We’re launching a new quarterly Communications Townhall to connect with congregations, members, and seekers across Canada and strengthen how we share our stories and celebrate missional success. This will be a space for conversation, learning, and collaboration. Our first meeting will be November 22.

Come meet Communications Officers and other dedicated individuals guiding communications efforts at the local level. Get to know the people serving in our national Communications Team. Help us ask the right questions and find the right answers—together.

All are welcome—young and old, tech-savvy and tech-beginner, members and seekers alike. Together, we’ll talk about how communications can help you achieve your goals, and we’ll take note of any local concerns or challenges you are aware of.

Our first Townhall will focus on “Telling the Story.” Too often, our event announcements stop at dates and locations. But how do we make our invitations more engaging? How do we tell stories that make others want to join us? How can we share our stories so that our mission is remembered and celebrated?

We’ll explore questions like:

• If I were looking for a church, what would I want to know before walking through the door?
• When we say “all are welcome,” do we speak in ways that help newcomers actually feel included?
• How can we avoid church jargon and connect through stories that feel real and relatable?

We’ll also look at simple ways to:

• take photos that faithfully capture what was felt
• record meaningful reflections and lessons learned—not just statistics
• share those stories on social media

Each gathering can become part of our shared story of community and discipleship. Storytelling can transform the way we live and share our mission. Join us as we learn how to tell the story of Community of Christ in Canada—together.

📅 Saturday, November 22
 ⌚ 10 am PT / 11 am MT / 12 pm CT / 1 pm ET
 🖥️ On Zoom – open to members and seekers

​By John Hamer, Canada East Mission Centre Historian
​
A tour bus loaded with 30 church heritage enthusiasts spent Thanksgiving weekend in Toronto as part of the 2025 Drawn from the Nations of the World Community of Christ Historic Sites Foundation (CCHSF) tour. Canada was the first country where the church was established after its 1830 organization in the United States, and a congregation was first organized in Toronto in 1836. Apostle Heber C. Kimball predicted by revelation that fellow Apostle Parley P. Pratt would “go to Upper Canada, even to the city of Toronto, the capital,” where he would “find a people prepared for the gospel.”

During a missionary trip to the city, Pratt and five companions met John and Leonora Taylor, who were part of a small group of religious seekers dissenting from the Methodist church. After a good deal of preaching and discussions, the Taylors and many members of their group were baptized into our church, forming the nucleus of the original Toronto Congregation. The Taylors lived on Duchess Street (now renamed Richmond Street), just two blocks west of the present-day Centre Place church.

The CCHSF tour group also visited the sites of St. Andrew’s Market, where the Toronto Congregation rented a meeting space in the 1890s, and the sites of the former Camden Street Church (1900–1906) and the former Soho Street Church (1906–1926). At the turn of the 20th century, Toronto was home to R.C. Evans, perhaps the greatest orator in the history of our church. Beginning in 1905, the congregation leveraged Evans’ talents by renting out the largest theatres in the city, filling them to capacity — including Massey Hall, one of the sites visited by the tour.

The tour also visited Nathan Phillips Square, Sankofa (formerly Dundas) Square, the historic Distillery District, Polson Pier, and went on a walking tour of historic sites in Toronto’s Old Town neighbourhood (where Centre Place is located).

The visit to Centre Place included viewing historic books, photographs, documents, and artifacts preserved in the Doris Hillyard Library, including the Dale & Judy Luffman first edition Inspired Version of the Bible (1867) and the Clair Shepherdson Saints’ Harp hymnal (1871). On Sunday morning, the tour took part in a special hybrid Beyond the Walls service, getting to see firsthand everything that goes into producing the livestream.

In addition to stops at Toronto and Niagara Falls, the tour visited heritage sites in Independence, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Lamoni, Iowa; Nauvoo and Plano, Illinois; and Kirtland, Ohio. CCHSF is a church affiliate charged with supporting historic sites including Heritage Plaza in Independence, Liberty Hall in Lamoni, and the Stone Church in Plano. In addition to raising funds and supporting historic tours, the foundation has created a wealth of resources including the Children in Church History lesson plan series. You can learn more and access these resources on their website.

References
[1] Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow, Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism (Oxford: 2011), 83.

Most people who first encounter Community of Christ these days don’t do it by walking into a church building, but by finding one of our online ministries. Programs like Beyond the Walls, Latter Day Seekers, Project Zion (now called Faith Unfiltered), or the Centre Place Lecture Series, among others, are constantly reaching new audiences, prompting many folks to find out more about our church. We informally use the term “seekers” to refer to them.

Seekers represent a wide spectrum of age, gender, and ethnic diversities, and they come from places around the world, including Canada. Some are seeking purpose and healing. Some are seeking refuge after experiencing rejection in other religious groups. Some have existential questions. Some are interested in activism for a good cause. And some are simply looking for a faith community. What can your congregation or group offer to them?

It is crucial for our church to ensure seekers can easily find a ministry that speaks to their current needs. When they are ready to look up a local ministry on Google, the first result they will get is our institutional website www.communityofchrist.ca. Each one of our Canadian congregations has a page on this website, where we hope seekers will learn about what is happening in their area. Even if you have a website or Facebook page, if your congregation’s listing at communityofchrist.ca is out of date or incomplete, seekers are unlikely to look further. Being welcoming starts with telling seekers what to expect, and your congregational page on our Canadian website is the best place to do this!

What can your congregation do?
We strongly suggest you appoint a Communications Officer.

What does this role entail?
Simply keep the Communications Team up to date about what is happening in your congregation. You don’t need to be tech-savvy. We just need to ensure that seekers looking at your page on our website will find information that encourages them to contact you or join one of your events. Think of the questions you might consider if you were looking for a church community:

• What are their regular Sunday worship hours?
• What can I expect, will I be welcomed?
• What events do they offer during the week?
• Will they be open during the upcoming holiday weekend? 
• Are they planning any special events this month? 
• What missional activities are they involved in, and can I participate?
• Do they have programs for children and youth? 
• How can I get involved or help?

Will there be opportunities for development?
Absolutely. We are creating resources and planning workshops to develop Communications Officers because we believe this role is essential to our mission in the 21st century. Many of our congregations have programs that offer opportunities to experience congregational life in mission by promoting peace and justice or helping alleviate poverty. In this way, we are embodying three of our mission initiatives. But almost without exception, we struggle to embody the other two mission initiatives: invite people to Christ and develop disciples to serve. We can address this problem by developing individuals of all ages to learn tips and skills to invite new people to engage in mission and build community at the local level.

Where to start?
Simply send us an email to [email protected]. Let us know if your congregation already has a Communications Officer or if you or someone you know might be ready to respond to this call.

We are looking forward to hearing from you,
Leandro Palacios
Director of Communications
Community of Christ in Canada