This Sunday, John Hamer and Leandro Palacios will serve as guides exploring four separate spiritual paths to sacred community: (1) the Path of Wisdom, (2) the Path of Feeling, (3) the Path of Doing, and (4) the Path of Being. Nancy Ross of St. George, Utah, will offer a Prayer for Wisdom, and Jodi Donald of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, will offer a Prayer from the Heart. Evan Sharley of Boise, Idaho, will offer an Activist’s Prayer, and Mary Jean Belrose of Port Elgin, Ontario, will offer a Prayer from the Soul.

The Beyond the Walls Choir and Michael Karpowicz present our music:
Prelude: Summertime, by George Gershwin
CCS 5: “Bring Many Names”
CCS 212 “God Weeps”
CCS 216 “We Shall Overcome;”
CCS 247 “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need”
CCS 552: “We Are Companions on the Journey” (premiere)
Postlude: For Nenette, by Bill Evans

Our global congregation meets every Sunday at 12:00 pm EDT. All are welcome to this inclusive church service.

Ottawa Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact [email protected] for Zoom details.

Windsor Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact Jeff Moor for Zoom info.

SLIM (Sharing Love in Mission) - 1:45 p.m. Barb Kernohan is presiding and Apostle Art Smith will share the message. Click here for children's colouring page. Contact Don Robb for Zoom details.

Port Elgin Congregation - 9 a.m. class. Coffee & Conversation 9:40. Worship 10 a.m. Wendell Martin presiding. Speaker Linda Stanbridge. Contact Larry Buchanan for Zoom details.

La Salle Road Congregation - Social time from 10:15-10:30. Worship 10:30 a.m. Contact Pastor Vonda den Boer for Zoom details.

Reaching Out - Generally meets twice a month. Please sign up for email notices by clicking here.

Kitchener Congregation - Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Contact John & Ruth Black for details.

Cambridge Congregation - No service during July and August.

First People Community of Christ (FPCC) - Reaching out to Native People across North America  and the World! Online Prayer and Testimonies Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. and Worship Sundays at 7 p.m. Contact Larry Buchanan for ZOOM details.

Other Online Ministries are available from many varied places for you to connect with. 

​This Sunday, Vickie Thatcher of Riverside, MO, will preach on the theme “A Place of Prayer for All People.” Charlie Brown of Melbourne, FL, will teach our Peace Lesson. Marni Fisher of Black Creek, BC, will teach our Living Church Lesson. Our Call to Worship will be read by Emile Carbayol from Tahiti and our lectionary will be read by Yesenia Villalta of Santa Tecla, El Salvador.  Susan Jeanne Webber will offer our invocation from Elk Grove, CA. The Beyond the Walls Choir will premiere hymn CCS 278 “There’s a Church within Us,” and will also sing hymn CCS 389 “This Is My Song.”

Our global congregation meets every Sunday at 12:00 pm EDT. All are welcome to this inclusive church service.

Ottawa Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact [email protected] for Zoom details.

Windsor Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact Jeff Moor for Zoom info.

SLIM (Sharing Love in Mission) - 1:45 p.m. This Sunday our focus is Sacredness of Creation - specifically our pets. Shone Carson and Robbie Taylor and others will lead our Sunday's service which will be a service of blessing for our pets, so your pets are welcome to join with us also, as well there will be a time for prayer for the memories of pets that have passed on. Speaking at the service will be two members of two different Pet Rescue places. The SLIM community will be making a donation to both these groups who are assisting in rescuing pets. Come and Share with us.Contact Don Robb for Zoom details.

Port Elgin Congregation - 9 a.m. class. Coffee & Conversation 9:40. Worship 10 a.m. Pat Jacobi presiding. Speaker Josephine Amelia Fraser-Morgan. Contact Larry Buchanan for Zoom details.

La Salle Road Congregation - Social time from 10:15-10:30. Worship 10:30 a.m. Contact Pastor Vonda den Boer for Zoom details.

Reaching Out - Generally meets twice a month. Please sign up for email notices by clicking here.

Kitchener Congregation - Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Contact John & Ruth Black for details.

Cambridge Congregation - No service during July and August.

First People Community of Christ (FPCC) - Reaching out to Native People across North America  and the World! Online Prayer and Testimonies Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. and Worship Sundays at 7 p.m. Contact Larry Buchanan for ZOOM details.

Other Online Ministries are available from many varied places for you to connect with. 

Dear Friends of World Accord, 

With the Annual General Meeting now complete, we are onto the business of updating our strategic plan to continue our mission of cultivating communities that thrive. Now is the time we want to hear from you!

We, the Board of Directors have worked on a survey to help guide us with that plan. We look to you, our donors, supporters and long time friends to help us continue our vision of world accord. Please complete this survey by August 22. Click the button below to answer the survey. Thank you for your support! 

On behalf of your Board of Directors
James Bennett

Note:  As a part of this discussion, we will explore the possibility of establishing networking groups for climate action, Bring your ideas and your calendar!
 
We live in a culture dominated by consumerism. The media, the economists, the corporate world – all pressure us to buy, buy, buy! As a society, we are addicted to shopping and consumerism. And most of the industrial complex that makes and distributes consumer goods rely on fossil fuels, petroleum products and plastics that continually add to the carbon emissions in the atmosphere. 

Last June, we explored the possibility of a circular economy, where “Take, Make, and Discard” is replaced with “Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose, and Repair.” But that’s only a portion of the solution. Wise consumer practices for the individual and for manufacturers are other transformations required to help solve this systemic problem.
 
Come join us in the Climate Webinar on September 19 as we explore lifestyle changes and corporate changes necessary to help mitigate climate change. Invite your friends to join as well. All sessions are free. Participation in previous webinars and conversations is not necessary to join in this opportunity.
 
To connect to “Systemic Solutions:  Consumerism!”                                    
Please register by clicking the button below.

If you registered for a past webinar or conversation, you do not need to register again. Once registered, you will be sent a Zoom link a few days before each webinar, panel and conversation.
 
This is an online ministry sponsored by the Greater Pacific Northwest USA Mission Center for Community of Christ. The North American Climate Justice Team are the planners, with members from GPNWMC, Canada East, Canada West, IWMC, SPMC, and SPIMC. 

Be sure to register for CEM Virtual Conference including Virtual Global Village, Business Meeting, Campfire, Spirit-filled worship and more. See all the details by clicking the button below.

I so want to recognize each of those who dedicated their time to plan, recruit, create, facilitate, communicate and ensure technical expertise throughout our summer e-camping program over the last 15 weeks with dozens of meaningful and relational offerings.

From each campground across the Mission Centre, the reconnections within our respective reunions was not just kept alive, but blessed richly by shared interactions. Innovative programs linked all who attended or viewed the recordings.

For those who may have missed any gathering, you can still experience the campfires, tours, conversations, worship and classes by clicking the link below to view the recordings. Be part of the memories, insights and sharing moments that were created just for you. Thank you again to those whose gifts, skills and presence made such a difference.


Kerry Richards
CEM President

Friends,
I’m deeply appreciative of all those who have shared concern for Haiti. I’ve logged hundreds of public messages on Facebook as well as many private messages from church leaders around the world and from world church leaders. I have been sharing about this with our leaders in Haiti and with those in the most impacted areas. It really makes a difference.

I also know that many have asked how to give for the needs in Haiti.
I have a high degree of confidence that one of the most effective ways to get help to the people that need it in the days to come will be through our network of church leaders. They are people of high integrity and they operate at the grassroots level as they connect with congregations through pastors and congregation financial officers. We are blessed to be able to offer this sort of oblation support, funded by our world mission tithes.

The best way to ensure that we have capacity to respond to the needs in Haiti right now is to give to World Mission Tithes. Increased giving at this time will allow us to respond to increased need.

Thank you to everyone around the world. Together we can do this.

Sincerely,

Apostle Art Smith

​Apostle Art Smith reports:

Prayers and concern for the people of Haiti who experienced a strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake this morning. The epicentre of the quake was in the western part of the country near a place called Trou de Nippes.
I’ve been communicating with our staff and key leaders. Staff in the Port au Prince area, Hinche and Cap Haitien are ok. Our former mission centre president, in Chardonnieres, in the extreme west, reports that he is ok, but that it appears they have experienced many collapsed buildings and at least one death. No word yet from other members, including a retired church employee who lives much closer to the epicentre.
Thanks for all of your prayers and concern.
For those of you who’ve followed the news from Haiti over the last number of years, this earthquake was centred in the southern claw, west of the Port au Prince area quake that devastated Haiti a decade ago. This zone was severely impacted by Hurricane Matthew in October of 2016. Community of Christ has many members in this area and we are anxious to hear from them and to hear the overall damage report.

And a further update:...
 
Thank goodness!  There is some good news.
I finally just heard from our retired full-time minister, Brother Narcisse Pierre.  
Thankfully, he and his family were early risers today.
They are all safe and unhurt.
Had the quake come earlier, things would have been different because the walls of their home have fallen down on their beds.
There is still much we don’t know.
Thank you for all your prayers.

Here is former mission centre president and current pastor of the Chardonnieres, Haiti congregation, Renand Hillaire, getting ready to spend the night on the mountain, up away from their homes and buildings (that are either fallen down or might still fall down). They retreated to the mountain from their coastal village, in the wake of the quake, to avoid possible tsunamis. They slept out here under the trees last night, waiting for the aftershocks to settle down. 

On Monday, the world’s leading authority on climate change, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told the world the climate is dangerously close to a tipping point that would lead to climate chaos and that human activities – primarily burning fossil fuels and deforestation – are to blame.

With deadly and record-breaking forest fires, heat waves, floods and droughts occurring around the world and here at home, too many of us are already experiencing the devastating effects of increasingly extreme weather. This report’s “code red for humanity” is reaching an already weary audience.

Fortunately, the report also shows that changing course is still within our power. The severity of climate change impacts is not a matter of chance. They will be determined by the choices we make now – all of us, every community, every country, every sector.

Leading up to the next major UN climate conference (COP26 in Glasgow in November), world leaders are facing intense pressure to increase their climate action ambition. Canada’s current commitment is to reduce carbon emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. While this is an improvement, Canada’s targets are still critically insufficient and among the least ambitious compared to other developed countries. We need stronger targets, backed by stringent laws and regulations that quickly eliminate fossil fuel use and shift us to safer and cleaner energy sources.

Being ambitious on climate also means prioritizing solutions that are inclusive and justice-focused. Canada has committed to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and this climate crisis will test what that commitment really means.

So, how should we as individuals respond to this “code red for humanity?”
Here are some ideas:

Feel the grief and fear — Allowing yourself to feel, grieve and contemplate everything we’re going through is important.

Remember our actions matter — Realizing our actions at home and collectively can really make a difference, can feel empowering and inspire others to join.

Talk to friends and family, find support and be supportive — Have (sometimes difficult) climate conversations. Talk about your vision for a just and sustainable future. You are not alone. Support one another. Find and cultivate a support network.

Find hope and inspiration — It abounds if you look for it. There so many inspiring stories of people who are leading the transition to renewable energy in their communities and reasons to be hopeful. Hope is a key ingredient these days.

Demand bold and ambitious climate action — We need to get Canada to act on climate change with the ambition and urgency this crisis demands. Action is an important antidote to despair. Sign this action — you’ll see.

Prepare for a paradigm shift — Extreme capitalism, colonialism and a lack of respect for nature got us into this mess. We're going to need insights and solutions from Indigenous Peoples, diverse human creativity and a refocus on equity and well-being to get us out of it.

There is so much work ahead, and as always, we must take it on together. Thank you for joining us in calling for climate justice for all.

In solidarity,

Jodi Stark

Climate Solutions Public Engagement Specialist
David Suzuki Foundation

​This Sunday, Lily Maiau will preach live from Tahiti on the theme “Choose Wisdom.” Retired Apostle Len Young will teach the Peace Lesson from Independence, Missouri. Associate Pastor Roger Dodson of Whitby, Ontario, will teach the Lesson of the Living Church. Alexandra Cozart of Innisfil, Ontario, will offer her testimony. Our Invocation will be given by Ron Raynes of Eugene, Oregon. Our Call to Worship will be read by Tiona Horning of Independence, Missouri, and our Lectionary will be read by Cragar Minor of Frederick, Maryland. The Beyond the Walls Choir will premiere hymn CCS 624 “God of Grace and God of Glory,” and will also sing hymn CCS 16 “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.”

Our global congregation meets every Sunday at 12:00 pm. All are welcome to this inclusive church service.

Ottawa Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact [email protected] for Zoom details.

Windsor Congregation - 10:30 Worship. Contact Jeff Moor for Zoom info.

SLIM (Sharing Love in Mission) - 1:45 p.m. A service of the sacrament of baptism and confirmation and the affirmation of the Unity in Diversity that begins Pride Week in Chatham Kent. Contact Don Robb for Zoom details.

Port Elgin Congregation - 9 a.m. class. Coffee & Conversation 9:40. Worship 10 a.m. Marilyn Graham presiding. Speaker Wendell Martin. Contact Larry Buchanan for Zoom details.

La Salle Road Congregation - Social time from 10:15-10:30. Worship 10:30 a.m. Contact Pastor Vonda den Boer for Zoom details.

Reaching Out - Generally meets twice a month. Please sign up for email notices by clicking here.

Kitchener Congregation - Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Contact John & Ruth Black for details.

Cambridge Congregation - No service during July and August.

First People Community of Christ (FPCC) - Reaching out to Native People across North America  and the World! Online Prayer and Testimonies Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. and Worship Sundays at 7 p.m. Contact Larry Buchanan for ZOOM details.

Other Online Ministries are available from many varied places for you to connect with. 

Mildred (Millie) Eileen Moore, age 93, passed away peacefully at the St. Marys Memorial Hospital in St. Marys, Ontario. She is survived by her devoted husband of 72 and a half years, Roy Moore and their three children, Ron (Raymonde) Moore, Gary (Marilyn) Moore, and Joan (Paul) Fitzgeorge. She is missed and loved deeply by her grandchildren, Lyndsay (Scott), Jason (Michelle), Jonathan (Desiree), Craig (Sarah), Stephanie (Maxwell); as well as her nine great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her granddaughter Tanya. Millie was born to Emma (Rode) and Edwin Feltz. Her brother Roy (Shirley) and in-laws Beryl, Glen, Ruby, and Floyd remember her fondly. She was a cherished sister/sister-in-law to predeceased Eldon, Mervin (Marion), Gordon, Evelyn, Ivan, Donna (Russell), Gladys, Wilma. She is remembered affectionately by her large extended family and many friends.

Mom was an active member of the Community of Christ. She was also a member of several antique and hobby associations, the Old Time Band, and an avid skater, camper, and snowmobiler. Mom was constantly ready for Dad’s adventures; she taught us to appreciate life being a journey. Our mom was strong, loyal, and loving. She forged her path, quietly leading her family with wisdom and love, demonstrating her willpower and grace. She volunteered her time to those in need and was a role model of acceptance and compassion. We will remember her patience and unconditional love. Mom met her life and every person with the brightest of smiles.

A private graveside service will be held in Avondale Cemetery. Thank you to the staff at St. Marys Memorial Hospital for the care provided to our mom in her last months and to Dr. Langford for her many years of care. As expressions of sympathy, donations may be made to the Community of Christ or a charity of one’s choice through the W. G. Young Funeral Home, 430 Huron Street, Stratford. 519.271.7411  www.wgyoungfuneralhome.com