UPLIFT 2024

2 Corinthians 3:12
With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back.

These resources can be ordered here.

Youth Stream

Here is where you’ll find activities designed for high schoolers (ages 14-18), celebrating your unique place as youth in our church and providing a landmark event in your faith journey while exploring what it means to have Audacious Hope. uplift will be fun, challenging, relaxing, exciting, exhilarating and exhausting!

Sophia Kim is a student at the University of Toronto who is enrolled in the Literature and Critical Theory program for her Bachelor’s degree. Her father, Dr. Rev. Joon Ki Kim, is a minister working for a pastoral charge at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Little Harbour Presbyterian Church in Nova Scotia. With her deep passion for the arts, Sophia loves to write poetry, play the piano, and sing in her church choirs.

Robert Revington recently completed his PhD in Church History at Knox College in the University of Toronto. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at Queen’s University. He is an elder at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Aurora, and occasionally gets invited to preach in churches. Robert is also a men’s league hockey player and Hamilton Tiger-Cats season ticket holder, and once went skydiving in a Superman costume. He is excited to return to this event, since it was grown out of CY, which he attended as a youth in 2009.

Julian/King Julez is the chair of Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble, a national non-profit organization that works for full inclusion and affirmation of 2S-LGBTQ+ folks in religious spaces and in all of society, and a board member for Student Christian Movement. After getting a BA in Diversity and Equity, King Julez is studying their Masters of Divinity and Masters of Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College in Toronto. Drag as a spiritual practice embodies theology and works to express understandings of God’s word in new and exciting ways while paying homage to the queer artists that paved the way so we can exist freely in the world today.

I’m Dave Whitecross. I was born in west end Toronto and grew up in a very conservative Presbyterian church there. I studied astronomy and physics at the university of Toronto, but I eventually graduated with a degree in statistics and actuarial science. Don’t ask me what actuary science is. I never really knew. My last year of university, I got called (arm twisted) by the Holy Spirit to go into the ministry, and so I studied at Knox College. For some reason they graduated me, and so I accepted my first call to ministry in Calgary. Since then I have served in Lindsay, Fergus, Dunnville and now Ottawa. There was a two year break in there after 27 years of ministry, between my calls to Fergus and Dunnville, where I came out as gay. Due to courageous leaders, the theology of the church finally opened to LGTBQ+ clergy, and so I could once again answer my call to ministry. I have been in the ministry 33 years now and still God seems to have plans for me.

Torrin is a Master’s student at the Atlantic School of Theology. They research the theology of neurodivergence and are particularly interested in how these identities help us envision Christian justice. They helped form Christianity at the Margins, a justice-focused young adult church.

Young Adult Stream

An opportunity for young adults (ages 18-25) to be truly oneself, to think deeply about your gifts, and to be empowered to be strong servant & leader. In your churches, workplace, relationships, and beyond.

Andrew Hyde (he/him) is the Ecumenical Campus Minister at the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario). Andrew has given leadership at numerous different Rendezvous and Presbyterian Youth gatherings, and has a real interest in helping young adults find (or create) spaces of belonging and purpose in faith communities. He is the author of “My Daily Discoverment” a resource that provides 40 days of vocational discernment for young adults, and loves to engage young people about their gifts, hopes, challenges, and faith.

Spencer Edwards (he/him) has been working with youth and young adults in a variety of camp, community, campus, and church contexts since he was a young adult. Spence has deep roots in the United and Presbyterian churches. He loves to help people explore who they are to discover their path. His recent role as an employment coach had him engaging with clients to navigate the changing world of work.

Leadership Stream

This stream is specially designed to consider all types of church leaders (ages 18+). If you are clergy, lay, paid, volunteer, full-time, contract or part-time leadership, the Leadership Stream will have something for you.

Teambuilding Guru Dr. Jim Cain is the author of 30 well-loved books filled with team and community building activities from around the world. His real-world in-person train-the-trainer events are legendary in the adventure-based learning community and his virtual activities are used around the world. Jim’s most recent books include: Extraordinary Facilitation, The Teambuilders Toolbox, The Adventure Trail, and Print & Play.