Greetings Friends,
This will be my last mid-week email for a few weeks. As of August 1, I will be taking vacation and study leave and will return to work on September 8.
Rev. Neil Wallace will be replacing me during that time and my heartfelt thanks go to him for doing so.
During COVID-19, one of the new things I am learning is meditation. I have taken an online course from Yale called The Science of Well-Being, which challenges participants to realize that personal happiness does not come through the things society most thinks it does. Rather, we are challenged to ‘rewire’ ourselves via specific activities, one of them being meditation.
One of the projects I have been working on lately is developing a series of videos on meditation and prayer. During the month of August, a new video will be posted on the church’s website
woodroffeunited.org.
The video posted each week is meant to be used 3 to 7 days during that week before moving on to the next. My hope and prayer is that from them, you will find ways to relax, connect with God, and experience greater peace and happiness in your life.
From our Region: Remembering August 1: End of Slavery in Canada
August 1, 1834 is the day the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, ending slavery throughout most of the British Empire - including in the colonies that would become Canada. It is estimated that on that day, 800,000 enslaved Black peoples were freed, as it became illegal for anyone to be a slave in the British Empire.
There is a grassroots movement happening in the United Church and beyond
to proclaim August 1 as one way to support the fair treatment of all humans and affirm that all persons are made in the image of God. The commemoration of August 1 reminds us that the fight against systemic and anti-Black racism is far from over, and that we need to continue the work for the creation of a more just society. It is one way to continue the work of becoming an anti-racist church.
Stay healthy and may God bless you richly.
Kathryn