Earth Day Event Wrap Up

Earth Day at McDougall United, Calgary - over 60 people - children and adults gathered to celebrate Mother Earth with "Smudging & Prayers" led by Chinook Winds Indigenous Minister, the Rev. Tony Snow, Stoney-Nakoda First Nation.  His Father, the Rev. Dr. Chief John Snow was one of the first ordained Indigenous Ministers in the United Church of Canada.  Tony Snow's siblings are very much involved in "Right Relations Ministry" and reminding us in Treaty 7 area that we are all "Treaty People." 

The Healing Fund of the United Church of Canada awarded McDougall a grant of $10,000.00 to reach out to urban Indigenous in Calgary.  Earth Day was our first Right Relations event of 2025. City of Calgary Social Worker, Viviana Reinberg, made a special point of inviting Acadia Food Pantry, which meets at McDougall to provide a monthly pantry with fresh produce, milk and meat, to people in the community.  We were pleased that this was the group that attended our Earth Day Luncheon. What a diverse group of people came together including a Spanish speaking group, Muslim women learning English,  Acadia Place low rental housing and seniors in the community who count on the pantry. One young Indigenous woman was excited to learn more about her heritage through the smudging and the story telling.  Our next "Healing Fund Program" is a Red Dress Day on Saturday, May 3rd at a Low Rental Housing site in Ogden, at the former site of the United Church to offer Smudging & Prayers with stations teaching how to make Bannock and Red Dress Ribbons to remember murdered and missing Indigenous women. 

THANK YOU to all the workers who made this event come alive - those who set up and prepared the luncheon and the McDougall Outreach & Social Justice Ministry team including Rev. Tony. 

Appreciation to people like Kathie Murphy of the MISSION & SERVICE team who remind us to step up and be part of the wider work of our church and to Lori Ransom and Anusha Aggi of the HEALING MINISTRY TEAM for providing grants that enable Right Relations work to go on.  Please be in touch if you would like more information or if you have any questions or suggestions to pass on. 

Happy Easter,

(Rev.) Bob Mutlow- McDougall Honorary Associate

McDougall United Outreach & Social Justice Ministry Lead