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by Thursday at 11:00 AM

Although we were rained out at the Ball Diamond on Sept. 12^th, the service was recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel. We look forward to our next outdoor service on Sept. 26^th (get your orange shirts ready for that one!)

Our service this Sunday, September 19^th, focuses on Mark 9:30-37 – a scripture that talks about power dynamics in the precarious days of Jesus. This week’s service is online only,

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi8loA1BP8lNAppSRR9_aQQ.

At it's September 1st meeting, RCMUC Council revisited our COVID Guidelines for building usage. Links to link to the most recent RCMUC guidelines and the Alberta COVID regulations are posted on the home page of ralphconnor.ca.

Returning for its 21^st consecutive year: Evensong, our Wednesday night contemplative service, starts on Wednesday September 22^nd at 7:15 PM, on Zoom. The Zoom login will be sent out with the weekly Evensong email; if you are not on this email list and would like to be added, please contact [email protected].

Choir rehearsals have resumed - Thursday nights, on Zoom! If you would like to join the RCMUC choir , please contact our music director, Tanya Sullivan at [email protected].

In September and October, there are many days that call us to live out our Calls to Action. We also enter the Season of Creation. A season of new beginnings and renewed energy to adapt and adjust to the world around us. We bring the wisdom of our ancestors and forbearers. Let us look into the coming weeks as an opportunity to learn, listen and witness the changing world around us. We might find our part and our role in the tasks ahead. Please follow the link for the important dates and opportunities to join with others in our region on this journey of creation and reconciliation. Link here~.

If you can help at a booth, with set up, hosting or take down, or if you can prepare orange ribbons to give away, please contact Mary Shearer at [email protected].

The balance of the "Members Only Trial" packets will be available for purchase at the September 26^th outdoor service. Bring your $10 cash and go home with five notecards. Proceeds to Benevolent Fund. If you miss out we will accept orders and print more of this first series.

CYAN has lots of great events planned for the young adults of Canmore and environs. Their main website is under repair at the moment, so check https://www.facebook.com/canmorecyan/ for coming events!

EARTH JAM - and GREEN EXODUS - are initiatives linking our concern for this planet with our spirituality. Ralph Connor is pleased to be one of the partner organizations in Canmore, Calgary and Lethbridge who are bringing the EARTH JAM event to our communities.

Due to concerns regarding indoor, in-person gatherings at this time, EARTH JAM has moved to being an online-only event.  There will still be weekend retreats (now on Zoom rather than in-person) as well as daily contemplative "sits" and discussion times throughout September and early October. We had hoped to have a Canmore-based retreat as part of Earth Jam but this is transitioning to a Tuesday night Zoom discussion, with portions by Tony Snow pre-recorded in Canmore – check greenexodus.ca for details!

Take a look at greenexodus.ca – you will find that Sarah Arthurs and her team (from Calgary, Canmore, Lethbridge and elsewhere) have worked hard to develop a range of online offerings, from retreats to contemplative “sits.” Please register here and check here for the full schedule of events and registration links!

GO VOTE!! Remember: Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 New King James Version

Look at issues and candidates from a faith-justice perspective at Creating a Just Canada.

The Mennonite Canadian Federal Election Guide for 2021 mirrors our United Church call for justice. They highlight that a federal election is an opportunity for all of us to shape the future of Canada. An election is also an occasion for Christians to consider the political implications of our faith, supporting the most vulnerable at home and abroad. It is a time to discern, with humility, how Jesus’ call to love our neighbours can be reflected in the public good. Click here for more.

Broadview questions our national character as we determine politicians who will restore Canada’s reputation. Canada needs to do better for Black refugees and immigrants. Black refugees from Africa still face barriers to integration and long processing times. Read more here.

Assembly of First Nations unveils priorities ahead of the federal election. National chief declines to endorse any party, says whoever is elected must recognize rights and make amends for the past. More here.

This Orange Shirt Day is also the first observance of a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. For settler Christians in particular, this is a time when we can reflect on our role in colonialism and the residential school system, and our ongoing responsibility to make reparations. Learn more~ Orange Shirt Day will be September 30, 2021   You can purchase your own Orange Shirt that supports the Orange Shirt Day Society at: https://orangeshirtday.net.

Indigenous Children: Then, Now and Tomorrow A Panel Discussion for Orange Shirt Day Panelists will explore how Indigenous children and families were and continue to be impacted by colonialism. They will answer a series of questions on a range of topics including Indigenous Children in Residential Schools, Sixties Scoop, Millennial Scoop, and bringing our children home. September 29, 2021 3:30 - 6:00pm MST Find out more and register here.  

From Tony Snow, Indigenous Minister, Chinook Winds Region: As we transition from a chaotic summer of change into a contemplative fall of recovery and reflection, let us take time to remember our Indigenous relations. Our World Indigenous Day session is now uploaded to the Urban Indigenous Circle Youtube Channel.

September 22, 2021 is Treaty Day (date of the signing of Treaty 7) 

September 30, 2021 is Truth and Reconciliation Day (newly announced, formerly Orange Shirt Day)

October 4, 2021 is Sisters in Spirit Day (designated in Alberta in 2019 for MMIWG2S and their families)

MODERATOR MESSAGE: DOING OUR OWN WORK AS THE NON-INDIGENOUS CHURCH

On June 29, 2021 the Moderator offered a message in the wake of more confirmation of graves associated with residential schools. He said, “Over the past few days, I’ve been hearing a number of settler Communities of Faith who are looking for contacts with Indigenous communities and their Elders. Often this has come with an explanation that the settler communities would like to ask for guidance in some way. I’d like to make a really strong suggestion. Stop it. I think one of the things those of us who are of settler/colonizer/newcomer descent need to recognize is that this is *our* stuff to deal with. Even if the Community of Faith I was a part of had an ongoing relationship with an Indigenous community and their Elders, this is *not* the time to ask for guidance.” Click here for the Moderator's message. 

Thanks to a generous donation match from BMO, when you give today, your gift will go twice as far to help those in need. To learn more or to donate, click here~.

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