Social Justice

St. Andrew’s-Wesley has a long history of supporting refugees, working towards reconciliation, and taking action to address inequalities in our community. We don’t have to look far into the histories of Christian organizations across Canada to find opportunities for listening, learning, acknowledgement, and growth. Our current priorities are Reconciliation, Refugees, and Climate Action. For us, social justice is not just a value, it is a verb. It’s through the voices of our community that we hear the passionate calls to justice, so let’s talk.

Refugee Sponsorship Team

For over 10 years St. Andrew’s-Wesley has sponsored and accompanied over 17 refugees building a new life in Canada. Join our team to provide support and friendship by fundraising and connecting refugees with services. We welcome LGBT2Q+ members of our congregation to volunteer their time to help queer refugees and support their transition into a more inclusive, open society. Contact Karis to find out more!

Missing and Murdered Indigneous Women’s Walk

Join the community and show solidarity with the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre by honouring the lives of Indigenous women lost to violence. Every year we participate in the Women’s Memorial March on February 14 and commit ourselves to raising $1000 for the event. This donation provides blankets for the families who have lost daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. Contact Karis to get involved.

Climate Action

Our Climate Action Ministry is about changing behaviour and hearts. We run monthly educational events on Sundays, a contemplative action group called Holy Nature, and are looking for volunteers to work on campaigns and a climate audit of our church. To find out more, email Karis.

2025 Climate Talk Dates:

January 12
February 9
March 9
April 13
May 11
June 8
July 13
August 10
September 14
October 12
November 9

Indigenous Tours

Each year we take a tour that expands our understanding of Indigenous culture, history, practices, and art. Committing to learning from indigenous knowledge keepers is just one way settlers can decolonize their perspectives. Each year we work with partners to engage in a tour that expands our understanding of Indigenous culture, history, practices, and art. Contact Karis for more info. Next tour runs Saturday, Sep 23 at 2pm, sign up here!

Honouring the Children Reconciliation Wall

This is an ongoing reconciliation project led by Reconciliation Matters. It acknowledges the United Church’s role in residential schools and includes a house post honouring the children who didn’t return home. Connect with us to learn more about this project as we enter the next phase. Contact Karis for more info.

Spirit

100th Anniversary

June 10, 2025, will mark the United Church’s 100th anniversary—an opportunity to honour our past and look to the future!

Art & Community

Feb 21

Join us for this fun sing-a-long night where you belt out tunes from the 70s and 80s accompanied by live piano and vocals from two of our in-house musicians, Curt Allison and Rhian Walker!

Social Justice & Art

Mar 14

A stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, SUGARCANE, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning.

Our Place
In the World

St. Andrew’s-Wesley respectfully acknowledges that we gather on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. For thousands of years, First Nations people have walked on this land and their relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives and spirituality. As a church, and settlers on these shores, we have a life-long responsibility to unlearn our misunderstandings of history, territory, and identity through critical reflection, acknowledgement, and listening.