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.

Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington, World Council of Churches Climate Justice and Sustainable Development Commission

Credit: Jessica Hetherington

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.

Bill Chambré, Companion in Mission, Palestine and Israel

Credit: Bill Chambré

Region: Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters

Bill is a retired military officer whose 34-year career as a Communications Engineer had him serving from coast to coast to coast within Canada, as well as overseas as a Peacekeeper in South Sudan. His experience has given him a great appreciation for just how good life is for most, but certainly not all, citizens of this vast and beautiful country, in contrast to the many places in the world where people's daily struggle for survival means they can only dream of the quality of life that most of us take for granted. In a desire to apply his skills to try to be an instrument of change, he volunteered to go to the West Bank/Palestine to be an Ecumenical Accompanier (EA) with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, an initiative of the World Council of Churches (a Mission & Service partner). Participants of EAPPI 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.

Lia Renaud, Peyton Duggan, Shakshi Paul, Rev. Martin Mwale, and Mary Grossutti, Hunger on the Hill, Canadian Foodgrains Bank Advocacy

Credit: CFGB

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

Credit: Shane Goldie

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.

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.