We are sad to announce that our Communications Coordinator Kimiko Karpoff will be leaving her staff position at the Centre for Christian Studies this fall. Kimiko is a graduate of CCS, and while we are sorry to lose her as a colleague and staff member, she will continue to be a cherished part of our community. Kimiko has…
by Kimiko Karpoff Sometimes ministry takes us to places we don’t expect. Those places can be both literal in a geographic sense and to moments or situations that are unanticipated, even if not surprising. Against all evidence to the contrary, we often hold the notion that congregations are places set apart, little tastes of God’s…
by Michelle Owens When I was at the DOTAC gathering in Vancouver this week (Diakonia of the Americas and Caribbean), we celebrated communion together. With one of the Deaconesses of the Wesleyan Methodist Order presiding, we celebrated with gluten free bread and grape juice – the familiar ritual intentionally opening space so that the divine…
by Debra Kigar As member (and later Chair) of the Permanent Committee – Ministry and Employment Policies and Services (PC-MEPS) for the past several years, I have been intimately involved in the work that lead to this policy change. It seems to me that it would be helpful for all diaconal ministers to understand how…
Board of the Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada The ordinal states: “as deacons in the Church, you are to make Christ and his redemptive love known, by your word and example, to those among whom you live and work and worship. You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of…
by Tracy Robertson So far, my rudimentary research project into the Spirituality of Fandom in preparation for my Sabbatical in January has gone very well. I’ve been able to visit and participate in seven events since the start of 2019. Two Comic Expos, Otafest, Two Furry Conventions, and a Superhero and Religion seminar through the…
Regional meetings traditionally include celebrations of ministry. Five CCS graduates were commissioned this year in the United Church of Canada. Congratulations to Lynn McGrath, Marion Martin, Keith Hall, Tammy Bleue, and Terrie Chedore. DUCCs flocked together at Regional meetings. And a gathering of intrepid students in a truly cross country class.
by Karen Orlandi I spent hours trying to learn to say the name of the place where I was staying in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the people who live there. It is Asubpeeschoseewegong, and even now, as I hear it come off my Anglo lips, it sounds completely unlike any language I know. It is…
Learning at Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centreby Kim McNaughton “In a good way” is a phrase Elder Rev. Bernice Saulteaux used during prayer and teaching at the Christology learning circle in April. I am a 4th-year student in the diaconal ministry program at The Centre for Christian Studies (CCS); in September I will be entering the Integration (and…
“The best leap of faith I ever took!” CCS student In a few weeks a new group of Learning on Purpose participants will be walking through the door of the Centre for Christian Studies for the first time. Some of them will be carrying on into the Diaconal Ministries program. Others are taking the LoP…
While labour unions and other groups in Winnipeg prepare to commemorate the centenary of the Winnipeg General Strike in their own fashion, we thought it fitting to offer you a reminder of the part that the one-time resident of our little house on Maryland St. played in one of Canada’s most explosive social episodes. In…
Where are they now? Lori Crocker ~ CCS Grad ~ 1980 Lori Crocker was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Growing up she was involved in Sunday School, children’s choir, Explorers, CGIT, youth group and Sherbrooke Lake United Church Camp in Franey Corner. She remembers loving the music and the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. Lori got a…
I am a third-year student in the Diaconal Diploma program at the Centre for Christian Studies. I currently live in St. John’s, NL. Ihave been an active member of the United Church in Newfoundland for all my life. I have a deep passion for youth and social ministry. My time at CCS has pushed me…
Reviewed by Ray McGinnis “The ideal subject of totalitarianism is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (i.e. the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (i.e. the standards of thought) no longer exist.” (474) Imagine if the Centre for Christian…