Camp Dragonfly Inspires
Southminster-Steinhauer United Church is on Treaty Six Territory in Edmonton, AB. In 2018, two leaders were inspired to start Camp Dragonfly, a summer camp experience for children aged 5–13 who are trans, gender creative, or gender queer. It started as one and a half days over a weekend for 25 kids, and has continued to grow—a testament to the need for a safe space for trans, queer kids, and youth who don’t always receive positive messages about who they are. Camp Dragonfly has built a community that gives them support, and the strength to be who they are. Now in its fifth year, children from other provinces attend Camp Dragonfly in the summer and for the new winter gathering.
What a wonderful example of how innovation and community-building can make youth feel like they have a place where they fit in! This is the key to making them feel truly empowered and that they can not only survive difficult circumstances, but thrive. Watch the whole story. [Image credit: Tegan Mierle on Unsplash] |
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February Events![Image credit: Behnam Nouruzi on Unsplash] |
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The Story Behind the Windsor Park Community Hub’s Logo  " Windsor Park Community Hub (a ministry of Windsor Park United Church in Winnipeg) received news in mid-February 2021 that it would be awarded a grant from the Safe at Home program run by the Manitoba government. One of the caveats of the grant was that Windsor Park Community Hub had to spend the grant money and deliver programming by March 31, but they were ready. Windsor Park United Church knew an event organizer that would act as the coordinator. The importance of our social capital in the neighbourhood! They would coordinate the website setup, technology, technicians, programming content, and advertising. Within a few days they had a proposed plan and a budget. They knew that time was of the essence, and had a structure that allowed for this decision making. Next, we needed a logo. We asked for wisdom from the group on what the logo should represent. Themes like welcoming, inclusion, and community were mentioned. They suggested that the colours should come from the Olympic rings, which represent the common colours of the flags of the world. We also proposed stylized figures arranged like spokes, with one hand linking inside and the other hand reaching out to others. I like to believe that Jesus would approve of the wisdom of the group." By Doug Waldron [Image credit: Windsor Park Community Hub] |
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What Will 2022 Look Like?
 2021 was full of events beyond our control, leaving people feeling frustrated and potentially marginalized as they go into 2022.
What will we do with that frustration? Will it propel us to action (positive or negative?) Will there be a backlash against so much change in so short a time? What will that look like? What will be our ongoing role with the technology we’ve had to learn to use during the pandemic, and where do the people who haven’t traditionally had reliable internet access or are still wary of new technology fit in? What are our priorities now compared to a year ago, and will we now try harder as individuals and a society to honour them, now that we know that the world is more easily shaken up than we thought it was?
Are we hopeful, as we deal with the reality that COVID-19 and the challenges it presents may still be with us through 2022 and beyond?
Where does our faith fit into life in 2022?
Perhaps a century from now, history will look at 2021/2022 as a “tipping point”, where our decisions started to create a very different church to what came before: new ways of looking at faith, community, and addressing the world’s issues together (sometimes entirely online); a return to the basics of “where one or two are gathered,” realizing that a community of faith can be made up of even a group of three or four friends, or family, maybe led by someone who never considered themselves a leader.
The time is now. Where are you being called in 2022? [Image credit: Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash] |
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Embracing the Spirit is a learning network and innovation fund. It offers funding and support for innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter. If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! Proposal deadlines are quarterly, and due on the 15th of the month: January, April, July and October. Find out more. |
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