Living into Right Relations: April 2023

Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice News from The United Church of Canada Join Moose Hide Campaign Day on May 11!   Started along Canada’s infamous Highway of Tears, the Moose Hide Campaign is an Indigenous-led grassroots movement of men, boys and all Canadians who are standing up against violence towards women, girls, and 2S people. Indigenous Ministries and Justice urges individuals and communities of faith to participate in Moose Hide Campaign Day, and to raise awareness of the campaign through the year. By wearing a moose hide pin and participating in Moose Hide Campaign Day, millions of Canadians are making meaningful progress towards reconciliation and the creation of a country where violence against women and children is no longer allowed to flourish in the shadows.   [image credit: Moose Hide Campaign] Placing Ourselves in Colonization   Placing Ourselves in Colonialism, a joint program between Indigenous Ministries and Justice and the Equity and Anti-Racism Office, launched on April 24 with a power panel discussion of “settler colonialism” with Elaine Enns and Ched Myers of Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries, Adele Halliday, the Rev. Tony Snow, and Sara Stratton. The recording is available on CHURCHx – register for the course to view the recording (it’s free), and you can also participate in the next three sessions.  On May 1, we’ll have a more in-depth conversation with Elaine and Ched about Healing Haunted Histories, their exploration of family history and colonization. We’ll also encourage you to start interrogating your own family history. You’ll then have a month to start this work, and we’ll come back together on May 29 to share stories and reflect on what we’ve learned and what we are called to do. Finally, on September 25, there’s a check-in on what we’ve learned and where we think we are in this path of decolonizing discipleship. Find out more, and register. [Video still: Courtesy of Tony Snow] Acknowledging the Territory United Church communities have been “acknowledging the land” in a formal way since 2015 as part of an effort to deepen our understanding of and commitment to reconciliation. Yet the results can end up seem rote or performative. In this article for Broadview magazine, the Rev. Tony Snow explores why that might be. Touching on deeply rooted Indigenous protocols for coming into another peoples’ territory, Tony asks us to consider the relational nature of what a land acknowledgment should be. Facebook Twitter Website Email Instagram YouTube Donate to The United Church of Canada and help fund life changing work around the world!

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