“Remarkable.”
The Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre Mike Morrice said that he had never seen so many religious leaders from different faiths in one room. “Amazing,” he said with eyes wide open. Approximately 150 conference participants had gathered in Waterloo for the keynote opening address by Green Party Leader MP Elizabeth May on the role of faith communities in finding common ground in a time of polarization.
The past year has been another remarkable one for the Council. The 2022 Annual Report highlights the ever more relevant and timely work on intercultural leadership and discerning a theology of interculturality. I vividly remember Governing Board members in dialogue and questioning what interculturality means to them.
>>View the 2022 Annual Report of the Council
We are on the cusp of a remarkable Board meeting in Quebec City where we will meet to explore the meaning of secularism, laïcité and pluralism, to participate in a round table with young adults on the church in Québec today, to visit the site of the Sainte-Foi mosque shooting and join in an interfaith community conversation, and to reflect with church leadership on walking together toward the future of the church in Quebec.
ᐯᐦᐅᓇᐣ / Pêhonân – A Gathering-Waiting Place: Voices of Indigenous Followers of Jesus in the Ecumenical Movement invites a deeper understanding and appreciation of the wisdom, gifts, and experiences that Indigenous followers of Jesus offer the ecumenical movement and will take place June 8-10, 2023, in Edmonton, AB.
These diverse and important events across Canada are really the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Long-term relationships and sustained dialogue and learning make them possible.
As I’ve said on many occasions, we are a remarkably small but effective staff team.
And of course, you are remarkable. Your financial support, your prayers and work for a more faithful and just Canada, and your interest in the Council make these remarkable initiatives possible.
In Christ, and with respect and love,
Pastor Peter Noteboom
General Secretary
P.S. Your donations encourage us. Please help us do even more by making an online monthly donation today. Make an e-transfer to admin@councilofchurches.ca or visit our page at CanadaHelps: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-canadian-council-of-churches/.