Is your community of faith interested in hearing about the work of the global church firsthand? Invite a speaker!
People in Partnership invites you to learn more about the work and mission of partners around the world by inviting an individual to come and share their stories with United Church of Canada communities of faith. Find out more about these pilgrims, companions and learners below. Although speakers are grouped by region below, many are available to present and share remotely with your community of faith online. Please contact to invite a speaker.
Featured Speakers Currently Available
Natalia Cabrera Guerra, Sherri Fowler, Rev. Christopher Fraser, and Jordan MacDonald
Pilgrimage of Learning, Kenya
Regions: Pacific Mountain, Shining Waters, Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters
Natalia, Sherri, Christopher and Jordan travelled to Kenya in 2025 to learn more about the UCC partnership in Kenya. They were hosted by National Council of Churches in Kenya. You can get a taste of their experience in Rev. Christopher's blog, A Pilgrimage of Learning: Reflections from Kenya, and Sherri's blog, Living Water: Reflections from Kenya. Read more about each of these speakers in the document, below.
E.K. Murray, Lisa Byer-de-Wever, Lucy O’Brien, and Thea Sheridan-Jonah
Pilgrimage of Learning, Cuba
Regions: Pacific Mountain, Nakonha:ka
Thea, Lucy, E.K., and Lisa travelled to Cuba in 2025 to learn more about the United Church of Canada partnership. They were hosted by several Cuban partners. Read more about each of these speakers in the document below.
Aidan Legault, Rev. Dave Pollard, Sophie Fitzgerald, and Wonder Chimvinga
Pilgrimage of Learning, Philippines
Regions: Shining Waters, Chinook Winds, First Dawn Eastern Edge, Prairie to Pine
Aidan, Dave, Sophie, and Wonder travelled to the Philippines to learn more about the UCC partnership. They were hosted by National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Read more about each of these speakers in the document below.
Larissa Kanhai, M. Chorney, and Mark Laird
Pilgrimage of Learning, Middle East
Regions: Prairie to Pine, Western Ontario Waterways
Larissa, M., and Mark travelled to the Middle East to learn more about the United Church of Canada partnerships in 2025. Read more about each of these speakers in the document below.
Helen Gavard
Christian Centre for Reflection and Dialogue, Cuba
Region: Canadian Shield
Helen travelled with fellow members of Lively United Church to the Christian Centre for Reflection and Dialogue-Cuba (Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Dialogo) in Cárdenas, Cuba. She and her church are continuing to be in relationship with CCRD, supporting an agriculture project and anticipating future connections.
Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington
World Council of Churches Climate Justice and Sustainable Development Commission
Region: Eastern Ontario Outaouais
Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington is a United Church of Canada minister and eco-theologian who inspires people of faith to live out their discipleship in response to the climate and ecological crisis. She serves on the World Council of Churches Climate Justice and Sustainable Development Commission and attended and wrote about Biodiversity COP15. She writes the newsletter Faith. Climate Crisis. Action and is a panellist in the Roll Away the Stone for Climate webinar.
Samantha Miller
Indigenous Ministries and Justice, COP 30 Belém, Brazil, Delegate
Region: Horseshoe Falls
Samantha Miller (Haudenosaunee) is connected to the land and honours the land as her mother. She is a keeper of the language and feels a strong responsibility to listen and protect her mother. Recently she has been working with seed keepers on seed preservation and creating Motherships in her community. Samantha is a youth leader with the Indigenous Church and recently travelled to United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30, in Belém, Brazil as part of the KAIROS COP 30 delegation.
Lia Renaud, Peyton Duggan, Shakshi Paul, Rev. Martin Mwale, and Mary Grossutti
Hunger on the Hill, Canadian Foodgrains Bank Advocacy
Regions: Pacific Mountain, Shining Waters, Antler River Watershed, Bermuda-Nova Scotia
Lia, Peyton, Shakshi, Rev. Martin, and Mary travelled to Ottawa to participate in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank Hunger on the Hill program. They are eager to share what they learned while preparing for and meeting with Members of Parliament in Ottawa, and to support you in advocating for an end to hunger, an increase to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and for climate finance to support communities affected by climate change in the Global South.
Rev. Shane Goldie
Faith Leaders Consultation on Human Sexuality and Gender Diversity, Mozambique
Region: Northern Spirit
Rev. Shane of St. Andrews United Church in Spruce Grove, Alberta had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Mozambique for a Faith Leaders Consultation on Human Sexuality and Gender Diversity. It was hosted by the All Africa Theological Education by Extension Association. Shane wrote about this experience in his blog.
Bill Chambré
Companion in Mission, Palestine and Israel
Region: Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters
Bill volunteered with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, an initiative of the World Council of Churches. Participants go to the West Bank/Palestine to monitor and report violations of human rights and international law, offer protection through non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy, and stand in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. Bill is a retired military officer whose 34-year career included serving as a Peacekeeper in South Sudan. His experience gave him an appreciation for how good life is for most, but certainly not all, citizens of Canada, in contrast to many other places in the world.
Didn't find a good match? There are more speakers available; please contact us at for more information. Don't let distance be an issue. Invite speakers to share via Zoom.
Do these profiles pique your interest in people-to-people opportunities with global partners? Visit our list of Current Opportunities to learn more about how to participate.
Downloads
- Learning Pilgrimage Delegation - Africa 2025 (384.87 KB) (PDF)
- Learning Pilgrimage Delegation - Middle East 2025 (340.48 KB) (PDF)
- Learning Pilgrimage Delegation - Latin America and the Caribbean (269.02 KB) (PDF)
- Learning Pilgrimage Delegation - Asia 2025 (273.18 KB) (PDF)