Prairie to Pine Regional Council

Regional Council COVID-19 Ministry Personnel check in and info gatherings, March 24, 2020
2020-03-24 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Winnipeg) | Manitoba
We’re settling in for a (virtual) community marathon. Fortunately, Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us a model to follow.
Prairie to Pine, Living Skies, and Northern Spirit Regional Councils will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word. If you can’t make it to your Region’s meeting time, please attend one of the other meetings.
Questions? Ideas for topics or groups? Want to learn how to host your own group call with your Cluster? Contact Julie Graham, Communications/ justice regional minister: jgraham@united-church.ca or 306-244-2157 and she can pass your thoughts on to colleagues. Remember, all staff are working. Don’t hesitate to contact us; see general contact info below.
Tech stuff: Use the meeting web links below. These will be updated as needed. Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Edmonton in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below.
Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.
Northern Spirit: 1:30 pm MDT (AB and NWT); 12:30 pm PDT (BC). Ministry personnel currently serving Pastoral Charges and other ministry sites are especially encouraged to attend.
https://united-church.zoom.us/j/361232412

Living Skies: 1:00 PM Saskatchewan. Every week on Tuesday at this time, until further notice. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/705926119
Prairie to Pine: 3:00 PM in MB and NW ON. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/2202944232

Regional Council COVID-19 Lay Leaders check in and info gatherings, March 25, 2020
2020-03-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Manitoba
We’re settling in for a (virtual) community marathon. Fortunately, Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us a model to follow.
Prairie to Pine, Living Skies, and Northern Spirit Regional Councils will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word. If you can’t make it to your Region’s meeting time, please attend one of the other meetings.
Questions? Ideas for topics or groups? Want to learn how to host your own group call with your Cluster? Contact Julie Graham, Communications/ justice regional minister: jgraham@united-church.ca or 306-244-2157 and she can pass your thoughts on to colleagues. Remember, all staff are working. Don’t hesitate to contact us; see general contact info below.

Tech stuff: Use the meeting web links below. These will be updated as needed. Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Edmonton in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below.
Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.
Everyone, especially lay leaders: Wednesdays at 5:30 PM in BC; 6:30 PM AB, SK, NWT; 7:30 MB and NW Ontario. Some meetings will have specific resource people and others will be check ins.
March 25: Treasurers especially take note! Meeting with Erik Mathiesen, the United Church’s Chief Financial Officer. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/978525442 Meeting ID: 978 525 442

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check ins, April and May
2020-03-31 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
Ministry personnel only, please: Tuesdays at the times below, until further notice. If you can’t make your Regional Council’s time, you’re welcome to join one of the other gatherings.
Prairie to Pine: 3:00 PM in MB and NW ON. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/5662855587
Northern Spirit: 1:30 pm MDT (AB and NWT); 12:30 pm PDT (BC)
https://united-church.zoom.us/j/321902159
Living Skies: 1:00 PM Saskatchewan. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/705926119
Prairie to Pine, Living Skies, and Northern Spirit Regional Councils will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word. If you can’t make it to your Region’s meeting time, please attend one of the other meetings.
Questions? Ideas for topics or groups? Want to learn how to host your own group call with your Cluster? Contact Julie Graham, Communications/ justice regional minister: jgraham@united-church.ca or 306-244-2157 and she can pass your thoughts on to colleagues. Remember, all staff are working. Don’t hesitate to contact us; see general contact info below.
Tech stuff: Use the meeting web links above. These will be updated as needed. Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Edmonton in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below. Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.

APRIL 8 CANCELLED Regional Council COVID-19 lay leaders’ check ins, April and May
2020-04-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Everyone, especially lay leaders: Wednesdays at 5:30 PM in BC; 6:30 PM AB, SK, NWT; 7:30 MB and NW Ontario. Some meetings will have specific resource people and others will be general check ins.
Prairie to Pine, Living Skies, and Northern Spirit Regional Councils will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word.
Questions? Ideas for topics or groups? Want to learn how to host your own group call with your Cluster? Contact Julie Graham, Communications/ justice regional minister: jgraham@united-church.ca or 306-244-2157 and she can pass your thoughts on to colleagues. Remember, all staff are working.
Tech stuff
Use this meeting link:
https://united-church.zoom.us/j/978525442
Meeting ID: 978 525 442.
Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Brandon in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below. Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check-ins April and May
2020-04-28 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba

Regional Council COVID-19 lay leaders' check ins, April
2020-04-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Manitoba

Members of Ministry and Personnel Committee
2020-04-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Manitoba
Topic for April 29: Members of Ministry and Personnel Committees. Please share this note with your M&P committee! 5:30PM Pacific; 6:30 PM in AB, SK, and NWT; 7:30 PM in MB and NW Ontario.
Meeting link for all Wednesdays: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/978525442
(Do not post this link on social media or your congregational website, please. Share it by email.)

Lay leadership Wednesday evening meetings are being cancelled after this week. We will gather as needed as the situation continues to evolve. Watch your newsletter and Facebook for invitations!

Affirming Leaders event online!
2020-05-02 11:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
You’re invited to the premiere Online Affirming Leaders Day!
Join us from anywhere in the world on Saturday May 2. Visit our Eventbrite page for tickets. AND for a limited time, we are offering a promo code for any staff or volunteers who work with any type of United Church Ministry.
Enter code: UCC for $5 off your registration!When: Saturday, May 2, 2020 – 10am-4pm MST
Where: On Zoom, you can watch/listen from your computer, tablet, or smart phone, from anywhere in the world!
Tickets: $10-$20. Every ticket type gives you access to ALL of the sessions.
Enter promo code: UCC for $5 off your registration.
Affirming Leaders Day is a faith-based development & connection day for allied and LGBTQ2S+ folks. All are welcome to join us online.
Featuring David Hayward – the cartoonist NakedPastor, Shylo Rosborough, Singer-Songwriter Kate Reid, and Rev. Mark Chiang!
David Hayward, aka the NakedPastor, will share how he became a friend to LGBTQ+ people and is now considered by many to be an ally. He will also explain why he expresses himself and his ideas through his art and cartoons online. He will also share several of these through slides during his presentation.
Kate Reid: Slam poetry meets folk music meets LGBTQ+ themed tunes in singer-songwriter Kate Reid. Kate is funny, passionate, queer as a three-dollar bill, and is sure to entertain. Kate will perform music and screen their recent short film on gender identity!
Rev. Mark Chiang: The Cultural Dynamics of Queer and Trans Ministry. The experience of queerness varies across the world. Without an awareness of our cultural differences, we risk causing harm when engaging in ministry with LGBTQ+ newcomers to Canada when imposing our Canadian understanding of sexual identity. This workshop will introduce you to the scholarship of queer post-colonial theologians from Latin America, Asia, and Africa, who demonstrate the role colonialism plays in shaping our debates on sexuality.
Shylo Rosborough: Transgender & Christian: A New Look at Gender in the Bible. This session will outline different ways to interpret what we find in the Bible about Gender and embodiment.
Visit our Facebook event for the latest

Regional Council COVID_19 ministry personnel check-ins, April and May
2020-05-05 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check-ins, April and May
2020-05-12 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba

Tri-Region Lay Leadership meeting
2020-05-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Manitoba
(NOTE: TRI-Region Lay leadership Wednesday evening meetings are now occasional only. Please watch the calendar.)

Wednesday May 13: Topic: Questions and answers for re-opening your churches. Please share this note with your board chair, ministry personnel or anyone who wants to be involved in the conversation. 5:30PM in BC; 6:30PM in SK/AB/NWT; 7:30PM in MB/NO. Meeting link: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/92436034028 ; Toll-free 1-855-703-8985 Meeting ID: 924 3603 4028 (Do not post this link on social media or your congregational website, please. Share it by email.)

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check-ins, April and May
2020-05-19 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba
Ministry personnel only, please: Tuesdays at the time below, until further notice.
3:00 PM in MB and NW ON. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/5662855587
Prairie to Pine Regional Council will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word.
Tech stuff: Use the meeting web links above. These will be updated as needed. Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Brandon in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below. Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check-ins, April and May
2020-05-26 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba
Ministry personnel only, please: Tuesdays at the time below, until further notice.
Prairie to Pine: 3:00 PM in MB and NW ON. https://united-church.zoom.us/j/5662855587
Prairie to Pine Regional Council will hold ministry personnel and lay leadership check-ins every week. Some may have specific information sessions as the situation evolves, but we’ll also take time for prayer and connecting with each other. Details are below. Please help spread the word.
Tech stuff: Use the meeting web links above. These will be updated as needed. Remember: you can use your land line or cell to call in, and using your computer/ phone video is optional. If your internet connection is as slow as molasses going uphill in Brandon in January, dial in. The meeting ID you’ll need is the number that’s in the respective web addresses below. Toll free number for everyone: 1-855-703-8985.

POSTPONED 2020 Prairie to Pine Regional Meeting
2020-05-28 15:00 - 2020-05-30 15:30 | Steinbach, Manitoba
THE REGIONAL COUNCIL EXECUTIVE HAS CANCELLED THE IN-PERSON 2020 PRAIRIE TO PINE REGIONAL COUNCIL MEETING IN STEINBACH, MANITOBA, MAY 28-30.
A MEETING WILL BE HELD IN THE FALL INSTEAD. MORE DETAILS WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Please see the regional meeting page for details.

Regional Council COVID-19 ministry personnel check-ins
2020-06-02 15:00 - 16:30, 2020-06-09 15:00 - 16:30, 2020-06-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Manitoba

Indigenous Heritage Month Series: Foundations of the Indigenous United Church
2020-06-07 15:00 - 16:30, 2020-06-14 15:00 - 16:30, 2020-06-21 15:00 - 16:30, 2020-06-28 15:00 - 16:30 | Zoom, Canada
Every Sunday in June at 2:00 PM in AB and SK: come explore the foundations of the Indigenous Church in the United Church of Canada. These sessions are open to everyone to come and learn. For additional information or to register and get your meeting link, please register here or contact: right.relations@hillhurstunited.com
Sessions:
June 7 – Foundations: Indigenous Women’s Spirituality with Rev. Bernice Saulteaux
June 14 – Formation: Indigeneity in Christian Formation with the Very Reverend Stan McKay
June 21 – Indigenous People’s Day/Mission: The Indigenous Church, Mission and Call with Rev. John Snow Jr.
June 28 – Vision: The Caretakers Report and the Future Indigenous Church with Adrian Jacobs, Keeper of the Circle, Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centre.
Many thanks to these elders and knowledge keepers, and to the Right Relations Circle at Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, for offering us the space to learn together.

Governing Bodies and Ministry Personnel Gathering-June 10, 2020
2020-06-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Manitoba
This is another opportunity for members from governing bodies and Ministry Personnel from Prairie to Pine Regional Council to gather together in a ZOOM meeting to discuss any matters related to making decisions and developing plans for re-opening of buildings.
Meeting Link: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/93219486638?pwd=[REDACTED]
Joining by phone only:

Please dial 1-647-558-0588;
Meeting ID: 932 1948 6638
Password: [REDACTED]
press # when prompted for Participant ID

Western Intercultural chai and coffee check in
2020-06-23 13:30 - 15:00 | Zoom, Canada
Join the Western Intercultural Network with your tea, chai, coffee (or water) in hand. We’ll talk about how we’re all doing, and discuss the racism COVID is bringing to light as well as strategies for confronting it. We’ll also share updates on our fall gathering, now moving online for September and October.
Time: Jun 23, 2020 11:30 AM Pacific; 12:30 PM in AB, NWT, and SK; 1:30PM in MB and NW Ontario
https://united-church.zoom.us/j/97973729801

Congregational Finances Webinar
2020-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Manitoba
Erik Mathiesen and Clyde Harris are back with another webinar on Congregational Finances tomorrow, June 24 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. This week they’ll talk about the Federal government’s $40K small business loan program. Initially excluded in April, the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) is now available to churches that meet the other eligibility criteria, notably generating revenue from rentals or the sale of goods and services as reported on their annual charitable return. This webinar will review the details of the program, as they apply to churches, and walk through the steps your church needs to follow to apply for it. Find out more.

Breaking the Gender Binary, One Word at a Time
2020-06-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom, Canada
Conversations about gender diversity and the power of language, 6:00PM in AB and SK, 7:00PM in MB and NW ON.
What is gender inclusive language and how does it have the power to embrace or exclude non-binary, Two Spirit, trans, agender, and gender queer people? Join us for a practical discussion about evolving language and personal perspectives on its importance. All welcome.
The Zoom link is here. Need to phone in? 1-855 703 8985 (Canada Toll-free) and enter meeting ID
940 3191 7505
Password: [REDACTED]
This gathering is especially recommended for Regional Council delegates who will be voting on Remit 1 this fall. In the fall of 2020, delegates to the regional annual meeting will be voting on a remit to make a small but important change to the Basis of Union. Current wording about eligibility for ministry uses “men and women”, and the wording would be changed to “all people”, to reflect a diversity of gender identities. (Further background is here.)

Prairie to Pine Ministry Personnel Zoom Connection
2020-08-25 15:00 - 17:00 | Manitoba
As Ministry Personnel look to the fall and what ministry might look like for them in September, the Prairie to Pine Pastoral Relations Minister invites you to gather together for 90 minutes on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. (Central time) with her and one another through ZOOM. The plan is for check –in with one another about what the summer has been like and where things are at in your context as some look to re-engaging some activities and/or worship this fall. What will a blended job description look like?
Here are the details for the ZOOM connection:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://united-church.zoom.us/j/94173665258?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 941 7366 5258
Password: [REDACTED]

One tap mobile
+16473744685,,92776672573# Canada
+16475580588,,92776672573# Canada

Dial by your location
* Please use local numbers when feasible to save costs for the church. *
+1 204 272 7920
1-855 703 8985 Canada Toll-free

Meeting ID: 941 7366 5258
Find your local number: https://united-church.zoom.us/u/aeDXOpXvGB

Join by Skype for Business
https://united-church.zoom.us/skype/94173665258

Ministry Personnel Support Gathering
2020-09-08 15:00 - 17:00, 2020-09-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Manitoba
A decision was made by those gathered together on August 25th,2020 in the Ministry Personnel support gathering on ZOOM that such gatherings would be offered every second week. That means that the next opportunity to gather for check in and sharing will be Tuesday, September 08, 2020 using the links below. Subsequent gatherings will be held on September 22, October 6 & 20 and November 3 and 17th, 2020. Here is the Zoom link information.

Lay Leaders in Communities of Faith Check-in
2020-09-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Manitoba
After the summer break we thought it important that there be an opportunity for lay leaders and Pastoral Charge Supervisors in Communities of Faith to gather together via ZOOM to check in, share news about protocols developed around re-opening of buildings ,re-engagement of activities and/or identify any questions that they might have related to COVID 19 matters related to worshiping communities at this point in our pandemic journey . People are invited to gather via ZOOM on Tuesday, September 15th, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Please use the links below. The frequency of future meetings will be determined at that time. Here is the Zoom link information.

New Wine: Western Intercultural Gathering online
2020-09-25 11:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
New Wine: Western Intercultural Gathering online this fall with Eric Law and Tony Snow
We can’t gather in Calgary as planned, but we can come together online, even bigger than before! Join us for part 2 of last year’s cross-Canada gathering of people committed to the United Church’s intercultural vision. Rev. Dr. Eric Law and Tony Snow will be our lead resource people.

When: Fridays on September 25, October 2, and October 9, 2020.
Cost: FREE. Thank you to the Regional Councils who support our network through their budgets, and to the people of the United Church of Canada, who support this ministry through your Mission and Service givings.
Full information: https://bit.ly/2CqFRjt
Sessions are free but registration is still required; please click here.
Click here for our Facebook event.

The sessions will begin at 9:00 AM Pacific; 10:00AM in AB; 11:00AM in MB and NW Ontario; noon in ON and QC; 1:00PM in the Maritimes and 1:30 in NL.
These will be three hour sessions, with presentations and small group discussion. Tools for talking with your ministry or others between sessions will be offered.
Our lead resource people
Rev. Dr. Eric H. F. Law is the founder and executive director of the Kaleidoscope Institute, which provides resources to equip church leaders to create diverse and sustainable communities. He has been a consultant and trainer for over 25 years, working with the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, United Methodist, Presbyterian, American Baptist, United Church of Christ and Lutheran churches in the United States, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. He is the author of over 10 books including Finding Intimacy in a World of Fear, Holy Currencies, Drawing on Holy Currencies, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb (also available in Spanish), and Inclusion: Making Room for Grace.
He is an Episcopal priest, a composer of church music, a photographer and a playwright. He writes a weekly blog called The Sustainist: Spirituality for Sustainable Communities in a Networked World. http://ehflaw.typepad.come/blog/
Tony Snow is a member of Treaty #7 from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation in Morley. He is a direct descendent of Treaty signers from his Nation, and his father, the late Rev. Dr. Chief John Snow Sr., was the first ordained Indigenous minister in the United Church in Alberta. Tony Snow is an Indigenous theologian, scholar, and writer, with expertise in Indigenous governance, management, and consultation. He was raised with both Christian and Indigenous traditional teachings and is currently studying ministry in both. Tony is the Indigenous Lead for the Chinook Winds Region of the United Church and the Indigenous Lead for Hillhurst United Church in Calgary.
