Expressing Our Vocation in the Service of Our Creator & Our Neighbour

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2: 24, 25

All work is of equal value and our work is to be service to God. This world with its duties is our sphere of service. Work is not only a means to make a living but also an avenue of expressing our vocation in the service of both our Creator and our neighbour.

For this Labour Day weekend, the CLAC Foundation (created by but separate from CLAC the union) wants to offer your church a bulletin cover with both copy and photo, focused on the dignity and God-given importance of work.  If you want an electronic or printed copies for your church, please let CLAC Foundation Program Manager Dan VanKeeken know by emailing him at [email protected].     

The copy for this bulletin cover will include the following, and have a cover photo as well:

Where Work Belongs

Do you find yourself so caught up in day-to-day tasks that you never give a second thought to work’s place in your life? Our culture often encourages us to view work as a means to an end—a pay cheque, a free weekend, security for our family. While money, leisure, and security are important, work is about much more.

The theologian Augustine said we should treasure achievement in the tasks we do “if that achievement is right and helpful.” In other words, your daily work should have meaning and dignity whether you are sweeping floors, managing a household, or running a multi-billion-dollar corporation.

As a charitable organization based on biblical principles of social justice, the CLAC Foundation asks that you use this Labour Day weekend to reflect on what you do. At your job this week—or wherever you are putting your talents to use—say a prayer of thanks for work and for the peace and prosperity that you experience in Canada, for “this is a gift of God.” Ask for forgiveness when your labour and achievement seem to spring from “envy of another.” Take time to think about those for whom work is demeaning and a “yoke of oppression.”

Many workers around the world experience conditions that are harmful to their well-being: slavery, violence, exploitation, unjust wages, unsafe working conditions, limitations on basic human rights. Pray in hope for those tied tight by “the chains of injustice.” Work belongs as a dignified and meaningful part of life—no matter where you live.

About the CLAC Foundation

In Canada, many unemployed and underemployed workers need minimal skills and safety training to enter rewarding careers. But often this training is financially out of reach.  Abroad, oppressed workers in developing nations need support as they fight to gain the rights and working conditions that we enjoy here in Canada.

The CLAC Foundation helps struggling workers here and in developing countries improve their lives through meaningful, safe work. We partner with organizations to provide training and employment aid, and to promote and protect workers’ rights. In Canada, we break down barriers to meaningful employment for marginalized workers—especially newcomers to Canada and those at risk for or experiencing homelessness.  

Internationally, we support collective worker action that advances worker rights and justice in the workplace. We achieve our mission by advancing the principles of CLAC through: 

• Collaboration with community-based partnerships  
• Funding skills training and education   
• Connecting the marginalized and new immigrants with jobs  
• Supporting organizations and that educate and equip workers to effect collective worker action that will advance worker rights and workplace justice 

OUR ORGANIZATION

The CLAC Foundation is an independent, registered charity that is operated by a board of volunteers. It was founded in 2011 by CLAC as a way to aid struggling workers who are not part of the union and to transform the world of work. Through the foundation, anyone can get involved in this important work, whether they are connected to the union or not. 

See www.clacfoundation.ca for more information on our causes and work.