Tom Sine

Pete Rollins

Peter Rollins is the author of How [Not] to Speak of God, The Orthodox Heretic and Insurrection. A widely sought after storyteller and public speaker, he is also the founder of ikon, an Irish faith group based in Belfast that has gained an international reputation for blending live music, visual imagery, soundscapes, theatre, ritual and reflection to create what they call 'transformance art'. 

Derek Webb

Derek Webb first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career. Webb has an agitator's soul and a flair for the controversial, approaches he uses in his music to encourage careful thought on vitally important social issues. Webb makes iconoclastic, irresistible, radio-ready records about love and war, peace and social justice.

Joice Rees

Joyce served as the director of Jacob's Well, a relationally focused ministry in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, Canada's poorest neighbourhood. Joyce served as a pastor for 6 years prior to taking her role at Jacob's Well and led a small congregation in the downtown eastside. In addition she has spent the last 9 years teaching extensively about justice. Joyce brings a vital challenge to the church regarding current paradigms of ministry with marginalized people. She is currently exploring what it means to serve the poor in suburbia.

Bob Ekblad

Bob is founder and Director of Tierra Nueva and The People's Seminary in Burlington, Washington. For ten years, Tierra Nueva has worked with migrant, impoverished, and imprisoned populations in Northwestern Washington state. Bob is known internationally for his courses and workshops on reading the Bible.  Bob is the author of Reading the Bible with the Damned and A New Christian Manifesto. His passion is to see leaders recruited, equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister to society's least.

Christine Sine

Christine is the Executive Director of Mustard Seed Associates. She is also an enthusiastic gardener and author. Her most recent book is To Garden with God. She blogs about gardening, liturgy and worship at Godspace.

Joel McKerrow

 Joel McKerrow is a performance poet and activist based out of Melbourne, Australia. He is the Co-founder and Co-director of 'The Centre for Poetics and Justice' (www.cpj.org.au), a not-for-profit, community arts organisation focused on using poetics as a form of literary education, self-expression and social engagement for marginalised teenagers.

Dr Sharon Smith

 Sharon Smith is the co-founder and co-executive director of Sanctuary, a non-profit that assists Church communities to become places of welcome and care for people living with mental illness.  Sharon is currently adjunct faculty at the School of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and she consults for Vancouver Community Mental Health services where she assists mental health professionals to integrate spirituality into mental health care.

Brad Jersak

 Brad Jersak is an author and teacher. Through his books such as Can you hear me? Tuning into the God who speaks, and seminars, Brad teaches that anyone can learn to hear God's voice through the simple practice of "listening prayer." Those who practice listening prayer find that God's love heals wounded hearts and empowers them to heal this broken world.  Brad is based in Abbotsford, BC and is finishing a PhD in the area of political theology.

Michelle Miller

 Michelle Miller is the Executive Director of REED (Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity), an organization that provides care for trafficked women and works to unmask the structures of oppression behind commercial sexual exploitation. For the last eleven years she has been standing in solidarity with marginalized women in Asia and in North America. She is passionate about love, public truth-telling and demystifying structural injustice.

Steve Frost

 Steve is an artist and a poet, passionate about being an advocate for artists, particularly within the church. He is rooted in a little mustard seed community called Mosaic in Vancouver. He works with The Work Of The People, a community of artists who create visual media for the church to re-orient God's people around Jesus' good news and mission to make all things new.

Bethel Lee

 While holding onto a reverence for tradition, Bethel is particularly interested in the new, risky and often disruptive ways of being Church we're called and challenged to birth and nurture.  Bethel is the founder and director of Yoga Chapel, a new ministry that weaves together the art of Christian storytelling and reflection with the wisdom of the physical yoga practice.

Brander McDonald

 Brander – Strong Raven/Standing Bear – is a Cree First Nation who now lives in Chilliwack – Sto:lo territory – with his wife, children and grandchildren. Brander serves as the Mennonite Church BC Indigenous Relations Coordinator.  He uses his gifts of teaching, music and humour to connect congregations with their host peoples in deeper and more meaningful ways.

Jodi Spargur

 Jodi Spargur, a white settler squatting on unceeded Coast Salish territory was graciously invited to explore "being church" with her neighbours in the downtown eastside of Vancouver. That exploration is now called God's House of Many Faces a church that squats in spaces offered or unoccupied, attempting to be faithful to love God and our neighbour. Jodi also oversees Red Clover Farm and consults on occasion, when congregations want to explore how they can be better neighbours.

Sean Graham

 Sean is the lead pastor at Cove Community Church in North Vancouver, a church in the suburbs that seeks to follow the God of justice. Cove seeks to be a transformation-minded community discovering together what life can be like when lived from a place of grace. Sean is married and has two kids.

Don Cowie

 Don is lead pastor at the Mosaic, a community of grace, acceptance and life. Mosaic is a church in inner city Vancouver whose vision is to live as if everyone matters.  Don is married and has two kids.

Isadore Charters

Isadore (also Yenmo Ceetza) is Okanogan Nation who now stays in Sto:lo territory near Cultus Lake. He is a Coqualeetza elder, artist and residential school survivor.  He partners with Don Klaassen (Church Mission Coach with Outreach Canada) to demonstrate reconciliation through art and the carving of a residential school healing pole.  Isadore and Don visit churches and events to break down stereotypes that perpetuate misunderstanding.

Dr Jonathan Wilson

 Jonathan is Professor of Theology at Carey Theological College.  Among his books are Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World, God So Loved the World: A Christology for Disciples, A Primer for Christian Doctrine, and Why Church Matters: Worship, Ministry, and Mission in Practice. Jonathan will be teaching an introductory workshop entitled "Justice 101 - what the Bible really says about justice".

We Make Stuff 

We Make Stuff is a creative community that is forming around a book which will be launched in November this year. The book will showcase 100 artists and innovators from the Lower Mainland who are out in culture making stuff. These artists are proud to co-create with God. Come and hear a number of voices from the creative community here in BC, as well as find out about ways you can get involved and connected. (www.WeMakeStuff.tumblr.com)

David Anderson

David comes to A Rocha with work experience in outdoor recreation, biology, church ministry and teaching. The opportunity to serve as director of Brooksdale is an ever changing adventure, a living experiment of a community learning to live sustainably and faithfully. He enjoys hosting the diverse folk who come to visit, and is excited to see the biblical vision of stewardship, joyful simplicity and generous service take root and grow. His great loves include working alongside his wife Shauna, learning about life from his kids, good coffee, great books and getting lost outdoors.