Episode 87 of The New Leaf Project is here!
In this week's conversation, Terence Schilstra, church planter, author and missional practitioner, shares the story of his book “Peace of the City" and the missional community he and his wife lead in Thorold, Ontario. 

Terence unpacks what the word “missional” means in his context and offers ideas and encouragement on how to cultivate rhythms of intentional missional practice, particularly, practices that engage and cultivate relationships with the immediate neighbours in our lives. Inspired by the Benedictine and Franciscan missional communities, Terence shares the rule of life he and his community follow as they serve, love and live amongst the urban poor. 

What can happen to a neighbourhood and city when a community of faith offers presence, hospitality, and creativity to their neighbours? What transformational experiences and cumulative influence can God make possible in a community of faith when they practice radical hospitality in place for a long period of time? What good news stories can God birth among a people who take that kind of a posture toward their neighbours right here on Canadian soil?

This episode will challenge and inspire leaders to reflect on their own communities and imagine how they can take steps to become more missional as they follow Jesus in their neighbourhoods. 

Order a copy of this Canadian resource and support the work The Table is doing in downtown Thorold - https://peaceofthecity.ca/ 

———

Terence Schilstra is an ordained pastor and missional community leader at The Table. The Table missional communities live and serve in under-resourced neighbourhoods in downtown Thorold, Ontario. Terence is married to his beautiful wife Karen and they have four kids.

Ep 87 - Talking Peace of the City - Terence Schilstra

The next Movies for Lent episode has arrived!

Jason and Adam, pastors and movie-lovers, are hosting Movies for Lent: Conversations at the Intersection of Faith & Film. 

You can participate in the live watch experience and discussion on Wednesdays over zoom (join the Movies for Lent facebook group for more info), or participate on your own by using these podcast episodes as a jumping-off point for reflection or discussion in your own communities. 

This week’s selection is Kubo and the Two Strings (2016).
Theme: Transfiguration
Lectionary Scripture: Luke 9:28-36

Discussion Questions:

1. After viewing ‘A Hero’ what thoughts and impressions lingered as the credits rolled and beyond? Why?

2. From a cinematic perspective, what did you enjoy about the film? What worked for you? What didn’t?

3. Kubo and the Two Strings presents an authentic oral custom from Japanese culture: from a storytelling perspective, hows does this relate to our understanding and interpretation of scripture?

4. In our lectionary passage Jesus is transfigured and stands alongside Moses and Elijah. From the perspective of the disciples (Peter, John, James) what connections could they have made with their own religious upbringing?

The New Leaf Project Podcast

Ep 93 - Movies for Lent: Kubo and the Two Strings - Jason Tripp & Adam Kline

The next Movies for Lent episode has arrived!

Jason and Adam, pastors and movie-lovers, are hosting Movies for Lent: Conversations at the Intersection of Faith & Film. 

You can participate in the live watch experience and discussion on Wednesdays over zoom (join the Movies for Lent facebook group for more info), or participate on your own by using these podcast episodes as a jumping-off point for reflection or discussion in your own communities. 

This week’s selection is The Straight Story (1999).

Theme: ReconciliationLectionary Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Discussion Questions:

1. After viewing ‘The Straight Story’ what thoughts and impressions lingered as the credits rolled and beyond? Why?

2. From a cinematic perspective, what did you enjoy about the film? What worked for you? What didn’t?

3. In the film Alvin sets out on a lengthy journey with the intent of restoring a broken relationship. What are the pitfalls Alvin faced on his journey and how might they be illustrative of the hurdles we all face on the road to reconciliation?

4. In our lectionary passage Jesus tells a parable of a loving father with two sons, each of whom is lost. How do both the older and younger sons break relationship with their father and how does the father embody the reconciling heart of God?

Ep 95 - Movies for Lent: The Straight Story - Jason Tripp & Adam Kline

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

In this episode Matte Downey shares her reflection for the first Monday of Advent - Birds, Blurry Lines, and Becoming

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Advent Reader

Ep 99 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Matte Downey

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

In this episode Paul Lucas shares his reflection for the first Wednesday of Advent - What If?

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 100 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Paul Lucas

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

In this episode Lea Wilkening shares her reflection for the first Friday of Advent - No One Waits Alone

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 102 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Lea Wilkening

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Robin Ingham shares her reflection for the first Saturday of Advent - In Greener Pastures

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 103 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Robin Ingham

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Cathleen Getchell shares her reflection for the second Sunday of Advent - Four-letter Word

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 104 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Cathleen Getchell

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Matthew R Green shares his reflection for the second Monday of Advent - Waiting in Desolation

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 105 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Matthew R Green

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Kyra Schat shares her reflection for the second Tuesday of Advent - Do You Believe

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 107 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Christina MacBean

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Ellen Duffield shares her reflection for the second Saturday of Advent - Mary’s Magnificat: Praise, Pain, Prophecy and Prayer

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 109 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Ellen Duffield

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Tim Tang shares his reflection for the third Saturday of Advent - Hear us, Shepherd of Israel…

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Advent 2022

Ep 112 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Tim Tang

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Rohadi shares his reflection for the fourth Saturday of Advent - Advent Solidarity

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 117 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Rohadi

Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their Advent Reader reflections on Known and Unknown: Dwelling in the Mystery of Advent.

Elle Pyke shares her reflection for Christmas Day - The Embodiment of Christmas

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com

Ep 118 - The 2022 New Leaf Advent Reader – Elle Pyke

Episode 119 of The New Leaf Project is here!

In this week's conversation, Dr Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, Professor in Sociology at the University of Waterloo, shares with us the ethnocultural and religious take-aways from the 2021 Canadian Census, released at the end of 2022. 

Sarah gives expert data interpretation to those parsing through this invaluable religious affiliation data for Canadians.  She unpacks all the major findings, including the unexpected data that non-religious Canadians have more than doubled in the past 20 years — to 34.6 percent, up from 16.5 percent in 2001. She discusses that though Christianity remains the majority religion in Canada, only 53 percent of the population reported an affiliation with a Christian religion, down 14 percent from 2011 and 24 percent from 2001. Sarah helps us understand the ways these numbers shift as we move East to West, what Stats Can researchers were surprised by, and how every denomination in Canada, mainline and evangelical, is in rapid decline.

Rather than closing off our minds to the data of decline and disruption, what would happen if we open up and learn what fellow Canadians are saying about their religious beliefs? How could this data open up conversation and connection? Can this learning help us attune to our cultural moment as Christians in Canada? 

This episode is full of Canadian-specific data and content and is helpful for leaders, pastors, planters and Jesus followers who desire to reflect on their own contexts and the ways that our society is shifting away from Christianity 

Dr. Sarah Wilkins-LaFlamme is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. She completed her DPhil (PhD equivalent) in sociology at the University of Oxford in 2015. Her research interests include quantitative methods, sociology of religion, immigration and ethnicity as well as political sociology. Dr. Wilkins-Laflamme is co-author of None of the Above: Nonreligious Identity in the US and Canada withNew York University Press, and has also published 24 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters to date.

Show Notes, Links and Resources:

Stats Canada Religious Data - https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026b-eng.htm?utm_source=twt&utm_medium=smo&utm_campaign=statcan-2021census-diss-ethnocultural-en

Religion, Non-Belief, Spirituality and Social Behaviour among North American Millennials: https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/handle/10012/15102

Religion, Spirituality and Secularity among Millennials: The Generation Shaping American and Canadian Trends: https://www.amazon.ca/Religion-Spirituality-Secularity-among-Millennials/dp/1032109211

Find Sarah on Twitter: @swilk033

Ep 119 - The Changing Religious Landscape in Canada - Dr. Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme

Episode 120 of The New Leaf Project is here! 

Today on our feed we're featuring the first episode of the Disability & the Canadian Church podcast, part of of the New Leaf Network of Podcasts. 

This first episode of the limited series is an honest and vulnerable conversation about healing vs. curing, barriers to accessibility, finding belonging in church communities, and resisting normalcy. 

The hosts Jasmine and Keith are joined by Bethany McKinney Fox, a public speaker, contemplative, and the author of “Disability and the Way of Jesus,” and Matt Arguin - a Community Member with Wish to Be Home and an Associate Anglican Priest in London.

You can find Matt’s Prayer in Time of Pandemic at  https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cjtmhd/article/view/35010 and Bethany’s book Disability and the Way of Jesus: Holistic healing in the Gospels and in Church here: https://www.ivpress.com/disability-and-the-way-of-jesus

Matthew Arguin is Assistant Curate-Coordinator of Outreach and Evangelism at Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church, Diocese of Huron, Anglican Church of Canada.

Bethany McKinney Fox is founder of Beloved Everybody, an ability-inclusive faith community in Los Angeles where people with and without intellectual, developmental and other disabilities, as well as neurodivergent folks, lead and participate together. She is the author of “Disability and the Way of Jesus: Holistic Healing in the Gospels and the Church.” She is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Ep 120 - Disability & the Canadian Church: When Healing Hurts

Episode 121 of The New Leaf Project is here! 

Today on our feed we're featuring the second episode of the Disability & the Canadian Church podcast, part of of the New Leaf Network of Podcasts. 

This second Cynthia Tam and Stephen Bedard about autism and the church. Cynthia and Stephen help us to learn from multiple perspectives: parent, pastor, professional, self-advocate, ministry leader, and author. We talk about friendship and family, kinship and community, the language we use and the beauty of communication beyond words.

You can find Stephen’s writing on the Disability and Faith Forum at disabilityandfath.org and at his website  stephenjbedard.com. You can order Cynthia’s book Kinship in the Household of God through her website cynthiatam.ca or on Amazon.

Cynthia Tam is an ordained minister and the National Coordinator for Disability Ministries with the Alliance Canada. Having Completed her Ph.D in Theology she is involved in teaching in the Alliance Stream at Tyndale University.  With a professional background in occupational therapy, Cynthia co-founded Village Eulogia for Families with Special Needs and continued to serve families with children with disabilities through this organization.

Stephen Bedard is an author, pastor, autistic advocate, and parent. He has a DMin in the area of disability ministry from Acadia Divinity College. He lives with his wife Amanda in Brookfield NS and is co-pastor at Brookfield Baptist Church. Stephen’s oldest two children have autism and live in a group home setting. Stephen is the author of How to make Your Church Autism Friendly.

***

And we want you to know about our upcoming event the Table 2023. Check it out today! https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/thetable

Ep 121 - Disability & the Canadian Church: Friendship, family, kinship & community

Episode 122 of The New Leaf Project is here! 

Hear the story of the epiphany that led Wendy Janzen to start a forest church, and subsequently co-found the Wild Church Network. Forest Church/Wild Church are unique expressions of church, where we worship both in and with all creation. It is not just taking a regular worship service and moving it outdoors - it is engaging with God's imminent presence among us, recognizing we are standing on holy ground, and opening ourselves to ways that creation itself both praises God and reveals God's love, wisdom, and provision.

Learn more about: 
- the Wild Church Network: https://www.wildchurchnetwork.com/
- Church of the Wild book: https://www.victorialoorz.com/book

Rev. Wendy Janzen is planter and pastor of Burning Bush Forest Church, a worshiping community that has been going outdoors for monthly worship gatherings in parks and wild spaces in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON for over seven years. She also serves part-time as Eco-Minister with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, is a spiritual director, and writes wild liturgies and eco-spiritual practices. Her passion is for inviting people to ground themselves within God's beloved community of creation, and moving from ego-centric (and anthropocentric) understandings of Christianity to eco-centric experiences of faith and discipleship. She lives with her husband, Chip and their two teenage sons, in Kitchener, Ontario.

***

And we want you to know about our upcoming event the Table 2023. Check it out today!

Ep 122 - Finding Faith in the Fields and Forests with Wendy Janzen

Episode 123 of The New Leaf Project is here! 

Elle is joined in this episode by Krista-Dawn Kimsey, the Director of Learning and Innovation of Servant Partners Canada. Krista-Dawn is a longtime friend of the New Leaf Network, and has been teaching the Canadian Church from her perspective of seeking God's shalom by pursuing holistic transformation of urban poor communities alongside our neighbours.

Learn more about the certificate of Community Transformation that Servant Partners Canada offers :
- https://www.servantpartners.ca/ctc

Krista-Dawn Kimsey is a Ukrainian-German Canadian settler, currently migrating from unceded Coast Salish lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations peoples to Saskatoon on Treaty 6 land. She is the daughter of Gayle and Don Jenner, who were born and raised on Treaty 4 land; home to the Cote, Keeseekoose, The Key, Zagime Anishinabek, Kahkewistahaw & Ocean Man First Nations and the original lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, and the homeland of the Métis. She is a mostly pleasant wife to Joel and an often spontaneous parent to her two teenagers: Judah and Gabriella. She currently serves on the executive team of Servant Partners Canada (https://www.servantpartners.ca)as the Director of Learning and Innovation. For 27 years her vocational passion and calling has been to facilitate creative and transformational learning experiences to disciple, train and coach leaders to love God and love their neighbours with greater justice.

***

And we want you to know about our upcoming event the Table 2023. Check it out today - https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/thetable

Ep 123 - Community Transformation Alongside our Neighbours - with Krista-Dawn Kimsey

Episode 124 of The New Leaf Project is here! 

Elle is joined in this episode by Albert Chu, the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrews Hall. 

In their conversation they talk about the realities that need to be faced by Canadian practitioners; considering new paths forward that don’t ignore very real constraints but imagine new ways of doing ministry. 

Learn more about the certificate program in Missional Leadership at the Centre for Missional Leadership, St. Andrews Hall: https://www.standrews.edu/cml/

Albert Chu is the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrews Hall.  He is also the Lead Pastor of the Tapestry Church, a multi-campus church in the Lower Mainland.

Albert is passionate about creating space, not only physical space, but designing a safe environment and a hospitable culture that allows people the room to discover and grow as disciples of Jesus.  It was this passion that led Albert to plant the Tapestry Church back in 2004 and continues to fuel his desire to start new missional activities and plant more churches.  As the Director of the CML, and in alignment to this passion, Albert strives to equip, resource, and release leaders for God’s mission in this corner of the world we affectionately call Cascadia.

Albert is a graduate of The University of Alberta where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Political Science as well as a Master of Arts in Sociology. He is also a graduate of Regent College with a Master of Divinity.  Recognized as a leader within the church planting movement in Canada, Albert has served with Resonate Global Missions, Engage Vancouver and as a Church Planter Developer with the Christian Reformed Church.

Albert is married to Frieda and is blessed with two lovely daughters. They love to travel, cycle, cook, and wander with their backpacks within the 117,900 acres of bliss called Mt. Baker Wilderness.

***

And we want you to know about our upcoming event the Table 2023. Check it out today: www.newleafnetwork.ca/thetable

Ep 124 - Being open to & equipped for change - with Albert Chu

We have a special episode for the New Leaf Project listeners… please help us in welcoming a brand new podcast our network: The Multivocational Podcast! 

Join hosts Jared Siebert and Beth Carlson- Malena as they explore the stories of Christian leaders and practitioners carving out new roles - roles that are increasingly multivocational in the post-Christian Canadian landscape. 

In this first episode In this inaugural episode Beth and Jared talk about what this podcast is all about… what it means to be a multivocational leader in Canada… and the multiverse of possibilities while wearing more than one vocational hat!

Check out and follow along with new episodes at https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/multivocationalpodcast

Ep 125 - Welcome to the Multivocational Podcast!

Ep 126 - Beth's Multivocational Story

Join Beth and Jared as Jared shares his multivocational story.

Jared serves in many capacities in the Canadian Church.  He founded the New Leaf Network and is one of Canada’s leading inter-denominational church planter trainers.  But church planting isn’t the only kind of experience he has garnered.  In his ministry roles Jared has had the opportunity to work with churches of all kinds from all over Canada.  He has acted as a consultant in churches large and small, urban and rural, and new and long established.  He has written a discipleship curriculum, a handbook on church planter training, and a Church Health workbook called the LifePlan.  

Over the past few years Jared has faced some massive shifts in his life and his ministry. In this episode he talks about what he’s up to now, and how he is living this multivocational life! 

Ep 127 - Jared's Multivocational Story

Ep 128 is here, bringing you more multivocational goodness!

We’re talking about the realities of multivocational life - is it stressful? Is it satisfying? Is it “better” or “worse” than being univocational? Let’s go beyond just conversational ✨ vibes ✨ and bring in some data, shall we? 

Beth Anne Fisher joins the conversation for this episode. She was one of the researchers on the MISSiM project, under the supervision of the primary investigator Dr. Wanda Malcolm. The Malcolm Inventory of Satisfaction and Stress in Ministry (MISSiM) is a statistically valid and reliable instrument that explores 29 aspects of ministry life and how they contribute to an individual's current experiences in ministry life. It is intended for both ordained and non-ordained leaders. 

Beth Anne and Jared chat about their findings, their stories, and what we can learn from each other doing this multivocational work. 

You can learn more about Beth Anne’s work, as well as what the MISSiM might offer you, by visiting www.newleafnetwork.ca/sustained

Ep 128 - The Stressors and Satisfiers of Being Multivocational with Beth Anne Fisher

Episode 53 of the New Leaf Project is here!

In this episode, we hear from Jeff and Jan Steckley, from Kitchener Ontario. Jeff and Jan share about their journey through the second half of life, what it looks like to adopt more contemplative postures in our spiritual practices and how it's never too late to start something new.

Jeff and Jan are working together with New Leaf to create a discernment process for those considering church planting, starting new ventures or those who simply want to discern what is next in life.

Ep 53 - Jeff and Jan Steckley - Contemplative practice, second half of life & the art of starting

The first episode of our new Neighbourhood Series is here! 
In this episode Elle has a conversation with Preston Pouteaux about his book, The Bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding Faith, Imagination, and Delight in Your Neighbourhood. They talk about his community and what their presence in their neighbourhood looks like.  

Dr. Preston Pouteaux is a beekeeper, neighbourhood enthusiast, and pastor at Lake Ridge Community Church. He is an engaging speaker, writer, and curator of conversations about faith and neighbourhoods. He is part of the Forge Canada National Team and teaches at colleges across the country. He studied at Covenant Bible College, Briercrest College, Regent College, Tyndale Seminary, and Jerusalem University College in Israel. He is the author of Imago Dei to Missio Dei [VantagePoint3] and the award-winning author of The Bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding Faith, Imagination, and Delight in Your Neighbourhood [Urban Loft Publishers]. Since 2015 his syndicated column, Into the Neighbourhood, has been printed over one millions times in weekly newspapers. Preston lives in Chestermere, Alberta, with his wife Kelly, their daughters Scotia and Ivy, and a few thousand honeybees.

Ep 65 – the Neighbourhood Series – Preston Pouteaux

The Neighbourhood series continues… Rohadi Nagassar sits down with Evan Paul Spencer to talk about Evan’s trajectory from youth pastor to church planter to being intentionally present in a neighbourhood. Evan walks us through his process of embracing a place-focused, slow, faithful-presence way of living out faith.

Evan is based in the Calgary area and where he is a Neighbourhood Connector. He is a Jesus follower, husband, parent, dreamer, alongsider and activist—connecting dots in the neighbourhood!

Rohadi lives in Calgary, Alberta, where he balances his time in a number of vocations including part-time pastor of two church plants he started: Calgary Missional Church in 2008, and most recently, Cypher Church in 2016. He works predominantly in a marketing consulting firm he started in 2003, and contributes in the non-profit sector as well.

He writes on the topics of church, culture, mission, and diversity. Find his website for additional blog posts: www.rohadi.com. He currently has two published books available: “Thrive. Ideas to lead the church in post-Christendom.” and “Soul Coats: Restoration - Adult Bible Colouring Book”.

Ep 66 – Neighbourhood series – Evan Paul Spencer

Ep 67 – Neighbourhood series – James Kingsley and Steve MacDouell

Next up in the Neighbourhood series, Elle sits down with James Kingsley and Steve MacDouell about their work in London, ON, as the the Good City Co. 

Good City is “a collective of individuals who are actively participating in the exploration, understanding, development, and improvement of the urban environments in which they live. They specialize in building stronger, more connected communities by transforming ideas into action.”

James Kingsley is a graphic designer with a background in fine arts and works as a Creative Director. James’ love for communication finds him exploring the ways we spread ideas, foster connections, and become better neighbours. Asking what role aesthetics play in authentic community, James is interested in how the small things add up.

Steve MacDouell, when not teaching at Fanshawe College, instigates place-based projects, hosts workshops, and invites everyday citizens to leverage their time, their ideas, and their creativity for the sake of their neighbourhoods. Steve lives, conspires, and drinks coffee in Woodfield—a neighbourhood in Central London.

Ep 67 - the Neighbourhood Series - James Kingsley and Steve MacDouell

Ep 68 – the Neighbourhood series – Katelyn Siggelkow

The Neighbourhood series continues as Jared sits down with Katelyn Siggelkow. 

Katelyn Siggelkow is a listener, a learner, a community catalyst, a neighbourhood chaplain and community organizer. She has lived and worked in marginalized communities in Downtown Eastside, Vancouver, and most recently in the West Side of Saskatoon with Servant Partners. Here, she loves meeting her neighbours, hearing what they care about, and connecting their gifts and strengths with the longings of the neighbourhood.  Together they partner to pursue the holistic transformation of their community to make it place where residents are glad to live. Believing that change starts from within the community, she approaches her work with curiosity and admiration for all the people she meets in her low-income neighbourhood. The gift of this work is the best sorts of friendships, full of grace and curiosity, shared meals, giggling children, passionate advocacy and lots of coffee together. 
 
She recently relocated to her hometown of Saskatoon and moved into a neighbourhood that experiences a disproportionate amount of poverty to share life with neighbours there. In her new neighbourhood she has been praying with her eyes open – paying attention to how God is lovingly active in the community around her. She is thrilled that a movement of hope and healing is stirring in the margins of an oft-forgotten city nestled in the Canadian Prairies.

Ep 68 – the Neighbourhood series – Katelyn Siggelkow

This week Elle has a conversation with Evan Garst and Alanna Johnson. Evan shares his journey of growing up in a family dedicated to what many would consider a traditional missions model – living overseas in Ethiopia during his teen years - to planting a church, Una, that has said “yes” to the opportunities of being a presence-based, neighbourhood-focused church. We hear how the leadership team at Una intentionally shaped their messaging to encourage a shift in that direction and about the opportunities, and challenges, that have come along with that shift. We also hear some stories of friends made along the way. 

Evan is the pastor, missional catalyst and cultural architect in a community of Jesus followers in Kitchener, ON. This faith community is called UNA. He is also a church planting coach with the Free Methodist Church in Canada. 

Alanna is also part of the staff team at Una where she is responsible for the Creative Culture.

Ep 69 – the Neighbourhood Series – Evan Garst

The fourth Tuesday of Advent: Living in the Midst of Idols. Shared by Cid Latty.

The New Leaf Project Podcast continues with selected readings of the New Leaf Advent Reader. We're so excited to offer our second annual daily Advent Reader for 2019 and thrilled this year to offer an audio companion. Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their reflections on Falling to Pieces: Engaging Advent Even When All is Not Right with the World.

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter
Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com/ & Karla Adolphe www.karlaadolphe.ca/

Ep 81 - the 2019 New Leaf Advent Reader - Cid Latty

A Christmas Day reflection: The Hope of the Prophets. Shared by Elle Pyke.

The New Leaf Project Podcast continues with the last reading of the 2019 New Leaf Advent Reader. We're so excited to offer our second annual daily Advent Reader for 2019 and thrilled this year to offer an audio companion. Slow down, pay attention, and listen to the words as writers share their reflections on Falling to Pieces: Engaging Advent Even When All is Not Right with the World.

Music by Canadian Award Winning Singer/Songwriter
Drew Brown www.drewbrownmusic.com/ & Karla Adolphe www.karlaadolphe.ca/

Ep 82 - the 2019 New Leaf Advent Reader - Elle Pyke

Fewer Canadians identify with religion, believe in God or attend weekly religious services than in past decades. We know the religious landscape in Canada has changed. We are sharing the stories of Canadian Christians who are instigating new things, innovating in our Canadian context, planting new churches and starting missional minded conversations and communities right here in Canadian soil. We learn from Canadian Christian leaders who are working hard to address these realities in their organizations and we learn from Canadians on the ground, doing the good work in our cities and neighbourhoods.

New Leaf Network

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