April 29: May Day

Service Facilitator - Linda Reith, Earth Based Spirituality Council

May Day is a happy time at UCG. Together we weave our dreams into a bright pattern of hope and commitment.  As buds become flowers and gardeners set their seeds, we set our intentions for a new spiritual harvest. Please join us for this intergenerational service. Weather permitting, we will be outside for part of this service for our annual Maypole dance.

May Day or Beltane is the Gaelic festival most commonly held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. Beltane is one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (November), Imbolc (February), Beltane (May), and Lughnasadh (August), held between the equinoxes and solstices. Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out to the summer pastures.

May 6 - The Truth before Reconciliation: The Importance of Land

Speaker: Erin Hodson

Service Leader: Matt Lucid

In the summer of 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada delivered its final report. On that day, Senator Murray Sinclair also introduced Canada to the 94 Calls to Action – 94 actionable items to begin moving toward reconciliation as a country. To date, 10 of the 94 Calls are complete. Reconciliation is a slow process, but before we can begin to walk down that long road, we need to have the uncomfortable discussion about the truth. I would like to begin the truth discussion with the importance of Land. As our first teacher, Land is one thing that unites many Indigenous people across Turtle Island. Understanding the importance of Land, and Land Acknowledgments will set a foundation to begin the more in-depth truth work needed to truly walk a reconciliation path.

Erin Hodson is Wilfrid Laurier’s recently appointed Indigenous Curriculum Specialist. For almost 10 years, Erin worked for the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal research and Education where she created and taught courses focusing on Canadian history through the understanding of the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Erin has also been involved in many research projects investigating the state of Indigenous education in Canada.

May 13 - Nature Connection - Our Birthright

Speaker: Arlene Slocombe (Guelph Outdoor School)

Service Leader: Margie Johnson

Humans have evolved through the millenia in close connection with all that supports life. It is only in our recent history that we have strayed from seeing ourselves as an integral part of the natural world and somehow placed ourselves above. Nature Education teaches wonderful information but regardless of the resources we pour into it, Nature Connection is evading us as is evidenced by the growing disconnect. Let's explore the difference in these perspectives and see the many bridges and barriers to re-connecting.

Arlene Slocombe and her partner Chris Green run the Guelph Outdoor School whose mission is to foster attributes of resilience through nature connection. Arlene, Chris and their two daughters live a simple off-grid lifestyle in close connection with the natural world that surrounds them along the banks of the Eramosa river. Arlene is also the Executive Director of Wellington Water Watchers, an organization dedicated to the protection of source water in Wellington County. Living in connection with the land and the waters that support her has driven a deep desire to protect the sacred and to encourage others to deepen their connection.