Upcoming events.
Eco-Justice in the Congregation: Creating Ministries for People and Planet
Join us as Rev. Konnie Vissers shares about the emerging ministry Rooted: Centre for Theology and Eco-Justice. What started as dissertation research into eco-anxiety and spiritual care for children, has emerged into an organization that seeks to build resilience for people and planet through theologically rooted and eco-justice focused environmental education. Konnie will share some of her research findings around eco-anxiety in young people, and how congregations can use gardening as a spiritual practice to bolster resilience in children who experience eco-anxiety. Specifically, Konnie will demonstrate how Rooted teaches young people how to grow their own food sustainably and ethically, and shares the food with participants, local families, and the food bank, to promote food security and eco-justice. Links: Find Rooted on Facebook, Instagram (@rootedcte), and on our website at rootedcentre.ca (please note that the website will not go live until next week most likely).
Eden's Orchard: Turning Church Land into a Living Ministry and Mission, Building Community and Feeding the Hungry
Many churches today face a challenging combination of food insecurity in their communities, declining church attendance, and underused land on their properties. Eden’s Orchard, the missional expression of Eden’s Refuge, offers a compelling solution: transforming unused church grounds into thriving, low-maintenance orchards that feed the hungry and open new doors for local ministry. In this inspiring and practical webinar, JD Van Allen, certified permaculture designer and founder of Eden’s Refuge, will share how churches can plan, install, and maintain a community orchard with limited ongoing resources and volunteer hours. Drawing on real-world examples, including an orchard planted in the parking lot of C*Road Church, JD will show how a well-designed system becomes a sustainable ministry opportunity for decades to come.
Repairers of the Breech
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel remarked after marching for freedom with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “I felt as though my feet were praying.” What does it mean to live our values on the streets? To stand in the breaches and busted places of our society, to rise up with the suffering and to cry out for justice? What it does it mean to live into the Biblical commandment to “Love Thy Neighbour”? How do we hold our discomfort in pursuit of a world redeemed? Rabbi Michael Adam Latz was a congregational rabbi for more than 20 years and served a congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a short distance from where George Floyd was murdered by police officers in May 2020 and the heart of where the recent global uprising for racial justice and reckoning was born. In a moment where a Black man had the life choked out of him by a white police officer, we examine the moral responsibilities of people of faith to rise with the suffering and use our collective power for good.
Hope: Growing and Maintaining Hope in Uncertain Times
It's getting harder and harder to maintain hope in our world. As many of us grow more skeptical about the possibility of change, leaders in many spaces are compelled to continue to preach hope, to hold hope, to model hope. How do we do it? Is hope even practical? Join us as we explore the intersection of faith, hope, and justice, and dive into Hope Theory to learn together how to grow and foster hope in ourselves and in those we lead.
Putting the Puzzle Pieces of Transitional Ministry Together Webinar
We start with the premise that all ministry is transitional. As pastors, we are called to be a part of bringing about the kingdom of God. As leaders, we are called to guide congregations and ministry systems with intentionality, seeking to be ever more faithful to God’s call to us in this particular time, in this particular place for this particular purpose.
This webinar outlines the fundamentals of intentional transitional ministry and invites participants into exploring more deeply what how the pieces fit together in our current context.
Trauma-Informed Practice: Fundamental Concepts for Complex Workplaces
Our first in a series of webinars made possible by funds from the Lilly Grant Foundation.
Trauma-Informed Practice from TEND Academy
Supporting people with complex needs can be challenging. Providing responsive and compassionate service is only possible when we recognize the pervasive impact that trauma can have on a person’s life and the way they engage with the world. When we reframe our perspective from “what is wrong with you” to “what happened to you,” we help to create an atmosphere of safety, trust, and collaboration.
In this setting, we empower the people we serve, those we work alongside, and ourselves to fully engage with the services we provide.