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Collect for the Council of the North

Council of the North logoA Collect has been written for use when praying for the Council of the North.

Almighty God, giver of every perfect gift;
We remember before you, our brothers and sisters
who live in the parts of our Church
served by the Council of the North.
Where your Church is poor, enrich and empower it;
where there is need for clergy, call them forth;
where it is spread thin by geography, bind it with cords of love;
where there is conflict, bring reconciliation.
Give to us, with all our brothers and sisters,
that due sense of fellowship in your Kingdom,
that you may be glorified in all your saints,
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.