Creative Ways: Insights from our Interns
As the academic year concludes, we’ve asked Sara and Rachel, our Ministry Forum interns to share their reflections and take aways from Creative Ways 2025.
Reflections from Sara Traficante
Creative Ways 2025 was a beautiful synchronicity of Hamilton-area ministries that demonstrate the value of collaboration as a strength through which we can all learn and grow. As you may have picked up from me over this academic year, collaboration is key for me, as someone from a background in professional music and music education. At Creative Ways, we experienced cross-pollination at work in Hamilton and hope for new partnerships and commitments going forward.
Adrian Jacobs, Cayuga leader and advocate for Indigenous justice and reconciliation, gave the keynote address on spiritual covenants between churches and local Indigenous communities. He called the church to action to commit 1% of their annual budgets back to Indigenous organizations. Following up on this concept requires courageous conversations to even begin to work towards this goal.
I am wondering, Ministry Forum community, in the ministries and communities that we serve, how can we support each other to explore this goal?
I live in urban Hamilton, and I witness the economic disparity daily in my city. My church, Central Presbyterian, is across the street from an Indwell Apartment building, and our church is home to residents of this location and other social housing initiatives. We learned from Indwell's Teresa Howe about the wide range of supports and housing this organization provides, and the partnerships with churches throughout Southern Ontario.
And just over a kilometre away from my church is St. Paul's Presbyterian. At just a short distance, they are impacted much more intensely by drug consumption and overdose on their church grounds. Interim Moderator at St. Paul's, The. Rev. Dr. Mark Lewis shared the congregation's bold and creative response to the needs literally on their doorstep, and the work towards collaborating for low-income housing on the church property. Lewis has led the congregation with curiosity and humility towards their path forward, and it was inspiring to learn about the willingness from the session and congregation.
We witnessed presentations from two unique approaches to serving the immediate needs in Hamilton. Neither can do this alone.
And finally, Randell Neudorf from Greater Ontario House of Prayer guided a contemplative prayer walk in the quiet of our imaginations, closing the day with a creative approach to prayer that invites us out of our comfort zones of the pew or the quiet of our home, and into the city to see with eyes of love, with grace for the world around us.
This was a day of creative ideas to infuse new life into our ministry contexts, bringing together an audience from our host church St. Cuthbert's Presbyterian, General Assembly commissioners, online audience, and folks from the local Hamilton community.
Reflections from Rachel Proctor-Kennedy
This year, Ministry Forum hosted their annual “Creative Ways” conference at St. Cuthbert’s in Hamilton before the 150th General Assembly for the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The Spirit was definitely moving, as each presenter discussed the creative way they are approaching ministry in this new era of church. Specifically, they communicated the ways in which they are addressing the needs of their local community.
The event began with inspiring worship led by St. Cuthbert’s ministry team as well as Knox College’s Principal, Ernest Van Eck. We were even blessed with a beautiful communion liturgy that captivated our hearts, with the main message of creating tables longer and wider! The whole service flowed seamlessly into the conference which inspired it’s listeners to see where the needs are in their local community, and with the Spirit, how to meet those needs.
The hospitality at St. Cuthbert’s was unmatched. They made the Ministry Forum team feel so welcomed and comfortable in their space, not to mention the commissioners who were present for worship and lunch for General Assembly. I believe worship is best experienced when it has been carefully and collegially planned in advance—and thanks to the St. Cuthbert’s team, it was. Every part of the service, down to how the chairs were aligned in order to make everyone feel comfortable and involved, was well thought out with care and love.
From worship to a time of fellowship and lunch provided by 541 Eatery and Exchange, commissioners, worship participants, and Creative Ways attendees were able to mix and mingle before the conference began.
Once the keynote speaker Adrian Jacobs kicked off the afternoon with his address on spiritual covenants between churches and local Indigenous communities, it was clear that the day was going to be special. Not only did every speaker speak from personal experience with their particular mission (ex., Indwell, Greater Ontario House of Prayer, and The Rev. Dr. Mark Lewis) but they also provided insight into how God is working and how the church is evolving.
As many of us know, being the church today is challenging. But Creative Ways proposed an opportunity to think generationally about how we as the church of today can lead the next generation with faith, hope, love, and grace. It was exceptional, as each speaker commented on how their organizations were all connected to God’s greater vision for the world which God so loves—a world full of possibility and hope.
In my opinion, this was the perfect way to start General Assembly this year. As this was the 150th anniversary of the PCC, more than ever we must be thinking creatively about how we want to last for the next 150 years. Being a commissioner is truly a privilege in order to have a seat at the table to make positive changes to our church context for the upcoming year and beyond. For the commissioners that did attend Creative Ways, they were prepped with an inspired mind to think about their own church contexts and the wider national church as they gathered later that evening for opening worship.
Yes, the church as we know it is changing and, in some cases, doesn’t look like the church some of us grew up in. But this is not something to be fearful of. The Spirit is calling us towards a new faithful and loving place—a place where all are truly welcomed, a community that is steadfast in its commitment to the Kin-dom of God, and a renewed faith that God will continue to be our guide as the Presbyterian Church continues its mission.