First United Church

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

The last "Work Bee" is happening this Saturday, and Camp Canyon needs many helping hands! Reach out to [email protected] if you (and 12-15 of your friends) can make it! We start at 10!

06/01/2026

God of the Rainbow,
More than those who watch for morning,
Our souls wait, for the day when each of us,
of every gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation
knows that we are meant to be:
loved, cherished, and protected; and
that we are to be:
proud of our identities; and
celebrated.

For we are your imperfectly perfect children,
called to reflect Christ’s radiant light,
embody Christ’s radical love; and
build your beloved community,
especially when storms of fear and hatred rage around us.

And so, more than those who watch for morning,
we, in our great diversity,
wait for your promised rainbow of peace,
as we work towards a world where every gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation is affirmed as beloved; and,
every soul’s spirit is able to sparkle, shine and sing your dream with pride.

May it be so,

Amen.

—Rev. Dr. Alydia Smith

06/01/2026

🌈 Pride Month is here! 🌈

June is a time to celebrate, support, and uplift the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Throughout the month, the Lethbridge Pride Fest Society has planned a variety of events that bring people together through education, advocacy, and celebration.

Check out our latest blog for the full Pride Month event lineup and start planning your celebrations! ✨

🔗 downtownlethbridge.com/post.asp?bnID=3612

06/01/2026

As Pride Month begins this week, we offer resources for communities to reflect on the United Church’s Apology to 2S and LGBTQIA+ people and take action

06/01/2026

“As we celebrate National Indigenous History Month, we honour the rich cultures, languages and identities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

Since I became governor general, I have seen progress and a growing commitment among Canadians through national and regional efforts toward reconciliation. This comes from acknowledging historical injustices, understanding our true history, and recognizing Indigenous knowledge and leadership in the choices we make as a country.

It has been a privilege for me to be a champion for so many important moments on Canada’s reconciliation journey: Indigenous leadership meetings with His Majesty King Charles III; artifacts repatriated from the Vatican and returned to their home communities; Elders and youth reviving Indigenous languages; and artists, innovators and leaders being honoured for their countless contributions.

This journey is not finished. There is still much work to be done. I encourage everyone to renew their commitment to learning, to understanding and to moving forward on this path with hope.” -

06/01/2026

“As we mark the beginning of Pride Season, I invite all Canadians to come together to celebrate the vibrant and diverse identities of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Pride events offer us an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made in striving for equity, safety and human rights, while recognizing the challenges that remain.

During my Mental Health Learning and Listening tour, I heard first-hand from 2SLGBTQI+ individuals who have endured attacks both online and in person, simply for being who they are. This type of discriminatory behaviour has no place in Canada. Every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity, deserves to be treated with respect.

This Pride Season, let us speak out against all forms of hate and discrimination. Together, we can help make our communities more inclusive and safer for everyone to express themselves without fear. ” -

05/31/2026

A Pastoral Prayer for Today
Holy One, Gracious God of All that is, we thank You for this glorious day to be alive in this Your world.
We are so very grateful for the many ways that You flow and move among us.
We are grateful for Your bounteous blessings and all of the many gifts and good things in our lives. Thank You.

And, as blessed as this world, is, we know that there is also brokenness and dis-ease.
We ask for Your comforting presence to be felt in the lives of people who are living in, or sent to war zones, refugee camps, and immigration camps.
May they sense and know your love and care just keenly as we do - may they know it even more so.
We ask that your Wisdom might implore, imbue, and infuse the leaders of the nations of the world - in ways that move toward a just and sustainable peace.

Thank you also for how You are who You are. Mother, Father, Child; Creator, Teacher, Sustainer; Transcendent; Immanent; Collaborative.
Thank you for how You being relational within Your Divine Self; calls and inspires us to be relational as well!
We thank You for how You've made us in Your image - in the Imago Dei.
Thank You for how we have the capacities to love and be loved; and to be co-creators with You, each other, and all Creation.

May we learn from the modeling of Your Divine co-equal relationality.
May we recognize that all people, of all classes, ages, races, sexes, genders, orientations, and abilities are equally worthy of love and care,
may we recognize that all of our voices are worthy, needed, and essential in our efforts to co-create and manifest the Beloved Community that You yearn for us to know and experience.

In the name of Your Triune self; in the name of Your amazing, strengthening, and transforming Grace; and in the name of all that is holy, Amen!

~ Roger Wolsey Author, Kissing Fish; and Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices That Transform Lives

"The trinity is a beloved Christian poem of who God is to us. But poems don't literally define things. Like all art, and theology, they point to what is beyond them.” - Roger Wolsey

(from the online article “The 11 Ps of progressive Christianity”)

05/31/2026

Join us for worship on this Trinity Sunday at 9:30 am at First United, Generations, where Ruth Preston Schilk will be leading the service via from Trinity United. A link has been provided in your email for those wishing to participate online.