While most of our conversations, meetings, newsfeeds and social media messages right now are related to the COVID-19 virus as it spreads around the world, the truth is, something else is spreading too. A message from Ron Vandenbrink, National Director of Diaconal Ministries Canada God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in…

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Erin Vandenberg served on Diaconal Ministries Canada’s Operation Manna/NewGround Committee for six (6) years. As Erin’s time on the committee has now concluded, she shared a short reflection about her experience and about the program and its impact. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay  All across Canada there are churches filled with people who long to see their…

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For most of his life, Al Fielding suffered epileptic seizures. Through two local church communities and an encounter with God, he was healed — and now finds himself on his second term as deacon at Jennings Creek CRC. (Photo by Tim Fuzail from Pexels) “I always felt like God had no use for me. I…

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How does a national organization engage, support, and equip its members in a hands-on, relevant, and meaningful way? Here at Diaconal Ministries Canada we do this through our incredible network of Diaconal Coaches (formerly known as Diaconal Ministry Developers, or DMDs for short). Our trained coaches are available to connect and meet with deacons and…

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In September and October, Diaconal Ministries Canada and Classis Renewal are running a series on Deacons at Classis and Synod. We’d like to propose a few of our own “F” words to help our denomination move forward and become stronger and better — together. Read our first post, The Four “F” Words Deacons Utter About…

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When it comes to Deacons at Classis and Synod (C&S), what is your immediate reaction? It’s been a few years since the Diakonia Remixed Report came out and Synod made the decision to include Deacons as delegates to these denominational meetings. In our many discussions with Deacons (and other ministry leaders), we have quickly realized…

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How does a national organization engage, support, and equip its members in a hands-on, relevant, and meaningful way? Here at Diaconal Ministries Canada we do this through our incredible network of Diaconal Coaches (formerly known as Diaconal Ministry Developers, or DMDs for short). In almost every Classis across Canada we have one (1) Diaconal Coach…

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While he’s not that new anymore, we still wanted to say a formal welcome to Mr. Don Miedema. Don has been on the Diaconal Ministries’ Board since last fall, representing Classis Alberta South/Saskatchewan. We asked him to share a little about himself so you can all get to know him a bit better. Here’s what…

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By Rachel Vroege, Regional Ministry Developer for Western Canada This year marks my 6th year work anniversary with Diaconal Ministries Canada. My position is a mouthful – Western Canada Regional Ministry Developer – but can be summed up in one word – Champion. When I started on May 1, 2013, I had very big shoes…

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