Strays, Orphans, and Exiles

On this episode, our guest is Peter Schuurman, who's back for his second appearance on the podcast. Peter has co-authored a new book, called Blessed Are the Undone: Testimonies of the Quiet Deconstruction of Faith in Canada. We discuss a few people's personal stories of faith deconstruction, the major factors that give rise to it, the influence of the United States on spirituality in Canada, the role of Indigenous people and Indigenous spirituality, and what reconciliation with those who have deconstructed their faith might look like for the church in the 21st century.Further Resources and Links: Blessed Are the Undone, the book: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/blessedundoneConnect with us: Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

We welcomed a new interim pastor recently. Andrew Hyde is the Ecumenical Campus Ministry Pastor at the University of Guelph, and he’ll balance his time between that role and this role at Two Rivers. We interviewed Andrew and his wife, Andrea, at a church gathering, and we decided to record the event live and release it as a podcast here. This was our opportunity to welcome both Andrea and Andrew into our community, to get to know them a little better, and to hear more about their outlook on Two Rivers Church and what being a church looks like in the 21st century.Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Wendy Vanderwal Martin. She is the Director of Development with the Henri Nouwen Society, and author of Generous Spaciousness, a book about the church's engagement with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Christians. We discussed the church’s fraught relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, including deeper questions it raises about the authority of scripture, how we respond to ideas that challenge our faith, and how we live together in a faith community that welcomes diverse perspectives.Further Resources and Links: • Check out the process to become an affirming church (not limited to United Churches): https://affirmunited.ause.ca/why-become-an-affirming-ministry/• Sign up today for free daily meditations from spiritual master, Henri Nouwen: http://www.henrinouwen.orgConnect with us: • Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca • By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Ainsley Chapman. She is the Executive Director of Evangel Hall Mission, an organization that supports individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness in downtown Toronto. In addition to running the Mission’s daily programming and supportive housing services, Ainsley connects with churches to explore ways that their buildings could be redeveloped to include supportive housing and social spaces. We met with Ainsley at the Mission to hear more about how she’s helping churches rediscover their historic role serving people’s social and housing needs in addition to their spiritual needs.Further Resources and Links: - EHM Resources for Churches considering Housing: https://www.evangelhall.ca/how-we-help/build/- Church Building Resources from the Presbyterian Church of Canada - https://presbyterian.ca/pcbc/church-building-resources/- Gone for Good (the book Ainsley mentioned): https://www.amazon.ca/Gone-Good-Negotiating-Property-Transition/dp/0802883249/ref=asc_df_0802883249/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745562934&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1120981425341891513&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9047851&hvtargid=pla-2191707544021&psc=1&mcid=c8b049b92505316a9c964b04cfcda55f&gad_source=1Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

This is part two of our conversation with John Borthwick, the Director of Lifelong Learning at Knox College and the Director of the Ministry Forum, an online platform that supports and empowers church leaders. In part one, we discussed his exploration into how social media and virtual spaces can help foster and create new kinds of church communities. Now in part two, we look at how the Ministry Forum is supporting church leaders, where the new leaders are coming from, and how we can challenge our definition of what church is in the 21st century. Further Resources and Links:  - The Ministry Forum: https://ministryforum.ca/       Connect with us:  - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected]   Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

This is a two-part series with our guest, John Borthwick. He is the Director of Lifelong Learning at Knox College and the Director of the Ministry Forum, an online platform that supports and empowers church leaders. On this episode, part one, we discuss John’s vision for new kinds of church communities, including his exploration into how social media and virtual spaces can help foster and create them. Further Resources and Links:  - The Ministry Forum: https://ministryforum.ca/       Connect with us:  - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected]   Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

On this episode, our guest is Cathy Stewart. She is the interim minister at Knox Presbyterian Church in Guelph and author of the book, A Goodness I Cannot Explain. Cathy describes her encounter with a difficult medical diagnosis and how she faced the unknown without fear by practicing discernment. We discuss how the three-step process of discernment can apply to any life decision, including those that many churches and congregations need to make in the face of an unknown future. Further Resources and Links:  Dark Nights and White Knuckles by Elizabeth Koenig: https://faithandleadership.com/dark-nights-and-white-knuckles Discerning Decisions by Melanie Ave: https://faithandleadership.com/discerning-decisions Pursuing God’s Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton: https://pursuinggodswilltogether.com/ Sleeping with Bread by Dennis Linn: https://www.linnministries.org/books Prayer of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/prayer-of-theilhard-de-chardin/ A Goodness I Cannot Explain by Cathy Stewart: https://www.logos.com/product/171676/a-goodness-i-cannot-explain-a-medical-spiritual-memoir Connect with us:  Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

This is part two of a conversation with our pastor, Glen Soderholm, about church as a community of spiritual practices. In part one we discussed how practices help Christians sustain their beliefs. Now in part two, we look at our specific spiritual practices here at Two Rivers. Links and Resources for this episode:  - Two Rivers practices: https://www.tworiverschurch.ca/who-we-are-2 Connect with us:  - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca  - By email: [email protected]   Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

On this episode, our guest is Glen Soderholm. He’s our pastor here at Two Rivers Church, and was the first guest on the podcast when we started two years ago. He’s returned to talk about an uncommon way of thinking about church as a community of spiritual practices. In this episode, we discuss the relationship between practices and beliefs, how to think about our beliefs in a post-Christendom age, and how maintaining our spiritual practices can support us when our beliefs fall short. In part two, we will talk about how Two Rivers Church applies these concepts to our spiritual practices. Links and Resources for this episode: - What Is the Church? by David Fitch:  https://www.commonword.ca/ResourceView/82/23114 Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

*Note: Our apologies for the sound quality on this episode, but some background noise made its way into the audio that we could not remove. On this episode, our guest is Kevin Coghill. He’s a pastor at Royal City Mission in downtown Guelph, a church devoted to making the invisible visible, including things that are uncomfortable to see. We discuss their extensive volunteer program that provides meals and support to the unhoused, the impact this has on the city, and what it looks like when a church keeps its doors open seven days a week. Links and Resources for this episode: - Website for Royal City Mission: https://www.royalcitymission.ca/ Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Phileena Nikole (formerly Phileena Heuertz). She is the author of ‘Mindful Silence,’ a book that explores the Christian contemplative tradition. We studied this book in a Learning Room at Two Rivers, so we were quite excited to talk with Phileena about how this contemplative tradition, with its invitation to experience God in silence, solitude, and stillness, can deepen the Christian practice today. Links and Resources for this episode: - Phileena’s website:  http://phileena.com/ - Mindful Silence video course: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mindfulsilencephileena - Mindful Silence book:  https://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Silence-Heart-Christian-Contemplation/dp/0830846492?s=books - Pilgrimage of the Soul:  https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Soul-Contemplative-Spirituality-Active/dp/0830846352?s=books Connect with us: - Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca - By email: [email protected] Produced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten 

On this episode, we speak with Two Rivers member, Eileen Henderson, who shares about her experiences with various church communities supporting people coming out of the prison system, including those who committed sexual offences against children, and those affected by the crimes. This work can be quite controversial. However, it can also demonstrate the influence a church community can have in support of stigmatized people who have no where else to go. Links and Resources for this episode:·  Circles of Support and Accountability: https://www.cosacanada.com/·  Dismas Fellowship Network: https://dismasfellowshipnetwork.com/ Connect with us:·  Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca·  By email: [email protected] by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Fred Ferwerda who’s here to tell us about Love Your Bike, an event happening here in Guelph on June 17. We’ll be talking about what happens at Love Your Bike, the various Guelph community partners that are part of it, and what loving your bike has to do with church.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, we’ll be discussing the rise and fall of The Meeting House, also known as the church for people who aren’t into church. A few of us at Two Rivers have been members of the Meeting House in the past. They had a number of their home churches in Guelph and throughout Ontario, until a sexual abuse scandal involving the lead pastor, Bruxy Cavey, rocked the church to its core.Peter Schuurman is a writer, professor, Guelph resident and friend of Two Rivers Church. He’s written a book about The Meeting House, called The Subversive Evangelical, so we’ve invited him to discuss this story with us. What made the Meeting House so popular? Where did it go wrong? And what does it mean for the church today?Links and Resources for this episode:· Peter Schuurman’s blog: https://peterschuurman.ca/· Peter’s book, The Subversive Evangelical: https://www.amazon.ca/Subversive-Evangelical-Charisma-Irreligious-Megachurch/dp/0773557334· Walrus article on The Meeting House: https://thewalrus.ca/meeting-house/Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Terry Wildman. He's the lead translator, general editor, and project manager of the First Nations Version, an Indigenous translation of the New Testament. A number of us at Two Rivers have spent much of the past year reading through the First Nations Version, and so we were pretty thrilled to meet with Terry and discuss how this work got started, the process of translating the New Testament, and the impact it's been having on Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences.More about the First Nations Version:- Website: https://firstnationsversion.com/- Sample reading from the book: https://firstnationsversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/1359-1350-sampler.pdf- Terry’s article on the story of the First Nations Version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H4jGXSakaqvh3PSLFavjVT2CABUi4xMc/view?usp=sharing- Website for Terry and Darlene Wildman’s music: https://firstnationsversion.com/music/Music for this episode:'Song of the Bluebird'(Darlene Wildman, Terry Wildman)Performed by RainSongCopyright 2015. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Sara DeMoor, the campus minister for the Guelph Campus Ministry at the University of Guelph. We've invited her to talk to us about what we can learn from the students as they explore their faith, and what they can bring to the Christian community in Guelph.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Rick McRonald, a volunteer coordinator of the Mission and Outreach Committee at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Rick has been helping to organize support for Ukrainian refugees coming to Guelph, and we've invited him here to share that story with us.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

On this episode, our guest is Sandy Halloran, an Enneagram coach, consultant, and student. The enneagram is a tool for self-understanding that has been very popular and helpful for many of us at Two Rivers. We discuss some of the background of the Enneagram and where it comes from, and how we can use it to help develop more empathy and compassion for ourselves, and build stronger connections with others.Some Enneagram resources mentioned in this episode:Books:-          The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Riso and Russ Hudson-          The Art of the Enneagram by Ginger Lapid-Bogda, Russell Bogda, and Claire McCracken-          The Road Back to You by Ian Cron and Suzanne StabileVideos:-          Richard Rohr lectures on the Enneagram-          Enneagram Panels with Beatrice ChestnutConnect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

It's the final episode in our series on the Four L's. This episode is on Living Missionally and features David Kupp.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Welcome to Strays, Orphans, and Exiles, a podcast about Two Rivers Church in Guelph, ON. We are continuing our series on our Four L's with the second of two episodes about Living Rooms. This episode features Joel Cuthbert and Kathryn Dean.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Welcome to Strays, Orphans, and Exiles, a podcast about Two Rivers Church in Guelph, ON. We are continuing our series on our Four L's with the first of two episodes about Living Rooms. This episode features Heather Elliott and Jesse Turton.Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Welcome to Strays, Orphans, and Exiles, a podcast about Two Rivers Church in Guelph, ON. On this episode we are continuing our series on the Four L's and talking about Liturgy with Beth Anne Fisher. Connect with us:- Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca- By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Welcome to Strays, Orphans, and Exiles, a podcast about Two Rivers Church in Guelph, ON. We are beginning a series of episodes on what our church has called the Four L’s, which have become the foundation for what we do. These Four L's are Liturgy, Living Rooms, Learning Rooms, and Living Missionally. On this episode we talk about Learning Rooms with help from our friend Jim Klaas. Jim is part of the leadership team and in particular helps to give structure and leadership to our Learning Rooms. We talk about what Learning Rooms are and how they work, and about the experience of learning itself, its importance for growing our spirituality, and for building community.Connect with us:-        Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca-        By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten

Welcome to Strays, Orphans, and Exiles, a podcast about Two Rivers Church in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. We are a diverse community. Some of us have been connected to church for many years, some have left church but are cautiously returning, others are exploring the Christian faith for the first time. We sometimes think of ourselves as a collection of strays, orphans, and exiles, exploring together what church looks like in the 21st century.On this episode, we speak with Glen Soderholm, the pastor and co-founder of Two Rivers Church, to discuss how it started… and why.Connect with us:-        Our website: www.tworiverschurch.ca-        By email: [email protected] by Glen SoderholmProduced by Peter Szabo and Ian Van Harten