Justice ~ News for the Week of September 19, 2025 and Beyond

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Dear Friend,

Autumn blessings of crisp mornings and turning leaves to you. I hope this mid-September update finds you well, held by the turning of the season and by circles of connection and community.

September marks a turning toward the blessings of harvest and the solace of winter. Let us not, in our eagerness to acknowledge and express gratitude for blessings, forget that we are called to witness injustice and places where there is work to be done as well. September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, this day to reflect and to participate in nourishing a culture of respectful relationship and healing. If we are truly to cultivate this culture of healing, we must also be prepared to continually invest energy, time, attention, financial gifts and effort into sowing these seeds of solidarity, and reaping justice. In this mid-month update you will find opportunities and resources to support your engagement in Orange Shirt Day events and programs, and to help you discern seeds you would like to sow in your own community.

I would like to offer two pieces for prayer and contemplation, as we move into this time of slowing paces and deepening solidarity. The first is is a video of Rev. Murray Pruden sharing the teachings of the Four Nations of the Earth in his sermon for Indigenous Day of Prayer at Canadian Memorial United Church in 2023. In this excerpt, he shares how we all together are responsible for our collective well-being and growth, how we are responsible for one another, and how each nation’s responsibility is equally sacred, equally important for the flourishing of God’s vision for humanity and for creation on Earth. Take a moment to watch this short video here.

The second is a prayer for intercession at a time of harvest offered by the Iona Community:

Ruth, Naomi and Orpah were destitute, in need of refuge: We pray for an end to poverty.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.
Ruth was a foreigner, of the ‘wrong’ religion and race: We pray for an end to war and the hatred that feeds it.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.
Ruth, Naomi and Orpah were women, with fewer rights than men: We pray for an end to discrimination and the violence it feeds.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.
Boaz had power – land, money and authority: We pray for all who hold power in our complex world.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.
Ruth, Naomi and Orpah were grieving: We pray for an end to suffering.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.
Ruth found a home with Naomi and Boaz: May we find community between us and a home with you.
Bring us your harvest of justice and peace.

May we all work for God’s harvest of justice and peace.

In solidarity,

Kendra Mitchell-Foster
Regional Minister: Justice, Pacific Mountain Regional Council
KMitchellFoster@united-church.ca
1-800-934-0434 (within BC) or +1-604-431-0434
Lheidli T’enneh Territory
Prince George, BC
PacificMountain.ca/Justice-Network

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

On September 30th we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or Orange Shirt Day. We witness and honour the healing journey of survivors and families of the residential school experience, and we remember those who didn’t make it home.

This year, there are many ways that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation can be honoured, observed and remembered. Importantly, we as the United Church are called to live into Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples faithfully, intentionally, and respectfully. Holding this day as an intentional pause, keeping this time separate from the rest of our “to do” lists or our holiday plans, is essential to supporting the spiritual foundation of reconciliation within ourselves and within our communities. On this day, many local First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Indigenous organizations will hold ceremony and events to call people into relationship. Showing up to these events with open hearts, open minds, humility and loving-kindness is a spiritual practice, one that helps to guide us toward walking this path of decolonization in a good way.

For NDTR or Orange Shirt Day, you can:

• Organize a group from your congregation, community of faith, or neighbourhood to attend local NDTR events together
  purchase your orange shirt (if you need one) from an approved Indigenous organization, ensuring that you are investing in reconciliation efforts properly. You can find a list of suppliers on the Orange Shirt Day website 
• Organize an orange tshirt pin campaign in your congregation or community of faith, encouraging acknowledgement of the importance of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples beyond Sept 30. You can order beaded pins here and an Orange Shirt Day affiliated website
• Organize an event either before or after September 30th to learn about, encourage dialogue on, and make community action plans for reconciliation. Scheduling your event on a different day than the local Indigenous event is respectful. Some event ideas may be:
  • Host a film screening for Sugarcane, a film that tells the story of Indigenous people from Williams Lake, BC and residential school survivors
  • Host a conversation evening on the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Report, paying attention not only to the church-specific calls, and asking “How can we as people of faith act to pressure organizations and the government to make further progress on these calls to action?”
  • Holding and Orange Shirt Day worship service on Orange Shirt Sunday, September 28th
  • Engage with reading some of the resources available on the Pacific Mountain Region Indigenous Ministries webpages for Residential Schools and Recommended Reading, and exploring how these might inform faithful action for reconciliation in your community
  • Create an event or series of events to educate yourself and your community on current challenges to Indigenous sovereignty here in Canada, and what we can do to support efforts to uphold the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (to which Canada is a signatory)
  • Host a community session to learn about the United Church Justice and Reconciliation Fund to see if you and your community would be eligible to undertake a project, program or event to further reconciliation efforts

For inspiration, you can find Moderator Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne’s 2024 Orange Shirt Day message here, and ensure you keep your ears open for Moderator Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath’s forthcoming Orange Shirt Day message to share at your Orange Shirt Sunday worship on September 28th.

Affirming Ministry

Affirming ministry reaches far beyond the PIE to Pride Season. If you are wondering how to integrate Pride enthusiasm and energy into your ministry, outreach, community events, and justice programming, this event is for you! We will be joined by four spectacular speakers that will share stories and ideas of how to animate Affirming ministry and allyship in radical, spirit-filled and faithful ways. This event is free, and all are welcome.

You can register for this zoom event here and at the link below.

ZOOM REGISTRATION 

Drag and Spirituality Summit 2025

International Drag & Spirituality Summit is in it’s third year and is the first-of-its-kind gathering at intersection of drag and spirituality. Join drag performers and faith leaders from around the globe for a stunning and sacred three-day summit in Vancouver, BC.

Feed the spirit and celebrate the body with powerful panel discussions, inspiring practitioner presentations, and—of course—fierce and fabulous performances.

Drag & Spirituality Summit will also offer opportunities to join us virtually.

You can register for this conference here or at the registration link below. Don’t miss this ground-breaking event that invites you into a radical expression of queer, affirming and inclusive theology.

REGISTER HERE

EcoJustice, Solidarity with Palestine, & Anti-Poverty Action

Join in the massive global movement of Draw The Line on Saturday, September 20th. 

“We refuse to stand by while the government and Canada’s richest corporations hoard wealth, gut our public services, fuel climate collapse, attack migrants, exploit Indigenous lands, and prop up a genocide in Palestine.

They think that if they can overwhelm and divide us, we won’t fight back. But climate justice, migrant justice, economic justice, Indigenous rights, and anti-war movements are uniting to prove them wrong.

On Saturday, September 20th, we’re drawing the line— for People. For Peace. For the Planet.

From rallies to strikes, marches to gatherings, this September 20th, communities will mobilize across the country and demand that Prime Minister Carney and the Canadian government pick a side: injustice, violence, and climate destruction— or a just and safe future for all of us.”