This Sunday at 10:30am we can all enjoy the service from the comfort of homes, sipping coffee! We are returning to an all on-line experience, giving us time to repair our malfunctioning speakers, monitor the Delta variant rise, and all be together on one platform. It was joyful to meet in-person for the water ceremony in the Great Hall, a balm to my spirit to feel all that good energy. We regret the zoom link mishap that prevented many of you from joining via Zoom, I know watching the livestream on YouTube isn’t quite the same.
This Sunday I am thinking about how we manage to care for the world and for ourselves in the midst of so much change and crisis. How do we help while we are also struggling? How can Unitarian Universalism sustain us?
Sunday Services Zoom Link
Time: September 12th, 2021 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88155648070
Meeting ID: 881 5564 8070
Phone In via: 647-374-4685
The YouTube livestream of the Service will also be available to subscribers to the UCM channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD8jh9eDfIPsl51oMKSpqPw?view_as=subscriber
Please be aware our livestream is public. Although it is unlikely for you to appear, if you want to ensure you are not visible please keep your video off during the service.
Looking ahead, given our ground breaking vote to affirm the eighth principle in June – the first Canadian congregation to do so – I will be offering reflections on all the principles in the months to come, beginning on September 26th with our newest principle to affirm and promote “Individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions.” We have learning and work to do to help dismantle racism in our denomination. This Sunday evening the Canadian Unitarian Council is hosting the first of four forums on this essential topic. Details are below, I will be there and I encourage you to attend.
My hope for all of us is that the days to come provide sunshine, solace and moments of delight. I am so looking forward to being with all of you on Zoom this Sunday.
Blessings,
Fiona
| Dismantling Racism & 8th Principle Forums: Sep 19 – Nov 7 The Dismantling Racism and 8th Principle forums are a 4-session introspective journey building momentum towards being truly inclusive, deepening our understanding of what it means to dismantle racism, and practicing how to show up in a way that honours what we have been asked to do by our members of colour.We regard this as necessary work to prepare for the Special Meeting on November 27, 2021. These forums are also a way for congregations to engage fully in conversation without having to organize their own discussions, and to hear from others across the country.Forum dates and times All forums take place on Sundays from 7:00 – 8:30 pm ET. Click on the title of each forum to access details about that session. What are the forums?
Preparation for the forums We ask that you view or listen to these videos BEFORE your participation in the forums. If you are not able to access the videos before the forums, we invite you to show up as a silent observer until you’ve had a chance to go through all the videos.
The complete Forum Resource Package can be found here, within the CUC Special Meeting folder. These forums have been planned in consultation with the CUC’s Elders, Sharon Jinkerson Brass and Stephen Paquette. Why are the forums focused on internal work and reflection? The results of the survey undertaken by the Dismantling Racism Study Group in 2020 indicate that the level of diversity in our congregations is lower than that of our current national population, and that there is a lack of commitment to racial justice work, with racist behaviours being noted in our congregations. BIPOC UUs shared stories of being excluded, feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome, and being disillusioned by a faith community that professes to be inclusive but lacks action. We understand that change can be uncomfortable. Dismantling racism means changing our attitudes and behaviour, and threatens the status quo, but internal work is necessary for transformation. Racism in our congregations is real. Dismantling it is hard, challenging work, AND we are capable (Rev. Mark Morrison Reed & R. Edward Freeman) It is our hope that the forums will help us to work together through our discomfort and be honest about the state of racism in our congregations. What about amendments and feedback on the proposed 8th Principle motion? Please refer to this document for the congregational feedback tool. We have also provided platforms for youth and young adults and individuals to share thoughts. What’s next after the forums? Further information will be forthcoming about delegates and registration, the Special Meeting agenda, and any relevant details pertaining to the 8th Principle process. In faith and hope, Vyda Ng |