May 1, 2024 Announcements

Neoclassical Concert

Date: Fri, May 10 • 7:30 PM PDT
Location: Phillip T. Young Recital Hall
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introspective-atmospheric-neoclassical-composed-by-toby-johnston-stewart-tickets-859772260977?aff=eivtefrnd&utm_share_source=home-feed_android

Support emerging artists in Victoria and experience the Live Premiere of new local composer Toby Johnston-Stewart’s meditative music.  This concert will be solo piano (Jillian Forster), for the first half and then joined by Alasdair Money (cello) and Muge Buyukcelen (violin) from the Emily Carr String Quartet!

Thanks very much for your support. If you’re able, bring your friends along.

Warmly,
Jillian Forster Fair, BMus Piano Performance (UVic ’02)

Note: Jillian is a colleague of Amanda (a member at Knox) who has had several recitals for her students in our space.

Healing and Reconciliation Sunday on May 26th was designated by the 2006 General Assembly, recognizing the need for healing and relationship building between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

As a church that ran 12 residential schools, we bear a collective responsibility to truth and healing. In the 1980s and 1990s, the truth about abuses children suffered at residential schools began to be heard. Over the next decades, more truth about the pain and harm inflicted at the schools have become part of our common memory, in large part because of the courage of Survivors and intergenerational Survivors who are standing against a legacy of colonial violence and racism, seeking heal from their harmful and deadly impacts.

June 3, 2024 will mark 30 years since the church adopted its 1994 confession, which acknowledges the church’s complicity in a deadly assimilation effort that targeted Indigenous children.

In its report to the 2023 General Assembly, the National Indigenous Ministries Council articulated the need for an apology that reflects the “now greater understanding of the profound harm these institutions [residential schools] caused and continue to cause, to generations of Indigenous people.” As that apology is being  prepared, members of the church are invited to engage in collective and group learning about the need for an apology, the legacy of residential schools and intergenerational trauma, the roots of anti-Indigenous racism, our responsibility and commitment to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and what is needed for truth, healing, and justice for Indigenous peoples. This includes in worship, which is central to our faith life and community.

To learn more about healing and reconciliation and justice for Indigenous peoples, visit the Social Action Hub’s Indigenous Justice page.

Sunday, May 5, 2024 – Mission Moment

Sydney Nkhata, a 27-year-old from Northern Malawi, is the chair of a youth network made up of 12 clubs. His management journey was significantly influenced by the “Every Youth Empowered” project, which provided valuable leadership training and is funded by PWS&D. Equipped with new skills, Sydney has become a mentor—guiding and nurturing club members. His efforts ensure that youth actively embrace and take ownership of the project, where they learn about sexual and reproductive health rights—turning it into an integral part of the community. As a result, girls and boys are more aware of the risks related to early pregnancies and transmission of diseases and are changing behaviours. Sydney’s story highlights the transformative power of leadership training and showcases his commitment to mentorship and community development.

Sunday, May 5 We pray for the people attending Guidance Conference this week, that the student candidates will experience a Spirit-filled opportunity to reflect deeply on their sense of call to ministry in the church.

Monday, May 6 We pray for all who support PCC congregations and ministries with gifts of hospitality, helping strangers and seekers find a welcoming place in the church.

Tuesday, May 7 We pray for renewed relationships with church partners in Cuba as the church there seeks to continue Christ’s ministry under the difficult circumstances of the embargo.

Wednesday, May 8 We pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading as Atlantic Mission Society Presbyterials hold annual meetings this month.

Thursday, May 9 (Ascension Day) We give thanks for creative faith formation programs that congregations have developed to nurture people’s faith

Friday, May 10 We pray for the Committee on Church Doctrine as it grapples with how Presbyterians respond to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Saturday, May 11 We give thanks for the beauty of creation and pray that the people and nations of the world are inspired to protect and care for the earth, as God intended.

Social Action Spotlight – April – June 2024

A Call for Climate Justice

It is estimated that in 2023, there was a 30% increase in people who lost their lives due to climate related disasters such as floods, wildfires, cyclones, storms and landslides over the previous year (data from the International Disaster Database).

Almost half of those killed were in countries responsible for less than 0.1% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, an estimated 87% of all people living in extreme poverty live in environmentally vulnerable or fragile countries.

The African continent, for example, contributes the least to climate change yet is the most vulnerable to its impacts. African countries, which have contributed so little to the global climate crisis, will have to spend up to five times more on adapting to the crisis than they will on healthcare. In contrast, G20 countries represent around 75% of global emissions and have the financial resources to cope with the impacts of the climate crisis in their own countries, while also assisting countries who need it.

To help address this disproportionate burden, countries agreed at the United Nations Climate Conference to create a loss and damage fund. “Loss and damage” refers to the negative consequences that arise from the unavoidable risks of climate change, like extreme weather events. Wealthier countries are invited to contribute to the fund so that countries most impacted by climate change have access to the resources they need to cope with the emergency.

Questions for Reflection

1. Sometimes we think of climate change as something that impacts other people. Have you noticed changes in our climate? What have you noticed?

2. What is your vision of the sort of society that offers a more just response to the climate emergency?

3. What potential actions could you take to impact the environment positively in your community? In your country? In the world? 

What can you do?

• • Engage with For the Love of Creation, a national, faith-based coalition for climate justice, with resources for learning, conversation and advocacy at fortheloveofcreation.ca.
  • Every fall, the World Council of Churches encourages people to come together during the Season of Creation. Find resources to engage your church and community at seasonofcreation.org.
  • Contact the Minister of Finance and ask that Canada make a significant contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund, in line with the contributions of other G20 countries.

Knox is a caring and inclusive community of faith.  All are welcome here!