Dear friends in Christ at Wesley United,

Today is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or "Orange Shirt Day."  

As a country and as a church we have a difficult, often humbling, history with Indigenous peoples.  On the one hand we in the United Church of Canada are people of good will and concerned with making a difference in our world and in the lives of others.  We pride ourselves on being committed to justice and living this out in our lives. We could say the same for many in Canada. Yet, we are often drawn up short by new revelations of atrocities that have happened, and need to reflect on how we have been complicit in these.   

It seems to me that part of the purpose of a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is to reflect on how we have corporately and personally failed to live in life-giving ways with Indigenous peoples, honouring and respecting them, working to ensure that their lives are surrounded not only with safety and having basic needs met, but also treated with human dignity and kindness.  We lament that as a country, and sometimes as individuals, we have failed on all these counts. It is not like this is a new revelation for us, for we have heard many official reports over the years pointing to abuse of every kind, marginalization and lack of support.  We have not treated these people – who were the original people in this place we now call Canada, who agreed to share this land with us – the way that we would want to be treated. We have failed to honour the treaties and agreements that were made. Drastic changes are needed.  It is a day to acknowledge the truth and to intentionally move toward reconciliation.

Another part of this day is reflecting on who we are and who we want to be. As I reported to the Wesley Executive on Tuesday night, our role as the church is to be a voice for the voiceless. The values that we embrace are of reaching out to the marginalized, the overlooked, those who are vulnerable, those without a voice, and those who are often treated as "the least."  On this National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we recognize and lament that Indigenous peoples have so often fallen into this category.   As a church, following the example of Jesus, we take the next step of translating our values into action. We seek to be a welcoming place to all people, treating all others with kindness, respect and fairness, creating a safe place where all feel valued and affirmed.  Our additional role is to speak truth to power, be that to the larger public or to politicians, and to call them to this vision.

Our sacred scriptures have much to say about how we treat "the other."  The Bible often names these as "foreigners," but in our place and time they could be Indigenous people (even as we acknowledge that Indigenous people are the first people of this land, and we, as settlers, are the foreigners), Black people or other people of colour; it could be those from differing faith traditions, or anyone who is somehow different from us:

"Long ago I gave these commands to my people: 'You must see that justice is done, and must show kindness and mercy to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners who live among you, or anyone else in need.'" (Zechariah 7:9)

"Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." (Exodus 23:9)

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)

"Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land. Treat them as you would an Israelite [native-born], and love them as you love yourselves. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." (Leviticus 19:33-34)

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:35-36)

May this day, and the difficult reflections that it brings, become a blessing for us and for others, so that all may know wholeness and fullness of life.  This is the dream of God.

Looking forward, I will only be with you as your minister for another two and a half weeks.  My final Sunday will be October 17.  After that I will become the minister of Marshall Memorial United Church in Ancaster.

In solidarity and toward shalom/Salem,

~Rev. Keith Hagerman

On behalf of the congregation of Wesley United Church (6 Cambridge St., Cambridge ON), I am reaching out to you in solidarity, standing beside you in this time of fear and grief.  We call you sisters and brothers, for we are all part of the human family and when one part suffers, it affects us all. The violence suffered in London ON this past week by the Muslim faith community is unfathomable, and we are all diminished by it.  We lament that such a thing can happen in our country. 

We confess that we do not know what it is like to walk in your shoes, and to deal with prejudices based on religious profiling.  However, we are a community that wants to be intentional about inclusion, celebrating difference and building community that extends far beyond our doors.  We are glad that you are part of our Cambridge community, and we celebrate the cultural and spiritual gifts that you bring.  As fellow travellers in the Abrahamic faith tradition, we long for peace and wholeness and fullness of life for you and for all people.  We condemn Islamophobia and racial profiling and prejudice and violence in any form. We want you to know that we stand beside you, offering support and friendship, committing our lives to breaking down barriers that divide, working toward peace and justice for all. 

We want to be a church that journeys toward reconciliation, understanding, and cooperation with our Muslim neighbours.  If there are ways that we can further support you, please reach out to us with the request.

In Solidarity and toward Salem/Shalom,

~Rev. Keith Hagerman,

(On behalf of the congregation of Wesley United Church, 6 Cambridge St., Cambridge, ON  N1R 3R6)

Remember when your minister and congregational representatives would head off to (Waterloo) Presbytery meetings to do the work of the church with the wider church in the area.  Then remember how every May or June, the minister and those same representatives would head off to the Annual Meeting of Hamilton Conference which would run Thursday – Sunday in some part of the Conference, complete with the Ordaining and Commissioning of new ministers.  Well a few years ago, Presbytery and Conference were combined into a single court of the church called a Council.  We are now part of Western Ontario Waterways Regional Council. 

I share all of this with you, because gathering together with this larger body of the church for an Annual Meeting is still on the agenda, and the Western Ontario Waterways Regional Council AGM is this weekend. I write to you on Thursday night, just after we have had the first session of this Annual Meeting.  Of course we cannot meet in person, so this was a virtual meeting, held over Zoom.  There were upwards of 180 of us together tonight as we worshipped and prayed together, and reconnected, sharing stories of the church in various places, and hearing about the work of the larger church. 

Now you may ask what does this have to do with Wesley?  Cheryl-Ann Stadelbauer-Sampa, the Executive Minister of our Region and two other Regions shared this analogy: the United Church is like a peanut butter sandwich – the local congregation is one piece of bread, and the denomination is the other piece of bread, and Regional Council is the peanut butter = the sticky part in the middle that connects the local congregation to the denomination.  As your Regional Council meets this weekend to do the work of the larger church, I invite you to hold it in prayer. 

Just as I was involved in reconnecting with the larger church tonight, so there has been an intentional effort at Wesley to reconnect with all people in the congregation.  When we reconnect, it is a time of sharing stories and of building up community.  As we do this, we hold the needs of each other up to God.  It is a type of prayer. Thanks to all of those involved in this effort.  My dream is that such connections would be a regular part of our community, with regular phone calls at least monthly (and perhaps more often) to all members.  In our times of worship in the season of Easter, we have heard Jesus saying “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  As you reach out beyond yourselves to connect with others, you become a link to the source – to Jesus, the presence of God.  By your presence, you bring God into the conversation, weaving a web of connection.  Blessings to you in your holy conversations.

- Rev. Keith Hagerman

This weekend is Mother’s Day and Christian Family Sunday.  It is a time to pause and give thanks for all of the extraordinary blessings that we know through our mothers.  It is a time to not only recognize these blessings, but to share our love and appreciation with our mothers.  But what if we allowed this love to overflow so that it spilled far beyond our mothers?  Remember the song from the 1960’s – “love is something if you give it away, you’ll end up having more.”  That is the thing about love.  It is not a limited commodity that we need to hide away and protect.  Rather, when it is shared, it expands and grows.  It needs to be brought into the light of day in order for it to flourish and make a difference. It's just like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won't have any. Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many they'll roll all over the floor.

The United Church of Canada is extending an invitation to all of us to make this Mother’s Day more meaningful, inclusive, compassionate and hopeful by supporting families in need at home and around the world.  That is a pretty tall order, but it is possible… if we give love away so that it may expand in our world in ever widening circles.  (And in this time of pandemic, when our usual shopping for gifts is not possible, here is a ready-made solution, complete with e-cards to send to our mothers!) Here is the invitation:

Are you a mother who wants to make a difference? Is there a mother or someone like a mother you want to honour? Do you know people who have lost mothers or mothers who have lost a child? Does anyone you know find Mother’s Day hard? Are there people in your life whose untraditional family unit deserves recognition and celebration?

This Mother’s Day, Mission & Service is providing a special opportunity to not only help families in need but also reach out to honour and support our loved ones.

Make a special Mission & Service gift this Mother’s Day/Christian Family Sunday. Your gift will help families in need at home and abroad, supporting things like prenatal and parenting classes, respite care for families with children, medical clinics for babies and mothers, safe shelter, and education for children.

At the same time, when you make a gift online, you can do even more good by sending any number of free e-cards. The cards say things like “Mother’s Day can be so hard. I made a gift to support families in need as I thought about you today. I hope knowing you inspire me to make a difference is a comfort” and “The world needs all kinds of families! You are a blessing!” If you are giving offline, feel free to borrow the wording for print cards. Don’t forget to credit your congregation when you make a gift!

“Mother’s Day is a time when we celebrate mothers. Which is awesome, but not for everyone. For some, the holiday can be a sad or challenging time. We want to do more good by helping families in need and make the holiday itself more inclusive and compassionate,” says Sarah Charters, Acting Director of Philanthropy.

Charters is encouraging her family to make a gift instead of giving her the usual chocolate and flowers. And she’s honouring her mother by making a donation.

“Imagine if the church came together to give life-changing gifts, pray, and provide pastoral care and encouragement at the same time,” she says. “What an amazing difference!”

You can help make Mother’s Day more meaningful, inclusive, and compassionate. Make a gift and send a card today! Your support changes lives!

Rev. Keith Hagerman