Reaching in, Reaching out, Reaching Others.
On May 28 at 1:30 the Honourable Murray Sinclair speaks on the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action. Mr Sinclair is a retired Senator and past chair of the TRC. The TRC came about as part of the largest class action suit in Canada’s history- a reckoning of Indigenous and Canadian history with regard to our Residential Schools legacy.
Registration and more info at 
https://regionalcouncil789.formstack.com/forms/rr_justice_events
This video is a simple, powerful display of how useful masks are in preventing the spread of Covid19. BenefitsOfMasksInCovidCounting to four
Easter Greetings from President Van Patter
With Easter just days away, I share the following with you. It is called I Deny the Resurrection and is penned by Irish philosopher and theologian Peter Rollins. Rollins challenges us to proclaim the Good News of Resurrection, not only with our Halleluiahs in worship, but also through our actions in the community and in the world daily.
“I deny the resurrection of Christ every time I do not serve at the feet of the oppressed, each day that I turn my back on the poor; I deny the resurrection of Christ when I close my ears to the cries of the downtrodden and the oppressed. Every time I do not serve my neighbour, every time I walk away from the poor… I deny the resurrection every time I participate in an unjust system. However there are moments when I affirm that resurrection, few and far between as they are. I affirm the resurrection when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees. I affirm the resurrection when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out. I affirm the resurrection, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed. I affirm the resurrection each and every time I look into your eyes and see the face of Christ.”
May it be so for you and all communities of faith. Oh, and Easter weekend, April 1-4, offers an incredible opportunity for you to join in celebrating diversity in Canada. Against the Grain Theatre Company in Toronto is making available its production of Messiah/Complex – songs from Handel’s Messiah sung by a truly cross-Canada performance — in Arabic, Dene, English, French, Inuktitut, and Southern Tutchone, and accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Well worth the 80 minutes! Go to the website https://atgtheatre.com/upcoming/messiah-complex/ and stream from there.
In Faith & Hope, President, Antler River Watershed Regional Council
V. Jane van Patter
Read about Mambud – a pastor living in Sierra Leone who began helping the thousands of amputees from their civil war, who is partly supported by the United Church’s Mission and Service Fund.