Celebration of Ministries Service

Video recording of the 2023 Celebration of Ministry Service held at North Bramalea United Church in Brampton, held on Sunday, May 28, 2023. 

Guest speaker: Rev. Donna Bowman-Woodall
Executive Minister: Rev. Peter Hartmans
President of SWRC: Rev. Maria Christina Conlon
Office of Vocation Minister: Rev. Kellie McComb
Pastoral Relations Minister: Dale Hildeband and Rev. Todd McDonald

Celebration of Ministries service script – [PDF | 25 pages] – PDF

Celebration of Ministries service bulletin – [ PDF | 4 pages ] – PDF

If you require a full script of the service for accessibility reasons, please email swrc@united-church.ca.

In Their Own Words

2023 Celebrant Reflections

Reflections from our ministry candidates in advance of the Celebration of Ministries Service, to be held on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Music: YouTube Audio Library; Falling Snow by Aakash Ghandi

Meet Our Celebrants

Jeffrey Dale

I have 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. Currently I am the Minister for Justice and Faith Formation in Shining Waters and Canadian Shield Regional Councils.

I bring a strong background in the arts to my work as a theatre practitioner and as an author. I 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. I hold a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College. I am currently 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.

I live in the west end of Toronto where my dog Max and I enjoy the wilds of High Park.

I truly believe 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.”

To send Jeffrey your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to his page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the pink circle with the white + sign in the middle.

James Harbell

Hello, I am Jim Harbell, a candidate for ordained ministry from Rosedale United Church in Toronto. I have been married to Pat McQuaid for 40 years and we have four children: Martha, Charlotte, Julia, and Ian. I graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School (York) in 1982 and practiced energy, environmental, infrastructure, and real estate development law for 35 years. I was active in my home congregation including being Clerk of Session and a member or chair of number of committees. Through this congregational involvement and my own spiritual development, I became interested in pursuing theological education. A particular interest in mental health led me to pursue a Masters in Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College, which I completed in 2020. I interned and worked as a spiritual care provider at Scarbourgh Health Network.

With a continuing interest in theology, including outreach, worship and pastoral care, I decided to pursue my Masters in Divinity and graduated in 2022. I have a particular interest in housing and am one of the founders of Restorative Justice Housing Ontario (rjho.ca) a registered charity which provides medium term housing for ex-prisoners.

I am also a Director of Kindred Works which allows me to combine interest in the UCC with my legal background. I was drawn to ministry to offer my gifts and to integrate them into new forms and ideas about church connected with the broader community. My hope for my UCC ministry is to look forward, not backward, and optimistically re-imagine and effectively implement church that is reflective of our community’s need for hope, for ideas and for places to share thoughts on spirituality, integrated with other community needs and desires.

To send Jim your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to his page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the pink circle with the white + sign in the middle.

Jennifer Henry

My name is Jennifer Henry (she/her), and my home congregation is Windermere United Church. I hold Bachelors of Arts and Social Work (1988, 1990) from the University of Manitoba, a Master of Social Work (1993) from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Theological Studies (2018) from Emmanuel College. In 2019, I was granted a Doctor of Christian Letters (honoris causa) from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon and I have recently completed a Diploma in Denominational Studies (2023) at the Vancouver School of Theology.

While my earliest years were spent in The United Church of Canada, through most of my life I have been actively involved in the Anglican church. It was in that context that I discerned a call to ordained ministry and had that call affirmed by the Anglican church, before being required to withdraw from the process in 1995 because of the church’s discrimination of LGBTQ folks. For close to thirty years, I understood myself as living out a diaconal vocation, while serving Canadian churches nationally in ecumenical social justice lay ministry.

When I left my role as Executive Director of KAIROS in 2020, it was clear to me that the vocational call continued. Christ wounded and risen stirs my passion to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly and to serve a transformed and transforming church in the world. I understand my call to a ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral care within a brave and changing church whose vision aligns with my own commitments to deep spirituality, bold discipleship and daring justice.

I am deeply grateful for those who have welcomed me home to The United Church of Canada—through membership, the candidacy process, and the opportunity to contribute at the General Council Office. I currently serve as the Executive Minister for Organizational Development and Strategy and look forward to continuing in that role, as we seek together to renew and invigorate our church with bold, grounded, and expectant hope, towards the next 100 years.

To send Jennifer your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

Dyanne Marlok

I was born and raised in London, Ontario. My memories of attending church begin when I was eight, at First Westminster U. C. Following graduation from University of Western Ontario (H.B.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology) and Fanshawe College I moved to Toronto in 1989. After working for thirty years as a Medical Laboratory Technologist I retired in September 2019.

In 1995 I moved to Newmarket, where my partner and I raised two children. Sharon- Hope U.C. has been an important part of my life for over twenty-five years. It was there during a Sunday worship service that I felt a call to ministry. Through the discernment process I realized diaconal ministry was a good fit for me, based on my life experiences and my gifts and talents. In April 2023 I graduate from the Centre for Christian Studies (CSS). In 2023 I will complete a MTS31 (Master of Theological Studies) degree from St. Andrew’s College in Saskatchewan.

It is my hope that I can educate and engage congregants in social justice issues. I hope that through my words and actions I can contribute to the United Church of Canada becoming an anti-racist denomination.

To send Dyanne your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

REV. DR. THOMAS (TAE SUNG) SHIN

Thomas has a rich background in church and life experience. He has been immersed in theological studies and pastoral ministry dating back to his mother country, South Korea. His initial training was in the Methodist Church and he served in that church in both South Korea and the USA. In Canada, Thomas earned an MA from Regent College at University of British Columbia and a PhD
from McMaster University.

Since 2015, Thomas has lived in Burlington ON with his wife, Sophia Han and their three children – Lucy, Lucas and Louise.

While Thomas had originally received theological and pastoral training at the Methodist institutes, he has served as a minister in the United Church since 2017. This was a decision he made as he neared the final stage of his doctoral program. His doctoral studies were in “human flourishing” in Christian Spirituality and Psychology.

Thomas puts his academic studies into practical applications with a particular interest in the renewal of the Christian community as an integral space of soul care and Christ-discipleship ministry.

To send Thomas your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to his page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

Nancy Umphrey

My name is Nancy Umphrey and my home congregation is Lemonville United Church. As a child, I began attending Sunday school at a local United Church and was confirmed there. As a teenager, I drifted away from church; however, in my last year of university, I began to feel a spiritual yearning. I graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration and started working. My grandmother was attending Islington United Church and I started to go to church with her. I spent six years as a Sunday School Teacher and Youth Leader and began to feel a call to ministry.

I enrolled in the Master of Religious Education program at Emmanuel College and began part-time work in the church with children and youth. After graduation, I enjoyed working in the education and social services field, however, I was still feeling a call to ministry and entered the discernment process. I was accepted as a candidate for ordination and later began the Master of Divinity Program at Emmanuel College. However, I had to pull out due to illness.

In 2016, I was feeling called to the ministry once more and entered the discernment process at Lemonville United Church. I was accepted a candidate in 2017, and finished my studies at Emmanuel College (granted Testamur) while working at Lemonville as Student Minister.

It has been a long, wonderful and sometimes challenging journey; however, I am so glad to finally arrive at this day. I am thankful to all of the people who have helped me along the way. Many friends, family members, teachers and mentors have contributed to my learning and growth and have supported me with their prayers and encouragement. I am deeply grateful for God’s guidance, providence, patience and love. I hope to work within the United Church of Canada to facilitate connection with one another and the deep mystery of God.

To send Nancy your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

Rev. Woong Youm

My name is Woong Youm. I graduated from Hanshin University in Osan, South Korea, and completed my M.Div at Hanshin Graduate School of Theology, Seoul. I moved to Toronto in 2004, and served with  Good Tree Korean United Church mission for 15 years. Currently, I’m serving at North York Korean United Church.

My ministry passion to build God’s beloved community of people has been enlivened while I served Korean immigrant congregations. Korean immigrants, including myself, have confronted many challenges internally and externally, due to language barriers, cultural differences, and negative experiences of being marginalized by racism and many other forms of discrimination in the white dominant society. However, yet there are the wisdom of life, resilience, and relational power of love forged on our marginality, since the spirit of God inspires the broken people to move toward a new vision of life.

This is my hope and my conviction in my call to God in the UCC ministry – that through God’s grace and companionship, I can grow to be a faithful servant of God who serves to build a God’s beloved community where the marginal people can find their sense of belonging to and feel at their true home in God’s love.

I am excited as I look ahead to my further UCC ministry journey that is filled with God’s transformative love and hope. Thank you!

To send Woong your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to his page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the  circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

Licensed Lay Worship Leaders

This year we are proud to also be celebrating the following new Licensed Lay Worship Leader, who will be serving Shinining Waters Regional Council for the next three years: Marliyn Elphick.

Marilyn Elphick 

My name is Marilyn Elphick and I belong to Fairbank United Church, in Toronto, where I have been a member for almost five years. There I experienced a sincere welcoming, inclusive community which allowed me to heal spiritually.

I feel God is calling me to do more in The United Church of Canada through presiding, preaching and offering spiritual care. I would like to be known as a woman of truth, authenticity and faith who continues to deepen my relationship with the Trinity.

At present, I work as a chaplain in two long term care facilities, and serve the Fairbank United Church community through preaching and presiding.

To send Marilyn your best wishes, please click on the button below.  When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the  circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

Jubilands

Join us in celebrating the following ministers who have significant anniversaries of their entry into ministry in The United Church of Canada:  Jubilands List  (PDF | 2 pages) 

Ministry Personnel Retirees for 2023

We celebrate the journey of those ministry personnel who have decided to retire in 2023.  Please join us in giving thanks for their ministry:

Carol Baggett-McKinley

Cindy Cooper

Hugh D. Reid

Reflections on Retirement

Here are the statements from our retirees about themselves and their journey in ministry.

The Reverend Carol Baggett-McKinley

I was born in Sacramento, Kentucky. I grew up with seven brothers and sister on the family farm which was passed down for several generations. I moved to Canada in the mid 1980s.

I have served in the United Church for 25 years as an ordained minister. I served at Plattsville/Washington, Queensville, Queensville-Holland Landing, Cookstown-Thornton, a contract position at Shining Waters Regional Council, and Asbury and West United Church.

I am married to Rick McKinley which has been and continues to be an adventure. I have three children Stephanie, Robert, and James, and three grandchildren, Christopher, Madison, and Laurie Ann.

I love spending time with family, travelling, gardening, and close friends. I plan to do all these things a lot more in retirement. I also plan to take up ballroom dancing.

To send Carol your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the  circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

The Reverend Cindy Cooper

I grew up at Grace United Church in Brampton, Ontario where I attended Sunday School, served a term as president of the youth group, taught Sunday School and chaired their pastoral care committee. I trained to be a primary/junior school teacher, but after two years supply teaching realized it was not for me. I then pursued becoming a Christian counsellor and began taking courses at Emmanuel College. I enjoyed the classes so much that I decided to get my M.Div.
After graduating, I worked in lay ministry as a Staff Associate with the English speaking 2nd generation congregation of Toronto Korean United Church, from 1988-1991. I then served as Staff Associate in Christian Education and Pastoral Care for Centennial-Japanese United Church in Toronto from 1991-1994.

I felt a call to ordained ministry so began the process in 1994, culminating with ordination by Toronto Conference in 1997. From 1994-2006, I was the minister for the Home and Huttonville Pastoral Charge. In 2006 I returned as minister with Centennial-Japanese United Church and in 2011 became minister for both Centennial-Japanese United Church and Oriole York Mills United Church. They later amalgamated and became Bayview United Church in 2014 with whom I
continued to minister until my retirement this year.

In the wider church, I served on the Toronto Conference Ethnic Ministries Committee and Youth and Young Adult committee in the early 1990s. Then I served on the presbytery and conference education and students committees, and the conference Internship Committee and Interview Board for over 20 years. It was a joy and a privilege to support many candidates through their ministry process.

I have had a full and vibrant ministry filled with inspiration, joy, sorrow, wonder, worship, service, learning, Reiki healing, grace and love. I am thankful for the opportunity to share God’s love and blessings with so many wonderful people in such meaningful and positive ways. I am looking forward to the new roads I will explore in the next phase of my life.

To send Cindy your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the  circle with the plus + sign in the middle.

The Reverend Hugh D. Reid

Hugh was born and raised in Hamilton, ON. His gifts as a speaker were recognized early and honed as a finalist for Ontario in the National High School Public Speaking competition held in Yellowknife, N.W.T. and as the Chair of the debating union and member of the Hart House debates committee at the University of Toronto.

He attended Victoria University, U of T and completed his Masters of Divinity at Emmanuel College, graduating with the Sanford Gold Medal in Divinity and a post-graduate fellowship. Hugh has been married to Esther for 39 years and they have two grown children, Heather an artist in Montreal and Will a nuclear engineer in Port Elgin.

Hugh has been in full time ministry for 37 years, serving three pastoral charges beginning with a three-point charge near Dunnville (South Cayuga), then Ryerson in Hamilton, and for the past 22 years, he has been coordinating minister at Kingsway-Lambton, in Etobicoke. He also served for two years as a Teaching Assistant in Systematic Theology at Emmanuel College while doing doctoral work and for a year as adjunct faculty in Pastoral Care at Emmanuel, and for many years he has been a site field educator and internship supervisor for Emmanuel College, Vancouver School of Theology, and the Atlantic School of Theology. As well as the many students he has had the privilege of working with and supervising, six individuals from the congregations he has served have gone on to ordained ministry in the United Church.

Hugh has been involved in served on many boards and agencies for social justice and theological learning. He was an early adopter and pioneer of the use of technology in worship. His articles and sermons have been published in a number of journals. He has done a great deal of anniversary and guest preaching, and led preaching and theological workshops. His grief program is employed in a number of churches. But his greatest joy in ministry is to serve the local congregation and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the beloved community.

His anticipated future in retirement is more opportunities to serve in ministry (deepening spirituality in God’s lavish grace, supporting bold discipleship in the way of Jesus Christ, and serving daring justice through the humble love of the Holy Spirit). He also aspires to do more reading, golfing, travelling and learning.

His predominant feeling after 37 years in ministry is gratitude.

To send Hugh your best wishes, please click on the button below. When you are redirected to her page, please move your mouse to the bottom right-hand corner and click on the circle with the plus + sign in the middle.