This document summarizes the story of a minister who offered to let two homeless drug addicts live with him in his spare bedroom after they came to his office seeking help. He had concerns about the risks but felt called to help them in their time of need. They accepted his offer and moved in that night. The minister reflects on living out his faith and being challenged to help others in a meaningful way, rather than just preaching to others. He wonders if he will be changed by this experience of opening his home to those in need.

1. Hamilton Conference Warms up Winter!
March 2016
Contact
Inside this issue:
SoupfortheSoulat
St.Andrew’s,
Brantford
2
President’s
Message:
Roommates
3
Bethesda’sMusical
Gift
4
What’s a Remit
and Why Should I
Care?
5
New Challenges
Ahead for Jenny
Stephens
7
ContactInfo&
Submission
Deadlines
8
Take this Scarf! That was the
invitation attached to more
than one thousand colourful
handmade scarves that
appeared overnight on the
last Wednesday in January in
public places throughout
Mississauga & Burlington—
tied onto trees, railings, sign
posts, light posts, bike racks
—anywhere that had lots of
pedestrian traffic. These
were gifts from seven United
Churches—First United,
Sheridan United, Streetsville
United and Westminster
United in Mississauga and
East Plains United, West
Plains United and Port
Nelson United in Burlington.
Organizer Carol Hennigar of
First United Church
explained, “We initiated this
project last year in the Port
Credit & Clarkson areas of
South Mississauga, and it
was a delightful success. The
community was intrigued
with the surprise appearance
of such gifts in the cold
midwinter. We hope that, in
addition to keeping people
warm and making them
smile, this initiative builds
positive interest and curiosity
regarding the United Church
of Canada.
There’s often so
much more to
church than
people imagine.”
It has proved to
be a great all-
ages initiative
for our churches
to create and
distribute the scarves. It’s an
expression of unconditional
generosity to send the
scarves out to whoever
wishes to have one—just as
God’s grace and love is
extended generously to all of
us. This makes Chase the
Chill a little different from
usual acts of ‘charity.’ Of
course, knowing the
neighbourhoods works into
the decisions about where to
tie the scarves —with
individual churches selecting
these themselves. Port
Nelson modified the project in
consultation with their
community, to tie out their
scarves, hats & mitts in a
local schoolyard—ensuring
there were enough items for
all students and staff.
Late on the following day, any
unclaimed scarves were
collected and donated to local
outreach organizations.
Check the Halton Presbytery
website – www.haltonpres.org
—“For Congregations” section
—and you will find all the
information & resources
needed to initiate a Chase the
Chill project in your own
church. Let’s keep spreading
this “woolly random act of
kindness”!
Chase the Chill was originally
started as a community event
by Susan Huxley of Easton,
Pennsylvania. Similar events
occur now in many cities
across the US and Canada.
By Carol Hennigar
Chase the Chill—Year Two in Halton Presbytery

2. A staircase down St. Andrew’s United
Church leads the Brantford community to
an exceptional resource: the Soup for the
Soul Meal Program. Every Monday and
Thursday evening offers a variety of meals
such as wraps, mac n’ cheese, or meat
loaf, depending on what is donated. All of
which are paired with a bun, salad and
dessert for the community in need.
About 150 Brantford citizens gather for
each meal to share company and dinner.
Near the end of the month this number is
closer to 200 as it is more common for
individuals living on incomes such as the
Ontario Disability Support Program
(ODSP), Ontario Works, and pensions to
start running out of cash. Soup for the
Soul has served over 15,500 people in
this past year and plans to do it again in
2016.
It all began back in the 90s, when a
member of the church found himself
needing assistance after losing his home
to a fire. To his surprise, he found there
were few to no resources in the Brantford
community for people in similar
situations. After getting
back on his feet, he was
motivated to work with St.
Andrew’s in creating an
assistance program, and
thus, Soup for the Soul was
born.
Each dinner service requires about 20
volunteers: “from preparing the meal, to
serving it, to cleaning up after it, takes a
fair amount of people,” explains
Community Resource Advocate Brandy
Greentree. Although Soup for the Soul has
about 150 volunteers over the course of a
year, certain months lack the needed
assistance as a large portion of
volunteers are students that are gone
during the summer months.
“Donations and volunteers are always a
struggle. We always try to make our meals
as healthy as possible and with the cost
of food increasing so much we have to
lean on our community more,” says
Greentree.
Page 2 Contact
Contact
March 2016
Contact is a Hamilton
Conference newsletter
produced four times
annually and distributed
by HamPack.
EDITOR
Barbara Hampson,
Communications
Program Support
Please send submissions
to
Barbara Hampson,
(905) 659-3343, x226
P.O. Box 100,
Carlisle, ON
L0R 1H0
E-mail:
bhampson@hamconf.org
DEADLINES
Oct. issue—Sept. 15
Jan. issue—Dec. 15
Mar. issue—Feb. 15
June issue—May 15
For a PDF version of this
document, Conference
information and
highlights, visit our
website at:
www.hamconf.org
This document may be
copied.
The church’s
congregation funds
Soup for the Soul, but
grants and donations
are necessary to keep
the program operating
smoothly. The generous support of local
business, community grants, and the
community at large have worked to make
Soup for the Soul a success and a wonderful
support system to those who need it.
A hunger reality survey published in 2013
concluded that Brantford meal programs
were not quite reaching all of the needed
demographics throughout the community.
Gaps were seen throughout Brantford
locations and the availability of meals
throughout the month. Some meal programs
in the Brantford community are only
seasonal, and Soup for the Soul is one of the
few open two days a week even during
holidays.
“Allowing people to eat here twice a week
does many things,” says Greentree. “It gives
people a place to go and meet new people,
see old friends, and break the cycle of social
isolation.”
While looking out at the rows of
tables at St. Andrew’s on a
Monday or Thursday evening,
chatter and laughter fill the
room.
The program’s official mission
statement says: “Soup for the
Soul strives to enable all people
the opportunity to a free, nutritious meal and
social support services. We provide a safe,
caring and trusting environment that allows
people to improve their quality of life.”
Whether you are a volunteer or a client, it is
very easy to create lasting friendships and
connections at the Soup for the Soul Meal
Program that will make a difference in your
life.
For more information about our program
please view St. Andrews United Church
website at www.standrewsbrantford.com or
email Brandy Greentree at
soupforthesoul@bellnet.ca.
By Brittany Bennett,
A Volunteer with Soup for the Soul and
Student at Laurier University
Soup for the Soul Meal Program at
St. Andrew’s United, Brantford

3. Page 3
“Will you come and follow
me if I but call your
name?”*
Words like that flow over
and around me—often,
sadly, without effect. I too
easily take my faith for
granted. I too frequently
avoid embracing what
such a call means. Just
give me the comfortably familiar. Make me feel content.
“Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?”*
Except the very nature of my fear is that I want to be the
same. I like who I am, what I do, where I live, who I love
and the work I accomplish. I’m afraid of changing. To
what purpose? For what benefit? Why me?
“Will you use the faith you’ve found to re-shape the
world around?”*
There’s the crux. Too often I have preached and
exhorted that people needed—always others, of course—
to seek justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly
with our God (Micah 6:8b). Now it was fish or cut bait.
Could I live out what my words had so often told others?
Did I dare?
Let me back up a bit to March 2015. A man and a
woman wanted to talk with me in my office during the
time our congregation’s Food Voucher Programme was
in operation. They had each just received a Food
Voucher but they needed someone to listen to their
story. With bald candour they told me they were drug
addicts, alcoholics, each diagnosed with multiple
psychiatric disorders, both living with Hepatitis C and
both living precariously on the street. They had moved to
Burlington to escape the clutches of the drug culture
back home. It was too easy back home to score and
they needed distance. They had left everything behind,
hoping a fresh start would help turn their lives around.
The trouble was, they needed a permanent address to
fully access the social services available to them. Did I
know where they might find the help they so desperately
needed?
“Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the
same?”*
Indeed. I am single
and I live alone in a
three-bedroom
townhouse. I’m rarely
home—except to
sleep—and I have more
space than I need. As
we talked for the next
hour and a bit, I
constantly felt pushed
to live out my taken-for-granted faith. In horror, I found
the words of commitment pouring out of my mouth
without any seeming volition on my part. “I have a spare
bedroom you can use if you like. That’ll give you a
permanent address which is what you need as a starting
point. You don’t have to tell me ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ right away
because I know how risky this might seem to both of you
to move in with a minister. I promise I won’t try to
convert you.”
“Will you set the prisoners free and never be the
same?”*
It was the middle
of Lent and one
of the seasonal
practices during
Lent is to
sacrifice
something, or
conversely to
add something
more as an act
of service. I had
just offered to do both. Had I just offered out of a sense
of bleeding heart compassion, or had I offered out of a
true sense of call? What was I thinking? To live with me
they would need a key to my place. They could rob me
blind when I was at work. They were heavy smokers and I
can’t stand the smell of smoke—even second- or third-
hand. “Please, God,” I prayed, “Make them turn my offer
down.”
“Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?”*
By 6:00 p.m. that night they were moved in. Their tiny
mound of possessions seemed so meagre. I served a
home-cooked meal which they gobbled down with relish.
They spent almost an hour in the shower washing off the
street. They spent the rest of the night doing laundry.
Their conversation was peppered with some rather
extreme profanity, but it was obviously how they were
accustomed to speaking. I had embarked on a journey of
President’s Message: Roommates

4. Page 4 Contact
discovery that really would force me to often
leave myself behind in order to meet their
burgeoning needs. What would this
dangerous future hold?
“In your company I’ll go where your love and
footsteps show. Thus I’ll move and live and
grow in you and you in me.”*
When I was formulating my theme for my two
-year tenure as President of Hamilton
Conference, I didn’t realise how it would be
reflected in my own life, but that’s often
God’s way. When we are most afraid, God
challenges us to step out onto the precipice.
When we are most content with familiarity
and with routine, the Spirit blows us into risk
and life-changing directions. When we are
most certain of our identity as a church,
Christ leads us around the corner to a new
identity and a new perspective. When we are
willing to take a leap of faith into the
unknown, God’s grace is our support, Jesus
is our companion and the Spirit infuses
insight and strength.
What would it be like for you during this
Lenten season to heed God’s call and leave
yourself behind? How might it
transform you if you dare to
risk? Where might such a
journey take you in your walk
of faith? Why not make the
step to embrace the “Holy
Shift?”
After ten months with me, the two of them
moved into a house of their own just two
weeks ago. Over our time together we worked
to get them a family physician, a psychiatrist
for each of them, both of them on
methadone, he’s now on Ontario Disability
Support Programme, they are both working
full-time (although at minimum wage jobs),
they have learned to budget, they’ve
reconnected with their families, and they
plan on going back to school this September.
Without any urging from me, they even
attend church when not working. We have all
been changed.
“Will you let me answer prayer in you and you
in me?”*
I’m glad my prayer was answered in the way I
didn’t want. I’ve got two more friends. My
faith has grown. That’s the holy in my
evolving shift.
By Gord Dunbar
Hamilton Conference President, 2015-2017
*From #567 Voices United
“When we are
most content
with familiarity
and with routine,
the Spirit blows
us into risk and
life-changing
directions. ”
Bethesda United Church received a very special donation last year—a grand piano with a long
history. The story was recently featured in the Hamilton Spectator: http://www.thespec.com/news
-story/6306340-lucy-june-s-song-a-grand-piano-a-country-church-and-a-50-year-friendship/. To
celebrate the new piano, Bethesda is hosting a concert series, “Concerts in the Key of Life,” in
support of the Wesley Syrian Refugee Fund. See Bethesda’s website for future concert info:
http://www.bethesdaunited.ca/Bethesda2014/Home.html.
Bethesda United Church’s Musical Gift
James
Naphtali
and
Paul
Naphtali
Bethesd
a’s new
grand
piano

5. Page 5
Remits are here! Our General Secretary, Nora
Sanders, has sent letters to United Church
presbyteries and pastoral charges across
Canada asking that they read, study, and
vote on these important questions regarding
the future of our denomination. So what is a
remit and why is it significant? Let's do a
quick overview of the who, what, when,
where, why, and how of the remits that are
coming out of the work of General Council
42.
Who's Asking?
Out of the Comprehensive Review process
the Comprehensive Review Team made
recommendations to the forty-second
General Council in Corner Brook,
Newfoundland—proposals that would make
significant changes to the United Church of
Canada. (For a great Comprehensive Review
recap see Lorna MacQueen's PREZI
presentation: https://prezi.com/
puhgr7bjksou/re-cap-comprehensive-review-
and-gc-42/?
utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy.)
General Council authorized five remits to be
considered by pastoral charges and
presbyteries (remits 1–4 and 6), and three by
presbyteries only (remits 5, 7, 8). See http://
www.gc42.ca/remits.
What are They?
From The Manual:
The Presbyterian Church in Canada,
The Methodist Church, and the
Congregational Churches of Canada
united in 1925 to form The United
Church of Canada. Their agreement
was set out in a document called the
Basis of Union. This document was
part of the federal and provincial
legislation that created the United
Church. It contains a statement of
faith and an outline of the structure
and basic policies of the United
Church. (The Manual 2013, 125)
A remit is a vote that gives permission to the
General Council to change the Basis of
Union. Category 1 remits involve wording or
editorial changes; category 2 remits concern
changes that are significant but not
denomination-shaping; and category 3 remits
concern substantive changes that affect who
we are as a denomination, such as changes
that affect the Articles of Faith, alter
significantly the structures of the United
Church, redefine our understanding of
ministry, or alter our understanding of who is
a member of the church.
Who Votes?
Category 2 remits are voted on by
presbyteries; category 3 remits are voted on
by presbyteries and pastoral charges. What
does it mean for a pastoral charge to vote on
a remit? It means the pastoral charge
session or council (or its equivalent) votes.
Each pastoral charge gets only one vote,
meaning if there is more than one session, a
joint meeting of all the sessions must be held
and the vote taken at the joint meeting. The
session votes on remits on behalf of the
pastoral charge and this responsibility may
not be delegated to the congregation,
although the session may want to consult
with the congregation. However, even if a
straw vote is taken with the congregation, the
session must still make the actual decision
and is not obligated to vote according to the
wishes of the congregation. (For more
information see the Comprehensive Study
Guide for Remit 6, "Frequently Asked
Questions," http://bit.ly/1RnzJWk, p. 17.)
When Does this Have to be Done?
 Remits 1, 2, 3, and 4: votes must be
received by June 30, 2017
 Remits 5, 7, 8: votes must be received by
February 17, 2017
 Remit 6: votes must be received by
February 28, 2018
If the remits are passed they will go to
General Council 43, in Oshawa, Ontario in
2018, for approval.
(Cont’d over)
What’s a Remit and Why Should I Care?
“The proposed
changes,
especially the
category 3
remits, will
directly impact
congregations! ”

6. Page 6 Contact
Where Can I Find the Remits and
Study Material?
All the information is available on the General
Council 42 website: http://www.gc42.ca/
remits. As Nora Sanders notes in her letter,
"Paper copies are being sent only to those
lacking electronic access. For the sake of the
environment, and in recognition of modern
communications practice, the majority of the
remit material will be online." Nora's letter
includes the mailing address for Alison
Jordan, who will collect the marked ballots.
I'm Not Involved in Presbytery,
Conference, or General Council. Why
Should I Care about Remits?
The proposed changes, especially the
category 3 remits, will directly impact
congregations! Remit 1, "The Three Council
Model," redefines congregations as
"communities of faith" and outlines many
aspects of how the communities will function,
including membership, authority and
responsibility, governance, spiritual life, and
ministry and other leadership. Remit 2,
"Elimination of Transfer and Settlement,"
eliminates the option currently open to
congregations to request a minister through
the transfer and settlement process, and
means each community of faith will be
responsible for finding their own ministers
through needs assessments and search
committees. Remit 3, "The Office of
Vocation," affects the standards of
accreditation, oversight, and discipline of
the ministers serving our congregations.
Remit 4, "Funding the New Model," directly
impacts how our donations to the United
Church Mission and Service fund will be
spent and how resources will be shared
across the United Church. Remit 6, "One
Order of Ministry," impacts the education
and training ministers in our pulpits will
receive.
How Will the Votes be Counted?
For a remit to pass it must be approved by a
majority of all pastoral charges and a
majority of all presbyteries before being
sent to the next meeting of General Council
for final approval. A failure to vote counts as
a "no" vote. Therefore, as noted by Nora
Sanders in her letter, "It is vitally important
that every pastoral charge cast a vote on all
five remits, as an absolute majority is
needed for them to pass, not just a majority
of those who vote."
Visit http://www.gc42.ca/remits today, read
the study guides available there, and help
shape the United Church's Future!
By Barbara Hampson
“It is vitally
important that
every pastoral
charge cast a
vote on all five
remits, as an
absolute
majority is
needed for them
to pass.... ”
Chasing the Spirit Name Contest Launched
Chasing the Spirit began as an initiative of the 42nd General Council, committing 10 percent of
the church’s annual Mission & Service givings to supporting new ministries, ministry renewal, and
new forms of ministry.
The name Chasing the Spirit was first introduced in the report of the Comprehensive Review Task
Group. It was a name meant to be temporary but it stuck – even though many people suggested
it should be changed. So this is your chance to do just that.
What name would you use for a program that is designed to be innovative, Spirit-filled, broad-
reaching, renewing, exciting, and so much more?
Suggestions for names will be accepted until April 8, 2016. Then, between April 15-29 you will be
invited to vote on a short list of names selected from all the submissions received. That’s right,
you get to choose.
The winning name will be announced in July 2016, at the Skylight Festival in Paris, Ontario! The
person who suggests the winning name will receive a Datawind tablet.
Contest rules: http://chasingthespirit.ca/rules/
How to Submit a Name: http://chasingthespirit.ca/contest/

7. Page 7Contact
February 23, 2016
Dear Friends,
I have been called to a new adventure. On May
16 I begin at the General Council Office as the
Team Leader: Policies and Programs for Ministry
Personnel. I am excited about the possibilities in
this new work, particularly the design of the Office
of Vocations. Nevertheless, I am grieving the loss
of the many relationships that form my current
ministry with you all.
It has been a great privilege to journey with so
many of you through the ups and downs of
ministry leadership. Over the 16 years that I have
been your personnel minister, I have formed
many relationships as ministry personnel change
pastoral relationships, candidates are
commissioned and ordained, DLM applicants
received, and ministers from other denominations
admitted. It has been a delight to engage the
variety of people whom God calls into formal
ministry.
I have enjoyed working with so many folk within
pastoral charges and presbyteries who are
committed, knowledgeable and have great skills
for the work of Ministry and Personnel
Committees, presbytery Pastoral Relations and
Education and Students committees and who
serve on boards, councils, or executives. I am
encouraged by how much people care about our
church.
I am grateful to so many who have offered time
and talent to the Conference committees that I
have resourced. We have had fun together,
embarked on new initiatives, and supported one
another through some difficult times as we seek
to respond to what it means to be the body of
Christ in this time and place. Thank
you to all who have touched my life
and contributed to this Conference
being a wonderful place to exercise
ministry. I will miss you.
Over the years there have been many
changes within the Conference staff
team. Throughout all those transitions
our approach with one another and all
those with whom we are in
relationship has been collaborative,
relational, creative, and respectful. I
am very thankful.
While I am aware that I have shaped the work,
it is equally the case that the work has
shaped me. I have learnt so much from all of
you as we have embraced the hopes, dreams,
and challenges. Thank you so much for your
love and respect. I take the wisdom I have
learnt from you into this new calling. Please
hold me and those who are shaping the
denominational changes in your prayers as I
hold you in prayer.
As I moved toward saying ‘yes’ to this new
opportunity a friend shared this quote from
Joseph Campbell: We must let go of the life
we planned so as to accept the one that is
waiting for us.
God has amazing things awaiting all of you. I
wish you joy in all you do.
In Christ,
The Reverend Dr. Jenny Stephens
New Challenges Ahead for Jenny Stephens
Please join us for a Come & Go Tea to bid
farewell to Jenny Stephens & Celebrate her
Ministry as Personnel Minister:
Thursday, May 5, 2016
between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
at Hamilton Conference Office
1552 Hwy. 6 North, Carlisle

8. Hamilton Conference,
The United Church of Canada
P.O. Box 100
Carlisle, ON L0R 1H0
Phone: 906-659-3343
Fax: 905-659-7766
E-mail: office@hamconf.org
Find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/
HamiltonConference
website:
www.hamconf.org
Page 8
Hamilton Conference is one of 13 Conferences of the United Church of Canada. It
includes 53,000 church members in 230 pastoral charges.
Hamilton Conference provides leadership and support to six Presbyteries (Bruce, Erie,
Halton, Hamilton, Niagara and Waterloo) to enable a variety of ministries in the
Presbyteries and congregations and to do the work of General Council in the area
bounded by Mississauga and Kitchener-Waterloo, and Tobermory and Niagara.
Contact, a newsletter for Hamilton Conference,
is distributed four times annually through
HamPack (HAMilton PACKage). The purpose of
Contact is to share news throughout the
Conference about our life, work,
programs, policies and communities. We
welcome stories about events or programs
that are unique or new; it is helpful to include
details that will help another congregation or
group if they choose to embark on the same
activity.
Please send submissions to Barbara Hampson
at bhampson@hamconf.org. Submissions may
be edited for length and clarity. Digital photos
are welcome; make sure you have permission
to publish pictures of people, especially photos
of children.
DEADLINES:
We want to hear from you!
Oct. Issue - Sept. 15
Jan. Issue - Dec. 15
Mar. Issue - Feb. 15
June Issue - May 15