Celebration of Ministries Service
Quick links to sections on this page:
Watch our livestream of the Celebration of Ministry Service held at Jubilee United Church in Toronto, as part of the regional meeting on Sunday, October 26 beginning at 3:00 p.m.
Liturgical Leadership – Rev. Emma Pipes, Rev. Norm Seli, Rev. Dr. YunJung Kim
President of SWRC: Rev. Christina Conlon
President-Elect of SWRC – Rev. Eric Nyarko
Acting Executive Minister: Rev. Jody Maltby
Office of Vocation Minister: Rev. Kellie McComb
Pastoral Relations Minister: Rev. Eun-Joo Park
Celebration of Ministries service bulletin – [ PDF | 15 pages ]
Full script of the Celebration of Ministries service (for accessibility reasons) – [ PDF – 20 pages]
Meet Our Celebrants
Photo Credit – Jason Byassee
Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee – Admittand
My name is Jason Byassee and I am the senior minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto, Ontario. My home church is Davidson United Methodist in North Carolina. Since that congregation sent me into ministry I have served several small rural congregations, large urban ones, and one small urban Chinese congregation. I did my theological study for M.Div. and Ph.D. work at Duke Divinity School and taught full-time at the Vancouver School of Theology. I was drawn to ministry because I wanted to study God and see how God meets and transfigures people. My hope is to be part of God’s renewal of the church, and so the world.
I am married to Jaylynn Warren Byassee, a fellow Methodist minister from the US and we have served in ministry together in British Columbia. Together we have sons who are 22, 20, and 17. Things break in our house on the westside of Toronto.
Adele Halliday – Ordinand
I was baptized and initially experienced faith formation within The Presbyterian Church in Canada; I moved my membership to The United Church of Canada as an adult. My call to ordained ministry goes back to my teenage years, when I was actively involved with leadership in regional and ecumenical ministries. Even then, I “knew” that I wanted to continue in ministry with the church in the long-term, and at first felt that I could live out my faith as a lay person actively engaged in the church. God’s voice still continued to whisper (and sometimes shout!) about a call to ordained ministry in later years. When finally said “yes” to ordination, I felt deep sense of peace about responding to this call.
My home congregation, before pursuing ordination, was St James United in Toronto, and my Supervised Ministry Education experience was at Islington United in Toronto. I hold an undergraduate degree in environmental sciences, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Education. I completed my Master of Theological Studies at Emmanuel College, and additional theological education at the Vancouver School of Theology. I am currently working on a Doctorate in Education, in Social Justice Education. I have been working at the General Council Office of The United Church of Canada, in different staff positions, for many years. I am currently serving as the Anti-Racism and Equity Lead, and after ordination, I plan to continue in this ministry role.
My hope for my ministry is to continue to resource the creation of welcoming and equitable spaces for people of all identities in the United Church. I hope and pray to collectively engage in this anti-racism and equity work inspired by the Spirit, as a disciple of Jesus, and being responsive to God’s call.
Photo Credit – Michael Erdelyi
Photo Credit – Ariel Saigan
Rev. Ariel G. Siagan – Admittand
I am Ariel G. Siagan. I am PhD Theological Studies student at Trinity College of the University of Toronto. I was ordained by the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF) in February 2020. I was the pastor of the Upper Room IEMELIF Church in Manila from 2012 to 2016. I was also a staff of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines from 2010-2016. I took my Masters in Theology at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea in 2018.
I was drawn to the ministry by a series of conversions. The first was a born-again experience in which I felt I was called to surrender to a compelling love that is beyond words. I became active in the church after that encounter. The second conversion was an encounter with the people who are suffering because of the state’s neglect. Their testimonies warmed my heart and I felt called to do justice work in the church. Those conversions shaped who I am as a minister.
I hope that I could share who I am with the United Church of Canada. There are many new Canadians in the City of Toronto and in many places in Canada, and for that reason that the United Church ministry landscape evolves. I think the Church will have to inhabit a new ministry framework, one that is ready and sensitive to the Spirit’s enchantment of God’s compelling love and ready and sensitive to externalize this compelling love to the world that is suffering.
Susan Wood- Ordinand
Since childhood, I have joined my mom, Bea Shelswell at Forest Home United Church, just outside of Orillia. From a young age, I felt drawn to ministry, but growing up, I had never seen a female minister—so the path felt out of reach. That changed when Rev. Sue Browning began her ministry at Forest Home. Her leadership and mentorship inspired me to explore my own call. With her support, I began the Lay Pastoral Ministry program and later completed the Leadership Program at the Centre for Christian Studies in Winnipeg.
My educational foundation began with a diploma in Developmental Service Work from Georgian College. I serve for 28 years as an Educational Assistant with the Simcoe County School Board, where I had the joy of working alongside incredible teachers and students. This experience deepened my sense of compassion, patience, and commitment to inclusive community.
My formal ministry began with the Romney Pastoral Charge in Wheatley, Ontario. After a year, I moved closer to home and was called to serve the Heart of Muskoka Pastoral Charge. Now, 21 years later, this vibrant community continues to feel like home, and our shared ministry is still going strong.
My hope for the future of the United Church of Canada is that we continue to be an inclusive, welcoming space for all. I pray we grow in our relationships with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and that we let the music of new hymns lift us together into a faithful, Spirit-led future.
Photo Credit – Nancy Gibson
Photo Credit – Sangni Ye
Huanyun (Julia) Ye – Ordinand
With an appointment to the Collaborative Ministry Pilot Project for Central, Sackville, and Visions United, New Brunswick, joining another minister to work as a ministry team from last September, I have had the privilege of ministering with three communities of faith. Before this appointment, I served with the Westmount Pastoral Charge in Ontario.
My journey began with a newfound faith in Christianity. I was baptized and experienced faith formation years at my home congregation, Richmond Hill United Church. During that time, curiosity and hunger for spiritual growth sparked me to study in theology. I earned my Master of Divinity from Tyndale University and completed the requirements from the United Church for Testamur at Emmanuel College.
As a first-generation immigrant and first-generation Christian, I have grown and evolved in significant ways, endeavouring always to be authentic. It was during my years of full-time theological study that I responded to the call to ministry. In the beginning, I saw ministry as a way to give back—to serve others as I had been served. But as I stepped into this call, I found that I was receiving even more, the joy and growth. Learning and serving in ministry has been a very inspiring and fulfilling experience.
I look forward to seeing what awaits me in my ministerial journey when the Collaborative Pilot Project concludes. I want to see my future ministry is actually creating intergenerational space, designing the experience of church with both younger and older members in mind.
Cathy Zixian Zou – ordinand
I grew up in a non-religious environment in mainland China, where faith was absent from both my family and my schooling. As a teenager, during a season of deep despair and loneliness, I even contemplated ending my life. One day, while on a train, someone shared with me the simple yet life-changing words: “God loves you.” At that moment, I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and surrendered my life to Christ. From then on, God’s Word and Spirit have guided me daily, and I discovered a special call to walk alongside people who, like me, find themselves in seasons of struggle and pain, pointing them to the healing love of Christ. I have also felt called to notice and accompany those who are marginalized, creating spaces of dignity, compassion, and inclusion.
I graduated in 2017 with a Master of Divinity from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and am now completing my Master of Theology thesis. I served in Hong Kong for five years before immigrating to Canada in 2022, when I began ministry at Toronto Chinese United Church. Coming from a Pentecostal background, I longed for a community whose theology aligned with my convictions, especially regarding inclusivity. In the United Church, I have found a spiritual home where openness, diversity, and justice are integral to the gospel.
Looking ahead, I hope the United Church will continue to embrace the vitality, creativity, and passion of ethnic minority faith communities, and engage more boldly with the next generation, showing how the gospel speaks with love, power, and relevance today
Photo Credit – Yoyo Tin Yiu Mak
2025 Jubilands
Join us in celebrating the following ministers who have significant anniversaries of their entry into ministry in The United Church of Canada: 2025 Jubilands List (PDF | 2 pages)
Ministry Personnel Retirees
We celebrate the journey of those ministry personnel who have decided to retire in late 2024 or in 2025. Please join us in giving thanks for their ministry:
Lee-Ann Ahlstrom, Warren Ball, Andrew Comar, Karen Dale, Deborah Hart, Elizabeth Mackenzie, Todd McDonald, Lorraine Newton-Comar, and Susan Woods.
*Note: All retirees above have given their consent to be listed here – it may not reflect the actual list of Retirees
Reflections on Retirement
Here are the statements from some of our retirees about themselves and their journey in ministry.
The Reverend Warren Ball
When I began a one-year term as Staff Associate at Thornhill United Church in July of 1998, little did I expect what would lay ahead! There were all of the puzzling, opening, thrilling, and, yes, even upsetting, experiences at Thornhill United within the course of that year, culminating in a decision to seek discernment as a student candidate. Thank you so much to the Rev. Joyce Kelly and Thornhill United for mentoring and supporting me in that. Then there were all the difficult, affirming, challenging, and growth-filled experiences at Emmanuel College as I completed my M.Div. Thank you so much, Emmanuel. And thank you, too, Trinity United in Newmarket, and the Rev. Robin Wardlaw, for my experience of internship.
Then there were my four pastoral charges: 9 years at Trinity United, Malton, 9 years at Caledon East United (the first 7 years of which were shared with Trinity, in case you’re checking my math!), 4 years at St. Matthew’s United in Richmond Hill, and 5 years at Mt. Albert United. Together with the communities from which they uniquely grew, all four of those churches provided incredible contexts for the practice of ministry and service, for learning and growth, for laughing and crying. Back in 1998, little did I know of the blessings and opportunities that lay ahead, but here in 2025, all of those experiences have surely given me an enduring reason to be thankful, profoundly
thankful. And, in and around all of that, thank you to our magnificent United Church of Canada for continuing to so richly become God’s love in creation.
The Reverend Dr. Deborah Hart
I graduated from Emmanuel College in 1984 as part of the first class to graduate with more women than men. Having grown up in a small village in southern Ontario I was quite at home in my Settlement 3-point pastoral charge in Saskatchewan Conference on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border (McAuley and Manson, MB and Welwyn, SK) for 3 years. I fully intended to make my way to BC as I loved my year-long internship at West Point Grey UC in Vancouver. God had other plans, and I ended up in Toronto in three wonderful congregations in team ministry: Royal York Road United, the newly amalgamated Eglinton St. George’s United, and Deer Park United (in Ecumenical Shared Ministry with Calvin Presbyterian).
My 40+ years of ministry included a D.Min. degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (1993) with my thesis in the area of Grief, leading me to offer Grief Support Groups and workshops for over 30 years. I loved team ministry, and offering pastoral care, more than preaching! I was also fortunate to travel on various mission, ecumenical and interfaith study tours to Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, Turkey and Greece, India and Nepal, Italy, Northern Ireland, England, Switzerland and Taizé, South America and East Africa. I also made time for Interfaith Clergy Curling and reiki! I served the wider church in Presbytery, Conference and SWRC in the area of Mission and Outreach, Mission Support Grants, and the Grants and Mission Support committees. I want to extend my gratitude to all the colleagues with whom I have shared, in Team Ministry, in collaboration throughout the various levels of our denominational organization, and with ecumenical partners. I am most indebted to the members and leaders in the congregations with whom I was privileged to serve. It was rewarding, challenging, sometimes exhausting and often joy-filled as we sought to be faithful to the Gospel and the Spirit’s leading. I am proud to be part of a denomination that is willing to wrestle with issues that are vital to both church and society, and that stands with those on the margins, as we all strive for healing and wholeness of relationships and the planet, and count on God’s grace and wisdom.
The Reverend Elizabeth Mackenzie
Over the course of my life, I have lived in four different countries, four different provinces, and one territory (Northwest Territories). I have attained four degrees: Bachelor of Arts (Hon. French and English), Bachelor of Education, Masters of Business Administration, and Masters of Divinity. From the time I was 13, I wanted to become an ordained minister. (If we count me wanting to become a nun when I was 7, I’ve had “the call” for a very long time…) So, I became a high school English and French teacher and then a human resources management consultant specializing in human rights, pay and employment equity, before finally landing at Emmanuel College on the same day my youngest child started Junior Kindergarten. I was ordained by Toronto Conference in 2003. I like to say I took the “scenic route.”
Since then, I have completed the requirements and been designated for the Ministry of Supervision and Intentional Interim Ministry (IIM). I have had calls, appointments, and IIM appointments with communities of faith in rural Peterborough, Mississauga, Toronto, Hamilton, and Brampton. I have ministered with two ethnic-cultural communities of faith – Dewi Sant Welsh United Church and Toronto Chinese United Church. From 2015 to the end of 2018, I was called the Saskatchewan Conference Personnel Minister. Over my years of ministry, I have served the wider church on many committees and task groups, including most recently as Chair of the Equity Task Group of the SWRC Pastoral Relations Commission, for which I am very grateful. I consider myself to be very blessed to have served in this United Church of ours in so many capacities and with so many wonderful people – ministry personnel and lay people – who have enhanced the quality of my
ministry and my life in so many, many ways.
I am a passable curler and a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol, and you can find me patrolling the hills at the Caledon Ski Club. My greatest joy is as mother to two daughters and an Amma to five grandchildren. In August 2024, I adopted Willie, a now seven-year old toy poodle who was taken to the Toronto Animal Services shelter through no fault of his own. This August, we spent a month on my retirement road trip tour, driving as far as Kelowna, B.C., participating in General Council 45 in Calgary, and visiting numerous family and friends along the way. I plan on doing more curling, skiing, spending time with family, and travelling in my retirement…along with finding other opportunities to serve the church, of course!
The Reverend Dr. Todd McDonald
I’ve been reflecting on the Parable of the Sower lately (Luke 8:4–8). Now retired, as I reflect on the last 35 years of ministry, there has been so much good seed thrown my way. I’ve been part of people’s good grief as they mourn a loved one or struggle with an illness. I’ve been part of the good creative work of the Development Teams for Voices United and More Voices. My heart has been warmed and blessed by Godly Play worship leaders and children, youth groups and young family ministry. I’ve been filled with joy as a sermon is launched out there and
people tell me what it meant to them, God’s Spirit in it all. So much good seed cast that has touched so much of my life.
Some of that seed helped me grow up stronger with deeper roots in my faith. Some of that seed fell on hard ground of my life and even there became compost for potential growth. Some of that seed blessed others like the birds of the parable – it wasn’t about me at all. With hindsight I can see the thorny places in my life where the good seed was trying to grow and couldn’t. In other words, throughout all my ministry (Britannia Pastoral Charge-Newfoundland, Monkton United Church, Thornhill United Church, Lefroy United Church, Toronto Conference and Shining Waters Regional Council). I acknowledge all the seeds that have been planted and I am so blessed. I am so grateful.
