Affirming LGBTQIA2S+

The Affirming program is both a process and recognition for ministries who strive to celebrate Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ people publicly, intentionally, and explicitly. Any ministry of any kind can become Affirming! Within our Regional Council there are many such ministries- with lots of room for growth. On this page you’ll find a short list of resources and an Affirming-related newsfeed (keep scrolling down).

A group of people holding a banner and trans flags. The banner reads "Knox United Church".

Knox United Church in Brandon, an Affirming ministry, marching in Brandon’s Pride parade.

In June 2019,  Prairie to Pine Regional Council voted to begin the Affirming process. This reflects its past commitments, when the former Conference of Manitoba and NW Ontario and all of its presbyteries were Affirming. Guided by a task group, the Regional Council and its members discerned how our new structure might live into the spirit and practice of being Affirming. At the October 2020 annual meeting of the Regional Council, the membership voted unanimously in favour of accepting the Vision Statement and Action Plan, and of becoming an Affirming Regional Council. This was a moment of great joy for the Affirming committee! A public celebration on May 30 2021, Our Place in the Rainbow, marked the final step in the formal journey, and the journey of growing into being Affirming began.

Click here for the Vision Statement. 
Click here for the Affirming Action Plan.
And scroll down for Affirming news. 

The Equity and Diversity Committee will carry the continuing work forward. Members are:  Meghan Chorney, Cathey Day,  Ken DeLisle (co-chair), Alan Gershuny, Stewart Hill, Yeseullyn Lee, Hope Mattus, Jamie Miller (co-chair), Linda Rodgers, and Don Schau. For privacy reasons, contact them through the Prairie to Pine office: prairietopine@united-church.ca

Have a look for  the many Affirming ministries in our Regional Council: on the AUSE site; and on the United Church of Canada ministry locator (check under MB and NW Ontario communities for both.) Many others who are not listed are currently in the Affirming process.

Affirming news

United Church News

During Earth Week, April 21‒28, let’s show up For the Love of Creation. Read More

Letter expresses gratitude for restored funding to UNRWA, but urges an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Read More

On March 21, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and every day there are many practical ways to work towards anti-racism. Read More

The Manual, 2024, is on the Handbooks and Guidelines page of this website, while older editions have been collected into a folder on the United Church Commons. Read More

The United Church of Canada joins Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble and Affirming Connections in urging individuals and communities of faith to commit to concerted efforts to be Public, Intentional,… Read More

Prairie to Pine Regional Council