Month: April 2018

Sanctuary Open Today for Prayers, Candle Lighting & Reflection

April 24, 2018

LEASIDE UNITED CHURCH Sanctuary Open Today for Prayers, Candle Lighting & Reflection

In response to yesterday’s events in North York, during this difficult time our sanctuary will be open today, Tuesday April 24th from 12:00pm-6:00pm for prayer, candle lighting & quiet reflection.  Our Minister Rev. Emily Gordon will be available for you to come with your thoughts and prayers. You are welcome and not alone.

With many blessings,

Leaside United Church

822 Millwood Road (at McRae) | (416) 425-1253

Celebrating Two Years as an Affirming Congregation!

April 20, 2018

This Sunday we have the opportunity to celebrate two years as an officially welcoming and affirming congregation. Some of you might wonder whether this matters, and I’m sure for some people it does not have a direct impact. We have, however, had more than one couple reach out to our congregation interested in marriage specifically because of our affirming status. Our congregation offered a space that was safe, or that fit with their own personal values and the ones they wanted associated with their marriage.

Being an affirming congregation is an intentional welcome to everyone who is a part of the LGTBQ+ community, and this matters because the church has a long history (and in many places not just history) of excluding and condemning people for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Given this context, we can’t expect anyone who isn’t part of our community already to know that we would not be the same – unless we tell them directly. And, whether or not we ourselves or people we know are a part of the LGTBQ+ community, being an affirming congregation means that we are ourselves working to become an instance of sacred community, a place where the divine in all people is not just permitted but embraced.

That’s my sermon, because on Sunday you won’t be hearing me preach! Instead, we’ll hear people from our congregation responding to the question: “What does it mean for you to be part of an affirming congregation?” I look forward to hearing the short reflections along with you.

With many blessings, Rev. Emily Gordon

Emily’s Weekday Wonderings – April 17th, 2018

April 19, 2018

I didn’t sleep well Saturday night. I kept waking up with the wind whistling around our house. It seemed to sweep those night time spaces bare, and even though I was cosy under blankets, it felt exposed. When I woke up Sunday morning, one of my colleagues sent a text saying he was cancelling their service, and I briefly considered doing the same – but I knew that not everyone would get a message, and I couldn’t imagine how terrible it would be to trek through ice, snow, and wind only to find the church closed. So I made the long trip to the church by transit (watching as we passed someone out for a jog), and worked on coordinating messages encouraging people to stay home safe, and to cancel different things that would have been happening.

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