It’s Almost Time to Gather!

It’s almost time to gather in-person at the Quattro Hotel in Sault Ste. Marie or 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!

Meeting Resources and Materials

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

Resource Book – [pdf | 81 pages]
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 – There were no proposals received by the deadline.
Business: Draft Budget – [ pdf | 3 pages ]
Draft Financial Statements – [ pdf | 6 pages ]
Reports: Digest of Actions – [ pdf | 7 pages ]
Reports: Regional Council Executive Accountability – [ pdf | 6 pages ]
Reports: Pastoral Relations Commission – [ pdf | 8 pages ]
Reports: Support to Communities of Faith Commission – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Property Commission – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Nominations Committee – [ pdf | 5 pages ]
Reports: Finance Committee – [ pdf | 1 page ]
Reports: Affirming Resource Team – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Right Relations Resource Team – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Mission Support Grants Resource Team – [ pdf | 4 pages ]
Reports: GC45 Commissioners – [ pdf | 5 pages ]
Reports: Stewardship – [ pdf | 1 page ]
Reports: Emmanuel College – [ pdf | 3 pages ]
Reports: St. Andrew’s College – [ pdf | 1 page ]
Reports: Atlantic School of Theology – [ pdf | 2 pages ]
Reports: Centre for Christian Studies – [ pdf | 3 pages ]
Reports: United Church Rural Ministry Network – [ pdf | 1 page ]
Reports: Manitou Intentional Learning Community (MILC) – [ pdf | pages ]
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 ]

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

3:15 p.m. Break

3:30 p.m. Open Session

5:00 p.m. Toronto United Church Council (TUCC)

5:15 p.m. Emmanuel College Presentation

5:30 p.m. Dinner Break

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

7:30 p.m. Announcements, Equity Support Team, 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)

11:40 a.m. UCC Archives (Kyle Pugh); Camp McDougall (Eric Verbonac)

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 Time

2:10 p.m. Business Session 2

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

4:15 p.m. Education Session (includes break)

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. Equity Support Team; Courtesies

10:30 a.m. Celebration of Ministry Service – Guest Preacher The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, Benediction, Closing Motions, and Blessing

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.

Cam Fraser

Director of Growth and Ministry
The United Church of Canada

Cam Fraser has served as Director of Growth and Ministry Development for the General Council Offices of The United Church of Canada since the summer of 2023. Prior to this role, he spent 14 years in local ministry, beginning in youth ministry and contemporary worship and later focusing on church planting and fresh expressions through The Annex in Milton, Ontario. During this time, he also served as Camp Director at Ryerson United Church Camp on Lake Erie.

In 2014, Cam moved to Regina, Saskatchewan (Treaty 4 Territory) to serve at Knox-Metropolitan United Church, where his ministry centred on public witness, community engagement, outreach, and new ministry development in the heart of the city. He also directed Lumsden Beach United Church Camp for four summers and later led its Leadership Development Program.

Cam lives in Regina’s Cathedral Neighbourhood with his partner Cheryl and their children, Lily, Isla, and Oliver. The family worships at a United Church just 200 metres from their home.

Melody Duncanson-Hales

Stewardship Support for Canadian Shield and Shining Waters Regional Councils
The United Church of Canada

Rev. Melody Duncanson-Hales provides stewardship support to Communities of Faith in Canadian Shield and Shining Waters regions of the United Church. After serving almost a decade in rural congregational ministry, Melody returned to her home conference of Manitou to offer program support as the Mission and Stewardship Animator in 2008.

She’s a cheerleader – listening, encouraging, sharing your stories of gratitude and generosity wherever and whenever she can. She loves worship, teaching, exploring, planning and meeting the challenge of being the church today.

Melody spends time with her husband Chris and family in both Sudbury and Manitoulin Island.

Kyle Pugh
Ontario Regional Councils Archivist
The United Church Of Canada

Kyle Pugh is the Ontario Regional Councils Archivist with the United Church of Canada. He holds a Master of Information in Archives and Records Management from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Trent University. He serves as Board Treasurer for the Association of Canadian Archivists and is a Practising NAAB Appraiser with the National Archival Appraisal Board.

Here From The Beginning

A Celebration of Faith, History, Community and The UCC

An exhibition that showcases the contributions and experiences o

“Here from the Beginning” Exhibit
Discover the contribution and story of Black Peoples within the United Church of Canada as we commemorate a story of Resilience, Belonging and Bold Discipleship.

Canadian Shield Regional Council will host this national exhibit during our Annual Meeting June 5th & 6th.

Learn more about the exhibit here: https://herefromthebeginning.ca/

Watch for upcoming dates for the exhibit in Thunder Bay during June.

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).

Other Accommodations List

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

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

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.

The deadline for ordering food was May 22, 2026 and is no longer an option for those who are registering to attend in person.

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

Watch our livestream of the Celebration of Ministry Service from Quattro Hotel, as part of the regional meeting on Sunday, June 7, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Zoom.

Guest Preacher – Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, 45th Moderator of The United Church of Canada
Chair of CSRC Executive: Rev. Nancy Ferguson
Chair-Elect of CSRC Executive – Rev. Bill Jones
Executive Minister: Rev. Peter Hartmans
Celebration of Ministries service bulletin – [ PDF | 6 pages ]

Click Here to get the Zoom link!

Worship Service Resources

Is your minister attending the Regional Meeting? We have alternate worship service resources available for your community of faith, including a video sermon. Thank you to Rev. Stewart Walker for providing the liturgy and video sermon.
Liturgy for Cogregational Use
Written Sermon for Congregational Use
The link for the sermon YouTube video is: https://youtu.be/krrALpQ6NRs

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

Deadline

The deadline for submission was Monday, May 25, 2026 and no proposals were received by the deadline.

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.

Registration

Please note that those registering to attend in person no longer have the option to purchase the meal plan. The deadline was May 22, 2026.