2017

2017

January

Rev. Dr. Crittenden and Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart led a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from Jan. 15th to Jan. 27th, 2017. After the pilgrims gathered for lunch in the Vineyard at Met United on Sunday March 5th, they moved to the Sanctuary where they took everyone on a pictorial tour of their pilgrimage and spoke about their experiences in Israel.

On January 30, 2017, the discussion group Growing In Faith, had its last meeting led by the late Barbara Graham (died May 21, 2023). Growing in Faith had started in October 1992, when diaconal minister Margaret Scott gathered a few individuals at Met United together in the hope that a small group interested in religion, theology, and the United Church, might meet once a week for two hours to examine recent books that could enlighten them regarding the world of the present-day church. Barbara Graham, a founding member, volunteered to give it a try for a year after Margaret Scott left Metropolitan in June 2000. Interest in written theology was greater than anyone would have imagined. At its height, 35 members met weekly with Barbara in the parlour to discuss special features of many books. Barbara became very enthusiastic, continued her religious studies, and attained her Master of Divinity degree in 2007. Growing In Faith attendees did not speak unless they chose to, were not judgmental, could change people’s minds, and would treat each other’s ideas with respect. Membership ranged from 15 to 20 individuals in the few years before Barbara felt it was time to take a break. When Art Frankel volunteered to use videos for a few weeks after Barbara’s departure, there was a major sigh of relief amongst members. Growing In Faith would continue to discuss documented religion and theology! We thanked Barbara for the time and effort she had given to Metropolitan in leading the group Growing In Faith. The group re-convened under Art Frankel’s leadership on Feb. 13, 2017. Art continues to lead Growing In Faith for 2 hours on alternate Monday afternoons (2023) at Metropolitan.

February

On Sunday Feb. 12th, we welcomed our Dr. R. Maurice Boyd Preacher of Distinction lecture series guest preacher, the Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence who is an incredible preacher, teacher and biblical animator. At Met United on the morning of Saturday Feb. 11th, Dr. Florence spoke to a large gathering of ministry personnel, congregational leaders, and lay worship leaders on the topic, Come Back When You’ve Found Something True: New Ways to Encounter Scripture. In the afternoon, Rev. Dr. Florence lectured on the topic Setting Priorities. She is the Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.  She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and holds degrees from Yale University and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D.).  Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Anna served as an associate pastor for youth and young adults at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.  Her books include Preaching as Testimony, Inscribing the Word, Rehearsing Scripture: Discovering God’s Word in Community (Eerdmans, 2018) based on her 2012 Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School, and ‘A’ is for Alabaster: 52 Reflections on the Stories of Scripture (2023).  She is a frequent teacher and lecturer in the US and abroad. 

April

On April 6th, Metropolitan welcomed Rev. Dr. Paul Scott Wilson for a Master Class in preaching. Dr. Wilson explored the trends of preaching in 2017 and offered practical insights for preachers. Approximately twenty people attended the event. 

On April 21st and 22nd, Metropolitan hosted the first annual gathering ReVITALize: Practical Theology NOW! This two-day event featured speakers from across Canada. They presented ideas on revitalizing themselves, their ministry, and their church. Everyone was invited to participate and hear the variety of topics presented by guest theologians and leaders in the church: the Rev. Dr. John Pentland, the Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, the Rev. Dr. Brad Morrison, the Rev. Kimberly Heath, the Rev. Dr. Catherine Faith Maclean, Mr. Ian Peer (former Chair of Metropolitan United’s Board of Elders, and knowledgeable leader in change), the Rev. Marilyn Townsend-Smith, Ms. Paula Smith, and the Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee who was previously a full professor and the inaugural holder of the Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Hermeneutics at the Vancouver School of Theology in British Columbia. In September 2022, he became the Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto. Dr. Byassee is the author/editor of many published books. 

On April 23rd we welcomed Dr. Byassee to our Sunday morning worship service. Rev. Dr. Byassee was our guest preacher whose sermon dwelt on Breathe and Touch and See.  

On April 30th, we welcomed the Rev. Michelle Owens as our guest preacher. Her sermon title was Faithful Faltering. Rev. Owens is a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. Since January 2022 she has been the congregational minister at White Oaks United Church, London, Ontario.

May

Between April 30th and May 10th, Dr. Crittenden was in Wales where he lectured in Cardiff, the largest city in Wales, and at the Church of St. Stephen, a Methodist Church in the City of London in the United Kingdom.  

October

The Centre for Practical Theology and Middlesex Presbytery Resource Centre arranged a 2-day conference at Metropolitan United. On Friday, Oct. 27th, the Rev. Robin McGauley, a certified Labyrinth Facilitator, and ordained minister, offered training on ways we can look deeper into our lives. This event will eventually lead to a labyrinth being built in front of Metropolitan United Church in 2018. 

On Saturday, Oct. 28th, Bishop Linda Nicholls, lectured about Confidence in the Gospel in an age of competing ‘truths’. Bishop Nicholls has served the Anglican Church as a priest and bishop for over thirty years. On Sunday morning Oct. 29th, Bishop Nicholls was our guest preacher at Met United. Her sermon was entitled Living the Heart of the Gospel. She is committed to ecumenical dialogue with an emphasis on Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue both within Canada and globally. She has a background in music education that included five years’ teaching in India before entering ordained ministry. Linda earned a Doctor of Ministry degree with a focus on sustaining community amid differences, particularly on moral issues.  

The Centre for Practical Theology made an agreement with the Vancouver School of Theology and Huron University College in London Ontario for a partnership which includes offering a Master of Divinity degree to students. Gabrielle Heidinger Baerg, a member of Metropolitan United, was the first student to study according to our joint agreement for partnership.