We had a lively discussion last Tuesday at Picnic and Prayer about the origins of The United Church of Canada. We were blessed that Lori Cormier brought a number of folks from Melville Heights to join us.
First, we watched a short video of the history of the Christian Church, just to put it all in context. The video came from the GO Project Confirmation curriculum, and is very informative (and only about 7 minutes for 2,000 years of history!) for youth and adults.
Questions coming out of the conversation were about the conflict between the Orthodox and the Latin churches, and around the history of the Protestant movement, or what we often call The Reformation, which happened in the 16th Century. Many folks hadn’t made the connection between the word “protest” and Protestant … realizing that those of us who are Protestants have our spiritual roots in fact protesting the status quo.
The video did a great job of pointing out some of the challenging parts of Christian history, such as war, slavery and colonialism, but also highlighted some of the parts to celebrate – the church’s influence on the civil rights movement, offering sanctuary and safety to refugees, outreach ministry, and support to LGBTQIA+ community.
The second video recounted the 100 years of history of the United Church of Canada. At Bethany we will celebrate this anniversary with a special worship service with two other congregations (St. John’s and Hope) on June 8th at 3 pm. There were lots of questions after watching this video … such as …
Why does the United Church only have two sacraments?
What is going on with young people (and for some of us, that may include everyone that is under 50!) in the United Church of Canada … children, youth, young adults, families of all shapes and sizes, the “sandwich generation” (those taking care of aging parents and also children) …
Why are some of the more evangelical and conservative churches full of younger generations? (I have many ideas about that and will explore that perhaps in a future blog …)
And some wanting more information about reconciliation with indigenous peoples
These are all great questions …
This week we will take a closer look at the United Church Crest – it’s history, all the symbolism it contains, and how it has changed and evolved since its creation in 1944.
In week three we will look at our Statements of Faith – did you know we have 4? The Articles of Faith from 1925, the 1940 Statement of Faith, A New Creed in 1968 and a Song of Faith from 2006. All passed by General Councils, and all responding to changing contexts, and all “are recognized as doctrine, subordinate to the primacy of scripture.” (from the UCC website)
Please feel free to join us this Tuesday at noon as we continue to celebrate 100 years of the United Church of Canada.
In the meantime, you might want to explore the latest youtube videos from the United Church of Canada on its youtube channel, including the latest video from the Moderator, Mission and Service stories, and webinars at:
The United Church of Canada - YouTube
Here is the latest message from the Moderator about diversity, equity and inclusion, and why it is important in the United Church of Canada.
A Place at the Table: An Invitation to Belong - YouTube
And, here’s the Moderator’s Message about celebrating our 100th Anniversary
