Calendar of events
Here you will find all of our congregation’s Sunday Services, Board and Committee meetings and other events. Use the calendar controls to see events for past or future dates. For a quick look at recent Sunday Services, click here!
With the light of the chalice guiding the way, we explore our aspiration to be theologically alive: seeking to be ever-evolving in our understanding, open to new knowledge. How does our theology respond to the present moment and where might it go in the future?
Rev. Fiona Heath spent nine years as the settled minister at the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga, as well as two years as the part time minister of the UU Congregation of Durham. Now retired, she lives in the countryside north of Kingston, focusing on fiction and poetry writing, local climate crisis response, and how to be a UU at home.
UU communities have a unique role to play in this time – unique amongst spiritual communities, we offer belonging regardless of belief. Belonging to a UU community isn’t predicated on sharing a theology, or an allegiance to one sacred text, to a dogma, to a creed. It does, however, require commitment to our UU principles, including the 3rd principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
Acceptance, but also encouragement to growth, are in some tension with each other, but ideally they represent the two poles of belonging in a spiritual community. In this service, we’ll explore the question of how we get the balance right, and how we come back into relationship when we get it wrong.
Today’s service will include a New Members’ ceremony!
Though that feels like a very grand title, Yvonne will share poems and experiences of re-reading and re-telling the Persephone myth in poems. She will also share some of her current work on women, their unseen genius, clothing, climate and change. Yvonne is a writer and poet and is the past poet laureate of Victoria, BC, having served from 2015-2018. Her most recent book is Death of Persephone: A Murder and she is currently editing an anthology of poems on ice, her third anthology of water-based poems.
Join Heather Stefanek and Joy Huebert as they explore the challenges and necessities of leadership in a Unitarian Congregation. Heather will share her experiences as Chairperson for the past three years, a time of many changes, and Joy will touch on what she is learning of Unitarianism and how we can continue to provide a joyful and meaningful religious experience
The moment I am asked about belonging, immediately a whole bunch of stories come to mind about times when I felt I didn’t belong. I am sure I’m not alone in this, it’s one of the challenges of trying to talk about belonging, how it creates complicated connections between our inner landscape, the world we find ourselves in, and the worlds we are attempting to bring about.
Speaker bio: Karen Fraser Gitlitz (she/her) is a white, cis-gendered woman of northern European ancestry. Karen has served as a Unitarian Universalist minister since 2008 and a professional Art Therapist since 2023. Karen and her partner, musician and composer Paul Gitlitz, now make their home on the Saanich peninsula on southern Vancouver Island, BC, the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. Karen keeps connected to congregational life through her work as Coordinator of the Meaning Making Project, this year offering 8 monthly theme packets and worship services to 15 Canadian UU congregations. Karen is also developing her private art therapy practice under the banner of Creative upWelling Art Therapy and a Community Ministry focussed on the interconnections between the arts, spirituality and social justice.
Today’s collection will be going to the CUC’s initiative Sharing our Faith. Congregations are invited to send the money collected during the Sharing our Faith Sunday to the CUC. This money goes into the Sharing our Faith fund and in the future Capital can apply for financial support of projects. Capital has made applications in the past and may wish to do so in the future.
AGM follows the service instead of a Forum
In a constantly shifting world, what are the spiritual practices that allow us to be present to ourselves and be committed to our spiritual community? What resources and wisdom can we draw from to achieve equanimity in our lives and become more resilient?
This pre-recorded sermon is part of the Meaning Making series.
RevJ (he/they) is the Lead Minister of First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto. Dr. Kwong obtained his master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Claremont School of Theology in California, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in film studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Born and raised in the Philippines (of Chinese descent), most of RevJ’s adult life was spent in California and Hawai’i. He served several congregations during his more than decade-long ministry including First Unitarian Church of Honolulu (where former U.S. President Barack Obama attended Sunday school), Sepulveda UU Society, Temecula Valley UU Community, Ohana Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Honolulu and Resurrection Beach MCC in Orange County, CA. Their non-profit leadership included serving as Executive Director of the Counselling & Spiritual Care Center of Hawai‘i and API Equality-LA.
RevJ values his pluralistic and ecumenical upbringing, from Evangelical to United Methodist, from Episcopalian to Calvary Chapel. They were christened at a gospel church and baptized as a Chinese Mennonite. In Hawai‘i, RevJ was a member of the Honolulu Mindfulness Community, a sangha influenced by Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn.