Indigenous Day of Prayer

God, Creator and Great Mystery, we praise you for the Sacred Fires that burn

today and for the prayer-filled smoke that you receive and bless. We offer our deep gratitude

that the Fire’s light informs and guides our journey. We pray, just as the Elders prayed,

for renewal and for the restoration of beauty to the land and its people.

We acknowledge the diverse and abundant gifts of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.

We recognize that their knowledge and wis-dom have benefited generations past and

present, and that this blessing will continue for generations to come. We remember the many who are committed to the healing of

family, community, and nations.

We pray for Mother Earth, the waters, the winds, for our siblings the animals, birds, and fish, and all of life that surrounds us. We pray that we will walk the good Red Road of life,

and that we will walk with courage, honesty, humility, love, respect, truth and wisdom.

We offer this prayer in humility and hope, and in the name, of our brother Jesus, the one

who lights our path to wholeness, justice and peace. Amen.

—A prayer for Indigenous Day of Prayer by the Rev. Maggie Dieter, former Executive

Minister, Aboriginal Ministries and Indigenous Justice; and Bill Snow, Stoney Nakoda First

Nation, Alberta, member of the Indigenous Justice and Residential School Committee

Online Worship Service Sunday, June 21, 2020

Theme: Father’s Day VU = Voices United MV = More Voices

You will find the link to our online service via our website: https://stthomasunited.ca/

Prelude: Kari Orosz: The Land of My Fathers Welcome to our Online Worship Service Acknowledgement of Treaty 7, Métis Region 3 Land Candle Lighting & Silence Introit: Morning Has Broken (verses 1&3) VU# 409 Call to Worship Opening Prayer: Holy God, we are your people, gath-ered in hope. Trusting that you know each hair on head and thought in our minds. Feeling your presence and hearing your voice. Be with us as we gather that together we might know our worth in your heart. Amen. Hymn: Are You a Shepherd? MV#126 Scripture: Matthew 10:24-33 Reader: Barb Cousens The Message: Ministry of Music: Father’s Day Slide Show accompa-nied by Pam Bazinet on violin with In My Father's Eyes by Donna M. Turk, and The Strummers performing Old Man by Neil Young Invitation to Open Hands Offertory Prayer: Holy One, we bring before you the gifts of our living. The treasures we have to offer and the actions of our hearts. Trusting that through these and with you we might continue the work of the church in this world. Help us to use what we have and who we are to follow your call. Amen. Hymn: Come and Find the Quiet Center (v1) VU#374 Pastoral Prayers & Prayer of Jesus Hymn: All the Way my Saviour Leads Me (v1-3) MV#635 Commissioning & Benediction Postlude: Kari Orosz: Landslide by Stevie Nicks

UPDATES

Congratulations to the following Graduates:

Colin Lees, grandson of Murray and Barbara Lees, graduated with a BA in Geog-raphy from UBC Okanagan following his last semester of study as an exchange student at the University of Edinburgh.

Abigail (Abby) Mumey, daughter of Carol Mumey, is graduating from Banbury Crossroads School and has received a scholarship to University of Victoria where she’s studying Biology and Psychology. She hopes to pursue medicine or nursing in the future.

Ty Lyse is graduating from Bowness High School and will be studying Kinesiolo-gy at U of C this fall.

Eric Shaw, son of Jay and Jacqueline Livesey is graduating from St. Timothy High School. Eric is already working as an Apprentice Mechanic for ULS Land-scaping and will be attending SAIT for his apprenticeship.”

Andrea Shaw, daughter of Jay and Jacqueline Livesey is graduating from Dis-covering Choices Westbrook Outreach. Andrea is currently following her passion for animals and is working at Pisces Pet Emporium. She has applied at SAIT for Auto Body Technician and will be attending soon as possible.

Ian Thompson, son of Sharon and Rob and an active and enthusiastic member of the Junior Youth Group is graduating grade 6. This is extra special because of all his elementary years, this one was the best yet including the most awesome teacher - Mr Barker.

UPDATES

Youth Group: To do our part in practicing social (physical) distancing, youth group is meeting virtually through zoom, WhatsApp, and more! If you would like updates about what we are doing or if any youth (grade 7-10) would like to join us virtually, please email the youth leaders at youth@sttomasunited.ca.

Junior Youth Group is meeting virtually through ZOOM Fridays at 6:30 pm. If you know of a child in grades 4-6 who would like to join us virtually, please email Junior-youth@sttomasunited.ca and we will include them in the distribu-tion list.

Fair Trade Coffee: We may not be drinking coffee at church right now, but I hope you are still enjoying your fair trade coffee every morning! We usually take coffee orders before the summer months, and I am still willing to do that – and I will even deliver them to your door! If you have never placed an order before, why don’t you give it a try! And if you cannot remember what

you have ordered in the past, that’s no problem – I keep records! Please note that the 1 lb bags are no longer available; they now come in 300 g bags, at a cost of $12. The cost for the five-pound boxes remains the same, $60 (except for Ethiopian, which is $70). Please let me know if you would like to place an order by contacting me as follows: Email: jabooth@telusplanet.net Phone: 403 547 8988 (voice messages welcomed). I will be taking orders until Monday, June 15th. Since we are not purchasing coffee for the church right now, all profits will go to the church’s operating fund. Thank you so much for your sup-port! - Judy Booth Thanks folks, for your empty jars and offers of rhubarb. I am happily producing batches of jams, jellies and pickles. Please contact me to purchase. I donate 50% of proceeds to St Thomas. I can give you an inventory list for you to choose from. And I do curbside delivery! Call 403-239-5964, 587-224-5455 or email wandaveer47@gmail.com. - Wanda Veer

UPDATES Birthdays and Celebrations: In this bizarre, difficult time of COVID-19, we still want to acknowledge that there is much to celebrate. Congratulations to: MARCH birthdays: Arnold Murray, Pam Bazinet, Margaret Gidley, Betty, Evangeline. APRIL birthdays: Barbara Robertson, Vernice Franklin, Jean MacLeod, Elaine Gray, Bud Berges, Dennis Gidley, Ruthann Watson, Sasha Veer, Sheila, Hal Tonkin, Halyna, Tate MacLean-Berko. MAY birthdays: Mae Jensen, Lyn Tonkin, John, David Blackadar, Curtis Veer. And a big shout out to Pam and Paul Bazinet who celebrated a 50th wed-ding anniversary in May. In Calgary instead of Italy. Sigh! Please let us know when you have a birthday so we can help celebrate. Wanda Veer for the Hospi-tality Committee

BEYOND ST THOMAS

June is Indigenous History Month! Tony Snow, Coordinator for Indigenous Right Relations, Chinook Winds Region, is hosting a speaker every Sunday in June at 2 pm. Explore the foundations of the Indigenous Church in the United Church of Canada. These sessions are open to every-one to come and learn:

June 14 - Indigeneity in Christian Formation with Very Rev. Stan McKay June 21 - The Indigenous Church, Mission and Call with Rev. John Snow Jr. June 28 - The Caretakers Report and the Future Indigenous Church with Adrian Jacobs, Keeper of the Circle, Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centre Join Zoom Meeting: https://united-church.zoom.us/j/92362031513?pwd=a085U0hBc09HQk9iSEhsTENRUUoyZz09 Meeting ID: 923 6203 1513 Password: 912674

BEYOND ST THOMAS Calgary Alliance for the Common Good: As a part of the Mental Health strategy the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good is offering the following webinars. Domestic Violence Webinar, Thursday, June 25 from 7-9 pm “Domestic violence is at epidemic levels in Alberta with 1 in 3 individuals experi-encing violence in their lifetime. The impact of domestic violence knows no bounds. Incidents of domestic violence exist across rural and urban areas, within all cultural and faith communities, amongst university educated professionals with a roof over their heads and those who don’t know where their next safe place to sleep will be. Building Resiliency for Health & Well-Being Webinar, Thursday, July 9 at 7 pm We are only beginning to understand the significant connections between our mental and physical health. Join us for a webinar on Resiliency Factors for Health and Well-Being to learn about the "mix of six," resiliency factors that contribute to health and well-being. These resiliency factors: love and support, stress manage-ment, sleep, physical activity, diet and healthy environment, can be supported by mind-body practices that reduce stress, including the practice of mindfulness. To join into the webinars go to the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good website https://www.calgarycommongood.org/events

BEYOND ST THOMAS

Camp Kasota West Online Programming: Camp Kasota West is a United Church summer camp on Sylvan Lake. Typically it is a sleep away camp, but due to the cur-rent situation they are not proceeding with on-site programming this summer. In-stead the Camp Kasota West team are working to offer camp in an online setting. Campers who have completed grades 1 - 9 can register for a variety of online ses-sions that will be run over Zoom, from engaging games, to physical activities, and even crafts. These sessions are free of cost, and you can find more information and register online at www.campkasotawest.com/online-programming/. We can’t wait to see you all online this summer in a fun and engaging new camp environment!

Rendez-vous 2020 will be going ahead August 11-14 and this year it's all digital! Online registration is now open and is free of charge, but it helps the coordinators keep track of participants and provide secure access to online activities and re-sources. Through real-time online events, recordings, and DIY workshop kits, Ren-dez-vous will celebrate bold faith, brave space, and brazen grace. Here’s what you can expect: - Inspiring speakers, powerful worship, and singing your favorite songs - Fun, engaging, and interactive workshops and activities - New friends from across the country and around the world - Awesome t-shirts Check out their website https://www.uccrendezvous.ca/ for more information and registration! Please note: although they say registration is open, it appears that their registration button isn't linked to a page where you can actually register. Keep an eye on their website, it should be updated soon! We will also keep you posted and let you know when the registration button works.

UNITED AGAINST RACISM

In case you missed it, you can watch the powerful United against Racism worship service that was hosted by the United Church's Black Clergy Net-work on Sunday, June 14. And on Facebook, Moderator Richard Bott shares a prayer that we may all live out the work of anti-racism. Rev. Dr. Paul Douglas Walfall has also written a new blog post that calls on White people in the church to put their love into action to counteract racism. "Confronting racism is an act of love," writes Walfall, "When you love, you treat every person with dignity, as all people are created in the image of God." You can find more anti-racism tools and worship resources from The United Church of Canada and our partners as well as a selection of books addressing racism from the United Church Bookstore.

THIS WEEK AT ST. THOMAS Sunday, June 21 Online Worship only Monday, June 22 no events Tuesday, June 23 no events Wednesday, June 24 no events Thursday, June 25 no events Friday, June 26 1:30 pm Al Madinah Islamic Assembly 6:30 pm Virtual Junior Youth Group 7:00 pm Virtual Youth Group Saturday, June 27 no events

Ministers: Rev. Tracy Robertson, Rev. Justin McNeill Office Administrator: Halyna Kinasevych Music Team: Pam Bazinet, Barb Robertson, Dick Worton, Erin MacLean-Berko Accompanists: Kari Orosz, Kloria Wen Youth Leaders: Heather Robertson, Eden Middleton, Caitlin Hornbeck Sunday School Coordinator: Erin MacLean-Berko Office Email: office@stthomasunited.ca

We encourage you to keep in touch via our Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/st.thomasunitedchurch/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/st_thomas_yyc

Sign Up for St. Thomas email announcements and e-Letters by contacting the office.

Any announcements, advertisements, or requests for non-church related products, services, or donations to organiza-tions contained in this bulletin/newsletter should not be interpreted as recommendations, endorsements, or permis-sions by St. Thomas United Church.

Please note that the office will be closed for summer break starting July 1 until August 10. Emails and phone messages will only be checked occasionally. For urgent matters that arise during this time, please call, email or text Tracy or Justin.

June 21: Father’s Day June 28: Prophet’s Welcome July 5: Stampede Service July 12: Follow Your Heart for Love Always Wins? July 19 God Helps Those Who Help Themselves?

Through our gifts we commit ourselves to live out the mission and ministry of the church. Please give generously to the Mis-sion and Service Fund to make this possi-ble.

St. Thomas is an Affirming Ministry within The United Church of Canada. LGBTQ2 people are whole people and full mem-bers in this community of faith.

The United Church of Canada St. Thomas is proud to be part of the United Church of Canada which ministers to close to 3 million people in 3,500 congregations across the country. For more info about the United Church visit www.united-church.ca

100 Hawkwood Blvd. NW Calgary AB T3G 2S9 office@stthomasunited.ca

We give great thanks to all who participated in making this week’s worship service a reality.

Each Sunday we acknowledge that we are on Treaty 7 land, not out of guilt or shame, but in recognition of the land on which we gath-

er. We give thanks for the traditional territo-ries and oral practices that have lived on this land for thousands of years through the Indigenous Nations of the Siksika, Kanai, Piikani. Stoney-Nakota and Tsuut’ina and all people who make their homes in this, our Treaty 7 region of Alberta, and the Region 3