Strays, Orphans, and Exiles

Ep. 24 – Blessed Are the Undone - An Exploration of Faith Deconstruction in Canada

On this episode, our guest is Peter Schuurman, who's back for his second appearance on the podcast. Peter has co-authored a new book, called Blessed Are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada. We discuss a few people's personal stories of faith deconstruction, the major factors that give rise to it, the influence of the United States on spirituality in Canada, the role of Indigenous people and Indigenous spirituality, and what reconciliation with those who have deconstructed their faith might look like for the church in the 21st century. Further Resources and Links: Blessed Are the Undone, the book: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/blessedundone [https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/blessedundone] Connect with us: Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca [https://www.tworiverschurch.ca/home] By email: podcast@tworiverschurch.ca Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Ep. 23 – Welcoming a New Interim Pastor to Our Community

We welcomed a new interim pastor recently. Andrew Hyde is the Ecumenical Campus Ministry Pastor at the University of Guelph, and he’ll balance his time between that role and this role at Two Rivers. We interviewed Andrew and his wife, Andrea, at a church gathering, and we decided to record the event live and release it as a podcast here. This was our opportunity to welcome both Andrea and Andrew into our community, to get to know them a little better, and to hear more about their outlook on Two Rivers Church and what being a church looks like in the 21st century. Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca [https://www.tworiverschurch.ca/home] - By email: podcast@tworiverschurch.ca Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Ep. 22 - Church and the LGBTQ+ Community

On this episode, our guest is Wendy Vanderwal Martin. She is the Director of Development with the Henri Nouwen Society, and author of Generous Spaciousness, a book about the church's engagement with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Christians. We discussed the church’s fraught relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, including deeper questions it raises about the authority of scripture, how we respond to ideas that challenge our faith, and how we live together in a faith community that welcomes diverse perspectives. Further Resources and Links: • Check out the process to become an affirming church (not limited to United Churches): https://affirmunited.ause.ca/why-become-an-affirming-ministry/ [https://affirmunited.ause.ca/why-become-an-affirming-ministry/] • Sign up today for free daily meditations from spiritual master, Henri Nouwen: http://www.henrinouwen.org [http://www.henrinouwen.org] Connect with us: • Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca [http://www.tworiverschurch.ca] • By email: podcast@tworiverschurch.ca [podcast@tworiverschurch.ca] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Ep. 21 - Turning Church Buildings Into Affordable Housing

On this episode, our guest is Ainsley Chapman. She is the Executive Director of Evangel Hall Mission, an organization that supports individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness in downtown Toronto. In addition to running the Mission’s daily programming and supportive housing services, Ainsley connects with churches to explore ways that their buildings could be redeveloped to include supportive housing and social spaces. We met with Ainsley at the Mission to hear more about how she’s helping churches rediscover their historic role serving people’s social and housing needs in addition to their spiritual needs. Further Resources and Links: - EHM Resources for Churches considering Housing: https://www.evangelhall.ca/how-we-help/build/ [https://www.evangelhall.ca/how-we-help/build/] - Church Building Resources from the Presbyterian Church of Canada - https://presbyterian.ca/pcbc/church-building-resources/ [https://presbyterian.ca/pcbc/church-building-resources/] - Gone for Good (the book Ainsley mentioned): https://www.amazon.ca/Gone-Good-Negotiating-Property-Transition/dp/0802883249/ref=asc_df_0802883249/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745562934&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1120981425341891513&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9047851&hvtargid=pla-2191707544021&psc=1&mcid=c8b049b92505316a9c964b04cfcda55f&gad_source=1 [https://www.amazon.ca/Gone-Good-Negotiating-Property-Transition/dp/0802883249/ref=asc_df_0802883249/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745562934&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1120981425341891513&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9047851&hvtargid=pla-2191707544021&psc=1&mcid=c8b049b92505316a9c964b04cfcda55f&gad_source=1] Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca [http://www.tworiverschurch.ca] - By email: podcast@tworiverschurch.ca [podcast@tworiverschurch.ca] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Ep. 20 - Ministry Forum, Part Two

This is part two of our conversation with John Borthwick, the Director of Lifelong Learning at Knox College and the Director of the Ministry Forum, an online platform that supports and empowers church leaders. In part one, we discussed his exploration into how social media and virtual spaces can help foster and create new kinds of church communities. Now in part two, we look at how the Ministry Forum is supporting church leaders, where the new leaders are coming from, and how we can challenge our definition of what church is in the 21st century.  Further Resources and Links:   - The Ministry Forum: https://ministryforum.ca/ [https://ministryforum.ca/]         Connect with us:   - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca [http://www.tworiverschurch.ca]  - By email: podcast@tworiverschurch.ca [podcast@tworiverschurch.ca]     Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten