit People: A Part of our Circle and our Teachings” on Monday, June 28 at 7 pm. Follow this link to register. It is free – brought to us by The UCC’s Mission and Service Fund.
- This is the time of year Wesley gears up for Case for Kids, Wesley Urban Ministries largest annual fundraiser. In fact, this year marks 30 years for this event! Normally we’re all together at Bayfront Park, but just like last year, Case for Kids will be a June virtual campaign, and we’re being asked for our help in spreading the word and helping to make this year’s event a smash success for Wesley’s children and youth programs.
- Here’s the video for this year’s Case for Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDRf__l7Ixs
- Here is the webpage for the 2021 Case for Kids: http://www.wesley.ca/caseforkids2021.
- We look forward in the weeks ahead to good progress in lowering the incident levels of COVID-19 infection so that the movement and gathering restrictions will be progressively relaxed. At this time I am sad to say this still means that New Vision folks without access to Zoom will have to wait for a while more to participate in person at 24 Main W in our Zoom worship gathering on Sundays. But we are getting close! I know those gathering on Zoom keenly miss those who have been gathering in person. I am looking forward to the day we can meet again in person, and I am sad that this is the second Easter we will not be able to gather in person as a Christian faith community.
- 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.
- 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.
Hope to see you Sunday ~ again, or for the first time ~
Rev Ian