Grief and Bereavement Workshop
2024-04-08 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
Mon. April 8th 2024 from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 1st Grief & Bereavement Workshop
Mon. May 6th 2024 from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 2nd (follow-up) Grief & Bereavement Workshop
In conversation with Compassionate Ottawa

For more details contact Kathy Douglas, Minister Faith Formation KDouglas@United-Church.ca
Registration now open:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYof-GppjguGdwdT2xn0g3AZD4oovY_xBmY

WOW UCW AGM 2024 - Looking to the Future
2024-04-20 09:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
2024 April 20 UCW WOW poster pdf
Annual General Meeting of the UCW of Western Ontario Region on Saturday, April 20 in Hanover.
Time: 9:30am – 3:00pm
Where: Grace United Church 310 – 12th Street, Hanover, ON
This will be an in-person and virtual meeting. We are hoping to have representation from every local UCW in our region for this important meeting. We will review the past year, and consider our future. If you attend virtually, please note that you will have to click on one link for the morning session and on. The second one for the afternoon session. Only members attending in-person will be able to vote during the business meeting in the morning.
To ensure that there is sufficient food for all, we ask you to pre-register for lunch at noon either by email to: ucw.wow@gmail.com or by telephone by Tuesday, April 2. You can pay when you register.
We will send out the Annual Report by email within two weeks of the meeting. Please read it carefully before you come to the meeting if you can. We look forward to seeing you all.
Sincerely,
ANNE REUBER
President of UCW of Western Ontario Region

Follow-Up - Advance Care and Planning Workshop - End of Life Conversations
2024-04-22 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom
Mon. March 25th from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 1st Advance Care Planning (end-of-life conversations) Workshop
Mon. April 8th 2024 from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 1st Grief & Bereavement Workshop
Mon. April 22nd 2024 from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 2nd (follow-up) Advance Care Planning Workshop
Mon. May 6th 2024 from 4:00pm-5:30pm – 2nd (follow-up) Grief & Bereavement WorkshopIn conversation with Compassionate Ottawa

For more details contact Kathy Douglas, Minister Faith Formation KDouglas@United-Church.ca
Registration now open:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtcO2spjIvG90XLU8UKGjp0xjR5BUO0IvQ

Duty of Care 101
2024-04-23 10:30 - 11:30, 2024-04-24 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

ARW UCW Annual Gathering 2024
2024-04-27 08:45 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
United Church Women Annual Gathering
Saturday, April 27, 8:45 am to 2:00 pm

WHERE THERE IS FAITH, THERE’S HOPE
Come for the singing, the devotion, guest speakers and entertainment.Guest Speaker: Rev. Jen PrinceChaplain: Rev. Larry SchneiderDunwich United Church, 179 Nancy Street, DuttonLinks & Contacts: Download the Registration Form or the Poster.

HF UCW Annual General Meeting
2024-04-27 09:30 (America/New_York)
HORSESHOE FALLS UCW ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
GRACE UNITED CHURCH
2111 Walkers Line, Burlington
“Out of the Kitchen” and into….
Worship: – Led by the Rev. Richard Bott
Guest Presenter: – the Rev. Brenna Baker
Community of Faith Support Staff for Horseshoe Falls, Western
Ontario Waterways and Antler River Watershed “TELLING THE STORY IN A NEW WAY”

Send cheques made out to Hamilton Conference UCW for payment to: Amy Hill
12 Neuchatel Place, Mississauga, ON L5N 6A7 DEADLINE: April 17, 2024
NAME(s):______________________________________ # of Tickets_______
CHURCH:_______________________________________________________
9:30 – registration 10:00 – Welcome
Cost – $20 Please bring your own brown bag lunch and a small contribution for
The Loaves and Fishes table to share at breaktime – eg. apple, cookie

Follow-Up - Grief and Bereavement Workshop
2024-05-06 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Online via Zoom

Save the Dates: Spring 2024 Tri Regional Council Meeting
2024-05-24 - 2024-05-26
Spring 2024 Tri-Regional Council Meeting
REGISTER for the Tri-Regional Council Meeting
Time will be designated for each individual Regional Council to meet separately. Each Regional Council will be electing their GC45 Commissioners, President Elect and slate of Executive/Commission members.
Friday May 24: 2 PM start & Friday evening The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne will speak
Saturday, May 25: All day. Includes Celebration of Ministries Service in the afternoon
Sunday, May 26: 9 AM to Noon: Includes Honouring of Retirees, Jubilands, In Memoriam, Community of Faith Life Cycle Changes

You can do hard things
2024-05-24 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
You can do hard things:
How to Preach on Stewardship and Talk about Money

A workshop for ministry personnel and those who lead worship in their communities of faith.10am-12pm on Friday, May 24 at Port Elgin United Church Stewardship, like prayer, worship, or loving service, is a critical aspect of our lives of faith. The Bible is chock full of passages about how money and wealth harm people and communities, and how generosity liberates us from those corrupting influences. As preachers, we have an amazing opportunity to tell people that they belong to God, not their bank accounts, and because of that, they can make a difference by sharing their gifts. Yet so many of us avoid talking about money. The truth is, whether or not we discuss it, the people in our congregations are thinking about money all the time. How do I decide how much should I give? What should I spend it on? How do I raise generous kids and grand-kids? Whether they have a little or a lot, money takes up a lot of spiritual and emotional space. So how can we deepen faith and generosity as spiritual leaders?

In this workshop, participants will:

Process all the fears and worries around preaching on money (no, you’re not just preaching for your salary!)
Learn techniques for stewardship preaching that will encourage and inspire
Look at some of Jesus’ messages on money and talk about the good news that could be used in a sermon.
Be introduced to resources that can give you more confidence when talking about money and ministry

For more information, please contact your Stewardship Support Staff, Brenna Baker, at bbaker@united-church.ca

Port Elgin United Church840 Bruce St, Port Elgin, ON N0H 2C2
Google Map

Registration Link:

https://regionalcouncil789.formstack.com/forms/you_can_do_hard_things

The Day of Fellowship - Horseshoe Falls
2024-06-08 10:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
Register Now

Save the Date:
The Day of Fellowship will launch us into the year long Centenary Celebration of the United Church with Greetings from General Secretary, The Rev. Michael Blair.
Renewal and Transformation … A Season of Hope
The day will begin with Gathering at 10:00am
Morning service 10:30am – 12:00 noon
Lunch Break 12:00 noon – 1:00pm
Afternoon Session from 1-2:30pm (cultural expressions from around the region).

Rendez-Vous 2024 - Audacious Hope
2024-07-03 - 2024-07-06
Youth, Young Adults, and Those Who Lead Them:

Save the Date!

Audacious Hope
July 3-6, 2024, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON

Brought to you by the Rendez-vous team of The United Church of Canada and the LIFT team of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

More information soon!

#UCCan #AudaciousHope2024

Curriculum Round Table
2024-08-21 10:00 - 11:15, 2024-09-04 19:00 - 20:15 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
“We Are Not Alone” in Children and Youth Ministry.
What are your plans for children’s ministry this fall? Are you wondering about curriculum options? Do you want to connect, share, and learn from others in the field? Then don’t miss our Curriculum Round Table webinar!
To register or for more information, contact:
Kdouglas@united-church.ca Kathy Douglas (she/her): Faith Formation Minister, ARW, HF, WOW Regional Councils
Shull@united-church.ca Sharon Hull (she/her) Minister for Spiritual Nurture, Respectful Relationships and Justice with All Ages, East Central Ontario Regional Council
Sredden@united-church.ca Shawn Redden (she/her): Justice and Faith Formation Minister, Canadian Shield & Shining Waters Regional Councils

Ask An Expert
2024-09-18 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
We’re trying something new. We’re introducing an Ask An Expert series in partnership with the General Council Office. You ask the questions, and we’ll provide the expertise.
Who are the experts? Well, it depends on the topic and staff availability.
Maybe you want to know more about the insurance partnership between the GCO and Communities of Faith. Or what you do when the local newspaper calls (or when you want to get a good story out). Or what the new government relations officer does. Or what the cost-of-living-adjustment is.
It’s kind of like a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure book. Here’s how it works:
1. You send us your questions here: https://forms.office.com/r/q7UM9spU9z
2. We find the expert who can answer them.
3. We all tune in on Wednesday September 18th, 7-8 p.m. by Zoom here: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/89972136949
4. As many questions will be answered as can be within the allotted time. Unanswered questions will carry over to the next session, or we’ll answer them on our Regional Council Facebook group.
5. Tough questions are okay. We’ll do our best to answer them, and if we can’t on the spot, we’ll follow up with the right information.
So, pick your adventure. Will it be insurance? Or grants? Climate justice? Governance? Media relations? Government relations? Global partnerships? Or something else?
You pick. Ask your question here: https://forms.office.com/r/q7UM9spU9z. Join us on Wednesday September 18th at 7 p.m. to get an answer in real time. Don’t have a question right now? Listeners welcome!
This session will be facilitated by: Michelle Owens

HF Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-10-04 - 2024-10-05 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

HFRC Fall Meeting (online): October 4-5, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: To be confirmed

WOW LLWL Enrichment Day
2024-10-19 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Toronto) | Mount Forest United Church, 175 QUEEN STREET EAST, Mount Forest, Ontario, N0G 2L2, Canada
To register email of phone Lynne Rusk:

519-534-1234
aambelife@gmail.com

PS Funding will be able to cover mileage costs for LLWL’s to attend.

WOW UCW Fall Gathering
2024-10-19 11:30 - 15:00 UTC | Centennial United Church, 234 William Street, Stayner, Ontario, Canada

ARW Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-10-25 - 2024-10-26 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

ARWRC Fall Meeting (online): October 26-27, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: To be confirmed

WOW Regional Council Fall Meeting (online)
2024-11-16 - 2024-11-17 | Online via Zoom
Fall 2024 Meeting

WOWRC Fall Meeting (online): Saturday November 16th 9:30am-4:30pm, 2024
Celebration of Ministries: Sunday November 17th, 2024 3pm

Preaching with an Ecological Lens
2025-02-04 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Ministry Personnel and LLWLs,
Are you looking for ways to address the climate crisis from the pulpit?
Join us online Tuesday Feb 4th, 2025 7:00-8:30PM
Preaching with an Ecological Lens
A workshop offered by the Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim Cragg,
Principal and Professor of Preaching at Emmanuel College.

The Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg is the 14th Principal and Professor of Preaching at Emmanuel College. She is the first racialized person holding both roles. Kim-Cragg received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2020, the highest honor granted to Emmanuel Alumni. She has been actively involved in the preaching life of the United Church of Canada, a denomination that has been aspiring to become an intercultural and anti-racist church for the last 25 years. As a leading postcolonial scholar, she has written or contributed to over 15 books including her monographs Interdependence: A Postcolonial Feminist Practical Theology (2018) Postcolonial Preaching: Creating a Ripple Effect (2021), both are claimed as original contributions in homiletics and practical theology. Her most recent book is Moments in Time: Sermons from the United Church of Canada 1910-2020 (UCPH, 2024). Currently, she is preparing a manuscript for preaching addressing the climate crisis and ecological justice with a tentative title, A Homiletic of the EARTH. She is grateful to share some of her current research in this workshop.
Workshop: Preaching with an Ecological Lens
In this workshop Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg will share her insights into challenges faced by those of us who wish to address the climate crisis from the pulpit. She proposes five homiletical strategies that may help preachers and congregations face these challenges and tackle this crisis. The five strategies can be remembered using the acronym of E.A.R.T.H. which stand for the Elements of Life, Animals in the Bible, Rhythm of Life, Tree of Life, and Hesed (God’s unconditional love). Once briefly reviewing these five, Kim-Cragg will note the Elements of Life as Water, Fire, Air, and Soil that are prevalent in the Bible and well used as theological metaphors. She will focus on air, Ruah in Hebrew. With the deepened appreciation of this sacred element of life, Kim-Cragg will offer how to proclaim the Gospel for the sake of the Planet Earth.
There is no registration fee. The costs of this workshop are fully covered by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.
For more information contact Thérèse Samuel (Minister, Right Relations and Social Justice) tsamuel@united-church.ca
Click to register for “Preaching with an Ecological Lens” online workshop.
The costs of this workshop are fully covered by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.

UCC 360 Anti-Racism Program
2025-02-19 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-02-26 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-12 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
UCC 360 ANTI-RACISM:

Have you engaged in previous anti-racism or racial justice training?
Are you ready to take your antiracism education a bit deeper, within a United Church context?

If you answered yes to both questions, this is for you:

UCC 360 Anti-Racism Program
with antiracism educator Rev Alcris Limongi, and Minister for Social Justice Dr. John Egger.
An in-depth 4.5 hour course offered over three weeks,
sponsored by the tri-regional councils of Antler River Watershed (ARW), Horseshoe Falls (HF) and Western Ontario Waterways (WOW).

Please plan to attend all three Wednesdays: Feb 19, Feb 26, and March 12, 2025 @ 6:00-7:30 PM Eastern
(Note: we take a week break for Ash Wednesday)
Session topics will include:
– A 360 View of Yourself, and developing your Antiracist Personal Purpose (APP)
– A 360 View of your immediate context (your church or regional council context)
– A 360 View of the United Church of Canada
.
(If you have to miss a session a recording of the session will be available, but will not include breakout discussions.)

This is not an introduction to anti-racism, but is intended for people who have engaged in some previous anti-racism training. If you are not sure if your previous anti-racism work has prepared you for this session, contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Advance registration required. Click to register now.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
There is no registration fee. The costs for this program are fully covered by Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.
For information contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Bio: Rev. Alcris Limongi

The Rev. Alcris Limongi was born in Venezuela and has been a member of the United Church of Canada since 1996. She has served the Church in different capacities. She was a Th.D. candidate in NT at Emmanuel College and the Racial Justice, Gender Justice and Sexual Minorities Program Coordinator at the General Council Office. She also was the Liaison to the UCW National and to Affirm United. She was the staff lead for the GC40 Commitment to Inclusion, and has served as facilitator of the UC Racial Justice Mandatory training since 2009. As an Ordained Minister she served at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa for five years and currently is part of the Center for Christian Studies in Winnipeg staff team as Program/Educator.
She offers both experience and perspective from our national denomination structures a well from a local-congregational community and based ministries.
Rev. Alcris trained in Courageous Conversations about Race with the Pacific Educational Group. The focus has been identifying systemic racism and racial differential gaps, as well as facilitating Courageous Conversations.
Her own identity as a racialized woman in Canada, her life experience between marginality and privilege in different ways, combined with a sound theological education, and personal and theological commitment to justice, have helped her develop a particular lens, what she calls “the gift of her brown eyes” to the Church. Her passion is to encourage racial majority and minorities to engage together identifying, naming, interrogating, interrupting and dismantling racism. She is a teacher/preacher/facilitator with creativity, flexibility, and openness to respectfully listen and learn from cultural differences. She adds “English is not my native language, which is both strength and weakness. It is a strength because with language I also bring different perspectives of defining and understanding reality”.

This is not an introduction to anti-racism, but is intended for people who have engaged in some previous anti-racism training. If you are not sure if your previous anti-racism work has prepared you for this session, contact Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca

Registration information coming soon.

Flourishing: Spend a day with the Moderator
2025-02-22 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Toronto) | Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Avenue, Stratford, Ontario, N5A 6N4, Canada
Flourishing: Antler River, Western Ontario Waterways, and Horseshoe Falls Regional Councils
Spend a day with the Moderator, engaging in reflection and energizing activities towards dream-oriented actions for our churches and communities.
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (local time).
9:00am -9:30am Registration and coffee/tea
9:30am – Welcome and Introductions
In person
Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford, ON N5A 6N4
All around the world – from universities to the United Nations, from corporations to community organizations – people are talking about flourishing. Rooted in belonging, flourishing means living with purpose and joy, and bringing bold collaborative solutions to our world’s challenges.
The Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, wants to bring that conversation to The United Church of Canada. She invites us to connect to one another in hope, with a deep conviction by a belief that, despite all the challenges of church life in this day and age, we can move from despair to transformation – from languishing to flourishing.
Is your church flourishing?
(Perhaps that’s the wrong question.)
Is your church contributing to the flourishing of your community?
How might we truly be a flourishing church in the world? How might we live in deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice, linked from coast to coast to coast in ministry that transforms us and the world around us?
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Flourishing Workshop

Ontario Election 2025: More than Tariffs Workshop
2025-02-23 15:00 - 16:15 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Ontario Election 2025:
More than Tariffs A panel discussion
Sunday Feb 23, 3:00-4:15 PM EST on Zoom
Information to help you faithfully discern your vote and continue advocacy after the Feb 27th election.
Brief presentations by five panel members on selected topics.
Panelists will respond to questions from the audience.

Advance registration required:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pfy-0rDhQt-l-V5KqspFkw
For more information contact:
Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca and John Egger jegger@united-church.ca

Moderator:
Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly serves as the Executive Minister to ECO and EOO Regional Councils in Eastern Ontario. He was ordained in 2020. He served for 5 years as Responsible, Ministries in French, for 9 years as the National Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Éric spent 17 years working in federal political circles and 7 years as a registered lobbyist. He also brings a hope-filled passion for the church.

Panel Members
Charles Barrett is a retired economist, who was actively involved in policy dialogue in North America, and the Asia-Pacific region in international economic relations, human resources development and capacity building. He has broad research experience and has written extensively on Canadian and international policy issues. He is a member of Riverside United Church, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council.

The Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington is an ecotheologian and ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Working at the intersection of ecology and theology for 20 years, she inspires people of faith to transform their actions in response to the climate crisis. She currently serves as commissioner on climate justice with the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Sign up for her weekly newsletter: Faith. Climate Crisis. Action. (https://jessicahetherington.substack.com/).

Bryan Smith is a long-term member of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice, an organization committed to work and advocacy on a wide range of social and environmental issues locally in the County of Oxford and across the planet. It stands in for the Ontario Health Coalition and stands up for public health. Bryan is a retired teacher, and is active in providing school lunches and community dinners, and promoting local foods, the avoidance of waste, community events, and public health.

Rev. Jeffrey Dale (they/he) is the Minister at College Street United Church in downtown Toronto. Jeffrey is a harm reduction advocate and community educator, working with harm reduction advocacy groups throughout the Province of Ontario to educate communities of faith and the wider society regarding the needs of people who use drugs.

Rev. Susan Eagle is the minister at Grace United Church in Barrie. She chairs both the Ecological and Social Justice Commission for Shining Waters Regional Council, and the Steering Committee of the provincial interfaith coalition, ISARC, which does policy analysis and advocacy for income security, homelessness and employment rights. She has worked with newcomer and low-income individuals and sole-support families as a community outreach worker, and served on London City Council for 13 years.

This workshop is presented by the Social Justice Network of Ontario Regional Councils (SJNORC) with representation from Eastern Ontario Outaouais, East Central Ontario, Shining Waters, Canadian Shield, Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways and Prairie to Pine Regional Councils of The United Church of Canada.
Engage, Pray, Vote.

Adopt a Body of Water
2025-04-22 10:00 - 11:15 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Children and Youth Ministry Webinar:
Adopt a Body of Water 🌊🌊🌊
Contact Kathy Douglas, Tri-Regional Council Minister of Faith Formation for the Zoom link KDouglas@united-church.ca

ARW UCW Annual Gathering 2025
2025-04-26 08:45 (America/Toronto)
Click here for Agenda
Click here for Registration Form

HFRC Spring Meeting 2025 (Hybrid)
2025-06-14
Hybrid and In-Person
When: June 14th
Where: St. Andrew’s United Church, Hamilton
Celebration of Ministry: St. Andrew’s United Church, Hamilton at 4pm, In-person and Livestreamed on YouTube

Recognizing Disinformation and Misinformation
2025-06-24 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Toronto) | Online via Zoom
Online workshop June 24th 2025, 10:00-11:30 AM, EDT.

Christ calls us to love our neighbours, but disinformation and misinformation all too often drive a wedge between us and others.
This workshop will help you

be alert to disinformation and misinformation
reduce the harm caused by false and misleading information
and model truth-seeking online behaviour

Facilitator: Sara Speicher of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/0v6pJo-sR_aP0qRFJ5ENmQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
There is no fee. Costs of this workshop are covered by the Discipleship and Justice Commissions of Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.
For information contact Thérèse Samuel, Minister for Right Relations and Social Justice tsamuel@united-church.ca
