Beaconsfield United Church

Welcome / Bienvenue

We are a liberal, Protestant, and progressive congregation of the United Church of Canada. We gather, not only to celebrate our historical religious traditions and our various identities, but also to participate in a supportive community of like minds.

We are concerned for the world, for the poor and for the exploited. We are also concerned for the well-being of our community, and especially our families and our friends.

Mission Statement

We are a community of Christians of varied ages and backgrounds who gather together to be embraced by God's presence and to live Jesus' message of love, hope and service.

God calls us to be welcoming, inclusive and supportive of all our neighbours in God's world. As an Affirming Congregation we explicitly welcome membership, participation and engagement with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered members of our community.

Through Jesus, God challenges us as a congregation and as individuals to pursue justice. We come together and nurture mind, body and spirit in worship, in learning, and in caring. We value our traditions and welcome new initiatives.

Worship Services

Worship is a time for celebrating the gift of our life, and the affirming of our journey. Yet it is also a time of deep questioning - when we face the truth about ourselves, our community, our achievements, our failures. And how we resolve to live on.

So how do we cope? How do we walk tall within ourselves? How can we follow the great journeys of life, led by the teachings of the ages? Guided by the ethical and justice traditions of old? Inspired by the genius of Jesus?

Some of us are new to this. We appreciate the spiritual comfort of this community. We feel we have companions now. Folk to travel with. A new family. We belong.

For some of us, worship is a matter of profound identity. Christian is who we are. Our families have worshiped in such churches for generations, hearing these texts, singing these songs, transmitting the ancient rites to new generations. Each week we are re-connected and renewed, and given the confidence to continue treading these paths.

Worship is thinking. Worship is feeling.

Worship is questioning. Worship is resolving.

Worship is laughing. Worship is crying. Worship is comforting.

For an hour each week we are truly united in our fragile and hopeful humanity.

Come. Be open and honest and true - to yourself and to us all. You are welcome. You are loved.

Upcoming Events
and Announcements:

We will be holding a candlelight vigil this Friday night, June 17th, at 8:00 p.m. Please come to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community of the West Island and Orlando. The following is the formal invitation from Shaun and Ian.

"The Reverend Shaun Fryday of Beaconsfield United Church and Ian Nelson, Director of the West Island LGBTQ Centres will be holding a candlelight vigil on the front lawn of Beaconsfield United Church this Friday evening, June 17th at 8:00 p.m. We will light candles naming the individual victims and give tribute to the lives that have been lost in our greater LGBTQ community.

We invite you to come to this public witness of remembrance and hope to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community of the West Island and Orlando.

For more information, click on the Facebook link below:

LGBTQ Centres 5th Anniversary Celebration & Invitation

It is with great pleasure that I invite you to attend a special celebration on Sunday, May 29th beginning at 10:00am to celebrate the LGBTQ Centres on the West Island. Beaconsfield United Church, without whose vision, support and intentional affirmation of the LGBTQ community none of this work would have been possible, is hosting this celebratory event.

Together, we will be marking the 5th Anniversary of the opening of the Youth Centre, which led to the development of The West Island Rainbow Seniors and the LGBTQ Adult Group. As you have supported this work and are part of its success, we are asking you to join us as we mark this amazing milestone.

Celebrations will begin at 10:00am with a special worship service recognizing in solidarity and in community, all who fall under the LGBTQ umbrella. This will be followed by a Community BBQ which will begin at 11:00.

Join us as we celebrate the past five years and the hundreds of youth, adults and seniors who have been welcomed into the centres, moving them from isolation and into community. This is truly an amazing achievement!

In order to ensure our special guests are appropriately acknowledged as well as to assist with our planning, we ask that you please RSVP to community@beaconsfieldunitedchurch.com If you have any questions or require further details please call the centre at 514-794-5428.

Rev. Shaun Fryday

Lobster Dinner

Our Lobster dinner will be held on Friday, June 10th - details to follow shortly.

Congregational Meeting

The Congregational meeting will take place after worship on Sunday, May 15th.

Potluck Lunch

The next Potluck lunch will be on Sunday May 1st. Come and enjoy the great food and the chance to catch up with friends.

Garage Sale

Just a friendly reminder that you can start bringing your donations for the garage sale to the Dr. Best Parlor. As well, I am also still looking for volunteers for the set up, garage sale and clean up. The set up is on April 29 starting at 10:30 a.m.

There are two shifts for the garage sale: 8:45 - 11:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Clean up starts at 1:00 p.m. If you free for any of these times please let me know. My e-mail is ashleycoleman19@gmail.com or telephone (514) 653-7227. Thank you in advance.

Wednesday Book Study

The book study (Fishing Tips by Rev. Dr. John Pentland) will commence April 20th (Wednesday) and continue for 5 consecutive Wednesdays. There will be an afternoon group from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. and an evening group from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. If you are interested and have not signed up, we do have a few extra books available.

Rev. Shaun Fryday in the Philippines

The Beaconsfield Initiative:
Rev. Shaun Fryday and his colleagues have arrived back in town from their Human Rights Mission in the Philippines. Details of their trip will be forthcoming.
For more information on Canadian Mining practices abroad, please see:
www.beaconsfieldunitedchurch.com/the-beaconsfield-initiative.html

2016 Stewardship Campaign

January is upon us and it is the time of year that we undertake our annual Stewardship Campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to help us understand your planned givings in the coming year and project our revenues so that we can plan our budget. For more information please see the 2016 Stewardship Campaign Pledge forms at the church office or see the 2016 Stewardship Pledge page of this Website.
Thank you!

Christmas Tree, Wreath & Poinsettia Sale Fundraiser!

Many thanks to all those who placed your orders for Trees, Wreaths & Poinsettias!!

The Loonie Breakfast

Starting Thursday Sept. 24th at Beaconsfield United Church.

First Thursday of each month will be held in a restaurant.

Second and fourth Thursdays of each month will be held at Beaconsfield United Church. Coffee & Muffins at the church at 9:00am.

Third Thursday of each month will be held at Beaconsfield United Church. Full breakfast at the church at 9:00am.

For information please contact Peter Kaehlert,
peterkaehlert@hotmail.ca

The Christmas Angel Tree Program

The gifts we give through the Angel Tree program offer a glimmer of the season for those children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to feel the joy that so many of us take for granted. This year, the gifts will go to St. Columba House and The Dominique Literary Centre in Haiti. Thank you to all who have given so generously!

LGBTQ News & Events

Concordia News Interview with LGBTQ Centre Director Ian Nelson as reported by Wazeefa Sheika.

LGBTQ Senior Lunch & Social
Tuesdays 12:30 pm - 4 pm

For information please email us at,
wirainbowseniors@gmail.com.

LGBTQ Senior Thursday Dinner with Friends

Thursdays 6:30pm-9pm. For more information, please contact lgbtqadultgroup@gmail.com.

LGBTQ Parents Support Group

This is an excellent resource for parents of LGBTQ Youth to connect with other parents to discuss
support strategies and share insights.
For more information,please reply to this email or contact
lgbtqparentsgroup@gmail.com.

High School Presentations
on LGBTQ Awareness

We are available to give educational presentations to High Schools on LGBTQ Awareness. Students are taught a brief history of homophobia, bullying and how the lives of LGBTQ people have been marginalized,
and how they as young students can make a powerful difference in the lives of their peers today.
For further information or to book a workshop,
contact Ian at:
lgbtqyouthcentre@gmail.com.

Recent Events:

Aug. 2015: Rev. Shaun Fryday and Brian Mitchell-Walker are recipients of Affirm United Volunteer Award 2015

Community Day in Kanesatake:
Commemorating the events of 1990
July 11, 2015

Movie Screening:
"Kanehsatake:
270 Years of Resistance"
Directed by Alanis Obomsawin, 1993
July 8, 2015, 7:00 pm
Beaconsfield United Church

"Human Rights Violations in the Philippines
with the Cordillera Peoples Alliance."
An evening with three human rights workers sharing their stories of human rights violations, extrajudicial killings and environmental degradation.
Dinner & presentation: June 23, 2015, 7:00 pm
Beaconsfield United Church

Aboriginal Day:
"What Oka Revealed to Onkwehonwe,
Indigenous Peoples"
Ongoing Truth and Reconciliation
Worship and Community Lunch
With Paul de la Ronde, well known orator
from the Mohawk nation.
Sunday June 21, 2015, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Beaconsfield United Church

The Annual Lobster Dinner
Beaconsfield United Church Fundraiser
June 12, 2015, 7:00 pm

LGBTQ Youth Centre
3rd Annual Summer Camp
July 2015
For information: lgbtqyouthcentre.ca