Community, Grief, and Learning: An Interview with Brenda Curtis and Keith Hall On April 6, 2018, the bus of the Humbolt Broncos hockey team collided with a semi truck. Sixteen people died, including team statistician Brody Hinz. CCS graduate Brenda Curtis and Integration Year student Keith Hall conducted Brody’s memorial service. Janet Ross spoke to Brenda…
Diane Trollope is a retired diaconal minister in Ontario. The warmth is releasing us very slowly into the era of cool air and colour. It has been very hot! Many are facing challenges not asked for after the horror of fires, floods and loss of life. We need to love! We can pray and alter…
Alana Martin is a current student at CCS. Her mother, Martha Martin, a diaconal minister, graduated from the Centre in 1998. Courageous Risking, the 2018 gathering of DUCC (Diakonia of the United Church of Canada) happened in Winnipeg this past April. Taking part in several nights of the DUCC Conference was so beneficial. First, spending time…
The essayist Joseph Joubert wrote “To teach is to learn twice.” The same could be said for the role of a mentor, one who facilitates learning through accompaniment and encouragement. CCS graduate Kathy Douglas had this experience as she mentored two diaconal ministry students this past year. “It is always wonderful to find work in…
by Lori Stewart French language lessons took me to St. Boniface in the early part of the summer, where I picked up a small brochure that unfolded to a good sized map of the prairie provinces titled “Sentiers de 1885” or “Trails of 1885. It showed sites that were significant in the Northwest Resistance of…
Former CCS principal Maylanne Maybee has stepped out of retirement into the role of acting principal at the United Theological College in Montreal, for a three-year term. Maylanne served as principal of CCS from August 2011 to August 2017 when she retired and Michelle Owens took over the role.
During General Council 43, various people will be reporting on what’s happening, sharing moments and offering their reflections. Tammy Allan and Marlene Britton-Walfall share sites, insights, music and a new Moderator is elected. Another couple of days have passed. Yesterday we dealt with business in the morning and then had the afternoon for excursion tours to see…
During General Council 43, various people will be reporting on what’s happening, sharing moments and offering their reflections. Marlene Britton-Walfall gathers with DUCCs and annoints while the Jenga towers fall. Greetings from Marlene. Lunchtime on Tuesday was filled with laughter and animated discussion as the DUCCs at GC43 gathered. It was a wonderful…
Updated, July 25. During General Council 43, various people will be reporting on what’s happening, sharing moments and offering their reflections. Marlene Britton-Walfall* reminds us that amongst the fun there is challenge and hard work. It’s the morning of the 4th day of this meeting in OshaWow! Devotions this morning challenged us to reflect…
During General Council 43, various people will be reporting on what’s happening, sharing moments and offering their reflections. Deborah Laforet and Marlene Britton-Walfall found connection at GC43. General Council is a place to reconnect. As someone who was a candidate in one conference, a student in another, settled into a third, and am now in…
During General Council 43, various people will be reporting on what’s happening, sharing moments and offering their reflections. Tammy Allan sets the stage. We have arrived! We are here in Oshawa Ontario at the site of General Council 43. The theme is “Risking Faith, Daring Hope.” The day was mostly devoted to a “Festival…
The Log in my Eye Patricia Vollmann-Stock attended the Centre for Christian Studies’ 2-week intensive, Learning on Purpose, which took place in Victoria, B.C. from June 11-23, 2018. Our group of 12 men and women of various ages had the privilege to meet and hear stories from two people who work at Our Place Society,…
This year, the Centre for Christian Studies held its 2-week signature program, Learning on Purpose, in beautiful Victoria, BC. Christ Church Cathedral provided a dramatic stained glass backdrop and awesome organ music. Students gathered from June 11 – 23 to learn what it means for them to be faith leaders that uplifts others, are analytical…
This past May and June, Conferences across the country gathered for what may be the last time as the United Church moves towards collapsing our 4-court model to 3 and replacing Presbyteries and Conferences with Regions. In the face of change we continued to hold the ancient rituals of our gatherings, marking beginning, endings and…
Retirement, a time to reflect and to ponder. I grew up in the United Church, and it is a place I have been rooted in all my life. My dream was to be a nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children’s in Toronto where I did train for my 25 year nursing career. With increasing…