Rev. Dr. Sharon Ballantyne, Growth Animator, Atlantic Canada
506-306-0500 – sballantyne@united-church.ca
Thank you for checking out growth ideas. My name is Sharon Ballantyne (she/her). I have been serving in the role of growth animator for Atlantic Canada since November 1, 2023. I am part of the national growth department, regionally deployed to serve UCC-East. We have six growth animators across the country. I would love to set up a zoom chat, have a phone call or correspond by email to learn more about the life and work of your community of faith. Whether you are in a place of challenge and uncertainty or thriving and flourishing, or anywhere in-between. Let’s connect.
We might chat about how you are strengthening invitation, what it means for you to be deep, bold and daring, how you are renewing, creating and inviting. How are you getting to know your neighbours? Maybe you want to request a neighbourhood profile. Where are you noticing God at work? What new things are you exploring? How are you experiencing hope? Share your story and ideas. Perhaps you need some prayer time, or are looking for some resources. Growth has so many forms as we all strive to love one another, take care of creation and be transformed by God’s love.
Dear God,
Put us where we need to be.
Show us what we need to do.
Amen.
2025 Quarterly Compilation to Communities of Faith
Quarter 3 – July to September
Quarter 2 – April to June
Quarter 1 – January to March
September 17, 2025- Great Ideas 101: Gratitude and Peace
September 21 is World Gratitude Day and International Day of Peace. It is also the fall equinox.
One church I know is putting out portable white boards inviting people to leave messages of gratitude. Is there a local public space you can invite sharing of expressions of gratitude? Beyond the immediacy of this Sunday, you might tie it in with World Communion the first Sunday in October, October 5, or Thanksgiving weekend the following weekend. Is there a community partner or partners you can work with to extend gratitude among your neighbours? A community of faith is planning to offer a “free lunch” to passers-by from their picnic table, while delivering a “free lunch” to the people who work in the shops in their area. Plan to take a table to a local fall theme event, such as at the local high school, offering some refreshments, support, encouragement, and prayerful presence. Connect with annual Terry Fox runs, fall football and other sports events. What a difference a cup of water might make! There is great gratitude in giving. Gather a group to visit a long-term care facility to visit, to read, to residents. Deliver greeting cards to brighten a day. Connect with the local humane society and visit some furry friends awaiting adoption. Write a note of thanks to someone. …Add sharing of gratitude moments to worship.
Share your ideas with me.
Everyone is reminded to also join our casual virtual drop in each Wednesday morning on Sharon’s zoom 9:45 Atlantic and 10:15 NL for thirty minutes.
September 10, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Great Greeting
Are your greeters ready? If you have one or two people who greet, increase the positive impact by creating a team. Encourage and equip all people in your congregation to increase their comfort in greeting others, deepening relationships and creating connections. Imagine if everyone stretched their comfort and took time to speak with one more person than feels usual. Make sure all of your community of faith learn to say good morning to all they see in the parking lot. Have a door greeter who opens the door, offers welcome and introduces themselves, saying their name, learning names of visitors or people they do not know, or need a refresher on remembering their name. Do you have name tag greeters, offering name tags to all arriving, ready to create new ones for any visitors (don’t forget to include pronouns)? Provide some training with possible greeting words. Nothing more awkward than a greeter so kindly asking “is this your first time here?” only to be told it is their third or fourth visit. Learn how we can reduce those awkward moments! When a person identifies it is there first time, be ready with your visitor package, and introduce them to another greeter who can show them around, get them comfortable, introduce them to others, answer questions and help them to a seat that suits the visitors. Thinking outside the box, one community of faith moved coffee and muffins outside, stationed at a picnic table by the road, serving conversation and refreshments for thirty minutes before worship. It is so successful even when church closed for a few weeks in the summer, people decided to continue with their outside fellowship time. Consider the connections and comfort building for the after worship fellowship. Share your out of the box ideas and best practices, experiments to connect and how greeting is great at your community of faith. I can help you to renew and create great greeting practices customizing to your context.
September 03, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Open the Doors
Open the doors! Every time you can safely do so, make a point of opening your doors, perhaps putting out a sandwich board invitation sign, a sign on the door, posting on social media or your website, posting intentional times of “open doors” for people to come in, to enjoy the sanctuary space, for prayer and quiet, or if you have volunteers to do so, share a tour about your space. One church hosted tours this summer and found locals and tourists alike really found the experience wonderful.
When your musicians come in to practice, can it be open doors? Can you set a welcome table outside your doors (weather permitting) or just inside your open doors that offers light refreshments, perhaps a sharing table, or information about your community of faith?
Is it time to revisit your narthex, foyer or other entryways, to do a “refresh” to ensure that an opening of your door is giving the most welcoming, inclusive invitation of radical hospitality, generosity and belonging for all? What do your entry doors say about you.
Is your door in good shape, does it convey being cared for? Does it have appropriate signage communicating what visitors and other newcomers need to know, or do only the familiar know what the door accesses are. Consider using a drone to get a photo “bird’s eye” view, to be able to clearly indicate locations and desired entry doors, or other creative information, capturing perspective.
Do a walk through every room in your building, really noticing the messages and communication when you open the door to any space!
Share your ideas and discoveries with me.
August 27, 2025-Growth Ideas 101: Cups of Water Connection
People have offered a lot of drinks of water through this hot summer, to family, to friends, to strangers and every cup has provided connection to a person. It might be a brushing of hands, eye contact, a smile, a nod, a “thank you,” a time of conversation. Recognizing ourselves as disciples and our ministries in the smallest acts of kindness, like a drink of water, might not feel like ministry for some, but it is powerful ministry, one small act of love at a time. What are the ways you can recognize the small acts? Pray for them. Give thanks for them. Create them. Strengthen them. Make each small moment matter. How can you offer a “cup of water” experience? Consider who can be present as people come to use your building for events, like registration/sign-up for activity groups beginning their fall routines, other user and rental groups.
Share your ideas with me.
August 20, 2025– Growth Ideas 101: Back To School and September Start-Ups
Maximize the opportunities of connecting with neighbours in back to school and September start-up routines. Explore what makes sense in your context. Host one-time or regular prayer walks/drives for school zone areas (students, families, staff, before and after school care, bus drivers, crossing guards, nutrition providers). Collect back to school supplies and hygiene essentials. Create blessing bags. Create backpack tags. Have blessing of backpacks event. Offer in-school volunteering or tutoring, or after school programs. Offer a homework club. Create initiatives to invite post-secondary students for a meal. Start up a Bible study or activity group for preschoolers and their caregivers. Coordinate neighbourhood fall clean-ups. Partner up with school food programs or local food banks to support breakfast or lunch programs or “pack-a-sack” initiatives to send home food on Fridays that families will have over the weekend. Organize clothing and toy swat. Focus craft activities to make hats, mitts and scarves. Work with other churches and “adopt a class” for all the classes in your local school. Send encouragement cards. Host a back-to-school picnic or BBQ. Start a tiny lending library or pantry at your community of faith location. Invite people to Sunday School or spruce up your prayground sanctuary activity space and “pew packs. Invite youth to take roles of responsibility and leadership. Promote youth group kick-offs, … Do what works for you!
Share your ideas with me.
August 13, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Bible Studies
What ideas are you thinking about for Bible Study, perhaps hosted in a more visible location than inside your community of faith – a public space like a coffee shop, restaurant, community centre, gathering room in an apartment building, library, in a retirement community centre, long-term care home, or out on your church’s own front lawn? (Re)generate participant Tori Mullin and growth animator colleague, shared this practice they did at the re) generate gathering. “Remember and tell the story
Led by John Bell at Five Oaks, June 2025
1. Read the first three verses of a bible story aloud.
2. Invite participants to sit in groups of 2-4 and finish telling the story to one another from memory.
3. As a large group, walk through the story together from the Biblical text. What did you remember? What did you miss?
Consider sharing different versions of the Bible text for added reflection. What are your take-a-ways? Do you have other ideas for Bible study practices?
Share your ideas with me.
August 6, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Video Discussion Starter for Visions, Dreams, Imagining Church in 2035
What are your hopes for your community of faith, imagining the next decade? In an eleven-minute video, participants from the Moderator’s (re) generate program offer their hopes for the church in 2035. You can watch it here.
The video was shared at the June 28 virtual meeting of GC 45.
You might invite people to have a watch party and follow-up discussion in your own context. Share the video as a sermon message or with one of your teams, committees or small groups. Let’s talk about your fears and your hopes. I am happy to set up a zoom call 1:1 or with a group. We could have a phone call. You could send me a video clip or an email sharing your feedback.
July 30, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Invite Them Back
Many people have shared that people who were active in communities of faith have not come back after Covid. Can you relate? Often after people are away for a time, they don’t know how to come back. They are concerned about what the experience might be, fill the time with other things, and yes, wonder why no one from their church has taken initiative to call. Communities of faith often wonder what happened to those people, but rarely has a follow-up yet been done! Take the initiative! Consider an event happening in your community of faith that you can make a phone call, check in on them and invite those people back! Perhaps it’s the September start-up, blessings of backpacks, a welcome back BBQ, or other special happening at your church. Get together with some others and figure out who those missing people are. Review data base information, directory, or use other strategies to figure out who you have not seen in a long while. Determine who the people in your community of faith might be the best people to make friendly phone calls, with the purpose to check-in and to invite them back. Connect with me if you want to discuss ideas about “inviting back,” covering all in prayer and increasing opportunities for connection.
July 23, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Creating and Creation Time
Before you know it, we will be in the fall season of creation time. Immersing ourselves in the joys of summer blessings, have your phone ready to capture the awe and wonder of God in creation. Invite others in your community of faith and wider community to capture nature’s bounty and to share how experiencing some moment from nature has made you feel. Connect with your local tourism area, your local media, other communities of faith to capture all the summer activities. Host a summer travels event in the fall inviting people to share stories of their adventures. Host a seasonal moments events, perhaps pairing with a local orchestra or band to share slide show of photos. Host a mindfulness/contemplative moments time for reflection, offering the many nature photos, paired with calm and peaceful music. Use photos to inspire a writer’s workshop experiencing God moments. Host a photography workshop inviting people to learn more on how to make those photos capture the best of the moment using a cell phone camera. Perhaps it can be a kick-off pilot to start a photo sharing opportunity in each season of the year Explore other ways to promote creativity – and engage your neighbourhood –– creative cooking, music, arts, card making, workshops based on people’s hobbies, home entrepreneurial interests, other “how to, opportunities. As you observe creation season, host educational events about climate crisis. Reach out to neighbours offering fall clean-ups and other outside beautification supports. Invite gardeners to divide and share plants that can be split and transplanted, outdoor painting projects, small repairs, at your church buildings and as outreach to neighbours. Consider ways to support back to school for students, staff and faculty, supporting families.
Share your ideas with me.
July 16, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: For Love of Reading
How might a love of reading be a ministry opportunity through your community of faith? This July one community of faith is supporting a community partnership with their local literacy association and is supporting 37 children who are getting tutoring. How about reading buddies in your local school? At your local library? Offering reading support to newcomers looking for English opportunities? helping shut-ins, taking library books to them? Reading to residents living in seniors homes? Offering a story time outside? Hosting an author to do a reading and to share about their work? Hosting a book sale? Setting up that tiny library? Hosting book or article talks? Checking out new children’s books read-a-loud online to get ideas for books, planning a fall book ideas event to share book recommends to plan for holiday gifts of books, providing historical moments others can read about your local area, setting up a book corner, … your own creative ideas …Perhaps you can pair “literacy and lunch” or “books and cooks”? Share your ideas with me.
July 9, 2025- Growth Ideas 101: Dog Days
As we get into the dog days of summer, are there some ideas to stretch your hospitality to reach neighbours with canines in mind? Consider adding a water bowl station for passers-by (ensuring it can be kept clean and fresh water provided). Perhaps host a water refill station or cold drinks inside your building for times when your building is open and invite people in. Consider an information sharing event about animal care and safety, such as guest speakers who can talk about proper protocols with a service animal, presentations from a vet, vet tech, groomer, doggie daycare operator, dog walking service, humane society, breeder or dog walk park creator. Encourage people to take photos of their pets and tell their stories. Plan a blessing of pets service, perhaps around October 4th, connected with St. Francis day, when these often happen. Explore asking people to bring a collar, leash, favourite toy, or other special things, and photo of a past or present pet if there are concerns for dog behaviours and additional stress. There might be other ways unique to your community of faith that engages and invites new people in the wider community to join in. Maybe host in a third space, or public space like a local community centre and strengthen community partnerships. Create your own “animals awareness event. Perhaps make local arrangements to host a mini zoo or reptiles event, an excursion to a farm through your church to meet farm animals, a trip to a zoo, the showing of a movie about animals, a documentary that lifts up concerns for endangered species. Find animal enthusiasts in your community of faith and community partners to work with.
July 2, 2025-Growth Ideas 101: Getting More Summer Ready
Are you visitor ready this summer? Do you have kids activity resources prepared, organized and greeters informed to pass them out? Perhaps package family activities in fun ways, like a pizza box “church to go” style filled with fun to use in worship and/or to take home. Set up “to go” boxes to be offered to families passing by, outside your church, at a local community partner space. Can you be neighbourhood local experts, offering information about local events, history, adding activity hosting from your community of faith experts?
Do you have greater tourist traffic and want to explore strengthening invitation? How might you use a QR Code to help connect with others? How are you letting passers-by know that you are there? Can you offer a water stop? Lemonade stand? Popsicles or freezies to cool off? A gender-neutral restroom to use? invitation to things happening, drop in coffee and conversations, book discussions, crafting, sharing skills …?
Keep the ideas for events and activities active and engaging. Need some ideas for events to try. Connect with me. It’s not too early to be thinking about fall and Advent/Christmas planning. Perhaps there will be such excitement, you can do a Christmas in July event!
June 25, 2025
What are some church basics you can refresh and review or share for the first time with visitors and those new to church? Ask some people who do not go to church what they think happens at church. It might generate some interesting ideas to discuss. Integrate in worship some sharing of why you do what you do, and when your community of faith does it. We can have a tendency of assuming people know and understand about Jesus, Bible, what a worship service is. Some communities of faith are exploring additional ways to reach people, such as sharing ideas about coming together to be able to sing, to gather for fellowship, build community, to talk about how ancient wisdom informs our everyday lives. We come as we are to share our joys and concerns and be together, people of all ages.
Have you recently done a walk around your building inside and out, making sure directions to doors, signage for events is current and up to date? Is it time to look at your website and see what people who visit will learn? Is that current? Visit websites of churches you don’t know and see what questions you have as a visitor. It is easy to assume everyone knows each other and the ways unique to your community of faith. Revisit your own community of faith’s website, social media, and signage or other communication. Do you know anyone who does not attend church who might join you to take a look? What improvements can you suggest?
June 18, 2025
How are you loving one another with radical generous hospitality in this warm weather season? Might you offer lemonade or ice water available outside your church? Place out A water bowl for those walking their dog. Host a garden party. Host a popsicle, slushie or freezie treat event. Host an ice cream social. Set up a bench or a table placed near sidewalk, roadside, under a shade tree to offer a resting place for hot passers-by. If your building is staffed, could the building be opened for visitors, with invitation to the wider community for neighbours to drop in, especially if you have air conditioning? Are there special events that could be offered this summer such as BBQ, community dinners, movie nights in sanctuary, board game nights, card parties? Could your signs invite people in for free coffee, or even washroom availability? Are there community partners you could work with to be a rest stop for walking groups, cyclists or those on pilgrimages or neighbours out on a stroll? Are there events usually held inside that could be more visible and hosted outside? Minister’s office hours, a book study, Bible study or coffee and conversation group? It might be a good season to explore a tiny pantry, tiny library or other offering. Perhaps a sharing table might be offered for fresh produce from gardens. Perhaps host beat the heat opportunities to bring a small group together to cook a meal in the church kitchen, sharing foods and not heating your own home up. Share other ideas with me.
June 11, 2025
What will be your 101? Keep completing this sentence starter “United Church can …” How are you identifying as a disciple, a follower of Jesus, one who knows about Jesus and seeks to be like Jesus, being active in the transforming of our world.? As communities of faith have celebrated the first one hundred years of the United Church, and many will do at events through the summer, now we are in our 101st year, what are your 101 commitments? As an individual, as a community of faith, as people of faith reaching beyond your walls? We think of “101” often as the basics, the foundations what we need to know. How is that being lived out in your faithful presence in your context.
Beside my name and pronouns on my zoom profile it says UCCAN. I do this to indicate United Church of Canada as UCC can be confused with United Church of Christ when among other faith groups. On a call this week, in which I was the only one from Canada and our denomination, a participant asked me if we ever used it as “United Church can…” Keep coming up with all the ways you do complete the sentence. “United Church can…and in what new ways? Invite your congregation, users of your building, neighbours, family, friends, coworkers, local faith groups, through your social media, to finish the sentence. Keep learning what the United Church presence in your location is doing and might be needing. Contact me as we brainstorm ideas into actions.
June 4, 2025
How does your planning include designating people to intentionally mingle, chat and offer listening and relationship building, connecting with the visitors at your events? Whether it is that flea market/yard sale you are hosting, plant sale, summer concert, carnival, guest speaker event, community BBQ, or something else, take time for deep listening. Ensure your planning allows for people to engage beyond passing out the refreshments. Go have refreshing talks at the tables. Introduce yourself and take time to visit. I received this note on May 31, from someone, currently without a church home, observant and curious, who attended an outdoor plant sale at a church in their neighbourhood on Saturday: “Church had free coffee, tea and muffins inside. Was fascinating to watch. Church members were very hospitable in offering food and drink but then nothing. I assumed that there would be some outreach to perhaps grow their church community but members seemed unable to go beyond the sharing of food. They answered questions but seemed uninterested in engaging with anyone other than church members.”
Another community of faith welcomed six hundred to eight hundred neighbours to their recent one day carnival event. Not even the downpours of rain dampened spirits.
How can we be intentional and focused on neighbours who support our outreach activities? How do we increase opportunities and possibilities to invite, welcome, connect and create belonging and grow? How are visitors included at worship?
Reach out to me and let’s talk about ways to increase your connections and ensure we are energized and engaged.
May 21, 2025
Thank you for your creativity and energy to commemorate and celebrate the United Church of Canada’s centennial. Be sure to capture your events, with photos, stories, social media, on your website, blogs, local media contacts, and as individuals share your experiences with family, friends, neighbours, coworkers. Invite them to join you. Be sure to also share your activities with Sharon, your growth animator.
For organizers of events, as you engage wider community, be ready to invite all who gather to come to your future events. As you thank participants, invite them to the next event(s). Contact Sharon, your growth animator, for some brainstorming about your future events
It’s not too late to apply for a centennial grant. If you applied before, consider applying again. The final grant application due date is June 15. Applications are for a maximum of five thousand dollars. You can get more information here https://unitedchurchfoundation.ca/grants/general-grant-opportunities/#Centennial-Fund
Atlantic Stories of Hope Needed
Annual general meetings facilitate people connecting, coming together and sharing their ideas, stories and plans for what’s next. Let’s keep the stories of hope, encouragement and support going. Please contact your growth animator Sharon Ballantyne, to share what is bringing you hope, individually, as a community of faith, pastoral charge, or as you connect with neighbours around you.
We’ll share ideas through the regional council weekly newsletter. “Alive we thrive!”
May 14, 2025
Are you looking for ideas to use with children? “Alive” is a free United Church of Canada camp curriculum produced out of Pacific Mountain Regional Council’s First Third Ministries. It is a huge resource, surpassing 300 pages, with Bible stories, activities, crafts, play lists, intention for all ages, staff and youth leader support and focus for different learning styles. It is designed so you can use what you want. There are QR codes to take you to YouTube links about crafts and other great supports for those wanting to use the resource.
It is adaptable for overnight camp, day camp, VBS, or for your Sunday school. The staff contact is Tasha Whitney. Twhitney@united-church.ca
https://www.firstthirdministry.ca/alivecurriculum.html
Working with children, youth and young families is a great opportunity to strengthen invitation to connect.
May 6, 2025
The final week of April was volunteer appreciation week. It is with deep gratitude I offer thanks to all of the ways you give of yourself in the caring for, with and about others. You give in so many ways that go unnoticed and unacknowledged, but is appreciated beyond measure. Please see the Moderator’s thank you here! Thanks for all you do.
If you have not written down any of those key learnings of where this is kept, or how that is done, or when this happens, or why we have a thing or do a thing, make sure you have it all recorded. Whether it is the UCW list of how many potatoes are needed to serve two hundred people, those cherished tried and true recipes, or certain idiosyncrasies of making a thing work well, who the fix-it contacts or the labelling of all the breaker switches or where that special used only once a year thing is stored, an inventory is so important.
If your community of faith has not done so recently, it is also a great idea in your spring cleaning to see what needs to be sent to the archives to keep preserving the stories of our faith. Don’t forget to capture your stories of this one hundredth. Are you capturing and collecting the stories told by your local members, who have great wisdom? Do an interview series, collect up photos and tell the stories of your artifacts. As you think about thank you and stories of your community of faith and your neighbourhood, what new thing might emerge to better connect. Is it time for a local recipe book for 2025 family favourites gathered throughout your city, town or village? Perhaps you are reminded of old-fashioned outdoor games and picnics and a neighbourhood gathering in the local park might happen? Is there a local cause you can be a community partner with to support and grow awareness and advocacy? Check in with your neighbours on what might be an uplifting thing to do together this spring and summer!
Sharing our stories: Let’s lift up hope together!
At the recent FDEE AGM, people had the opportunity to share a few sentences to communicate a message of hope they are experiencing in their community of faith. Let’s keep the stories going!
April 23, 2025
How is commemorating the one hundredth anniversary igniting your community of faith to share the message of the impact of God at work in our lives? Some reminders that the national worship service will be held June 8, 2025Join us in person and online
June 8, 2025, 7:00 PM Newfoundland Time
How will you join the Centennial worship? Will you watch the livestream on YouTube? Will you host a watch party and invite all the United Church communities of faith in your area to a potluck together? Will you hold a celebration with your family and watch the livestream together?
https://united-church.ca/events?event_type=All&focus=3Or will you join the service in person at Gower St. United Church in St. John’s, Newfoundland?
Locate events of interest near you or get ideas about what others are planning08&utm_source=Centennial+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2781d5cdea-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_04_12_06_23_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-54b647b544-190256880&goal=0_016a20449c-2781d5cdea-190256880&mc_cid=2781d5cdea&mc_eid=113f03e87c.
Let’s explore how to strengthen invitation and increase participation, reaching your neighbours to come join you. Remember to let me know what your plans are for your own commemoration of 100 years.
Theological Banquet, a free five-part workshop series each Wednesday
If you missed theological banquet session one last week, it is not too late to sign -up. Contact Bronwyn Corlett, rural ministries coordinator, email bcorlett@united-church.ca to get the missed workshop video and join in the remaining Wednesdays!
please find more detail on the course page: https://churchx.ca/directlink.php?id=NW44MHBlSkJFd3RLUlVOQ1g4enlNSXhZYyswMFdJSjE2a3RjRXlqc2REMD0%3D
You are invited to participate in 5 sessions to use and get to know the Theological Banquet resource!
Engage in interesting conversations. Discover more about the theological banquet in each of our communities of faith. You may also want to check out Janet Gear’s book “Undivided Love “which the workshop series is based on.
April 16, 2023
Hope is renewed in connection, in communication in all the ways we care. In this Holy Week, can we remember to stay gentle with ourselves and to welcome the still small voice within. As we are reminded in Micah 6:8 act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Please reach out if you did not receive the Easter letter sent from me to your community of faith this week, sent through your region. Make sure your directory and contact information is up to date. Some of the contacts on file at the regional office may need updating. Receive and share hope! Encourage people in your community of faith to sign up for this weekly announcements newsletter of your regional council. Forward this email to people you know. To help boost your well-being, read others stories of hope 100 Words of Hope, and together with a group, as a community of faith or individually
create your own submission. Be sure to share any submissions with me. Wishing you all a blessed Easter!
Let’s get growth animated together. Call Sharon at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca as together, we keep being bold, deep and daring!
https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/100-words-hope
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qLUYz3gmEUCTEhXw9xV1dCnHHy8ieGJLoCroroCE_kpUMFBVTDdKVlNEUzNZSjFYWTBJNU0wWUkxSi4u&utm_source=E-Newsletters&utm_campaign=7017df59eb-ES_250311_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-3c3b6f8241-159516921&goal=0_53a49c9e28-7017df59eb-159516921&mc_cid=7017df59eb&mc_eid=bee5fccb1d
April 9, 2023
The United Church of Canada’s, “Then Let Us Sing” project, is giving us all a gift of music and celebration from now until the United Church’s official one hundredth birthday June 10 2025.
Then Let Us Sing Celebration Package
This package can only be accessed and used until June 10, 2025.
Reach out and let others know how you are commemorating this one hundredth birthday. Whether it is your pastoral charge doing an event(s), getting together with other churches, inviting the whole community, making it an ecumenical event, I’d love to hear what you are planning and who you are inviting to your party.
Are you exploring about the life and work of your community of faith and its outreach for the rest of this year, next year, in a few years or more long term? Connect with me and share your thoughts.
Click to access then-let-us-sing-celebration-package.pdf
April 2, 2025
How can you streamline your people resources to minimize meetings and make the most of loving people? How is your governing body using your current people resources? Are you nimble, flexible and responsive, addressing needs with actionable items that get tasks done and keep you focused on the ways you are serving God, caring for neighbours, impacting beyond your walls? Are people in positions of responsibility they are energized and passionate about? Are people engaged and excited about the possibilities in the year ahead. Are your practices rooted in spiritual focus? Does your community of faith regularly remind each other to remember why we are here? We are loved by God and share that love with others.
In this season of annual congregational meetings, and new leadership in positions of responsibility, invite me to come alongside in a zoom meeting, and meet your new governing body, or one of your teams or committees, to listen and learn
March 26, 2025
What new thing are you experimenting with? What’s one dream, one change you are making or want to make happen? Who will it take? What is needed? When and where will it happen and how are you going to work together to make it happen? Spring into action with thoughtful communication, invitation and planning. Ensure your whole congregation, neighbourhood and community partners are part of your action plan.
Make experimenting, trying a thing, embracing a pilot part of your DNA in your community of faith. Lean into Lent as we draw closer to God and respond to possibilities.
Let’s get growth animated together. Call Sharon at 506-306-0500 or by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca as together, we keep being bold, deep and daring!
March 19, 2025
Feedback please! When we try new things, test something out, pilot it, we rely on feedback. When we consider a new purchase, we read reviews. After we try a new thing, we often share our experiences with those we know. How might you strengthen invitation and build relationships applying these ideas in your community of faith? How might feedback cards strengthen your relationships and learning? Create a two-sided feedback and contact form. Consider questions on one side asking something like: What was the best thing about your experience? What did you enjoy?
What could be improved? How can we do better? On the other side create a contact form perhaps with a brief sentence of thank you, inviting people to share contact information. You might think of a couple of check box questions relevant in your context.
Who outside your community of faith will you give feedback to as a way of strengthening invitation? How will you expand the feedback idea for yourself by talking about your experiences for events you have been part of, or perhaps are planning. You can provide your personal feedback experiences to engage people you want to invite to events. You might share your growing excitement as an event gets closer and connect with them by saying something like “you know how I have been telling you about the upcoming “x” event, would you like to come with me?”
Keep building relationships and making connections.
March 12, 2025
Lent, Easter and Beyond, are you looking for ideas to strengthen invitation? Get your whole community of faith onboard to invite others to Lent events, Holy week offerings and Easter Sunday celebrations! Lean into Lent being event ready.
Our Growth Team invites you to intentionally cultivate your invitational attitude with your community of faith to prepare and implement strengthening invitation. Engage in some new and old relationships with the gifts of sharing faith, family, friendship, food, and fun.
Get inspired by Growth Animator Scott Reynold’s blog post on making this Easter a time of invitation, then use the Plan to Strengthen Invitation. This Easter invitation resource is available on the
Easter Sunday worship page, for ideas you can put in place this week! And looking beyond Lent, are you doing something special for Earth Day, Camping Sunday, Holy Humour, May Day, “May the Fourth Be with You,” Christian Family Sunday? Let’s figure out what events your community of faith is exploring and make them grow! I can work with you to help you clarify and customize your strengthening invitation plan.
https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/make-easter-time-invitation-your-community-faith
https://united-church.ca/worship-liturgical-season/easterresurrection-sunday
March 5, 2025
How are you prioritizing relationships? As you lean into Lent, make your practice to get to know people better. Imagine if you invited just one person for coffee each week for six weeks and each week, how much more you would deepen that relationship and learn about each other. Feeling really daring make it exponential and each week someone agree to be intentional to add one more to the coffee time, by Easter you will have a whole group! Be creative and do what can be managed what works. Perhaps a group of three will each invite one person for six weeks and that group of six will connect. Let other people know what you are doing! It only takes a spark of creativity to invite people to come together.
The simplest ministry approaches invite people to take time to talk, connect, to get to know one another. Food and friendships are natural experiments having big impacts. How about a meal and good conversation? Whether it is brown bag bring your own, potluck, coffee and a snack, a simple offering or full meal, bringing people together is all it takes to start a conversation. With a conversation is the opportunity to build relationship. Meet neighbours where they already gather—in homes, coffee shops, activity spaces and third places. Who are the natural connectors in your community of faith? Among your family? Friends? Activity groups? Link up with them and invite others to join you. Add on the gift of deepening relationship, however it works in your context.
February 26, 2025
What else really needs me now? Is it time for a new question to explore?
Have you experienced some early signs of spring? Bird songs? Melting? Sun feeling warmer? Temperatures on the rise? If you have not started thinking about your property uses, it is time to start dreaming.
What is your curbside appeal? How will your property be used this spring/summer/fall? Who might use this space? How? Is there a potential for a community garden? A quiet space to contemplate? A children’s play space? A floral garden? An activity space? A tiny pantry? A tiny library? An e-charging site, an outside gathering space to meet and chat? A way to better use your green space to engage with your neighbourhood? Who are the community partners your community of faith can work together with? Consult with those who regularly use your building. Have them tell you what their needs are. Take another prayer walk. Notice what is up with your neighbours. Connect with the community to discover their needs. Too often we can miss the critical step in developing ideas, which is consultation with the people we want to connect with. We can’t assume someone might have certain needs. We have to ask them. What new ministry is yet to emerge?
February 19, 2025
Make “adaptable” your super power! Dare to dream it! Is your community of faith getting distracted by its perceptions of impossibility? How can you focus more on the “yes, we can” ministries that will encourage, enliven and energize you and neighbourhoods around you?
“A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for” (John A. Shedd) How is your boat moving? Where is it stuck in the harbour? Is your community of faith enlivened? Is your faith story on the move? Consider listing everything your community of faith is doing, the details of any groups using your building and all the outreach that you do regularly, seasonally, annually. Discover where God is already at work in your context and embrace the invitation to join in in celebrating new awareness, new movement.
We’ve been distracted by trying to fix perceived problems, facing decline of much, and perhaps missing the new sprouts of life, of relationships and connections. Celebrate what is happening. Pray for all who are part of events, users of your facilities, the ministries all your members connect with outside your building. Where can you find invitation, opportunity amid the challenges? Looking for a quick resource to figure out where we are at, as a community of faith or in relation to particular focus/initiative. Connect with me about a one-page resource that uses stages of plant life cycle with some images, six words and some guiding questions to further your discussions and action planning.
February 12, 2025
Are you regularly and intentionally asking “why” and “why not” questions, digging deeper for answers? Why or why not?
Does your community of faith demonstrate hope, resilience, joy, health, excellence and gratitude? Why or why not? Are you going beyond “all are welcome “statements to being bold disciples creating belonging for all? Why or why not? Does your community of faith reflect the diversity in your neighbourhoods? Why or why not? Do visitors come and stay? Why or why not? It is Black History Month. Are you intentionally increasing knowledge, action and commitment growing towards being an anti-racist denomination? Why or why not?
Franklyn James in PE wrote in a Jan. 29 national blog of the United Church: “Black History Month in Canada, particularly within The United Church of Canada, is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. It’s a call to celebrate, reflect, and work towards a more inclusive future. Let’s celebrate this month as a commemoration of past achievements and a commitment to ongoing understanding, respect, and unity.
What great ideas are you bringing to life? Grab a team of people to share curiosity. Educate and energize your community of faith. Take action.
February 5, 2025
How are you celebrating the activities, interests and commitments of people that happen outside of church? How can you take your support to them? Intentionally invite each other to activities and events that happen outside regular worship! Have you thought about having people from your congregation go out and be part of the audience, cheering on the young athletes from your community of faith? Perhaps supporting musicians in recitals and concerts? How about projects that are happening like school performances, science fairs? Special scouting or 4H events? Imagine if people across generations were celebrating and supporting each other by attending events and activities.
How could your congregation support school, after school, evening or weekend events that intentionally invite people from your community of faith to these places and spaces?
Would this be a way to support children and youth not active in your community of faith? What if a group of people regularly showed up supporting the proud grandparent, the family and the young person, if you know someone’s grandchild is doing a dance recital, a sports activity, or other event?
How might you support what students in post-secondary are doing?
How might you support the activities and interests of adults of all ages?
Can you include invitations in your PowerPoints for events people have going on outside the community of faith? Add them in a special calendar? Create invitation notices? Perhaps you can colour code the invitations to activities in categories such as one colour for sports, another for music, another for arts, another for education, that sort of thing, whatever fits for your community of faith’s context. Can you engage in intentional prayer for these people and activities? Can you plan to take the family out for a celebratory treat after? Can you take photos to share with the community of faith? Can you create space in newsletters to share news of people’s activities?
January 28, 2025
How does your leadership, your teams, your committees prioritize time to ensure you are doing faith formation, spiritual grounding, taking time to experience deep spirituality together? Some have been accustomed to gathering outside of worship for meetings that tend to focus on work and decision making, without much more than an opening or closing prayer, perhaps a candle being lit. How often do you have a time of retreat together, perhaps offsite or even using your building as hosting location? How often do you share meals together in advance of meetings? Ensuring there is sharing and caring builds trust, stronger relationships and allows for greater compassion towards each other. Sometimes the weight of decision-making work has made it hard to imagine prioritizing spiritual growth. Interestingly, people often report when their groups have intentional spiritual nurturing and nourishing priorities, gatherings where decisions need to be made are shorter not longer. Determine what might be the best pilots for your community of faith. Opening with a time of worship, spiritual practices or spiritual grounding and committing to a set time for each gathering, turning to business later. Perhaps meeting for business in even numbered months and doing the business on odd numbered months. Perhaps two meetings a month, one for decision making and one for spiritual activities that help people to get to know each other better, share about their faith, learn from each other. Perhaps you share reflections of God moments, perhaps lectio Divina with scripture, perhaps discussing Bible stories, using a devotional guide, sharing with music, mindfulness or contemplative prayer…? What are some ideas you find helpful or would like to learn more about?
January 21, 2025
How are you addressing those what if possibilities to keep your church vibrant, energized, animated and growing? What if your key leadership were to leave? Think of the “go to” people who take the lead, organizing, knowing where things are, how things are done and when, who they recruit? Whether you imagine life without a minister, the current chair, the organizers of fundraisers, the coordinators of outreach, the lead for the worship team, your stewardship enthusiast, … whoever it is, we need to be working together, so that all your key people know that if their circumstances change, others in the community of faith are well informed, well equipped and can carry on?
Invite everyone to be involved. Develop a how to, or “Guide 101” and keep looking for ways to energize new people to come share their talents, innovative ideas and to make a difference. How might community partners also be invited to get involved as you support and encourage other’s. Don’t wait for a “what if …”. Plan, be organized and knowledgeable to keep the life and work of your community of faith vibrant.
January 15, 2025
Do you need to talk about the struggles and fears, to process some grief and lament, so you can find the sacred spaciousness to again embrace hope, the unexpected and the new things?
Do you need to do a pre-mortem to imagine the most unwanted outcomes, so that you can process fears and work for desired outcomes.
An executive minister offered these words to his regions “We are all struggling. We are all facing an uncertain future. Congregations that are running out of money, others who are running out of people. Disciples who are unsure how to speak to their friends and neighbours about faith because they are worried about being painted with a particular brand of Christianity that is antithetical to the one, we offer. Communities of faith that are struggling to find ministry leadership with a dwindling pool of possible ministers. Church buildings that take up all our time and resources, making it harder and harder to focus on actual ministry The birth of Christ offers us a chance to turn a new page and prepare for something unexpected and new.” (Éric Hébert-Daly)
It is good to share our realities, not to bring us down, but to know we are all in this together. Each other’s stories lift us up in hope and the reminder of what our faith means for us.
January 8, 2025
Are you looking for ways to be bold disciples and invite others? Bold discipleship takes many forms. Some stories are really spontaneous and creative. A person renewed their YMCA membership and in the hot tub of their local Y, struck up a conversation with a dad who had three teenagers. Our bold disciple shared they attended the United Church. The dad indicated he had attended a United church in the past but would have no idea where he and his teens would be welcomed. The person suggested, not their own church, but another United Church in their local area, explaining why they might find it a better fit and offering to make a connection with the minister there! Keep inviting people! Invitation can happen when small groups are creative about where and when they gather. Can your small groups be more public and visible in where they gather? There has been growing shifts to meet in more public spaces, such as meeting in a coffee shop, restaurant, rather than in a person’s home or at the church building. Arrange to meet in a retirement residence, long term residence, common room of an apartment complex, community centre, gym facility, recreation complex, common spaces of educational facility, library, or whatever public settings are in your area. Are there events in your building that you can connect your event with another? For example, looking to connect with children and youth and your! church hosts Scouts, Guides or other groups. Plan a community supper or children’s group that happens before. If parents and caregivers need to drop off young people for an event, offer a coffee social, time for them to stay and wait. Maybe offer a spirited conversation, such as Broadview article study or topics of interest to be hosted while another event is happening. Start a cooking club in your church kitchen or craft group or cards group for family members to be encouraged to stay and wait for the 60-to-90-minute event, children and youth are taking part in. Are there creative ways to double up, or combine to make time twice as nice? Need some ideas specific to your context. Let’s talk how we can grow community connections in your community of faith.
November 13, 2024
What are your 360° observations today? Time to take a spin, turn around, draw the circle wider!
Imagine standing in a circle looking around at those you know, love and share faith with (but your backs are to those beyond your circle). Imagine looking out and reaching into the hurting world (but your backs are to those inside your circle). Now imagine that circle with all the people turning sideways to be able to look both inward and look outward. Send the wave of God’s love throughout, trusting the realms of impact to flow. During church refreshments, do a 360-degree spin before joining a table. Notice who might be alone at a table, off to the side, and join them, not the folks you might usually form a “holy huddle” with. Waiting for an appointment, in a line, on a walk, joining a group of people, notice who needs your moment of kindness and compassion, a smile and some hope in their day. The Newport Institute indicates: “Glimmers are tiny micro moments of joy—fleeting, everyday moments that elicit a rush of happiness, gratitude, calm, peace, safety, or goodwill.” Make giving and receiving glimmers part of your day!
November 6, 2024
As temperatures drop, and you might even have had the odd snowflake, what is warming your heart for activities to bring people together? Ha e you considered gathering in homes, perhaps of those who cannot get out to church? intentionally gathering in seniors centres? care facilities? community centres, and public spaces that create opportunities for people to come together who might not usually gather? Some communities of faith are thinking about winter challenges such as who is missing, snow removal, not being reliably able to gather in the regular morning time, heating costs and are creatively planning alternatives. What would it mean for you to plan for worship in an afternoon? Plan events back-to-back to save costs for heat? relocating and combining with others? Communities of faith that are working with others in their neighbourhood and geographical areas are turning obstacles into opportunities, Create connections. Address our challenges of being lonely and our longing for socialization. Break bread together for fun and fellowship. Ask your neighbours what they need. How might you warm the heart of another, bring a moment of joy and laughter, brighten the day of another? What new thing can you experiment with?
October 30, 2024
Spread your joy in loving music, and embrace all those experiences where music can connect us with spirit. Consider “Singing through the Century” as a centenary celebration activity. Reach out to neighbours and help commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the United Church of Canada. Consider sharing music for each decade, or perhaps a quarter century. You might make a single event of it, or find a series of e ents works best. Perhaps pair with clothing and foods of the era. Music is a timeless gift. Apply for a centenary grant. What other groups can you join with to share the work and increase the celebrating and reaching neighbours? What are you thinking about for Advent and Christmas? Could you do an ecumenical music event inviting all the community to get involved? Maybe you want to do a simple hymn sing and together increase invitation to more neighbours. Perhaps a talent show is in order. Perhaps explore different celebrations. Some communities of faith invite people to bring in their creches for a special event. Consider connecting with local multi-faith and multi-cultural groups to share music around the world, perhaps with foods from around the world as well. Feed your musical appetite.
October 23, 2024
What creative ideas do you ha e to get to know others in the neighbourhood work world around you? Do you know your neighbourhood ser ice providers, retailers, the gifts of people who pro ide goods, services and meet the needs of those around you? A local meat market recently provided meat for a church fundraiser as they appreciated the community outreach and food bank the church supported. The generosity of human caring, kindness, compassion, the “golden rule” that is reflected in all religions may provide opportunities for neighbours to support neighbours in your local context. One community of faith is widening their welcome and strengthening invitation, sensitive to challenges faced when trying to find workers who offer reasonable, reliable and quality work. inviting people in their community of faith to share their work if they offer goods or ser ices, and to share about people in the neighbourhood who they have experienced as trustworthy. The idea is to work towards gathering permissions to create a directory of local providers. One member of the fundraiser team of that community of faith, kicked it off with telling the community of faith about their business, and offering a five-per cent donation from work done, if the client/customer indicated they had heard about their work through the church. Every community of faith will be different in its geography, its needs and possibilities. If you’ve not been on a prayer walk or prayer drive recently, it might be a great time to ha e a small group observe and offer prayers as you tour your local neighbourhood afresh.
Creative Candy Prayers
Here is a list of candy prayers you might consider using with some of your treats. You might think of other ways to add prayerful opportunities with other treats and gifts. Share your ideas.
The Skittles Prayer
The M&M Prayer
Yellow: prayer for a leader or someone in charge Blue: pray for a friend Pink: ask forgiveness for something Purple: pray for something you are worried about Brown: ask God for something
October 16, 2024
You have six words to tell your story! Can you do it? About yourself? Your community of faith? Summarize your vision, mission or purpose in just six words! Capture why your faith is important to you in just six words! Take up the challenge and discover a new way to share with others. A tag line, a motivating sentence, a motto, a powerful but concise message. Ernest Hemmingway, in folklore is said to have been given a challenge to write a story in six words, which supposedly said “For sale, baby shoes, never worn!” That is rather compelling, don’t you think? Our call and vision of the United Church happens to be six words: “deep spirituality, bold discipleship, daring justice.” Perhaps three words stand out, “deep, bold, daring” or “spirituality, discipleship, justice.” Share your six words with me, or if six won’t work, whatever concise wording works. Someone in sales and promotion work, recently shared that to capture attention and engage interest, media promotions have eight seconds to make an impact, to be meaningful. What might your eight second video convey? Send me your eight second message as another way to share your story.
October 9, 2024
Do you have big Sundays? Really big Sundays? Of course you do, Easter! Christmas! What about other big invitational Sundays you can create that help people of all ages know they belong and that your community of faith is a good fit for them? Sports enthusiasts, create a Jersey Sunday. Invite people of all ages to show their love of sports. Perhaps host a guest speaker who is a locally well known sports figure. If you are a hockey town, arrange a community skate at a local arena. How about a Super Sweet Sunday near Hallowe’en inviting people to share treats together. Perhaps host a pumpkin carving party on the Saturday before and have some friendly fun, with or without costumes and a potluck meal. Social Sundae Sunday might engage community in another form of sweet treats! Is there a popular something in your area, a business, an event, a local hero or happening that is recognized. Make it a big Sunday building on the theme. One church hosts a winter theme coinciding with the area’s polar plunge and winter carnival. Perhaps your community are big readers, make it a book lovers Big Sunday (perhaps close to January 27 family literacy day) inviting people to bring a favourite book, maybe even dress up as a character, author or in theme of the book. Movie goers might like a movie Mania. Share a favourite movie title. Perhaps movie messages, that invite a special series of movie watching and reflecting. Maybe a cultural cuisine makes sense in your context, create a food fiesta of feasting fun! A community of faith creates four big “inviteable Sundays” outside of Christmas and Easter ser ices and encourage their people to think of at least two where they commit to invite someone to church. One person commented: “If Jesus used simple elements like turning water into wine and feeding people with bread and fish to connect with them, then churches can also use creative and fun e ents to draw people in. Take a risk and do something that may make you a little uncomfortable and see what happens. You won’t see different results if you just keep repeating what you’ e always done.” Some communities of faith engage in other big, invitational events in which they gift the community with a free service and support, such as distributions of back to school items, or helping a local shelter or food bank with supplies, helping hands to ser e a public meal, giving collections such as hats, mitts, socks, winterwear, blessing bags with personal care items, helpful holidays wrapping gifts for people, or assisting with shopping. Honour all-ages and think about how you strengthen invitation, increasing welcome and belonging for all.
October 2, 2024
Deepen spirituality, strengthen invitation, offer radical hospitality and make the first minutes of worship count! Ha e you considered having refreshments available in the sanctuary, and making them available before, during and after worship? Some communities of faith are finding this a very welcoming, inclusive invitation of hospitality. One person said, “That hospitality helped me feel I might be able to fit, to belong here.” Research is showing that people are most likely to make a decision about their comfort in the first twelve minutes of worship. Focus on worship at the beginning. Announcements moved to the end of the service, help people remember announcements and be able to speak to others while it is fresh in their minds. In the book “Thriving Churches,” United Church ministers Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd and Tammy Allan, describe thriving churches, both urban and rural as: visionary, vital, having positive energy, offering radical hospitality, willing to be changed, able to welcome and embrace new opportunities. This or other “thriving church” focused books might be a great read for individuals, leadership or book study discussions. Contact me if you want some book ideas, or perhaps you would like to do a spiritual health questionnaire with your community of faith? Ideas from people like Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd and Mitchell Anderson, might help your community of faith make new discoveries.
Fall 2024 granting round with United Church Foundation
If you’re curious whether your project is eligible for a grant, need support with your application or would like to discuss which program is the best fit, this is the perfect time to explore it together. Go right to our team’s calendar and schedule a time to chat via a video or phone One-on-one calls! Book your session here.
September 25, 2024
“On September 30th we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or Orange Shirt Day. We witness and honour the healing journey of survivors, and families of the residential school experience, and we remember those who didn’t make it home…There is still a very long journey ahead of us as we seek to make things right. Racist or colonial policies continue to harm Indigenous children and their families.” (UCCAN) How can you embrace “Every child matters.”
Are you encouraging people to wear orange? We have an opportunity to be come better educated, to live into truth and reconciliation, to live in peace and friendship. Visit The United Church website for Indigenous Worship material. This is an Indigenous prayer adaptation of the Lord’s Prayer by Shane Goldie
Great Spirit, our Creator, who is in all places,
Sacred is your name.
May your wisdom guide us,
Your will be done in our lives, as it is throughout Creation.
Pro ide for us today the nourishment we need,
And forgive us our wrongs, as we forgive those who ha e wronged us.
Lead us on the path of understanding and respect,
And protect us from ignorance and harm.
For you are the source of all power, beauty, and love,
From generation to generation, forever and always. Amen”
Keep making a difference.
September 18, 2024
How might you share with others the kinds of things we think we are all supposed to know in our community of faith, but actually don’t, and perhaps might not talk about because we don’t want to admit we have forgotten or never known what some words mean, some rituals are all about, what symbols mean, why we do this or that, what our church furniture and important stuff is. We can all find it interesting to get more insight into our learning from basics to the more unique facts. Perhaps you are looking for new ideas for “All Ages” moments, children’s time, or just want to add, what one clergy calls “Sanctuary Moments.” It is an opportunity to explain stuff about church. It might be specific to local community of faith contexts, meaning of stained glass, significance of historical, “in memorial” items and their stories, why certain rooms have certain names, meanings of “churchy” words from pulpit to antependium to affirming to chalice to Alb to stole to Christ candle to Baptismal font. It might be explaining seasons of church calendar, that we are in creation time right now, colours, why is the seasonal colour orange right now? It might be explaining what a revised common lectionary is, or narrative lectionary or whatever is used. It might be explaining different parts of a servddice, such as what does the word prelude mean? What is a Benediction or sending forth? It might be a moment to talk about the timeline of a book in the Bible, or the different transliterations of the Bible. Perhaps it will explain the significance of the stole being worn. Maybe different kinds of spiritual practices or prayer forms might be shared. Maybe each team or committee might be on a rotation to share highlights of their work. If you collect up all the wisdom as it is shared, it might be added to an ongoing blog to help others get more familiar. Contributions might come from children or youth, from individuals in the community of faith, particular groups who may start with the name of the group, who they are, what they do, and highlights of current focus. You might put words on individual posts on a bulletin board and invite people to take one of interest and research it and do a write up of what it means. Maybe your worship ser ice is already really full and this does not fit for worship but perhaps you could develop video moments to be part of announcements before or after worship, put on website or social media. Perhaps you will create a growing glossary of text entries, a handout or pamphlet, an entry in weekly written announcements or a special series. Perhaps you create a special event to share about what we think we need to know. Perhaps information might get added to newcomers or membership event, or you’ll put some essentials in a visitors package. We are always learning together. Contact me and let me know what ideas you have.
bcorlett@united-church.ca416-231-7680 | 1-800-268-3781 | ext. 3022
Don’t Miss the Diversity Workshop Saturday St. Paul’s Riverview NB
September 11, 2024
What are your best practices with keeping in touch… with family, with friends, with people in your community of faith, with renters and groups using your building, with neighbourhood, with community partners or potential community partners, with other denominations in your area, with multifaith groups, with organizations that have care priorities like hospitals, hospice, retirement and long-term care settings, local seniors groups? Perhaps a team or committee might think of someone to check in on within your community of faith, a group you have connected with but not recently, perhaps even pre-Covid, and someone new to reach out to and be in touch with. Being in touch helps plant seeds to begin or strengthen relationships. If you are hosting welcome back events, who can you be in touch with to give a special invite to come join you? If you have special events for the fall, add a component of being in touch with others to be intentional to invite people. Help your congregation with some cards, postcards or letters to be in communication and help keep in touch. If your community of faith does not have a pastoral care team, it is a great time to explore how being in touch can help people stay connected. Phone calls or visits can really brighten a person’s day. Notice your neighbours on the street you live on and be in touch. A neighbourhood street got brave and hosted a potluck and what a success it was. Can your community of faith host a neighbourhood potluck for your church’s street? Need some more ideas in your context, or want to share how your community of faith is keeping in touch.
September 4, 2024
Did you visit any new spaces this summer and wonder how to find specific locations inside buildings? It is stressful and it does not create a positive first impression when we are unsure of where to go. Help create clear signage and information packages for your visitors in your community of faith.
Creating inclusive signage for churches is a wonderful way to ensure everyone feels welcome, that they belong and are valued. Be aware of multilanguage demographics. Include greetings in multiple languages spoken by your congregation and community. Clearly mark the entrances and exits to help guide traffic flow. If certain doors are used, make it clear and provide clarity if accessible entry is through an alternative door and how to get there. Use signs to display service times and upcoming events. Update all signage regularly. Ensure all important directions (e.g., restrooms, all gender and family restrooms, sanctuary, exits, fellowship spaces, kitchen, Sunday School spaces, offices, choir room, quiet space, special drop off locations for things being gathered, libraries, stairways are clearly identified. A single sign outside the restroom for example won’t necessarily help people get there. Use signs to indicate accessible routes, ramps, and elevators and lifts. Use clear and respectful symbols and language to indicate all-gender restrooms. Signage for family restrooms can also be inclusive, indicating facilities for parents with children. Don’t place change tables only in a women’s restroom for example. Ensure signs are easy to read with high contrast colors and large, clear fonts. Use universally recognized icons to aid understanding. Label the doors, cupboards and closets as appropriate, even if simply to indicate “private” for spaces not open to all. Display messages that explicitly state the church’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity. If affirming, ensure that is clearly identified. Showcase images and stories from diverse members of the congregation. When serving refreshments, label items so diversity of needs is respectful and clear. For special events, create temporary signs that cater to the specific needs of attendees. Consider creating a virtual tour available on your website and social media. Explore ways to ensure directions of what to expect in worship or other gatherings is as clear as possible and communicated a number of ways such as PowerPoint, bulletin, information packages, spoken by greeters and leaders. Ensure everyone has a name tag and pronouns are indicated. Implementing these practices can help create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone who visits your church. Do you have any specific needs or ideas in mind for your church’s signage? Share them with me.
August 28, 2024
As we prepare for back-to-school time, return to the programs, activities and fall work of our communities of faith, are you exploring different ideas? Perhaps a blessing of the backpacks? Gathering school supplies to support those in need? Exploring needs locally for breakfast programs or lunch programs in schools, or considering innovative opportunities to bring people together within your community of faith and beyond its doors? Are you observing grandparents day Sept. 8? Perhaps invite grandparents and grandchildren to share photos and/or stories of memory making moments. Encourage some card making. Visit care homes and talk with people about their memories. Consider welcome back fall celebrations with meals or snacks. With your worship committee, plan to include special calendar dates throughout the year. Perhaps Peace Day Sept. 21, Orange Shirt Day Sept. 30, World Communion Oct. 6, Thanksgiving Oct. 13, World Food Sunday Oct. 20 (World Food Day Oct. 16, Eradication of Poverty Oct. 17) to name a few. Happy Creation time! Contact me and let me know what activities you are up to, or let’s brainstorm ideas in your context.
August 21, 2024
Thinking about a discussion group this fall? Why not use articles as topics for discussion? Consider Broad view or other media. Adapt or design your own generic questions. With a question base, it is easy for everyone to facilitate a discussion group. Consider meeting in a public space that might include others in the community, such as a local coffee shop, restaurant, local library, community centre or other creative locations to gather in your area. Perhaps create an ecumenical group, inviting other churches to participate. A community of faith meets weekly and has the following set of questions as their conversation starters:
Why is this important – or not? Adapt for any sort of media from a book to movie review to podcasts and journals. Let me know your creative uses and adaptations. Let’s grow together.
August 14, 2024
Are you thinking about how to reactivate or generate inclusion of all family members in the sanctuary? Consider activity spaces. Why not create “praygrounds” that welcome all ages. We’ve talked about tables, colouring activities, books, stuffies, worship bulletins, puzzles and leg-o before. How about adding adult centred materials as well. People might like the freedom to join in. Consider the placement of your prayground? Place it at or near the front for all to see each other, instead of looking at backs of people or hearing activity from behind you. What additional creativity can you add to increase belonging? Do you havce people who need or have had shoulder, hip or knee replacements? Add to their comfort by including a couple of recliner chairs, helping them come back to their community of faith sooner in their recovery or while awaiting procedures, whether conditions are chronic or temporary. Be prepared for people of all ages with visitors packages, grab and go bags, sharing bins, a make and take table, greeting cards of encouragement or other ideas that connect people. sensitivity to full participation matters. Contact me to talk about what your community of faith is up to.
August 7, 2024
Are you working for your greener good in your growth planning? Environmental sustainability is part of our growing strategies. Consider carpooling to worship, to meetings, in planning errands, shopping and going to community events. It not only grows relationships; it grows health for creation. Share ways to decrease carbon impacts and increase sharing and caring for each other and creation.
“The United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program offers inspiration, tools and grants to help its communities of faith reduce their energy and carbon footprint offering up to $30,000 in grants towards energy conservation and renewable energy projects (conditions apply).” Explore ideas with Stephen Collette and the Faithful Footprints team. Stephen Collette can be reached at scollette@faithcommongood.org 705-930-1011. Check out the information for Atlantic Canada at https://www.faithfulfootprints.org/atlantic-canada “Communities of faith in Atlantic Canada have access to various provincial and municipal incentive programs. These funding opportunities are a great way to secure matching funds to support your Faithful Footprints application”. Consider more efficient lighting options, retiring old appliances, heating and cooling improvements, retrofitting, solar and other efficient and cost saving possibilities. Explore energy audit opportunities. In June, the United Church surpassed its goal of working with five hundred engagements in the Faithful Footprints program, about twenty per cent of our communities of faith, and nationally, a reduction of nearly twenty-four per cent in Greenhouse Gas emissions. Help the United Church meet its goal of reducing by eighty per cent by 2030.
July 31, 2024
I was at a worship service recently that saw more than a dozen United Churches come together for a service held, fittingly, in a historic Pioneer Village as they commemorated the 99th birthday of the United Church of Canada. They are making plans for the hundredth wondering if they will need to rent a local memorial centre. Commemorating the centennial, consider applying for centennial grants. The United Church Foundations Seeds of Hope grant applications are also coming up, due by October 15. The Joint Grants Committee is now welcoming applications for new, unique projects which are: Providing innovative seniors’ ministry; Celebrating and encouraging children and youth; Addressing environmental and social justice issues; Looking at new ways to pro ide ministry and support during transition periods; Facilitating experiencing faith and spirituality. Repeatedly communities of faith are reporting when they have gotten past their fears and worries about money and become open to community partners, new ways to revitalize and energize, new possibilities keep emerging. One shared idea can lead to more new ideas and hope growing! The United Church Foundation may have grants to help. So, granting this round are the Rowntree Scholarship, Alvin Dixon Memorial Bursary, Promotion Project Fund, and don’t forget about the “United, we,” new dedicated trust-based granting stream! In each of the next two years (2024 and 2025), up to $100,000 will be available through ‘United, we’ to support impactful existing work at United Church organizations and partners who otherwise would not qualify for funding through current granting programs. The Promotion Project Fund will provide grants of up to $10,000 to support congregations in their marketing efforts as they seek to attract members, promote their vital ministries, and retain a strong community presence. Gi e the United Church Foundation a call 1-866-340-8223 or email grants@united-church.ca to explore possibilities. Don’t forget to explore federal, provincial and municipal grants and support that comes through your surrounding community.
July 24, 2024
How are youth finding welcome and belonging when coming to our community of faith? Colleague and fellow growth animator Rev. Tori Mullin attended the Rendezvous Audacious Hope gathering of 450 youth and their leaders from the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church, in early July. Youth are experiencing not being welcomed or belonging at communities of faith. They are concerned if their friends would be welcomed if invited. Read Tori’s blog https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/boldly-welcome-young-people
As we think more deeply about how we are bold disciples, share this article with your leadership or congregation, How might we ensure the belonging we yearn for is really happening? Let’s talk about it!
July 17, 2024
Sow seeds of kindness. Strengthen your invitation and welcome, creating belonging for all. Share your message of hope and caring, reminding people of the presence of your place of worship, events and activities. Review your website and social media. Is the time and location of worship clear? Review other websites and social media.
Visit other places of worship. Are there ideas you can adapt? Do you have an idea box to invite feedback and observations? Create some cards of encouragement, wishes for a good day, from your community of faith that includes place of worship, address, worship time, special events and plant seeds of invitation all around your neighbourhoods (a server, cashier, staff where you have an appointment, retail worker, in a neighbour’s mailbox) Create a card basket at the sanctuary and invite people to make and take cards to share with others. In this summer time are there areas of your building, inside and out that could do with a fresh look?
Look at bulletin boards, wall displays, information tables and freshen them up. Are there spaces to declutter? Where has storage started to take over? Is it time for a clean out as you explore “why” stuff is where it is and why it is needed?
July 10, 2024
$$$Grant money to help you commemorate the United Church of Canada’s first hundred years$$$ The Centennial Granting Fund has four cycles, with applications due September 15 and December 15, 2024, and April 15, and June 15, 2025. Applications are welcomed from any United Church ministry, community of faith/congregation, or other organization undertaking a special event to commemorate the United Church of Canada Centennial. https://unitedchurchfoundation.ca/grants/general-grant-opportunities/#Centennial-Fund
Plan with other places of worship, community partners in your area, local museums, historical societies, or other groups in your context. A community of faith I was with this past weekend announced their July event. Local clergy has been meeting since February and have year-long plans of celebrations including multiple communities of faith coming together for worship at a historical village followed by a picnic lunch and tours of the historical village, harvest thanksgiving, Advent events, winter wonders, Lent and Easter events, spring socials … Food, fun, festivities, book studies, music, memories all are stirring up excitement. Be sure to share your ideas. You can reach me by email at sballantyne@united-church.ca or by phone 705 875-8837.
July 3, 2024
Accessibility Grants opportunities have been shared by a member of a congregation who is an active grant writer. This first substantial grant supports projects up to $150,000 (up to 75% of the project total, organizations are responsible for the other 25%). The deadline is July 23, 2024, to submit a proposal online. More information and steps to apply are at: Enabling Accessibility Fund – Small Projects. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-de elopment/ser ices/funding/enabling-accessibility-fund-small-projects.html
- The second is the smaller grant more focused on hearing assistance. Janine Verge, President of Assistive Hearing Solutions shared about the hearing support grant. Here is a link to the youth enabling accessibility grant which occurs in the fall (fully funded up to $10,000.) The Seeds of Hope spring 2024 granting cycle of the United Church Foundation awarded nine grants, three in Nova Scotia, three in New Brunswick and three in Newfoundland-Labrador. Explore if United Church Foundation might be of interest to your community of faith. Don’t forget about Faithful Footprints as well, supporting our ministries with greater efficiency and reducing carbon footprints. Please let me know if you become aware of any grant opportunities that communities of faith are eligible for, so we can share.
June 26, 2024
Did your community of faith recognize indigenous day of prayer and indigenous people’s day? Brain injury awareness? Pride or affirming explorations? Multiculturalism day June 30, Canada day July 1? Connect with me and share from books to movies to places to go and things to do, it is good to share and build community. Perhaps you are thinking more about the neighbours around you and have been meaning to contact me about requesting a neighbourhood profile? It might spark new ideas. One community of faith is launching a project with a community partner to offer social opportunities for their neighbourhood’s new families who need time and space to come together and get to know each other. A community of faith has started an intentional music outreach through the summer. How about a drop-in choir this summer? Don’t forget to invest in some lemonade and perhaps meet outside. Passersby might drop in. One community of faith had their outdoor ser ice in a city park area and discovered neighbours came to join them. If you ha e a community garden, consider how you can expand and build relationships such as open church doors for cooling off, inviting gardeners to gather at certain time to have refreshments or a picnic meal, a gathering time to cook together using produce, and so much more.
June 19, 2024
Does your welcome start in your neighbourhood? Outside your building? In the parking lot? Once inside your doors? Can everyone come as they are and belong, be accepted? Do we mean and really live “all are welcome.”? Imagine our growth if “all are welcome” means we all do belong and we can trust a community of faith is a safe place, to be able to be true and authentic to who we are. This week consider each person you observe or engage with as welcome at your community of faith. Keep breaking stigmas and eliminating obstacles. Create opportunities to draw the circle wider to break barriers. How might we strengthen invitation in your community of faith and be really welcoming? Reach out to have a conversation with me, with each other, about who is at your table, who is missing, what are the gaps and voices we need to hear? How are we making sure everyone knows they are needed and valued?
June 12, 2024
Strengthening your invitation and welcome, embracing your discipleship is a popular topic. We’d love to know of your needs and interests. Share your ideas for renewal, creating new ministries, strengthening invitation. We are considering offerings for a fall webinar.
Our Minister for Justice, Mission and Outreach, the Rev. Dr. Shepherd Munikwa, created this introductory video of welcome. It has been shared at all three Atlantic annual general meetings. We hope you will watch it with your leadership, your congregation, post it on your website and social media. Discuss how you can ensure all people feel welcomed and belonging in your community of faith. Reach out to me about what resources we have or can develop to support you.
Welcome to the United Church of Canada (Radical Hospitality, Anti-Racism, Equality, Equity & Justice our Aspirations)
https://www.youtube.com/watch? =7 9SgXcCf9o
Check out this approved creative pilot project of three communities of faith working together proposed for the Moncton New Brunswick area with Central United (Moncton), Visions United (Moncton), and Sackville United (Sackville), in New Brunswick. Their pilot might spark ideas for you or you might know someone interested in this exciting ministry opportunity. It is approved as a learning site for anyone needing to do a supervised ministry of education (SME) placement. Find their Collaborative Ministry opportunity on the Sackville website, on their home page. https://www.sackvilleunitedchurch.org/ Please share how growth is being explored where you are.
June 5, 2024
They say music is the language of the Spirit. Feeling like singing… “Then Let Us Sing!” is a new on-line hymnal and digital resource expected in the fall of 2024. Check out the website. https://thenletussing.ca/
How might your community of faith engage more singing this summer and planning into the fall and Christmas season? Camp songs might be a fun offering to bring all generations together. While stirring nostalgia for some, it will introduce songs to a new generation and build memories for all. If your choir is on summer break, or you don’t have a choir, consider connecting with local musical talent and building some partnerships, inviting musicians to come share music at worship or in a special event. Arrange a community field trip, for a group of people to go out to a music event. Host a coffee house, café or kitchen party. Strengthen your music by connecting with other communities of faith to create an ecumenical choir that might offer some special events. It is never too early to be thinking about Carol nights, Christmas cantatas and special Advent events. Explore multi-faith opportunities to have a variety of spiritual reflections. Connect with local newcomers and consider a musical showcase of musical offerings from around the world. If you need something smaller, invite people to offer their favourite hymns and offer a hymn sing as part of your summer worship, or before or after worship, perhaps with lemonade! Music stirs our souls. Play some of your favourite music just for you today and sing with joy! Let me know how music is helping you grow.
May 29, 2024
As June is dawning, there is much to celebrate and acknowledge this month. What will your community of faith be partying about? It’s Pride month. It’s indigenous history month. It’s the United Church of Canada’s 99th birthday June 10. More information about the celebration of the United Church’s centenary can be found here The kick-off event into the hundredth year of United Church of Canada is at Toronto Metropolitan United, live streamed.
General Secretary, the Reverend Michael Blair will be the preacher. Plan a party, picnic supper, potluck. Invite several communities of faith to get together and watch the livestream. Start a photo history through the hundredth year. Invite stories, comments, interviews. Mark the hundredth birthday on your calendar for June 8, 2025 and save the date.
Sign up to receive the Centennial newsletter to learn about monthly themes and events throughout our hundredth year. Make your own events in your own community. Consider connecting with other area United Churches and celebrate history. Connect with local museums, historical societies, local libraries, local archives, and explore how community partners might celebrate 100 years of deep, bold, daring. What else in your local context has a hundred or more years of history? Do you have a history of your church? Is it time to profile it? Do members of your community of faith have old photos, stories, newspaper clippings? Invite children, youth, and adults to do some research about life in 1925 and share their findings. Interview anyone in their nineties to early hundreds to capture memories. Learn about what was popular around 1925 from food to fashion, activities to autos and everything in between! Explore how you can invite neighbourhoods in to share heritage. Host an afternoon social, reminiscent of 1925 perhaps, or then and now contrast with a little nostalgia mixed with current day. Perhaps a talent show or music night blending old and new. Maybe historical vignettes featuring characters of the day, snippets of historical writing or creative drama offered. As we look back, celebrate perseverance and determination, how will you also focus on your future moving forward? Let me know your creative ideas.
May 22, 2024
How can work and worship be one? Do meetings make your heart sing or strike a sour note? Does your current governance model fit who you are today and use your resources well? Dr. Shawn Jolemor (a “pracademic”) has been offering a continuing education series this spring through the Atlantic School of Theology. The title is one we can all ask ourselves and apply to the life and work of our communities of faith. Where Are We Going? How Are We Going to Get There?” My experience suggest there is not a cookie cutter answer, no magic formula, or list that offers a tidy response. We all have our own unique contexts. Being productive in our meetings, creating actionable plans in order to not just do the talk, energizes us all, becomes functional activity and affirming that we at least tried a thing instead of just talked about a thing. We are constantly evolving, growing and changing, which means we are constantly revisiting a next step, actionable items that prepare us, like good succession planning, to take the next right step for us. Reflect on meetings we are part of, and what it is to ha e “Conversations that matter. “Let’s think about meeting productivity:
- How many focused clearly on strategic issues:
- A destination or outcome (Where are we going?) AND/OR
- A pathway (How will we get there?)
- How would you characterize the level of trust among participants?
- Did your meetings end with clear next steps?
- Did you feel the meeting was “guided” well?
Rate your overall experience on scale of 1 (not very productive or focused) to 5 (very productive
or focused). What did you learn about your meetings?
(Adapted from: Morrison et al. (2019) Strategic Doing: Ten skills for agile leadership) Make sure you add some play and some fun into your meetings. Invite the Spirit to dance among you, reenergizing and equipping you, building capacity, to follow where God leads.
May 15, 2024
What have been your God moments this week? Share your gratitude! Do you have space in your weekly worship, small group gatherings, special activities to check in and share with one another when and how you experienced something special in your week? In worship these might be called “celebrations,” “God Moments,” “Glimmers” or other name that invites a sharing of something meaningful during the week, a sharing of something reflecting why faith matters. In the expression of a happy moment, a revelatory incident, a gratitude, we all are drawn closer in relationship. Find ways to share them in your worship, at teams and committee meetings and among those you meet outside your building. How about sharing through “an appreciation station” by creating a give and take table? These might include new or gently used items you don’t need but others might appreciate, recent magazines, favourite recipes, a favourite scripture verse written out, activities and hobbies that can be offered. I know some churches make their own greeting cards and make them available, or prayer squares. Perhaps you love to bake and want to share. As a gardener, perhaps you have extra flowers or produce to brighten someone’s day. One entrepreneur who hosts a stall at the local farmer’s market made up a whole bunch of invitations, providing information about times and locations of the farmer’s market he is part of and invited the taker to bring along the card and receive some free produce. Items can be organized in baskets or bins. Let me know the ideas your community of faith is thinking about, or already trying.
May 8, 2024
What size do you need? Do you ever find the supersize amounts of items for purchase are too much for one or two people, or even family size is too much? Do you have people who find it hard to shop due to time constraints, transportation challenges, mobility limitations, or just don’t enjoy it? Could a new ministry of resizing and packaging be part of your community ministry? How might you reimagine a ministry of repackaging, resizing to fit needs and the potential cost savings? Can you reimagine a group coming together for coffee and fellowship and having a productive task of working together to repackage items to meet the needs of your congregants, or in your neighbourhood? Perhaps it could supplement existing food bank needs in your neighbourhood? Perhaps items could go into a tiny pantry outreach that you have or another place in your neighbourhood has? Perhaps you could add a special ministry such as the birthday bag ministry in your local clothing or toys and games outreach? Imagine loot bags available with cake mix, icing, and perhaps other decorative toppings to sweeten the package. Perhaps you can create a community partnership with your local grocer, bulk food supplier or other business in your neighbourhood? Does your community of faith have a gift card program? Selling gift cards for things like food, gas, restaurants, retail stores not only provides ease of shopping and gift giving but your community of faith gets some money from the sale of every card. Be deep, bold and daring to imagine something new, or reimagine becoming more with what you already do. Do you have other ideas. Share them with me and it might spark something beautiful in the imaginations of other ministries.
May 1, 2024
What specifically are you hoping a Growth Animator will be able to support or resource with you and your community of faith, pastoral charge, cluster or other ministries, that your current ministry and lay leadership is not able to do? Your Annual General Meeting is fast approaching in your region. I plan to be at your AGM in-person and I want to connect with your delegates. If you are not a delegate, but are reading this, remind your ministry personnel and lay delegates to seek me out at the AGM. Before your AGM, have some conversations with your governing body, teams or committees, outreach ministries, your congregation, your local community partners
• Describe who you are and why you are. What is the story you celebrate? Who do you want to be in 3, 5, 10 years?
• Describe your neighbours and neighbourhood. How does the leadership speak about your neighbours and neighbourhood? How does your congregation speak about your neighbours and your neighbourhood?
• What groups and individuals currently use your building apart from your congregation?
• How do people on leadership and within the congregation speak about these groups and your connection to them?
• Are you currently working with other UCCan congregations, ecumenical partners, the regional council(regional pastoral relations minister or regional committees), your Stewardship staff (Roger Janes), CYAYA staff (Catherine Stuart), JMO staff (Shepherd Munikwa), UPRC/Kindred Works or any other such group?
• How are you strengthening invitation welcoming all to belong?
• Describe the ways you are living into deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice. How are you growing or hoping to grow?
Bring your stories, your dreams, your ideas and questions to your AGM. Come find me and let’s begin or continue conversations.
April 24, 2024
Who did you notice this week? Who noticed you? Who were you able to call by name? Who called you by name? Being seen, being acknowledged, known and remembered helps us build community. Do you notice the name tags worn by employees when you are going about your daily lives? Being called by our name is gift we can receive and gift we can give. Perhaps there are people you regularly see but don’t know their names. Notice after you find out their name the difference it makes in brightening your day and someone else’s day! Talk directly to a person. If a child, someone using a wheelchair, someone sitting down, meet them at eye level so they don’t have to always be looking up. Building relationships can start with learning each other’s name. How can you add to the knowledge, a kind question? Offer a complement or acknowledgement of appreciation? Keep building beloved community! In your community of faith, are people wearing name tags? Beyond name tags, how does your community of faith intentionally create community that invites and welcomes everyone to know they are needed, valued, belong, able to be themselves, to be comfortable, and to be safe?
April 17, 2024
“Alive is beautiful!” These words shared by the moderator the Rt. Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne in part of her worship message to about 250 worshippers gathered at a church in No a Scotia Sunday. How is your community of faith feeling that, embracing it, living into it and celebrating it? Whether you are facing tough, grief-laden decisions about closing your building and closing well, figuring out how your beloved community will discover its new path, or energized because dreams are taking shape, “alive is beautiful!” Being our best for right now impacts our future, fuels our spiritual fires kindling much needed hope and resilience. Exploring beyond our bricks and mortar worries, will bring us to greater openness to prayerfully discern God’s call to each of us. How will you re i e hope, happiness, spiritual hunger and health? Take time to do your asset mapping.
In exploring renewing ministries, collaborative ministries, cooperative ministries or whatever new ministries emerge, like gardeners, we need to figure out the conditions? What makes up the soil of your community of faith that can nurture new possibilities? What might require tilling or fertilizing to allow for healthy growth? What needs to be composted?
What makes up the soil of your neighbourhood? What eco system is developing? What are the actionable take-a-ways from conversations? Who is responsible for follow through and communication? What are the timelines?
April 10, 2024
What really energizes you, stirs your passion and compassion? What God moment did you experience this week? Where a community meal is served, a participant shared it is the one day of the week they know they will have a meal, and it has saved their life. We can help with needs when we know what they are. Needs look different in each of our contexts. Ask someone “what do you need?” Have you done a spring prayer walk or drive yet? A simple intentional prayer when discerning, noticing, seeking, might be “God, show me.” Do you want to explore needs for your neighbourhood, your community of faith, connect with me.
April 3, 2024
Are you growing weary with focus on decline and fears? Celebrate some wins instead of wearying worries. Be intentional to focus on lifting up successes and meaningful connections with people. Keep making spiritual growth your intentional priority individually and collectively. Stay committed to loving God through loving people. How are all the ways you loved people today? This week? We know loneliness is a mental health crisis. Strike up conversations at your local coffee shop, favourite restaurant, lobby of your apartment building, with someone out for a walk in the neighbourhood, an employee where you work or are getting goods or services. What stories did you hear? How did it make you feel? Imagine every team or committee meeting, each gathering celebrating howe we are loving people and how we can do it even better? Open meetings with spiritual focus and sharing. A few stories shared won’t alone transform your church, but is part of your transforming! How can we offer renewed community, friendships, relationship building opportunities? Who in our wider neighbourhoods can help us connect with more people to love and more neighbourhoods to improve? Talk to other places of worship, points of interest and potential community partners and see how you might help each other. Promote each other’s activities and keep drawing the circle wider.
March 27, 2024
How is it with you this Holy Week? Are you feeling as you are coming out of a wilderness, still in its midst, seeking Easter celebrations? Recall the urgency Jesus shared as he lovingly served the disciples, washing their feet on Maundy Thursday, sharing the last supper with his friends in the upper room. In the intimacy, a loving act offered. What small things can you do as acts of great love as you journey this holy week? For yourself? Another? In the preparations of your sacred spaces? In your neighbourhood around you? Attend to your own inner sanctuary of your heart, to family, your COF and stretch yourself to reach the sacred space outside your building, with welcome, with invitation, with urgency, the sharing of the Good News of Easter? Perhaps make a large invitation that you put in the door or window of each entrance, a sandwich board sign, put up flyers of invitation in public spaces where such is permitted, phone someone and invite them, make some Easter cards and if you did Palm crosses and have extra distribute them in a card. Get some Easter eggs and make small snack bag ziplocks and distribute outside your doors with a word of encouragement to passers-by. Consider a Easter bonnet invitation and take a photo of all. Have an Easter theme dessert auction or cup cake decorating activity. Fill plastic Easter eggs with a message of hope, an invitation to worship, and a treat and leave one with staff at all the places you have to visit this week. Spread the message of love to all you see.
March 20, 2024
We make the road by walking…how is your community of faith making its road? What great things are you celebrating through your skills and special talents? What ideas are you trying for outreach to connect with others? A pastoral charge shared with me about “spiritual health” pastoral visitation teams their small rural charge started, equipping each visiting team with a box of Kleenex to take to their visit. Doesn’t that sound like an invitation to share, to risk vulnerability and show interest in hearing someone’s story. I think of tears as wet prayers. As bold disciples how are you connecting with the hearts of others, or dreaming about strengthening capacity to do so? I heard from another group that has a traveling picnic basket, intentionally inviting sharing food and conversation. Maybe you have a picnic basket ministry waiting to be born? Another community of faith started a pantry table as a midweek offering to the wider community, putting out items they wanted to give to others. While this one was food based it could be a wider “give and take” ministry. A side benefit is people are coming for conversation and fellowship, like an unplanned drop-in” ministry to visit and build relationships together. Are you talking with other communities of faith, within our denomination, ecumenically or interfaith? Plan a time when people can come and share. You may discover ways to support each other and reach neighbours around your neighbourhoods. Reach out and share your ideas with me.
March 13, 2024
Party! Party! Party! Are you and your community of faith planning your next party and being intentional to invite neighbours? Perhaps you are celebrating PIE day, March 14, which is a day to increase awareness and connection with the 2SLGBTQIA community and allies. Being “public, intentional and explicit.” Several communities of faith are taking their pie to the streets. Some are handing out paper lunch bags with a homemade baked tart inside and a message of encouragement on the bag. Some are having pie auctions, pie eating contests, making pies and serving them at local food banks, hosting events to speak about affirming. Perhaps you have a party with the Easter bunny on the calendar…. Easter egg hunt for all ages? Easter themed dessert auction? Spring outdoor cleanup garden party? Earth day party? Christian family day tea? Pride Sunday party? How about organizing a party as United Church of Canada kicks off the 100th anniversary year of the United Church of Canada. On June 9, 2024, the centennial year will get started with a worship service hosted in person in Toronto, livestreamed online. Perhaps plan a community meal to come together and participate in the first event of our historic year. Plan ahead for a summer party, end of school year party. How about a Canada day party? You could do a community BBQ, a porch party of music, an arts and crafters gala? Your neighbourhood is waiting to party with you! Figure out what party works for your context and find reasons to strengthen invitation and share God’s love. Perhaps connect with other places of worship to plan your next party together. What ideas are you thinking about?
March 6, 2024
What are the markers/qualities/ characteristic of your ministry? How does your congregation describe itself? How would others characterize you? Do people outside your doors know you? What outreach connects people? A General Council office staff recently shared these markers of a successful New Ministry:
- Clearly articulated mission
- A strong and committed team
- Spiritual and faith formation of the leadership
- A plan for financial sustainability
- Outside Partnerships, as taken from the UCCan New Ministry Strategy(revised 2020) document.
What does new ministry mean in your contexts?
Are there renewed ministries growing? How does your community of faith strengthen invitation and welcome?
February 28, 2024
How am I showing others Christ through my attitudes and actions? How can I support others on their spiritual journey with Christ? What are some of our stories of transformation? Where is God sending us into the world? Too often we don’t feel enough. Explore “worth-ship” and “with-ness.” God uses each of us, warts and all! Reimagine your WARTS. To grow we Welcome, Attract, Retain, Transform and Send people into the world. Is there a word from our WARTS that stands out in your community of faith? How can you grow that strength? Moving beyond our warts, what is the realm of impact we have being sent out to our neighbours. Re-imagine your community of faith, your neighbourhood, town or city as an eco system working together, interdependent, deepening relationships and being strengthened to make a difference one seed at a time! Connect with me to chat about what you are doing and how we can keep growing.
February 21, 2024
You are invited! Who else did you invite? Where? When? What time? It sounds like some excitement in the air, don’t you think? Historically Easter Sunday has included Baptisms and Confirmations. This means Lent was a time of preparing for Baptism, learning and connecting, participating and being involved, prioritizing spiritual growth and commitment. Lent offers a time of preparation, getting ready and inviting people; everyone invited to join in, to be intentional in deepening their spiritual relationships. Perhaps your community of faith is doing a special worship series, book study or special gathering. One community of faith started a Saturday afternoon cup and conversation at a local diner to invite others. It might attract newcomers, others at tables nearby to come join the conversation. As we’ve moved through Epiphany reencountering the invitation, “come and see,” we take it into the Lent season and hopefully our every day practices. Don’t go alone … invite someone to church, to join you on errands, a special event, interest activity, on a walk/drive, for a “cup and conversation.” It’s better together! Think of all the things you might invite another to join you to do, and then do what you can. Imagine it! Share it! In what ways can I invite others to “come and see” Talk about it with others and transform ideas to action. Reach out. Invite me for a chat and share what you are up to.
February 14, 2024
What are your heart-felt experiences and how do you share them? What are your community of faith’s heart-felt experiences? How are they being shared? How can your community of faith support others experiencing heartache, hurt, pain and loneliness? How can your community of faith support others in “heart-full” experiences? Understanding our local contexts, we faithfully bring our whole self, whole body to our story, our community building relationships.
More than ever, we are facing challenging times in our church, but together, we are companioning each other, hearing each other, visioning how God is calling you and me to build relationships, deepen our offering of hospitality and to be a part of renewing hope in the world. What sort of phoning ministry outreach might be needed to call your neighbours. Love your neighbour. Why not give me a call and let me know what your community of faith is up to?
February 7, 2024
Do you have a variety of ways to gather information? Do you invite your congregation and wider community to share their ideas to explore ways to grow?
How about putting idea boxes around points of interests in your neighbourhoods to invite them to share what they need? Perhaps you can share ideas through a hopes and dreams jar? How might you phrase one or two great questions to get the feedback you need? Perhaps you have an idea and wonder if people feel they would use the thing you are proposing? Maybe it is time to do an interest survey? How about a door hanger or post card handout in your neighbourhood? Just want to show you care and let others know your community of faith is there, consider handing out homemade cards and including a note of encouragement.
What sort of symbols resonate in your community of faith? Perhaps you will create ideas on a collection of rainbow post-it notes and grow your rainbow of love? Perhaps you are into puzzles and you’ll create puzzle pieces, building your puzzle together. What pieces won’t fit in the renewal and creation of who God is calling you to be in 2024? Maybe it is the image of gardens, trees and growth, what are the seeds emerging in your community of faith? Let me know what resonates for you.
January 31, 2024
What renews you, body, mind and spirit? What moves you from feelings of exhaustion and overwhelm, from grief to gratitude? Are you up for some renewal? Reenergizing? Re-imagining? How about some brainstorming to explore the best ways to radically welcome and invite people committed to loving our neighbour? Who are your neighbours? Are you finding out? Do people around you seem tired? Lonely? What do they need?
Think of times when you are tired and overwhelmed, when someone comes and listens, invites different perspectives. Remember times when you thought you were too tired, reluctant to do something and then you try it, take a leap of faith and discover renewal. Our growth strategy is Renew, Create, Invite. As we focus on renewing, we bring together who we are and all of our heritage existence and drawing from our vast gifts. Throughout our region, people will find images, Bible stories, symbols, strategies, tools and resources that speak to their unique contexts. We will continue to access, build and create our toolkits and strategies. come along side and companion people to believe in flourishing and in thriving, to be energized, excited, empowered with all God is up to. Talk about what your community of faith loves and why. Contact me to explore renewal in your community of faith.
January 24, 2024
Want to learn more about how your community of faith can save money on your building costs? Little things add up. Updating exit sign lightbulbs to LED lights can save 12 weeks off your electricity bill for the exit sign lights. Who knew? I learned this and more at a Faithful Footprints program webinar. Eliminate fluorescent tubes and save. Explore grants to help your building become more fuel efficient. As part of the United Church of Canada’s climate commitment, Faithful Footprints can help your community of faith make improvements to become greener and save money. Perhaps solar panels are needed or heat pumps might be a great cost saver, and may be possible through support of grants. Contact Faithful Footprints to learn specifics for your community of faith. Discover what communities of faith across the country are doing. Visit their website at www.faithfulfootprints.org or email them at info@faithfulfootprints.org
January 17, 2024
Mission and Ser ice posted last week: “The United Church of Canada has a ton of great things going for it. We are a leader in social justice work. We provide pastoral care to the sick, the lonely, the grieving. We celebrate key milestones in people’s lives. We celebrate God’s presence, live with respect in Creation, love and serve others, seek justice and resist evil, and proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. So why does it seem to be soooo hard to invite people to come and see and get involved?
Think about what excites you and inspires you about the United Church. Then think about who you know that would also get excited about that, and invite them to come with you and check it out.” What events/activities are happening at, with or through your community of faith? Thinking beyond worship, is there something happening you can invite others to attend? What might your community of faith offer that would invite people to participate (a tea, a make and eat treats event, craft, a learning event about travel, hobbies or other interests, games event, food making for those in need, sharing of a movie, a music event…) The sky is the limit and you can customize it to your context and need. Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday will be the same day this year. How about something related to either of those? Shrove Tuesday, pancakes on Tuesday February 13 anyone? Celebrate friendships! Feeling a bit tired but like an idea, connect with another nearby community of faith and work together. Think of all the ways you can invite someone and try a few!
January 10, 2024
What are you doing to stay connected with your community of faith, those who are your core energizer bunnies who keep things happening, all your volunteer leaders, those who come occasionally, those joining online, those who come in person, those unable to come? Sharing and caring helps us beat the “winter blahs.” Is it time to do a phone call check-in with others? Send out some greeting cards thinking about you, a word of hope and encouragement reaching out to others. Invite people of all ages to make some greeting cards to have ready to share. Connect with a teacher and invite their class to make cards that you can brighten another’s day with. Have a conversation with neighbours on your street and check-in. Share a word of kindness to those you encounter on errands and appointments. Are there some people you can send a simple thank-you to share your appreciation for their kindness to you. Has your community of faith got a card ministry? Invite everyone to share important dates and put them on your own calendar as well as reaching out as a community of faith to remember and celebrate milestones. Who came out to worship at Advent and Christmas that may not regularly? Can you connect and say thanks and let them know their participation was appreciated. Invite them to come back. Do you have an event on your church calendar that will bring people together to share in fellowship? Potluck? A soup lunch? Plan something for fun! Set your intention for gratitude and take opportunity to thank others. Thank you for thinking about growth in your ministries. Thanks for sharing a smile, a hug, a word of encouragement. Your kind compassion makes a difference.
January 3, 2024
Happy New Year! Are you feeling God’s abundance? Now is a great time for your leadership and whole congregation to be intentional to discuss the abundance of your community of faith and the opportunities and possibilities you want to explore this year. What are things your community of faith does really well? What are you known for? Create a word list that describes qualities/characteristics of your community of faith. Invite community partners, your outreach groups, users of your building, the neighbourhood around you to participate. What do they know about you? Additionally, make a list of all the activities your community of faith participates in. Celebrate and appreciate these gifts. Check out this three-minute video, The Embrace of Abundance Amidst the Fiction of Scarcity, from well-known Biblical scholar, Dr. Walter Brueggemann
https://www.youtube.com/watch? =1TdOMnRPEhM
December 20, 2023 (final for 2023)
Are you planning for summer 2024? Ha e you thought about opportunities for your community of faith to consider hiring a student through the Canada Summer Jobs government program? Perhaps you might even enter in conversations with other communities of faith or potential community partners near you to develop an application to share work of a summer student? Students offer a wide variety of interests, expertise and fields of study that invite mutual giving and receiving opportunity for all involved. Connecting in your neighbourhood, nurturing your community hub, supporting hobbies/interests/learning how to initiatives, supporting tech, communications and marketing, outreach, activities and programs, community garden, local markets/meal initiatives, intergenerational learning, radical welcome of newcomers, decluttering and refreshing spaces may be possibilities to help pilot great ideas you are dreaming about. Invite ideas from your congregation. Be innovative. Think outside the boxes. Don’t miss the opportunity to bring energy and new interest this summer. Perhaps you are in conversation with other places already. This might offer great ways to grow your ideas and further build community, from your own summer festival to sharing skills and hobbies. Ensure your governance body prayerfully explores this. The application window is open until January 10, 2024 at 11:59 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/ser ices/funding/canada-summer-jobs/apply.html Add some hope and possibilities for you, your community of faith and students for the summer! Share your ideas. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and I look forward to sharing our growth in 2024.Stay hope-filled as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
December 13, 2023
How about a prayer walk? Maybe this is a new spiritual practice for you, or one your community of faith has not done recently? In prayer walks, we are mindfully present, aware, noticing, listening and seeking God’s guidance, paying attention to what we may ha e not seen before, or God is showing in new ways. We want to know what God is calling us to do and to be in this present moment and into our future. Over the course of several prayer walks, notice what God is showing you about your neighbourhood around your community of faith. Prayer walks might reveal needs, blessings, suffering, opportunities, hope, new life, new people, potential community partners, ideas for outreach, ways to collaborate and connect. Three or four people might walk with intention seeking God to show you what you need to see and connect with. Someone might take photos or videos for discussion. Observe changes since Covid. Those unable to physically join in the prayer walk, can hold the group walking in prayer and take part in gathering discussions after prayer walks. Prayer walking on different days and at different times might reveal different information. You can be creative to your context, perhaps having an additional prayer walk in which individually, you seek to chat with people you meet. Notice the signs of Christmas being observed. Consider adding a walk inviting a carol sing in your neighbourhood. Invite the neighbours to join in. Bring new energy and awareness by having prayer walks in the neighbourhood around your community of faith. Perhaps your context needs a prayer drive in the area between your multiple points? Neighbouring churches? Do you want to talk more?
December 6, 2023
In this season of Advent, how are you holding on to hope? It is a season of sensing the now and the not yet. We are reminded in the words of Isaiah 43, the message that God is up to something. What is God up to with you? Perceive it. Look for it. Anticipate it. This week I am meeting with the Organization Development and Strategy Unit (ODS) bringing together about 40 people, including for the first time our growth team. Being deep, bold and daring starts with each of us and invites us to work together. Pray for all of our 2,516 communities of faith. In some activities we placed ourselves out according to when we started working in a church. In another, when we started working for the national church, and some are in the “not yet” as they anticipate their new positions beginning in January. Practice radical hospitality and be intentional to include everyone. What sorts of questions might you ask others to learn about each other as you chat and share fellowship? Be blessed in this time of Advent-uring and feeling God’s presence filling us all with hope.
November 29, 2023 (Advent letter): Advent Greetings Friends and Colleagues from Your Growth Animator
Advent is a time of anticipation, waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ and all that means for each of us. It is a time for hope, a time for peace and justice, a time to share the joy within our hearts, and to share the love that surrounds us. What will be born anew in you?
New birth, revitalization and thriving all take focused energy, attention and commitment. As your new Growth Animator, I am here to support you and your community of faith as you welcome and prepare for the life that the Spirit is birthing among you. My name is Sharon Ballantyne, and I am serving the UCC East. I am joined by colleagues across the country – Jordan Cantwell (Prairies Regions), Tori Mullin (Eastern Ontario & Quebec Regions), Greg Smith-Young (Southwestern Ontario Regions), Calin Lau (Central & Northwestern Ontario Regions), and Scott Reynolds (Mountains Regions). Each of us will be working with communities of faith throughout our assigned regions, to help them increase their capacity to invite, attract, retain, transform and send people forth into the world as disciples of Christ.
I am excited to begin this work and see where the Spirit may lead our churches as we set our sights on strengthening our ministries and growing our impact within our communities.
Working together with the Director of Growth, Cam Fraser, the growth department, the Regional Pastoral Relations Ministers, our Executive Minister, Faith March-MacCuish , and all of you, I look forward to hearing your stories, learning about our current ministries, the joys and struggles we are experiencing, the opportunities and challenges facing our communities of faith, and where we feel the Spirit is calling us to futures of deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice.
I look forward to exploring ways to work and grow together, sharing tools and resources to support communities of faith who want to deepen their discipleship and grow their ministries.
This Holy Season, may each of you know you are a beloved child of the Holy One, yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever!
Yours in Christ,
November 22, 2023
With the Advent and Christmas season upon us, you are likely planning wonderful connections with your communities of faith, that will invite neighbours, and visitors. Perhaps consider an announcement handout, post card or intentional welcome to let everyone know what your community of faith is up to. Don’t forget to include information on your websites and social media as well. Consider the welcome of name tags, a great way to help us learn or remember names. Consider having a couple people be name tag greeters before each event, to invite people to make name tags or find theirs. In my last pastoral charge, our music director, Jenny Trites, prepared this little “why wear name tags” info for our bulletins, and I share it here with her permission:
In a spirit of radical welcome, we encourage everybody to wear a name tag today.
Name tags help us recognize and remember each other. They are a small gesture appreciated by: those learning many names at once; those who are deaf or hard of hearing; or those who struggle to match names with faces.
If you are comfortable doing so, consider adding your pronouns. Sharing pronouns is a signal that we welcome those of all genders, and appreciate knowing how to speak of each other respectfully.
Share your great ideas for outreach and growth with me.
November 15, 2023
Leaps of faith often start with little steps. There is a nudging, the birthing of an idea, a dream, a vision, and there’s brainstorming and widening the circle to wonder even more. Part of our own renewal, reenergizing and deciding what we have interest for, starts with us as individual people. Perhaps struggles and concerns are taking your joy getting in the way of you being hope-filled, making you feel less excited by your faith, your worship time, your prayer and devotional time, maybe even your fellowship. Lean in to your faith. Let nothing be a thief of your joy. We can be more than we think. As individuals, as congregations and communities. Like the advice on airlines, we have to put on our own oxygen masks first. In taking care of ourselves, we are able to help others. What little things help you to reground yourself? What are the small things you are noticing? how can we be “more”? Hold on to hope!
November 8, 2023
My name is Sharon Ballantyne. I am so excited to greet you as growth animator for Atlantic Canada and Bermuda, serving UCC East. I was ordained in 2006 and have served congregations in southern Ontario and in Halifax. I am keen to hear your stories, your concerns and your joys, to learn what is on your hearts. Over these early months, we are gathering information to learn more about ministries throughout Canada. I want to hear what Atlantic Canada and Bermuda are up to. I am here to listen and to learn. Two of us, part of the six-member growth animator team began on November 1, and the remaining four will begin January 1. My hope is to be a resource and support, coming alongside ministries. Working with regional ministers and our executive minister, the growth department looks forward to working with you. I will pilot regular announcements and look forward to your thoughts and feedback.
