National leaders of the Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Presbyterian Church in Canada and United Church of Canada have announced that throughout the month of December, they will be cooperating on an ecumenical Advent meditation series, reflecting on the four themes of hope, joy, peace and love.
The meditation and conversation series “What are we Waiting For” will address challenges facing Canadian churches.
Dr. Robert Faris, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada explained, “We are all facing a time of challenge in the Canadian churches. We are anxious and we are not sure what the future holds. Yet Advent is a season that is all about overcoming anxiety and waiting in hope for the new thing that God is doing. We thought it would be a good idea to talk together as Church leaders and to be in conversation with others about what it is we are waiting for. Where are the signs of hope, peace, joy and love in our churches and in our world today?”
Each Monday during Advent, the church leaders will release an ecumenical Advent meditation in which they will focus on one of the four Advent themes and address challenges and opportunities facing the Canadian churches.
On each of the following Thursdays in Advent, participants can attend a live discussion at 7:00 PM EST on the theme and ask questions, via Zoom, with two of the leaders.
- Bulletin inserts for the upcoming series can be downloaded in both ‘print’ and ‘web’ formats here.
- *To receive the meeting link for each event and receive email reminders of each week’s upcoming events, visit Advent2022.ca for access to the registration form.
Schedule for the live online discussions:
December 1: Hope, “Signs of the Time” – Bob Faris in conversation with Susan Johnson about the church in the 21st Century.
December 8: Peace, “Finding the Good Path” – Bob Faris in conversation with Carmen Lansdowne about truth telling and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
December 15: Joy, “God’s Love Includes Everyone” – Carmen Lansdowne in conversation with Bob Faris about the inclusion of all in the church.
December 22: Love, “The Cost of Discipleship” – Bob Faris in conversation with Linda Nicholls about the church’s public witness in a rapidly changing social and political context in Canada.
Participating church leaders:
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| The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate, The Anglican Church of Canada | The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada | The Rev. Dr. Robert Faris, Moderator, The Presbyterian Church in Canada | The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, Moderator, The United Church of Canada |
