{"id":1406,"date":"2020-08-30T16:11:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-30T20:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/?page_id=1406"},"modified":"2026-04-30T18:41:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:41:14","slug":"welcome-to-ssuc","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">God&#8217;s Love is for Everyone<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Whoever You are, Whomever You love, Wherever You are, <br>Wherever You find yourself on your faith journey,<br> You are welcome here at Sydenham Street United Church<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"382\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SSUSteps.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SSUSteps.png 382w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SSUSteps-223x300.png 223w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SSUSteps-112x150.png 112w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 382px) 100vw, 382px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><sub>Photo courtesy of Dana Ruprecht<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"who-we-are\"><strong>Who We Are<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We are a vital faith community and Affirming congregation within The United Church of Canada. We believe \u201cGod\u2019s love is for everyone.\u201d We celebrate diversity, inclusivity and abundant life, informed by Jesus\u2019s teaching and The Bible. We are committed to spiritual development, social justice and artistic expression. We welcome all and strive to build healthy, nurturing relationships with each other. We seek to build community locally and globally. Sydenham Street United Church is located in the building rebranded as&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespirekingston.org\">The Spire<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong>at 82 Sydenham Street in downtown Kingston, Ontario, Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"worship-services\"><strong>Worship  Services<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sunday Services for Sydenham Street United Church are held at 11:00 hr, in person in the Sanctuary of The Spire at 82 Sydenham Street, Kingston, with our minister, <a href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/about-us\/our-leadership-minister-and-staff\/\">The Reverend Catherine Elsdon<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"line-height:0\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Note About Church Services: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><strong>You are welcome to enter by the Sydenham Street or William Street entrance.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternatively, you may join us&nbsp;<strong>online<\/strong>&nbsp;for&nbsp;our weekly worship services or at a later date on our  YouTube site <a class=\"maxbutton-5 maxbutton maxbutton-youtube\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"YouTube\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SydenhamStreet\"><span class='mb-text'>Youtube<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The weekly <strong><strong>Service<\/strong> <strong>Bulletin<\/strong>s <\/strong>are available on-line <a class=\"maxbutton-6 maxbutton maxbutton-bulleting\" href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/welcome-to-ssuc\/weekly-bulletins\/\"><span class='mb-text'>Bulletin<\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>April 26, 2026 at 11am: Reflecting on the spiritual practice of sabbath and sabbatical. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Get ready for a sanctuary that has been transformed for Cantabile&#8217;s production of \u201cThe Hobbit\u201d at The Spire! &nbsp;Rev. Catherine will take inspiration from the Shire to reflect on gospel themes in J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s novel, and how we can all become &#8220;hobbits at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>May 3rd, 2026 at 11am:<\/strong> <strong>\u201cLive and Move and Have Our Being\u201d<\/strong>. Rev. Erin Burns presiding<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>May 10th, 2026 at 11am<\/strong>: Rev. Erin Burns presiding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Growing Spirits<\/strong> is our weekly program for children (ages 4-13) who meet Sunday mornings with our new teacher Chelsea Houston for stories informed by the Bible and other sources, as well as games, crafts and various activities.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1007\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Garden-of-Love.jpg\" alt=\"Garden of Love\" class=\"wp-image-8927\" style=\"width:504px;height:250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Garden-of-Love.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Garden-of-Love-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Garden-of-Love-150x74.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Garden-of-Love-768x381.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Love One Another<\/em>, Jesus advised his disciples in his final days on earth. &nbsp;<em>In<\/em>&nbsp;<em>Growing Spirits&nbsp;last week, we created a<\/em> \u201cGarden of Love.\u201d&nbsp;  2022 05 29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background aligncenter is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ukraine-appeal.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11393 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ukraine-appeal.jpg 640w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ukraine-appeal-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/ukraine-appeal-150x113.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/united-church.ca\/news\/peace-and-ukraine-ecumenical-letter\">Concern for Ukrainian Communities<\/a><\/strong>: The United Church of Canada invites communities of faith to express solidarity with their Ukrainian neighbours and <a href=\"https:\/\/united-church.ca\/social-action\/act-now\/ukraine-crisis?utm_source=E-Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=40ef16dbf6-ES220308&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_53a49c9e28-40ef16dbf6-188558753&amp;goal=0_53a49c9e28-40ef16dbf6-188558753&amp;mc_cid=40ef16dbf6&amp;mc_eid=c0f77228fb\">to support<\/a> those most affected by the war. Providing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/united-church.ca\/stories\/gifts-vision-work-ukraine\">emergency food and hygiene kits<\/a>&nbsp;is one way your generous support of Mission &amp; Service partners is helping support Ukrainian refugees.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background aligncenter is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Receive comfort and inspiration from the words, music and images of our worship leaders through recordings of<strong> <span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color\">Our Worship Services<\/span> <\/strong> available by 11:00 hr every Sunday on our YouTube site <a class=\"maxbutton-5 maxbutton maxbutton-youtube\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"YouTube\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SydenhamStreet\"><span class='mb-text'>Youtube<\/span><\/a>&nbsp; <br><br>Please contact us with comments or general questions about Sydenham Street United Church, the website, getting on the mailing list, etc via Email: <strong><a href=\"mailto:web@sydenhamstreet.ca\">web@sydenhamstreet.ca<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:21% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/every-child-matters-logo_3_orig-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7584 size-thumbnail\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/every-child-matters-logo_3_orig-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/every-child-matters-logo_3_orig-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/every-child-matters-logo_3_orig-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/every-child-matters-logo_3_orig.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>On September 30, wear an orange shirt to remember and <a href=\"https:\/\/united-church.ca\/social-action\/act-now\/honour-children-who-attended-residential-schools?utm_source=E-Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=e9c0ce9fab-ES240917&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_53a49c9e28-e9c0ce9fab-188558753&amp;goal=0_53a49c9e28-e9c0ce9fab-188558753&amp;mc_cid=e9c0ce9fab&amp;mc_eid=c0f77228fb\">honour Indigenous children<\/a> who were taken from their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\"><em>If you or someone you know needs someone to talk to, you can contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society for counselling support available at 1-800-721-0066. People can also access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A call to mourn, <a href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/community-outreach\/jtrag\/\">LEARN<\/a>, support and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/community-outreach\/jtrag\/remember\/\">REMEMBER<\/a>! This link also includes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-vivid-red-color has-css-opacity has-vivid-red-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4919-resized.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4919-resized.jpg\" alt=\"The Spire Sign\" class=\"wp-image-3750\" style=\"width:539px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4919-resized.jpg 800w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4919-resized-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/IMG_4919-resized-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sydenham Street United Church at The Spire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>The lands on which we meet are the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Peoples. We acknowledge their enduring presence on this land, as well as the presence of M\u00e9tis, Inuit and other First Nations from across Turtle Island. We deeply respect the many generations of people who have cared for this land, and whose spiritualities, teachings and ways of knowing are closely tied to it. We seek to build right relations with these Peoples, to learn from them, and to live together on this land with respect and gratitude.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Sydenham-Street-United-Church-228916980495947\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Updated 2026 04 30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>God&#8217;s Love is for Everyone Whoever You are, Whomever You love, Wherever You are, Wherever You find yourself on your faith journey, You are welcome here at Sydenham Street United Church Photo courtesy of Dana Ruprecht Who We Are We are a vital faith community and Affirming congregation within The United Church of Canada. We &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1406","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1406"}],"version-history":[{"count":1309,"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1406\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12834,"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1406\/revisions\/12834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sydenhamstreet.ca\/ssuc1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}