June 17, 2020 Meeting Update
Council’s agenda for our June 17th meeting was lengthy. Following Ontario’s move into Stage 2 of reopening, there are many questions and decisions to consider for our Harcourt Community of Faith. United Churches within Western Ontario Waterways Region (WOW) are guided by lists of things to consider in our planning process before reopening our Read More
June 3, 2020 Meeting Update
Here are the key items discussed at Council’s June 3rd meeting. Moving forward continues to be on our agenda. On March 14, twelve people attended an emergency Council meeting and decided to cancel worship services for three Sundays, beginning the next day. Little did we imagine how our lives would be affected. Now, three months Read More
April 15, 2020 Meeting Update
At our April 15th Zoom meeting, Council opened and closed our agenda with reflections on how Easter Sunday 2020 was a unique experience. While opportunities for isolated worship are appreciated, our practices of group worship are missed. We appreciate our staff and lay leaders who are continuing to experiment with technology. We confirmed that all Read More
March 25, 2020 Meeting Update
Communities of Faith are impacted by public health directives and government decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, United Church of Canada General Secretary Nora Sanders confirmed that church buildings were not named as essential in Ontario, and therefore need to be closed. No work can be done from the church except for a Read More
COVID-19 Update
Harcourt’s Council recognizes that our Community of Faith, like all other parts of society, is under great stress with the arrival of COVID-19. We are thinking about all who will miss weekly worship, small group gatherings, and connections through committees/teams that carry out our many ministries. We are proactively planning ways to offer connection through Read More
May 2019 Meeting Summary
Update from Council re Ad Hoc Seating Committee’s Report We thank the members of the Ad Hoc Seating Committee for their detailed work and commitment to lead a consultation process to examine and evaluate the idea of replacing the pews with flexible seating. That team includes Steve Pierce (Chair), Carolyn Davidson, Lynn Hancock, Sandy Middleton, Read More
January 2019 Meeting Summary
Council’s meeting on January 16 focused on three main components: Sonya Wu-Winter led our discussion about how a proposed Community Engagement Animator (Facilitator) position could further our work in radical or deep change. Her work with us since late August has highlighted that Harcourt’s approach to experiment, debrief and learn can help us to consider Read More
June 2018 Meeting Summary
Before Harcourt slows its pace over summer, Council experienced another full and important meeting on June 20. Our work continues through the next two months and some of our decisions will be ‘old news’ by September. For that reason, I share these brief Council updates. Facilitated by Peter Jackson and Bill Lord, we completed our Read More
May 2018 Meeting Summary
The long-awaited colours and warmth of spring that arrived in late May have been glorious. Do we notice more energy in our steps and new ideas in our minds? At our May 16th Council meeting, we stretched our minds to think beyond today while still attending to current questions and decisions on behalf of Harcourt. Read More
June 2017 Meeting Summary
Council News June 22, 2017 Council News: We opened our June 21st Council meeting by celebrating Miriam’s ‘bridging year’ and looking forward to her new ministry with us. A short debrief of our May 28th meeting with members of committees/teams (summary notes were distributed separately): This gathering provided another opportunity to increase awareness about the ‘inside scene’ Read More
