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• NEW! WICC welcomes apology on residential schools: The federal apology to victims of the residential schools is a welcome step toward reconciliation and justice, says the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC). The Council joins with church leaders across Canada who welcomed the public apology made on June 11 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on behalf of the government, followed by apologies from other party leaders.
  “We were all deeply moved as we listened to the formal apology to the Aboriginal peoples,” said Judith Snowdon, President of WICC.“We hope that this is just the beginning of a new way of living between the settler peoples and the Aboriginal Nations. I pray that we don't respond with mere words, but as we move forward together, the deeper understanding of the pain that has been caused will lead us to do justice in tangible ways.”
  For the full Communiqué, click here.
  To download a background history on the residential schools, click here.
• Download resources on violence against women: Portions of Healing Waters: Churches Working to End Violence against Women can now be downloaded from this page. The excerpts include background information on violence against women, ways to respond to suspected survivors of abuse, as well as worship and Bible study suggestions.
• Keep praying for Guyana: The World Day of Prayer may be past, but the people of Guyana still need your prayers. Check out our WDP 2008: Guyana page for the report on the service across Canada, and more information about the current situation in Guyana.
  And stay tuned for information on next year's World Day of Prayer service, written by the women of Papua New Guinea -- the WDP 2009 webpage will be unveiled soon!
• WICC celebrates its 90th anniversary: In October 2008, WICC will celebrate a famous letter (dated Oct. 19, 1918) from Bessie MacMurchy inviting members of Women’s Missionary Societies to come together to organize a national prayer meeting. This letter – and a subsequent planning meeting held on Feb. 15, 1919 – led to the birth of the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada.
  
  Between October 2008 and May 2009, WICC invites you – our friends, supporters, and ecumenical partners – to be part of our 90th anniversary celebrations.  WICC is offering financial assistance to encourage groups to hold their own special events on the anniversary theme “Widening the Circle”: for a resource order form, along with the grant criteria and application form, click here. Visit our 90th Anniversary webpage for more information.
• Called to uncomfortable connections: Living with differences – Our newest edition of Making Waves focuses on building bridges and listening to experiences of difference. Click here for the index and excerpts from this issue.
  To find out more about Making Waves, click here.
• Participate in an online dialogue: We have already received a couple of responses to our Making Waves issue on "Feminism & Faith". We're now looking for your comments on our new issue "Called to uncomfortable connections: Living with differences". Visit our Letters Online page and have your say today!
• JUNE FLC Prayer Concern: Walking with Aboriginal Women -

  A number of women hold a special yet painful place in my heart and memory. Some of these women I grew up with on the Reserve, while others grew up in the city.  Some of these women were my childhood friends, neighbours, and cousins. Many of them I didn’t know at all. I’d come to know them only through the inside pages of the local newspaper, and other times in daily obituaries. These women have much in common: all died at a very early age, in the prime of their lives, all were First Nations, and all of their deaths were a result of a violent act of another.
  More… (PDF: 123K)
  
  This article is part of the monthly Fellowship of the Least Coin commitments to pray for peace, justice and reconciliation. Click here for more information about the FLC.

• 

  Letter from the President: " I believe in the power of prayer and I believe, when we unite in prayer, the effect can be overwhelming."
  Check out the message from WICC's new President Judith Snowdon on the Power of Prayer by clicking here.

• Get your WICC News here! Our winter issue of WICC News features a report from the fall council meeting and introduces WICC's new president Judith Snowdon. Let us know if you’d like to be on the mailing list, or to download your free copy, click here.

• Learn about the Iziko lo Lwazi Craftworkers: WICC supported this organization with a project grant this year. Check out our Gifts in Action profile here.
• NEW PRICE - Our widely praised resource, Healing Waters: Churches Working To End Violence Against Women is now available for only $20, including shipping. This 164-page user-friendly guide is designed to help lay leaders, church clergy and staff, and volunteers educate themselves and others on the issue of violence against women and the role of the church. Click here to order now.
• From Chains to Freedom: Journeying Towards Reconciliation – On March 25, 2007, we commemorated the 200th anniversary of the ending of the slave trade in the British Empire. The Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network offers this study and worship resource to encourage the journey towards healing, reconciliation and the transformation of our relationships.
  For more information, click here.
  Download From Chains to Freedom now.
  

Kelley Aitken, who designed the medallion graphics on this site, is an artist, writer and illustrator. She teaches art to women who have experienced long term poverty. She is the author of a collection of short stories set in Ecuador, Love in a Warm Climate, The Porcupine’s Quill, ‘98, and a co-editor of the anthology First Writes, The Banff Press, ‘05. She lives with her partner in Toronto.