Where Faith Builds a
Supportive Community For All
St. Matt's Worship & Events Schedule
Upcoming Worship
Sunday October 25 - Please join us online in a pre-recorded service
on St. Mathew's Facebook page with guest preacher Alydia Smith.
The service will be available after 9:00am. Zoom Coffee Hour is at 11:15am.
https://www.facebook.com/StMattsUC/
Sunday November 1 - Please join us online in a pre-recorded service
on the St. Matthew's Facebook page led by Alana Martin.
The service will be available from 9:00 am. Zoom Coffee Hour is at 11:15 am.
Sunday November 8@ 10:30am - Live Online worship on Facebook
led by Rev. Lauren, followed by zoom coffee time.
Black Lives Matter in the United Church
The United Church's General Council Executive issued a statement on June 18, 2020
confirming unequivocally that Black Lives Matter to The United Church of Canada.
The Executive acknowledges racism as a sin, and admits that the church has not confronted adequately the racism within its churches and councils. The letter to members states:
We confess that our United Church has not been such a sanctuary against racism.
In particular, we regret that our church has been complicit in racial injustice, and that
systemic anti-Black racism still exists within our structures. The church has not always
lived up to its understanding of itself. We are sorry for our inability to hear
and respond to the pain of our Black siblings.
The Executive commits to making anti-Black racism a priority, encouraging the church to:
-
publicly commit, in worship and elsewhere, to the stance that Black Lives Matter
-
educate themselves about anti-Black racism and White privilege
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name and confront anti-Black racism and White privilege wherever they appear in our personal lives, communities of faith, structures of The United Church of Canada, and in Canadian society
-
provide safe spaces for people of colour to report racist harassment and achieve redress
The letter is in response to the tide of Black Lives Matter demonstrations sweeping
across the continent and is part of the church’s continuing response to the last hours
of the 43rd General Council in August 2018, when many clergy and members spoke
about their own painful encounters with racism in the church. The church’s actions have
not fully lived up to the good intentions voiced, but the Executive’s statement vows
to change that, concluding: “Love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action”—
these are words that no member of the United Church, with our creedal
commitment to “seek justice and resist evil,” can ignore.
The full statement is available here: https://www.united-church.ca/sites/default/files/resources/gce_03_gce_statement_that_black_lives_matter.pdf
United Against Racism Worship Service
hosted by the United Church Black Clergy Network, June 14, 2020
United Neighbours Syrian Refugee Support
The second Syrian family sponsored by United Neighbours has arrived safely in Canada. Taghrid and Isam Alaalyan have six children and the coming weeks will be busy getting the children in school and the parents in English lessons. We give thanks for the opportunity to work with this wonderful family. We have an apartment and have furnished it with generous donations from our supporters.
The first Alaalyan family arrived in Canada in December 2016. They are overjoyed to
now have cousins here, safe from the chaos in Lebanon and Syria.
If you would like to help, we are still raising funds to support this family in their first year in Canada. Our goal is $60,000. You can give through CanadaHelps.org. Search for "United Neighbours." Or drop a cheque to St. Matthew's United Church with "United Neighbours" in the information line.
Get the word out! Please send this along to anyone you know
who might be able to help. Thank you very much for your help in this process –
the continued generosity of our community is inspiring. We look forward to working
with you as we accomplish this task and move towards a successful settlement.
Learn more about the history of St Matts, our Ministry Team, Youth Group and Good Food Box Program.
Through our worship, we share in story, in celebrations and moments of awe, in concerns, prayers, and song.
St Matts is home to United Neighbours, Wychwood Open Door and Out of the Cold programs.
