Posts in Advent Author
Cathleen Getchell

Cathleen Getchell resides in Kitchener-Waterloo on the Haldimand Tract, within the territory of Neutral, Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Grounded in the belief that every person is created in God's image, Cathleen seeks to contribute to a world where justice, mercy, and humility form the foundation for inclusive and compassionate communities that contribute to the blessing and flourishing of all people. 

She finds balance by going on boondocking and hiking adventures, capturing the beauty of creation with her camera, dancing like nobody's watching, cooking meals for friends, and pursuing artistic endeavours.

Through all her work and hobbies, Cathleen is driven by a deep sense of purpose and a desire to bring blessing and flourishing to all people.

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Preston Pouteaux

Preston Pouteaux is a beekeeper, neighbourhood enthusiast, pastor at Lake Ridge Community Church and the director of Plesion Studio. He is the award-winning author of The Bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding Faith, Imagination, and Delight in Your Neighbourhood, and of The Neighbours Are Real and Other Beautiful Things. Preston lives in Chestermere, Alberta, with his wife Kelly, their daughters Scotia and Ivy, and a few thousand honeybees.


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John Bowen

John Bowen taught evangelism, church planting, and C.S.Lewis at Wycliffe College in Toronto for nearly twenty years. In retirement, he is writing, teaching, mentoring young leaders, and enjoying his grandchildren. He has two new books coming out in 2021, and is beginning research into why people in Canada are becoming Christians.

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Tabitha Mui

Tabitha Mui resides in Treaty 13A, on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabewaki, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Mississauga, and Attiwonderonk. As a child of immigrants, she identifies as ethnically Chinese, and credits her love for food to this beautiful culture. In this season of life, she is learning to pay attention to rhythms of rest and play. Tabitha serves on the New Leaf Advisory Team and New Leaf Financial Team.

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Andrew Benson

Follower of Jesus, lover of his local neighbourhood, and nacho connoisseur. With a passion for social justice and building community, he has travelled to and lived in cities all across Canada. Most recently Yellowknife is home, for now. Andrew enjoys outdoor adventures and partying with both friends and strangers which has resulted in him being the founder of two social enterprises; The Joyful Project and Concert for Socks.

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David Pereyra

David H Pereyra is an architect, doctor in Theology, researcher at the OCAD University in Toronto, and seasonal Professor at the University of St Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, Canada. For over two decades Pereyra’s personal interests and academic focus centres on interdisciplinary aspects of our multicultural society, as expressed through art, music, film, worship, multimedia, technology and sacred spaces. He is particularly interested in sacred spaces as iconic points of reference that provide unique meanings to the collective memory of a culture, and how creative experiences of transmitting information and communication can reach users and vice-versa. His Latin American, European and North American multi-cultural background greatly enrich his experience of the world and his scholarly work. His area of expertise is the trans-disciplinary study and comparison of phenomenological and theological aspects in architecture and ritual, in a multidimensional perspective, across art forms, place and space.

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Brian Yu

Brian Yu is the New Canadian Church Planters Coordinator with the Tyndale Intercultural Ministries (TIM) Centre at Tyndale University. Brian has been serving in pastoral ministry for over 12 years. He was a youth pastor at Greenhills Christian Fellowship in the Philippines, a pastor at Chinese Gospel Church in Scarborough, and he currently serves as a church planter in the diverse city of Toronto, Canada.

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Diane Clifford

Diane Clifford currently resides in Fort Frances, Ontario, a small town in Northwestern Ontario surrounded by lakes, streams, rocks and trees to the east and fields to the west. The family in faith where she pastors is a group of people who believe that the Holy Spirit has called them into the world to share the love of Jesus in their everyday lives. Diane has always intentionally functioned in a bi-vocational capacity which provides plenty of opportunity to be active in the community, to meet people and to be engaged in the neighbourhood. Diane serves as a member of the New Leaf Network Board.

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Heather Morgan

Heather lives in Barrie with lots of disabilities shared between herself, her husband and her two incredible young adult kids. She is a disability advocate and life coach with a focus on supporting families and individuals with disabilities. In September, Heather started her Master’s of Divinity at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto, where she hopes to focus on Disability Theology.

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Dustin Schellenberg

Dustin spends his time exploring the far reaches of space, understand the ancient ways of might and magic, and wandering the post-apocalyptic wastes. If it has a reasonably open world, a crafting system and some way to sneak around he'll be there. When not gaming he's probably planning his next D&D character (because his DM keeps killing off the old ones). He is a competent bass player and guitarist, mediocre mid laner and outright awful FPS player. He is the father of 2, husband of 1, a sometimes theologian, and all-times pastor of Crestview Park Free Methodist church in Winnipeg, MB.

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Xenia Chan

Xenia Chan Ling-Yee 陳靈兒 is a Ph.D. Candidate (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) at Regis-St. Michael's College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto. As a former pastor, her scholarly work is informed by the present condition of the Canadian evangelical church, particularly the churches within the Sinophone revivalist tradition in Canada. Her work at present deals with Jeremiah's Confessions.

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Jana Koh

Jana Koh is the pastor and planter of Ecclesia Church in Oshawa, Ontario. She’s been in Oshawa for one year; previously, she worked with a church plant in Seattle, Washington. She is passionate about helping the church connect with the neighbourhood, and empowering believers to love and serve those with whom they live, work, and play. Jana loves music, photography, and baking, and she is wife to Jeremy, and mama to Norah and Rowan.

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Keitha Ogbogu

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 to lead. Her pastoral work has affirmed her love for the nations, her pursuit of justice and, of course, her call to preach. She believes that the church holds the potential to participate in the transformation of neighbourhoods, cities and individuals when we get it right. She is married to Cyril and together they are raising three black princes, Samuel, Emmanuel and Ezra.

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