Queer and Christian without contradiction
March Break
Affirming Workshop:
Kimbourne Park United Church’s Affirming Ministry and Toronto Pflag are partnering to host an information session for adults/parents/guardians supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
We invite you to join us at Kimbourne Park on Wednesday March 18th at 7:00pm for this introductory information session for parents, caregivers, educators, and other adults who care for and about queer and questioning youth.
Toronto Pflag offers caring and nonjudgmental support to Toronto’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their families.
Kimbourne is a welcoming safe space for all who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and their loved ones and has been an affirming church since 2024.
Adults Supporting Youth/Parenting with Pride:
This interactive workshop is for parents and caregivers who want to learn basic language and concepts important to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Whether you're supporting your child in this journey or just want to learn more, join us! You'll learn the importance of inclusive parenting, how to prepare for and/or handle the coming-out conversation, how to talk to and advocate for your child if/when the time comes.
Speaker Bio:
Lisa is the proud parent of young-adult twins, one of whom came out as transgender/nonbinary in 2015. Not having much education or support at the time, Lisa turned to her local PFLAG chapter for guidance and community. Shortly afterwards, she began to support other parents and community members, work she continues to today as a support meeting facilitator, workshop presenter, and president of Toronto Pflag's board of directors. One of her favourite parts of the work is the conversations generated during workshops and she looks forward to that in this session as well!
We are an Affirming Ministry!
We are called to be - A flourishing Christian community that works collaboratively with our Danforth East neighbourhood to ensure that all are fed, with full participation of all people in our life & work;
Embracing those of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, family structures, classes, beliefs, & abilities, and striving to keep them safe.
— KPUC’s Vision Statement
What does being affirming mean to us?
We affirm that the congregation, staff and community of Kimbourne Park United Church includes those who are:
Certain of their beliefs, seeking and doubting;
Straight, gay, bisexual, asexual;
Transgender, cisgender, gender non-conforming, questioning;
Men, women and non-binary;
Younger, older, and in between;
Single, married, poly, or divorced;
Of many abilities and disabilities;
Of many races, including Black and Indigenous peoples.
All of these people, in all dimensions of their humanity, are accepted, beloved, and should be embraced in all components of our collective life and work. We are committed to honour and celebrate all people’s experience.
We acknowledge that the Church has contributed to injustice and violence, including the colonization of Indigenous nations and the propagation of homophobia and transphobia, and that this has contravened Christ’s calling.
We acknowledge the harm, displacement, loss of generational knowledge and colonization of indigenous peoples through residential schools run by Christian ancestors. As the church in the world now we seek Truth and Reconciliation together by decolonizing our worship and by advocating for human rights and indigenous food sovereignty.
In Jesus’ teaching, we witness a vision of a just, flourishing and interconnected world in which all oppression has ceased, and are all called to participate in nourishing that vision into being in our context.
We are all called to work together, to feed all of God’s people: body, mind, and spirit.
Affirming Ministries Program
The Affirming Ministries Program is a network of primarily United Church ministries that strive to be fully inclusive of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. You don’t have to be United Church to take part, though!
Before becoming formally Affirming, local churches, colleges, church courts, assisted living homes, outdoor ministries, and other ministries study and reflect on gender identities and expressions and sexual orientations; make a statement of welcome; make changes to key policies and their building as necessary; and commit themselves to work for justice and inclusion within their community of faith, the wider church, and their community. The program was launched in 1992. The United Church officially endorsed the program in 2000 and encouraged its ministries to participate. Right now there are over 100 ministries in the Affirming process and over 200 Affirming ministries in communities of all kinds in every part of Canada!
Find out more: https://affirmunited.ause.ca/
What are we doing at KPUC?
Every year around March 14, we celebrate National Affirming Sunday at the church or PIE day with other affirming ministries across Canada. Check out the website: pieday.ca
This day marks a special celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ persons and our affirming ministry and life at the church.
On PIE Sunday we remember that being affirming means offering a P-Public, I - Intentional and E-Explicit welcome to the queer community and to affirm all God’s beloved children everywhere!
SO here we are having pie, because everyone gets a slice! We also LOVE pie…
Happy PIE Day! Happy National Affirming Sunday!
Orange Shirt Sunday
Where: Kimbourne Park United Church Front Lawn/Inside Sanctuary Square
Today and all days we open our hearts minds and souls to the truth and pain of how Canada's residential schools and colonization impacted Indigenous people of Turtle Island. At Kimbourne Park we marked Orange Shirt Sunday and the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and a renewed commitment to living in right relation. Today we wear orange to say we care, we lament, we stand humbly beside Indigenous, Metis, Inuit and First Nations people across this land. May we live with respect in creation, loving and serving others.
SATURDAY JULY 5th ‘ Keep Pride Going!’All Ages Arts&Crafts Pride Event
Where: Kimbourne Park United Church Front Lawn/Inside Sanctuary Square
When: 10AM - 12:30 PM
all children/youth need an adult with them at this event, but all adults do not need children to attend!
Rainbow Wax Art • Smooth Rock Art, Express Yourself through Dance! Friendship Bracelets, Pipecleaner Art, Pride PhotoBooth, Pride Book Nook, Snacks
May 5th: Red Dress Day
Today May 5th, is Red Dress Day, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S).
We memorialize the lost lives of Women, Girls and Two Spirit people who have been unalived, abused, trafficked, discriminated against or gone missing. Missing and murdered indigenous people are systematically underreported and under investigated by the authorities.
Again, with lament, as the remains of loved ones were recovered from landfills, we are once again painfully reminded of the ongoing crisis and injustice.
With a moment of silence, a red dress or activism, let us honour the lives lost, support the grieving, seek justice for the missing, and call on all levels of government and society to implement the Calls to Justice from the Final Report of the National Inquiry.
WHAT CAN I DO?
- Write to your MP that we are too slow to respond to these crisis
- Take part in a vigil in your local community
- Support Indigenous Women's Agencies
- Educate yourself and talk about it
May we seek justice and truth for all our relations.
