St Andrew's Presbyterian Church
A Place to Call Home at the corner of Suffolk and Norfolk
On June 16, 2021, Rev. John hosted a webinar on Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. The bulk of the presentation was created by The Presbyterian Church in Canada Justice Ministries. We are grateful for those who joined Rev. John for the discussion afterwards.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada officially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery at its General Assembly held in June 2019.
Many people have questions about Churches that participated in the Residential School System. The Presbyterian Church in Canada operated 11 schools and most certainly collaborated willingly with the Government of Canada in the creation and operation of these schools. This link from The Presbyterian Church in Canada provides some information about such things and the PCC’s commitment to transforming the words of our apology in 1994 into tangible action towards reconciliation and healing.
https://presbyterian.ca/2021/06/05/pcc-and-residential-schools/
Order of Service – Sunday May 30, 2021 @ 10:30AM
We continue our live broadcast from the Sanctuary this morning. We remain closed to public worship. Rev. John, Fred, and our Tech Team are present this morning.
We are now able to livestream (broadcast) via YouTube each Sunday. You don’t need a link like ZOOM. Just visit our St. Andrew’s Guelph YouTube Channel and select the live service. Thanks to our Tech Team for making this further option available. You can now invite your friends and families to our YouTube channel instead of worrying about ZOOM links.
Today’s service references the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It can be found here: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html
Prelude – “Aria” (F. Peeters)
Territorial Acknowledgement
As we gather, we acknowledge that Indigenous people were here long before us who cared for this land and called it home. This territory has a rich history and was, and is to this day, considered sacred by many First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples. We have a responsibility to care for this land as their ancestors did and to continue to strengthen our relationships with our Indigenous neighbours.
Call to Worship
Hymn – “God reveal your presence” (v. 1 – 3) #414
Opening Prayer & Assurance of Forgiveness
Time for Wonder and Curiosity
Hymn – “Holy, Holy, Holy” (v. 1, 2, 4) #299
Scripture Reading: I Kings 21: 1 – 10, 15 – 21a (CEB) & Galatians 3: 23 – 29 (CEB)
Sermon: “God’s Love is for ALL people”
Musical Interlude – “Ronde / Salterelle / Ronde” (T. Susato)
Offering – You can still mail cheques to:
St. Andrew’s Guelph, 161 Norfolk Street, Guelph, ON N1H 4J8
Or you can donate to St. Andrew’s through CanadaHelps
Donate to St. Andrew’s via Canada Helps here:
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/128975471RR0001-st-andrews-presbyterian-church/
You are also invited to sign up for Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR). Instead of using offering envelopes or giving online, you can set up a regular donation through your financial institution. To learn more, click here.
Presbyterians Sharing is how we support our denomination as a whole. Your gifts the variety of missions and ministries that The Presbyterian Church in Canada supports throughout Canada. It also ensures that we are well resources by our National Office staff.
If you are able, the MOCC would encourage you to consider donating to Presbyterians Sharing. You can do so here: https://www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=2034&AID=2428
(Make sure that you indicate that you are from St. Andrew’s Guelph on the online form in order for it to count towards our commitment)
Or you can make a donation directly to Presbyterians Sharing through St. Andrew’s Guelph. Please mark your donation: Presbyterians Sharing.
We are making a difference TOGETHER.
If you’d like to make a donation to Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D) you can do so here:
https://www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=2034&AID=2463
Prayers of the People
Hymn – “Glory be to God the Father” (v. 1 – 3)
Benediction
Postlude – “Recessional on “Grosser Gott” (arr. F. Peeters)
Cantor: Muriel Clemmer
We concluded our study – “Why Work to Decolonize?” on Wednesday December 2.
Here’s the full playlist – Sessions 1 – 4:
We look forward to continuing our commitment to work in this area of anti-racism and the Church in 2021.
Make sure to read the YouTube video descriptions to go deeper on this subject.
We pray that more intentional work will be accomplished in improving the situation for our Indigenous communities in Canada. Promises must be kept in order for healing and reconciliation to move forward.
In November 2020, a small group from St. Andrew’s Guelph met to discuss the study guide, Why Work to Decolonize? prepared by The Presbyterian Church in Canada in collaboration with the National Indigenous Ministries Council and Justice Ministries. This work contributes to St. Andrew’s Guelph’s ongoing commitment to anti-racism work in our congregation.
This is part one of a four part series engaging the National Inquiry’s Final Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). This study is based on the study guide, Why Work to Decolonize? produced by The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) in collaboration between the National Indigenous Ministries Council and Justice Ministries of the PCC. This study is led by The Rev. John Borthwick, Minister of St. Andrew’s Guelph with contributions from members of St. Andrew’s. We are grateful for all who join us on this journey of learning seeking understanding and desiring to be transformed into tangible actions.
Suggested links from the Study.
The National Inquiry’s Final Report into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
Please also take time to experience the Gallery of Artistic Expressions found at the website: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/artists-list
Rev. John references The Four Agreements from the work of Glenn Singleton. He discovered these to Colinda Clyne’s Anti-Racist Educator Reads Podcast. He highly recommends this podcast: https://voiced.ca/project/anti-racist…
To learn more in brief about the Residential School System, it is recommended that you read: An Overview of the Indian Residential School System http://www.anishinabek.ca/wp-content/…
A copy of the study guide can be found here, under the heading: National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: https://presbyterian.ca/healing
Starting Wednesday November 11 at 7PM by ZOOM, Rev. John will facilitate a conversation based on the “Why Work to Decolonize?” study guide provided by The Presbyterian Church in Canada in collaboration between the National Indigenous Ministries Council and The Life and Mission Agency (Justice Ministries). This is a study based on the Interim Report of the PCC on the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
If you are interested in joining the conversation, please contact Rev. John (revjohn[at]standrewsguelph[dot]com.
You are also welcome to review the study on your own. You can download it here:
And if you’d like to go deeper, please consider visiting the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls website: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
Our conversations over the next four weeks will be recorded and posted on our website.