OUT Saskatoon’s Two Spirit tipi at Saskatoon Pride 2017.
The Affirming program is both a process and recognition for ministries who strive to celebrate LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit people publicly, intentionally, and explicitly. Any ministry of any kind can become Affirming! Within our Regional Council there are many such ministries- with lots of room for growth. Keep scrolling down this page for more resources, and for the latest news and Affirming opportunities.
In May 2019, Living Skies Regional Council voted to begin the Affirming process. This reflects its past commitments, when the former SK Conference and one of its presbyteries were Affirming. And it reflects the need to revisit and renew those commitments. Guided by a task group, the Regional Council and its members will discern how our new structure can live into the spirit and practice of being Affirming. Task group members are: Joy Cowan, Bob Hayes (chair), Shelly Manley-Tannis, Allison Saraurer, Yoonjoo Shin, Tony Thompson, and Jackie van’t Voort. Staff support is Julie Graham. Please contact the task group any time through jgraham@united-church.ca or livingskies@united-church.ca (we don’t post members’ emails in order to protect privacy, but the Regional Council will put you in touch directly and confidential conversations are welcome.)
Have a look for Affirming ministries in Living Skies Regional Council: On the AUSE site; and on the United Church of Canada ministry locator (check under SK communities for both.) Many others are currently in the Affirming process.
Resources and info:
Affirm United/ S’affirmer Ensemble
Affirm United/ S’affirmer Ensemble
AUSE private Facebook group
Affirming PIE Day (14 March annually)
Resources and info: United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada: resources
Celebrating Gender Identity Toolkit
Resource: Moving Toward Full Inclusion-Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the United Church of Canada
Affirming news
Living Skies Affirming gathering: Preparing for Pride
Join us Tuesday May 10, 7:30– 8:30PM June is Pride Month and Sunday, June 5 is United Church Pride Sunday! What are your rainbow plans? How can we support Pride activities in the community? Come...
PIE Day 2022 resources and events
Why PIE? PIE = Public. Intentional. Explicit. Those are the standards we hold ourselves to when we seek to live into being Affirming people and communities by, for, and with Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+...
An introduction to Living Skies Affirming Task Group
In John 13:34 Jesus states “and now I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another”. As children of God through our thoughts and actions each of us...
Conversion therapy ban petition to the SK government
The Affirming committee of Grosvenor Park United Church in Saskatoon, Treaty Six, invites the people of Living Skies Regional Council to share in its call to the provincial government to outright...
Call for a provincial ban on conversion therapy
Click here for a PDF version of this letter. From: Living Skies Regional Council of The United Church of Canada, Rev Tricia Gerhard, chairperson. To: Hon Scott Moe, Premier; Hon Paul Merriman,...
Actions against conversion therapy in SK
There are lots of updates to share: Congratulations to communities of faith in Saskatoon who were part of the successful push to create a city bylaw banning the practice of “conversion” or...
Solidarity with Rev Lee Dong-hwan, Methodist Church in Korea
The United Church of Canada has many rich and long-standing partnerships with Christian denominations in South Korea. Here in Canada, we are blessed by many Korean and Korean-Canadian ministers, lay...
Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is internationally recognized on November 20th every year. This day raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people; it is a day to publicly...
Banning Conversion Therapy in Saskatchewan
Any community of faith or member of the Regional Council can submit a proposal to the annual meeting of the Regional Council or the Executive. This year, Grosvenor Park United Church has submitted...
Background on Remit 1 and voting on it
Remit 1 proposes a simple but very important gender-inclusive change to the language describing who is eligible to be a minister. Please find here a short resource to help voting delegates and the...
