Joint Truth and Reconciliation Action Group
The JTRAG members want to understand the history and current situation of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The Group is hosted by Chalmers, Faith, and Sydenham Street United Churches in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Established in November 2016, the Joint Truth and Reconciliation Action Group members seek:
- To educate ourselves and others on the legacy of colonialist policies and practice on Canada’s first peoples, including hosting events;
- To listen, learn and share knowledge with our congregations and the wider church about the priorities, opportunities and options for reconciliation of Canada’s many peoples;
- To participate in events and other activities on behalf of the group;
- To work with others to advance these goals;
- To share information on events being held within the broader community on indigenous culture and history, public policy and related themes.
The Group formally reports to the Outreach and Social Justice Committee at Sydenham Street United Church and other bodies at the other two churches.
These Terms of Reference document were approved by the group, April 5, 2017.
Participants
Lay representatives from Chalmers, Faith, and Sydenham Street United Churches as well as others who share an interest in and commitment to advancing reconciliation with Canada’s first peoples and changing the future are responsible for the group. Normally one member from two of the churches will serve as co-chairs of the group, responsible for setting the meeting agenda and ensuring that meeting notes are recorded and circulated.
Ex officio: Minister, Faith and Sydenham Street United Churches; Minister, Chalmers United Church. All are welcome to join this group. Contact us at: info at sydenhamstreet.ca (replace the “at” with @)
Meetings
Meetings will normally be held monthly, on a schedule determined each September by the group. In 2020-2021, the group organized an open on-line reading group to expand the understanding of the impact of colonialism on the first peoples of North America, including how it continues to manifest itself today. Reading sessions opened with an introduction to the reading under discussion, followed by moderated small-group discussion ending with plenary sharing. View the 2020-2021 Reading Group poster.
Read the April 2024 JTRAG newsletter, a joint initiative of Faith, Chalmers and Sydenham St. United Churches.
Library and Resources
The Joint Truth and Reconciliation Action Group publishes a monthly e-bulletin, which provides updates on its activities, news of relevant reconciliation initiatives and a list of resources to support the efforts of readers to advance on their personal journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. To receive a copy, send your name and email address to Michael Cooke ‘mcooke253 at gmail.com‘ (replace the “at” with @).
A collection of books gathered by the group is available for loan at Sydenham Street United Church. A list of the current collection titles is available online and as a downloadable PDF.
The group also maintains an informal list of resources contributed by participants. To contribute items to this list please contact us at: info at sydenhamstreet.ca
A call to mourn, support and REMEMBER! This link also includes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports.
Land Acknowledgements
Like many organizations across Canada, our congregations open worship services and some meetings by recognizing the land on which we gather. Through this collective expression, known as land or territorial acknowledgements, we seek to remember Canada’s first peoples who have lived and continue to live on this land and to give thanks, as Indigenous Peoples have over centuries, for creation, particularly the land on which we live and its bounty that sustains all of nature.
As this practice has become more common since the publication of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Report (2015), some have been guided to make acknowledgements of the land more personal. JTRAG members collectively drafted the land acknowledgment that is normally read in unison at worship and have revised it periodically to reflect more accurately our history and our intent, in response to feedback from various sources. On occasion, individual members have created more personal acknowledgements that speak to their relationship to the land and their responsibility to care for it. During Advent 2022, individual JTRAG members wrote their own land acknowledgements. These were read on consecutive Sundays during Advent, and in some cases, linked to the Christmas messages of Hope, Joy, Peace and Love. We share them here and invite others to seek to express in their own words, their relationship with and responsibility for the land we share.
Land acknowledgements for Advent 2022
Memberships and Collaborations
JTRAG is an associate member, and financially supports, The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society headed by Cindy Blackstock.
Three members of JTRAG are also members of the Land Council which supports Walking the Path of Peace Together.
Updated 2024 04 30