In the weeks ahead, Albertans will be asked to make some significant decisions about our province, our relationships with one another, and our future together.

As communities of faith, we believe these questions deserve attention. Our faith calls us to engage thoughtfully with the issues that shape the lives of our neighbours, and places where community gathers (including our churches) have an important role to play in creating space for meaningful conversation, relationship, and mutual education.

Over the next three Sundays, we will gather after worship for approximately one hour to explore the questions appearing on the upcoming Alberta Referendum:

September 20 — Immigration Questions (1–5)
September 27 — Constitutional Questions (6–9)
October 4 — The Separation Question: What Is Really at Stake? (10)

Discussions will take place at both the McDougall site, in the Hospitality Hall, and the Red Deer Lake site, in the Link.

These gatherings are open to everyone from Ogden, McDougall, and Red Deer Lake, whether you attend one conversation or all three. Each conversation will be moderated, with an expectation of respectful participation, room for questions and disagreement, and a shared commitment to listening and learning from one another.

No advance preparation is required. If you are still trying to understand what the questions are asking, you are very welcome to come and learn alongside everyone else. If you do have some time beforehand, however, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the questions and some of the issues surrounding them. A little background will help us spend more of our limited time together in conversation rather than simply working through the mechanics of the referendum.

Two places you might begin are the Prepared to Drown referendum series — [click here] — and the referendum resource package circulated to United Churches across southern Alberta by Chinook Winds Region — [click here].

Over several weeks, Prepared to Drown brought together a variety of special guests to explore the referendum from different perspectives, lived experiences, and areas of expertise. The series goes considerably deeper than anyone needs to go simply to participate in these town halls, so please don’t feel you need to listen to everything. Choose an episode, a section, or an issue that interests you. The Chinook Winds resource package provides another helpful starting point for understanding the questions and reflecting on them through the lens of our faith and shared life.

There are consequential questions before us. Some concern policy and constitutional arrangements; others reach into deeper questions of identity, belonging, responsibility, and the relationships we choose to maintain with one another. We hope these gatherings can help us approach all of them with curiosity, care, courage, and a commitment to one another.

All are welcome.