September is Climate Action Month
KAIROS declares September is Climate Action Month. It aims to galvanize awareness of how the climate crisis impacts vulnerable communities, including women and Indigenous peoples. Kairos intends to stimulate people to reflect on how climate change and Indigenous issues are deeply interwoven. KAIROS’ climate action is rooted in reconciliation and this initiative is intended to amplify and prioritize Indigenous voices. Kairos offers a card suggesting an action for each day of September. It is a great way to motivate your fall Climate Action! For more details on each action, Follow the Kairos blog .
“Putting A Face on Justice: From Calls for Justice to Action”
A Missing Person’s Week Event – the families speak
Be sure to pre-register by September 14th, 2020, HeatherPeters@mccsk.ca . Heather will send you the Zoom link to attend.
World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel
September 14-21, 2020 – The World Council of Churches invites you to participate in the annual World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. This is a time for people of faith all over the world to join in worship and prayer for an end to the occupation and for a just peace in Palestine and Israel. This year’s theme for the World Week of Peace in Palestine and Israel is “Creative Solidarity in Common Fragility”. During the week, KAIROS and member churches will call on network members to educate, advocate and pray for peace in Palestine and Israel. We will share educational and worship materials and highlight existing partnerships and advocacy for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, including last year’s church leaders’ delegation to the region and follow up actions. Stay tuned!
Women Hold Up the Sky: African Women Rise for Climate Justice
Tuesday, September 22, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Regina Time
KAIROS will host an online screening, followed by a discussion of Women Hold Up the Sky: African Women Rise for Climate Justice, by WoMin, an ecofeminist African alliance and KAIROS partner. Details
“Our Existences Are Political”: Identity and History As Pathways for Transformation
In 2019, Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson became the first two-spirit Indigenous couple to win The Amazing Race Canada. The pair used the competition as a platform to tackle topics like gender and sexual identity, racism, mental health, and the environment.
University of British Columbia (UBC) is featuring a talk by the couple who will share their personal transformations, from their early years facing adversity around two-spirit and Indigenous identities to a lifetime of education, transforming them into leaders, activists, and role models.
A separate registration is required for the UBC talk, which is not a CUC event.
Join the CUC (Canadian Unitarian Council) immediately following the UBC presentation for a Coffee Chat debrief.
Please register for the CUC Coffee Chat.
For more information about the speakers and their presentation: https://irsi.
Territorial Feminisms and Diverse Ecologies: A series of virtual gatherings on women and land defense
Tuesdays 8:00 AM (Regina time) October 6, October 20, December 15, 2020
The Latin American Network of Women Defenders of Social and Environmental Rights, a KAIROS partner, will host a series of virtual gatherings called “Territorial Feminisms and Diverse Ecologies”. Details
Past Events
Unitarian Jamie Reynolds’ solo art show ON NOW until August 31
SPACE for Saskatchewan Queer and Trans Youth – an important milestone April 2020
Congratulations from the Unitarian Fellowship of Regina to UR Pride on its April 2020, First Anniversary of “SPACE for Saskatchewan Queer and Trans Youth” at 2139 Albert St, Regina. This is an important safe place for youth to gather and discuss issues of concern to them. In their first year a number of initiatives began, including a choir. Music brings joy. https://www.urpride.ca/spectrum/youth/
Kairos Blanket Exercise™ … a meaningful experience of 500 years of Indigenous history
“The exercise begins with simple materials – just blankets and a script – but it can end with powerful takeaways, and even tears. The blankets represent the land. In the exercise, participants are invited to step onto the blankets as Indigenous peoples …. Moving through history, living it out through actions, allows people to connect with it in a different way,” explained Sara Anderson, a Kairos facilitator and staff member in an interview with Kate McGillvray CBC News, July 26, 2017.
The blanket exercise fosters respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. In November 2019, the Unitarian Fellowship of Regina hosted a blanket exercise attended by over 30 people from all parts of Regina. All our participants gained insight about the impact certain events had on Indigenous Peoples and now appreciate Canada’s history differently.
Brenda Dubois, an Indigenous knowledge-keeper shared her warmth, skill, and wisdom with us. Three trained facilitators helped build a positive experience and an effective talking circle. With their support, we built new relationships, a base for friendships to come.
We continue the journey. Come learn with us!
Regina Multi-Faith Forum Worked Together to Bring Syrian Family to Regina
The Unitarian Fellowship is part of Regina’s Multi Faith Forum, a group with diverse faith traditions: Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Unitarian and others. Together, the Multi-Faith Forum jointly sponsored and welcomed to Regina, a Syrian refugee family: a young woman, her two children, and her parents. The family left a refugee camp in Lebanon and, to the relief of all concerned, arrived in Regina on December 16, 2016. The family lived through an extreme situation, and appreciated the support of the Multi-Faith Forum.
The sponsorship project was initiated when the worsening Syrian crisis became apparent. The intent behind the project was to show the wider community that people from diverse religious backgrounds can work together for a common humanitarian and compassionate cause. Members initially did fund raising, then broke into committees related to welcoming, health, housing, education, transportation and cultural support. Unitarians thank the Archdiocese of Regina for accepting responsibility as sponsorship agreement holder.
Along with other members of Regina’s Multi-Faith Forum, Unitarians celebrate the success of this venture. While planning for financial and social support for a year was a challenge, members from diverse faith traditions worked together well for a common cause. It was a satisfying experience for all.
The Unitarian Fellowship of Regina raised approximately $3,500 for the project over a six-month period, and several Unitarians helped with education, housing and health supports. We’ve learned along the way that a smart-phone app called Google Translate is one way to communicate with people who have limited English. Thanks to Hilary Craig and her many contacts in our city, we now have good links to the English Additional Language (EAL) community and multi-cultural translators.