Sacred Places and Spaces: March 2022 seminars on Ecumenical Stewardship

Join us! We’re thinking about the use of sacred buildings and properties in new ways. Join us Thursdays, March 3, 10, 17, and 24 at 3:00pm (SK time).

Mar. 3: From Maintenance to Mission
Rev. Dr. Iain Luke will help us consider the factors in moving congregations to a more missional approach in their ministry.

Mar. 10: Greening Our Churches
Norman Lévesque will explore with us the various ways our facilities and our grounds can reduce their impact on God’s beautiful Creation.

Mar. 17: Sharing Sacred Spaces – Facilities and Ministries
Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall will discuss the many and varied ways denominations can work together in ministry and in the sharing of facilities.

Mar. 24:  Loving Our Neighbours! (again)
Carla Leon and Zoë Chaytors will engage us in the question of how we practically interact with our communities and use our physical resources in mission for the good of all.

Registration required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpduiurjIuHdE69wI-4LGI5vlHO0mGqViK

For further information, contact Archdeacon Cheryl Toth at stewardship@sasktel.net

All are welcome. This webinar is planned in the spirit of the LAURC Covenant by the Ecumenical Stewardship Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle, the Saskatchewan Synod of the ELCIC, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina.

More about the presenters

Rev. Dr. Iain Luke, an Anglican priest, has been principal of the College of Emmanuel & St. Chad in Saskatoon since 2016. He previously served as Dean of Athabasca and rector of St. James’ Cathedral in Peace River, Alberta as well as parish appointments in Humboldt, Watson, and Nipawin, Saskatchewan. From 1999 to 2007 he was Director of the Institute for Anglican Ministry and Assistant Professor of Theology at St. John’s College, Winnipeg. Iain has been a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada since 2016.

Norman Lévesque is animator of Creation Care Ministry in the Diocese of St-Jean-Longueuil outside Montréal. The founder of the Green Churches Network (greenchurches.ca), Norman served as executive director from 2009 to 2018. He has also been Associate Director of the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism, sessional lecturer at the Institut de pastorale des Dominicains, and Assistant to the General Secretary of the Assemblée des évêques catholiques du Québec. He is author of Greening Your Church and Prendre soin de la Création (Novalis, 2014) and a co-author of Les pages vertes de la Bible (Novalis, 2012).

Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall is an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada, with pastoral experience in Newfoundland, Labrador, and Ontario, including a United/Anglican shared ministry parish prior to her faculty appointment at St. Andrew’s College. Her teaching, research, and writing bring together historical, pastoral, and ecumenical concerns in the service of congregational ministry in prairie and western contexts and the search for Christian unity. She serves as a member of the World Council of Churches’ Faith & Order Commission and has been member of the Anglican-United Church dialogue and the Roman Catholic-United Church dialogue. Together with Mitzi Budde and William McDonald, she is author of Daring to Share: Multi-Denominational Congregations in the United States and Canada (2018).

Carla Leon is New Initiatives Manager, The EDGE Network, United Church of Canada. She firmly believes that churches are the backbone of the neighbourhood and the social innovation ecosystem. After receiving an MBA from the University of British Columbia she launched a social enterprise in 2009, hiring marginalized people, and is the co-founder of an e-learning organization that has helped over 100,000 small-business owners. She currently works as a consultant for The United Church of Canada having launched their innovation grant program and numerous other initiatives including the Social Innovation Challenge, a mentoring network, and a savings platform for churches. She is always interested in how to help the non-profit and charitable sector be more collaborative and the integral role of church.

Zoë Chaytors (she/her) is a registered Social Worker who currently resides on Treaty 6 Territory in Edmonton, Alberta where she grew up. Her passions in life are dichotomous. She loves to work with other people in helping capacities and seeks out solitude in nature as often as she can. She has been working with Southminister Steinhauer United Church since 2018, supporting a number programs including Camp Dragonfly and Emberwood. She is currently working with the United Church of Canada on the EDGE team, as Innovation Support. In her spare time, Zoe enjoys curling up on the couch with a good book and her two cats, Benny and Joon. She can often be found exploring Mill Creek Ravine on foot or by bike.