ARWRC Spring Meeting 2025
Hybrid and In-Person
When: May 30th and 31st
Where: Grace United Church, Sarnia
More details to come as they become available.
Effective Transitional Leadership Training Course
A Unique Learning Opportunity for Lay Leaders and Ministry Personnel in ARW, HF and WOW
The Effective Transitional Leadership (ETL) Training Course has been designed by the Interim Ministry Network to support the work of ministry personnel and lay leaders in congregations experiencing change and transitions.
This training will be held on the following dates:
- March 6, 13, 20 and 27th
- Time: 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM EDT via Zoom
- Instructor: Pegi Ridout
This is a fantastic opportunity you to enhance your leadership skills.
What are the intended outcomes of ETL?
- understanding change theory and how to apply it in transitional times
- feeling more competent in the role of a transitional leader and facilitator for the work of your congregation
- being equipped to manage both yourself and your congregation in the midst of conflict
- practicing transitional leadership, using tools designed to guide a congregation through a transition
- applying your learnings, using case studies and reflection on your experience/knowledge
- overall, being prepared and confident to assist a congregation towards health, effectiveness, and faithfulness to its purpose/mission
The cost for this training is $75 per person – a savings of 50% off the regular price.
Registration is limited to 24 people.
Attendance at all 4 sessions is expected.
Course material and the zoom link will be provided closer to the first meeting.
Registration Closes on February 24, 2025
Payment can be made by e-Transfer to hfrc@united-church.ca or by cheque mailed to Horseshoe Falls Regional Council – PO Box 100, Carlisle, Ontario L0R 1H0
Please respond using the link to the registration form by February 24, 2025:
Register Now:
ETL Training Registration Form
This is an opportunity you do not want to miss. We look forward to your participation!
For more information about the course ETL Description and ETL and IMN FAQ
Story Sharing of Faith Formation and Social Justice Outreach Activities
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.
Flourishing: Spend a day with the Moderator
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
ARWRC President Cheryl Bolton’s Christmas Message
Dear Friends,
As we gather to celebrate the joyous season of Christmas, I want to extend my warmest greetings and blessings to each member of the Antler River Watershed Region. As we travel through the Advent Season, we reflect on the profound gifts of Hope, Peace Joy and Love that the birth of Jesus Christ brought into our world.
Those gifts often feel lost with the hustle and bustle of our daily lives and it is easy to feel disconnected—from our loved ones, our communities, and even from God. Christmas is a beautiful opportunity to pause, reflect, and renew these essential bonds.
This season, I invite you to reconnect with each other and with God in meaningful ways. Reach out to a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. Share a meal, a story, or simply a moment of your time. Maybe you are missing seeing your neighbouring churches or colleagues, why not reach out and get together support each others events, form a cluster or just have that coffee that we keep talking about having but never quite set a date! The new year is the perfect time for new and renewed relationships. When we connect with one another, we embody the spirit of Christ’s love and hospitality.
Let us also take time to reconnect with God. Through prayer, scripture, and worship, we can deepen our relationship with the Divine. Remember the humble manger where Jesus was born—a symbol of God’s profound love and presence in the simplest of places. God is always with us, inviting us into a deeper communion.
As we light our Advent and Christ candles, may they remind us of the light of Christ that shines within us and guides our path. Let this light inspire us to spread Hope, Peace, Joy and Love in our communities of faith and beyond.
May your hearts be filled with the wonder of Christ’s birth, and may you experience the true meaning of Christmas through the warmth of reconnection this holiday season and beyond.
Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with grace and peace.
In Christ’s Love,
Rev. Cheryl Bolton
President, Antler River Watershed Regional Council
