Since our highly successful live, interactive Earth Day webcast on Sunday, there have been lots of enthusiastic additional comments and ripples that I’m just catching up on this morning. (At the end of this post I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to since Sunday.)
Our worship this year has been framed by a Good Friday that fell on Earth Day last year and a Sunday in Easter that will fall on Earth Day this year. (I wrote about this in the Toronto Star on Good Friday 2011.
I took advantage of this coincidence to plan an Easter celebration of Earth Day involving
This morning as I finish packing for Durban, South Africa, where the United Nations climate talks will take place over the next two weeks, I’m cherishing the encouraging words in a message from one of our United Church ministers:
My favourite new word is ecotone. I discovered it when preparing my sermon for the national Worship Matters event that took place in Toronto in June.
This week’s General Council Executive meeting unanimously decided that the work of the General Council Office will be focused on supporting denominational identity and connection. (Read more about these decisions on the United Church website.)
In the days since our meeting, I’ve been blessed by events and conversations that have reminded me of core strands in our denominational DNA—our identity.
You already know about my admiration for Haitians and their strength of Spirit. You can also imagine how the challenges facing Haitians have been lying heavily on my heart since returning from our visit with partners there.
Mary Ann Hodge, the Chair of the Environment Committee of First-St. Andrew’s United Church of London, Ontario, was kind enough to send along her news release this week describing how they at First-St. Andrew’s have taken up the Moderator’s challenge. In their words, they have
Below is my response to my colleague, Bruce Sanguine, as part of an on-going email exchange within Vancouver Burrard Presbytery. I'd be interested in other's responses.
Welcome to my blog — a place to reflect with me on God's healing of soul, community, and creation. I hope you will visit often and be part of this sacred conversation.
My first official stop as Moderator was on the beach at Naramata Centre on Wednesday, August 19. Within a cathedral of light reflected by earth, lake, and sky, the community gathered for worship. Lake Okanagan was at my back as I donned the moderatorial stole for the first time since the installation service. As I draped it over my shoulders, the fringe of the stole touched the sand at my feet. My immediate reaction was to gasp and blurt out to the crowd “Oops—don’t tell anyone it touched the ground!”
© WonderCafe. All Rights Reserved
Brought to you by the people of The United Church of Canada
Opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily those of WonderCafe or The United Church of Canada