Join us for "We Need To Listen" where participants will find:

- support and encouragement
- accountability and celebration
- ideas and strategies

…and most of all, a community of people passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world but sometimes feel alone doing it.

Ministry Forum is delighted to host an online space that will strive to be safe as modelled and facilitated by its hosts where ministry leaders will gather with almost no agenda and where everything is on the table and tangents are welcomed.

The Conference seeks to highlight harnessing the power of partnership in exploring innovative strategies and inspiring creative approaches to foster children’s spirituality. Prepare to be inspired, energized, and empowered for a lasting impact on the lives of our children and families. Let’s ignite a spark that illuminates every child’s heart!

In this 3-hour workshop, based on the book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture Dr. Maté will discuss how a society dedicated to material pursuits rather than genuine human needs and spiritual values stresses its members, undermines healthy child development and dooms many to chronic illness, from diabetes to heart disease, from autoimmune conditions to cancer.

Join us for part 3 of "Preaching Refresher," a three-part online initiative with Dr. Sarah Travis made for preachers who want to find new energy and direction in their work. This course is for church leaders dealing with the tough parts of preaching in today's world. We want to help with the worries about smaller and older congregations and how to make sermons connect with people today.

Additions & Mental Health Ontario is returning to an in-person conference in Toronto on October 21st & 22nd, 2024 at the Hilton Toronto. Stay tuned for upcoming speakers, events, registration and special announcements.

Join us for insightful discussions and engaging presentations in an ecumenical setting. This event is a great opportunity to connect with church leaders and strengthen your sense of how to make church relevant in 2024. Don't miss out on this enriching experience!

This retreat will explore what encounters might occur as we seek God’s presence in our internal worlds, our interpersonal relationships, and our ecological environment. Together we will share stories, engage in creative practices, and spend time in the rich nature of Crieff Hills. Our schedule will be relaxed, with time to walk the labyrinth or get out on the trails. Savour luxurious food and great conversation. Take in engaging workshops and sit by the fire in the evening.

Synod of Québec and Eastern Ontario gathering 2024, is coming up October 18-19 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Arnprior, Ontario. The event will feature guest speaker Carey Nieuwhof, who will lead two sessions on church leadership: Leading Change Without Losing It and 7 Characteristics of the Future Church. In addition to business meetings, attendees will hear from Guy Smagghe, Director of Presbyterian World Service & Development. Open to both synod members and visitors, the gathering will include worship, fellowship, and opportunities for leadership development.

There may never have been a more challenging time in our society to maintain hope, to do soul work and to know how to pursue social justice. It seems that every week brings bad news, whether it comes in the form of climate reports, election results or news of war. Deep resilience is sorely needed just as our culture flees from the ancient wisdom traditions that fostered resilience in our forbears. We need places where we can be vulnerable and honest and can draw upon the healing powers of wisdom traditions.

Some of the best minds in academic progressive theology meet some of the most dynamic theology podcasts surrounded by a loving and inclusive community in a way that stimulates your mind and fills your heart leaving you longing for each moment of your life to become its beautiful potential.

Tuesday October 15
The United Nations and the Future of People of African Descent with Michael McEachrane

Tuesday October 22
Bold Discipleship: Reflections from the United Church in Saskatchewan with SunDo Hyun, Bernon Lee, Becca Whitlaw

Tuesday October 29
Race Talks from GenZs with Spring water Hester-Meawassige, Emo Yango

Tuesday November 5
Fighting Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada with a panel of key leaders

Tuesday November 12
Continuing Our Stories: Indigenous Identities in the Christian Church with Leaders from the Anglican Church of Canada and The United Church of Canada

Tuesday November 19
The Texts of Advent: Finding Good News and Avoiding Antisemitism with Amy-Jill Levine

Tuesday November 26
What Will We Sing When We Need to Sing a New Song? with Then Let Us Sing! Committee

Organizationally and economically congregations no longer fit with the American culture which puts future viability into question. That’s the good news. In this webinar we’ll explore the practical aspects of being countercultural and what our changed cultural purpose as communities of faith may be.

Rev. Dr. Gil Rendle most recently served as Senior Vice President with The Texas Methodist Foundation in Austin Texas and as an internationally respected independent consultant working with issues of change and leadership in Protestant, Catholic and Jewish denominational systems. Prior to this position he served the Alban Institute as an author, seminar leader and senior consultant for twelve years. An ordained United Methodist minister, Rendle served as senior pastor of two urban congregations in Pennsylvania for sixteen years and as a denominational consultant for The United Methodist Church for nine years. 

If you are grappling with the challenges of digital ministry as…

• An ordained church or ministry leader or

• A lay person helping out in the sound booth, the office, a social media role, or anywhere else…

Then this course is for you! Your learning community will spend four weeks learning, applying, reflecting, and engaging with spiritual practices as you discern how to effectively sustain your ministry outside its four walls in the online space, today and through future shifts.

FROM LAMENT TO HOPE

Your church has the unique opportunity to be a place of purpose, belonging, and hope for your community.

Blessed Are the Undone: Leading in the Era of Quiet Deconstruction is a two-day event taking place October 4-5, 2024, in Waterloo, ON, Saskatoon, SK, and online. This conference will explore the growing phenomenon of quiet deconstruction within the Canadian church, offering pastors, ministry leaders, academics, artists, and those navigating personal faith questions an opportunity to engage with real-life stories of deconstruction.

For too long, evangelism has been used to grow our churches or convert people to a certain way of believing in God. This expression of evangelism has hurt many people and promoted injustice. We will explore how we are called to embody the good news of God’s healing and compassion through A Lifestyle that Exudes Justice!

Join us for "We Need To Listen" where participants will find:

- support and encouragement
- accountability and celebration
- ideas and strategies

…and most of all, a community of people passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus with the world but sometimes feel alone doing it.

Ministry Forum is delighted to host an online space that will strive to be safe as modelled and facilitated by its hosts where ministry leaders will gather with almost no agenda and where everything is on the table and tangents are welcomed.

Conflict in congregational life is unique – it mixes organizational dynamics with personality, family history, conflict, theology and of course, faith. This combination creates both challenges and possibilities. This workshop provides church leaders with an opportunity to consider their role as leaders in this dynamic environment, providing practical tools and processes for engaging churches experiencing conflict, transforming tough situations into opportunities for both wisdom, courage and grace.

Join us on October 1st at Knox College for a worship and lecture featuring theologian Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim. Explore the roots of the myth of a white, male God and rediscover a more inclusive vision of the divine. Worship begins at 1:15 PM, followed by a thought-provoking lecture. This is an in-person event and will be made available for digital viewing at a later date. Those registered for the event will have first access to the recording once it is available. 

How can our denomination become a healthier multi-ethnic church? How can presbyteries and congregations be more aware of the ways in which the privilege and power of the dominant Euro-Canadian culture consciously and unconsciously marginalize and exclude non-Euro-Canadians? This workshop will assist participants by helping them:

engage in difficult conversations about culture, race, and ethnicity

understand privilege and power conferred by culture

understand the dynamics of other cultures and relationship building between them

As we consider the ecclesial challenges of today, we first commit to reckoning with the history of displacement, violence, abuse, and genocide toward Indigenous Peoples in which the churches are implicated – especially through the Canadian Residential School system as outlined in the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We also welcome conversation on questions of the churches’ involvement in or opposition to Indigenous genocide in the USA, Mexico, or elsewhere in Greater North America

Join us for part 2 of "Preaching Refresher," a three-part online initiative with Dr. Sarah Travis made for preachers who want to find new energy and direction in their work. This course is for church leaders dealing with the tough parts of preaching in today's world. We want to help with the worries about smaller and older congregations and how to make sermons connect with people today.

This module continues our comprehensive instruction on spiritual care within long-term care settings. Building on foundational knowledge from Module One, this course offers practical skills and theoretical insights tailored to the unique challenges of this environment. Sessions will cover topics such as dementia, spiritual struggle, and providing care across various faith traditions.

All-day workshop and evening Premier Jazz Suite Performance: The Mustard Seed Suite

A great cultural shift seems to be happening to Protestant congregational life and pastoral identity. But recognizing what is actually changing can be difficult to name, and misdiagnosing the challenges we face can happen easily. On September 23 and 24, we invite you to join us in a unique conversation between internationally-recognized practical and constructive theologians, and renowned sociologist Hartmut Rosa.

Jesus groups in the first and second centuries engaged in extensive experimentation with the boundaries of communal identity. The diversity of these experiments led to conflict, both within groups and between groups and outsiders. We can find evidence of these conflicts preserved within the writings of these early groups, most often in the context of discussions of the status and role of women. Gender was an important tool both in identity experimentation and formation for these groups, and therefore in setting boundaries as well. While later Christianity became fiercely patriarchal, we can still recover the voices of those who challenged conventions of gender in their negotiations of their Jesus group identities. The Acts of Paul and Thecla offers one significant opportunity to hear these voices, and this course will use this little known story to frame our discussions of how communities of the Anointed discovered and developed who they were.

You can look forward to:

• A carefully crafted programme which aims to refresh, inspire and encourage all who preach

• A mix of curated lectures, seminars and workshops led by some of today’s outstanding preachers

• Beautiful and thoughtful worship, music and liturgies

• Outstanding hospitality, accommodation, and buildings – in the heart of one of the UK’s most beautiful cities

The Festival of Preaching 2024 will allow preachers from all over the UK and beyond, from a diversity of church denominations and traditions, to gather together, in glorious surroundings, to discuss, pray, worship, listen and learn from each other – and the guest speakers. You are sure to go back to your home parish refreshed and encouraged in your preaching ministry.

ReVITALize is a conference for ministry leaders and lay people to get together, refresh, learn some new things, be supported, build community, and get inspired. Speakers talk about what is revitalizing them now, and time is given for people to gather with friends and colleagues and meet new folks. People from all denominations and traditions are welcome to attend.

Hosts Jennifer Astop (Grant Program Coordinator, Canadian Ministries) and the rev. Ian Ross-McDonald (General Secretary, Life and Mission Agency) will review the grants available through the PCC’s Life and Mission Agency, discuss the application process give tips on writing a successful, grant application and answer any questions you may have about the grant application process give tips on writing a successful grant application and answer any questions you may have about grants.