Rendez-vous Reimagined

Rendez-vous 2020 will be going ahead 11-14 August 2020 – just in a different way.

2020 is turning out to be a year of the unexpected and that means Rendez-vous 2020 will be a Rendez-vous unlike any other. Due to the ongoing health crisis, we won’t be able to hold a large gathering in Calgary this summer. It’s up to us to dream together what it means to be a community of faith, even if we can’t all be in the same (physical) space.

Through real-time online events, recordings, and DIY workshop kits, we will celebrate bold faith, brave space and brazen grace. Here’s what you can expect:

  • Inspiring speakers, powerful worship and singing your favorite songs
  • Fun, engaging and interactive workshops and activities
  • New friends from across the country and around the world
  • Awesome t-shirts (yep, it will be a Rendez-vous to remember!)

While we get everything ready behind the scenes, here are some things we want you to think about.

  • How can we celebrate the bold faith of The United Church of Canada, even when love for our neighbours means we can’t all be together? How can we share our faith with each other and the world even as we care for each other – from a distance?
  • What does it mean to create brave space when the barriers to participation – health, geography, finance, and just plain internet access – are more significant than ever? How can we include everyone to celebrate our faith gone wild when we cannot gather?
  • What does it mean to accept brazen grace when we are living with so much anxiety? How can we transform fear and uncertainty into love and hope – for ourselves and for the world? How can we sit with those feelings when they can’t always be transformed?

We don’t have all the answers and we are going to need your help to reimagine Rendez-vous 2020. Even if we have to rethink where and how we will gather, we want you to remember that this is your church, your event, and your chance to change how we relate to each other across the differences that keep us apart. This is not just Rendez-vous reimagined, but church reimagined. And we want you to be a part of it.

Announcing Rendez-vous 2020 Featured Guest Speaker Dr. James Makokis!

The Rendez-vous 2020 team is excited to announce our featured guest Dr. James Makokis!

Dr. James Makokis is a proud Cree from the Saddle Lake First Nation in Northern Alberta. Dr. Makokis’ strong connections to preventative health, spirituality, and Two-spirit perspective has helped him save lives within the LGBTQ2 and First Nation communities. He also leads one of North America’s most progressive and successful transgender focused medical practices. He is one of the few physicians in Canada who facilitates the wellness of Transgender people through supporting hormone replacement therapy.

Dr. Makokis is a leader and well-known expert within the Indigenous, LGBTQ2 and medical community, and has maintained his cultural beliefs and spiritual practices in all areas of his life. Dr. James Makokis has also had a wide range of unique experiences, from travelling alongside former Governor General Michaëlle Jean on a diplomatic mission to Brazil to working with Dr. Patch Adams in the Amazon Jungle. He also served as the Spokesperson for the National Aboriginal Health Organization’s Role Model Program. He and his partner, Anthony Johnson who is also Two Spirit and has a similar story to Dr. Makokis, were recently crowned the Season 7 winners the Amazing Race Canada.

Every Canadian needs to hear Dr. Makokis’ story to discover a meaningful role in the Reconciliation process.

We’re all looking forward to hearing from Dr. Makokis at Rendez-vous 2020. Registration will open in March 2020, so start packing!

Announcing Rendez-vous 2020 Featured Guest Speaker Pam Rocker!

The Rendez-vous 2020 team is delighted to announce our featured guest Pam Rocker!

Pam Rocker is an atypical activist, speaker, award-winning writer, and musician. She was also chosen as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40!

“LGBTQ2S+ equality, faith, love, and laughter are my passions.

I seek to communicate with humanity and humour, and to challenge prejudice in non-prescript ways. Exploring theology, feminism, equity, and what diversity really means, is what gets me up in the morning. 

For almost a decade, I’ve worked for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) people in faith communities, organizations, and in society. I also teach and speak on social media theory, social change, corporate diversity and inclusion, comedy and music.

Check out Pam’s amazing work on her website here: http://www.pamrocker.com/.

You can also catch up with her on social media:

Announcing Rendez-vous 2020 Featured Guest Musicians Naked Faith!

The Rendez-vous 2020 team is excited to announce a featured musical guest: Naked Faith!

In their own words:

“Church as it is today does not resonate with a large number of youth or young adults. Traditional methods of worship do not always hook new, younger members in the same way as they did in the past.

We believe faith still has significance with the younger generation. Naked Faith is an alternative worship experience that draws inspiration from events such as YC Alberta and infuses it with theology of the United Church. Dreamt up and founded by members of this younger generation as well as including involvement by numerous youth and young adults, it is an event that truly lives and breathes youth. Featuring energetic popular music, powerful messages, deep conversation and a free meal, this is something you don’t want to miss.”

“Naked Faith happens the third Friday of every month at different United Churches around Calgary. It begins with dinner, followed by an hour-long service. Afterwards, youth from grades 6 through 12 are invited to stay for games and activities until 10:30. Young adults are invited to head to a nearby pub to engage in further discussion about the theme, or to simply enjoy the community. Naked Faith is facilitated and made possible by Regional Youth and Young Adult Ministries, funded by St. Andrew’s United Church in Calgary.”

Find out more about Naked Faith here: https://andychurch.org/naked-faith/

Promote Rendez-vous

We need your help spreading the word about Rendez-vous 2020. You can use the materials here on your website, in printed bulletins or to make your own flyers and announcements.

Our Promo Video

Use this video for your two-minute presentation of Rendez-vous!

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ELYE4IJjwE

Live and in the wild

A video contribution from one of our communities.

Did you make a video to spread the word about Rendez-vous in your community? Share it on social media or let us know and we will post it here.

Rendez-vous Promo Deck

Need a slide-show to promote Rendez-vous? Use our slide-deck to promote Rendez-vous at your events!

Rendez-vous Logo

Our logo is fabulous! A shout-out to our design team and our graphic designers for helping to make Rendez-vous look great.

Rendez-vous Logo

You can use just the graphical logo too.

Rendez-vous document template

Want to make documents in your community that have that Rendez-vous “feel”? Use our template!

Save the Date Card

Did you miss our Infopac save the date card? You can print your own or share the file.

Headliners Flyer

Did you miss our Infopac Headliners flyer? You can print your own or share the file.

Recruitment Flyer

Did you miss our Infopac Home Group Leaders recruitment flyer? You can print your own or share the file.