EMUC   
  Friday Message & 
                       Upcoming Events
 January 15, 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
Friday Message
Upcoming Events
  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.


QUICK LINKS


Welcome to EMUC's weekly message along with information about oingoing events in the life of the congregation.  During this Epiphany Season, green is the designated colour signifying the the ever widening and growing circle of those who are touched by the compassion and teaching of Jesus.  
 

Refugees and Refugee Sponsorship

In the final months of 2015, the Leadership Circle of Erin Mills United approved the formation of a refugee task group that would work collaboratively with Erindale and Streetsville United churches to sponsor a refugee family. Recently, appointed representatives of the task groups of each of the three congregations met as the "North West Constituent" group to begin the process of applying to sponsor refugees through the structure that United Church of Canada has established with the Canadian government.  In order to inform and encourage the congregation to support this important work, the next two Sundays will focus on refugees and sponsorship.  With the barrage of news items about refugee situations, it can be difficult if not overwhelming to try and make sense of this global crisis.  In today's message, I'd like to offer you some basic information and provide you with resources and links for further learning.
 
Let's start with some basic statistics gleaned from a June 2015 report of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).
  • 59.5 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 compared to 51.2 million in 2013 and 37.5 million a decade ago.
  • Globally, one in every 122 people is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum. If this were the population of a country, it would be the world's 24th biggest nation
  • half of the world's refugees are children.
  • Since early 2011, the main reason for rising number of refugees has been the war in Syria
  • Every day in 2014 an average 42,500 people became refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced, a four-fold increase in just four years.
  • Conflicts between nations or civil war in a nation often force people to seek refugee status. In the past five years, at least 15 conflicts have erupted or reignited: 8 in Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Burundi); 3 in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, and Yemen); 1 in Europe (Ukraine) and 3 in Asia (Kyrgyzstan, and in several areas of Myanmar and Pakistan).
  • In 2014 only 126,800 refugees were able to return to their home countries; the lowest number in 31 years.
  • In 2014 alone 13.9 million people became newly displaced - four times the number of the previous year.
  • Syria is the world's biggest producer of both internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million at the end of 2014). Afghanistan (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million) are the next biggest refugee source countries.
Definitions:
Refugees
According to the United Nations, a refugee is a person who is outside their own country and has a well-founded fear of persecution due to his/ her race, religion, nationality, member of a particular social group or political opinion, and is unable or unwilling to return.
 
Internally displaced persons
Unlike refugees, internally displaced persons have not crossed an international border to find sanctuary but have remained inside their home countries. Even if they have fled for similar reasons as refugees (armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations), they legally remain under the protection of their own government - even though that government might be the cause of their flight. As citizens, they retain all of their rights and protection under both human rights and international humanitarian law.
 
Asylum seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who has fled from his or her own country due to fear of persecution and has applied for (legal and physical) protection in another country but has not yet had their claim for protection assessed.
 
Migrants
A migrant is someone who voluntarily chooses to leave his or her own country and make a new life in another country.
 
Stateless persons
A stateless person is someone who does not have a nationality recognised by any country. Some examples are:
Palestinian people living in Palestine/ Israel
Ethnic Chinese people living in Brunei
Rohingya in Myanmar
Kurds in Syria / Feili Kurds in Iraq
Nubians in Kenya
Biharis in Bangladesh.
 
Here's a helpful video clip that provides more helpful information about the global refugee situation
 
For those of us who live in a relatively stable and peaceful nation where we are free to worship and to work, to vote and to express our opinions without threat of reprisal or oppression, it can be difficult to grasp the realities of living as a refugee or a displaced person in the world.  UNHCR has created an interactive game to help us experience some of the realities faced by refugees. To play this online game go to
Scroll down to 'Welcome to Against All Odds' and click on the PLAY button.
 
To learn more of some of the experiences of some refugees go to http://www.unhcr.ca/how-you-can-help/world-refugee-day/
Scroll down and click on any of the profiles.
 
Earlier this month, CBC's 'The Current' featured an interview with journalist Ben Rawlence who, for the past four years, has been visiting Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp in Kenya, close to the Somalian border. Rawlence has recently published, "City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp", a collection of stories from Dadaab. If you go to the following link you can listen to the podcast of his interview, watch a documentary on Dadaab, and click on other related links.
 
There are a number of other books and movies that can offer further insights into refugees and displaced persons. 
Here are a few suggestions:
 
Movies
The Visitor
The Kiterunner
God Grew Tired of Us
Hotel Rwanda
The Good Lie
 
Books
City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence
The Kiterunner by  Khaled Hosseini
God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir by John Bul Dau 
Walking Home by Eric Walters
The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
 
Plan to attend worship at EMUC at 10 am this Sunday as we gather together to remember God's compassion and God's desire for justice for the refugee - the 'stranger, alien, and orphaned' among us.  Next week during worship, the EMUC refugee support task group will lead worship and after worship everyone is invited to enjoy a light lunch featuring a taste of some Middle Eastern dishes.  There is no charge for the lunch; however, free will offerings toward refugee sponsorship will be gratefully received.
 
I leave you with this video clip; a musical prayer for the forcibly displaced people in our world.  https://vimeo.com/17651246
 
Peace, Kathy Toivanen
  
 
Information Request from the Joint Needs Assessment Committee (JNAC)

With Kathy Toivanen's retirement at the end of September, Halton Presbytery and EMUC have formed a Joint Needs Assessment Committee (JNAC) to determine what the congregation needs in a minister. And we want to hear from you, yes you, whether you attend church regularly or not so regularly.

We would like to know 1) what you feel are the most important ministries at EMUC and, 2) what expectations you have of a new minister. A brief questionnaire will be sent to all households on the congregational list either by mail or via email in the next 2-3 weeks. We would like a response by Feb. 5th since a fair amount of time will be required to summarize the responses.
 
Please give some thought to these 2 questions. Look for the questionnaire either in the mail or via email and please respond as quickly as possible.

Barbara Jennings
Chair, JNAC
This Week at EMUC

Sunday at 10 am:  Worship
Sunday at 12:00 pm:  Meeting of Joint Needs Assessment Committee
Sunday at 12:15 pm:  Sunday Hike to Adamson Estate, part of the Waterfront trail

Wednesday at 6:45 pm:  Communion and Prayers Worship Service

Thursday at 10 am:  Men's Coffee Group

Friday at 6:30 pm:  Women for Women dinner and Travelogue

Upcoming Events

Sunday Striders Hiking Group
On Sunday January 17, come and  explore the trails leading to the Adamson Estate, which is a 14 acre waterfront park located east of Port Credit. The grounds and gardens are open to the public while the main house is occupied by the Cawthra-Adamson Division of the Royal Conservatory of Music. 
Dress according to the weather.
Plan to eat your own bag lunch prior to carpooling from EMUC at 12:15PM. Plan to return by 2:30PM.   Drivers will head for Lakeview Promenade and park in the first lot after the maintenance yard. 

Women for Women Dinner and Travelogue
Women of EMUC and their friends are invited to gather at 6:30 pm on Friday January 22nd, for dinner and to hear about Barbara Jennings' 2015 trip to South Africa. Barbara will share stories and photos of the culture of the culture of South Africa and its awesome beauty, while on safari. Advance registration is required by Monday January 18th. Please sign up at EMUC or email cynthia.young@rogers.com. A $10 contribution for dinner is requested.

End of Life Planning Workshop
A panel discussion focusing on end-of-life care, facing death and planning for funerals and memorial services will take place at EMUC on Saturday, January 30, from 9:30 a.m. until noon.  Cathy Kiteley, Advance Practice Nurse: Clinical Nurse Specialist at Trillium Health Partners will speak about palliative care and caring for people at the end of life.  Kathy Toivanen will reflect on the Christian perspective on death and dying and the key elements of a Christian funeral. John Wittingstall, Director, Turner & Porter, Neweduk- Erin Mills Chapel, will address issues of planning for a funeral or memorial service. Time will be allotted for questions following the panel presentation.  Materials for end-of-life planning will also be available.  Please register by signing up on bulletin board or by emailing kathy@emuc.ca.  This event is open to the wider community.

Book Discussion group:  'Open Heart, Open Mind'
You are invited to participate in a discussion group based on Canadian Olympian, Clara Hughes' recently released book focusing on her personal experiences of living with depression. Participants may choose between two evening or morning sessions: Wednesday evenings, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., on February 3 and 10 or Friday mornings, 10 am - noon on February 5 and 12. Registration fee: $25 which includes a hardcover copy of the book. Please register with Kathy Toivanen via email (Kathy@emuc.ca) now to enable adequate time for ordering books. If you wish to purchase your own book or borrow from the library, the registration is $5

'Bunch for Lunch'
You are invited to join interested EMUC folk for lunch after worship on Sunday January 31, at Symposium, located at 3055 Dundas Street West, in the Starsky Plaza. Each person pays for their lunch. We will have an area reserved for us and plan on meeting there for 11:45. To facilitate reserving seats, please sign-up on the bulletin board at EMUC and indicate if you require transportation. These lunches, at different venues near the church, will take place every four to six or so weeks. Questions?? Contact Sandy Hayes @ 905 820 4437.
Refugee Sponsorship
Erin Mills United Church, in partnership with Erindale United and Streetsville United will be sponsoring a refugee family under the guidance and direction of the United Church of Canada. The EMUC refugee sponsorship team will lead morning worship on Sunday January 17th offering inspiration and providing information on sponsoring a refugee family. Following worship, a light lunch featuring Middle Eastern food will be shared. There is no charge for the lunch; however freewill donations toward the refugee sponsorship will be gratefully received. The three churches have committed to raising a total of $40,000 and the portion committed to by Erin Mills United is $15,000. The appeal will be officially launched next Sunday. To contribute, please make a cheque payable to Erin Mills United Church and clearly indicate that it is for refugee sponsorship.
For more information contact the EMUC Refugee Sponsorship task force: Hermine Bingham, Muriel Hamdani, Debby Sturgeon, Dianne Hope, Catharine Watts or Lorraine Brignall.
Contact Us:

Peter Kiteley, Office Administrator
office@emuc.ca
Erin Mills United Church