Friday, June 9 to Sunday, June 11, 2023
In North Bay, Ontario to be held at the
Canadore College Residence and Conference Centre

Welcome!

We hope you can join us for our new in-person learning event called the Festival of Faith. This innaugral gathering will be held at Canadore College Residence and Conference Centre in North Bay. The Festival of Faith is open to everyone, not just regional reps and ministry personnel. As such registration will be capped at 200 participants, so register now! Registration closes June 2, 2023.

Watch this space as we will be updating information as it becomes available. And now, here are a few words from our Chair of Executive, Barbara Nott.

Chair of Executive’s Message

Festival of Faith 2023

Called Through the Wilderness

We want to welcome you to the CSRC Learning Event called Festival of Faith – a new in-person, bi-annual learning event that will be hosted in a different location each year it is offered. Instead of having our regular face-to-face Regional Council Meeting this year (there will be one online in November 2023), we decided to hold a learning event that EVERYONE could attend, not just regional reps and our ministry personnel.

Our goal for this event was to:

To connect the region after the pandemic; find connection and interrelationship with people and perhaps, the nature around us;
Give more face-to-face time by offering an in-person event;
Keep up the work of merging our 5 geographical areas (Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, North Bay, and Timmins); and,
Take what we learn and bring it back to share with our community of faith, friends, and family.

For our inaugural year of the Festival of Faith, our theme will be “Called Through the Wilderness.” We will be focusing on looking forward – through the uncertainty of emerging from a pandemic, deficit budgets, and fewer volunteers to do more work – toward new and exciting ways of being church. We aim to inspire participants to leave with changed hearts and to take the message of hope and creativity back to their home communities of faith.

We will be staying at the Canadore College Residence and Conference Centre in North Bay and the workshops on Friday and Saturday will be at Canadore College. This will be where our meals will be held for most of the weekend.

Throughout the weekend, gifted leaders, from our Region and beyond, will help to animate our theme. Marlene Britton will challenge and affirm us as our keynote speaker. Linnea Good and David Jonsson will have us tapping our toes, clapping our hands, and making a joyful noise as our Musical Keynoters. Mary Savage will have us connecting deeply with ourselves and our Creator, in the beautiful green spaces around Canadore College, as our Forest Church facilitator.

During Friday and Saturday, we will participate in variety of workshops, enjoy music and worship, and engage in meaningful keynote speaker time. On Saturday evening, you have the opportunity to attend a “Wings, Hymns and Rock n’ Roll” night at Moose’s Cookhouse, a pub-style restaurant downtown. A local band (The Hosts) will be playing our favourite hymns and transition into some rock n’ roll, so if you love dancing or just love listening to awesome music, be sure to put that on your to-do list for the weekend!

On Sunday, Trinity United Church in downtown North Bay will host us for a Sunday Communion Service. During Sunday’s service, we will continue to explore our theme “Call Through the Wilderness” in music, message, and fellowship. Before we part ways for the weekend, we will share in the sacrament of communion that it may sustain us until we are together again. Registration will be limited, so be sure to register EARLY. Please come out to North Bay in June to see old friends, make new friends, and have a “rockin’” time in The Bay!

Looking forward to seeing you at this event.

Barbara Nott
Chair of CSRC Executive

Who to See

Rev. Marlene Britton – Keynote Speaker

Rev. Marlene Britton is the Team Lead for Policy and Programs in the Ministry and Personnel Unit of the General Council Office, and Team Lead for the Office of Vocation. In this role, she and a team of 16 staff persons along with various Boards and committees, have the responsibility for candidates for ordered ministry, the admission program, mutual recognition program, and the accountability of ministry personnel.

Rev. Britton previously served the General Council as Program coordinator for Pastoral Relations and Admission, and prior to that was the Office of Vocations minister to the Canadian Shield Regional Council and Shining Waters Regional Council. She was in congregational ministry with the people of Knox Shuniah (now Harmony UC) in Thunder Bay, coming to them from a 2-point charge in Alberta. Marlene has served on committees at all levels of the Church, along with being on the Program Review Committee for the Centre for Christian Studies.

Rev. Britton is in her 30th year in ministry, having been ordained to diaconal ministry by the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas. Prior to moving to Canada, Marlene served in Guyana, Belize, and Barbados, including serving as a military chaplain. Marlene is humbled to be called to this work, and is excited about what will emerge as God’s work continues.

Linnea Good and David Jonsson – Musical Keynoters

Linnea Good and David Jonsson have been a team in music-making for 2 decades, and each of them in a ministry with children for much longer than that. Linnea’s primary calling is to assist people in giving voice to their spirituality. She is one of Canada’s best loved faith singer-songwriters for all-ages. She has a Master of Religious Education degree with a focus on music as tool in Christian Education. David’s years of drumming with multi-award winning children’s performers Charlotte Diamond and Fred Penner have given him an intuitive feel for song-leading with people of all ages and abilities. Together, David and Linnea gently turn listeners into singers, an audience into a sacred gathering.

What to Do

Friday, June 9, 2023

11:00 a.m. Registration
1:00 p.m. Gathering Music with Musical Keynoters
Welcome/Introductions
Marlene Britton, Linnea Good and David Jonsson Talk about the Theme
1:45 p.m. Worship
2:15 p.m. Body Break Time with Erin Todd
2:45 p.m. Keynote Speaker/Theme Time
3:45 p.m. BREAK
4:00 p.m. One Hour Workshops: (choose from one of the following)

Living Faithful: Justice and Public Witness with Jeffrey Dale
Kindred Works with Kristopher Tavella and Tim Blair
Collaborative Ministry with Rob Smith
Strategic Plan of The UCC with TBA

5:30 p.m. DINNER
7:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker
8:00 p.m. Friday Night Song-Jam with Linnea and David and Social Time

Sunday, June 11, 2023

10:30 a.m. Trinity United Church for Sunday Worship
12:00 p.m. SNACKS and Goodbyes

Saturday, June 10, 2023:

8:45 a.m.       Gathering Music with Musical Keynoters
9:00 a.m.       Worship
9:15 a.m.       Keynote Speaker
10:15 a.m.    BREAK
10:45 a.m.    One Hour Workshops: (choose from one of the following)

Anti-Racist Music with Faye Moffatt
Embodied Prayer Shop with Diane Matheson-Jimenez
Healthy Stewardship is Discipleship with Melody Duncanson-Hales
Forest Church with Mary Savage

12:00 p.m. LUNCH
1:30 p.m. One Hour Workshops: (choose from one of the following)

Right Relations Land Acknowledgement with Lisa Blais and the CSRC RRRT
One-on-one with CSRC Staff
Forest Church if needed
The Word is Not Far From You: Intro to Heart-to-Heart Biblical Telling with Linnea Good and David Jonsson

2:30 p.m. BREAK
3:00 p.m. One Hour Workshops: (choose from one of the following)

Ukulele 101 with Linnea Good and David Jonsson
Rural Connect with Randy Boyd
Intercultural Diversity with Kim Uyede-Kai
Neurodiversity with Torrin Maag

4:15 p.m. Keynote Speaker Last Remarks
Closing Worship
6:00 p.m. DINNER – On Own
“Wings, Hymns, and Rock n’ Roll” at The Moose Restaurant/Bar in NB with band “The Hosts”
NOTE: If you decide to come to The Moose for dinner, you will need a ticket for the band night to enter ($5 each – on sale at the event)

Where to Stay

To get the Early Bird discounted accommodation rate, book by May 9th, 2023. There are 2 rooms in each suite and each suite costs $95/night – if you share the suite with a friend in the other room, you can split the cost for the suite for a night. To book your stay at the College residence, click on the blue “Book Here” button below in the information poster.

Workshops

We will have lots to do at the Festival of Faith 2023. See below for our selection of workshops available. When you register you will be asked to pick your top three. If you would like to download FoF Overview of Workshops we also have it available in a handy PDF format.

Workshop 1

Living Faithful: Justice and Public Witness
Friday, June 9th at 4:00 p.m.
Leadership: Jeffrey Dale

This workshop will explore how we are called by God to live out being a justice seeking people. Through the use of scripture, song, and story, this workshop will activate our sense of who and how we are called by God in community.

Workshop 2

Kindred Works
Friday, June 9th at 4:00 p.m.
Leadership: Kristopher Tavella and Tim Blair

We have invited staff from Kindred Works to come and speak about what their group does and how they can help churches in the Canadian Shield Regional Council. Kindred Works is a United Church of Canada department that acts as a development and asset manager―developing and managing land on behalf of The United Church of Canada, our communities of faith, and ecumenical partners. Kindred Works is building a nationwide portfolio of mixed-income rental housing and gathering spaces, with an aim to create homes for 34,000 people in the next 15 years. Doing so will enable churches to continue offering the services and support that already exist, and extend the potential of their spaces to as many people as possible―because at the heart of Kindred Works’ vision is the belief that a secure and stable home can be the foundation for a life full of opportunity.

Workshop 3

Collaborative Ministry
Friday, June 9th at 4:00 p.m.
Leadership: Rob Smith – Pastoral Relations Minister, Canadian Shield Regional Council

Rob will discuss Collaborative ministry – arrangements where two or more congregations, or pastoral charges, enter into an agreement to work together.

Workshop 4

Strategic Plan of The United Church of Canada
Friday, June 9th at 4:00 p.m.
Leadership: TBA

The United Church of Canada’s Strategic Plan is working towards discerning a strong purpose, offering a clear vision, and proposing five interconnected strategic objectives, the plan strives to create the conditions for growth, slowing if not stopping the slide in participation, impact, and finances. The status quo is not an option. A representative from the UCC General Council Office will offer a workshop on the plan.

Workshop 5

Music: One Step on our Journey to Becoming an Anti-Racist Church
Saturday, June 10th at 10:45 a.m.
Leadership: Faye Moffatt

“The songs we sing have the power to form us and to spiritually malform us” –Brian McLaren. In 2008 the United Church aimed to become intercultural; in 2020, to become anti-racist. How are we doing? Jesus interacted with people from at least 8 different cultural and ethnic groups…if we don’t sing about that, our understanding of God is pretty small. In this participatory workshop we’ll sing, sample and celebrate. With enthusiasm, we’ll examine the implicit bias in our practice and expand our repertoire of holy song. You will leave with very practical take-aways and resources.

Workshop 6

Embodied Prayer Shop
Saturday, June 10th at 10:45 a.m.
Leadership: Diane Matheson-Jimenez – Community of Faith Support Minister, Canadian Shield and Shining Waters Regional Council

The Prayer Shop workshop will be an opportunity to explore spiritual practices and embodied prayer through arts, music, movement, sensory items, journaling, and more. Participants are welcome to come and go as they need to from this self-guided prayer experience.

Workshop 7

Healthy Stewardship is Discipleship
Saturday, June 10th at 10:45 a.m.
Leadership: Melody Duncanson-Hales – Communities of Faith and Stewardship Support Minister, Canadian Shield and Shining Waters Regional Council

Melody’s Stewardship workshop will be about “Healthy Stewardship is Discipleship.” Good stewardship is never about guilt or coercion or simply meeting the budget. Good stewardship is about discipleship, generosity, and spiritual growth. Join with Melody Duncanson Hales to explore practical tools to develop stewardship in your congregation.

Workshop 8

Forest Church
Saturday, June 10th at 10:45 a.m.
Leadership: Mary Savage

Many people find that their most profoundly spiritual moments are when they are outdoors, in nature. Forest Church (aka Wild Church) is an emerging church movement which provides an opportunity to recognize and experience the beauty, wonder and mystery all around us. At the Forest Church workshop we will gather outdoors to experience and discuss this way of slowing down, paying attention to the divine, reconnecting with creation, engaging with the environment, and worshipping in and with nature.

Workshop 9

Right Relations Land Acknowledgement
Saturday, June 10th at 1:30 p.m.
Leadership: Lisa Blais and the CSRC Right Relations Resource Team

This workshop is framed on 3 basic questions: Why do/should we give a land/territorial acknowledgement; How do you create a “good” land acknowledgement; and How do you handle any resistance regarding land acknowledgements. There will be an opportunity for people to discuss and ask questions.

Workshop 10

One-On-One with CSRC Staff
Saturday, June 10th at 1:30 p.m.
Leadership: CSRC Staff

Book some one-on-one time with a CSRC staff member. There will be a signup sheet at the registration desk.

Workshop 11

Forest Church (REPEAT)
Saturday, June 10th at 1:30 p.m.
Leadership: Mary Savage

Workshop 12

The Word is Not Far From You: Intro to Heart-to-Heart Biblical Telling
Saturday, June 10th at 1:30 p.m.
Leadership: Linnea Good and David Jonsson

Learning biblical stories and lines of wisdom is a way of going deeper with the Word, of listening more fully to God, of delighting in the insights that come with repetition, of discovering the attention that is given when you say to someone: “Can I tell you a story?” The Network of Biblical Storytellers Canada offers a method for “by-hearting” that takes the teller far beyond memorizing, into practices that increase memory and allow us to draw on our own learning and remembering styles.

Workshop 13

Ukulele 101: Strumming with the World’s Happiest Instrument
Saturday, June 10th at 3:00 p.m.
Leadership: Linnea Good and David Jonsson

A workshop for complete newcomers to the ukulele. With one finger, one string, and one strum begins the adventure of making music for ourselves. Within the first 5 minutes, we will be playing songs together – and then the sky’s the limit. Linnea has taught hundreds of students, online and off, since the pandemic veered her in the direction of instrument teaching, for the sake of freedom, community and spiritual care.

Workshop 14

Neurodiversity
Saturday, June 10th at 3:00 p.m.
Leadership: Torrin Maag

Torrin Maag will explore what it means to love and to live in a world of many minds. By bringing together disability theory, queer theory, and relational theology, Torrin will offer a series of principles for building just neurodivergent communities and the problems that neurodivergence raises and solves.

Workshop 15

A Space of Belonging
Saturday, June 10th at 3:00 p.m.
Leadership: Kim Uyede-Kai – Communities of Faith Support, Intercultural Diversity, Anti-Racism and Right Relations Minister, Shining Waters Regional Council

How can our church be a space of belonging for ministry personnel and lay members who bring new and sometimes unfamiliar diversity to a community? We’ll explore how God calls us to meet cultural challenges as faithful opportunities to be God’s people in relationship in new ways.

Workshop 16

Rural Connect
Saturday, June 10th at 3:00 p.m.
Leadership: Randy Boyd

– Lay-led/clergy-led churches; Large and small churches; Challenges to churches in this new digital age; gaps/gulfs between all generations and how to come together

Registration

Registration will be limited to 200 people for this gathering and the price includes all meals. Please be aware that hotel rooms are not included, please see the accommodation section above for more details on how to book your space. If more than one person is attending, please fill out a separate registration form for each person.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.