{"id":1,"date":"2022-09-25T18:25:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-25T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charleswoodunited.org\/2022_charleswoodunited\/wordpress\/?p=1"},"modified":"2022-10-18T17:53:23","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T17:53:23","slug":"pastoral-letter-sunday-sept-25-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charleswoodunited.org\/2022_charleswoodunited\/wordpress\/2022\/09\/25\/pastoral-letter-sunday-sept-25-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Pastoral Letter: Sunday, September 25, 2022 \u2013 16th Sunday of Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
Watch this week\u2019s service on YouTube by clicking: September 25 Worship Service Video<\/a><\/div>\r\n
By action of Church Council, the official policy of Charleswood United Church is now that masks and social distancing are recommended but not required. This is a positive step in our cautious return to \u2018normal\u2019. We continue to be grateful for the resolve of this congregation to support one another, and look to the good of others, ever since this public health crisis began.<\/div>\r\n
YOU ARE INVITED<\/div>\r\n
YOU ARE WELCOME<\/div>\r\n
JOIN US SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2022<\/div>\r\n
Worldwide Communion Sunday Healing Farm Farmer\u2019s Market (9:00 to 12:00 in the parking lot) HeBrew\u2019s Caf\u00e9 after church 100th Anniversary Cake Display of Centennial Recognitions \u2022 Our newest church school video is the story of Job. To visit please click here: https:\/\/youtu.be\/SaDBj7YkbPs<\/div>\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n
\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Dear Friends,<\/p>\r\n

Welcome to worship for Sunday, September 25, 2022.<\/p>\r\n

This coming Friday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is more commonly known as Orange Shirt Day to honour the story of Phyllis Webstad who brought a new orange t-shirt to her Residential School in 1973 when she was six years old only to have it taken from her. Phyllis\u2019 story is but an entrance into the history and legacy of the Residential School System in Canada and a reminder of our collective responsibility to work for reconciliation today.<\/p>\r\n

Much debate seems to focus on whether or not September 30 should be a holiday. Currently it is in some provinces and for some employees but there is no consensus across the country. To be honest, I am less concerned about making the day a statutory holiday than I am about retaining it for it\u2019s expressed purpose. I would prefer to see children remain in schools on September 30 and use the day to increase awareness and action for Truth and Reconciliation.<\/p>\r\n

What I thought I might do for our community is share a list of a few resources that I have found to be of value in my journey of growing in understanding. Please know that this is entirely personal. This is not an exhaustive list. Nor is it an authoritative one. It is just a few things that I have found helpful and think that you, my cherished community, might find as well.<\/p>\r\n

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action \u2013 the 94 Calls to Action are relatively short but can be overwhelming when read all at once. There is value in reading a few at a time and reflecting on them. Some are quite simple, some of profoundly difficult, some have been attained, while some are far from complete. But together the calls help us understand what we are hoping for when we speak of reconciliation. The calls are readily available online or by contacting the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation which is right here in Winnipeg.<\/p>\r\n

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples \u2013 Like the Calls to Action the UN Declaration is worth reading as it put the struggle of Indigenous People in a broader perspective. And like the calls it is a list (44 articles) which may be better understood a few at a time.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe Truth About Stories\u201d by Thomas King \u2013 King\u2019s 2003 Massey Lectures are an excellent primer for understanding an Indigenous view of the world. Of course, he is the author of many other books including the bestselling \u201cThe Inconvenient Indian\u201d but if re-considering Canadian history is new or difficult for you, \u201cThe Truth About Stories\u201d is a good place to start.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World\u201d by Wade Davis \u2013 This is another Massey lecture book (2009). Davis is actually an ethnobotanist and \u201cThe Wayfinders\u201d is not about specifically Canada\u2019s Indigenous People nor about Residential Schools at all. But Davis is a brilliant storyteller and helps the reader open their mind to different ways of being in the world. I can\u2019t think of anyone who has helped me think more about the assumptions we make based on our own particular worldview and how other worldviews exist in a manner to help us all. Also available as a podcast. \u201cIndian Horse\u201d by Richard Wagamese \u2013 I have not read Richard Wagamese\u2019s other books though I understand from a friend that his poetry is compelling.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cIndian Horse\u201d is the story of a young boy sent to Residential School who discovers a gift for playing hockey. It might have been a means of escape but his experiences of abuse will not be left behind so easily. It is a heartbreaking story that illustrates not only what happened to some children, but how those experiences affected their lives in adulthood. Also available as a movie but warning, scenes of child abuse are very difficult to watch.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWe Were Children\u201d \u2013 this a National Film Board movie that tackles what many children experienced in Residential Schools through the story of two young children. The film has much disturbing content and is not recommended for those under 16. Even for adults it is perhaps best watched in a group setting where discussion can follow. Nothing has opened my eyes about Residential Schools more than this film. Available on CBC Gem<\/p>\r\n

\u201cWhere the Spirit Lives\u201d \u2013 This CBC movie is older (1989) than \u201cWe Were Children\u201d and while it tells a similar story it may be more accessible given when it was made. It is also about a girl sent to Residential School and while a heartbreaking tale, it also shows the resistance and resilience of the children and their communities. Available on YouTube.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cSecret Path\u201d \u2013 This is an album and graphic novel by Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie and illustrator Jeff Lemire which tells the true story of Chanie (Charlie) Wenjack, a 12 year old boy who died in 1966 while trying to return home from a Residential School.<\/p>\r\n

As is often the case, the story of a single person affected helps us put into context a history that took place on such a wide scale. As I said there are just a few things that I have accessed over the years. What I find helpful may not be so for you. I am always interested in hearing what you have seen and read as together we live and work for a new day.<\/p>\r\n

Grace and peace, Michael<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This coming Friday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is more commonly known as Orange Shirt Day to honour the story of Phyllis Webstad who brought a new orange t-shirt to her Residential School in 1973 when she was six years old only to have it taken from her. 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