Life of the Church: Joy’s and Concerns (April 2026)
Here is what our members had to share with us this month. To learn more about this please go here.
To share something with us, please send an email to: prayers@mcdunited.com
To visit our Candle Memorial, please click here.
April News
Peggy J Makes Friends with Kangaroos and Koala's, Check out some of the pictures from Peggy's trip to Australia.
Week 14 - Volunteer Your Time, from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing. Robertson begins this chapter by reflecting on the phrase “Indian Time,” a stereotype sometimes used to suggest that Indigenous people are habitually late. Like many stereotypes, he notes, the phrase is both inaccurate and harmful. Continue reading on website.
March 31 2026 McDougall Christ Moravian Refugee Support Group Update, One of our young Palestinian couples was excited to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy on Dec. 25 2025. Both are doing well. He is a handsome boy and gaining weight, smiling and gurgling just as he should. The father continues to work at the immigration consulting office and is also driving for Uber to help cover expenses so they are a busy family. Both parents have refugee status and applied in October to become permanent residents. The rest of the family is still waiting on their application to be accepted as refugees. Continue on website.
Dinners to Go - Review, We heard back from one of our Dinners to Go customers and wanted to share what they had to say (with permission). Their email is below: Hi Paula, The meals I picked up yesterday are wonderful!! The corn chowder was tasty and hearty and the ginger beef tender and better than some we have had previously from restaurant take-outs. I'm so glad I bought extras so we can look forward to having each again. Continue reading on website.
Prepared to Drown: Meet Upcoming Guests for April 17, We are very excited to welcome two special guests this month; Amy Haynes and Francis Boakye. They will both be guests at our next live recording on Friday, April 17th. The Podcast Episode is titled “Tainted Wellspring”. When fear and power dress up as religious language, how are Christians called to respond? This episode looks unflinchingly at the modern resurgence of fascist and nationalist ideologies and asks what faithfulness looks like in times of rising authoritarianism. How has the church responded before, and how might it respond now? Continue reading on website
Good Friday Service at Red Deer Lake, Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our joint choir for Good Friday. Everyone really enjoyed it! Thanks to Nick P for sending the photo along.
Community Art Gallery - Event Wrap Up with Pictures, The community was invited to Red Deer Lake on Thursday, April 2nd for a Maundy Thursday Pop-up Community Art Event inspired by the themes of Lent. Through a blend of interactive prayer experiences and thoughtfully curated artwork—featuring both participant creations and pieces from famous artists throughout history—guests were invites to explore the deeper meanings of suffering, release, and triumph. Continue reading on website.
Week 15: Help Fund Indigenous Education from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing. This week, Robertson turns to education, something deeply personal in his own life and family story. He shares how his father, an ordained United Church minister, devoted much of his life to improving access to education for Indigenous communities. A key part of that vision was local control—ensuring that Indigenous communities could shape their own education systems in ways that reflect their languages, cultures, and ways of knowing. Continue reading on website.
McDougall Petitions Policy - Please find attached the final approved petitions policy that was approved at the Leadership Council Meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. You can view the document here.
Notice of Passing: Brian Draper - It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Brian Draper Friday, March 27, 2026 at the age of 77 years. Visit Brian’s Candle Memorial.
Acadia Pantry - Looking for Volunteers, The Acadia Food Pantry is in need of someone to deliver food hampers to a few homes in our community on the third Tuesday of each month, 12:15 to 1:30 pm. Continue reading on website.
Week 16: Read Indigenous Comics, from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing. This week, Robertson invites us into a different kind of storytelling: comics and graphic novels. For him, this is deeply personal. Comics shaped his own journey as a writer, and they became one of the ways he chose to tell Indigenous stories in response to the stereotypes and misrepresentations he saw growing up. He takes a moment to explain why comics are so powerful. At their core, they are a form of sequential art—images placed in sequence to tell a story. In many ways, this connects to some of the earliest forms of human communication, like cave paintings, where stories were told visually. Because of this, comics engage us in a unique way. We don’t just read them—we participate in them. Continue reading on website.
Family Dance - Wrap Up with Photos, On Saturday, April 11th we had our Open Table Family Dance. It was a ton of fun with the DJ playing an awesome playlist full of all the requests that the participants submitted. Everyone danced to a mix of music that included Disney Classics, classic dance fair (Chicken Dance, YMCA, etc.) as well some great 80’s and 90’s classics. When people got tired we had pop, juice, pizza, chips and treats for everyone. Continue reading on website.
Taste & Try - April Pictures, Please see some pictures below from the Thursday, April 9th Taste & Try. Visit website to see pictures.
Week 17: Support an Indigenous Business, from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing. This week is a very practical one. Robertson invites us to support Indigenous businesses, artists, and entrepreneurs. It doesn’t have to be a big purchase. Even a small investment can make a difference when it comes to supporting Indigenous-led work and creativity. Continue reading on website.
This list will continue to be updated as they are provided. Make sure you send in your news!
See what happened in March here.
