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News & Views
Find out the latest scoop @ WHUC
Tag >> people
Posted by: Janice Meighan in thoughts, spirituality, social, religion, relationships, reflection, people, fellowship, current events, community news, church news on
Jan 31, 2010
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!
Let's do it! Saturday January 16th, 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 16th 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
Posted by: Janice Meighan in spirituality, social, religion, people, movie, media, fellowship, current events, community news, church news on
Nov 17, 2009
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!
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!!
This morning I opened a bulk email I receive regularly and enjoyed a poem by Pedro Salinas, particularly these lines: Your task
is to carry your life high,
and play with it, hurl it
like a voice to the clouds
so it may retrieve the light
already gone from us. Toronto artist Amy Sky sings a song with similar sentiments And if my heart had wings
I'd fly up in the sky
And bring back all the love
That's missing from our lives. It's difficult, sometimes, to shake the sense that what we have lost in our lives is waiting for us somewhere, be it a person, a lost chance, trampled love. It is as though reconciliation is such an urgent need that we create worlds in which it is the only possibility we know. Living in today's realities, as we do, and not tomorrow's possibilities, it's crucial that we work on our reconciliation in the here and now. Perhaps if we were to do this more intentionally, difficult though it may be, we'll heal whatever hurts we have in this world and head off to whatever is next without the regrets we carry, too heavily, in this one. And if, as in too many lives, there is no possibility of that, may we find the gift of healing in the company of those who love us here, now.
Posted by: Gretta Vosper in people, media on
Oct 11, 2009
Working with director Robert Lepage, a man who is currently wading opera singers through waist deep water to get his interpretation of Stravinsky "onto" the stage at the Canadian Opera Company, Rick Miller was one of the artistic minds that helped create this nine-hour play focusing on the incredible diversity of the human voice. The article below was published just before Lipsynch began its New York run which ended yesterday. Lypsynch in New York
Posted by: Gretta Vosper in worship, thoughts, spirituality, religion, progressive, people, gretta, fundraising, current events, community news, church news on
Sep 24, 2009
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 26th 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.
Posted by: Janice Meighan in technology, raves, politics, people, justice, health, ethics, environment, current events, community news on
Aug 5, 2009
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.
For the past few weeks, West Hill has been a welcoming space for a few Roma families who are living in shelters provided by Toronto's Family Residences. Roma refugees have been coming into Canada from Czechoslovakia in the past few months in increasing numbers as the racial persecution they experience in their country continues to rise. Several years ago, the shelter system also housed Roma refugees. At that time, the Canadian government, by increasing the requirements for Czechoslovakian travelers to Canada, essentially closed the border to refugees in an effort to stem the rising tide. It appears that, once again, the government is working to control the numbers of refugees entering Canada rather than recognizing the plight of the many who wish to seek shelter here. Today, Canada begins, once again, to require visas for those travelling here from Czechoslovakia as well as those coming from Mexico. The requirement was lifted in 2007 and, since that time, over 3000 applicants have arrived on our shores. The government's decision to do so threatens the lives of many Roma vulnerable to the rise of violence and aggression at home who may have been able to flee had the borders remained "open." Please read the newsletter from the Canadian Council for Refugees which includes a segment on the Roma situation in Canada. Also, you will find more graphic evidence of the persecution Roma experience in Czechoslovakia in this news article from May. Wednesdays, we are hoping to included the Roma families in our Weedless Wednesday morning at the church. As we dig up weeds in the gardens and on the property, it will be an opportunity for us to help these new neighbours learn English and further integrate into our community.
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