Five Oaks Executive Director, Michael Shewburg, approached the regional councils to ask if we might be interested in a joint position combining the half-time role of the Partner Program Director at Five Oaks with the half-time role of Minister, Social Justice in the regional councils. We crafted a Ministry Sharing Agreement and submitted two position descriptions for our joint search. Human Resources raised concerns; these two do not seem to fit together. By this time, Michael was on sabbatical and Acting Executive Director, Pegi Ridout, and Executive Minister, Cheryl-Ann Stadelbauer-Sampa, met. We agreed that what each of us wanted was a person who could invite others into a deeper experience of faith that would lead them to live differently in the world. In John Egger, newly appointed to this joint position, we believe we have found someone who can do that!

John was raised in Calgary. He has a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. His dissertation was on Paul’s use of the Hagar/Sarah motif in his letter to the Galatians and how it has been spun in the history of interpretation. This was a kind of case study into how biblical texts have been (i.e., can be) misread in the history of the church and the dangers thereof.

John has served numerous United Church congregations in Calgary and Toronto in a variety of youth, educational and intergenerational ministries, including intercultural experience with Centennial Japanese United Church (now Bayview) in Toronto and Taiwanese United Church of Toronto, as well as ecumenical experience working with the Anglican Church (Christ Church Calgary) and the Presbyterian Church in Canada (Varsity Acres in Calgary). These experiences gave him an appreciation for the possibilities for intercultural and transformative ministry within congregations, especially through engaged intergenerational education.

John has just concluded his home assignment duties following his return to Canada after serving four years as a Mission Co-Worker with the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea. We look forward to welcoming John among us as together we learn to share a staff person between the regional councils and Five Oaks. John has kindly agreed to start on May 26th so that he can attend the regional council meetings for Western Ontario Waterways, Horseshoe Falls and the tri-Executive meeting to receive the Evaluation Report. He will arrive in time for a meeting of the program committee of Five Oaks along with Five Oaks Annual Meeting! He’ll definitely be caught up in a flurry of events for the first few weeks!

We’re looking forward to working with John!