You can now register for the workshops being offered from January to February 2025. As you’ll see, most workshops are being offered in a 1 to 2 p.m. time-slot. This will enable lay people to participate during their lunch hour, and will also enable many clergy to participate, since many attend parish meetings in the evenings.
Register now for the winter workshops!
Please note to take part in these workshops you do need to register in advance. Registrations will close the day before each workshop.
January workshops
Jan. 16: Renewing our Relationship with Creation
Susan Spicer, Carole Giangrande, Karen Turner
How can communities grow in creation-informed, Christ-centered discipleship?
This workshop will explore creation care as a spiritual practice, share stories, resources and ideas to do this in your parish context.
Jan. 21: Ways to Include Children and Teens in Worship
Stephanie Douglas
Traditionally churches have silo-ed children and teens into their own Sunday programing. Research shows, however, the developmental importance of young people learning to worship with the whole Body of Christ. In this workshop, Canon Stephanie will share her discoveries from implementing All Ages Services and will lead a conversation drawing on the experiences of others.
Jan. 28: Including Parishioners’ Stories of Grace in Worship
Jennifer Schick, Stephen Kirkegaard, Andrea Christensen
If we believe that God is active and present in our world today – then it makes sense that God is active and present in the people around us. Come and learn from others a variety of ways to encourage your parishioners to share their testimonies of faith. These stories of grace not only strengthen personal faith, but also work to encourage and inspire the faith of others and lead to new ways to serve God in the world.
Jan. 29: Thinking Theologically about Music in Worship
Ian Koiter
In our hoped-for season of spiritual renewal, where does musical worship fit in? How do we understand the role of our churches’ music and musical communities? What might change about how we pick and lead music, and what might stay the same? Join us for a discussion of these questions, as well as an exploration of how such elements as lyrics, idiom, genre, acoustics, and instrumentation affect our decisions in choosing music for church.
Jan. 30: How to Lead a Book Study: A practical guide and approach
Mary Bell-Plouffe
This workshop will cover what you need to do to first prepare for a book study, and then provide a practical and proven method for leading one.
What the workshop will cover:
- how to choose a book
- how to promote/advertise
- how to prepare for and organize sessions
February workshops
Feb. 11: Introducing the Christian Foundations Discipleship Resource
Judy Paulsen
This workshop will introduce participants to the Christian Foundations workbook, being used across Canada to ground people in the faith. We’ll see how this resource introduces people to an overview of the gospel message, the story of Israel, who Jesus is and what he taught, how the church got started, and basic practices of the Christian life. Participants will also be introduced to the facilitator’s tip sheet, to help them use this workbook in a small group setting.
Feb. 12: Telling Our Story: Working with the Holy Spirit to Build Up Our Congregation
Louise Dightam
Sometimes the Spirit invites people looking for a spiritual home to come through the doors of our churches. This workshop explores practical and inexpensive strategies to work with the Spirit to inspire more seekers to come and see what God is doing in your congregation. We’ll look at sharing the Gospel outside our walls, promoting events and worship services, welcome ministry, and managing the reputation of our congregation in the community.
Feb. 18/20/26: Training for Leading the ‘Being With’ course *
participants need to commit to attend all three 90-minute sessions 1:00-2:30
Being With is a course designed to help people explore the meaning of life together and discover the Christian faith in a positive and inclusive group. No special knowledge or religious language needed. Just what you have learned in life so far. If you are interested in leading a ‘Being With’ course in your church, then this training will prepare you for that.
Please note that the training is done over three 90-minute sessions and you need to commit to being at all three sessions. Numbers are strictly limited for these sessions, so please only sign up if you can commit.
Past workshops
Sept. 11: Scripture Engagement for Spiritual Renewal: Tools to Support the Church’s Ministry
Kevin Schlechter
Discover some engaging tools to help you and your church family know the Bible better.
Sept. 17: Disability and the Life of the Church
Maggie Helwig and Sarah Erik Sackville-McLauchlan
Many parishes, without meaning to, limit access for Disabled people to worship activities and, especially, to leadership roles. Our spiritual experience is poorer for this, both because Disabled individuals all bring unique gifts and because a disability perspective can enrich our theology and spirituality. This workshop will explore ways to overcome some of the barriers of which parishes may not be aware, and some of the benefits that will result.
Sept. 24: Small Group Ministry and Parish Renewal (Cantonese) *1:00-2:30 p.m.
Philip Der
Join us as we learn how Small Group Ministry can be a critical part of your community’s discipleship path (you can learn about that too!) and how it can nurture parish revitalization. Hear real-life examples and gain practical tips on how your parish can get this life-giving ministry started.
Sept. 24: Equipping Leaders for Engaging and Effective (Adult and Youth) Small Group Bible Study (6-week workshop series) *7:30-9:00 p.m.
Jane Turcot, Eirene Wee, Denise Byard and Philip Stonhouse
God’s Word is His love letter to us, so Scripture is the best way to discover who God is, what He’s like, why the world is the way it is, and why we can rejoice in hope. Being part of Bible study small groups can be an attractive, accessible and life-transforming disciple and community building experience. This interactive “learning-by-doing” equips leaders to become God’s shepherds and agents to make this happen.
Sept. 26: Prayer 101
Eirene Wee
Learn about some practical tools (such as ACTS) to help strengthen your prayer life.
Oct. 1: Healing in the Landscape of Prayer; What is Anointing?
Joanne Davies
This workshop will discuss the unbreakable bond between healing and prayer. We will explore our faith story of anointing and the inclusion of anointing in worship.
Oct. 2: Everyday Witness: how to use this resource to build a culture of faith-sharing
Stephen Hance
Every Christian has a faith story to share, and we live in a world that loves stories. This workshop will introduce a resource to equip the whole people of God to tell our faith stories so that others want to know more.
Oct. 9: Small Group Ministry and Parish Renewal *1:00-2:30 p.m.
Molly Finlay and Philip Der
Join us as we learn how Small Group Ministry can be a critical part of your community’s discipleship path (you can learn about that too!) and how it can nurture parish revitalization. Hear real-life examples and gain practical tips on how your parish can get this life-giving ministry started.
Oct. 22: Preaching through Advent
Judy Paulsen
Join with other preachers to plan four Advent sermon outlines, exploring how these sermons relate to spiritual renewal in our churches.
Nov. 6: Christian Meditation and the Jesus Prayer
Stephen Kirkegaard
The ancient practice of Christian meditation roots one’s life in Christ and brings a deeper experience of God, enrichment of faith, serenity, greater energy, improved health and relief from stress.
Nov. 14: Silence, Stillness, Simplicity: An Introduction to Leading Christian Meditation
Julie Meakin
We will learn about and experience this way of contemplative prayer as taught by Fr. John Main, as well as how to lead and begin a Christian meditation group in one’s parish. “Our aim in Christian prayer is to allow God’s mysterious and silent presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are.” John Main, OSB – The Gethsemani Talks 1976
Nov. 21: Equipping Parents as Spiritual Nurturers
Tiffany Robinson
A practical toolbox for growing as a family in the practices of the Christian life (prayer, worship, reading the Bible, service, and generosity).