Sept25
By Michael Wilson Pastoral Letters September 27, 2024

 

 

 

                                 

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:

September 29 Worship Service Video

 

 

Join us for Worship Sunday at 10:00 AM followed by fellowship and refreshments in the He/SheBrews Café

 

  • We received the very sad news this week that the Rev. Brenda Fawkes was tragically killed in a car accident on Friday, September 20. While Brenda has spent her entire career in the Vancouver area we remember that she grew up at CUC and was a candidate for ministry from our church. Please remember her partner, the Rev. Nancy Talbot and their two children, along with Brenda’s mother Sharon and brother Brent in your prayers this week.

 

  • Reminder that the funeral for Ken Arbuckle has been planned for Friday, October 11 at 2:00 in the sanctuary of Charleswood United Church.

 

  • For news and events, please have a look at Life & Work on our website: Life and Work

 

 

Dear Friends

Welcome to worship for Sunday, September 29, 2024.

I would hope that this year the value of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is fairly obvious.

Just to be clear there is a connection between the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which is September 30 and National Indigenous People Day which is June 21. But they are not the same. The June observance is a celebration of the many gifts and great variety of Indigenous people and nations in Canada. The September holiday, which is also commonly referred to as Orange Shirt Day, specifically asks us to remember the history and legacy of Residential Schools in Canada. It is a solemn day of reflection that was asked as Call to Action #80 in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

For those of us in the United Church of Canada this day is especially poignant as our denomination participated in the Residential School System. While we should be aware of the UCC Apology to Indigenous People and the subsequent Apology for Residential Schools, as well as thankful for the church’s participation in the TRC, I am mindful that the heart of the matter is that Indigenous members of the United Church have asked the rest of us to walk with them and continue on the path to healing for us all. It is this act of grace that grounds the whole of the church in the light of our history.

But this year we don’t need to look far back into our history to see the importance of September 30. For this year, in this moment, we are lamenting. Johnson Redhead was a six year old boy living in the northern Manitoba community of Shamattawa when he went missing on Wednesday, September 18. It was reported that he attended a breakfast program at the school but was not in his first class of the day. A sweeping search ensued but sadly, tragically, his lifeless body was recovered on Sunday afternoon in a marshy area three and a half kilometers from where he was last seen.

The sad story of Johnson’s death reminds us of many of things we need to hold in our hearts as we approach a future of right relations and reconciliation. Johnson was autistic and non-verbal. He was a young boy whose needs were great. And he lived in a place where resources are scarce and supports are very difficult to provide. Without laying any blame at anyone’s feet, we must acknowledge that life in remote Indigenous communities is often much more difficult than most of us realize. Daily. There are many reasons for this including distance, education, resources, government priorities, and as well, the legacy of Residential Schools.

But there are other aspects of Johnson Redhead’s story that are also part of the path to reconciliation. According to one report members of Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Garden Hill First Nation, Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Tataskweyak Cree Nation and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation helped in the large-scale search. So too did the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, Winnipeg Volunteer Search and Rescue, RCMP Search and Rescue, people from the Office of the Fire Commissioner and a police dog, two drones and a helicopter. In other words, everyone who could have possibly help look for this lost little boy did so.

Reconciliation is a long game. TRC Commissioner Murray Sinclair once said that it took 100 years to come to this place and may take 100 years to get where we want to be. But each year we properly remember, and with each effort to live out our common humanity, the promised day gets a touch closer.

MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee said “We just pray that the family will be surrounded by people that will comfort and offer words of kindness.”  We include ourselves in that circle of prayer as together we walk towards a new and reconciling day.

 

Grace and peace,

Michael

 

 

  • Did you know you can support this ministry by e-transfer, automatic withdrawal (PAR), and gifted securities, in addition to weekly or monthly cheques? For Offering Information please visit: https://charleswoodunited.org/support/  We have begun to receive donations for this summer’s Roofing Project which will be held separate from Operations and Mission & Service. Thank you for your generous support.

 

 

  • Read this week’s scripture lesson here: Esther 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Wilson / About Author
Michael’s involvement in the wider church has included ministry with children and youth, membership on the National Division of World Outreach, supervision of campus ministry, and the Ten Days for Global Justice National Committee. He has been blessed by the opportunity to represent the United Church of Canada in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Africa on different occasions. Michael has taught at the University of Winnipeg – Faculty of Theology and is past President of the Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario.
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