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November 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
- Watershed Discipleship
- KAIROS Named Best Activist Religious Group by NOW Magazine
- Jennifer Henry Blogs from the World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan
- "It had great spirit!" - Elements of Justice
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KAIROS Participates in Study Tour to Guatemala
- KAIROS Joins in Letter to NB Premier re: Elsipogtog
FEATURE RESOURCES
Recent Video Messages from KAIROS Partner Naty Atz Sunuc
REFLECTION
A Story of Resilience, Grace, Persistence and Transformation
– by Jennifer Henry
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Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.
- (Amos 5:24)
If you looked at a political map of North America, what would you see? A vast array of brightly coloured shapes, signifying provinces, territories, and states. If, on the other hand, you looked at a watershed map of North America, you’d see just 5 such shapes: the major watersheds of North America – Atlantic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Arctic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean.
Of course, watersheds are much more local than that – in Canada alone there are 594 local watersheds. I grew up in the Humber watershed of western Newfoundland. Now I live in the Humber-Don watershed of Southern Ontario. The political distance between these two places is huge. But they both eventually empty out into the Atlantic Ocean, and they are thus both a part of the same watershed.
The concerns that I have about proposed hydraulic fracking off the west coast of my home province and those I have about pipeline reversals in my adopted province all eventually end up in the same place, through myriad lakes and rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. And through those concerns, through those waters, the people of the Humber watershed and those of us in the Humber-Don are connected.
As part of our new campaign, Watershed Discipleship, KAIROS is asking you to look at the world differently, with a different map.
Where do you live? With whom –human and non-human– do you share this place? Are there any threats to this place? What would you do to protect it? How do the struggles of your watershed connect to those of the next, to those of watersheds around the world? How can we build a movement for global watershed justice?
If this sounds interesting to you, join us in Watershed Discipleship, a program that brings together our work for Indigenous rights, ecological justice, and building a strong, vibrant ecumenical movement for social justice. You can learn more at www.kairoscanada.org/watershed, or you can contact me, Sara Stratton, at sstratton@kairoscanada.org or 1-877-403-8933 x 241.
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KAIROS named Best Activist Religious Group
by NOW Magazine
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KAIROS is feeling the love, certainly in Toronto. We’ve been named “Best Activist Religious Group” in NOW Magazine’s 2013 BEST OF TORONTO Readers Poll. The popular Toronto weekly officially announced the winners on November 7th.
Hundreds of thousands of people cast their votes to name the best of, well... just about everything. Torontonians weighed in on the best place to get a haircut, a CD, organic produce, brunch, fish & chips, a cell phone, a condo apartment, flowers, and so on. Torontonians also voted for their favourite Member of Parliament, actor, dancer, activist, etc. Five exceptional organizations were in the running for Best Activist Religious Group.
“The BEST OF TORONTO award is a great honour for us,” says Jennifer Henry, executive director of KAIROS Canada. “It’s an accolade we share with our member churches and organizations, which work so hard to advance social change by amplifying and strengthening the public witness of their members. We’re really grateful to NOW and the Toronto community for their support.”
We will proudly display our Best Activist Religious Group award in our office!
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Jennifer Henry Blogs from the World Council of Churches Assembly in Busan |
| KAIROS' Executive Director Jennifer Henry attended the 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan, Korea from October 30 to November 8. Meeting only every 7 years, the Assembly met under the banner, 'God of life, lead us to justice and peace'.
As Jennifer writes, "I am going to Busan as part of the Just and Inclusive Communities Network of the WCC, which works on crucial issues such as racism, migration and Indigenous rights. It is a privilege to bring the Canadian ecumenical movement experience into this global gathering, to be present with the delegations from some of the KAIROS member churches, and to have a chance to engage in issues as diverse as just peace in Israel-Palestine and global financial architecture. Archbishop Desmond Tutu said of the Anglican Communion, “we are because we meet,” and perhaps the same can be said for global ecumenical networks such as the World Council of Churches...
The Spirit has always moved through these assemblies, sometimes in surprising and challenging ways. May that movement of the Spirit flow beyond the gathered community, and renew and intensify our work for justice and peace wherever we are." |
Visit
Jennifer Henry's Blog
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“It had great spirit!”
– the participants at Elements of Justice.
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Under a canopy of ancient cedars, activists from across Canada gathered on unceded, unsurrenderd Squamish territory at the North Vancouver Outdoor School for Elements of Justice: KAIROS InterGenerational Gathering 2013, October 24 to 27. It was the perfect setting for building relationships.
Over the four days we heard powerful messages from inspiring speakers. Christine Boyle of Spirited Social Change said we need stop our polite acceptance of the status quo. Idle No More co-founder, Sylvia McAdam, talked about the injustices faced by Indigenous people and how we must stand together to stop them. Caleb Behn, a First Nations lawyer and activist, challenged us as churches to put our many and varied resources behind our words. Brenda Sayers of the Hupacasath First Nation showed us how much one person can accomplish.
Participants were moved by spoken word poetry, learned about community resistance movements, and grew in understanding about how social media can raise awareness as well as funds for specific issues and causes. The natural setting allowed us to reflect on why we are fighting what Christine referred to as a David and Goliath battle which, in biblical terms, is a winnable battle.
We are grateful for the speakers and the many workshop leaders, and also for the participants who spontaneously added their gifts to the program. The communal environment enabled ideas to be shared and respected. All of the 130 participants - representing all age groups, eight provinces and two territories - were present and engaged. It was an amazing experience!
While many were new to the movement, others had been part of the coalitions that preceded KAIROS. It was a time to share, reflect and network with others working for ecological justice and Indigenous rights. Participants emphasized the importance of meeting face-to-face in building the KAIROS movement.
Stay tuned!
The KAIROS team is working on an interactive Elements of Justice web piece to complement the networking and relationship building that began at the conference. Please stay tuned for pictures, videos, links to resources and more stories!
Caroline Foster and Shannon Neufeldt
Young Adult and Networks Coordinator
cfoster@kairoscanada.org
sneufeldt@kairoscanada.org
1-877-403-8933 x221 or 222
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FEATURE RESOURCES
Recent Video Messages from KAIROS partner Naty Atz Sunuc
Naty Atz Sunuc, National Coordinator of the Guatemalan organization CEIBA, a KAIROS partner, was inducted as an Honourary Witness at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) National Event in Vancouver, Sept 18-21, 2013.
Naty is Maya Kaqchikel. A survivor of the Guatemalan civil war and the genocidal practices of the military, which killed her mother and forcibly disappeared one of her sisters, she is a respected defender of human rights and knows from first- hand experience about the terrible suffering of Indigenous peoples as well as the strength and resilience of Indigenous culture and worldviews.
In Naty Atz Sunuc - Reflections on TRC Hearings, a KAIROS video produced by Allan Lissner, Naty talks about her TRC experience and commits to continue working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples in Canada in the hope that the truth and reconciliation process will lead to transformative change.
In Naty Atz Sunuc- Message to Indigenous peoples, she shares an inspiring message of solidarity and hope with Indigenous peoples in Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Rachel Warden,
Latin American Partnerships and Gender Justice Coordinator, rwarden@kairoscanada.org
Spirited Reflections
Sheryl, KAIROS’ Fundraising Assistant, attended the WCC Assembly on behalf of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute. In this blog she reflects on her experience in Busan and, inspired by the many examples of prophetic and challenging witness, asks how churches in Canada can deepen their own discipleship.
An unnamed follower of Jesus decided to act. He took his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. “Put your sword back,” Jesus commanded. “All who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matt 25:53).
James Loney offers a compelling reflection on the personal consequences of perpetrating violence.
The Healing of the Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5-13)
“ . . . Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 8:10-11
Who are our partners in the kingdom of God? Who are our co-workers for justice?
The Squirrels have been looking at me lately….“Take care of what you must,” they say, “but don’t forget to lighten your load and enjoy a race around a tree – preferably with a friend.” The squirrels remind Mennonite pastor, Marilyn Zehr, of the images in Isaiah 11 and the joyful abandon we can find with God. |
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