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 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 16, 2025 | Affirming, Anti-Racism, Camps & Retreats, Children & Youth, Climate Change, Community, Events, Fundraiser, Global Community, Indigenous Justice, LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people, News, Orange Shirt Day, Regional Council, Resources, Right Relations, Social Justice, The United Church of Canada, Volunteer
Is your church or ministry doing something new or exciting to grow your faith, reach out to the community, or seek justice for people or creation?
Don’t just be quiet about it! Let us know, so we can share the good news with others in the regional council.
Click to fill in the form: Story Sharing of Faith Formation, Justice and Outreach Activities – https://forms.office.com/r/cb4c1PR8Q3
God is doing so much in and through our churches. Let us celebrate and encourage one another by sharing stories of Christ’s church at work and at play.
For information contact Thérèse Samuel Tsamuel@united-church.ca
by Michele | Jan 10, 2025 | 100th Anniversary, Anti-Racism, Camps & Retreats, Children & Youth, Climate Change, Community, Events, Global Community, Indigenous Justice, Learning Opportunities, LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people, Mission & Service, News, Pastoral Relations, Regional Council, Resources, Right Relations, Social Justice, Staff, Stewardship, The United Church of Canada, UCW
Flourishing: Antler River, Western Ontario Waterways, and Horseshoe Falls Regional Councils
Spend a day with the Moderator, engaging in reflection and energizing activities towards dream-oriented actions for our churches and communities.
Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (local time).
9:00am -9:30am Registration and coffee/tea
9:30am – Welcome and Introductions
In person
Avondale United Church, 194 Avondale Ave., Stratford, ON N5A 6N4
All around the world – from universities to the United Nations, from corporations to community organizations – people are talking about flourishing. Rooted in belonging, flourishing means living with purpose and joy, and bringing bold collaborative solutions to our world’s challenges.
The Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, wants to bring that conversation to The United Church of Canada. She invites us to connect to one another in hope, with a deep conviction by a belief that, despite all the challenges of church life in this day and age, we can move from despair to transformation – from languishing to flourishing.
Is your church flourishing?
(Perhaps that’s the wrong question.)
Is your church contributing to the flourishing of your community?
How might we truly be a flourishing church in the world? How might we live in deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice, linked from coast to coast to coast in ministry that transforms us and the world around us?
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: Flourishing Workshop
