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About EMUC
Vision:
EMUC is a thriving Spirit-filled congregation: Diverse, inclusive,and engaged with the community and creation
Mission:
The mission of Erin Mills United Church is to offer opportunities for all persons to experience the love of God through Jesus Christ.
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Welcome to EMUC's weekly message along with information about oingoing events in the life of the congregation. We are now in the season of Lent. Lent is a time to look inward and to reflect on our readiness to follow Jesus in his journey towards Jerusalem and the cross. The forty days of Lent correspond to the forty-day temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and the forty-year journey of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt to a new community in the 'Promised Land'. Lent is symbolized by the color Purple; a colour that reflects the season's sombre mood of self-examination and personal simplicity.
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Black History - It's More Than 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
On Sunday at 10 am, at EMUC, we will be celebrating Black History month with a special worship service of music, reflections and prayers. This year marks the 20th anniversary of celebrating Black History month in Canada. Looking back at previous years in the life of EMUC, we've been holding services to mark Black History month for at least 10 years. Over the years we've lifted up a variety of themes: the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the rich and diverse experience of those of African descent in our own church community, the legacy of Black peoples with the United Church of Canada, the Afro-Carib history, the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, the history and the impact of African American Spirituals. These worship services have also been enhanced by artwork, fabrics, historical and story books of the Black community, music from Africa and the Americas and Caribbean, and of course traditional foods that those of African heritage prepare and enjoy the world over.
Taking part in the planning process and in the worship services each year has certainly expanded my knowledge and my appreciation of the diverse history, contribution, culture and experience of those of African descent. And in the process, I have come to realize how limited my knowledge and understanding had been. Like many people of Caucasian heritage in Canada, my initial introduction to Black history, culture and people was through the news of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. As a teenager, I also read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel touched me deeply with its story of racism in the deep south of America. With Harper Lee's death last week, many people spoke about the impact of her book and how that impact continues because it is still on the curriculum in schools across the USA and Canada. While I applaud this, I also resonate with Canadian author, Lawrence Hill (author of The Book of Negros, Any Known Blood, The Illegal and more) who commented on Harper Lee's death in an article in the Globe and Mail. While appreciative of To Kill a Mockingbird's denunciation of entrenched racism in the depression years of the American South, Hill goes on to say:
However, the rote and ongoing use of To Kill a Mockingbird in the classroom points to our very Canadian-ness, and to our collective disinclination in Canada to examine racism and black history in our own backyard. How utterly convenient it is for Canadian children and adults from Dawson City to St. John's to read about racism in the Deep South of the United States in the Great Depression, and to avoid discussions about slavery, segregation, other forms of racial injustice as well as the civil-rights movement in Canada itself...
We have only ourselves and our own reticence to confront history to blame for the fact that many Canadians to this day are more familiar with the American Civil War and with the life of Martin Luther King Jr. than they are with the struggle to eradicate racial segregation in Southwest Ontario and in Nova Scotia; the movement of the black Loyalists from New York to Nova Scotia in 1783 and then, for many, back to Africa a decade later; the movement of 600 blacks from California onto Vancouver and Salt Spring Island in the mid-19th century; the settlement of blacks from Oklahoma and Texas in the Canadian prairies at the outset of the 20th century; the waves of immigrants coming to Canada from Caribbean nations starting in the late 1960s, and the simultaneous bulldozing of Africville in the north end of Halifax.
Black history in Canada is as complex and varied as the history of any racial or ethnic group, but we have lost sight of that, partly as a result of our obsession with evil in another era and another country... This is a very good time to step back and ask ourselves how to diversify the narratives of racism and injustice that we offer to teenagers in Canadian schools, and how to ensure that more of the black history taught in our schools reflects the trials and triumphs of our own land.
To learn more about the experience of Black Peoples in Canada, you can go to the following website where you will also find links to other sites.
And plan to attend worship at EMUC this Sunday as we continue to expand our understanding and appreciation of both the history and the current experience of Canadians of African heritage.
Peace, Kathy Toivanen
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This Week at EMUC
The February/Lenten edition of the
C
ommunique Newsletter is available on the website
Copy for the March edition of the Communique is due today.
Tonight at 6:30 pm: Women for Women dinner and program on 'Birding'
Sunday at 10 am: Worship to Celebrate Black History Month.
Following worship:
Enjoy goodies prepared by the planning team for Black History Month
Youth Confirmation program at 12:30 pm
Wednesday at 6:45 pm: Communion and Prayers
Wednesday at 7:30 pm: Lenten Group "Engaging Difference - Seeing Christ in One Another" Session 2
Thursday at 10 am: Daytime Men's Coffee Group
Friday at 10 am: Lenten Group "Engaging Difference - Seeing Christ in One Another" Session 2
Friday at 8 pm: Sabbath Worship at Solel Synagogue
Saturday at 7 pm: Euchre Night
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Upcoming Events
Refugee Sponsorship News - Important Update!
The North West Constituent Group of EMUC, Erindate and Streetsville United has submitted to the United Church of Canada (UCC) the application to sponsor a family of 7 Syrian refugees. The UCC has now forwarded the application to the Canadian government for processing. According to our UCC refugee advisor, we could receive our family
as early as the end of February
!! This is exciting news; but it now means that much work must be done quickly to get ready to receive this family. Currently, the priority is to find accommodation for the family.
In order to help furnish their accommodation, the following process has been created:
- An e-mail account has been set up refugeefurnituredrive@gmail.com
- Anyone wishing to donate furniture, small appliances or electronics, please send a picture of your donation to the above e-mail address. Please send a brief description and dimensions if possible. In particular, we are looking for 2 sets of bunk beds. Because there is no place to store furniture in advance, donors are asked to hold on to items until a time when we can physically accept the goods.
- Charitable donation receipts will not be available for used furniture, appliances, electronics.
- The volunteers from our constituent group will do their best to match the donations with the needs of the incoming family.
- If you have any questions, please specify them in the e-mail or contact Lorraine Brignall.
Other members of EMUC's Refugee Sponsorship Task group are:
Hermine Bingham, Muriel Hamdani, Debby Sturgeon, Dianne Hope, Catharine Watts
Calling All Euchre Players
Save Saturday March 5 for an evening of progressive euchre and yummy desserts. Arrival time is 6:30. Games start 7 p.m. sharp. Cost $10.00 To reserve a seat and number attending contact maryanna.williams10@gmail.com
Pair and single players welcomed.
The Deacon's Cupboard
With the recent spike in the cost of groceries, please remember to be generous in your contributions to the cupboard. In February, you are invited to donate canned fruit (preferably fruit in its own juice)
Community Worship Service at Solel Synagogue
EMUC is invited to attend the Sabbath worship service at Solel Synagogue on Friday March 4th at 8 pm followed by refreshments. This is always an inspiring event, and offers us the opportunity to meet newly appointed, Rabbi Audrey Pollack. Please sign up to indicate your attendance.
EMUC Annual Congregational Meeting
On Sunday March 6th following the 10 am worship service, plan to attend the annual meeting of the congregation to receive the annual report, to approve the financial statements for 2015 and a budget for 2016 and to elect new church officers.
Unique Lenten Worship Experience
On Sunday March 6th from 7-9 pm, EMUC is hosting a special Lenten worship experience. Any time during the course of the evening, you are invited to participate in this worship experience. The sanctuary will be 'transformed' into a variety of interactive and meditative worship experiences. Much like a visit to an art gallery or a museum, you are invited to move through the various worship experiences at your own pace (much the same way you might look at exhibits in a gallery or museum). Free will offerings will be gratefully received.
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Contact Us:
Peter Kiteley, Office Administrator
office@emuc.ca
Erin Mills United Church |
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