Latest news with #UnitedChurch
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
All Saints open doors to feed community
Transcona On Thursday, May 29, the All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church invites everyone to a community supper that will fill their stomachs with delicious Ukrainian food and their hearts with wonderful fellowship. The free meal takes place between 5 and 7 p.m. in the church auditorium at 1500 Day St. Church member Bonnie Persowich said this is the second free meal offered by the church this year, and she hopes there are more. The idea arose from meetings with the Transcona Food Security Network, a coalition of social service organizations serving the area. Those organizations said they could use more help to serve the growing number of people who struggle to make ends meet. 'A pastor at the United Church had a vision that standard community supports could use help from parishes in the community,' Persowich said. 'We're bringing it all together. It's been a wonderful journey. We've been able to make friends and see what the community's needs are.' George Penner / Manitoba Historical Society On Thursday, May 29, the All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1500 Day St.) is hosting a free community dinner. All are welcome. That first community supper, which drew 80 people, showed All Saints what some of those needs are. Persowich said many seniors and Ukrainian newcomers attended and shared stories of struggling with isolation and rising grocery prices. 'We can see that in the future, that's not going away,' Persowich said. The church hall holds 200 people, and Persowich said All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church would love to see it full. They're working with community partners to get the word out. Volunteers are delivering flyers to homes. Mondays A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities. 'We're hoping to show them they are loved, and we'd like to help,' Persowich said. The May 29 menu includes perogies, sausage, coleslaw or salad, a beverage or dessert. Diners have the choice of sour cream or cream sauce on their perogies. 'Once you have the cream sauce, you'll never switch back,' Persowich promised. As delicious as the food will be, Persowich said the companionship will also be unmatched. Church members are excited about meeting everyone and having a visit. 'After the last dinner, seniors were emailing us to ask when the next one would be,' Persowich said. 'They enjoyed some great food and seeing some great people.' Tony ZeruchaEast Kildonan community correspondent Tony Zerucha is a community correspondent for East Kildonan. Email him at tzerucha@ Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
East edition news in brief — week of April 30, 2025
St. VitalNorwood FlatsNortheast WinnipegRoyalwoodSt. Boniface Local Lions Club to hold craft sale on May 3 There will soon be some crafty goings-on in St. Vital. The Lions Club of Riverside will hold a craft sale at 188 Worthington Ave. on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. File photo by Simon Fuller Norwood Community Centre, seen here in this file photo, will be the venue for a quiz night on May 9. Visit to learn more about the organization. Norwood C.C. to hold quiz night on May 9 Organizers at Norwood Community Centre are inviting local folks to put their thinking caps on. The centre, located at 87 Walmer St., will play host to a quiz night on Friday, May 9. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the event will start at 7 p.m. According to the centre's website, entry cost is $20 per person for a table of eight. Visit for more information. Singing for a Century on May 10 On Saturday, May 10, the seven United Churches in northeast Winnipeg will come together to celebrate the United Church of Canada's 100th anniversary with a choral performance, titled Singing for a Century. 'Music has been a central pillar of United Church worship throughout the century,' organizers wrote in a release. 'In choosing the theme for acknowledging the one hundred years in the life of the United Church we want to recognize the deep spirituality of our faith communities, and the part that our beloved hymns have played in worship, even as we remember the changing dynamics of the United Church over the decades.' Doors to the event, which will be held at Gordon-King Memorial United Church (127 Cobourg Ave.), will open at 12:45 p.m., with concert to run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is by donation to 1JustCity. Following the performance, there will be a time of fellowship and refreshments. An archival display from the seven communities of faith will be on display, as well. Supplied file photo by Marcel Druwé Le Marché d'été St. Boniface Summer Market will return this year will return this year, and prospective vendors are encouraged to apply. The event will be held every Thursday from June 5 to Aug. 28 at Parc Joseph Royal, located at 701 Tache Ave. Royalwood garage sale returns June 7, 8 Deal hunters, get ready for the Royalwood community garage sale. The annual neighbourhood-wide garage sale will be held this year on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday June 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Mondays A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities. Signs will be posted at the Abinojii Mikanah and St. Anne's Rd entrances and within the neighbourhood to indicate which residences are participating. St. Boniface Summer Market calling for vendors Le Marché d'été St. Boniface Summer Market will return this year, and experienced or emerging vendors are encouraged to apply for a spot. Organizers say Le Marché d'été St. Boniface Summer Market will be held every Thursday from June 5 to Aug. 28 at Parc Joseph Royal, located at 701 Tache Ave., on the riverbank just north of the Provencher Bridge and Esplanade Riel. Places are limited, so early registration is advised. Visit for more information, or to register.
CBC
19-04-2025
- General
- CBC
P.E.I. minister 'amazed, inspired and hopeful' after taking part in Last Supper recreation
Social Sharing A Prince Edward Island minister is part of a reimagining of The Last Supper that aims to capture the country's diversity. To mark its 100th anniversary, the United Church of Canada decided to recreate the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting, which depicts communion between Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. Rev. Franklyn James, the minister at West River United Church in Cornwall, P.E.I., was asked to take part in the photo recreation after presenting a report on equity in the church at its general council meeting last year. James said the church wanted to challenge the traditional image of the Last Supper, and create one that's more representative of modern times. "Here is an image of a diverse people, a diverse way of being, a diverse lived experience that can be at a table, and you are welcome at this table despite how you present yourself to the world," he said. "I see it as an invitation to anyone who would want to be a part of a community that accepts them truly for who they are." Called A Place at the Table, the photograph by Alan Lai includes 12 members of the United Church from across the country, posed similarly to the apostles in da Vinci's mural. The "disciples" come from various walks of life, including members of the Black, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Notably, the photo doesn't include the depiction of Jesus in the physical form. Rather, "Christ's presence is embodied through the gathered community, underscoring the belief that faith is expressed through justice, compassion, and service," the United Church of Canada said in a news release. "The image serves as a bold testament to the Church's vision — a table where differences are honoured, diversity is celebrated, and faith is lived through shared commitment to equity and belonging." 'There was this beauty to it' The photo was unveiled at Metropolitan United Church in Toronto on Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, which the Christian faith recognizes as the day of the Last Supper. The United Church says Holy Thursday was always about radical inclusion — Jesus sharing a meal with his followers, washing their feet and urging them to love one another. "When I [looked] at it, there was this beauty to it. There's this warm sense of being part of something greater than I am," James said. "There's a pride that comes from looking at the photograph and looking at the colour and looking at the people, and I just felt amazed, inspired and hopeful."
CBC
11-04-2025
- CBC
Saskatoon church places worship leader, former mayoral candidate on leave after robbery, assault charges
Mark Zielke will not be playing piano this weekend at St. Paul's United Church in Saskatoon. The 41-year-old is now on administrative leave from his lay position as a worship leader at the church in the wake of robbery and assault charges. For more than a decade, the self-described justice advocate and one-time candidate for mayor has also provided leadership at Sunday worship, done pastoral care and provided musical accompaniment to artists playing at the church. That is now all on hold. Zielke, 41, is accused alongside Tyson Moore, 44, and David Dominguez, 41, of robbing the Hitching Post Motel on Saturday night. The trio were arrested after RCMP stopped Zielke's white BMW X3 at the Borden Bridge, 50 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. They each face 14 counts of robbery and assault. Rev. Mitchell Anderson said members of the congregation became alarmed Sunday morning when Zielke did not show up for work at the church. Anderson said Zielke joined the church, in the Sutherland neighbourhood, in 2011 and is its longest serving lay employee. "When Mark was not at work on Sunday, members of the congregation felt that that behaviour was uncharacteristic and so they tried to contact him, contact friends of his, stopped by his home," Anderson said. "When they were unable to find him, they contacted the police with their concerns." Zielke was in jail. Anderson said the United Church has clear policies about conduct by ministers. "There is a policy as it relates to ordained ministers, which is that when an ordained minister is charged with a criminal offence, they're placed on administrative leave," he said. "As a lay employee, the congregation has decided to place [Zielke] on administrative leave. This allows us the time to gather more information in order to prayerfully and thoughtfully make decisions about the future."
CBC
01-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Interfaith meeting in Wolfville postponed over U.S. border concerns
A multi-denominational faith meeting that was set to take place in Wolfville, N.S., this summer has been postponed over U.S. border concerns. The North American Interfaith Network was to hold its first in-person conference since COVID-19, but a recent poll of its attendees showed most of them aren't comfortable making the trip across the American border. "In early February, we sent out a communique to our member organizations asking them if the new political climate would have any bearing whatsoever on their attendance. And three-quarters of those who responded said we are unable to commit at this time because of the uncertainty of the circumstances of our day," Rob Hankinson, a retired United Church minister and co-ordinator of the conference, told CBC's Maritime Noon on Monday. Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, there have been several high-profile incidents of tourists and visa holders being stopped at U.S. border crossings, or being held for weeks at American immigration detention facilities. Organizers of the Moving Trans History Forward conference in B.C. told The Canadian Press last week its U.S. participants also expressed concerns about crossing into Canada because of what could happen when they try to cross back into the U.S. Hankinson said over the last 30 years, the interfaith conference has usually drawn about 120 attendees from the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Drea Parker of Charlotte, N.C., would have been among the participants this year. She said that as a U.S. citizen she wasn't concerned about travelling herself, but she could sympathize with others planning to attend the conference. "I myself am not a person that ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] would be looking for … I'm born and raised in America, but I have a lot of friends and colleagues that are working through their visas, trying to get those completed, getting their green cards confirmed and they're concerned. And so I just, I feel for them," Parker told Maritime Noon. Parker said she is saddened by the decision to defer the conference but she understands. "I feel like with everything that's happening currently in the political environment, there's no telling what's going to be happening in August. So I think it's better safe than sorry," she said. Hankinson said organizers didn't want to put people in any form of jeopardy. "When people responded saying that they were unable to commit because of their own sense of anxiety or uncertainty, because of these new circumstances, we wanted to respect that," he said. The North American Interfaith Network meeting, first held in Wichita, Kan., in 1988, brings together people from different faith backgrounds. Hankinson said this year's conference was going to focus on best practices to address social justice issues. He said it would have been the first time for the event in Nova Scotia. While the in-person conference has been postponed, Hankinson said the network's board of directors is meeting later this week to discuss possibly moving the event online.
