Highlights from a historic day for Community of Christ in Canada

By Leandro Palacios, Director of Communications

This past Saturday, January 17, will be remembered as the day Community of Christ in Canada began a new era as one unified mission centre. We were blessed by the presence of Apostle Shannon McAdam, Apostle Lach Mackay, Janné Grover of the First Presidency, and members from coast to coast, who gathered online to sustain the leadership team, the Mission Centre President of record, other officers, and the new Mission Centre Council, and to approve the unified budget that will support our mission and ministry moving forward.

Thanks to the efforts of our tech team, led by Troy Roach with the assistance of Jeanny Jakobsen and Quinlan Stevenson, we were also able to welcome members who gathered in person at nine remote sites, including groups at the Chilliwack, Edmonton, La Salle Road, Stratford, Thunder Bay, and Woodfield churches, and at members' homes in Barrie, Saskatoon, and Senlac (see photos below). This hybrid approach will be considered as a possible model for future Mission Centre conferences.

Our organizational meeting was also an opportunity to come together for worship. We are thankful to Kat Goheen and Dawn Dawson for coordinating this time of prayer, reflection, and hymn singing, reminding us that even when the occasion is a business meeting, we intentionally invite the presence of the Spirit to guide us and to unite us as the body of Christ, even when disagreement arises.

Together in worship, we reaffirmed our commitment to ministry and mission by responding together, “we will,” to the five invitations read by the leadership team. These followed the five guiding steps for disciples that our Prophet-President Stassi Cramm offered during her sermon at the 2025 World Church Conference:

• “Will you commit to lives of discernment, seeking God’s guidance in all things?”
• “Will you commit to faithful stewardship, bold leadership, and courageous response?”
• “Will you commit to strengthening local witness while celebrating our global identity?”
• “Will you commit to being temples of peace in your own lives and communities?”
• “Will you commit to accountability, reflection, and faithful response to the Spirit’s call?”

To all these invitations, we replied together, “we will!”

We sustained the members of the Canada Leadership Team:

• Vonda DenBoer, Director of Camping and Campground Sustainability
• John Hamer, Director of Outreach and Innovative Mission
• Leandro Palacios, Director of Communications
• Sam Smalldon, Director of Shared Services, CFO, Mission Centre President of Record
• Lanette Vawter, Director of Leadership Development​

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

​And we sustained the members of the Mission Centre Council: Sariah Boeve-Middleton, Karen Hewitt, Sandra Hunter, Riley Malott, Jada Middleton, Jae Senga, and Bryce Taylor.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COUNCIL

Naturally, many of us have questions: What is the role of each member of the leadership team? What are the new priorities? How will this impact what happens at the local level? Who should we contact when we need help? Please stay tuned as we continue to address these and other questions in upcoming newsletters. In the meantime, if you have an urgent matter requiring the attention of the Mission Centre President, please contact Sam Smalldon at [email protected].

I want to thank you for your participation in this historic day that marked the coming together of our two Canadian mission centres. As we move onward together, I pray that the fruits of our commitment to discipleship will continue to grow throughout 2026.