Annual Theology Conference 2024

1. Living Up to the Name: Being United and Ecumenical Today
2. Learning from (and with) Each Other as We Seek to Be the Church

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby once observed that, “Ecumenism is not an extra that one can fit in because it’s an interesting occupation. It is the oxygen of mission and evangelism.” However, sometimes it might seem like the air of Christian unity has gotten a bit stale since the ecumenical movement’s heyday in the twentieth century. Can we pry open the church’s doors and windows and get a fresh, oxygen-rich ecumenical breeze going again? Bishop Bruce Myers will try—offering biblical and theological underpinnings, anecdotes from the church’s life and work, and practical ecumenical suggestions that can be applied right now.

Born and raised in the Ottawa Valley, Bruce Myers has been the Anglican bishop of Quebec since 2017. Before that he served as the Anglican Church of Canada’s coordinator for ecumenical and interfaith relations, and before that in congregational ministry in rural and urban contexts. Before his ordination he was a broadcast journalist.

In 2021, when the United Church affirmed a Call for the denomination, it was less an expression of something brand new and more a distillation of previous faith statements that articulated the church’s core commitments and identity.  Offered to the church to unite and inspire, the six words of the Call also have deep connections to our scriptural tradition.  Drawing from her experience staffing the strategic planning process, Jennifer will invite exploration of the Call, engaging key stories of scripture through the lens of the six words and looking for relevance to our ministry today.  Can the intersection of scripture and the Call, help us to become faith communities “rooted in energizing memories and summoned by radical hopes?” (Walter Brueggemann) Grounded in the Call, what can scripture offer as we strive to reimagine the church, as the living witness of Christ, for the next 100 years?

Jennifer Henry serves as Executive Minister for Organizational Development and Strategy at The United Church of Canada, leading a unit dedicated to planning, growth, communications, research and Ministries in French.  For almost 30 years, she was an ecumenical social justice advocate, including as Executive Director of KAIROS (2012-2020).  Jennifer holds a Master of Social Work and of Theological Studies from the University of Toronto, and an Honorary Doctor of Christian Letters from Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon.  After completing further denominational studies, she was ordained in the United Church in 2023.