A Message during The Season of Creation from The Stewardship of the Environment Committee

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Healing a Broken World

by Mark Gibson (Chair of the Diocese of Montreal Stewardship of the Environment Committee)

The risen Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on his followers…us…to fill us and empower us to be Jesus’ partners in growing God’s Kingdom on earth. We are stewards of this wonderful planet, and we recognize with sadness and repentance that in many ways we have done a poor job as stewards. As we repent, we change our ways, and we try to cooperate with the ecosystems God has given us, and to give thanks for the new technologies allowing us, for example, to conserve energy and shift to renewable energy sources.

We give thanks that God has given us everything we need; all we need to do is open our hearts to learn and to change.

As a small committee reporting to Synod and Diocesan Council, the Stewardship of the Environment Committee is currently focusing on enabling practical change by helping congregations and the diocese to become more energy efficient, thereby reducing our carbon footprint while also saving money. We are building partnerships with Concordia University’s Engineering Department, Dawson College and with the Green Churches Network to create tools to guide congregations towards proven equipment and grants for helping to fund them.

We are asking church leaders to highlight our efforts as they communicate the broader importance of addressing climate change, in the context of our Christian calling to be good stewards of God's creation. We encourage the members of our diocese to share the practical actions they are taking, and to reach out if they need assistance considering the options, whether for their parish or their own homes. Be sure to vote in a way which reflects your concern for the environment, and communicate that concern to the politicians you interact with, both before and after the election.

Finally, we are seeking parishes who would like to partner with us in becoming more energy efficient, as well as individuals who would like to join our committee.

May God’s Kingdom come, on earth as in heaven; may we each play our small or big parts in making that happen!

Learn more about the Season of Creation

Contact Mark Gibson

New video series Introducing Dr. Myrna Lashley as Workshop Leader for Anti Racism Task Force Workshop Fall 2021

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A NEW 6 part video series introducing Dr. Lashley and her approach to leading the Diocese of Montreal through an anti Racism workshop on October 1-2 2021

Register HERE

Part 1. This is very Important for the Church…

Part 2. Hopes to Challenge Us …

Part 3. These are Trying Times…

Part 4. Listening

Part 5. Confronting Systemic Racism Together

Part 6 Elevating Each Others Dignity

Anti Racism Workshop Register now

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The Anti-Racism Task Force is pleased to deliver a Workshop for Clergy and Lay Leaders of the Diocese of Montreal.

Friday, October 1 7-9pm and Saturday, October 2 10-noon and 1-3pm 

REGISTER HERE

Please note that Clergy are expected to attend and Lay leaders throughout the Diocese are strongly encouraged to participate.

Confronting the Past, Looking to the Future: The church’s role in creating systemic racism and what can be done about it, led by Dr. Myrna Lashley via Zoom (see speaker bio below)

This interactive, experiential workshop will provide participants with a foundational understanding of the influence of religious interpretations and practices on concepts of race, culture, class, ethnicity, immigration, sexual orientation and gender in the assessment and interventional decisions relative to place and space when interacting with populations representing these categories. From a systemic models perspective, participants will explore the role and influence of the “Church” on cultural and social issues and its intersections with other human identifiers, such as poverty, housing, genders, abilities, and their many intersections. The consciousness of ethnic identity will also be explored as well as the influence of church doctrines on social, governmental and non-governmental systems. The workshop will challenge Western - European ethnocentrism and question movements which suggest that "God is a white supremacist". The effects of this suggestion not only on an individual’s self-perception, but on the perceptions and interactions of others relative to such individuals, will also be explored. 

About The Speaker

photo from Montreal Gazette

photo from Montreal Gazette

Dr. Myrna Lashley holds a Ph.D (thesis title - Informed Proxy Consent: Communication between Surgeons and Surrogates about Pediatric Surgery) in counseling psychology from McGill university. She was an Associate dean at John Abbott College She is also an associate professor in the department of psychiatry of McGill University as well as a researcher and project leader at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish General Hospital. She is an internationally recognized clinical, teaching and, research authority in cultural psychology, and serves as an expert psychological consultant to institutions, including the juvenile justice system. She is also the Chair of the First-Line Psychosocial Science Committee of the Clinical Ethics Committee of CIUSS de centre-ouest-de-l'ile-de-Montréal. She has worked both as a consultant to First Nations and the Jewish communities, and as the Cross Cultural Trainer for the Grievance Committee office of the secretariat for McGill University. She has also conducted training workshops locally, nationally, and internationally and has acted as a consultant to the Brazilian health care system. She was a director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and has also served on the Comité consultatif sur les relations Interculturelles et Interraciales de la Communauté Urbaine de Montréal. From 2008 to 2017 she was the Chair of the Cross Cultural Roundtable on Security. She was the Vice-chair of the board of the École Nationale de Police du Québec from 2004 - 2017. As well as conducting research on police matters, she has also been appointed to the Comité expert en matière de profilage racial of the Service de ploice de la Ville de Montréal and to the Comité-conseil sur l'organisation d'une consultation sur le racisme et la discrimination systémique. She is a consultant to government and non-governmental agencies at the Canadian federal, provincial and municipal levels on issues of equity and inclusivity. In addition to academic publications, she has also authored two training manuals on intercultural issues in the workplace and co-authored book chapters. She has received several awards including the 2015 Woman of Merit Award from the Playmas Montreal

Cultural Association; the Queen Elizabeth II 2012 Diamond Jubilee award; 2006 Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Award for Holocaust studies; the 2004 Martin Luther King legacy award; as well as the 1995 Merit Award for the Kanawake Native survival school.

Her current research focuses on the intersections of culture, terrorism and national security.

She is currently Barbados’s Honorary Consul to Montreal.

 

 


Pray Away Viewing - New Date: September 27th

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Supper Club invites you to an online viewing and facilitated conversation with Caitlin Reilley Beck on Monday September 27th at 5:30pm EST

RSVP / Learn more

About Caitlin:

Caitlin Reilley Beck (she/her, he/him, they/them) I am a fat, queer, neurodivergent, polyamorous, genderqueer, white settler who lives on stolen Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh land, but am originally from Ottawa on Algonquin territory. I live in a collective with 7 other people and 5 cats. I have been working in children's and youth ministry for over 10 years in different Churches and denominations, but mainly the Anglican Church of Canada. I am currently the Camp Director for Queerest and Dearest, an intergenerational camp for LGBTQIA2S+ folks and our families. To give you some fuel for future conversations, here is a random list of things I am into: drumming, grassroots ecumenism, photography, intersectionality, liturgical geekery, good administration, singing in harmony, empowering young people, godparenting, eating french fries, and being a feminist killjoy. I believe that every voice is important in the song of God’s creation and aim to empower people of all ages to use their voices as leaders in their churches and communities by first of all learning how to listen.

View the trailer:

RSVP / Learn more contact Lee-Ann

Ordination in-person Registration is full - JOIN on YOUTUBE

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Updated Ordination Information

God willing, on Wednesday September 8th , The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at 7pm at Christ Church Cathedral, Bishop Mary Irwin Gibson intends to ordain The Rev. Susan Mona-Marie Searle, B.A., M.A., Dip.Min. to the presbyterate and Fresia Saborio, M.P.H., M.Div., and Benjamin Stuchbery, B.A., S..T.M., Dip.Min. to the Diaconate (transitional).

Please Note: In person registration at Cathédrale Christ Church Cathedral, Montréal is full.

However, the Ordination Service will also be streamed on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/cha.../UC_848K2Cs600aXnMoS-94cA/live

(photo credit: Janet Best)

Children's Ministry Matters 2021

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“‘Allow the children to come to me,’ Jesus said. ‘Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.’”
— MATTHEW 19:14
REGISTER
facebook event

Children's Ministry Matters: Presentations & Workshop

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As Christians, we know that children matter. We know that children's ministry matters. And we know that this pandemic has been grueling and has placed an enormous burden of isolation and fear on children and youth. 

Let's gather to reflect on how we will tackle these questions and inspire a future where children are at the heart of our ministry offerings. 

On Saturday, October 16th from 9-noon, we will hear from an international panel of leaders and pioneers addressing best practices and wondering about ways we can respond pastorally and creatively to our young people when they need it most. 

 What to Expect? A series of short presentations followed by interactive conversations and workshops to provoke questions and help us in our collective quest for ministry that delivers spiritual nourishment for children. 

This will be an online event using the Zoom platform

Questions? mtlyouth@montreal.anglican.ca

 List of presenters and topics

 1 Bishop Mark MacDonald - Indigenous / reconciliation

2 Rev Dr. Neil Mancor - Regional Coordinator Messy Church

3 Dr. Jonathan White - Music ministry

4 Rev Linda Borden-Taylor - Spiritual Direction for children

5 Anti Racism presentation - Anti Racist Task Force

6 Rev Grace Burson - Community Building in children’s ministry

7 Rev Judy Steers - Children’s ministry in a pluralistic society.

8 TBA -Godly Play

9 Sheilagh McGlynn- A view from the National Church 

10. Caitlin Reilley Beck - LGBTQ+ Affirming Children’s ministry 

11. Valerie Taylor - Children’s ministry: The Liturgical Year Calendar

12. Rev Jean Daniel O Donncada - Children’s Spirituality