Two appointed to the Canadian Council of Churches’ governing board
Two ordained ministers are the new appointees to the governing board of the Canadian Council of Churches. The board has oversight over all the bodies and activities of the Council, as well as the relationship between or among commissions, reference groups, working groups, committees, and Project Ploughshares.
Rev. Adekunle Adeniyi, from Saint James United Church in Fundy-St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council, and Rev. Jeffrey Dale, Shining Waters Regional Council, will serve for the term ending June 2027.
Rev. Adeniyi studied at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland, and has experience in pastoral roles and ecumenical efforts in Nigeria and within The United Church of Canada. Rev. Adeniyi is passionate about Christian unity, and has a deep understanding of the theological, social, and cultural dimensions that contribute to unity.
“I look forward to gaining insights into the CCC's governance processes, learning from other members and exploring innovative ways to enhance our collective impact on society,” says Rev. Adeniyi. “This experience will enrich my personal and spiritual growth and enable me to contribute more effectively to the work of the CCC and the wider Christian community.”
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Rev. Dale has experience as a minister of justice and faith formation, particularly with youth and young adults, including a stint as youth ministries coordinator with communities of faith in Shining Waters Region.
“I bring the experience of my denominational ministry where I explored the many ways in which justice and faith formation are sought throughout the church,” says Rev. Dale. “I am also hopeful that I will bring with me the many ways we may work with our siblings in faith across a variety of denominations as a presence in this world that calls us to account for God’s purpose of seeking justice, love, and service with those who are marginalized, disenfranchised, and often forgotten beyond our pews and places of sanctuary.”
Both new appointees have a passion for social justice. And both have extensive church leadership and ecumenical experience to inform their time at the CCC table.
Rev. Adenyi’s ecumenical study visits to the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Switzerland; the Vatican and Rome, Italy; the Taizé Community, France, and local parishes of the Reformed Protestant Church in Switzerland, offered the opportunity to “gain reflected practical insights and overviews on the way of practice, organization and spiritual life of the work of different ecumenical actors, particularly those of other Christian confessional traditions.”
“I believe that at the Canadian Council of Churches we must be engaged in ecumenical dialogue that allows us to listen while also being listened to.” says Dale. “We, as The United Church of Canada, need to be at the table with other denominations, not to convert to our theological understandings, but rather as a window into the possibility of God’s presence in liberating ways.”
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