October 15, 2026 - Thank You

What comes after?

Friends

The advance polls start this week for the referendum that will be held on Monday October 19^th.

Above all else, I want to encourage you to vote. Whatever your views about the questions before us, showing up and participating in our democracy is one of the ways we care for our community. Learn as much as you can and make your choice. Voting is a deeply spiritual act.

I lived through two referendums on Quebec sovereignty. The first was in 1980 when I was a teenager living in Montreal and again in 1995, when I was living in Germany following at a distance.

What I remember most is the fear and resentment. As an anglophone, I belonged to a community overwhelmingly opposed to separation, while many francophones supported it. The referendum brought into sharp focus divisions between the English and French that were already deeply felt.

These questions reached into people’s identities, their sense of home and their hopes and fears. However, we received the outcome, whether with relief or disappointment, those feelings did not simply disappear.

I have been thinking a lot about those times as our own referendum draws near Not because the circumstances are the same, but because I remember how difficult it can be to live together when we disagree about something that matters so deeply.

So, I invite you to explore how the values and commitments of your faith inform your vote. This week in worship we will read from Exodus 33, Moses asking God for guidance in the wilderness. He knows he cannot see everything clearly and that he cannot make the journey alone.

As you consider your vote, you might ask yourself some questions. Have you have listened carefully to people who understand the issues differently than you? Have you made room for humility, compassion and the possibility that none of us see the whole picture. Finally, how may your choice affect people beyond yourself?

Our wider United Church has been reflecting on this too, Northern Spirit Regional Council has gathered statements, reflections, and resources, which I invite you to read and consider.

In worship, we have been considering our call to practise trust, welcome, reconciliation, forgiveness, humility and gratitude. These are practices for living together when we disagree.

When the votes have been counted, the opinions that divided us will remain. And so will our neighbours. And so will our call to love them.

Peace to you and grace,

William Brook