Beginning on Friday evening and continuing to Sunday afternoon, we were welcomed to Glebe-St. James United Church in Ottawa. Friday night, we heard two choirs sing, Moderator, The Rt. Rev. Jordan Cantwell welcomed us, and we saw a play entitled "Trans-Script" by Faith and Arts Ottawa.
In Harmony
Saturday was met by worship and a plenary discussion entitled "Words 101" led by Rev. Cindy Bourgeois, the first known trans-gendered person to be Ordained in The United Church of Canada. This covered the idea that language is fluid and definitions of words and how we understand them changes with culture, always returning us back to John's Gospel...In the beginning was the Word. It set the tone for the rest of the conference for me, as it challenged me to think about the words I use, and the words we use to describe ourselves, our communities, and others.
Communion Table at Glebe-St. James
Rev. Cindy Bourgeois: Words 101
Following a break, there were workshops to choose from, so I attended a workshop that focused on beginning the journey of becoming an Affirming Ministry. This gave me resources that can help congregations begin this journey and enabled David and I to make connections with leadership in Toronto Conference as they continue on their journey toward becoming an Affirming Ministry. Exciting times!
Continuing after lunch, we had another plenary session entitled "LGBTQI Rights are Human Rights" led by Rachel Clark who works with Amnesty International. This session gave us a better understanding of not only where we've come from as a country, but how far we have to go to ensure that all of us share the same rights. It also gave us an idea of how other countries are doing and helped us to understand many LGBTQI issues around the world both from legal and political standpoints.
Rachel Clark
Two more workshop sessions followed later into the afternoon. For me, these included a workshop focusing on the work of the Student Christian Movement that spoke about the work they are doing internationally with regards to gender and sexuality, and another workshop that brought participants up to speed on what is happening with the Living Apology, as mandated by the 42nd General Council in Corner Brook. Both of these were informative and helped me to reflect on issues from around the globe and here at home. During the Living Apology workshop, we gave some deep thought to what apologizing is like and what makes an effective apology, which is always important when engaging others about personal and sensitive issues. We also reflected on what that looks like when a church apologizes.
Saturday night took on a little different, more personal tone for me, as I visited with the family (who have adopted me as one of their own over the years) who were kind enough to host me. I had the privilege of visiting with one of our retired ministers who is living in Ottawa, and who is the Minister Emeritus at Knox United Church in Glace Bay, NS, which is also my home congregation. The Rev. Ray Purchase and I had a wonderful visit, along with his daughter Elayne. Spending time with Ray is always a gift, as his stories about ministry and pictures of the past provide glimpses and insights from where our church has come and what ministry was like. If any of you have the opportunity to spend time with our retired clergy, do it...the wisdom and joy is immeasurable.
Rev. Ray Purchase and I
Elayne Bonnell (Ray's daughter) and I
Sunday morning, we worshiped with the wonderful folk of Glebe-St. James United, hearing from our Moderator, The Rt. Rev. Jordan Cantwell, who took us through an insightful and challenging understanding of the work of Reconciliation. As many of us know, it's not just enough to say that we are sorry and that we are going to change things, but that we must live this out and work hard to shift paradigms in order to make our communities the safe and welcoming spaces that God intends them to be. We also shared in communion, which included Healing Pathway prayer for those who wanted it, finally closing our time together with a drum blessing from Julie Paradis. This was meaningful for me because she invited people from the congregation to take part, which I did...I can still feel the vibrations from the drum and the sound of her voice as she sang. Prayerful and powerful are the words that can best describe the experience!
The Rt. Rev. Jordan Cantwell Drum Circle
Overall, being able to represent Maritime Conference at Affirm United/ S'affirmer Ensemble was an amazing experience. We have come a long way in terms of how we understand ourselves to be an inclusive and welcoming conference, yet, as with most things, we have so much to learn. Intentionally being part of this aspect of our United Church keeps our covenant in the forefront of our ministry and reminds us that we are not alone on this journey. It was a gift and an honour to see this work unfold so that it can continue here in the Maritimes. My thanks is extended to the members of our Affirm Committee and to all in our Conference who are pushing boundaries and understandings of what it means to be welcoming and inclusive so that all are reminded of God's image found in them and in the world in which we live.
Love and Blessings.
Tony, Catherine and David!
