Matte Downey is a writer, theologian, educator, chai-drinker, and life-long learner living in Montreal. She holds a PhD in dramatic theology and seeks to combine her love of a good story with all things theological. You can find her various projects and latest musings at www.mattedowney.wordpress.com

Paul Lucas is a pastor, IT guy, researcher, writer, husband, and father. He is a pastor at Crossings Community Church and is currently working on a doctoral dissertation on interpreting church belonging with social psychology at McMaster Divinity College, where he also works as an IT assistant. He lives near Acton, ON with his wife Payge and their three kids.

Chantal Huinink is a motivational speaker, author and social justice advocate who serves as the Coordinator of Organizational and Spiritual Life for Christian Horizons and recently founded Faith and Wheelpower Ministries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Guelph and her Masters of Divinity and Social Work from Martin Luther University College. Chantal is a Christian Reformed Chaplain and a Waterloo Regional Counsellor. Her education and experience as a woman with a physical disability has made her keenly aware of the need for holistic care including consideration of physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs.

Lea Wilkening works with the Canadian Thriving Multivocational Ministry Project (CTMMP), a partnership of New Leaf Network and Briarcrest Seminary. She is also pastor of The Cottage, a church plant in Oakville, Ontario. Some of her "sacred side hustles" involve performing and teaching improv, serving on charity boards, and parenting her two teens with her husband, John. Mutli-vocational ministry is a great fit for her and she loves supporting and learning from other multi-vocational leaders.

Robin Ingham is an Environmental Scientist and recent graduate (Fall 2022) of the MDiv Church in the City program at Tyndale University. She lives with her husband and sons in rural Gravenhurst, Ontario, where she works daily to reconnect with her Métis ancestry, study the Bible in its original languages, and listen for how the Holy Spirit can use a theology of the land to bring harmony/shalom to broken First Peoples and settlers alike. Her desire is to see Indigenous people making meaningful connections between our cultures and Scripture and experiencing healing as we realize that our Creator has never broken treaty with us but calls us to walk with him on the path made straight in the wilderness. Robin can be reached on Facebook at facebook.com/robining.ham.73.

For nearly two decades, Jordan Majeau has been a leader in the hospitality industry in Edmonton. He is passionate about making space for everyone who is on a journey in one form or another. He considers himself a student of hospitality and he’s on an ongoing journey of learning how to do life and work better. He loves to write about: Hospitality, Leadership, and Faith. You can read his blog at jordanmajeau.com/in-between-things

Matthew Green can't decide on any one thing, so he just does a little of everything. He's been called an engineer, a teacher, a theologian, an artist, and a counselor among other things. He currently utilizes his PhD to sell gag gifts online, which makes no sense whatsoever, but God's a funny character, so he just runs with it. He likes integrating neuropsychology and spirituality and lives in Hamilton with his wife and neurotic dog.

Cathleen Getchell is the Communications Administrator for the New Leaf Network. She is a Christ-follower, on a circuitous journey, serving alongside the Kingscourt Free Methodist family as pastor to the Kingscourt neighbourhood. Most at home discovering new places; fan of boondocking, hiking, reading and photo-taking.

Kyra Schat is a resident of Hamilton, Ontario, and a recent graduate of Redeemer University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in biblical & theological studies and social work. She is passionate about holistic discipleship and community development, along with good books, music, hiking, and tea. In a month’s time, Kyra will move to the Middle East to serve for a year with Resonate Global Mission, intending to eventually pursue some form of church or non-profit ministry.

Christina MacBean loves to inspire people to explore nature, faith, and the arts. In addition to being an ordained and licensed worker with The Alliance, she is a professional artist, having exhibited paintings and prints locally, Nationally, and Internationally. She has longed to create a place where people who have been through a crisis can go, to rest and begin to heal, with support. Through her own experiences, education, and training, as well as her love of the outdoors, it all comes together under the umbrella she calls Butterfly Way. She has been leading this New Venture with her family and with the support of friends throughout The Central Canadian District.

Keith Dow serves as Manager of Organizational and Spiritual Life with Christian Horizons, where he tends to the theological roots of organizational culture and champions accessibility and belonging in the Body of Christ. Author of “Formed together: Mystery, narrative, and virtue in Christian caregiving,” Dr. Dow obtained his PhD with ethicist and theologian Hans Reinders through Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam in 2019.

Jacqui Mignault, M.A., Regent College, works in campus ministry at the University of Calgary and is a pastor at The Road Church in Calgary, AB. She contributes regularly to the Centre for Public Dialogue’s Do Justice Blog and writes about contemplative practice, justice and theology at theabbey.substack.com. She and her husband, Brad, have two daughters, too many pets, and spend most of their spare time in the forests of Fish Creek Park.

Ellen Duffield is the Coordinator for the Paul E Magnus Centre for Leadership Studies at Briercrest Seminary and an Affiliate for the Leader's Village at Southridge Community Church. She is a speaker, teacher and researcher and the author of A Theology of Thriving, The Brave Way and Brave Women and the founder of BRAVE Leadership: Thriving Together - all projects that grew out of seasons of brokenness and healing and culminated in her work creating spaces where men and women can thrive.

Francis Pang is an assistant professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College where he also serves as the Director of IT. Originally from Hong Kong, he spent more than half of his adult life in Ontario including the past 15 years in Hamilton. Francis and his wife Irene and their two kids belong to a small and lively Anglican church community in Waterdown, where they are heavily involved in their climate justice projects and disability ministries.

Reverend Jessica Isaak is a co-lead pastor at Hampton Free Methodist Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She has a background in journalism and has worked in television and radio news for ten years. She is ordained in the Free Methodist Church in Canada and is currently working on graduate studies at Northeastern Seminary. She also provides administrative support for the Free Methodist Church in Canada's Department of Church Planting. Jessica serves on the board of a local theatre company, sings and plays guitar, and enjoys trying new foods from various cultures. She also really likes gummy candies. She and her husband, Matt, have been married for 19 years and have two sons.

Jessica Stefick is a coffee-shop manager, dance teacher, avid sewist, and wannabe theologian living on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Stó:lō people in Mission, BC. She is currently completing her Master’s of Arts in Theological Studies with a concentration in Old Testament at Regent College. Jessica and her husband Cody, both imports from Alberta, have embraced the PNW life by buying an 87’ Vanagon and love exploring the coast whenever they can.

Phil Reinders shares life with Betty, his wife, and takes great joy in being called “Dad” by Owen and Lily. Phil has served churches in Vancouver, Calgary, and downtown Toronto and is now pastor at ClearView Church in Oakville, ON. Since prayer was never his strong suit, he figured he better author a daily prayerbook, Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible Through the Year. He teaches at Tyndale Seminary, and his favourite side hustle is leading the Habitus Community, a dispersed Christian community living out a shared rule of life.

Keitha Ogbogu is the lead pastor at West Springs Church in Calgary, Alberta. A former teacher, she is passionate about the power of mentorship and especially enjoys encouraging young men and women who are called to preach, to speak and lead. Her pastoral work has affirmed her love for the nations, her pursuit of justice and, of course, her call to preach. She is married to Cyril and together they are raising three black princes, Samuel, Emmanuel and Ezra.

Bernard Tam is a coffee enthusiast, neighbourhood connector and one of the pastors at The Living Room Church in Midtown, Toronto. Regularly you can find Bernard at local specialty coffee shops learning to be present in the neighbourhood while enjoying every sip of locally roasted coffee. He is also one of the cohosts of the Canadian Asian Missional Podcast - a conversation that engages with the movements of the Canadian Asian Church.

Rev. Dr. Timothy Tang was born in Toronto and has been a pastor at the East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church since 2001, first as the English-speaking congregational pastor, and now as the Intercultural Pastor-at-Large. As the son of international students, Tim leverages his personal experience of being a new Canadian to his present work in areas of ethnocultural inclusion at local and national levels. He has been seconded as the Director of the Tyndale Intercultural Ministries Centre under the Open Learning Centre at Tyndale University since 2019.

Angela Reitsma Bick is Editor-in-Chief of Christian Courier and an award-winning journalist recognized for her work highlighting social justice issues, and co-author of Blessed are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada. With an Honours English BA from Redeemer University and an MA in Literature from Queen’s University, she began writing for CC as a columnist in 2008 and became Editor-in-Chief in 2009. Under her leadership, the independent Canadian publication has deftly navigated the unceasingly-tumultuous news industry. In 2016, she won the A.C. Forrest Memorial Award for “excellence in religious journalism,” followed by the Distinguished Alumni Award from Redeemer University in 2020. She lives in Newcastle, Ontario, with her family, where she maintains a lively little library. 

Stella Chung is a Certified Spiritual Director who graduated from Tyndale University. Besides offering spiritual direction to individuals and small groups, Stella leads spiritual formation workshops and retreats. She is passionate about helping others listen to God’s voice and contemplating God through prayers, Scripture, music, art and nature. As a trained vocalist, Stella’s vision is to connect and build communities for lonely souls through Christian music and spiritual formation. She leads singing groups online and in person.

Annie Choi is a second-generation Chinese-Canadian and is passionate about all things food (sustainability, food advocacy, traditional foodways, food etymology and hospitality). She has been actively serving the senior leadership of East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church in various capacities over the last decade and hopes to continue to offer a feminist-systems perspective to ministry.

A pastor’s daughter with a story to tell, Sonia Reid Noble started singing and playing piano at the age of eight in church. Her talent and dedication led her to earn a Bachelor of Arts in music at Redeemer University College and to work professionally across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Sonia’s performances are energetic, soulful, and passionate. The last 30 years have been spent focusing on performing and providing quality vocal coaching to hobbyists, pre-professional and professional vocalists. You can find Sonia Reid Studios on most social media platforms and her website www.soniareidstudios.com

Payge Lucas is the New Leaf administrative assistant and the Director of the Roxy Centre. Payge lives in Dundas, ON with her husband Paul and their three kids. Payge has worked in a variety of ministries and is currently pursuing her Masters of Theological Studies with a focus in Spiritual Care and Counselling at McMaster Divinity College. She loves plants, spending time with family, and building aquariums in her spare time.

Rohadi is a thought leader on building diverse organizations and communities, church planting, and decolonizing and deconstructing Christianity. He lives in Canada, on Treaty 7 Lands, otherwise known as Calgary. He holds a Business Certificate from Mount Royal College, a BA in Economics from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Divinity from Canadian Theological Seminary.

In the areas of church planting, missional thinking, and church revitalization, he is both a practitioner and thought leader. He has written extensively in the areas of missions and church leadership. Some of those ideas can be found in his book, Thrive. Ideas to lead the church in post-Christendom.

His experience includes non-profit work in both governance and organizational development. Find him online: Website: www.rohadi.com, on Twitter: @rohadi, & Instagram: @rohadi.nagassar

Discover Rohadi’s latest book, When We Belong. Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins from Herald Press.

Jared Siebert serves in many capacities in the Canadian Church. He founded an organization of missionary church leaders called the New Leaf Network and is one of Canada’s leading inter-denominational church planter trainers. But church planting isn’t the only kind of experience he has garnered. In his ministry roles Jared has had the opportunity to work with churches of all kinds from all over Canada. He has acted as a consultant in churches large and small, urban and rural, and new and long established. He has written a discipleship curriculum, a handbook on church planter training, and a Church Health workbook called the LifePlan. As a sought after speaker and consultant Jared is uniquely able to draw insight and inspiration from a variety of sources and bring that to the table as he helps churches move toward unity and the mission of God.

Elle Pyke is the Director of Programs & Innovation for the New Leaf Network. Elle has served on the board of a number of organizations such as Women Powering Technology Global, TEDxWaterlooWomen and The Christian Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization. She is currently pursuing her MA in Theology and Culture from the Institute for Religion, Peace and Justice at St Stephen's University. She loves spending time with friends and family, the great outdoors and all things New Leaf.

Steve Coupland is a transitional pastor, consultant, piecemeal graphic designer, food enthusiast, farmer, husband, and farmer. He is the creator of Resolve & Flourish, intentional transitional ministry and consulting. He has been part of the pastoral team as a transitional pastor at Elevation Waterloo since April of 2022. He provides digital support to the Transitional Leadership Network. He and his family homestead and homeschool on a hobby farm near Bothwell, ON.

Nikayla Reize is the lead pastor of a small parish church in Calgary, Alberta called Awaken. She has been a sessional instructor at Ambrose University teaching Old Testament and Biblical Theology since 2015. She has a BA in Theology, an MA in Biblical Studies (Old Testament) and she is currently working on her PhD (New Testament) through Aberdeen University. Her research is on Sabbath and Jubilee in Luke-Acts. She is especially focused on how Sabbath and Jubilee are religious as well as socio-economic and at the heart of Jesus and the early church's mission. As a parish pastor she loves dreaming of ways the local church can embody Jubilee through trauma-informed neighborliness, radical inclusion, and wealth redistribution. She teaches workshops and speaks at churches and conferences across Canada. She and her family live in Bowness and feel a strong connection to the living land, the wild life, and the beautiful Bownesian community. Nikayla often has many projects on the go between being home with young kids, school work, course prep, and serving her beloved Awakeners but she somehow always brings her passion and joy to everything she does.

Nelson Boschman is a pastor, writer, spiritual director, jazz musician, wine enthusiast, husband, and father of one. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the pastor of spiritual formation at Artisan Church, and a partner of SoulStream, a community that seeks to nurture contemplative experience with Christ, leading to inner freedom and loving service. His book, The Growing Season, is available now.

Pialli! Hello! My name is Monique, I am a de-tribalized descendant of the Mexica people group in Vera Cruz Mexico, with German and Chinese settler ancestry as well. I am passionate about centering Indigenous issues and supporting Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action within the Free Methodist Church in Canada. I am a recent graduate of Naiits: An Indigenous Learning Community, having earned a Master of Theological Studies: Indigenous. I live, work, worship, and pray with my husband and three adult children on the shared territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Peoples and the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement. I acknowledge that I am a guest in these territories, seeking to nurture connections between local communities and the FMCIC on the journey toward reconciliation with our Intercultural Engagement Team. I am looking forward to developing relationships with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada through the working group focused on the Seven Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation as well as with Wells of Hope and the Buffalo Project on Treaty 4 Territory.

Heather Welch is drawing on her experience in church leadership, her former pastoral role and gifting as a communicator to help bridge the important journey ahead within the Church as we currently know it. Her desire for collaboration, while reimagining what the church can look & sound like, is her passion. Heather’s Comms role at Hagar’s Voice is where she holds the tension of discovery between the vast, harsh realities of abuse within the church, and the courageous voices that are rising up. Hagar’s Voice is a non-profit (under the Boundless umbrella) that was created out of the need to provide a place for survivors of clergy sexual abuse to come together and find advocacy and support. ‘Together we rise to stop abuse and start building a better way.’ It was Heather’s own story that brought her to Hagar’s Voice. Her commitment to other survivors is to honour and value their stories by listening and standing in solidarity. Her commitment to church leaders is to continue to develop awareness to stop abuse and start telling the truth around systems of power and oppression. Heather’s heart is full of hope for the future church.

Dr. Erin Goheen Glanville (she/her) is a community organizer, Biblical storyteller, and spiritual caregiver (aka Lead Pastor) at Artisan Church in the DTES of Vancouver, BC. This work brings together four lifelong practices: community, imagination, justice, and faith. Previously she was on faculty at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, where she researched and taught refugee cultures. She also serves on the Board of Kinbrace Community Society, where she focuses on community education about refugee claimants.

Stephen J. Bedard is one of the pastors at Brookfield Baptist Church in Nova Scotia. He is also a chaplain with the Canadian Armed Forces. He is a graduate of Acadia Divinity College and his Doctor of Ministry thesis was on disability ministry in small churches. Much of his writing and speaking is on disabilities in general and autism in particular. You can find out more at www.stephenjbedard.com.

Matt Arguin is an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Huron. He currently serves on a part-time basis providing coverage for sabbaticals and long-term leaves. Rev'd Argun has always had a passion for outreach and support to the unhoused and works with several volunteer groups in London, Ontario.

Chuck Wesley is a band member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, Treaty 9 territory. His father was a residential school survivor having attended St. John’s Residential School in Chapleau, Ontario from the age of five to eighteen. His mother was Finnish and from a family of commercial fishermen in the northern Lake Superior area. He is of mixed Cree and Finnish ancestry. He is married to his high school sweetheart, they have three adult sons, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He is retired after 38 years of law enforcement. He has been in most Indigenous communities in Ontario negotiating conflict resolutions with Chiefs and Councils; supporting First Nations officers, and investigating and resolving conflict between community members and the police.

Post-retirement he is a member of Redwood Park Alliance Church Walking Together Circle with the purpose of educating non-Indigenous people in Canadian/Indigenous history and a vision of his church being a conduit for reducing racism in Thunder Bay. He also volunteers at Northwind Family Ministries, a drop-in center for homeless and marginalized people in Thunder Bay. He co-chairs the Northwest Region Indigenous Advisory Council for the Ontario Provincial Police in Northwestern Ontario. He has a passion for Indigenous people and advocates for reconciliation and social justice.

Jasmine Duckworth has been serving with Karis Disability Services (formerly Christian Horizons) since 2004 and has been disabled herself since 2015. As part of her role as Community Development Manager, she often speaks with churches and community groups about disability, accessibility, and ableism. She works closely with self-advocates as they work to improve their own lives, the developmental services sector, and the broader community. She is a mum, wife, and obsessive knitter.

Mara Teare is a prairie-based, multidisciplinary artist. They trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, graduating in 2021 from the acting program. They are currently living in Saskatoon. Mara hopes that their reflection, in part or in its entirety, gives you something to ponder as you prepare for the Advent season.