BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Nakonhaka Region 13 - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://nakonhakaucc.ca X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Nakonhaka Region 13 REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260311T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260520T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T115620 CREATED:20260216T224655Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T154455Z UID:40015-1773255600-1779310800@nakonhakaucc.ca SUMMARY:Things We Tell Ourselves DESCRIPTION:Chers francophones\, \nLe programme suivant est seulement offert en anglais\, et c’est pourquoi la description n’est pas traduite en français. Un programme similaire\, exclusivement en français\, sera ouvert au courant de l’année 2026. \nMerci de votre compréhension. \n\nThe United Church has spent 100 years establishing patterns and ways of doing ministry. Many of us are still doing what the church was doing a generation or two earlier. We want to try new things but don’t know where to start. We’ve created a narrative that doesn’t always match reality. It’s time to talk about it and unpack the things we’ve been telling ourselves. \nWorking towards the future oriented vision of the United Church of Canada: \nInspired\, resilient\, and diverse contextual communities of disciples seek to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world. The church is present and deeply connected coast-to-coast-to-coast in rural and urban settings\, and in ecumenical and global relationships. Guided by hope-filled\, adaptive and effective ministry leaders\, the denomination is increasingly multigenerational\, multiracial\, and intercultural. –Towards 2035 Vision Statement \nThis ten-week series of learning sessions and workshops will give participants the chance to see new opportunities\, engage with new ideas\, meet other lay church leaders reimagining the church of the future and start building it now. \nInstructors each bring their own expertise and ability to facilitate conversation. Some sessions will have panels for questions and engagement\, others will offer small group discussion and planning time. Materials will be available before and after each session to allow participants to go deeper into the subject matter if they wish. \nParticipation in all sessions is not mandatory\, but for each session in which a registrant is actively involved\, an entry into a draw for a special gift will be made. Three winners will be drawn from the entries. Prizes drawn will be \n\nVinyl floor labyrinth for use in your church or home\n$200 gift certificate to the United Church Bookstore (UCRD)\nA copy of Celebrate God’s Presence book of worship services\n\nA certificate of completion will be provided to all participants who participate in all sessions (present in Zoom or in online discussion chat for each session). \nWhile this program is organized by the Nakonha:ka\, East Central Ontario and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Councils\, it is open to United Church members and adherents from other parts of Canada. \nTo register\, please visit the following link: Things We Tell Ourselves \n\nMARCH 11\, 2026 \nIt doesn’t matter if our church disappears \nWe sometimes want to give up\, we’re discouraged. Would anyone notice if we just closed our doors\, sold our churches\, gave the money to charity and called it a day? What difference can a church make in people’s lives in an increasingly secular world? Come and explore how the church can be relevant to the world\, finding ministry in new ways that remind us what we’re about. \nLEAD: Richard Bott \nMARCH 18\, 2026 \nSunday shopping and sports have emptied out our churches / It’s all about Sunday morning\, at 10:30am\, with a choir\, a minister and an order of service \nMaybe what we offer on a Sunday morning isn’t as engaging as other things… but if the only way we will be successful in our ministry is if there is absolutely nothing else to do\, maybe we need to rethink how we make it the most interesting thing someone can do. How do we ensure that we are working to meet their needs rather than just trying to meet our own. Come and explore how to make church activities more relevant\, useful and appealing to people. \nLEAD: Mitchell Anderson \nMARCH 25\, 2026 \nYoung people don’t care about church \nMost young people have stopped coming to church\, but maybe it’s about what we’re offering. There are increasing signs of interest from a generation who was not raised in church. Come and explore how young people are finding faith these days. \nLEAD: Dana Ducette \nAPRIL 8\, 2026 \nNewcomers to Canada aren’t interested in our church (it’s too boring\, it’s too liberal\, it’s too “white”) \nWe are a significantly more WASP-ish church than most of the world around us. Our communities can carry some significant prejudices that we may not realize\, yet growing churches are finding ways to be intercultural and welcoming. Come and explore how we might reach out and connect with and welcome newcomers. \nLEAD: Emo Yango\, Desire Tiriwepi \nAPRIL 15\, 2026 \nThe United Church doesn’t believe in God anymore \nWhile there are many people who make this claim\, the truth is that the United Church has a deep\, rich and diverse theological grounding. Some have given up theological expression because they are afraid it will scare people away. But is this actually the case? Come and explore the United Church’s theological roots and its modern-day expressions as an antidote to the public image Christianity carries in the news and in popular culture. \nLEAD: Jennifer Janzen-Ball \nAPRIL 22\, 2026 \nWe should aim to be a megachurch \nIs the megachurch the thriving church model that would best serve our moment in history? Come and explore the megachurch phenomenon\, its patterns\, strengths\, and weaknesses. \nLEAD: Frank Emanuel \nAPRIL 29\, 2026 \nOur ministry IS our building / Our building is killing us \nWe spend a lot of time on buildings. Many of us have older buildings\, struggle with repairs\, dealing with rentals and tenants. Many congregations spend more time in their meetings talking about their buildings than about their ministry. Come and explore how ministry can find new life that is not building-focused or being a landlord. \nLEAD: Jordan Cantwell \nMAY 6\, 2026 \nChurch meetings are boring and unproductive. \nDo you dread attending church meetings\, whether it’s a gathering of the Outreach Committee\, Youth Group Leaders\, or Church Council? Come and explore how meetings can become a powerful way we live out our faith\, turning your community’s decision-making into an effective and faith-filled part of your ministry. \nLEAD: Tori Mullin \nMAY 13\, 2026 \nWe can’t afford a full-time minister\, so there is no future for us / Spiritual care is the minister’s job / We don’t have enough volunteers \nAs there seems to be a decreasing number of ministers\, what do we do? While all congregations are lay-led in some way\, many find the idea of being without ministry personnel to be challenging. Even if we could be lay-led\, how do we ensure that we’re fostering the volunteers we need for this? Come and explore options for ministry that is not entirely reliant on the traditional model of a full-time minister for a congregation. \nLEAD: Andrew Richardson\, Janet Gear \nMAY 20\, 2026 \nThe United Church is at the end of its financial and people resources. We don’t have enough. \nWhile it often feels this way\, and too often we act out of this claim\, is it true? Is scarcity our story? The Communities of Faith which make up the United Church actually have an abundance of resources available to them. The fear of asking people to give\, or to get involved\, along with a culture of privacy\, hinders our ministry and our future. Come and explore the spiritual practice of stewardship and generosity as an antidote to greed and scarcity. \nLEAD: Dave Jagger URL:https://nakonhakaucc.ca/event/things-we-tell-ourselves/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://nakonhakaucc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Things-We-Tell-Ourselves-Poster.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260320T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260321T120000 DTSTAMP:20260419T115620 CREATED:20260203T143810Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260321T165408Z UID:39774-1774031400-1774094400@nakonhakaucc.ca SUMMARY:Online AGM-March 2026 DESCRIPTION:Context is everything. How we do ministry\, how we speak to people\, how we organize ourselves. God doesn’t stop speaking to us when our context changes. God is still knocking at the door and our ability to respond in a way that is contextual is key. In Quebec we face continued pressures to secularize. Conversation about the benefits of church are a challenge. What can we learn about our context and how does ministry stay relevant in our context today. As we formally review the work we’ve done over the last year and examine our structure\, we will also be learning more about how the law is affecting our work and how we might respond to the needs of the world. We continue to learn how to answer when love knocks.  \nThe regional council gathering on March 20 and 21 will be held on Zoom. Registration is now open below. Documents will be posted as soon as they become available. Thank you! \n \n \n \n \n \n Registration\n \n\n \n \n 2026-03-20-21 Online AGM\n Registration form for adult\, youth and young adult lay representatives\, active and retired ministry personnel\, staff\, guests and visitors for Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council gathering.\n\n\nAfter completing the registration form\, you will receive a confirmation email\, and a second email containing the Zoom link for the AGM\, as well as the information you provided us. If you have only received one\, or none of the two emails\, please contact Aviyah Abrams at aabrams@united-church.ca. \n \n PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.IdentificationName\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n Enter Email\n \n \n \n Confirm Email\n \n \n Primary PhoneExtension (if applicable)RegistrationIf you are unable to attend\, please let Joel Miller know at jmiller@united-church.ca.\n \n I will attend on March 20th only\n \n \n I will attend on March 21st only\n \n \n I will attend on both days\n RolePlease select the descriptions below that best describe your connection to Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council.\n \n Lay representative (adult > 35)\n \n \n Ordered Minister (ordained\, diaconal)\n \n \n Designated Lay Ministers\n \n \n Candidate for Ministry\n \n \n Visitor/guest (non-voting)\n \n \n Staff (Regional Council or General Council)\n \n \n First Third (under 35)\n \n \n Other\n If other\, please specifyCommunity of Faith / or 'None' if not applicableThe name of your community of faith as of January 1\, 2026.Location of Community of Faith / or 'None' if not applicableThe city or town where your community of faith is situated.PronounsHow would you like us to refer to you?\n \n \n he/him\n \n \n \n she/her\n \n \n \n they/them\n \n \n \n Other\n OPTIONAL: Update address for database (if you have moved) \n \n \n Street Address\n \n \n Address Line 2\n \n \n City\n \n \n Province\n \n \n Postal Code\n \n \n Country\n AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire\, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo\, Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea\, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea\, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine\, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena\, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyria Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania\, the United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluTürkiyeUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands\, BritishVirgin Islands\, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands \n \n \n Participation in MeetingI am interested in helping out for this meeting (or a future meeting)\n \n Worship\n \n \n Equity team\n \n \n Planning future meetings\n \n \n Other\n What is your preferred language for table groups?\n \n English\n \n \n French\n \n \n Bilingual\n Do you require simultaneous translation?\n \n \n Yes\n \n \n \n No\n Do you have questions about Bill 9? If you do\, please let us know right below.What justice issues is your community of faith working on right now?Privacy Information and ConsentThe collection of information on this registration form is for the purposes of Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council only.\n\nPlease be aware that video recording will occur at the online regional meeting. Photos or videos of participants may\, or may not\, be taken during the event/activities. In turn these images may be published in print or posted online on our website photo galleries or used at the discretion of Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council.\n\nBy submitting this registration form you are indicating your consent to the collection and use of your information and photo and/or video for the use of Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council.Consent (information) I agree to the privacy policy and the collection of personal information.Consent (photos) I agree that screenshots\, videos and photos of this event may be used on regional council communications platforms (Web\, social media\, newsletter\, etc.)End of registration: click "Submit" to proceed.If you have any questions\, please contact Aviyah (aabrams@united-church.ca)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Documents\n Documents will be added here as soon as they become available. Thank you for your patience! \nAGENDA-March-20-21-2026 -Updated 2025-03-05 \n2026-03-20-21_Spring AGM_Motions-Updated 2025-03-16 \nA_2025-11-15_Fall GM Minutes Draft-Updated 2025-03-16 \nB_2026-03-11 GELT Grants Awarded-Updated 2025-03-16 \nC_Report Book (2025)-Updated 2025-03-17 \nD1_Governance Handbook (March 2026)-Updated 2025-03-21 \nD2_Policy Regarding Proceeds from the Sale of Property-Updated 2025-03-16 \nD3_Policy on Property Transfer to Regionally held Vehicle-Updated 2025-03-16 \nRetructuring the Executive Proposal-Updated 2025-03-16 \n \n \n \n \n \n Post-meeting resources\n 2026-03-20-21_Spring AGM_Decisions –Updated 2025-03-21 URL:https://nakonhakaucc.ca/event/online-agm-march-2026/ LOCATION:online CATEGORIES:ONLINE,Regional Gathering ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://nakonhakaucc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Love-Knocks-and-Wait-poster-Version-1.C-scaled.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rev. Virginia Wallace":MAILTO:virlynwal@hotmail.ca END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR