The United Church of Canada

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The Rev. Michael Blair, incoming General Secretary, General Council for The United Church of Canada beginning November 1, 2020.

The United Church of Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Michael Blair as its new General Secretary beginning November 1, 2020. The role of General Secretary, General Council is a permanent position, providing leadership in the direction, management, and coordination of the affairs of the church working in close collaboration with the Moderator, who is elected every three years as the church’s spiritual leader and spokesperson.
The Rev. Blair is currently serving in the General Council Office, Toronto, as the Executive Minister, Church in Mission Unit, which maintains the relationships with overseas partners, develops faith formation resources for the church and initiates advocacy campaigns for the denomination. He has been in that role for eight years. Born in Jamaica, his faith journey began in the Anglican Church. He came to Canada as a young adult with his family, was ordained in the Convention Baptist Church, and in 2010 was admitted to the United Church’s order of ministry.
The Rev. Blair replaces Nora Sanders, who is retiring after almost 14 years as General Secretary. The Rev. Blair was appointed by the church’s General Council Executive during their online meeting August 27 after a search process that lasted 10 months. Sanders says, “I have worked with Michael for 12 years. I know his deep faith and sense of call to continue the life and work of the United Church in this time, with all its complexities. He is also well known in ecumenical circles and to many of our international partners, so he brings a broad horizon of expertise to the role.”
A full biography will be posted in the next few weeks, and the Rev. Blair will be available for media interviews after September 14, 2020.
The United Church Manual is available on-line.
The United Church of Canada has put out an appeal for the COVID-19 Global Response.
The Untied Church has already contributed $20,000 from their Emergency Response fund to assist in countries
where hunger, poverty and limited access to health care are normally high concerns but are more so with the virus.
If you wish to contribute here are the ways to do that:
a) through the United Church website (a secure site for donations) – www..united-church.ca/covid-19-global-response;
b) by phone – 1-800-268-3781 ext. 2738;
c) by mail – The United Church of Canada, Philanthropy Unit – Emergency Response,
3250 Bloor St. W., Suite 200, Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4;
or through your church treasurer with the cheque made out to your local church –
​be sure to note on your cheque “Emergency Response – COVID-19.
E-ssentials is an e-newsletter that contains information about what is happening in the broader church.
May 11, 2021​​
  • Special Asian Heritage Pentecost Service
  • Support Circles for People of Colour
  • LifeSpeak's May Featured Training: PTSD
  • Seeking Justice Together Conference
  • Stories of Our Mission: COVID-19 Impacts Vulnerable Sex Workers
  • United Church Bookstore: Online Conversation with Elder Alf Dumont!
  • Worship Resources 
May 4, 2021 ​
  • Rise Up Strong
  • LifeSpeak Mental Health Marathon
  • Webinar: The Church Has Left the Building: How Will We Combine Online and In-Person Church?
  • Stories of Our Mission: Make Mother's Day More Meaningful, Inclusive, and Compassionate
  • United Church Bookstore: Feed your Soul during Mental Health Awareness Week
  • Worship Resources 
April 27, 2021​ ​
  • A Worship Service of Apology and Lament for the Church’s Role in Coerced Adoptions
  • Stop the Latest Palestinian Evictions in East Jerusalem
  • Congregational Board of Trustees Handbook: New Edition
  • Stories of Our Mission: Women Work for Change in Zambia
  • Asian Canadian Women: Support, Strength, and Solidarity
  • United Church Bookstore: Spring Sale Continues!
  • Worship Resources 
April 20, 2021
  • Mental Health Week
  • For the Love of Creation
  • Asian Canadian Women: Support, Strength, and Solidarity
  • Stories of Our Mission: When Being Born with Light Skin Is Dangerous
  • United Church Bookstore: Spring Cleaning!
  • Worship Resources 
LifeSpeak, a resource for personal, health and family wellness information
​that you can access online and confidentially 24 hours a day.
General Secretary Nora Sanders spoke at the ReVITALize 3 event which was held recently at
Metropolitan United Church in London, ON.
Nora talked about the current situation of The United Church of Canada,
now that we are starting to live into our new structures and lifting up what we truly seek to be as church.
You can watch her presentation here. http://metropolitanchurch.com/home/nora-sanders/
Did you know that Broadview has a website?  
​Go to broadview.org to read the magazine on-line.

And, Wondercafe 2 is back.  Go to wondercafe2.ca.
Several new resources have been posted to support congregational, Presbytery and Conference discussions on the Comprehensive Review Task Group’s, United in God’s Work report. 
There are three animated videos, a bulletin insert and a series of presentation slides.

Everything can be downloaded.  Choose your item in the Resources list and then right click to save it to a file.
http://www.gc42.ca/comprehensive-review-report
Visit the 2019-20 gifts with vision catalogue.
Check out the United Church's new website, EDGE: a Network of Ministry Development at http://www.edge-ucc.ca/
The United Church of Canada Archives is pleased to announce the launch of its new website!
The site features information about the repository, presents various ways to access the Archives’ collections, provides records management resources for United Church employees, and supplies general information regarding visiting the Archives.
Please check out the new site at www.unitedchurcharchives.ca
​​Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice News from
The United Church of Canada