40 Years of DUCC

DUCC – the Diakonia of the United Church of Canada – is celebrating its 40th birthday this year, and diaconal ministers from across Canada have gathered in Drumheller, AB to celebrate. A sizeable portion of CCS staff – Principal Marcie Gibson, program staff members Janet Ross and Alcris Limongi, and Development Coordinator Gwen McAllister – are attending the DUCC national gathering, Sept 24-27, 2024, to join in the celebrations.

“Quack quack quack! Being at the largest ever DUCC gathering is quite an amazing experience,” says Janet. “From elder DUCCs to “baby” DUCCs there is joy and excitement when together!”

“It’s great to see diaconal ministers who graduated from CCS in the past few years stepping into leadership roles and connecting with those who graduated 50 years ago or more,” notes Marcie.

The gathering includes diaconal ministers who received their formative education at CCS in its various iterations over the years – from Covenant College (the initial merger of the the Anglican and United Church training schools), from the residential (and optional residential) CCS program in Toronto, from the Western Field-based program, and from the CCS programs offered in Winnipeg in the last 25 years.

Eight current CCS students are also in attendance, including one who is just beginning his studies this year and six who will be remaining in Drumheller with Marcie Gibson for a week following the DUCC gathering for the fall learning circle of their Integration Year.

2020 CCS graduates Karen Orlando and Kim McNaughton contributed to the opening worship, with Karren leading a short guided meditation (based on Calming, Centring, and Stilling), and Kim composing a body prayer.

The DUCC gathering followed an intentional spiral pattern, starting with a sharing of experiences and diaconal history, courtesy of a panel of diaconal elders – Ann Naylor, Dorothy Naylor, Eric Tusz-King, Kathy Toivanen, Deb Deavu, and Linda Ervin. This was followed by some reflective observation (including some time to remember members of the DUCC community who have died in the past few years). A presentation by United Church of Canada General Secretary Michael Blair and a World Cafe process facilitated by Kendra Mitchell-Foster and Keith Simmonds provided opportunity to wrestled with thought-provoking concepts and critical questions about the future of the church and the diaconate. Michael Blair said, “We are living in a time where the greatest need is community.” The World Cafe process asked participants to discuss:

What critical diaconal perspectives would we offer the future of the church?
What relationships, connections, and ministries will vitally shape the future of the church?
What values, traditions, and stories will shape a diaconal vision of the future of the church?

Like any good spiral, the process moves toward action, with considerations of how diaconal ministry will move into the future, noting that diaconal ministry has often existed and operated on the margins of or outside of existing church structures.

Anyone who has attended a CCS learning circle in the past few years knows that we like to collect “gleanings” – little quotes and expressions that we hear in passing and that strike us as amusing or profound. Here are some of the gleanings from CCS staff at the DUCC gathering:

“If you want to change behaviour, first change imagination.”
“Sometimes I don’t know what is diaconal and what is just common sense.”
“It’s about the why and the how, not the what of ministry.”
“It’s not about whether the church has a future, but does the future have a church?”
“There is always room for dessert.”
“Dedication can be best shown as a deaconess”
“Deaconesses are adaptable in more ways than one.”
“I really love that feisty diaconal call.”
“We are called to be bold.”
“I see, I serve, with gratitude.”

“Putting faces to names has been a highlight of this gathering,” concludes Janet, “as names in printed ink becomes embodied in years of diaconal ministry and experience. True diakonia at work, and as we all continue learning together — from past wisdom to present contexts to future visioning. I’m already looking forward to the next one!”