News & Views

After claiming that the absence, in the publication of the new study guide for immigrants, of reference to Canadian equality rights as they pertain to gays and lesbians was the result of an oversight , homophobic Immigration minister, Jason Kenney, is found to have personally wielded the red marker that struck sections on gay equality and marriage from early drafts.

More from The Globe and Mail

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Join us for an exciting evening.  Stimulate your senses with aromatic coffee blends and help us choose the perfect blend and roast for West Hill.  Our Fair Trade coffee selections are roasted by Alternative Grounds. Then stimulate your mind with an incredible new play by Munroe Scott, performed by Rick Miller and based almost entirely on interviews with the Great Infidel himself, a.k.a. The Orator, Robert Ingersoll.  February 23, beginning at 7:30.

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Beginning on Monday evening March 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. (to 9:30 p.m. with a short break) in the Lounge is a six (6) week Lenten/Easter series on: Faith.

Lent is traditionally a time of reflection, of giving something up - in anticipation of Easter.

This series is a Conversation with you. What have you given up regarding your faith journey ... BUT more importantly, what are you choosing to keep!!! What does your faith journey look like these days - what inspires you and connects you to/ with 'mystery, the divine, the spirit, gaia, wisdom, your inner-knowing, the transcendent, god, creation, love, and so on ...'?

The weekly conversations are hosted by Janice Meighan, chair of wellness & care. There are no books to read, simply because, YOU are the 'book of faith' being shared during this conversational program!

Some topics for the Conversations include:

Faith/Spiritual/Religious Journey - are they the same thing, different and does it really matter?; Death & Dying - the afterlife?; Creativity As An Expression of Faith - music, art, poetry, drama, pottery ... do you "connect" through creativity? ... AND Much More....!!

Come out to one, several or all weeks ... it's your choice. Please do sign-up (initially) if you are interested in attending any week in this series. Sign-up sheet is on the Wellness & Care board directly across from the church office. Or speak to Janice if you have questions.

Mark your calendars and see you Monday March 1, 2010!

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Mark your calender and plan to join us in the Lounge on Friday December 4, 2009 to watch the last movie in our Fall Film Fest (or WHIFF - West Hill International Film Festival).

The movie is: The Life of Brian - by Monty Python. Seen it? Come and have a laugh again.

Never have seen it - well, here's a bit of the plot: 

 Brian is born on the original Christmas, in the stable next door. He spends his life being mistaken for a messiah. ... Sound familiar?

Let's get ready for the Season!

Again that's Friday December 4, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lounge. Refreshments and Popcorn are supplied - as is good conversation and fellowship! See you there!

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Friend to West Hill, Matthew Behrens, has passed on information about this upcoming talk, presented by Amnesty International, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture, and Toronto Action for Social Change, Endorsed by The Centre for Integrated Anti-Racism Studies (OISE)

When:  Monday, November 9, 7:15 pm
Where:  Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street (one block south of College), Toronto, Ontario

Free admission

 

Introduction by Hadayt Nazami, human rights and refugee lawyer

About this event:  On Monday, November 9 at 7:15 pm, Ottawa resident Abdullah Almalki, an engineer and father of six children, will speak in Toronto for the first time about how he was falsely labelled and became the target of one of the longest "national security" investigations in Canadian history.  

Hadayt Nazami is a respected Toronto human rights, immigration and refugee lawyer who represented Ahmad El Maati at the Iacobucci
inquiry.

This event is part of an ongoing speakers series that explores Canadian involvement in torture.

For more information phone: (416) 651-5800, email: tasc@web.ca, web:  www.abdullahalmalki.com/

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Our First Annual Bazaar needs you! We are hosting this wonderful event on Nov. 21st from 10 am - 1 pm in our church basement. The theme is "Greening Your Christmas" so we are looking for special items that are gently used so that people can buy them and re-gift them.  Or find something for themselves.  We will be having a green holiday workshop as well as offering our not yet famous preserves and baked goods.

We need:
DONATIONS of your beloved items
CUSTOMERS to buy, buy, buy
EVENT VOLUNTEERS to help set up, coordinate, arrange, serve, sell and clean up
VENDORS to sell your wares

On September 26th so many of you showed your commitment by brainstorming with us about we might ensure our long-term financial sustainability. Here is an opportunity for you to now get involved.  If you fit into any of the categories above, please contact our church office as soon as possible to be part of this great day.  Or email Trisha at trisha@westhill.net

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Saturday, September 26, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., at the church

West Hill United has, for the last several years, been at the forefront of what we call the “progressive movement” within the church.  What we had come to know about Christianity from courses we'd taken, books we’d read, conversations we’d shared, thinking we’d done, and experiences we’d had had moved us to a place where what we did and said in an ordinary Sunday service no longer reflected our understandings.  We chose not to do nothing about this; rather, we began a journey toward creating the non-exclusive spiritual community for which we are now known across Canada and around the world. 

The journey continues to be exhilarating. The relationships we nurture, the lives we touch; the music, songs, prayers, and hope we release into the world; the community we continue to build are all life-giving facets of this engaging work. We’re passionate about it and that passion shows in what we do and in the responses to it, both positive and negative.

Already, people across Canada, in the United States and the United Kingdom, in Sri Lanka, Australia, France, Nepal, and Brazil, have contacted us to express their gratitude for what we are doing. Others, for years to come, will share in the benefits of our willingness to risk being on the bleeding edge of change and setting a course that they might follow.

We find, however, that as a single, small community of faith, on our own and without significant changes, we can no longer sustain this considerable, and, we feel, essential work of transforming Christianity.  As a committed band of hardworking, visionary people, we have borne the burden of this work and paid its costs up front. Our recent donor losses, realized as a result of our work, have placed us in a highly critical financial position; we are very close to reaching the depletion of our resources.

This morning, I shared with the congregation the news that, with current revenue trends continuing and with additional expenditure scrimping, we can expect to keep our doors open for a limited number of months. Our surplus funds will support us until the end of May, 2010.  At that point, we will begin to use our overdraft, secured by $20,000 in Canada Savings Bonds. Those funds will be depleted at the end of August, 2010 at which time the bonds would need to be cashed in and turned over to the bank which holds them. We could no longer pay staffing, mortgage, or building costs.

What does this mean? Clearly, it means that we must make some major changes or find some significant donors who can support us through this difficult part of the journey to the place of strength we know is possible. Clearly, it means we need to examine all our options and determine which are viable, desirable, acceptable.  Our meeting on Saturday will be a first step in determining what those options are: what we want to do, what we must do, and what we can do.

If you are at all able, please join us at the church on Saturday the 26^th at 1:00 to help strengthen the foundations of this new Christianity we represent.  We will endeavor to have childcare available; please let us know if you require it.  If you are at a distance and would like to participate, please contact us and we will work toward making that possible.

Until then and beyond, please hold the community in your heart and your prayers.

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It was a disturbing morning on Tuesday, September 22 when Donna Lockhart, our church administrator, arrived to find we had been burgled.  Both a key and alarm code had been used to gain access to the building.  The burglar removed all our electrical equipment including computers and backup drives, monitors (except the two large screen TVs that hang at the front of the sanctuary), the keyboard, organ pedal board, and other sound equipment associated with it, our video camera, and digital camera.  Some personal electronic equipment was also stolen.

The following day, police arrested the suspect who subsequently spent a day at court.  The keyboard and stand have been recovered.  We continue to hope to recover some of our computer equipment but are grateful that all our database and financial information was moved to a server several months ago so we have not lost any of that crucial data.

Very soon after news of the burglary began to sift into the community, offers of computers, monitors, cameras, and funds to replace stolen items that couldn't wait for our insurance claim to be processed, began to flow in. West Hill is an awesome community! Your support and encouragement is SO very much appreciated by those of us at the epicenter of these challenging times.

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Thought I'd pass this along since the Hainford site is so close to us and so close to my heart.  It came to me via a Habitat for Humanity news update. 

Strike affecting more than garbage pick-ups
There is no question that the Toronto's municipal workers' strike is making a significant impact on the welfare and safety of Torontonians and with the strike heading into it's third week, we wanted to let you know how our organization - which relies heavily on the Municipal Government - has been affected so far.

Habitat for Humanity Toronto estimates that the for every month that the strike continues, the organization may incur approximately $250,000 in lost funds. We are also concerned about how future funds received and home donor partnerships may be affected based on delays and project completions.

In addition, without the Municipal Government to process and provide necessary building, property and construction permits, all of Habitat for Humanity Toronto's build sites are being affected. Our largest current build site (located on Hainford Street in Scarborough) has suffered delayed construction and closing date changes. This means that 16 Habitat Partner Families may not be able to move into their new homes in time for the Holiday Season and that the charity will incur a delay in needed mortgage payments. Habitat Toronto will also have to face extended carrying costs of the Hainford Street property, delayed registration and mortgage payments of 27 other homes and start date changes of three more build sites.

"Though we are anxious how this strike is affecting our build progress, our greatest concerns lie with our Partner Families" says Neil Hetherington. "62 families may not be able to move into their new homes by the end of the year as they planned and will have to continue to pay high rent in their current accommodations and live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions."

We are always thankful of the support and understanding we continue to receive and are looking forward to this strike reaching a speedy and positive conclusion.

 

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