59 Line 4 North Oro-Medonte, ON L0L 2L0 | Phone: 1-800-268-3781
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Jeffrey Dale

Minister, Justice and Faith Formation

Phone: 416-231-7680 | 1-800-268-3781
Extension: 6773
Email: jdale@united-church.ca 

Serves in: Shining Waters and Canadian Shield Regional Councils
Location: Teleworks and works in the Guthrie office

Jeffrey encourages and connects communities of faith and the regional council with matters of faith formation and justice. Contact Jeffrey about: Affirming Ministry; Social Justice Ministries; Community Outreach Ministries; Camping Ministries; Faith Formation; Harm Reduction; Worship and Music; Youth and Young Adult Ministry, United Church Women (UCW)

Responsibilities

Jeffrey approaches ministry with an intergenerational  perspective with an emphasis on engaging young people in ministry’s purpose.

Jeffrey works to connect communities of faith with resources that best suit their ministry needs. Jeffrey has spent a great deal of time studying and engaging contexts within the United Church of Canada’s history (particularly: the social gospel, the temperance movement, and gender/sexuality), and in their spare time enjoys going to used bookstores to seek out UCC books. Jeffrey enjoys sharing these resources with communities across the regional council, and ensuring the resources meet their needs.

Jeffrey supports the Social and Ecological Justice Commission, reports to the Communities of Faith Commission, and supports networks related to: youth and young adult ministries, music ministries, and together with Susie, supports Affirming Ministries in the region.

Jeffrey is often working on the church’s engagement in life-saving community-based work of harm reduction and mental health support

Jeffrey Dale (they/them/he/his) Experience and Biography

Jeffrey has worked within the United Church of Canada for over seventeen years by serving four communities of faith in both the former Toronto and London Conferences. Jeffrey currently is often found on Sunday mornings guest preaching at communities of faith throughout the regional council.

Jeffrey brings a strong background in the arts to his work as a theatre practitioner and author. Jeffrey was the winner of the James MacRae Canada 150 Award for Poetry and was voted Person of the Year at the 2020 Fierté Simcoe Pride Gala Awards. Jeffrey studied Grade 8 in piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Jeffrey holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College. Jeffrey holds a graduate certificated in Children’s Mental Health (Georgian College), a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and History (University of Guelph), and a Diploma in Theatre Arts (Algonquin College). Currently, Jeffrey is studying in the Certificate in Addiction Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. Jeffrey is also working on a play about the statue, Crucified Woman, who stands at Emmanuel College as a painful reminder of the misogyny that exists within the church and society.

Jeffrey lives in the west end of Toronto where he and his dog Max enjoy the wilds of High Park.

Jeffrey truly believes that “if we are open to seek justice, pursue creativity, and love unconditionally; we will truly know what it means to be together in humanity.”

I am drawn to the story of Rahab, and how she trusted in her relationship with God so much that she circumvented the unjust powers of her society by seeking to reduce harm in the lives of others. Rahab’s ministry informs my ministry purpose – to seek to reduce harm in the lives of those we are called to love and serve.

Jeffrey Dale

Minister for Justice and Faith Formation, Shining Waters Regional Council