2018

2018

January

In May 2017, an information session about the 2018 Holy Land Tour was presented by Shimon Zemer who was the primary guide in Israel for the 2018 Pilgrimage, led by Dr. Crittenden and Dr. John Pentland. Between Jan. 21st and Feb. 1st, about 40 people visited Tel Aviv, the Mediterranean and Upper Galilee, Jericho, Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea before returning to Canada. On Sunday March 11th following the 11:00 a.m. worship service at Metropolitan United, our Holy Land pilgrims shared their experiences at a lunch gathering.  

On Jan. 19th and 20th, the Rev. Dr. Todd Townshend, the Rev. Dr. Jeff Crittenden and many of their friends, participated in a worship and preaching conference offered by the Centre for Practical Theology and the United Church Council of Middlesex Presbytery. Lectures and discussions at Metropolitan United Church included preaching structures, styles, techniques and acknowledging critical feedback on one’s own preaching.

Throughout 2018, Dr. Crittenden continued to offer leadership for Christian leaders as he taught advanced Homiletics at Huron University in London Ontario, and Cardiff University in Wales, and spoke at a variety of conferences.

Metropolitan provided insight and leadership to our Christian Denomination as the United Church of Canada shifted its structure in 2018 into a regional setup. Metropolitan United became part of the Antler River Watershed Region. 

February

On Feb. 17th, the Centre for Practical Theology and the Middlesex Presbytery Resource Centre offered a day-long workshop at Met United on Preaching by renowned teacher and preacher The Rev. Dr. Karoline M. Lewis who is also the author of A Lay Preacher’s Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon (2020), SHE: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry (2016), two more publications, as well as numerous articles and book chapters. She is the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN, where she has taught since 2007. 

On Feb. 18th, Dr. Lewis was our Dr. R. Maurice Boyd Preacher of Distinction Series presenter. Rev. Dr. Lewis led our Sunday morning worship services at Met United and preached on Leaning Into Lent.

March

On the weekend of March 2nd-4th, Dr. Crittenden led a Confirmation and Faith Refresher course at Met United with the assistance of Dr. Pat Morrison (Grace United Church, Sarnia) and friends. Confirmation occurs when a person makes a commitment to the life of faith through the United Church of Canada. It deepens our relationship with God and strengthens us to live lives of faith and mission. The church is intentional about inviting young people (grades 7-12) to take part in this process, where they meet to explore the spiritual life, the Christian faith and the United Church of Canada. 

April

From April 8th to April 21st, Jeff led a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago from Ponferrada to Santiago (225 km) in Spain. On this pilgrimage, Dr. Crittenden met James Gillespie who later (2021) was hired as Metropolitan United’s Office Administrator. 

ReVITALize 2, presented by the Centre for Practical Theology and the United Church Council of Middlesex Presbytery, was held at Metropolitan United and First-St. Andrew’s United churches in London from April 26th through April 28th. Dr. Crittenden attended all lectures and was one of many invited guest speakers at the event:  the Very Reverend Peter Short, Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey, Dr. Phyllis Airhart, Rev. Dr. John H. Young, Rev. Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller, Rev. Dr. Paul Scott Wilson, Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell, Rev. Anna Christie, Dr. Bill Acres, and Rev. Dr. Andrew Fullerton. ReVITALize primarily brings together ministry leaders and lay worship leaders. The Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at the Atlantic School of Theology, preached on Sunday April 29th at Met United on the topic of Weakness and Wisdom. 

June

Following in the Footsteps of St. Paul was the theme of a pilgrimage to Greece/Italy led by Dr. Crittenden on June 11th through June 25th. Pilgrims would see where the Apostle Paul and the early church emerged.

A labyrinth was built in front of Metropolitan United Church as a result of information provided at a 2-day conference in 2017 by certified labyrinth facilitator, the Rev. Robin McGauley. 

September

Between September 14th and 16th, Rev. Dr. Crittenden taught would-be Licensed Lay Worship Leaders (LLWL) at the Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre in London. The second phase of their LLWL program would take place March 1-3, 2019, and they would later graduate in September 2019.

October

Our George Goth Lecture Series guest speaker on Oct. 27th was Rev. Dr. Gary Badcock who lectured to a contingent of ministry personnel in the morning at Metropolitan on Brexit, Trump, and the New Nativism – A Guide for the Religiously Perplexed. 

On Oct. 28th, Dr. Badcock was Metropolitan’s Dr. John Bruce Hunter Anniversary Series guest preacher during morning worship. His sermon topic was Living in Challenging Times.

November

After a single gunman stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Pittsburgh Jewish community and killed eleven worshippers on Oct. 27, 2018, Metropolitan United was invited to speak to a large crowd at a special gathering in London’s Or Shalom Synagogue on Nov. 1, 2018. Dr. Crittenden offered words of memory and hope in light of the Pittsburgh tragedy. Jeff took yam and water from the Jordan River to the Or Shalom Synagogue. In early August 2023, the man convicted in this massacre was formally sentenced to death for perpetrating the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

In 2018, the Royal Canadian Legion established an initiative called Bells of Peace that invited churches in London and across the country to ring their bells 100 times at sunset (5:05 p.m.) on Monday, November 11th. Metropolitan United Church participated with the ringing of the Tower Bell to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I. It harkens back to the time during the Great War when church bells would ring 10 times if an attack was imminent in a community, then five times to sound the all-clear.

Starting at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday Nov. 25th, the dedication of our Heritage Wall in the Great Room was supported by a large number of Met United members. Dr. Crittenden and guest speakers Walker Schofield, Ruth Boyd and Shirley Smith highlighted Metropolitan’s inspiration for the Wall, the historical displays on the Wall, and the overall design and construction of the memorial Wall. Photos of the event are on Metropolitan’s website.