Land Acknowledgement
We wish to honour our spiritual brothers and sisters who have lived and protected these lands before we arrived: the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Neutrals.
This territory is governed by two treaties. The first is the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant of 1701, made between the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an agreement to set violence aside and peacefully share and care for the land in the Great Lakes Basin. The second is the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, an agreement made by eighteen Anishinaabek Chiefs and the Canada Company, an agency of the British Crown.
Since 1966, the Mennonite Church of Canada has worked diligently to both listen to our Indigenous neighbours, support, and advocate for when injustice is present. Avon Church in different seasons has sought to prioritized this relationship.
Welcoming & Affirming
A major priority at Avon is BELONGING. All people have a place at the table, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexuality-orientation, background or income.
If your child is 2SLGBTQIA+ they will be welcomed in by our affirming Youth Pastor Stephen and our kids and youth groups.
Affirming & Learning is our mandate. Our community is affirming of all identities and is learning how to authentically live that out.
We are aiming to live up to this & hope for grace if we stumble.
Be the Person You Were Born to Be.
We are a welcoming community for people in our city with questions, where they can experience belonging, encounter God’s Presence and grow.
Belonging: creating a culture where people with questions or who are wary of organized religion can experience belonging regardless of their gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, background, etc.
Encounter: creating “thin” environments where people can encounter God’s Presence and be transformed by God’s unconditional love.
Grow: teaching & modelling a way of life (the way of Jesus) that is relatable to our 21st century context & helps people grow & become who they were created to be.
Create: creating opportunities for people to discover and use their unique gifts to join the creative work of the Spirit in our world.