Message from the Antler River Watershed Regional Council President
My name is Richard Auckland and I live in Talbotville, ON. I look forward to serving the Antler River Watershed Region as President. My spouse, Karen and I, have three adult children, who I am so thankful for, as they still like coming home for meals, games or just to hang out. I’m a 50+ year member of First United Church in St. Thomas, and have served on the Official Board and Trustees of that church. I am a retired educator having worked in elementary schools as first a teacher, and then in administration. I continue to support students through tutoring and working with Teacher’s College candidates at the Western University in London. Additionally, I am President of the Elgin-St. Thomas Christmas Care program which serves area residents with a food hamper and toys for children at Christmas. I plan to bring some of the skills I have accumulated to my role as President and I look forward to meeting and working with congregations across our area.
What a great Celebration of Ministry on May 31! It was good to be a part of the service at Grace United Church in Sarnia as part of the Spring Meeting of ARW. Rebecca, Melodee and Martin have entered into the next chapter in their ministerial journeys. And Japhet made the trip from Capetown, South Africa (a journey of 27+ hours of flying, waiting and driving on top of that) to support Martin. Now that’s dedication. My hope is that all our ARWRC Communities of Faith are feeling supported in their spiritual challenges and triumphs. It was good to connect with many individuals over the course of the Friday and Saturday meetings. As well, the available staff were present offering their support. It is great to be a part of a wonderful team of caring individuals. I would encourage Communities of Faith to reach out and connect with us. As a team, that is a lot of knowledge and experience on which to draw and find creative solutions or walk the journey, whatever it is, with you.
I look forward to serving Antler River Watershed as President for the coming two years, as I have served it in various capacities over the last 6 years on the Mission & Discipleship Commission and Executive. And lastly, thank you to Past President, Cheryl Bolton for offering her leadership over these last two years. I’m glad she is not going too far so that I can call on her for guidance as we move forward together into the next 100 years of the United Church of Canada!
Richard Auckland
President, Antler River Watershed Regional Council
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.
We’re trying something new. We’re introducing an Ask An Expert series in partnership with the General Council Office. You ask the questions, and we’ll provide the expertise.
Who are the experts? Well, it depends on the topic and staff availability.
Maybe you want to know more about the insurance partnership between the GCO and Communities of Faith. Or what you do when the local newspaper calls (or when you want to get a good story out). Or what the new government relations officer does. Or what the cost-of-living-adjustment is.
It’s kind of like a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure book. Here’s how it works:
4. As many questions will be answered as can be within the allotted time. Unanswered questions will carry over to the next session, or we’ll answer them on our Regional Council Facebook group.
5. Tough questions are okay. We’ll do our best to answer them, and if we can’t on the spot, we’ll follow up with the right information.
So, pick your adventure. Will it be insurance? Or grants? Climate justice? Governance? Media relations? Government relations? Global partnerships? Or something else?
You pick. Ask your question here: https://forms.office.com/r/q7UM9spU9z. Join us on Wednesday September 18th at 7 p.m. to get an answer in real time. Don’t have a question right now? Listeners welcome!
This session will be facilitated by: Michelle Owens
Welcome Mark Laird, Executive Minister to Antler River Watershed, Horseshoe Falls and Western Ontario Waterways Regional Councils and a Lenten message. Send messages of welcome to MLaird@United-Church.ca
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Featuring guests from across the church in conversation with the Moderator, the six-part video series exploring food, faith, and community debuts on Shrove Tuesday, February 17.
Join us in marking International Development Week 2026 (February 1–7). We will be sharing stories from work with Mission and Service and Canadian Foodgrains Bank partners.
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