NEWS RELEASE
ST. PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH
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Post-Easter, St. Paul’s United Church in Orillia has been embracing and learning the truth about Indigenous history in Canada and in the Orillia area, as part of a commitment made to Truth and Reconciliation by the congregation and the United Church of Canada.
Each service since Easter has looked at different aspects of Indigenous history and ways forward, and included interviews with local elders, special projects (see the Gojijing Dialogues and Virtual Walk here), songs, and stories.
All of these services and more interviews with elders in our community can be found on the St. Paul’s YouTube channel, here. St. Paul’s invites the community to get involved and learn through watching these services, and checking out the Couchiching truth and reconciliation website, above.
St. Paul’s youth programming has also come up with another way for everyone to acknowledge and remember the lives lost at the residential schools in Canada. Please come and tie an orange tie to the St. Paul’s Peace Pole at 62 Peter St. N. to remember and say a prayer for a child whose life was lost in this terrible time.
“It was a powerful experience to tie the ribbon around the peace pole,” said St. Paul’s minister, Rev. Dr. Ted Reeve. “I thought of my own children and what it would mean to me to lose a child who had been sent away to a residential school, never to return. I thought about the life of this child represented by this ribbon and offered a prayer for them and their family. We invite everyone in Orillia to participate and remember these children.”
For more information about this project, click here. Orange ties are available in a large tote by the Peace Pole, located on the Peter Street side of the building. Please observe COVID-19 protocols when participating.
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