Links

Congregations

Interlake Unitarians - The Arborg Unitarian Church, Gimli Unitarian Church and
Hnausa Unitarian Camp work together as beacons of liberal religion in Manitoba's
Interlake region. It has been my privilege to serve the Unitarians of the Interlake
for more than twenty years, first as lay chaplain and then as minister.

The Church of the Larger Fellowship - CLF is a worldwide congregation, initially
founded to serve the needs of isolated Unitarian Universalists. Increasingly, it also
serves those whose work involves frequent travel, those who move frequently,
college and university students away from home, young adults whose home
congregations lack a critical mass of their peers, and those who hunger for
"something more" than what their local congregation provides. CLF's minister is
Rev. Jane Rzepka, preacher extraordinaire and "minister to ministers."

Free Church Unitarian, Blaine, Washington - 1218 Harrison Street, Blaine,
Washington 98230; telephone: (360) 332-6179 - Rev. Nan Geer, Minister. Founded
in 1928 as the Free Church Congregation (Fríkirkjusöfnuður), it is one of a handful
of Unitarian Universalist congregations tracing their roots to the Icelandic
Unitarian movement. Today it is a diverse congregation drawing its members from
every quarter of the community. Indeed, its membership reaches as far as
Winnipeg -- I have been a member of Free Church Unitarian since 2001.

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg - 603 Wellington Crescent,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R4M 0A7; telephone: (204) 474-1261. Rev. Millie Rochester,
Minister. This is the "mother church" of Unitarianism in Western Canada,
founded as the First Icelandic Unitarian Society of Winnipeg in 1891 and
incorporating The Winnipeg Tabernacle (founded 1894) and All Souls Church
(founded 1904). It also happens to the congregation of my youth, so it continues
to exert a strong pull as my original religious home.

Manitoba Buddhist Temple - 825 Winnipeg Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E
0R5; telephone (204) 774-9267. Sensei Fredrich Ulrich. A Jodo Shinshu
congregation founded by Japanese Canadians in 1946, the Manitoba Buddhist
Church is now a diverse community of Canadian Buddhists who follow the Pure
Land teachings of Shinran Shonin, the "universalist" of the Buddhist religious
tradition.

Denominational Organizations

Unitarian Universalist Association - The largest association of Unitarian
Universalist congregations in the world, located primarily in the United States but
also including member congregations in Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Mexico,
New Zealand and The Philippines. The UUA was established in 1961 as a
consolidation of the American Unitarian Association (founded 1825) and the
Universalist Church of America (founded 1793). I have served on the staff of the
UUA since 1991, first as District Executive for Western Canada (1991-2002) and
presently as Coordinator of Services for Large Congregations (since 1999).

Canadian Unitarian Council - The national association of Unitarian Universalist
congregations in Canada, founded in 1961. My wife and I gladly pledged $2,500 to
the Growing Forward capital campaign, which seeks to provide the CUC with the
endowment resources it needs to help our faith community prosper and grow here
in Canada. We invite our liberal religious friends to join us in this endeavour with
their own generous pledges to this fund drive.

HUUmanists - As a religious humanist, I support the efforts of HUUmanists to
create a strong Humanism for a strong Unitarian Universalism. The continental
association for Humanists within the Unitarian Universalist Association, formerly
known as Friends of Religious Humanism (FRH), HUUmanists publishes a scholarly
journal, Religious Humanism, and a newsletter, HUUmanist News. It was my
privilege to serve as president of FRH/HUUmanists from 2000 until 2003 and as
secretary for two years before that.

Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council - The UUPCC exists to to foster
and support partner church relationships between North American congregations
and congregations in all other countries where partnering is sought and welcomed.
This includes countries where partners are already active, such as Romania,
Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as other countries where new
partnerships are now beginning, such as the Philippines, India, and Poland. I am a
member and enthusiastic supporter of the UUPCC and its important work, both at
home and abroad.

Environmental Organizations

The Nature Conservancy - The Nature Conservancy of Canada is this country's
only national charity dedicated to preserving ecologically significant areas through
outright purchase, donations and conservation easements. Since 1962, NCC has
secured a long-term future for more than 1,400 properties, comprising 1.8 million
acres of magnificent woodlands and seashores, internationally significant
wetlands, threatened prairies, and a host of other precious natural places.

The David Suzuki Foundation - Since 1990, the David Suzuki Foundation has
worked to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that
sustains us. Focusing on four program areas – oceans and sustainable fishing,
forests and wild lands, climate change and clean energy, and the web of life - the
Foundation uses science and education to promote solutions that help conserve
nature.

Canadian Wildlife Federation - Since 1962, the Canadian Wildlife Federation has
advocated for the protection of Canada's wild species and spaces. Representing
over 300,000 members and supporters, the federation is one of Canada's largest
non-profit, non-governmental conservation organizations. CWF is dedicated to
fostering awareness and enjoyment of our natural world.

Funeral and Memorial Services

Funeral Helper is a website containing everything you really need to know about
planning a funeral or memorial service, either for yourself or for a loved one. This
site contains scriptural passages and secular readings, poetry and prayers, hymns
and other musical suggestions. It has helpful suggestions for preparing a eulogy
and practical information about dealing with undertakers and authorities. There's
even some useful tools to help you in pre-planning. Whether working with
professionals or doing it yourself, there is a wealth of resources to be found here.

Funeral Pla n ning and Memorial Society of Manitoba - The Funeral Planning
Society was founded in the 1950s, through the initiative of local Unitarians and
kindred spirits, to advocate for simplicity in funeral practices, encourage
pre-planning, and lobby for moderate pricing.

Making Things Easier for Those You Leave Behind is a fact sheet from the
Province of Manitoba which offers practical funeral planning advice and contact
information for the Funeral Planning and Memorial Society.

Neil B a rdal Inc. - As a minister, I have worked with many fine undertakers from
most of the funeral homes in Winnipeg and the Manitoba Interlake. When I'm
asked by family and friends to recommend a funeral director, however, I always
turn to Neil Bardal Inc., whose services are characterized by sensitivity, flexibility
and the highest integrity. The undertakers at NBI -- Neil, Eirik, Richard, and Janice
-- are called to their profession and that makes all the difference in the world!
Their web site also contains excellent links on grief and bereavement.

Kettle River Urns Company offers an elegant line of cremation urns and burial
urns which gently fuse the clean lines of Japanese design and the artistic
elements of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Kettle River emphasizes
quality craftsmanship and beautiful wood grains to make their urns as beautiful as
they are functional. Their affordable and environmentally-friendly classic oak burial
urn features sustainably-harvested wood and a biodegradable finish.

Icelandic Links

Daily News From Iceland - The web site of Iceland Review, a beautiful and
informative quarterly magazine, with weekday news from Iceland in English.

Icelandica - A personal treasury of things Icelandic, including history, culture,
people and photographs, maintained by Rev. Stefan M. Jonasson.

Iceland on the Web - This collection of links to Icelandic web sites connects you
to travel services, media, government agencies, cultural institutions, universities,
businesses, organizations and personal homepages of Icelanders in English.

The Icelandic Canadian - Founded in 1942 by a group of forward-looking
Icelandic Canadians who believed that the future of Icelandic heritage
preservation in North America did not lie with publications in the Icelandic
language, The Icelandic Canadian is an attractive quarterly magazine. My late
great-uncle, Axel Vopnfjord, served twice as editor of the magazine (1953-1955
and 1979-1989), while my late brother, Eric Jonasson, served on the editorial
board from 1980 until his death in 1998, including two stints as business manager.
I have twice served on the editorial board, the first time from 1981 until 1985 and
from 1994 until the present.

INL Web Links - Numerous links to web sites of interest to Icelandic Canadians
and Icelandic Americans, sponsored by the Icelandic National League of North
America.

Lögberg-Heimskringla - An Icelandic bi-weekly in the English language. L-H is
the oldest continuously published ethnic newspaper in Canada, being the
successor to Heimskringla (founded 1886), whose editorial policy was
Conservative in politics and Unitarian in religion, and Lögberg (founded 1888),
which was Liberal in politics and Lutheran in religion. Today, the newspaper steers
clear of politics and seems ambivalent (perhaps even embarrassed) about religion.
I think I prefer the vigorous controversies of the past, when politics and religion
still mattered!

Samkoma - Samkoma is the Icelandic meeting place in cyberspace, containing
more than 1450 links to Icelandic-related web sites. It is truly a magnificent
resource for those who love Iceland and all things Icelandic.

Reliable News Sources

The Christian Science Monitor - Don't be scared off by the name: The Christian
Science Monitor is one of the world's finest independent newspapers. However,
one would do well to read its coverage of health and medical news with a grain of
salt, for reasons that are too obvious to need stating.

Common Dreams News Center - Breaking news and views for Progressive
people.

The Globe and Mail - Canada's self-proclaimed "national newspaper," The Globe
and Mail lacks the right-wing bias of its major competitor and offers a strong
lineup of columnists.

The Guardian - The best of the British press.

The Interlake Spectator - News and commentary from the Manitoba Interlake.

The New York Times - The flagship newspaper of the "liberal press" in America.

Toronto Star - Primarily valuable for its interesting lineup of columnists, The Star
is hampered by its inability to see much beyond the 401.

Politics and Social Justice

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - As a Canadian who loves the United
States, its people, and its democratic heritage and institutions, I have been
troubled by the erosion of civil liberties and tolerance for differences in America.
As a frequent visitor to the United States, who cherishes the liberties and
courtesy extended to me during my visits, I support the ACLU in its efforts to
preserve American rights and liberties -- the foundational values of the republic.

Amnesty International - Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of
people dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights. Its members
work to build a world in which every person enjoys the rights defined in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights
standards.

Canadian Centre f or Policy Alternatives - CCPA is an independent,
non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic
justice. Founded in 1980, CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in
public policy debates

The Council of Canadians - Canada's pre-eminent citizens' watchdog group
exists to: (i) help Canadians define ourselves and our understanding of
sovereignty and democracy in relation to the rest of the world in an era of
increased U.S-Canada tensions and increased pressure for deeper continental
integration; (ii) work with Canadians and people around the world to reclaim the
global and local commons which are the shared heritage of humanity and of the
earth; and (iii) create a compelling civil society movement in search of social
justice both here in Canada and internationally whose core mandate is the
creation of participatory, living democracy for all the peoples of the world. I am
proud to be counted among its more than 100,000 members.

New Democratic Party of Canada - Under the leadership of Jack Layton, the
New Democratic Party of Canada continues the progressive legacy of J.S.
Woodsworth, M.J. Coldwell, Tommy Douglas and Stanley Knowles. As a former
supporter of the Liberal Party, I would add that the platform of the NDP more
faithfully preserves the values of Lester B. Pearson than the party he once led.

Manitoba New Democratic Party - Manitobans enjoy living under the most
progressive government anywhere in North America. I heartily endorse the
government of Premier Gary Doer and the Manitoba New Democratic Party.

Liberal Party of Canada - For many years, I was a supporter and member of the
Liberal Party before its growing conservatism led me to withdraw my support.
While I can no longer endorse the party and its program, I continue to harbour a
fondness for its more progressive members, although their influence in the party
seems to be waning, much like what happened to the Red Tories.

** The opinions expressed on this page and throughout this website represent my personal
views and do not, in any way, imply an endorsement of those views by my employers or any of
the organizations mentioned on this web site.