Page 9 - Presbyterian Connection Fall 2025

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ConnectionP R E S B Y T E R I A N
KAIROS: Canadian
Ecumenical Justice
Initiatives
By the Rev. Marianne Emig
Carr, First Presbyterian Church,
Brockville, Ont., and member
of the KAIROS Canada Steering
Committee
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical
Justice Initiatives (KAIROS) is an
ecumenical, faith-based justice
organization with an aim to effect
social change through advocacy,
education and research programs
in Indigenous rights, ecological
justice, gender justice, migrant
rights and prophetic witness.
Ten participating member de-
nominations and religious or-
ganizations (including The Pres-
byterian Church in Canada) are
involved in the development and
delivery of KAIROS’ shared work.
KAIROS was established on July
1, 2001, with its foundations in
the work of 10 previous Cana-
dian ecumenical coalitions. The
PCC joined KAIROS to further
increase its advocacy for social
change, thereby amplifying and
strengthening the public witness
of its members. The PCC current
has two members on the KAI-
ROS Steering Committee: Donna
Wilkinson and the Rev. Marianne
Emig Carr.
In addition to its participat-
ing member denominations and
religious organizations, KAIROS
partners with faith-based and
human right organizations in Af-
rica, Asia, Latin America, and the
Middle East as well as grassroots
groups across Canada and the ef-
forts of many other organizations,
churches and individuals. This
enables KAIROS to continue to be
on the cutting edge of justice ad-
vocacy and increasing awareness
of global human rights issues.
Through KAIROS, Canadians of
faith work together for extraordi-
nary change!
Gaza letter-writing
campaign
In addition to the Jubilee 2025
campaign for global debt reduc-
tion and ecological justice, KAI-
ROS has been a clarion voice for
a just and lasting peace in the
Middle East. This includes the
2024 Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage
to Ottawa (in which many Pres-
byterians participated) to the
current letter-writing campaign
(kairoscanada.org/gaza-letter-
campaign) demanding the Cana-
dian government institute a full
arms embargo and make all ef-
forts to bring about a diplomatic
and lasting peace in Gaza.
Call to withdraw Bill C-2
KAIROS has joined with the Mi-
grant Rights Network to call on the
Carney government to withdraw
Bill C-2, which is against Cana-
da’s commitments under inter-
national law and permits potential
deportation of migrants and asy-
lum-seekers without due process.
The PCC has long advocated for
the rights of migrants and asylum-
seekers in Canada, which stem
from the biblical injunction to love
and protect the “foreigner” and
“stranger” in our midst. KAIROS
encourages individuals to write
to the Canadian government and
their MP (migrantrights.ca/action-
slist/stopc2) to oppose Bill C-2.
Update on the KAIROS
Blanket Exercise
Many Presbyterians have taken
part in the KAIROS Blanket Exer-
cise since it was first developed
in 1996, with the most recent ver-
sion released in 2016. The Blanket
Exercise is currently in the pro-
cess of being updated to ensure
that it reflects the voices of Indig-
enous people and that its content
is decolonized. It is part of a larger
effort by KAIROS to ensure its In-
digenous Rights advocacy efforts
are led by Indigenous persons.
Changes to KAIROS’
status and new
executive director
KAIROS is currently being admin-
istered as a program of the United
Church of Canada, but to further
expand its ability to respond and
advocate, KAIROS is restructur-
ing to become a stand-alone or-
ganization with its own charitable
status. KAIROS will remain a joint
ecumenical venture supported by
its member denominations and
religious organizations.
KAIROS recently hired a new
full-time Executive Director, Tania
Principe, who is a seasoned non-
profit leader and organization
builder with over two decades of
experience advancing gender jus-
tice, human rights and systemic
equality. Tania replaces Transi-
tional Executive Director Leah
Reesor-Keller, who guided KAI-
ROS through several significant
transitions, including the move
toward KAIROS’ being a separate
charitable entity.
KAIROS continues to evolve
and grow in response to our ever-
changing world and the marginal-
ized voices it seeks to amplify. In
the words of former PCC Associ-
ate Secretary for Justice Ministries
Stephen Allen, “For the churches
and organizations that make up
KAIROS, there is the shared com-
mitment to faithfully live out the
gospel call to seek justice. This is
KAIROS’ mandate.”
This continues to be KAIROS’
mandate, and you are encour-
aged to learn more about and take
part in its faithful action for justice
and peace. Visit kairoscanada.org
to get involved.
Continued from page 8
autism in Canada each year (see
autismalliance.ca). Many fami-
lies feel isolated and judged, and
therefore cannot attend church
because of the barriers and lack
of support at churches. Those on
the autism spectrum have very
specific needs and often cannot
just be left in a group of neuro-
typical children without the proper
understanding and support.
As parents of children with au-
tism, we actively pursued worship
engagement and faith development
for our family in a Christian com-
munity and approached Amberlea
Presbyterian Church in Pickering,
Ont., to start a ministry to sup-
port families like ours. Amberlea
Church came alongside us by hir-
ing a trained support therapist to
serve on Sunday mornings—and
provided a safe and welcoming
environment, including a sensory
room, for exceptional children.
Amberlea and its entire congrega-
tion fully support all these pro-
grams through the church budget,
annual fundraising, grants and
volunteering. This made such a
difference not only for our fam-
ily but for others attending on
Sunday mornings, so the parents
could worship knowing that their
children were safe and could par-
ticipate and engage in ways that
were meaningful to them.
Amberlea Church expanded
the Exceptional Family Ministry
to include a new program called
F.A.C.E. (Fun Autism Community
Experiences). This safe, welcom-
ing program runs twice monthly
on Saturday afternoons and pro-
vides fun, social experiences for
children and teens on the autism
spectrum. It started with three
families and is now in its third
year providing service to 17 fami-
lies. This program also has trained
support staff and volunteers so
that the program can run smooth-
ly with proper support in place.
Parents need respite, and with this
program they feel confident they
can leave their children safely and
are grateful that their children can
attend with no judgement.
Some responses to the F.A.C.E.
program: “My daughter gets here
and never wants to leave!” and
“My son will smile and say, ‘Bye
mom, you can go now.’”
Also, Amberlea Church offers
a low-cost, fun summer camp
in our community. Most recently,
the congregation was able to
make these camps accessible
for children with autism, which is
incredible! We provide a trained
therapist and staff who can ac-
commodate all their needs.
As a parent of two young adults
with autism, I am so grateful to
Amberlea Church for bringing to
life what was a dream for us to
worship as a family! Together, we
live out the church’s vision: Lov-
ing God, Sharing Hope and Grow-
ing Together in Christ.
To learn more about our Ex-
ceptional Family Ministries pro-
gram at Amberlea Church, email
[email protected] or
read Shelly’s Exceptional Fami-
lies blog at amberleachurch.ca/
exceptional-families.