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Anti-racism, Interfaith, Intercultural Forum

“God is creatively and redemptively at work in the religious life of all humanity”

– The United Church of Canada, Interfaith Relations –

Anti-Racism Policy (April 22, 2022)

 

Visit our YouTube channel's "Anti-Racism, Interfaith and Intercultural" playlist!

During Black History (African Heritage) Month, we are invited to listen more deeply to stories that have too often gone unheard. This season is about truth-telling, celebration, and recognition – honouring the faith, leadership, and resilience of Black people who have shaped the United Church of Canada from its earliest days.

The Toronto United Church Council (TUCC) is grateful to partner with Pilgrim United Church, recipients of a Leslie and Anna Davenport Fund grant, in support of the Here from the Beginning traveling exhibit that is going coast-to-coast. This powerful national exhibit brings to light the long and vital history of Black people in the life of the United Church of Canada, reminding us that Black communities and leaders were not newcomers but have been here from the beginning.

The exhibit will arrive in our Regional Council at the end of April for a month, locations to be determined. In the meantime, a virtual version has been created for your viewing.

On January 23rd, ECORC’s Anti-Racism, Interfaith and Intercultural Forum hosted an event on Zoom “Rev. Sue and Glenn Genge’s Journey to The Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, August 13-18/23” Thank you to Carol Peterson for writing this summary of the event to share with you. Please click HERE to read, print and share Carol’s summary. Below are links to our YouTube channel for the recordings:

 

A New Partnership!!

After a very successful five week learning event with Dr. Brian Carwana that ended on November 23rd, 2022, The ECORC Anti-racism, Interfaith, Intercultural Forum is excited to announce a new Educational Partnership with Encounter World Religions Center! View their website by clicking HERE You will find some great resources and information on upcoming events. Dr. Brian Carwana has worked with us on two Forum events – (1) Racism in Church and Society and (2) Introduction to World Religions. We are very excited about this partnership!

The United Church of Canada – Interfaith Resources:

1. Mending the World (1997) articulates the broad principles of “whole world ecumenism”
2. Bearing Faithful Witness – looks at United Church of Canada relations to the Jewish faith
3. That We May Know Each Other: United Church-Muslim Relations.
4. Honouring the Divine in Each Other: United Church-Hindu Relations Today
5. All My Relations – The United Church of Canada: The Indigenous contribution to the church is
honoured by the Mohawk phrase “AKwe Nia Tetewa:neren” – all my relations – on the crest. The
four colours of the Medicine Wheel and the Mohawk words have been incorporated on the United
Church crest since 2012.

 

Other Resources:

Becoming an Anti-Racist Church Videos: This series has 4 videos to help explore the “why”, these videos can be played online (YouTube) or downloaded. These are great to use in worship services as part of a series, they can be used as part of a discussion group, or as a devotional before the beginning of a leadership team meeting.
 
  1. Becoming an Anti-Racist Church: A Church Rooted in Racism
  2. Becoming an Anti-Racist Church: Theology and Faith
  3. Becoming an Anti-Racist Church : Dismantling White Supremacist Culture
  4. Becoming an Anti Racist Church : Actions in Our Local Churches and Networks
 
United in Learning also offers anti-racism webinars, these are mandatory for Ministry Personnel but there is also a version for Lay Leaders. The program offers two options for each course, one for white participants and another for Indigenous and Racialized participants. This is helpful because it is interactive! Participants have parts they complete on their own and then 2/5 of the modules are live online gatherings.
 
Every Fall the churches has a period of time dedicated to exploring anti-racism. The 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism offer opportunities to dig deeper into what it means to live out our anti-racism commitments. There is a catalogue of content from previous years, and there will be an entirely new series of content available in Fall 2025. Special interest may be some of the recommended books which a group can read together and discuss, with opportunities to join live streamed events with authors and special speakers! Our bookstore, UCRD, offers discounts on the books that will be focused on.
 
For children and youth, there is also a phenomenal curriculum that was developed last year to explore anti-racism with children ages 6-12, called I Am a Changemaker: Teaching Anti-Racism with Children. You can buy the PDF on UCRD’s website. It is very adaptable and so would suit the needs of wide variety of congregations. The feedback from churches who have used it has been very positive!