Affirm
UNITED

/

S'affirmer
ENSEMBLE

 

 

Upcoming events
Please come here often to see updates on events such as our Annual Conference and AGM workshops offered by and for Affirming Ministries, Events by Ecumenical partners, Services of Celebration for Affirming Ministries or meetings of Affirm United Council.

Affirming Ministries Services of Celebration

Please check back for Affirming Ministry Celebrations as they are posted.  You are invited to send notes of congratulations to the ministries below for their upcoming celebrations and to those ministries listed under that for their recent celebrations within the last year!

St. Matthew's United Church in Halifax, NS will be celebrating their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Sunday, July 25, 2010 at their regular worship time of 10:30 am.  This day was selected for the celebration as it occurs during pride Week in Halifax.  Please join them at:

St. Matthew's United Church
1479 Barrington Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia  B3J 1Z2
(902) 423-9209
www.stmatts.ns.ca

Please send a note to congratulate St. Matthew's by clicking on this temporary email:  stmatthews@affirmunited.ca

Mount Dennis United Church in Toronto will be celebrating their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Sunday September 26, 2010 at their regular service at 10:30 am.  Special guest speaker will be Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Transportation Minister.  Please join them at:

Mount Dennis United Church
71 Guestville Avenue
Toronto, Ontario  M6N 4N4
(416) 763-2893

Please send a note to congratulate Mount Dennis United Church by clicking on this temporary email:  mountdennis@affirmunited.ca
 

McKillop United Church in Lethbride, AB celebrated their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Sunday, May 16, 2010 at a special service at 7 pm. 

Please send a note to congratulate McKillop United Church by clicking on this temporary email:  mckillop@affirmunited.ca

Eastside United Church in Regina, SK celebrated their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at a special service at 7:00 pm

Please send a note to congratulate Eastside United Church by clicking on this temporary email:  eastside@affirmunited.ca

West Hill United Church in Toronto, ON  celebrated their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Sunday, December 6, at their regular service of worship at 10:30 am.   Their guest speaker was George Smitherman, MPP. 

Please send a note to congratulate West Hill United Church by clicking on this temporary email:  westhill@affirmunited.ca

St. Andrew's United Church  in Truro, NS celebrated their declaration of becoming an Affirming Ministry on Saturday, October 3 at 7p.m with. Their guest speaker was Eldon Hay.  

Please send a note to congratulate St. Andrew's United Church by clicking on this temporary email:  standrewstruro@affirmunited.ca

Trinity United Church and Lower Ohio Union Church (of the Shelburne Pastoral Charge) celebrated their declarations of becoming Affirming Ministries  at Trinity United Church in Shelburne, NS  on Sunday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m.   Anne Treadwell, a retired Unitarian minister was the guest speaker. 

Please send a note to congratulate Shelburne Pastoral Charge by clicking on this temporary email:  shelburne@affirmunited.ca

 

Annual Affirm United Conference and AGM

A PLACE FOR US ALL

Mark your calendar for 2010!

Dates: 
 
July 30 - August 2, 2010
 
Location:



 
Tatamagouche
Education and Retreat Centre
RR3
Tatamagouche, NS  B0K 1V0
 
Costs:




 

$380 – Includes registration, accommodations, and meals.

$350 – prior to June 15, 2010

$100 – Saturday only (includes registration and meals but not accommodations)

 

Click here for a registration form

Click here for brochure

The conference will open with a welcoming gathering and orientation in the afternoon, of Friday the 30th of July, at approximately 4:00 pm. At that time conference participants can choose the workshops they are interested in attending. The conference ends with worship Sunday evening, August 1st. The Affirm United/S’affirmer Annual General Meeting will be held Monday, August 2nd from 9:00 am to Noon.

Answering God’s call, Affirm United/S’affirmer ensemble is an organization of people of within The United Church of Canada who work to provide the full inclusion of all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, differing abilities, or socio-economic status in the church and in society.

We are a worshipping, pastoral, and prophetic community celebrating the biblical and theological liberation. We believe that all people are created in the image of God and are unconditionally loved by God.
 

Tatamagouche Centre

Tatamagouche Centre one of four non-profit education, conference, and retreat centres of the United Church of Canada. Since 1955, the Centre has been offering its leadership to individuals, church groups, and community organizations. Situated on fifteen rolling acres, overlooking Tatamagouche Bay, on Northumberland Strait in Nova Scotia, the Centre is a natural gathering place in a relaxed and picturesque setting.

The conference is a weekend gathering, beginning Friday evening, July 30, 2010 and ending at noon on Monday August 2, with the Affirm United / S’affirmer ensemble Annual General Meeting.  The weekend promises to be an stimulating gathering with worship, fellowship, community building, interesting workshops and an engaging theme speaker.  

Theme Speaker ─ Michael Blair

Where’s the power in this “place for us all”? 

Is a “welcoming and inclusive” church really what we want? These are gracious words, but too often the reality behind them is that the welcoming comes from people of a dominant culture who have decided to include marginalized people in their church, suggests United Church minister Michael Blair.  Instead, says Michael, we need to become an intercultural church of “mutuality,” where members welcome each other and no-one holds the power. As theme speaker, Michael will focus on this vision for and on other ethnic, cultural, and racial justice issues he deals with in his executive post at the United Church’s national office.

Michael himself is no stranger to discrimination, in and out of the church: As a Black teen from Jamaica, he faced a variety of challenges. And, after finding his first calling to ministry in the Baptist Church, Michael was fired when he came out as gay.  With childhood experience in the Anglican and Pentecostal churches, and as a community chaplain with a multifaith program for ex-prisoners, Michael is at home with ecumenism.

The former director of a ministry serving homeless and marginalized people in east end Toronto, Michael lives in Toronto and has two teenage sons.

Workshops: 

Dancing Together  A celebration of the partnership between the United Church of Canada and Affirm United / S’affirmer ensemble as we work together to achieve social justice.

Living our Gender  A presentation and discussion on what is gender and how do we live out both our internal and external gender.

Bi-Ways of Life        A workshop examining the issues faced by those members of the community who self identify as bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, or just sexual.

The Call to Rural Ministry – A discussion and examination of the gifts and the pitfalls of ministry in a rural congregation.    

Affirming Ministries A workshop to discuss the need for Affirming Ministries within the United Church of Canada, the affirming process, and the expectations of Affirming Ministries. 

Atelier: S’affirmer ensemble en français.   
Affirm United/S’affirmer ensemble est une association majoritairement anglophone. Comment s'affirmer aussi en français? Comment vivons-nous cette marginalisation supplémentaire. S'affirmer c'est être GLBT et chrétien-ne. Quelles sont les barrières qui exclues et les problématiques qui divisent? Quelles sont les solutions pour pouvoir développer l’accès au francophones dans notre association et dans nos milieux?

United in Relationship  Similar to marriage preparation for heterosexual traditional couples, together we will explore different aspects of enriching relationships (communication and conflict skills, sharing histories, sexuality and spirituality).  This workshop will seek to honour a variety of relationships - emphasizing  the support needed for those in non-traditional relationships to honour and sustain the commitments they have made to each other.   This workshop is intended for both those who are in relationship and those who want to support others' relationships.

Our Home, now and in the future
An opportunity for people attending the conference to meet with the directors of Affirm United / S’affirmer ensemble to talk about events and programs in their home community and to name and discuss issues and programs Affirm United /S’affirmer ensemble can address in the future.   

Important Information

Accommodations:

The onsite accommodations are limited to 60 persons and are in shared rooms.

Off site Accommodations

There are several off site accommodations available in Tatamagouche.  A list of accommodations can be obtained by an internet search of “Tatamagouche Accommodations” or if you prefer, request a list from the conference organizing team at conference2010@affirmunited.ca

Finding Tatamagouche Centre

The Tatamagouche Centre is situated at, 259 Loop 6, RR3, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia B0K 1V0.  Tatamagouche is approximately 120 km north of the Halifax International Airport. 

 


Thanks to all the planners and participants who made 2009:  Celebrating Diversity Gifted in Human Form a wonderful event.

Click here for the brochure for this last summer's event.  

THEME SPEAKERS FOR 2009

Susan Beaver is the Vision Keeper at Francis Sandy Theological College. She will invite us to look at “Two-Spirited People” through the eyes of some of our First Nations.

Kim Uyede-Kai wowed us at Saskatoon last year and has graciously agreed to return again this year. Kim will offer insight to this year’s theme of “Celebrating Diversity Gifted in Human Form.”

For information (including speakers presentations, worship services and Sunday morning sermon) about the Saskatoon 2008 Creating Community with Welcome at the Edges . . . click here.

For information (including a report, links to Anne Squire's Sunday Address and to online photos) about the Peterborough 2007 Conference Never Doubt . . . click here.

 

At our banquet on the Saturday night of our Annual Conference two awards are presented.  Click on the name of the award to open a pdf nomination form.

 
 

Affirming Ministries Workshops

Let our webweaver know of upcoming workshops that you would like posted on our site.

 
 

Events by
Ecumenical Partners

(If you know of events that should be listed here, please send the details and web address to our webweaver. )

Affirm United Council Meetings

If you have any questions for Council - please e-mail questions to Council members before these dates:
 

Council Teleconference Meetings: 

  • March 22, 2010
  • May 10, 2010
  • June 14, 2010

Council Meeting:

  • February 11-13, 2010
  • July 29 - 30, 2010

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Affirm United/S’affirmer ensemble, go through the drop down menus at the top of this page.  If you do not find the information you seek, go to the list of Council members for contact information and e-mail one of the Council members with your question.  Please don't miss the suggestions for ways to support our ministry or related links and resources.  If you would like to know more about Affirming Ministries and related information - go to the Affirming Ministries page.

Email address: affirmunited@affirmunited.ca
Mailing address: P.O. Box 57057 Somerset Station, Ottawa, ON, K1R 1A1
Website address:  www.affirmunited.ca

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