Author: ECUT Admin

While ECUT staff will be taking vacation time over July and August, you can still reach out and connect with us through email. U of T students can access campus and community mental health resources here: https://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca/ and https://good2talk.ca/

The ECUT Pride Garden Party on June 16, 2022, at Calvin Deer Park church was a beautiful evening celebrating queer and inclusive faith. We were honoured to have The Rev. Dr. Bob Faris share his personal story of working for a just and inclusive Presbyterian Church in Canada. The choir from Calvin Deer Park sang a beautiful arrangement of “All of Who I Am” by queer sacred musician Amanda Udis-Kessler. Thanks to all who attended, donated, and worked to make this evening possible!

Up Next Sat, June 11 – Student Christian Movement Alumni Trivia Night 7 pm, online In celebration of SCM Canada’s 101st year, a second annual Alumni Gala! Last year’s theme was SCM storytelling through podcasting. This year’s theme is…trivia night! Join the SCM online to socialize, participate in a raffle draw, and compete in some SCM trivia. This event is also a fundraiser. Tickets to access the event will be $10, and you will be able to order additional raffle tickets at $2 per ticket. You can register for the event by clicking here. Thurs, June 16 – ECUT Pride Garden Party 6-8 pm , Calvin Deer Park United Church An outdoor evening of community and celebration. Featured speaker is The Rev. Dr. Bob Faris, first gay Moderator Elect of the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The event will also feature a song by the Calvin/Deer Park choir. RSVP/registration at www.bit.ly/ECUTPGP2022 This is a free event, but we kindly suggest a donation to the chaplaincy.   Just this week, on Monday June 6, 2022, The Presbyterian Church in Canada adopted a confession to God and LGBTQI people, confessing the harm caused by homophobia, transphobia, heterosexism and hypocrisy in the church, and committing the church to a true change of heart and behaviour. You can read the historic and powerful statement here. Tues, June 21- ECUT Annual General Meeting 5:30-7:30 pm, hybrid online and Knox College classroom 4 You are welcome to join ECUT for our annual general meeting for a review the year and a look ahead to the future. If you’d like to attend, please email Jeanette at student.minister@utoronto.ca Online Meditation and Mindful Movement Available any time! Looking for a short mindfulness break? Check out @UCstudentlife on Instagram for 10-15 minute videos by Multi-Faith Centre Program Coordinator Lauren Brown. Watch the meditation and mindful moment videos @ucstudentlife

Off Campus June is National Indigenous History Month. Here are a few opportunities to engage with Indigenous history and culture in June and beyond: June 15 -Mohawk Institute Residential School Virtual Tour 7 PM, online Cost: $10 donation to educational programming at the Woodland Cultural Centre The Woodland Cultural Centre presents a screening of the Mohawk Institute Residential School. The virtual tour video was created with local production company Thru the Reddoor, and it follows the guide, Lorrie Gallant, as she gives a tour of the former Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School. During the video Lorrie provides the history of the institution over its 140 year history. Viewers will get to see the different rooms in the school, from the girls’ and boys’ dormitories, the cafeteria, laundry room, and other rooms throughout the building, as well as hear interviews from five Survivors of the Mohawk Institute. To register: https://woodlandculturalcentre.ca/june-15-2022-virtual-tour-of-the-former-mohawk-institute-residential-school/ Tues, June 28 – KAIROS’ virtual KAIROS Blanket Exercise (vKBE) 6-9 pm, online It will be the largest public vKBE to date, accommodating up to 70 participants. Registration is $35. Developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and educators, the KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an interactive and experiential teaching tool that explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the land we now know as Canada. Register here. Thurs, July 21 – River Run 2022: Walk with Grassy Narrows for Mercury Justice! 12pm, Downtown Toronto, details TBD Walk with Grassy Narrows youth and community members to show that we are with them on their path to achieve mercury justice and freedom! This is a family friendly event. Rain or shine! Check out FreeGrassy.net for more details as the event approaches. August 5–6 – Christian Left Conference 2022: Creation, Land, and Indigeneity–Resistance on Turtle Island and Beyond Online, Free Emmanuel College’s Centre for Religion and Its Contexts, Trinity–St. Paul’s United Church, the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics of The Institute for Christian Studies, and Broadview Magazine are hosting the third Christian Left Conference featuring keynote speakers Carmen Lansdowne, Jenny Te-Paa Daniel and Dan Longboat.Visit the conference page for details and registration. Follow Toronto Urban Native Ministry’s Facebook page!

The June ECUT newsletter is hot off the press! You can read it here.

Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:00 PM ET, join Wet’suwet’en land defenders and supporters for a night of celebration and storytelling! 

Solidarity organizers from the Student Christian Movement will be hosting an evening with Indigenous artists, leaders, and storytellers to raise money and awareness about what is happening in so-called British Columbia right now. Our climate and our kin are under attack. On unceded Wet’suwet’en territory, TC Energy is pushing through the Coastal Gas Link pipeline that is threatening the Wedzin Kwa, a sacred river, and the climate.

Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ will speak to current events on Wet’suwet’en territory, and musician Logan Staats will be sharing their creative work. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear from these amazing Indigenous leaders in the same Zoom room! We will also be taking action through an email/social media zap and live auction fundraiser. Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jBY2pmmjQk-D3zA-oTFmBQ.