One of my favourite facts about the United Church of Canada (which is the church that I was semi-raised in because my mom is a member) is that they are so inclusive that they have an avowed atheist who is a minister. I don’t mean this flippantly at all! It truly delights me!

They love and accept literally everyone

My grandfather was one of the founders of Mount Bruno United in St Bruno, QC. He saw the need for an anglophone Protestant church, did a lot of polling & fundraising, and laid the cornerstone when it was built. Kinda weird to have a family church that your family literally built.

Anyway, she’s beautiful, snow or not, and I miss my Poppa

Also Broadview, which has given me many exciting writing opportunities that I would not have otherwise had, is extremely ethical and treats its writers VERY well and offers some of the best freelancer rates I’ve had the good fortune to come across

They were also ordaining female ministers WAY before other religious orders in Canada. Witness: Lydia Emilie Gruchy, who had to fight every step of the way https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Emelie_Gruchy

Also the first ordained female Christian minister in Canada was possibly Fidelia Woolley Gillette, who was ordained in the US in 1877 (!!!) and preached for a while in Prince Edward County. Her daughter was the beautiful and glamorous actress Florence Gillette

It’s funny because before I started (casually) researching this stuff, I had no idea women were being ordained as early as the mid-1800s! And yet! Anyway, gender and faith remains an absolutely riveting topic for me

Also, disablity-wise, our minister when I was a kid was one of the earliest examples of disability and faith I encountered. He has cerebral palsy and used a cane and other mobility aids but it never seemed odd (at least, not to us kids)