Summer Newsletter, Building Construction Updates and Advocacy Plans
Sharing exciting updates from FIRST! Check out our latest newsletter with stories on how we spent the months leading up to the demolition of our 320 East Hastings building. Learn more about our Advocacy program and upcoming plans. First United Summer 2022 Newsletter
Carmen Lansdowne is the Uncontested Nominee for 44th Moderator
History repeats itself at the General Council 44. For the second time in the United Church of Canada, the election for Moderator has gone uncontested (the first time it happened was during the 34th General Council in the early 1990s). We are so proud that First United’s Executive Director, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, is […]
National Indigenous Peoples Day
Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day! It’s a day for all Canadians to celebrate the rich cultures and diversity of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. We’re dedicated to learning about the unique history, languages, and experiences of these Indigenous cultures, and encourage you to do the same. In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day […]
Juneteenth
Social justice is one of First United’s core values. We’re committed to combatting the oppression and marginalization of racialized folks. As an organization that serves a diverse community and has a large portion of staff that identifies as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour), we know that racism is very much still present and […]
Construction Update: Demolition Begins!
We’re excited to announce that the demolition of our building at 320 East Hastings is now officially underway! This spring, our remaining staff, programs and services were moved to satellite locations in the Downtown Eastside. Last week, shelter residents were relocated to our newly renovated, state-of-the-art shelter on Alexander Street and by Thursday afternoon, […]
Important Upcoming Dates
It’s finally here! After years of planning and weeks of meetings, inspections, and renovations, we’re prepared to begin demolition on our building at 320 East Hastings Street. On May 24th, staff will clear out of the building for the last time as crews enter to begin their remediation work. It’s with a mix of emotions […]
Red Dress Day
May 5 is Red Dress Day: a day when we honour, remember, and grieve the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit, who were taken from us too soon. The pain from the epidemic of MMIWG2S is felt particularly in the Downtown Eastside and amongst our staff, partners, and community. This year, as an […]
Happy Easter
An Easter greeting from our Acting Executive Director, Amanda Burrows I hope you and your family are enjoying an Easter full of rest, love and reflection. Two weeks ago, I stepped into the role of Acting Executive Director as Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne started her sabbatical. It is an immense honour and privilege to guide […]
Good Friday, from Lauren Sanders
Lenten greetings, Good Friday is the day followers of Christ remember the events leading up to Jesus’s death.We remember the good,the bad,and the ugly on Good Friday. During this pandemic, we all have known so much death, sadness, and fear. These are parts of every living being’s life, but the impacts feel deeply personal, isolating, and without […]
Working to heal
Except for my Lenten Season Series, I don’t usually address the public in FIRST’s communications. I’m the Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain at FIRST UNITED. I mostly work with community members and the people that FIRST serves. But with it being the Lenten Season and with Easter coming up, I thought it was important to talk […]