Tag: Recent news

Statement on Anti-Muslim Hate Crime

•

The Vancouver Unitarians condemn the recent act of violent terrorism that killed four members of a Muslim family in Ontario, orphaning a nine year old boy. We are shocked and horrified by this premeditated hate crime, and stand in solidarity with our Muslim siblings.  Islamophobia and racism have no place in our world. We celebrate diversity and are one human family. No-one should have to live in fear of violence or discrimination.

We will hold the victims of this tragedy close to our hearts, and share our deepest condolences with their family and friends and with the Islamic community. The people of London, Ontario, Muslims all across Canada, and indeed all Canadians have been hurt by this attack, and all of humanity is diminished by it. We will stand alongside our local Muslim communities and support its members as they mourn. We will show those who hate that their hatred isn’t welcome, isn’t shared, and will be confronted and rejected at every turn with calls for justice, solidarity and compassion.

We will be sharing suggested resources for people to become better informed and engaged in actively supporting anti-Islamophobia and our local Muslim communities, and welcome suggestions and invitations for involvement.

With blessings and in faith,

Rev. Lara Cowtan

Big Decisions ➔ Big Impact: UCV’s Decision-Making Task Force 

•

UCV spent four years carefully researching redevelopment options for our property and seeking input from congregants before deciding through our democratic vote at the November 2020 AGM to not proceed with any property redevelopment at this time. The Redevelopment Committee and the Board took many steps to ensure a fair and inclusive process. Along the way there were passionate expressions and inevitable questions and concerns, along with appreciations of the efforts and care taken by those involved.

Following this AGM vote to not proceed with redevelopment, the Board asked the Ministerial Transition Team (MTT) to create a task force to gather input about this long and complex process and to prepare a report with recommendations for future decision-making. The Decision-Making Task Force (DMTF) was launched in January 2021. The DMTF will also look at how well the congregation followed our established Covenant of Healthy Relations during this lengthy process and make recommendations about how we can make this Covenant a living document.

The members of the Task Force want to hear from you if you have specific concerns or kudos about the redevelopment decision-making process (not about the result of the actual vote). By process we include the actions of the Redevelopment Committee, the Board, other committees, the congregation at large, and any others who may have had some influence. For example, what were the strengths of the process? Were there aspects that were concerning or not clear enough, and/or areas requiring more support?  What lessons can we learn from this experience to apply in future high-stakes decision-making processes at UCV?

Please contact us at [email protected] and we will arrange for an interview.

The DMTF (Nancy Barker, Cindy Cashin, Rob Dainow, Leslie Kemp, Michael O’Neil, John Smith)