by Michele | Jan 30, 2026 | Camps & Retreats, Children & Youth, Climate Change, Community, Global Community, LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people, News, Regional Council, Social Justice, Staff, The United Church of Canada
We are pleased to announce the hiring of Laura Black to the position of First Third Ministry Faith Formation Minister, serving the Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils.
Laura will begin her ministry on Monday, February 2nd, 2026. She brings a deep commitment to faith formation, collaborative leadership, and nurturing spiritual growth across diverse communities. Laura is excited to work alongside the councils, congregations, and leaders of these regions as they continue to support meaningful faith development for First Third Ministry.
Please join us in warmly welcoming Laura to the region and this important ministry. We look forward to the gifts, energy, and vision she will bring to this role!
More about Laura:
Laura Black joins the team with a lifelong connection to the United Church of Canada and a deep call to faith formation and community leadership. Rooted in curiosity, placemaking, and nature‑based practices, she is passionate about co‑creating spaces where the brilliance of God’s children can shine.
For more than a decade, young people have been at the heart of Laura’s ministry. She has supported emerging leaders through Christian education, intergenerational programming, camp and creative arts ministries, Youth Forum, and her consulting work with The Hub community network. Nationally, she served as a Commissioner and Table Leader at the 40th General Council. Her experience also spans human rights, conflict management, leadership and interfaith initiatives with domestic and international students as both faculty and staff in post-secondary education.
Relationships ground Laura’s ministry. She is rooted in a large close-knit family, and is married and raising a wise, deeply feeling child. Often you can find them playing games, paddling the Nith River, or on a basketball court. She has accompanied survivors of gendered violence, supported people living with mental illness, and worked to amplify Indigenous knowledge in efforts to decolonize systems. She holds a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning specializing in Inclusive Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Development, with studies in child development, family systems, world religions, marginalized populations, emerging technologies, coaching and mentoring.
A national award‑winning organizer and collaborator, Laura is also a published author in the Journal of Transformative Learning. She has led teams in applying Global Diversity Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB), accessible customer service practices, and collaborative agreements. She has coordinated wide-ranging justice‑focused initiatives such as a Food Security Collective and Human Trafficking Symposium. She strives for deep listening, strategic thinking, and collective action while helping communities find shared purpose and turn meaningful ideas into real impact.
Laura looks forward to joining the teams of Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils as the First Third Ministry, Faith Formation Minister. She’s excited to learn from each and every one of you in your unique context while contributing her gifts to shared spiritual growth and formation.
by Michele | Apr 16, 2025 | 100th Anniversary, Affirming, Anti-Racism, Climate Change, Community, Events, Global Community, Learning Opportunities, News, Regional Council, Resources, Social Justice, The United Church of Canada
Dear Friends,
With joy and anticipation, we, The Regional Executive and Staff, invite you to join us for the Antler River Watershed Regional Spring Meeting on May 30th and 31st, 2025, hosted at Grace United Church in Sarnia.
Our theme this year is “A Time of Renewal: Revitalize,” inspired by Romans 12:2 –
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds…”
In this spirit, we gather as a community to reconnect, refresh, and rekindle our shared sense of purpose and call. It will be a time to worship together, engage in meaningful dialogue, hear from our commissions and explore the ways we are being invited to revitalize our ministries and our spirits.
We are thrilled to welcome Gail Barker, a gifted motivational speaker and workshop leader, as our guest. Gail will guide us with wisdom, energy, and encouragement as we reflect on how we continue to be transformed in faith and practice.
Whether you are lay or clergy, long-time attendee or first-time participant, your presence is a vital part of this gathering. We look forward to being together in community, grounded in hope, and open to the Spirit’s renewing power.
With blessings and gratitude,
Rev. Cheryl Bolton
Antler River Watershed Regional Council President
SPRING MEETING 2025
A Time of Renewal: Revitalize
Friday, May 30th to Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Friday May 30th, 2025: 2:00pm-6:00pm Hybrid and 7:30pm In-Person Community Building
Saturday May 31st, 2025: 9:00am – 3:30pm Hybrid
Celebration of Ministry: Grace United Church, Sarnia Saturday May 31st at 4:00pm In-Person and Live streamed to YouTube
Grace United Church, Sarnia
990 Cathcart Blvd, Sarnia, ON N7S 2H2 (Google Map)
Registration for In-person attendance closes: May 14th, 2024 at midnight
Register Now for ARWRC Spring Meeting 2025
by Michele | Apr 8, 2025 | Anti-Racism, Children & Youth, Climate Change, Community, Global Community, Indigenous Justice, LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people, News, Resources, Right Relations, Social Justice, The United Church of Canada
Faith in action: the 2025 federal election and the United Church
This resource includes links to workshops and resources, and will be updated and re-posted weekly until the election.
As faith communities, and registered charities, we don’t promote or critique only one party. We address all of them, we focus on their social policies, and we expect accountability of all of them. Below are some suggested principles and resources to help people of faith engage the federal election process.
We are called to speak up for what we believe in, not only what we oppose.
We are called to name our values, including what our faith calls us to. We live in a polarized and often anxious world and country, and it’s easy to focus on what we oppose. Try to ask others, especially those you disagree with, to name their values and their hopes.
Respond rather than react, working with communal and individual spiritual and faith resources.
Encourage people to engage the whole process, and vote.
Watch out for dis/misinformation. We are all vulnerable to it, because it’s tailored to spark an instant emotional reaction and to reinforce what we already believe. Always check your sources, and think before you post or share. Ask others for their sources if big, polarizing, or unlikely claims or situations are being presented as real.
Be aware that targeted and vulnerable communities are often the target of dis/misinformation, and be aware of the spiritual and emotional impact of this targeting.
Put another way by our Mennonite family members:
“I commit to loving my neighbours in the following ways:
• Listen with curiosity and compassion
• Speak with authenticity and integrity
• Act for the good of my community, here at home and around the world”
Upcoming Workshops (click on the date for the link to information and registration)
Tuesday April 8, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Federal Election Forum. Craig Norris, Host of the Morning Edition on CBC will moderate. Although everyone is very welcome, we are asking people to register to keep track of numbers. In person (Waterloo, ON) and online. If you register, a link for the online streaming will be sent to you. Click here for the registration link
April 24th Egale- Vote with Pride:
April 24th Canadian Interfaith conversation – Engaged Citizenship The role of Faith Communities during an election
Some key resources (click on each for the link to information)
Groups bringing justice concerns to the election process
United Church home page for election resources (scroll down to the bottom for resources- note that these will change as they’re being constantly updated.)
KAIROS Canada election resources on key issues and engaging your candidates well. (The United Church is a founding and active member of this ecumenical justice coalition.) Their resources include: Indigenous Rights; Ecological Justice; Gender Justice; Migrant Justice; Jubilee 2025
Citizens for Public Justice election resources and travelling/ online meetings (CPJ is a long-standing Christian social justice coalition.)
Mennonite Central Committee: Every Action Counts
Specific justice concerns: choose what you are called to prioritise!
Climate justice
Faith and the Common Good- Interfaith advocacy group
For the Love of Creation- Interfaith Advocacy
Nature Canada- Election 2025 Platform
Guaranteed Livable Income
United Church of Canada – Guaranteed Livable Income
Basic Income Canada Network
Healthcare
Canadian Public Healthcare Association election focus issues
Recorded Webinar: Federal Election 2025: Protecting Medicare in Canada (March 28, 48 min)
Housing
Housing Canada: A Sovereign Plan to Protect Canadians and Build a Resilient Housing System. This resource includes an overview, and links to “Take action and email federal leaders,” and to “Download the full plan”
National Right to Housing Network- Questions for your federal candidates
Indigenous rights
KAIROS Canada election resources
2SLGBTQIA+ rights
Human rights of gender-diverse/ 2SLGBTQIA people (Momentum Canada)
Palestine and Israel justice and peace
Vote Palestine: A coalition that includes Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and secular groups
by Michele | Feb 12, 2025 | Affirming, Anti-Racism, Children & Youth, Climate Change, Community, Events, Global Community, Indigenous Justice, Learning Opportunity, LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people, News, Regional Council, Resources, Right Relations, Social Justice, The United Church of Canada
Ontario Election 2025:
More than Tariffs A panel discussion
Sunday Feb 23, 3:00-4:15 PM EST on Zoom
Information to help you faithfully discern your vote and continue advocacy after the Feb 27th election.
Brief presentations by five panel members on selected topics.
Panelists will respond to questions from the audience.
Advance registration required:
https://united-church.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pfy-0rDhQt-l-V5KqspFkw
For more information contact:
Thérèse Samuel tsamuel@united-church.ca and John Egger jegger@united-church.ca
Moderator:
Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly serves as the Executive Minister to ECO and EOO Regional Councils in Eastern Ontario. He was ordained in 2020. He served for 5 years as Responsible, Ministries in French, for 9 years as the National Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Éric spent 17 years working in federal political circles and 7 years as a registered lobbyist. He also brings a hope-filled passion for the church.
Panel Members
Charles Barrett is a retired economist, who was actively involved in policy dialogue in North America, and the Asia-Pacific region in international economic relations, human resources development and capacity building. He has broad research experience and has written extensively on Canadian and international policy issues. He is a member of Riverside United Church, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council.
The Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington is an ecotheologian and ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. Working at the intersection of ecology and theology for 20 years, she inspires people of faith to transform their actions in response to the climate crisis. She currently serves as commissioner on climate justice with the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Sign up for her weekly newsletter: Faith. Climate Crisis. Action. (https://jessicahetherington.substack.com/).
Bryan Smith is a long-term member of the Oxford Coalition for Social Justice, an organization committed to work and advocacy on a wide range of social and environmental issues locally in the County of Oxford and across the planet. It stands in for the Ontario Health Coalition and stands up for public health. Bryan is a retired teacher, and is active in providing school lunches and community dinners, and promoting local foods, the avoidance of waste, community events, and public health.
Rev. Jeffrey Dale (they/he) is the Minister at College Street United Church in downtown Toronto. Jeffrey is a harm reduction advocate and community educator, working with harm reduction advocacy groups throughout the Province of Ontario to educate communities of faith and the wider society regarding the needs of people who use drugs.
Rev. Susan Eagle is the minister at Grace United Church in Barrie. She chairs both the Ecological and Social Justice Commission for Shining Waters Regional Council, and the Steering Committee of the provincial interfaith coalition, ISARC, which does policy analysis and advocacy for income security, homelessness and employment rights. She has worked with newcomer and low-income individuals and sole-support families as a community outreach worker, and served on London City Council for 13 years.
This workshop is presented by the Social Justice Network of Ontario Regional Councils (SJNORC) with representation from Eastern Ontario Outaouais, East Central Ontario, Shining Waters, Canadian Shield, Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls, Western Ontario Waterways and Prairie to Pine Regional Councils of The United Church of Canada.
Engage, Pray, Vote.
Read More Here
by Michele | Jan 28, 2025 | Anti-Racism, Community, Events, Global Community, Learning Opportunity, News, Regional Council, Resources, Social Justice, The United Church of Canada
Register here now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lu2FfRocTb6yqlx2FznABw
by Michele | Jan 20, 2025 | Community, Events, Global Community, Learning Opportunity, The United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada invites United Church of Canada individuals interested in learning about global partners and the Global Partnership Program to apply to the Pilgrimage of Learning initiative, comprising of 4 delegations each visiting one (1) partnership region (Latin America & the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East) between May and September, 2025.
Are you interested in engaging with global partners in their own contexts to witness first-hand the mutuality of partnership? About the rich history of Mission & Service partners, and the priorities that they are addressing?
Read more here:
https://united-church.ca/opportunities/pilgrimage-learning-delegations
