Rimbey United Church and the West Country Outreach School found a way to help each other through a unique partnership brought together by food.

Finding the missing ingredients
Rimbey United Church operates a fully equipped commercial kitchen; however, for much of the week the kitchen sat quiet and unused. At the same time, students attending the West Country Outreach School need option credits toward their education and possibly some hands-on programming that went beyond their classroom.
United Church member and retired social worker Brenda McGillis started to look into the potential for a partnership with the school. There were students needing opportunities to learn practical life skills and a church facility – and congregation – ready to assist.

Stirring up a partnership
The resulting partnership proved to be a natural fit, with both groups playing to their strengths. The West Country Outreach School provides the necessary teacher support, supervision, and educational structure to ensure students receive proper credit for their hard work.
The Rimbey United Church opens the doors to its commercial kitchen, while a team of church volunteers are ready to step up to share their time and expertise with the students. This also provides a great opportunity for intergenerational bonding as our church volunteers are all seniors. So spending this time together can provide a sense of connectedness and inclusion for everyone.
Beyond just learning how to cook, students learn mentorship, teamwork and a sense of accomplishment as they prepare and share meals together.

Living out the Affirming mandate
The collaborative program also holds more significance for the congregation. Recently, Rimbey United Church became an Affirming Church – a public commitment to being inclusive, welcoming, and engaging with everybody in the broader community regardless of background or walk of life.
By opening its kitchen and welcoming the students, the church has turned their mandate into action.
It is a great reminder that sometimes the best way to build a great partnership is by gathering around a shared table.

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Chris Mah Poy reflects on the kind of Canada we are building for our children and future generations, with gratitude for those who engaged in the recent Referendum and a reminder that the church’s work of justice continues.

Through the past months, I am immensely grateful for the work and solidarity of my neighbours in the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, for the particular engagement of my community of faith at Scarboro United Church, for the wisdom and care of my pastor, Rev. Erin Klassen, and the support of my team at Chinook Winds Region, United Church of Canada. And of course, the constant support of my loving spouse, Brie Nelson.

When Brie and I put our children to bed on October 19th, 2026 we knew we would wake up Canadian. 

That in the morning the sun would shine on Mohkinstsis-Guts’ists’i-Wîcîspa just the same. 
Albertans, by a large majority, voted to remain Canadian.

But what “Canadian” means, what “Canada” means is far more uncertain. What kind of province, nation and communities our children will inherit is far less clear. 

The work of justice is intergenerational work. My parents built their section of the path, as their ancestors did before them. I know that I will be able to look my children in the eye and they will know I acted honorably and that I laid some good stones on the path for them during this time. 

The work of citizenship is participation, and I am so very grateful for the good faith participation of our members, leaders and communities. 
 
The work of the church is to stand with those on the margins, to see human dignity defended, to heal and repair the world. That work continues unhindered by the outcome of any referendum or vote. That work continues today, tomorrow and so long as there are people of good will to share the burden.

Christopher Mah Poy (he/him/his) 
First Third Ministry, Justice and Ministry Networks Coordinator
Chinook Winds Region

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There is relief and gratitude that Albertans have voted by a significant majority not to pursue further conversations about separation from Canada. At a time when there is so much division and uncertainty in our world, this is welcome news.

At the same time, there is deep concern about the results of the other referendum questions and what they may mean for the people and communities affected. For some, these results will bring fear and uncertainty about the future. It is possible to feel both relief and sorrow, gratitude and concern. We don’t need to resolve those feelings today.

As people of faith, we are called to love our neighbours, to stand alongside those who are vulnerable, and to seek justice. Our United Church has a long history of faithful public witness, and that calling remains as important today as ever.

I am mindful that within our own communities of faith, people will have approached these questions from different perspectives. We are not all of one mind, but we are called to remain in relationship, to listen with respect, and to remember the humanity of those with whom we disagree. That does not mean setting aside our convictions, but allowing our faith to shape how we engage with one another and with the world.

I want to express my particular gratitude to Chris Mah Poy and the many others who have offered leadership throughout this referendum process, especially those who worked to develop the Region’s toolkit resource.

I am also thankful for the many community of faith leaders – both lay and ministry personnel — that chose to engage thoughtfully and faithfully with these important questions. This has been an important expression of the church’s commitment to informed and faithful public witness.

In the days ahead, I encourage you to reach out to those who may be feeling particularly vulnerable, to offer care and reassurance, and to continue building communities where all are welcomed and valued.

The prophet Micah reminds us of what God requires of us: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). These words seem important in this moment. We do not know all that the future will hold, but we know that God is present with us, calling us to live out our faith with courage, compassion, and love.

May we continue to be the church that our communities and our world need us to be.

With gratitude for your faithful witness,

Treena Duncan (she/her)
Executive Minister, Chinook Winds & Pacific Mountain Regions

The post Treena Duncan: Our Faithful Work Continues appeared first on Chinook Winds Region.

Dear friends in Christ,

I wish to offer these pastoral words within our Regional Council in the wake of the serious traffic incident in northeast Calgary on Thursday, October 15, 2026 that claimed the lives of three people and injured at least 19 others. Let us pray for God’s mercy and grace to be with those who have died, and peace in the coming weeks and months with their families. May the Holy Spirit be a source of healing upon those who have been injured and their families.

Some of you know that I was a volunteer firefighter while serving in my previous pastoral charge, in a community with a very dangerous highway intersection, where I was, at times, called to respond to the very worst of circumstances. Thursday’s traffic incident, and others like it, will take a heavy emotional toll upon Calgary’s first responders. So, I offer words of care to these first responders as well, especially the member of the Calgary Police Service who was injured on scene.  For our Communities of Faith within Calgary, please share my love with any of your members who are connected to the First Responder services.  May God always protect them in the conduct of their duties.

In addition, I offer prayers for our Communities of Faith this Sunday before the Alberta Referendum. For those who will lead worship, it will be a challenge to proclaim Christ’s gospel and justice in this moment of acute division. I pray that the Holy Spirit gives us the words that will cross boundaries of political identity, be a healing balm to God’s hurting world, and also give support to those on the margins.  Let us pray for the continuing unity of the church.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.

Rev. Taylor Croissant, Presider, Chinook Winds Regional Council and Minister at Southminster United Church, Lethbridge

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This is an unprecedented moment in the history of Alberta as our province moves towards a 10-question referendum on Monday, October 19, 2026. It requires a faithful response that is nonpartisan and pastoral, and also prophetic. 

As promised, our referendum guide and resource kit, Called to Engage: A Faith-Based Guide for the Alberta Referendum, is now available for you. It is a compilation of faith-based and researched commentaries on the referendum questions as well as worship resources. The resource is designed as a starting point for faithful conversations within communities as we engage during this critical time for our province and country.  

You are encouraged to use this document as the basis of conversations in your congregations and communities and to share it with your congregations and with friends and neighbours. 

The guide is also informed by the community conversations that are happening across our region and province. Thank you to those who have participated so far, and you can find a list of other opportunities including our September 23, 2026  Chinook Winds Region Town Hall on the Chinook Winds Website.  

Referendum Resources 

• How to Organize People to Vote: Chinook Winds Town Hall Recording with Chris Mah Poy

• Called to Engage: A Faith-based Guide for the Alberta Referendum  

                     – Download Digital Version (4 MB)

                     – Download Printable Version (14 MB)

• Worship Resources – by Rev. Rob Shearer 

• Referendum Minutes – Rev. Erin Klassen 
• PowerPoint Slide with QR Code for downloading the Guide (for church worship announcements)
• Printable Poster with QR Code for downloading the Guide

May these resources support your faithful engagement and participation during the 2026 Alberta Referendum as Christian leaders in our province. 

With blessings and gratitude from the Staff and Executive of Chinook Winds Region. 

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Proposals for 2027 Mission and Service funding within Chinook Winds Region are now being received. We are grateful for the opportunity to extend our support once again to the range of dedicated ministries that play a vital role in our communities. Please note the timeline for proposals- and we look forward to proposals that directly contribute to the advancement of your vision and the vision of The United Church of Canada. Proposal Deadline: Sunday, November 15, 2026, 6 pm MT.  Access the 2027 Proposal Form

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LeaderShift’s Rural Ministry Conference 2026 took place last weekend, with beautiful fall weather and amazing hospitality from Knox United Church Three Hills and St. Paul’s United Church, Trochu, AB. Attendees came from across Alberta as well as BC and Saskatchewan.

Beginning Friday through Saturday, we were enriched by the encouraging and insightful words of theme speaker Rev. Dr. Catherine Smith, a United Church minister continuing her vocation as an expert in spiritual practices and rural ministry in her retirement. We’re sharing her three keynotes on our website. You’ll also want to check out her Hem of the Light website with resources.

People also participated in workshops ranging from leading worship, being Treaty people, using data to support ministry, stewardship, spiritual care, discipleship, the Alberta Referendum and understanding Gen Alpha! 

Attendees enjoyed fellowship over meals and through music and worship. The choirs of the Trochu and Three Hills United Churches led the music along with Barbara Lynn Goodwin and Dave Goodwin, Stettler, AB. The congregations also organized for participants to tour local sites including Dry Island Buffalo Jump and the Trochu Arboretum. 

• More Photos on our Facebook Page HERE and HERE

Three Keynotes to Inspire Your Ministry

1. The First Keynote from Rev. Catherine Smith begins at minute 57. Land Acknowledgement, Welcome and Worship begin at minute 19.

2. The Second Keynote from Rev. Catherine Smith begins at minute 40. It’s preceded by worship led by Rev. Dr. Karen Medland, Rev. Scott Reynolds and Rev. Michelle Slater.

3. The Third and Final Keynote begins at Minute 12 with Rev. Dr. Catherine Smith leading a body prayer.

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Hosted by Executive Minister Treena Duncan with Presiding Officer Rev. Taylor Croissant, the Regional Town Halls provide a time of worship, Regional updates and opportunities to connect across Central and South Alberta.

Please join us for these vital conversations. 

         Please mark your calendars to join us on the above dates at 2 pm MT. Register for the Chinook Winds Town Halls.

Regional representatives and ministry personnel will receive the Zoom link in their inbox and do not need to register.

The post Join Us for the November 25, 2026 Town Hall appeared first on Chinook Winds Region.

You are invited to join Chinook Winds Indigenous Minister Tony Snow and others for the monthly Right Relations Circle. We gather for conversation, connection, and friendship as we learn how to live out the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

In October, we welcome guest Gloria Given, who will speak on trauma-informed care for Indigenous people.

You can register to receive the Zoom Link HERE   If you have previously registered, you will receive the Zoom link on the day of the Circle.

Questions? Please email Tony Snow, Indigenous Minister, Chinook Winds Region.

The post Right Relations Circle Gathers on October 27, 2026 appeared first on Chinook Winds Region.

“The fact that we have more people here tonight than we have chairs tells me Albertans are looking for a better conversation. So let’s have one. Welcome to Prepared to Drown.”

That became my words of welcome every Friday through August to a room full of people in our basement at McDougall United Church, Calgary.

We did not, in all honesty, see this coming …

In July, when we wrapped the second season of our amateur, live-recorded church podcast, Prepared to Drown, we decided to use the month before season three for an experiment: a stripped-down, four-part weekly series about Alberta’s referendum. The subject was already exhausting people, and we assumed it would be a quieter month for the podcast.

In the lead-up to the first Friday evening, registrations pushed us beyond the room’s capacity, and we began turning people away. On the first recording night, our local NDP MLA was at the table. Someone arrived at the door and asked, “Is this where I go for the separatist meeting?” Soon afterward, a UCP staffer took a seat near the front and spent the evening taking notes. That was when I realized I needed to say something before we began.

Before we hit record each week, we were direct with our audience about the convictions guiding the series. Our life in the United Church has formed our commitments to the common good, public responsibility, reconciliation, justice and human dignity. Those commitments shaped the questions we asked and led us to make a case for voting No on Questions 1 through 9 and remaining a province of Canada on Question 10. We had to be direct. We never really knew who was sitting in the audience, but we had no interest in manufacturing some fake sense of political balance just to keep everyone comfortable. Each week, after sharing our position and expectations, I ended the preamble with the same words: “Albertans are looking for a better conversation. So, let’s have one.”

We also tried to hold ourselves accountable for that better conversation at the podcast table: for our own biases, for the language we used about people whose opinions differed from ours, and for the temptation to turn political categories into fixed descriptions of whole groups of people. Because the podcast is live and unedited, that work sometimes happened as we paused, reconsidered and pulled one another back. It was difficult work, and you can hear those moments in the episodes. More than once, audience members told us that the combination of clear convictions and a willingness to examine our own language made the conversation safe enough for them to engage with it.

The audience remained varied through the rest of the recordings, including people with no previous connection to McDougall or the United Church. We had to remove the live-music setup to make room for more chairs. Eventually, we had to admit it: there was clearly something happening here.

Over four evenings, our regular panel was joined by ten guests: an elected representative, immigrants and newcomers, academics, labour and anti-poverty voices, ministers, and Indigenous guests speaking from their own experiences of land, Treaty and belonging. Together, we explored the stories Albertans tell about ourselves, the boundaries we draw around belonging, the concentration of provincial power, and the relationships that long predate Alberta itself.

People with different political commitments continued to show up in our growing audience. They listened, laughed, occasionally shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, and stayed with conversations that repeatedly demanded more of them and of us as podcasters. In our final episode, the conversation carried us past the planned intermission. When it ended, the audience rose, stretching stiff backs and looking genuinely surprised by how much time had passed. Nobody left early. Nobody checked their watch.

We believe the groundswell around this series reveals a real desire to understand what is happening. Underneath all the exhaustion, confusion and anger, Albertans are looking for places where difficult questions can be taken seriously. They want to hear from people who know these issues through research, public service, work, family and lived experience. They are willing to come down into our church basement and spend an evening listening to people they may not agree with.

For those of us in this United Church, I think that is worth noticing.

Through this podcast, we have been doing something I believe churches can do remarkably well: opening our doors, adding chairs, gathering neighbours around a table, naming our convictions honestly, and inviting people into a conversation with real human stakes. We built the series in our church basement with live microphones, generous guests and an audience willing to keep coming back.

Many of the people finding us online have no previous connection to Sunday worship. Through the podcast, they met us as people of the United Church trying to take our faith seriously in public. We brought the questions and commitments of our faith to the same table as guests describing what the referendum proposals could mean for their healthcare, income, safety, citizenship, rights and relationships. We listened for what happens when faith and lived experience speak to each other.

Perhaps that is what the extra chairs are telling us. The language and commitments of our faith still have something to offer Alberta’s public life. People are hungry for conversations that reach beneath partisan reflexes and attend to the lives affected by political choices. Some of them are finding that kind of space with us.

The complete referendum series is available at preparedtodrown.com/referendum or wherever you listen to podcasts. I’ll shamelessly encourage you to listen, because we believe something meaningful happened in those conversations. They were recorded here in Alberta, while the questions were very much alive around us, among people who will share whatever future our votes create.

More importantly, I hope congregations across Alberta will create their own spaces for this work in the month ahead. Gather people around a table. Listen to those who will carry the consequences most directly. Name the values shaping your community. Make room for disagreement and hold yourselves accountable for how you speak about those who see things differently.

The public conversation is already well underway, and the loudest voices in Alberta do not speak for all of us. Our communities have something worth contributing before the ballots are cast—and responsibilities that will continue afterward.

The fact that we had more people than chairs tells us Albertans are looking for a better conversation, O Church. So, let’s have one.

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