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On July 7, Coquitlam Presbyterian Church in Coquitlam, B.C., welcomed 26 new members by profession of faith and adult baptism. Interim moderator the Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart is pictured with the new members in the sanctuary.
The Rev. John Borthwick, Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Knox College in Toronto, Ont., and curator of ministryforum.ca, garnered some important connections on his two-part Western Canada road trip. He visited ministry leaders and preached in congregations in Calgary, and made multiple stops in Saskatchewan, including offering Glitter Blessings at Regina Pride alongside the Rev. Amanda Currie of First Presbyterian Church in Regina. John preached at Knox Presbyterian Church and Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Greg Smith. John also joined the Presbytery of Assiniboia and hosted ministry leaders from Regina for dinner and conversation.
Iona Presbyterian Church in Dartmouth, N.S., has a ukulele group that meets every second Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. They play a variety of music from country to gospel. The congregation enjoys the music when the group plays at a service. Pictured here (left to right) are Ellie Melville, Heather Hollett, Joan MacLeod, Phillip Arseneault and the leader of the group, Nancy Bent. They welcome anyone interested in learning to play the ukulele to join them!
To start the summer, the folks at St. Marys Presbyterian Church in St. Marys, Ont., were introduced to “Flat Jesus” and encouraged to take Jesus with them on their summer adventures. The church school, led by Lily Darling (standing next to the float), introduced the town to Flat Jesus during the Canada Day Parade. The wagon and tractor were provided by Rudy McIntosh.
The church school at First Presbyterian in Brockville, Ont., again decided to take part in the PWS&D Sunday School Challenge by selling handmade magnets during the month of June. The children sold the magnets at coffee hour after worship, and raised $165, which was matched by a generous member of the congregation, for a total of $330. The proceeds will be directed toward projects listed in the PCC Gifts of Change catalogue. Congratulations to the church school and many thanks to the congregation for its generosity!
On Saturday, June 1, the Ministry
Forum hosted its first annual
Creative Ways: Being Church Today
conference at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. (The next Creative Ways conference will take place on June 1, 2025, in Hamilton.) Keynote speaker Brady Shearer of Pro Church Tools suggested creative ways that social media could be used to share the gospel message. Kevin Coghill of Royal City Mission in Guelph, Ont., told the powerful story of being a church on a mission. David, Ian and Peter, from Two Rivers Church in Guelph, celebrated the vibrancy of their faith community without a building. David Kupp, Ainsley Chapman (Evangel Hall) and Karen Plater (Stewardship & Planned Giving department of the PCC) talked about being good stewards of our church buildings and creatively using them for mission and ministry.
The Rev. Allyson MacLeod and the Rev. Kirk MacLeod were inducted as ministers of Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I., during a Presbytery of Prince Edward Island service held on June 2. Pictured (left to right) following the service are Gary MacDougall, clerk of Session at Zion; the Rev. Paula Hamilton, interim moderator at Zion; the Rev. Kirk MacLeod; the Rev. Allyson MacLeod; the Rev. Bradford Blaikie, moderator of presbytery; and Debra Lynn Trainor, clerk of Session at Zion. The MacLeods will also minister to Calvin Presbyterian Church in Mermaid, which operates during the summer months. They previously ministered at Keswick Presbyterian Church in Ontario.