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).
Knox United Church in Brandon, an Affirming ministry, marching in Brandon’s Pride parade.
The Equity and Diversity Committee will carry the continuing work forward and welcomes conversation with you. You can find their page and membership here.
Click here for the Vision Statement.
Click here for the Affirming Action Plan.
And scroll down for Affirming news.
Get in touch!
Have a look for the many Affirming ministries in our Regional Council: on the Affirm United national 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. And you are welcome to join our private Affirming Facebook group!
A little history
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.
Resources and info:
Affirm United/ S’affirmer Ensemble
Affirm United/ S’affirmer Ensemble
AUSE private Facebook group
Affirming PIE Day (14 March annually)
Resources and info: United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada: resources and overview
Celebrating Gender Identity Toolkit (PDF)
Affirming news
Letter in support of Rev Lee
Click here for a PDF version of this letter. For further background on the situation facing Rev Lee, please click here. Dear Rev. Lee Dong Hwan, May the peace of Christ be with you. We are writing...
Solidarity with Rev Lee Dong-hwan, Methodist Church in Korea
The United Church of Canada has many rich and long-standing partnerships with Christian denominations in South Korea. We are blessed by many Korean and Korean-Canadian ministers, lay leaders, and...
Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is internationally recognized on November 20th every year. This day raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people; it is a day to publicly...
Background on Remit 1 and voting on it
Remit 1 proposes a simple but very important gender-inclusive change to the language describing who is eligible to be a minister. Please find here a short resource to help voting delegates and the...
Voting on the Affirming vision statement
On September 30, 2020, we will gather for the first night of the Regional Gathering. One of the main topics will be the proposed Affirming ministry vision statement, which must pass by 75% in order...
Video on faith journeys of transgender Christians: free access for our Regional Council
Belonging in the Body asks transgender Christians to talk about their faith journey, and they do so with deep insight, grace, and love. This video is an excellent and important resource, and three...
Conversation: Breaking the Gender Binary, One Word at a Time
Join us Wednesday June 24, 5:00PM in BC, 6:00PM in AB and SK, 7:00PM in MB and NW ON. 90 minutes. All welcome! What is gender inclusive language and how does it have the power to embrace or exclude...
Draft Affirming vision statement for our Regional Council
DRAFT Affirming vision statement in support of the LGBTQI2S+ community Prairie to Pine Regional Council of The United Church of Canada April 2020 PDF version Prairie to Pine, a Regional Council of...
