Celebration of Ministries Service

The Celebration of Ministries Service marks the occasion to recognise new ministry personnel through ordination, commissioning and admission. The service will also acknowledge ministerial retirements and significant ministry achievements while honouring deceased ministers who have died in the past year.

This is a time to honour the breadth of leadership God continues to raise up in the United Church—new voices stepping into ministry, seasoned voices stepping away, and those whose legacy continues to shape us. Join us as we gather in worship, reflection, and commitment to the future of our shared ministry.

A few practical details:

Hybrid Event: The event will be livestreamed on Zoom. Please contact Aviyah Abrams, if you wish to receive the link.

Parking: Lower Canada College is offering two of their parking lots for our use on the 31st. We will have people guiding the parking outside the church and outside these lots.

Pop-up choir: For those interested in participating in the pop-up choir, the rehearsal will start at 10:30 at Wesley United Church.

PDF version of the program: 2025-05-31 Celebration of Ministries Service

The following candidates will receive their ordination on May 31st:

Lisa Byer-de Wever: Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, I am a graduate of the Centre for Christian Studies in Diaconal Ministry. As someone who has navigated the many worlds of color, culture, gender and language my whole life, I am passionate for creating space for dialogue, learning and deep listening where everyone has the opportunity to share their authentic self. I am widowed and a mother of 3, I identify as having mixed West Indian and Indigenous heritage. I have served as the minister for Kahnawake United Church on, as the Executive Director to Saint Columba House, and more recently Merging Waters United Church in the West Island of Montreal. I co-chair our Region’s Right Relations circle and have been a social justice activist for as long as I can remember. In a world where siloed narratives and resistance to the “other” is the norm, I believe we have the opportunity and responsibility to not only foster coexistence but co-resistance. Not only because our faith invites us to do so but our humanity compels us to.

Jean-Philippe Dubé-Goupil: I like to call myself a “juggler” or a “jack of all trades”. I value a multidisciplinary approach in my ministry. A special educator by training, I enrolled at Laval University in 2012 to earn my Bachelor’s degree in literature and philosophy. I am passionate about the arts of all kinds as well as aesthetic philosophy. I completed my in-ministry Year at Montreal Diocesan Theological College in 2022 and then obtained my Master’s in Theology in 2023. I’m committed to a bold, artistic approach to faith, informed by the social sciences and the sciences of literature. I’m fascinated by the Scriptures while being a writer in my spare time… and a full-time geek. I dream of a self-aware Church fully committed to humanity and the rest of creation.

Bailey Eastwood: I am thrilled to be embarking on this next stage of my ministry journey, and filled with gratitude for all of the people and communities that brought me here. My journey started with camping and YAYA ministries in the United Church and beyond, leading to my discernment of a call to ministry when I was working at my summer camp in Muskoka. My call and my ministry are informed by my identity as a queer and nonbinary person as well as someone living with invisible disability; my background in life sciences; a deep love of the natural world; and a passion for truly inclusive communities. After Ordination, I will continue to work as the National Coordinator of the Student Christian Movement, helping to foster ecumenical, justice-centred faith communities and programs for young adults.

Adedeji Sunday Akintayo: I am Adedeji Sunday Akintayo, a faithful servant of God whose experience as a refugee shaped his calling to intercultural ministry in the United Church of Canada. With deep compassion and dedication, he founded refugee support ministries in Nakonha:Ka Regional Council, extending God’s love to those in need. Adedeji is having a heart for people; he lives out his mission with humility and love. Educated in Nigeria, Europe, and Canada (including theological training), he blends wisdom and faith in his journey. Adedeji and his beloved partner, Bola, are blessed with four children. His life echoes Colossians 3:23–24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord… It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” A true example of faith in action.

Virginia Wallace: I am Virginia Wallace, newly graduated from the Atlantic School of Theology – Summer Distance Program where I earned my Master of Divinity degree. Motherhood was my first vocation and passion, and I feel that all the skills I honed and lessons I learned as a mom, translates well into my vocation in ministry. I was not raised in the church but found my faith later in life after the birth of my first child and it has continually grown and strengthened ever since. My faith gives purpose to my life and the work I do for the church. Our New Creed states that This is God’s World, we are not alone, and with my family, friends, colleagues and church supporting my journey, I wholeheartedly believe that I arrived here today, with all of you and Jesus walking alongside me. This is an exciting time to be the Church, and I look forward to being DEEP, BOLD and DARING in my role as an Ordained Minister in the United Church of Canada.

The following candidate will be admitted on May 31st:

Rev. Florence Bukam: I’m Florence Bukam, Cameroonian and pastor of the Église Évangélique du Cameroun (EEC). Married, mother and grandmother of several grandchildren. Ordained in 2006 at the 50th Synod of Banganté, my ministerial experience until 2014 convinced me of my limitations and challenges. My training in contemporary religious studies, specializing in clinical psycho-spiritual care at the University of Sherbrooke, provided me with much-needed care tools. At the same time, a gateway in 2014 to the United Church of Canada, an open, inclusive and non-discriminatory church. The absence of a French-speaking parish for Protestant newcomers of African origin became a reality. My enthusiasm for French-language ministry was obvious. This May 31 is the apotheosis. Now Ministry Personnel of The United Church of Canada, via the Mission protestante Francophone de Longueuil (MPFL), like Gideon, I’m moving forward with the strength I have. I know one thing: the Lord has sent me (Judges 6:14).

The following candidate will be commissioned on May 31st:

Lisa Byer-de Wever: Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, I am a graduate of the Centre for Christian Studies in Diaconal Ministry. As someone who has navigated the many worlds of color, culture, gender and language my whole life, I am passionate for creating space for dialogue, learning and deep listening where everyone has the opportunity to share their authentic self. I am widowed and a mother of 3, I identify as having mixed West Indian and Indigenous heritage. I have served as the minister for Kahnawake United Church on, as the Executive Director to Saint Columba House, and more recently Merging Waters United Church in the West Island of Montreal. I co-chair our Region’s Right Relations circle and have been a social justice activist for as long as I can remember. In a world where siloed narratives and resistance to the “other” is the norm, I believe we have the opportunity and responsibility to not only foster coexistence but co-resistance. Not only because our faith invites us to do so but our humanity compels us to.