Birchcliff Bluffs United Church
About Us
Vision and Mission Statement
​We at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church are a progressive and outreaching Christian community within The United Church of Canada. We reach out as Jesus taught us with a love without borders. We embrace all those of differing abilities, ages, races, religious and/or ethnic heritages, gender identities, sexual orientations, genders, economic status, and cultural backgrounds into the membership, ministry, leadership, and life of this congregation.
To achieve our vision we commit ourselves to:
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Growing in our faith through worship, scripture, study, music, and joyous celebration.
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Becoming an affirming ministries centre for the Scarborough and East Toronto communities through the ongoing support and expansion of our affirming ministry programs.
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Actively reaching out to support those in need locally and globally.
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Being open to the guidance of the Spirit as we seek ways to share our faith and speak courageously of it.
Approved at March 8, 2020, Annual Congregational Meeting
Welcoming Church Community
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Birchcliff Bluffs is a diverse, open, and inclusive Christian congregation seeking to make a real difference in the world seven days a week and to be a vital presence in our community. It is our hope that you will discover many possibilities here, possibilities for nurturing your own spirituality and enriching your life, as well as opportunities to serve others and the world through acts of caring, justice, and compassion. We welcome your contributions and ideas.
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You will also find a wonderful music program led by our remarkable Music Director, Randy Vancourt. The last Sunday of every month is dedicated to special music.
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​When you visit us, you will experience a warm welcome. We are a "come as you are" congregation; we dress as we are comfortable, which is everything from ripped jeans and sneakers to sparkly dresses. Whatever you are wearing, whatever you feel about God, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you will fit right in.
Religious and Spiritual
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Many people today will say “I’m spiritual, not religious.” We respect that here at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church because we welcome people who want to ponder questions about the nature of our being but prefer to do it without the trappings of formal religion.
In our church community it is OK to say “I’m religious, not just spiritual.” Because here, religion remains a useful meaningful tool to engage the ways we make meaning. By religion we do not mean a rigid obsession with doctrine that is imposed on people. We do not mean the kind of religion that closes off questions and closes down minds. We do not mean a religion that turns any person away or has a soft commitment to justice. We know that this describes a good chunk of contemporary religion in our world. For us at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church, religion is a place and a space; it is people and relationships. Religion is identifiable in the ringing of steeple bells in a church building, a place where we can come together, but we have learned more than ever over the past year that it is much more than that. Religion offers a space to work through struggles.
Religion is a group of people who are engaged in a common struggle. It is a structure for creating relationships that are crucial to keeping us connected and offering hope. Religion calls us to look at who Jesus was and is, and strive to be that. This is not a conversation about perfection. But, it is a conversation about authenticity. Our religion must mean something in our actions to close the credibility gap. This place and space reminds us that there is something beyond, something bigger, and we live that out in our work here.