CRC Staff and Members Participate in Great Lakes Water Walk
Event organizers with former mayor of Mississauga Hazel McCallion at the start of the walk.
A crowd of about 100 people walked along the waterfront in Toronto, Ont., on Sunday, Sept. 24, to celebrate and honor the Great Lakes. Included in that group were at least 10 members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA).
The Great Lakes Water Walk, led by Indigenous leaders, draws people to the shores of the Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario — each year as a way of teaching respect for water as a gift from the Creator.
While Indigenous beliefs are not necessarily Christian, the Water Walk provided an opportunity for people of different faith backgrounds to join in solidarity around their mutual commitment to care for creation.
The event website notes, “The Great Lakes Water Walk is an invitation to pause and reflect upon what we can do individually and collectively to ensure the health and well-being of our waters for generations to come.”
This year, Bernadette Arthur, Race Relations coordinator with the CRCNA, invited local churches and staff from the CRCNA Canadian office to participate in the walk, to show support for and solidarity with Indigenous peoples and others working to bring awareness of the need to protect creation and natural resources.
Four CRCNA staff and several members of local Christian Reformed congregations came to join the walk, despite an early start and high temperatures through the day. The walk began at 7 a.m. and wrapped up at 4 p.m., taking participants across the length of Toronto’s waterfront, with stops at each of the four rivers that run through Toronto and flow into Lake Ontario. Many participants traversed the full length of the walk, while others joined for parts of it, as they were able.
“The Water Walk was beautiful,” said Arthur. “It was amazing to literally walk alongside people from so many walks of life. There were times throughout the day when I was cognizant of my steps being in sync with those whom I didn't know, but felt synergy with [them] due to their commitment to creation care and honoring each other's humanity.”
Leanne Cooper of Meadowvale Community CRC agreed: “It was an honor and blessing to be there in the morning as the sun rose, to smell the sage, to bear witness to the depth of the water songs, to stand with those who have always cared and will continue to care for the earth.”
