The Presbytery of Winnipeg is hosting a free exposure tour during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s inaugural event, which will take place in Winnipeg, June 16 to 19.
“We hope by attending the Truth and Reconciliation Commission people will continue the process of reconciliation with aboriginal people and the church,” said Rev. Peter Bush, tour organizer and minister at Westwood, Winnipeg. “We hope people will gain a personal understanding of the residential school question, but it’s more than residential schools that are on the table here. It’s connections between native and non-native, between native and newcomer — to gain an understanding of the nature of that and what a healed and whole relationship looks like in this country.”
The tour will begin June 18 at St. James’ Presbyterian and will move toward the heart of the city where displays of photography, art, dance, music and film will be set up as part of the TRC event. Lori Ransom, the church’s healing and reconciliation animator, plans to take part.
“The TRC will be holding six other national events across Canada over the five years of its mandate, but the Winnipeg event will be the most significant for Presbyterians since both schools we operated most recently were within the region to be covered by this first event,” Bush wrote in a press release.
Winnipeg will also be home to a gathering of about 80 high-profile religious leaders from around the world, June 21- 23, to listen and report to one another, and to collaborate on sending a unified message to government leaders of the G8/G20 nations.
The message will press governments to remain true to the eight Millennium Development Goals ratified by the 192 member states of the United Nations 10 years ago. The goals aim to halve global poverty by 2015. The G8 nations — including Canada — pledged assistance in achieving the goals, but are well behind in meeting the promised deadline.
This will be the first time Canada has played host to the World Religions Summit 2010: Interfaith Leaders in the G8 Nations. A 2005 forerunner event in the U.K. united Christian faith traditions around the G8 summit and set the stage for subsequent interfaith gatherings.
Visit faithchallengeG8.com for more information and also Facebook and Twitter. — C.Purvis and the CCC
