Welcome to Bloor Street United Church! We are glad you’re here.
Below you will find some information to help you navigate your faith journey with us.
We are a diverse faith community of about 150 people in Toronto, Ontario. We offer hybrid Worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30am. Our congregation enjoys a range of music in Worship, from traditional hymns to pop songs. We enjoy sharing meals at monthly lunches and after Worship during Coffee Hour. Our motto is: exploring faith, seeking justice, and living with respect in creation.
You can view past sermons here.
We try to provide an inspiring and visionary centre for worship where we can help each other to discover, develop and nurture our spirit and faith. To do this, our goals are to foster worship which is inspirational through empowering preaching, both traditional and innovative liturgy, music and the arts; worship that is participatory, inclusive and supports all elements of the congregation; and worship that reflects our commitment to a theology which is liberating.
We offer three ways to experience worship at Bloor Street United Church:
1. In person Sunday services begin at 10:30am. Since our building is currently undergoing redevelopment, we are worshiping with our friends at St. Matthew’s United Church at 729 St. Clair Avenue West.
2. Livestreamed services begin at 10:30am (doors open at 10am) on Sunday mornings via Zoomchurch or you can phone in to 647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588, and give meeting ID 361 611 8730, ##.
3. On-demand: You can view edited Sunday services via our YouTube channel.
You can get the latest redevelopment news on our web site at https://bloorstreetunited.org/redevelopment-news/
At Sunday Worship services you will see our minister, music director, soloists, choir, Rainbow Team members, and tech team.
Each week we sing hymns, hear a solo or anthem from our choir and soloists, hear Scripture and a sermon, pray, and share announcements and moments of awe.
- We email out an Order of Service – like a road map for what happens during the service. Email [email protected] if you would like to receive this.
- Any responses or lyrics will be on screen or in the red book (Voices United) or spiral bound book (More Voices)
- The service is recorded. Please sign a photo consent form.
- Some Sundays we observe Communion.
- Sometimes there’s a baptism! Learn more about baptism and Communion here.
- Each week we have children’s programs.
- You’ll see different decorations depending on the season. The Christian year is divided into different seasons. Learn more at https://united-church.ca/worship-liturgical-season
Our Intentional Interim Minister is Reverend Douglas duCharme.
We are pleased to offer weekly in-person church school using Curriculum from the GO Project. This link gives you a taste: https://thegoproject.ca/. We will have a team of 4-5 adults to lead the Sunday morning program on a rotating basis. The curriculum will provide a base and we will offer a varied programme that suits our joint congregations and the children involved.
We will begin together in church each Sunday. Following children’s time with the minister, the pre-school children will join Laureen Nabiryo in our Children’s Corner in the Parlour for Nursery care while the school age children join our teacher in the Oakwood Room. The children’s space in the front of the sanctuary remains available to all families and children who prefer to remain in church.
Our Children’s Ministry Team (Charlie Hatt, Annie Keay, Amanda and Michael Horn Hudecki, Cath Lofsky, Laureen Nabiryo, Michael Hilliard and Betsy Anderson) will help guide the programme along with our ministers.
We are also pleased to offer Zoom Sunday School: Every two weeks on Zoom at 9:30am on Sundays, children are invited to attend “church school” / Sunday School! Church school teachers Bob and Melissa provide fun and engaging activities based on a United Church of Canada curriculum, for developing their Christian beliefs. Each week there is an opening prayer, we light our Christ candle, check-in with one another, share a story or video, discuss what we learned, and end with an activity or game! Content changes each time and is related to the life and work of Jesus or the week’s Lectionary passages.
Finally, we are offering a monthly Messy Church Family program on the last Friday of each month.
We offer a range of social events throughout the weeks and months:
- Bible Study (Lectionary)
- Book Club
- Crafternoon
- Coffee Hour
- Choir rehearsal
- Committee meetings
You can learn more about The United Church of Canada on their website at united-church.ca
We are proud to be an Affirming congregation – publicly, intentionally, and explicitly welcoming of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks – since each one of us is seen as a child of God.
Our Affirming Statement is as follows:
AFFIRMING STATEMENT OF OUR FAITH AND ACTION
We believe that all people are created in the image of God, and are unconditionally loved by God.
All persons are free to enjoy God’s gifts of love, joy, and intimacy.
We lament injustice done to 2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual +people in church and society.
We seek to use the gifts of all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, in every aspect of congregational life, including designated ministry.
We, the people of Bloor Street United Church, are committed to creating a community where people of all ages, gender expressions and identities, racial identities, sexual orientations, differing abilities, ethnic backgrounds and economic circumstances are welcome.
We pray for God’s spirit to guide us as we work for reconciliation, justice, and right relations for all persons in both church and society.
Adopted at the Congregational Meeting of Bloor Street United Church, February 21, 1995. Revised May 30 2021.
- Sermon – a talk by our minister, usually between 10 and 20 minutes, about Scripture, life, etc.
- Scripture / the Word – the Bible. It’s divided into the Old Testament and the New Testament (Gospels).
- Narthex – the entrance / lobby to a church building where you will find our welcome table and greeters.
- Sanctuary – the main church space where we gather for Worship.
- Parlour – the room directly behind the Sanctuary where we gather for Coffee Hour.
- Offering – financial gifts or gifts of time and talent.
- Prayers of the People – Each week, lay leaders (congregation members) lead prayers. You can submit a prayer request by contacting our minister.
- Pulpit – the elevated area at the front of the Sanctuary with a lecturn where Scripture is read and sermons are sometimes delivered.
- Choir loft – where the choir often sings from.
- Pew – instead of chairs, we have church pews (benches) where you can sit on Sundays.
- Altar – The table at the front of the Sanctuary.
- Coffee Hour – A time of conversation and connection with tea/ coffee / snacks after a Worship service.
- Communion – A Christian tradition. All are welcome in our congregation to take Communion. We intake the Bread of Life (crackers), and Cup of Blessing.
- Every 6 weeks, a different group of people, called Rainbow Teams, are responsible for reading scripture, leading prayers, greeting, and setting up / cleaning up coffee hour. Contact [email protected] to learn more and join a team!
- Like to sing? Choir rehearsals are Thursday evenings from 7-9pm at 729 St Clair Ave West.
If you are interested in joining the choir, please email Mikey at [email protected] or Garnet at [email protected].
- Want to be part of creating a solid audio / visual experience? To learn more about working with the cameras or sound board, or to be a host on Zoom, join the tech team! Contact Amanda at [email protected].
Message [email protected] to receive our Thursday Mailchimp newsletter.
