Behold! One Another:  An Intercultural Conference is being held within our presbytery boundaries from October 30th to November 2nd, 2008 at the Toronto Mariott Bloor Yorkville Hotel.

At the 39th General Council it was decided that the United Church of Canada would move toward transforming itself into an intercultural church, meaning a church wherein there would be mutually reciprocal relationships among and between cultures.  Such a church would value, encourage, empower, and affirm diverse cultural modes of being and interacting in all parts of the life of the church including leadership, setting goals, making decisions, and participating in worship.  Becoming such a congregation (and church) is, by its very nature, theologically messy because it deals with human hearts and minds.  We learn what and who we are in our language and culture.  What we feel is structured by how we have learned to speak and the images and people surrounding us.  Such structures become our cultural touchstones and when these touchstones are moved, we often feel great loss.  Yet, one person's grief over change is another's joy at inclusion.  The challenge facing us today is moving gently through this "theological messiness" to become who God has called us to be as a worshipping community.  This conference can offer us some of the skills and understanding we will need to help our congregations through this transformation.

This is a conference for the whole church. Even churches and communities that appear to be culturally homogeneous can benefit from this gathering; the conference is not only for places that are already culturally diverse. All people—regardless of background or experience—are encouraged to attend. All people - lay or clergy - can benefit from this event. Whether you have already begun in-depth explorations of interculturalism, or are still unsure of what it means—please feel welcomed to “Behold! One Another: An Intercultural Conference.” Explore, reflect, and “behold” the radical transformation God is working among us. For more information on the Behold! One Another Conference, go to:  http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/events/behold.  Online registration is available on this site, or a paper registration form is attached to this message. Contact the church office is you are interested in attending.