News & Views

There will be a bike ride on Sunday Sept. 5, 1:00 p.m. in memory of Colin Hanson, a West Hill member who died in a car accident on Sep 3, 2009. Colin was an avid outdoorsman and  cyclist.  All are invited for this memorial ride.

Comment (0)

The 2009 Annual Report is now available on line. Being conscious of our environment and making wise use of our resources there will not be a distribution of printed reports. There will be a limited number of printed versions available upon request from the office. So relax, read all the interesting reports highlighting the activities of the past year. Bring any comments or questions to the Congregational Meeting on Tuesday, June 22.

Comment (0)

"Exploring the Elements" three months later 

- by the Rev.  R. J. (Bob) Thompson, Wakaw, SK                                   

(Bob is a retired minister and Winn a retired Director of Communications for the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan)

Some memories go quickly to the trash bin, others remain clear and useful.  Winn and I attended "explore the elements", billed as a conference on the Elements of Progressive Christianity. As members and supporters of the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity we decided to attend shortly after the first promotional material appeared. Attendees were invited to hear progressive movement leaders, share insightful workshops, enjoy opportunities for frank debate and journeys beyond religious dogma. All promises were fulfilled but the biggest benefit was not on the printed program.

Many on the "progressive pilgrimage" find it a lonely journey unless fortunate enough to be accompanied.  Sometimes colleagues view us as malcontents at best and subversives at worst. Initially those in the forefront of the affirming movement felt similarly labeled, many still do.  The elements conference provided a real opportunity to be "not alone".  In Toronto, in October, we met old friends and made new ones.  It is one thing to know there are other pilgrims on the same road; it is another to actually spend a few days together.  A church sign-board near the conference centre put it well, quoting the famous Anonymous, "unanswered questions are less dangerous than unquestioned answers".  Even visits with Cirque d'soleil and the Raptors seemed modestly spiritual that weekend.

 In correspondence I recently described conference participants this way, "...an interfaith and inter-denominational group with almost every part of the country and every faith stance represented; including ordered ministers and lay leaders from a variety of denominations. A number of us were United Church. We rubbed shoulders, discussed with and even worshipped elbow to elbow with avowed atheists, non-theists like ourselves, agnostics and enquirers."

Gretta Vosper prompted re-thinking of faith questions as did Scott Campbell; while Scott Kearns demonstrated ways for words and music to impact liturgy. Not one of the workshops that we attended was disappointing, some just more personally applicable. It was interesting to have Deb Ellis point out that "Progressive Personalities" come in many forms, and for Deborah Murray and Marianne Williams to share with us reflections on how smaller rural congregations experiment and change.  Dana Wilson-Li's discussion of Congregational Hiccups was helpful, even for those of us not currently involved with congregations in progressive transition. The number of volunteers and participants from West Hill United was impressive. My Unitarian friends would have been impressed by how well Felicia Urbanski represented their commonalities and diversities.  I was particularly taken with the Unitarians' answer to Diaspora, i.e. The Church of the Larger Fellowship.  Those of us without a nearby congregation of the progressive persuasion would welcome such a function through our denomination or group like CCPC.  

Everyone at the conference was at a different place on the pilgrimage. Some were there for personal and individual reasons, others leading congregations just moving in progressive directions, still others from fellowships well on the way,  for some it was repetition of a familiar experience, for others a first. Regardless, I think we all recognized that whether old-timers or new an opportunity to mingle with fellow pilgrims and enquirers even if only for a couple of days, "priceless".

Comment (1)

Let's do it!

Saturday January 16^th, 1-4pm,

West Hill United Church Auditorium

"As individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a diversity of viewpoints, we come together in community, holding in common a reverence for life that moves us to pursue justice, seek truth, live fully, care deeply, and make a difference in the world."

VisionWorks, 2009

That one key sentence from our mission statement, encapsulates what it is that we do at West Hill United Church.  This Saturday, January 16^th at 1pm, we invite you to join us.  This is no ordinary gathering!  We are gathering to learn what we need to do now so that we can continue to be the West Hill that we are today, and to grow into the West Hill that we will become tomorrow.

At last Sunday's service, we handed out little pamphlets that not only give a sneak peek at the 2010 budget, but also outline very concrete and practical actions that we, as a group of people deeply committed to the values of West Hill United, can take to ensure that our future is strong.

That pamphlet is just the start. Please come to the Church on Saturday and join the discussion.  Come with your questions. Come with your ideas.  Come with an open mind.  Come with love, and energy, and see how you might participate in keeping love and light and life alive not just at West Hill, but everywhere.

Sincerely,

Moira French, on behalf of the Board

Comment (0)

It 's a great big pat on the back for the many presenters at the Explore the Elements conference last week who were from West Hill United! Participants were over the moon about the calibre of the presentations and the challenging perspectives they encountered during the weekend long conference held at the Crowne Plaza in Don Mills.  Leadership was provided by

Trisha Bower walked participants through the grief process associated with the loss of foundational religious belief systems

John DiPede, who offered a workshop on Values-based community

Debbie Ellis led a workshop on Progressive Personalities

Scott Kearns who offered two workshops, one on language and one on the roots of progressive Christianity

Janice Meighan took on the challenge of engaging participant on the value of symbols and ritual in progressive community

Dana Wilson-Li touched on all the messiness that leading a congregation through change can be

It was a deeply rewarding opportunity for me to see others inspired by the gifts members of this community had to offer!  Thank you to each of you for making the conference such a success!!

Comment (0)

Yesterday evening (June 18th, 2009), we held our Annual Congregational Meeting.  In brief, the main decisions were:

1. Adoption of a mission statement:

"Moved by a reverence for life to pursue justice for all, we inspire one another to seek truth, live fully, care deeply, and make a difference."

2. Adoption of VisionWorks (2009) which you can read in full by clicking on the link. There will be more posted about this in the near future e.g. a video presentation like the ones already posted here but with the "official" text.

3. Unanimous decision to become an affirming ministry within the United Church of Canada.  WHUC has already completed most of the requirements laid out by Affirm United.  Now it's just a matter of formalizing things so that we can be recognized for something that's been already true of us for years - we are a welcoming place with an openness to difference.

4. Acknowledgment of all that Dana Wilson-Li has done in her role as Chair of the Board for the past three years, and ratification of Moira French as our incoming Chair.  Welcome, Moira, and we look forward to three more years of wonderful leadership.

Comment (0)

On Sunday May 10 we invited the congregation to participate in our VisionWorks conversation.   

VisionWorks is an extremely important document in our congregation. It outlines those values we chose to live by and use to guide us in the choices we make. It outlines the ideals that we to strive to meet, difficult as that may be sometimes.

Back in February we extended our first invitation, we were looking for individuals to help us reread and rewrite our VisionWorks II document. You see it was written 5 years ago and we pledged then to look at it from time to time to make sure it is current, relevant and meaningful.

A small group of folks - ten of us, met regularly over the past three months.....we read, we talked, we offered our thoughts and suggestions, we agreed and we disagreed, we laughed and at times we were silent. With joy and pride we developed a new tentative draft for VisionWorks. We now offer it - place it before the congregation and invite you into this important conversation. We hope that you will be present and participate. You see, VisionWorks isn't just a document - it's a commitment to the way we want to live our lives.

On May 5th, the new VisionWorks was presented to the board and was fully endorsed and more importantly, embraced. Over the next 5 to 6 weeks we will hear much more about it. It will be the focus of Gretta's meditations. Not only will we hear, but we'll also have opportunities to participate. We have 4 workshops scheduled (see the schedule below) that will allow you to ask questions, to offer your thoughts and to become better acquainted with it. 

Hard copies will be available starting Sunday May 17.  It will then be posted to our website along with an opportunity for you to blog and share what's on your mind.  Following any revisions, the new VisionWorks will then be formally presented at our June congregational meeting for ratification. So stay tuned as we do our best to communicate to you, and more importantly to engage you in the VisionWorks conversation.

Workshop Schedule:

Sunday May 31            9:00 a.m       upper lounge before service

Wednesday June 3     7:00 p.m.     upper lounge

Comment (0)