Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Nov 6 Speakers
Rev. Dr. Philip Mathai
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
Acknowledgement and Morning Welcome from the Host Pastor of Mount Zion Lutheran Church in Waterloo.
Rev. Dr. Philip Mathai, who has his roots in the St. Thomas tradition of India, found his way to Waterloo, Ontario, from the Karnataka region of southern India where his father was a seminary professor. After completing his Bachelor Degree in Science, he did his basic theological training while still in India. Then Mathai worked for a year with the Mar Thoma Church, a reformed church of the St Thomas tradition. Mathai then earned his MTh and spent the next nine years working for an organization involved in theological education. Pr. Philip continued his studies at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, for a year followed by several years at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago where he completed his Doctorate which has led to the publication of Songs as Locus for a Lay Theology reviewed as "a treat for those interested in world Christianity and global ethno-hymnody."
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
80th Anniversary Historian: Themes from 80 Years of CCC Ecumenism
The Rev. Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan is a Past President of The Canadian Council of Churches and has recently authored the CCC's latest history (hyperlink to the publication). Barnett-Cowan is retired from her work as the Director for Unity Faith and Order for the Anglican Communion, based in London, England. In that capacity she staffed the Inter-Anglican Commission for Unity, Faith and Order, which addresses issues of doctrine and communion life. She was the lead staff for the ecumenical dialogues of the Anglican Communion. For the first six months of 2015 Alyson served as Interim Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, heading the Secretariat which supports the work of the Instruments of Communion (Lambeth Conference, Anglican Consultative Council, Primates Meeting and the Archbishop of Canterbury).
Before her appointment to the Anglican Communion Office, Alyson was the Director of the Faith, Worship, and Ministry Department of the Anglican Church of Canada. In this role she staffed its theological and ecumenical work. She has been a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and a Vice-President and President of The Canadian Council of Churches.
Rev. Peter Noteboom
Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan
Rev. Peter Noteboom
Rev. Peter Noteboom, Canadian Council of Churches General Secretary: Memories from the Margins
Active in his home church, the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Noteboom was ordained as a Commissioned Pastor in November 2019. He has been the General Secretary of The Canadian Council of Churches since 2018. In this role Peter actively lifts up the call for gospel unity, provides direction and leadership through the development of vision and priorities, implements the strategic and program plans of the Council, facilitates Canadian and global ecumenical relationships, and participates in and leads in Canadian interfaith initiatives.
Peter serves as the Co-Chair of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, advocating for religion in a pluralistic society and in Canadian public life. He is also a member of the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy and the Interfaith Committee on Chaplaincy in the Correctional Service of Canada.
Peter has been with the CCC since 1999 beginning as Associate Secretary, Justice and Peace. In that role he has served as staff support for the Commission on Justice and Peace, the Human Rights Committee, the Ecumenical Healthcare Network, the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network, the Biotechnology Reference Group and the Working Group on Human Trafficking / Sexual Exploitation in Canada.
Rev. Karen Kuhnert
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Rev. Peter Noteboom
Rev. Karen Kuhnert, Archivist, Eastern Synod (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
Canadian Ecumenism and the
1977 United Nations Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas
Karen Kuhnert is a member of the 80th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign for the CCC. She is a frequent contributor to Canadian and Global ecumenical efforts at the intersections of Climate Change, the WCC/CCC, KAIROS and Indigenous Rights. Karen's first career was as a provincial Legislative worker and researcher. Karen was the ELCIC representative to the KAIROS Indigenous Rights Circle (KIRC) from 2011-2017 as KAIROS entered the period of "With not For" restructuring.
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Acknowledgement and Afternoon Welcome
Rev. Amanda Currie, President of The Canadian Council of Churches
Amanda Currie is the current President of The Canadian Council of Churches (2024-2027) and serves in this role from her home in Treaty 4 Territory in Western Canada (Regina). Currie was one of the Vice-Presidents of the CCC from 2021-2024. At the time of election, she said,
"As a Presbyterian who values the good order of church decision-making bodies, I am looking forward to convening the Governing Board meetings and assisting the churches to live out the Forum method of decision-making in which every church’s voice is heard and we strive for agreement by consensus. As a member of an Interchurch Family (I am married to a Roman Catholic theologian), I am looking forward to continuing to pray and work together with leadership from a broad spectrum of Canadian Churches for the full visible unity that is Jesus’ desire for us."
Leah Reesor-Keller
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Rev. Amanda Currie,
Tending Tomorrow by Leah Reesor-Keller, Transitional Executive Director, KAIROS Canada
Leah Reesor-Keller joined KAIROS in September 2023. Prior to her role with KAIROS, Leah served as the Executive Minister of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, part of the Mennonite Church Canada denomination. Leah is the author of the book Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet on faith, leadership and culture change in the context of the climate crisis. (link to Tending Tomorrow).
As a faith leader, writer and facilitator, Leah cares about listening deeply, asking reflective questions, fostering relationships of mutuality, and holding space for new dreams and visions of a better future for people and the planet to emerge. She has 20 years’ experience working with faith-based and social justice organizations in Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, and Nepal. Leah holds an MA in Development Studies from York University and a BA in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Waterloo. She lives with her spouse and young children on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples, land which is part of the Haldimand Tract in Kitchener, Ontario. Leah is a member of Erb Street Mennonite Church in Waterloo and serves on the Elders team.
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Shared Stories of 25 years of Ecumenical Engagement at the Intersection of Faith, Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Rev. Dr. (MD CCFP) Peter Kuhnert is a medical doctor as well as a commissioner on the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing. He is an ELCIC Lutheran pastor and Co-Chair of the CCC Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group. Having been raised in Quebec and Alberta, before serving in the NWT and Ontario, Kuhnert brings diverse and multi-lingual Canadian experiences to his work for the CCC and WCC.
Dr. Rosemary Meier
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Shared Stories of 25 years of Ecumenical Engagement at the Intersection of Faith, Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Dr. Helen Rosemary Meier
Rosemary is a retired geriatric psychiatrist. She is a member of the Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). She is a current co-chair of the Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Stephen Allen
Rev. Dr. Peter Kuhnert
Stephen Allen
Shared Stories of 25 years of Ecumenical Engagement at the Intersection of Faith, Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Stephen Allen was the Associate Secretary for Justice Ministries with The Presbyterian Church of Canada from 1997 until 2018. He served on the Biotechnology Reference Group (BRG) and the Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group (FLSRG, the successor body of the BRG) of the Canadian Council of Churches from the formation of the BRG until 2018. Stephen is a former chair of the FLSRG.
Emily Savage
Roshney Kurian
Stephen Allen
Emily Savage, Vice-President of the Canadian Council of Churches
Listening to Young Adults in the Canadian Ecumenical Movement
Emily Savage was one of the founding forces in the creation of the Eastern Synod (ELCIC) Racial Justice Advisory Committee. Savage has been active in her home congregation in raising awareness of houselessness and food insecurity. Savage was an active member of the Young Canadian Lutherans (YCL) movement which was an effort to bring more Young Adults aged 18-35 into intentional engagement at the intersection of faith-church-society. in their home congregations, local areas and wider church expressions.
Marina Fanous
Roshney Kurian
Roshney Kurian
Marina Fanous, Communications Coordinator and Program Coordinator for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Listening to Young Adults in the Canadian Ecumenical Movement and Co-MC for Evening at First United
Marina started with the CCC in 2023, and has since taken on the role of Communications Coordinator, as well as the Program Coordinator for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Having grown up in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Canada, she is now part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Marina holds an Honours BA in French Literature and the Study of Religion, as well as a Master’s of Theological Studies, with specialization in Orthodox and Eastern Christian Studies, both from the University of Toronto.
Roshney Kurian
Roshney Kurian
Roshney Kurian
Roshney Kurian was born and raised on Dish with One Spoon territory on the traditional lands of the Erie, Neutral, Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas in Hamilton, Ontario. Her family is from Kerala, India and is part of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, which is an Eastern reformed faith tradition. Roshney studied at McMaster and Carleton universities, and has an educational background in English, Social Work, and Gender and Social Justice. She is a Registered Social Worker with a passion for social justice, anti-racism, decolonial theory and praxis, and holistic, trauma-informed community healing. Roshney’s favourite pastimes include reading, writing, hiking, dancing, and spending time with loved ones. Her role with The Canadian Council of Churches is to support the Commission on Justice and Peace.
Kate Andison
Boston Laferté
Boston Laferté
Kate Andison grew up in Toronto and has recently graduated from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Theology. She is now working in London, England for the Revitalise Trust; a not for profit organization working to reverse the decline of the Church of England through Church planting, Church revitalisation, and social action. Kate has grown up in the Anglican Church of Canada and has worked at an Anglo-Catholic Church and been a part of a Roman Catholic worshipping community. Kate now attends Holy Trinity Brompton Church on Sunday mornings where she serves as a Youth Leader, and spends her summers working at a Christian summer camp in northern Ontario. Kate had the privilege of attending the 2024 Global Christian Forum which gathered in Ghana as a Youth Delegate of the Anglican Church. Kate is deeply passionate about ecumenism and longs to see Jesus’ vision ‘that they may all be one’ fulfilled!
Boston Laferté
Boston Laferté
Boston Laferté
Boston Laferté Boston is in the MDiv program at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon. He is one of four elected Governing Board Youth Members for The Canadian Council of Churches. Boston holds a BA in History and Indigenous Studies from the University of Victoria and is currently studying law at UVIC in the joint degree program in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders. Laferté is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and he grew up in Treaty 8 territory near the town of Peace River, Alberta before moving to the unceded lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən people (Victoria) in 2018, Laferté was an author for The Martlet, UVic's Independent Newspaper and now is perhaps best known across the country for the Let's Talk Faith and Justice Podcast led by Boston Laferté and Rev. Lyndon Sayers, Multi-faith Chaplain and Co-Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Cross, The podcast "explores topics of faith through the lens of justice, and topics of justice through the lens of faith. Both the hosts and guests bring their own unique life experiences and faith journeys to explore how the sometimes-conflicting worlds of faith and justice can intersect in deep and life-giving ways. It is with deep respect and gratitude that Let's Talk Faith and Justice is recorded and produced on unceded lək̓ʷəŋən territories that include Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations."
Sophia Kim
Boston Laferté
Rev. Dr. Das Sydney
Sophia Kim is a University of Toronto student studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree. She is working towards a major in Literature and Critical Theory, and a double minor in French and Creative Writing. Her father, Dr. Rev. Joon Ki Kim, is a minister working for a two-point pastoral charge at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and Little Harbour Presbyterian Church in Nova Scotia. As a member of both congregations, Sophia attended the 2021 General Assembly for the Presbyterian Church in Canada as a young adult representative. Last summer, Sophia attended "Uplift", a summer event in partnership with the United Church of Canada as a key panel speaker and worker for the leadership team. With her deep passion for the arts, Sophia loves to write poetry, play the piano, and sing in her church choirs.
Rev. Dr. Das Sydney
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
Rev. Dr. Das Sydney
Blessing and Sending
C0-MC for Evening Event at First United.
Rev. Dr. Das Sydney is the Immediate Past President of The Canadian Council of Churches and Minister Emeritus at Highland Baptist Church in Kitchener, Ontario. Sydney has served in churches in Ontario and Nova Scotia. He is a past-President of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec. While he has lived most of his life in Canada, his country of birth is India and he spent many of his early years in Africa where he began university studies in Ghana. Sydney is a graduate of McMaster Divinity School and earned a Doctorate in Chicago. Sydney has served as an Adjunct Faculty at Acadia Divinity College and McMaster University. Rev. Dr. Das Sydney made the CCC Expression of Reconciliation to Survivors of Canada;s Residential School System on behalf of the Members and Associates of the CCC and the CCC continues to live into its commitments which can be read here.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
Introduction of Dr. Andrew and Wendy Donaldson, CCC 80th Anniversary Evening - Singing Lament and Hope Towards Peace at First United Waterloo
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson, “Introduction of Dr. Andrew and Wendy Donaldson, CCC 80th Anniversary Evening.” Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson has served as parish or campus pastor in Canada and the USA. In Switzerland, he was pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva's English-speaking Congregation for 15 years. Larson served as a consultant with the Lutheran World Federation’s Department for Theology and Public Witness in Geneva, from 2011-2012. He chaired the International Worship Planning Committee for the LWF Assembly and the 500th Commemoration of the Reformation in Namibia in 2017. Larson is co-author of Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God: Integrating Vision and Practice and also The Sacraments Gentle Call to Justice: Creation and New Creation. Larson is co-author of Liturgy, Justice and the Reign of God: Integrating Vision and Practice and also wrote The Sacraments Gentle Call to Justice: Creation and New Creation
https://www.worship.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Larson_The-Sacraments-Gentel-Call.pdf
Cesar Jaramillo
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
Rev. Dr. Stephen Larson
“Climate, Peace and Security” by Cesar Jaramillo, Executive Director of Project Ploughshares 80th Anniversary Evening - Singing Lament and Hope Towards Peace at First United Waterloo
Cesar Jaramillo's work at Project Ploughshares has four focus areas including nuclear disarmament, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, emerging military technologies and conventional weapons controls. As an international civil society representative Cesar has addressed, among others, the UN General Assembly First Committee, the Conference on Disarmament, the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, as well as states parties to the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty and to the Arms Trade Treaty. He has given guest lectures and presentations at academic institutions such as New York University, the National Law University in New Delhi, the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, and the University of Toronto. Cesar graduated from the University of Waterloo with an MA in global governance and has Bachelor’s Degrees in Honours Political Science and in Journalism. Prior to joining Project Ploughshares, he held a fellowship at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Andrew Donaldson is a well-published and sought after performer, teacher, composer and editor that has led workshops on congregational song across North America, as well as in Korea, Indonesia, Poland, Switzerland and Scotland. Andrew is a former President of the North American Hymn Society. With Wendy Wyatt Donaldson, herself a trained educator and gifted musical enlivener, the Donaldsons have worked in many contexts as pastoral musicians to build singing communities of faith through worship under four guiding pillars: worship as play, music as community, singing the world, music as ministry. The Donaldsons animated music engagement in Geneva, Switzerland, for five years during which Andrew worked as Worship Consultant to the World Council of Churches. In this role he guided planning and leading worship for people of many ecumenical traditions and many faith communities. A notable accomplishment for Andrew was organizing worship for the WCC's Global Assembly in Busan, Korea. Discover their their songbooks at .https://www.andrewdonaldson.ca/songbooks.html
Scott Knarr
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Deacon Scott Knarr serves as the Diaconal Minister of Music with the people of St. Matthews, Kitchener and previously Mount Zion, Waterloo. Scott earned a MA in Theology in 2014 from Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (now Martin Luther University College). He co-facilitates the Feather & Cross program which brings together Lutherans and Indigenous folks in the urban context to learn and share with one another. For several years he has supported the youth-led, grassroots organization Music for the Spirit on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Nicholas Jesson
Andrew Donaldson and Wendy Wyatt Donaldson
Nicholas Jesson
Zoom Only Presentations on Community-based Ecumenical Vibrancy
Nicholas Jesson, is the Ecumenical Officer for the Archdiocese of Regina. He is currently a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada and of the Canadian Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith & Witness. He is the editor of the Margaret O’Gara Ecumenical Dialogues Collection, and editor of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue archive IARCCUM.org. Jesson was the Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Saskatoon (1994-99 & 2008-17), Executive Director of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism (1994-99), and a member of the Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada Dialogue (2012-2020).
Cathryn Wood
Cathryn Wood
Nicholas Jesson
Zoom Only Presentations on Community-based Ecumenical Vibrancy
Cathryn Wood is the Executive Director of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon. Wood has been with the PCE since 2015. She is an observer on The Canadian Council of Churches Governing Board and participates in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Canadian Writing Team.
Paul Mackey
Cathryn Wood
Paul Mackey
Zoom Only Presentations on Community-based Ecumenical Vibrancy
Paul Mackey is the Ecumenical Officer for the Catholic Archdiocese of Québec. His personal activity in ecumenism started in 1970 in Concert Choir at the University of Alberta. The Concert Choir was comprised of many students from Concordia College, a Lutheran-affiliated school at the time, and was led by David Stocker, who taught at Concordia College.
To Learn more about the Canadian Council of Churches See:
!