You’re Invited!

This year’s meeting will be a hybrid, held both in-person at the Quattro Hotel in Sault Ste. Marie and online in Zoom. Joining us this year will be our special guest, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, 45th Moderator of The United Church of Canada. Below you will find all the details about our regional council meeting along with pertinent meeting documents as they become available. We look forward to seeing you in The Soo!

Chair of Executive Message

The funeral of a beloved matriarch had just concluded; a woman who had been a blessing in several congregations throughout our Region had died. As I was standing at the open door with colleague Rev. Lawrence Muvunzi and greeting friends as they began to depart the small, country church, I noticed big water droplets falling from the roof’s edge. The sun was shining, the weather was balmy, Spring visibly on its way. And I chuckled to myself. “Remember your Baptism, and be thankful”, I whispered, “because you’re going to be covered in waterdrops when you walk through that door!” There is no better time or place to remember why we are here and what gives us hope than a funeral; no better place to recognize that the Hard Places in our lives are also Holy Ground.

As a people of the Canadian Shield Regional Council, we are getting ready for our 2026 Hybrid Annual Meeting taking place in and broadcast from the Quattro Hotel in Sault Ste. Marie from June 5-7. And the theme for the next 2 years is “Hard Places. Holy Ground.” Our thanks to Donna Rutz for designing the logo, the Agenda and Business Team for putting together an exciting schedule to frame our days, and the Local Arrangements Team for ensuring our stay is both accessible and enjoyable. We are blessed to have with us our 45^th Moderator the Rt. Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath to inspire and feed us, as well as the Director of Growth and Ministry Development Cameron Fraser to guide us through Toward 2035 and offer a lens on the future.

Each time we consider a theme, we are always drawn back to the unique landscape of our Region. A hard, rocky place filled with abundant life. One might suggest that the Parable of the Sower found in all three synoptic gospels inspired us. In part, it did. The wild abandon of the sower who cast his seed without regard to where it might land gives us hope as a Region! But resistance and stubbornness, a hardening of the heart and a growing tiredness can create a climate of despair in our soil. Yet even here, in the cracks and fissures, we see evidence all across our Region of the Holy nurturing seeds of hope.

In preparation for our Annual Meeting, I invite you to take the time to read the Accountability Report. And as you do, give thanks for those who have stepped up to serve in leadership roles in the Region: for the faithful work of our three Commissions and five Resource Teams, our Staff team, and all the Regional Representatives elected from faith communities across the Canadian Shield. And then take a moment to read the Digest of Actions to learn of the diligent work of your Executive since we last met as a full region. Yes, our Region may be the size of a mustard seed in comparison, but our foundation is sure.

A special highlight at this Annual Meeting will be the installation of your new Chair, the Rev. Bill Jones, at the Celebration of Ministries service on Sunday, June 7. As Bill begins his 2-year term at the rise of this meeting, I will be stepping down. It has been a blessing to serve this Region for the past 3 years and I thank you for all your support!

Until June …

Rev. Nancy J. Ferguson
Chair, CSRC Executive

exterior of quattro conference centre in Sault Ste. Marie

Join Us In-Person

Feature Hotel Location

The Quattro Hotel and Conference Centre will be the home for this year’s in-person regional council meeting. They are located at 229 Great Northern Rd, Sault Ste. Marie (MAP).
There will be a block of rooms available for those attending the regional meeting. Call Quattro Hotel at 705-942-2500, and press “0” to connect with the front desk to book your room. Quote ‘United Church of Canada – General Block’ to access that saved block of rooms and get our special room rate.

***PLEASE NOTE: If you are attending the Ministry Personnel Retreat, DO NOT book your hotel room. Staff will book your hotel room for you from Wednesday night to Sunday morning. Just fill out the registration form for the Ministry Retreat and we will book your room. See the Ministry Personnel Retreat information page for more details.

The deadline to book a hotel room to get the special rate at Quattro is May 3, 2026. After that date rooms will be released to the general public and special rates will not apply.

Ministry Personnel Retreat

If you are planning on attending the Ministry Personnel retreat as well as the regional council meeting, you will only need to register ONCE. Please see the registration button below to take you to our retreat page and fill out the registration form there.

Ministry Personnel Retreat Accommodation

People who are attending both the Ministry Personnel Retreat AND the Regional Council Meeting will book their own rooms. They can stay in the same hotel room all weekend and will not need to book under the general room block. Call Quattro Hotel at 705-942-2500, and press “0” to connect with the front desk to book your room. Quote ‘United Church of Canada – Ministry Retreat – General Block’ to access that saved block of rooms and get our special room rate. Canadian Shield Regional Council will cover the cost of your accommodation for the retreat on Wednesday and Thursday nights; you will be responsible for the rest of your stay at Quattro and any incidentals.

The deadline to book a hotel room to get the special rate at Quattro is May 3, 2026.

The Region will cover your hotel room at the Quattro for Wednesday and Thursday night with meals (except for breakfast) to be provided by our hosts Willowgrove United Church. If you stay to attend the regional council meeting, you will be responsible for your hotel costs and own meals for Friday onward. We recommend signing up for the the regional meeting meal plan when you register.

Accommodations List

If you would rather not stay at Quattro, here is the accommodation list of other hotels available in Sault Ste. Marie.

Meal Plan

This year we will be offering a meal plan for those attending the regional meeting. On Friday there will be a buffet supper, on Saturday there will be a buffet lunch and a sit down served meal for supper. Please indicate that you would like to purchase the meal plan on your in-person registration form, whch will cost $50. The deadline for ordering food is May 22, 2026. When you submit your registration, you will have the option to pay by cheque, e-Transfer or pay by credit card via our secure online payment provider (Stripe). Payment in full is required at time of registration, otherwise your food order will not be included.

If a guest will be joining you, they will not have their meals subsidized by the region, and their meal cost will be $150. As well, please ensure that your guest registers separately from you.

Travel Reimbursement

The Regional Council will reimburse over 300 km for Regional Council members travel, or contribute to airfare equal to mileage cost, minus the value of 300 km. The Regional Council encourages folks to car pool for both environmental and budgetary reasons. Travel reimbursement forms will be at the registration desk for you to pick up and drop off. Reimbursements will be mailed out to you after the regional meeting. If you have any questions please contact Kathleen Jones at kijones@united-church.ca

Things to Do in Sault Ste. Marie

Looking for some things to do and explore in and around Sault Ste. Marie? Check out this list of local attractions and places of interest:

Things to do in The Soo

open laptop with zoom meeting on screen, on a table beside a green plant

Join Us Online in Zoom

Unable to join us in person? Not to worry, we are offering a hybrid meeting this year. Simply register for the online option for the meeting and we will make sure you have the necessary Zoom link to gather together virtually. Many of us are very comfortable with Zoom, but if you’re a bit rusty please review our Zoom tip sheet below.

Celebration of Ministries Service

Join us on Sunday May 7 at 10:30 a.m. as we will livestream our worship service from Quattro Hotel. More information will be posted as it becomes available about our celebrants this year. Our guest preacher will be the Rt. Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath. We hope you can join the celebration!

Special Guest Speakers

The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath is the 45th Moderator of The United Church of Canada (UCC). The Moderator serves as spiritual leader of the denomination, quickening a sense of God as revealed in Christ in the hearts of the people, and heartening and strengthening the whole United Church. She visits throughout the whole of the church, and serves as its primary spokesperson and representative.

The Moderator was installed in her role in August 2025, at the 45th General Council of The United Church of Canada in Calgary, Alberta and will serve until 2028. The Moderator was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and has served in ministry for nearly three decades. She’s deeply passionate about transformation in church life, and strengthening the path of connection in a divided world.

Cameron Fraser

Melody Duncanson-Hales

Kyle Pugh

Meeting Agenda

For a more detailed agenda please see here.

Friday, June 5, 2026

1:30 p.m. Welcome and Call to Order

2:15 p.m. Opening Motions and Prayer

2:25 p.m. Worship

3:00 p.m. Intros and Announcements; Nominations Opening and Process

3:30 p.m. Break

3:45 p.m. Open Session

5:15 p.m. Toronto United Church Council (TUCC)

5:30 p.m. Dinner Break

7:00 p.m. Stewardship with Melody Duncanson-Hales

7:35 p.m. Theological Reflection and adjournment

Saturday, June 6, 2026

9:00 a.m. Call to Order

9:10 a.m. Worship

9:30 a.m. Business Session 1 (includes break)

11:15 a.m. Open Session – Melody Duncanson Hales

11:45 a.m. Announcements, Nominations and Business Close and Grace

12 Noon – Lunch Break

1:00 p.m. Gathering

1:05 p.m. Moderator Addresses the Court with Q&A

2:10 p.m. Business Session 2

3:10 p.m. Educational Session (includes break)

4:10 p.m. Education Session

5:00 p.m. (In preson only) – Break before dinner

5:00 p.m. (Online only) – PRC Program Recording and adjournment

6 p.m. In person only – Banquet Dinner (grace at 5:45 p.m.)

6:30 p.m. Pastoral Relations Program with Rev. Rob Smith, theological reflection by Rev. Ted Harrison, announcements, adjournment

Sunday, June 7, 2026

9:00 a.m. Call to Order

9:10 a.m. New Business

9:40 a.m. Courtesies

10:30 a.m. Celebration of Ministry Service – Guest Preacher The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath

Proposal Process

A portion of the 2026 Regional Meeting agenda will be considering and voting on proposals intended for action by the Regional Council. The deadline for submitting proposals for the 2026 Regional Meeting is May 25, 2026.

FOR A COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL PROCESS, PLEASE REFER TO SECTION F.1 of THE MANUAL (2026):
https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2026-01/the-manual-2026.pdf

Proposal Template – [Word]

If you have questions or need assistance with the proposal process please contact Peter Hartmans at phartmans@united-church.ca or Susan Whitehead at swhitehead@united-church.ca

Deadline

The deadline for submission is Monday, May 25, 2026. Proposals should be sent to Susan Whitehead at swhitehead@united-church.ca.

Nominations

Canadian Shield Regional Council is currently recruiting new members for the following:

Regional Council Executive Committee Chair Elect (1 vacancy to be filled for 2027)
Regional Council Executive Committee Members (4 vacancies)
Property Commission (1 chair)
Property Commission (4 member vacancies)
Support to Communities of Faith Commission (2 member vacancies)
Finance Resource Team (2 vacancies)
Nominations Committee Members (1 vacancy)
Right Relations Resource Team Members (2 vacancies)
Affirming Resource Team Members (5 vacancies)
Youth and Young Adult Resource Team (1 team lead)
Youth and Young Adult Resource Team (5 member vacancies)

The position descriptions for each of the vacancies can be found here:

Regional Council Executive Chair Elect (PDF | 1 page)
Regional Council Executive Committee Members (PDF | 1 page)
Property Commission Chair (PDF | 1 Page)
Property Commission Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Support to Communities of Faith Commission Member (PDF | 1 page)
Finance Resource Team Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Nominations Committee Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Right Relations Resource Team Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Affirming Resource Team Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Youth and Young Adult Resource Team Member (PDF | 1 Page)
Youth and Young Adult Resource Team Lead (PDF | 1 Page)

If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about any of our current opportunities to get involved, please contact our team at swhitehead@united-church.ca

The deadline to submit your nomination is 12 Noon on June 6, 2026. To submit your Nomination form, please see the Nominations page of the website.

Meeting Resources and Materials

These items are pending and will be added as they become available

Resource Book – [pdf | pages] – (changes may still be made to this document until the day before the meeting) – pending
Draft Meeting Agenda [pdf | 3 pages]
Consent and Procedural Motions [pdf | 3 pages]
Holy Manners – [pdf | 1 page]
Draft Minutes of Regional Meeting – [pdf | 6 pages]
Zoom Tip Sheet – includes how to vote during the meeting – pending
Proposals – pending
Business: Draft Budget – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Digest of Actions – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Regional Council Executive Accountability – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Pastoral Relations Commission – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Support to Communities of Faith Commission – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Nominations Committee – [pdf | pages] – pending
Reports: Property Commission – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Affirming Resource Team – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Right Relations Resource Team – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Mission Support Grants Resource Team – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: GC45 Commissioners – [ pdf | 5 pages ]
Reports: General Council Executive – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Social Justice Network of Ontario Regions (SJNOR) – [ pdf | page ] – pending
Reports: Stewardship – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: United Church Women (UCW) – [ pdf | page ] – pending
Reports: Grand River Bookstore – [ pdf | page ] – pending
Reports: Emmanuel College – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: St. Andrew’s College – [ pdf | pages ] – pending
Reports: Atlantic School of Theology – [ pdf | page ] – pending
Reports: United Church Rural Ministry Network – [ pdf | page ] – pending
Ordinands and Comissionand – There are no Ordinands, etc. in 2026
Jubilands – [pdf | 1 page]
Retirees – There are no retirees in 2026
In Memoriam – [ pdf | 3 pages ]

Registration

***PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning on attending the Ministry Personnel retreat as well as the regional council meeting, you will only need to register ONCE. Simply click on the “Ministers Retreat and Regional Meeting” button below. We look forward to seeing you in June!