CHRISTIN TAYLOR
Christin is the author of two books. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Sojourners. She is also the editor for the Annesley Writers Forum, a collection of 50+ women writing about life and faith. As a missionary kid, Christin grew up in four different countries by the age of 18. Now she lives in Southern Ontario with her husband and two kids.
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ANDREW MILLS
Andrew grew up in a pastor’s home coming to know Jesus at a young age. His journey though was anything but straight towards his calling as a pastor, as he rediscovered Jesus at the end of high school changing his career path.
Andrew has now been a pastor now for well over a decade, currently serving at Bethany Community Church in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is passionate about the local church and helping people to be changed by Jesus, and to change lives with Jesus. He has a wonderful wife Krista, and 3 young kids – Hudson, Asher, and Eden and loves to spend time with his family. His other big passions are soccer, reading theology of all sorts, listening to records while cooking, and travelling whenever he can with his family. |
DJ KUBIKS
DJ, Producer, Coffee Company Owner, Booking Agent, Comic Book Creator, Music Management, Podcaster, Husband, and Dad.
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JOSHUA LUKE SMITH
Joshua Luke Smith is a wordsmith packed with ammo. As a poet, rapper and producer he creates from the mandate to ‘speak into the chaos’. Joshua has a unique perspective on the world from both education and experience. After being born in London, and raised in Pakistan, he ultimately settled in Bath, UK near where he graduated from Bath Spa University.
His childhood of consuming Nas, The Roots and Fugees meshes with current sounds of Stormzy and Bon Iver to inform the songs coming out of the studio in Joshua’s attic. Joshua and his wife Kara founded Orphan No More in 2012. |
PETE OLSEN
Pete lives in a cottage on the Grand River with his wife Cindi and their rescue dogs. Formerly a youth pastor, Pete now works for Mennonite Central Committee in poverty education in Toronto (TOOLS) and support work in Kitchener/Waterloo (Circle of Friends).
His passions include Jesus, canoe tripping, winter camping, motorcycles, building things and being obnoxious with super religious people. “I’m excited about this journey we’re on, following the Hebrew. I just wish we would stay the course and rise up out of the cultural crap and clutter. I think it would mean so much for those around us. Just sayin...” |
EVAN BARRETTEvan Barrett has been leading worship in various places and venues for over 5 years and has a passion to see people connect with Jesus through music and art. He lives in St. Catharines Ontario and works as the Worship Arts Director at Bethany Community Church.
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MELISSA BURKE
Melissa lives in Kitchener with her husband and their four kids. She's been leading musical worship in different contexts for many years and one of her greatest joys is being a part of creating space where we collectively come together and point each other to God's goodness and love through song and word. Her other happy places include sitting around a table sharing a meal and life with friends, traveling with her family, watching her kids play and discover, and drinking her morning coffee (made by her incredible husband) while it is still hot! Melissa and her family have found a home at Elevation Church in Waterloo, where she serves on staff in the areas of Worship and Pastoral Care.
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MARK STROMENBERG
As a man who battles mental illness himself, Mark Stromenberg is passionate about communicating hope and help to the one-fifth of Canadians who will struggle with a mental illness, and to those who have a friend or family member that is hurting. Through his own experiences, training, professional experience, and scripture, Mark seeks to bring Jesus’ light of hope to those struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts in a way that is holistic and practical. Mark speaks over 50 times a year in schools, classrooms, and conferences, including as an ASIST suicide intervention instructor.
Mark and his wife, Ashley, live in Cambridge, Ontario, where Mark works with Youth For Christ/Youth Unlimited in Guelph. |
SNEAKER CLUB
You never know what to expect when you attend a Sneaker Club concert. One second you’re ears deep in tasty melodies and relatable lyrics, the next you’re having your mind blown by a sick yo-yo trick.The group features John Gould on lead guitar, Luke Van Bakel on bass, Bryan Dowd on drums and Dan Wagg, as the lead guitarist and vocalist. Drawing inspiration from acts such as Hippo Campus, Peach Pit and the Arkells, this group boasts catchy songs and high energy shows.
Although they are just beginning to tie their laces, things are quickly picking up speed for Sneaker Club, already having shared the stage with notable acts such as VALLEY. Having recently enlisted the help of JUNO award winning engineer Dan Brodbeck to produce their debut single, Sneaker Club has big plans for the near future. |
ISAIAH RITZMANN
Isaiah lives in Kitchener, Ontario where he helps facilitates a refugee housing network called the Open Homes Network. He believes that an encounter with Jesus can make us more loving and hopeful people, if we are willing and open to that. He graduated with a Masters of Theology from the University of Waterloo in 2015.
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