Congratulate our 2018 Grads and Companion

Congratulate our 2018 Grads and Companion

On April 14 and 15, we will be celebrating this year’s graduating class and Companion of the Centre!

The Celebration Banquet will be on Saturday, April 14 at St. George’s Anglican Church at 5 p.m. If you’d like to attend, or to sponsor a student to attend, contact the office at office@ccsonline.ca.

The Annual Service of Celebration will be Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m. at the Thomson Funeral Home, 669 Broadway in Winnipeg. All are welcome!

Please offer your congratulations in the comments section.

Graduates Catherine Underhill, Tif McNaughton, Anita Rowland and Melanie Ihmels.

Cathy will be commissioned April 29th with the Bay of Quinte Conference into a pastoral charge located in a farming community. She is also honoured to graduate with a BTS in Diaconal Ministry from St. Stephen’s College.  She says, “As a green gal, I am rooted in contemporary social movements through my long standing love of gardening.  For any of you who are gardeners, activists and educators who transform the system by planting seeds, tending the plants and peeling back the hard-edged concrete, my hope is that together we bring about a more beautiful and just world.”

After graduation, Tif plans to continue with her part-time solo ministry position with Knox United Pastoral Charge in Fernie, B.C. In June she hopes to cycle Going to the Sun in celebration of finishing the CCS program. GTTS is  a  high mountain pass highway in Montana which is closed to vehicle traffic briefly in the early summer as they clear snow. She says, “I’ll be doing it solo with limited and low tech gear. Let’s pretend that’s because I’m hardy, it’s actually because I’m poor, haha! It’s steep but above the snow banks, you have lovely views of hanging valleys, glaciers, thick forest, canyons and waterfalls.” After that her priorities include finding enough work to repay her debt, focusing on her health, family and friends, felting and pottery.

Anita is currently in the midst of a conversation with the small rural church  Northwest of Orangeville in Northern Waters Presbytery with whom she has been in ministry for the past couple of years, around the details of a call with them.  She is excited about entering into a long term relationship with this life-giving congregation and will also continue to serve with the local hospital spiritual care team.

After graduation Melanie plans on finding a team ministry position in the Victoria area.  She is looking forward to homework-less days and time to read novels that have nothing to do with anything…and of course spending time with family.  She hopes to continue supporting front line street needs in Victoria through her ministry while pursuing her Masters of Divinity degree with the Vancouver School of Theology.

Companion Sue Taylor

Sue Taylor is the CCS 2018 Companion of the Centre

After a career as a nurse, Sue was called to diaconal ministry and graduated from CCS in 1985.  She did a 2-year stint as a Christian Education Minister. She was appointed the first chaplain of the Carlton Community Chaplaincy in Ottawa where she ministered for 15 years. During that time she helped build community and advocacy within a disorganised and disadvantaged part of town. She continued to work after retirement serving as retired supply in Pastoral Care and Outreach for 9 years.

Sue has been active in social action and mentoring throughout her life. She has worked for transformation and lived a truly diaconal life, modelling intentionality. Read her full biography here.

Please leave comments for Melanie, Tif, Catherine, Anita and Sue below.

 CCS CCS grad theological training theology school