Sharing stories of life, faith, and ministry in the United Church and beyond.

Lent is a time for contemplation, for going a bit deeper, for finding the places where pain and joy and fear and hope intersect.

Note from Nora: Where Pain, Joy, Fear, and Hope Intersect" href="/blogs/round-table/note-nora-where-pain-joy-fear-and-hope-intersect"> A young white man standing in a door frame, illuminated by the candles on the cake for his birthday.

Row on row we stood… in the brand new courtyard… row on row of young girls in navy tunics or navy skirts, white starched shirts, ties, and polished oxfords. I wore…

continue reading
As Purple to Lavender" href="/blogs/round-table/purple-lavender"> Rev. B. Maya Douglas, a Black woman, stands smiling among the pews of her church, wearing an alb and colourful embroidered stole.

The Asian Rural Institute in Japan is helping sustainable agriculture and Christian community go viral around the world.

A Growing Community" href="/blogs/round-table/growing-community"> A colourful mural at the Asian Rural Institute depicting its motto “That we may live together.”

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” —Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”

Facing the Past, Transforming the Future" href="/blogs/round-table/facing-past-transforming-future"> The author in the centre, leads a group of Black clergy on a visit to the cemetery at Amber Valley, AB.

Everyday Skeptics: Devotions for Spiritual Growth is the new United Church Lenten devotional for 2019. It features reflections from United Church partners who do…

continue reading
Everyday Skeptics Show Us Prophetic Risk" href="/blogs/round-table/everyday-skeptics-show-us-prophetic-risk"> Lenten book editor Alydia Smith, dressed in a long purple dress and detailed necklace, sits in a large comfy to read a copy of the book "Everyday Skeptics."

For the last decade, I have been teaching at…

continue reading
Acts of Radical Solidarity " href="/blogs/round-table/acts-radical-solidarity"> A group of Indigenous Lumad farmers and supporters sit for a photo on the steps of the seminary's Administration building.
Quebec City, traditional territory of the Wendat people, hosted one of the last hearings of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls…
MMIWG: Bringing Safety for Women and Children" href="/blogs/round-table/mmiwg-bringing-safety-women-and-children"> A blanket from the National Inquiry, sharing the poignant words of Psalm 118:5 and a drawing of a shoreline and a lake.

We have received many comments and questions about whether or not to incorporate the “’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime” into Christmas carol services. Thanks to…

continue reading
Unwrapping "The 'Huron' Carol"" href="/blogs/round-table/unwrapping-huron-carol"> A copse of winter trees silhouetted in the snow.

They say a picture is worth more than 1,000 words, and I agree.

To try to understand the Rohingya crisis, I had read much about who the Rohingya Muslims are…

continue reading
Her Eyes: A Rohingya Child in Bangladesh" href="/blogs/round-table/her-eyes-rohingya-child-bangladesh"> A Rohingya girl, having just crossed the border from Myanmar, shows her new identity card that she was given by United Nations workers in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

People sometimes share that they forget I am a person who is totally blind. I experience this as a good thing, an acknowledgment that they feel acceptance, and…

continue reading
Disability, Who Me?" href="/blogs/round-table/disability-who-me"> Sharon Ballantyne wearing a colourful minister's stole across her shoulders. Sharon Ballantyne is ministry personnel, serving a rural pastoral charge about two hours northeast of Toronto. A 2018 McGeachy Senior scholar, her work is focusing on equity.