Events

Workshops and events are happening all over the country, yet not every one is listed here. Reach out to your local Coach or to our staff to find out what is happening!
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Annual Classis Huron Diaconal Event

Building Community Partnerships: From Proximity to Relationships

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 7:00-9:00pm

Location: Palmerston CRC, 400 Whites Rd, Palmerston, ON

Your Classis Huron Diaconal Team invites you to take part in this exciting training session, open to all members of the Christian Reformed Churches in Classis Huron, at no cost to you!

In this interactive workshop led by NewGround‘s Program Coordinator, Amy Baarda, we’ll explore how churches can build meaningful community partnerships through real-life stories, reflection, and shared learning — honest accounts of both the joys and challenges of building relationships and walking alongside neighbourhoods.

Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to shift from doing for to doing with, and how to uncover and honour the gifts already present in our neighbourhoods. This participatory session will include time for discussion, shared learning, and a Q&A segment, inviting all voices to contribute to the journey.

Questions? Email one of your Diaconal Coaches for Classis Huron:

Or reach out to your Regional Ministry Developer for Eastern Canada, Mark, at mvanderwees@crcna.org. 

Register Now
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Faith In Action Workshop

Monday, April 20, 2026

Want to know how our faith move us beyond the walls of the church and into the heart of our neighbourhoods?

Join Cindy Stover, Justice Mobilizer, and Parry Stelter, Diaconal Ministry Coach, for an interactive workshop on how our faith calls us to justice and community transformation.

Learn about what it means to move from “doing for” to “walking with” our neighbours in a way that honours God and develops our advocacy practice into a spiritual discipline.

Mark your calendar for Monday, April 20 at 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM MDT at Trinity CRC (13427 57 St NW, Edmonton)

Come for the learning, and leave with the tools to practice advocacy in many areas that you and your church are passionate about!

Learn more about Faith in Action: https://www.crcna.org/PublicDialogue/advocacy/faith-action-workshop

To Register Click Here!

Helping Without Harming in Church Benevolence

Upcoming Workshops in Ontario

Many churches struggle when faced with requests for financial help. Often the church does not have a clear understanding of how to appropriately respond and react and so they resort to meeting the ‘immediate’ need(s). In some cases this could be the correct response, but in other situations this neglects to address the underlying root causes. The latter could contribute to greater dependency, where in effect, the church might be playing an enabling role rather than an empowering role.

This workshop will help the church be better prepared to walk alongside individuals or households, bringing positive and long-lasting changes to their lives and ultimately contributing to them being restored to all that God intends them as image-bearers. This workshop may not give specific solutions but will help deacons learn the right questions to ask which will lead to a better pathway in dealing with requests.

Questions? Email Regional Ministry Developer, Mark at mvanderwees@crcna.org or your local Diaconal Coach.

Maranatha CRC, York, ON & surrounding churches:
  • Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7:00-9:30pm at Maranatha (York) CRC (33 King Ave, York, ON)
Register for York Event
ClearView CRC, Oakville, ON & surrounding churches:
  • Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:00-9:30pm at ClearView CRC (2300 Sheridan Garden Dr, Oakville, ON)
Register for Oakville Event
Zion CRC, Oshawa, ON & surrounding churches:
  • Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 9:30am-12 noon at Zion CRC (409 Adelaide Ave E, Oshawa, ON)
Register for Oshawa Event

Housing Crisis and Indwell's Response

The ‘deacons mandate’ is very clear, deacons are encouraged to be prophetic critics of injustice in our society.   One of the injustices we are constantly being confronted with is homelessness. Many diaconates have expressed that homelessness is an important issue for their churches. 
 
Diaconal Ministries Canada is hosting a webinar on this theme on Monday May 4, 2026 at 7:30 pm. Teresa Howe, the community engagement manager at Indwell will be our guest speaker.  As many of you already know, Indwell has been involved in supportive housing for several decades.  Many CRC churches in Southern and Central Ontario churches already support Indwell. 
 
Whether you already support Indwell or this is the first time you are hearing of it, this webinar will deepen your understanding of the housing crisis and offer options on how to be part of the solution.  Indwell will share their model for supportive housing that now involves over 1000 units in 30 locations. They will also share resources for homelessness that they are familiar with in the geographical areas where they are not currently working.
 
If you want to learn more about Indwell before the webinar, go to their website https://indwell.ca/
To Register Click Here!

Monday, May 4, 2026 - Zoom Webinar!

Annual General Meeting

Our AGM is typically held in November and is a time to meet the staff and board of Diaconal Ministries, approve our Audited Financial Statements, review our budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and celebrate the work God is doing in and through our agency!

Each CRC church in Canada is required to send one (1) or more deacon delegates to our AGM. Each church is entitled to one (1) vote per motion presented at the meeting.

On top of this, our AGMs are also open to ALL who are interested in the work of Diaconal Ministries Canada.

Our AGM was recently held on Monday, November 24, 2025 @ 8:00pm EST via Zoom. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO ATTEND!

Diaconal Ministries Canada