Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, Moderator Nominee

She/her

Ordained Minister, Nominated by Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council

I live by the shores of the St. Lawrence River. This narrow part of the river is difficult to navigate, as the seaway passes through the Thousand Islands, some of which contain hidden underwater shoals. This is why the huge, lumbering freighters passing by are required to hand over their wheels to a local pilot.

It seems the waters through which our United Church is passing are just as challenging to navigate, from shrinking resources to attacks from alt-right groups (both of which I’ve experienced). I feel called to be a pilot: to lead with Deep Faith, Bold Discipleship, and Daring Justice, and to follow Jesus, the Great Pilot of my onward way.

I was born in Lusaka, Zambia and grew up in small Canadian towns and cities. I studied history at McGill University and earned my Master of Divinity at Emmanuel College before my ordination in 1999. My 25 years of active ministry began with the people of Claresholm-Stavely Pastoral Charge in rural southern Alberta. Since 2007, I have been serving the people of Wall Street United Church in eastern Ontario.

Preaching was the focus of my three-year Doctorate in Ministry studies. My thesis Aware, Repair, Renew: Preaching Into Transformation in a Mainline Church deepened my understanding of the power to effect transformation, both in ourselves and in the world, through small steps and minor shifts.

My work for the wider church includes chairing Pastoral Relations in Foothills Presbytery, serving as President of Bay of Quinte Conference, and working on the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council Transition Commission. In addition, I periodically help inspire and nurture church leaders’ faith through clergy retreats, workshops and preaching conferences.

My family (once known locally as “Chaos-in-a-Van”) includes my husband, my niece, a fluffy white dog, and four children ranging in age from 15 to 26 years. I am bilingual and enjoy reading, sailing, and especially open-water swimming; it gets pretty choppy when those freighters pass by, but I don’t mind.

Call and Vision 

As Moderator I will help to build up the church by deepening faith in Jesus, strengthening what is small and encouraging life-giving connections.

When I think about our church’s future, I imagine myself alone on a beach. A tsunami is making its way toward me. There’s no avoiding it. I feel small, scared, and helpless.

We are living in troubling times with the climate crisis, economic hardship, and the rise of fascism, hate towards queer and trans folk, people of colour, and immigrants. On top of this, as a church we are facing decline at alarming rates. To many, Christianity is a thing of the past.

How things have changed! When our predecessors celebrated the birth of our church, back in 1925, there was so much potential and enthusiasm for the future. Then we challenged nationwide poverty and fascism overseas. For decades we grew and grew and grew. While the 1925 church may not have imagined our current reality, we have also become more than they could have ever imagined. Hopes and dreams have been realized in countless ways, including the ordination of women and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

We have also learned a lot, often the hard way. Painfully slowly, our eyes opened. Our church came to accept the sobering reality of colonialism and Christian nationalism in our direct involvement in Residential Schools and the cultural genocide of Indigenous Peoples. And then we got to work: to pry our eyes open even further, to see what we failed to see before, to begin the long journey of reconciliation, challenging our beliefs and creating space for the marginalized.

As we begin our second century, what is the call of the United Church of Canada?

Deep Spirituality

To face the challenges of this day we need to go deeper into our faith, because we can’t do this alone. Howard Thurman, the theologian, civil rights activist and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke of having an anchor in the current that can hold us. “We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll…” (“We Have an Anchor,” Priscilla J. Owens). Our call as church leaders is to help members, communities of faith, and people beyond our walls to experience the hope that can come from a transforming relationship with Jesus. People long to be grounded in a love that is deeper and to learn ancient spiritual practices that help to grow roots of peace and branches of strength and justice.

“We may not be big, but we’re small!”—Stewart McLean

We are smaller than we used to be, and we are going to be smaller still. Rather than fear this, it’s time to embrace being small. Why? It’s our reality, and God seems to like small. You only need a little bit of yeast to make bread rise. You only need a little bit of salt to flavour a meal or seriously irritate an eye. Whether we think of David and Goliath, Gideon and the Midianites, or a mustard seed, or a small group of sometimes-competent disciples, God makes the small vibrant, vital and courageous. What are you doing that is making a difference in small ways? Knitting a prayer shawl? Holding someone in prayer? Educating people about the history of Palestine? Sponsoring a refugee?

Meaningful Connections

We live in an incredibly disconnected world. Our tribal connections (found mostly online) are strong and keep us informed and give us a sense of connection, but they also have clear lines telling us who is in and who is out. We have nearly lost what some call the third space and others call the village. So much of the village has disappeared as we shop online, bank online and do pick-up orders to eat. This is a huge problem because the village is where we learn to be kind and tolerant of people who are different to us. It is also where we learn to be vulnerable and brave as we embrace our true selves. Churches can be vital spaces where people from different age groups, socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, races, and sexual identities can gather and find connection and community. Meaningful connection can also absolutely happen online, but we must work to make it happen.

When I walked a Camino in Nova Scotia, God transformed the image of the tsunami for me. At one little church in which we stayed, I bought a little painted rock. On it was the image of a windsurfer, riding a giant wave. I continued walking, holding that little rock in my hand, thinking about this image. Then I heard Jesus inviting me not to be afraid but to join the adventure, to feel the wind in our sails, to ride with him over the choppy waters. The windsurfer, like the church, is tiny compared to the turbulent ocean, but the fear turns to excitement as we learn to trust the relationship between the board, the sail, the wind, and water. “You moved on the waters, you called to the deep… Spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea,” (“Spirit of Gentleness,” James K. Manley).

The Call and Vision of the United Church of Canada has changed quite a bit over the years, and it hasn’t changed at all. I have no idea what the United Church of Canada will look like in 2125; probably not what we imagine, but by the grace of God we will be exactly as we are called to be. More than anything as a church we are called: called by God to join the movement, join the resistance, join the life. We are called by God…

to be the Church:
   to celebrate God’s presence,
   to live with respect in Creation,
   to love and serve others,
   to seek justice and resist evil,
   to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
      our judge and our hope… 

(A New Creed, 1968)