With Derrick Weston Food is at the heart of human society. The ways we grow, source, buy, prepare, serve, and eat all have the potential to build community or break it down. Food connects us to our own personal histories and can be a source of healing and comfort or pain and trauma. This retreat …
View course details “The Just Kitchen: Connecting to God, Neighbor, and Self Through Food”

With Naomi Washington-Leapheart This retreat asks the question: If God is benevolent, just, and powerful, how can (does) evil persist in the lives of Black people living in the United States? In this retreat that will include both you and students from Rev. Naomi’s Villanova religious studies class by the same name, we will explore …
View course details “Do Black Lives Matter to God? A Theological Exploration of Evil, Suffering, Resistance, and Divine Accountability”

This year’s A Deeper Communion conference will explore the width and depth of ecclesial engagement with disability across the nation. Friday night will feature scholarly exploration of theology, disability, and the church. Saturday will offer a blend of practical workshops, presentations, and insights from prominent Canadian authors who embody authentic leadership in the exploration of …
View course details “Deep and Wide: A conference on ecclesial engagement with disability across Canada”

Acknowleging the traumas of the past and the future with hope. As we approach the culmination of the International Decade for People of African Descent, we invite you to a pivotal conference aimed at reflection, celebration, and forward thinking. This gathering will serve as a beacon of hope, acknowledging the deep-seated traumas of our past …
View course details “2024 International Decade for People of African Descent: Now What?”

Five days focused on faith, heart, mind, and skills for the art of intercultural ministry Engage Difference! Deepening Understanding for Intercultural Ministry (DUIM) is a 5-day interactive and engaging program with practical ideas for implementation in your own context. DUIM is for ministry leaders and community members nurturing cultural relevance, understanding, and awareness in their …
View course details “Engage Difference! Deepening Understanding for Intercultural Ministry (DUIM)”

…a powerful event, in partnership with LeaderSHIFT, the Pacific Mountain Region Council Justice Ministry Network, the Vancouver School of Theology, and you. Anti-Racism Work & Action Leadership Conference is an offering of Chinook Winds & Pacific Mountain Regional Councils First Third Ministry, of The United Church of Canada. First Third Ministry’s mission is to support …
View course details “Anti-Racism Work & Action: First Third Ministry Leadership Conference”

An application-based seminar on insights for pastoral and worship ministries In this week-long seminar, we will form a multi-cultural group of pastors, teachers, professors, and non-profit organization leaders to learn from the poignant and prophetic autobiographical writings of Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Howard Thurman, and Ida B. Wells. We will pay particular attention to the implications of their …
View course details “2024 African American Religious Autobiography Seminar”

An application-based seminar on faithful ministry to, with, and by people with intellectual/developmental disabilities Churches are incomplete without the presence, gifts, and friendship of people with disabilities. Yet many congregations still struggle to gather and worship in ways that welcome these indispensable members. How can our churches become communities of belonging for children and adults …
View course details “Flourishing Together: Becoming an Accessible and Welcoming Church”

On October 7, 2023 Hamas militants launched a devastating assault on Israel erupting into the most severe Palestinian-Israeli conflict seen in decades. Once again the world has been drawn into the aching question; will these people ever know a just and peaceful coexistence? Even as one considers that far away tragedy, Canada continues to awaken …
View course details “Can the Past be Reconciled? Two Histories, Two Lands”

Whenever the church has aligned itself with worldly, coercive power, it ends up on the wrong side of important justice issues. But when the church cooperates with God’s power through his presence among the least powerful, its witness for Jesus transforms the world and the church into a better place. Join us for a 4-week …
View course details “Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It’s on the Wrong Side of Power; Book Club with David Fitch”