Alison Buchan

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Alison is a recognized skilled social worker who, for over 15 years, has had the privilege of providing counselling support to clients. She focuses on a wide range of concerns in the areas of mental health, trauma, and addictions.

In the field of social work, Alison has served for 12 years in a hospital addictions & mental health program; participated in community development in partnership with Northern Ontario First Nations communities; and managed research projects with The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto.

Alison earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at McMaster University and also continues her studies at the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.

Alyssa Esparaz

Keynote, Panelist

Alyssa Esparaz is a communicator with a passion for inspiring and equipping Christians to live compassionate lifestyles. As a young person in the church, Alyssa loves seeing her generation bring Christ’s hope to this messy and broken world. She serves as a Writer and Communicator at Compassion Canada, one of the world’s leading child development organizations. She also studies International Development at the University of Toronto. She blogs at alyssaesparaz.ca and is a regular contributor to Love Is Moving magazine. When she is not doing any of the above, Alyssa can be found cheering for the Raptors, dreaming about traveling on an airplane, or eating way too much ice cream.

Cheryl Bear

Keynote, Panelist

Cheryl Bear, from Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, is well known as an important and respected voice on behalf of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. As a speaker and teacher, she has traveled to over 600 Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States, sharing her songs and stories. She also visits non-Native communities (schools, government, churches, and businesses) holding workshops to raise awareness and understanding of Indigenous issues.

She has released three albums sharing stories of Indigenous life: Cheryl Bear (self-titled), The Good Road, and A’BA. Cheryl’s albums have received three Indigenous People’s Choice music awards, two Covenant Awards and a Native American Music Award.

Cheryl is a founding board member of NAIITS, an Indigenous learning community. She is also an Associate Professor at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Cheryl has an earned Doctorate from The King’s University in Los Angeles, and a Master of Divinity degree from Regent College.

She has written two books, Introduction to First Nations Ministry and a children’s book called The Honour Drum.

She is currently serving as a Strategic Associate to the Indigenous Relations Specialist with Canadian Baptist Ministries.

Jen Pollock Michel

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want and Keeping Place. Her third book, Surprised by Paradox, released in May 2019. It traces four themes in the Bible—incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament—as a way of discovering some of the surprise of God’s story. Jen writes widely for print and digital publications and travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats. She holds a B.A. in French from Wheaton College and an M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University.

She is an American living in Toronto. Her husband Ryan and five children moved to Canada in 2011, planning on a two- or three-year adventure. They are still here and quite naturally finishing their sentences with “eh?” Their family attends Grace Toronto Church. As part of her volunteer work with her local church, she is the lead editor for Imprint magazine.

You can subscribe to her monthly newsletter at jenpollockmichel.com.

(Pronunciation Guide: Pollock = Paul-luck (like Jackson Pollock, painter) Michel = Michelle (like the woman’s first name).

John Sundara

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John D. Sundara is a minister in the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of Dallas. He currently ministers at Church of the Incarnation through regular preaching and teaching, and is in charge of discipleship and formation. He is also part of the Racial Reconciliation Commission in his diocese. Originally from India, John immigrated to Vancouver when he was 13, and got involved with P2C at UBC as a student. He later served on staff with P2C for 9 years in Vancouver and Toronto, was involved with our global partnerships to North Africa and South Asia, and trained new staff.

John loves to read the Bible and contemplate theology, desires for skeptics and the curious to engage with Christ, and often wonders about the intersection of faith, politics, and justice. John’s passion is for Christians to echo Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

He has a degree in Biology from UBC, and an M.Div from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. He is married to Naomi, and they have a son, Daniel and a daughter, Emma.

John Van Sloten

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John Van Sloten is a pastor, teacher, and writer who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His passion is to know God more (and to read everything he’s written). For the past 20 years, John has been exploring a worldview that seeks to discern God’s voice in all things: the Bible, the arts, sport, science, film, music, literature, history, mathematics, nature, and human nature. His first book, The Day Metallica Came to Church: Searching for the Everywhere God in Everything, listened for God’s whispers in pop culture. John’s second book, Every Job a Parable; What Walmart Greeters, Nurses, and Astronauts Tell Us about God, listens for God’s words at work. John has taken part in three John Templeton Foundation sub-grants to explore the intersection of faith and science in the context of preaching, and just finished draft one of his third book, God Speaks Science.

Jon Corbin

Keynote, Panelist

Jon Corbin is a Canadian hip-hop artist, spoken word poet, speaker, band leader, writer, and DJ based in Milton, Ontario. Since 2001, first under the name The Runaway, Jon has blessed stages big and small with lyrical themes of faith, love, family, social justice, and personal growth.

Corbin is a veteran artist who has quietly carved a niche in Canada’s hip-hop community, collaborating with multiple Polaris Music Prize nominee Shad, Juno Award winner Caroline Brooks of The Good Lovelies, and many other revered emcees on both sides of the border.

As a speaker, Corbin speaks passionately on topics of identity, race and racism, mental health, and community connections.

Jon is signed to LSTNFND music. You can find links to his work on the LSTNFND site.

Jon Tyson

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jon Tyson is a widely respected church planter and pastor in New York City. He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden is Light.

Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon moved to the United States two decades ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church. His preaching is known for the rare fusion of passion and depth. He regularly speaks at large events around the world including Q Conference and Catalyst.

Jon lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood of Manhattan with his wife and two children. Visit him at churchofthecitynyc.com.

Katharine Hayhoe

Keynote, Workshop

Katharine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now. She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize and the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication She has been named to a number of lists including Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Thinkers, and FORTUNE Magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders.

Katharine writes and produces the PBS Digital Studios series, Global Weirding, and serves on advisory committees for a broad range of organizations including the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the Earth Science Women’s Network, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is currently a professor and directs the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. She has a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Toronto, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Illinois.

Mike Mileski

Keynote, Workshop

Mike Mileski is a husband, dad, pastor, musician, and lover of most things Star Wars. He joined Power to Change as a student at the University of Guelph where he met his wife Heather. A retired school teacher, Mike’s focus these days is on making disciples through Benediction Church, which he and his team planted in early 2017, in downtown Hamilton.

Tim Gonsalves

Keynote, Panelist

Tim works as the National Youth Director for Alpha Canada and is passionate about empowering youth workers and students to share the good news of Jesus everywhere they go. He also pastors at Southgate, serving through youth ministry, media, and worship. Tim lives in Langley, BC with his incredible wife Chanel and their daughter Ellie Elizabeth (and with another one on the way)!

AC

Panelist, Workshop

AC was born in Canada but at the age of 4 moved to California where he grew up as a die-hard 49ers and Golden State Warriors fan. After graduating from university, he worked for several years in Silicon Valley as a software engineer before pursuing a cross-cultural ministry calling to love and serve Muslims in least-reached areas of the world. He met his wife Michele while in seminary. He loves his three kids and enjoys spending time explaining the finer points of strategy for Plants vs Zombies. In addition to his kids, he also loves ice cream, bubble tea, Apple Arcade, and playing sports (probably in that order).

Alison Buchan

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Alison is a recognized skilled social worker who, for over 15 years, has had the privilege of providing counselling support to clients. She focuses on a wide range of concerns in the areas of mental health, trauma, and addictions.

In the field of social work, Alison has served for 12 years in a hospital addictions & mental health program; participated in community development in partnership with Northern Ontario First Nations communities; and managed research projects with The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto.

Alison earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at McMaster University and also continues her studies at the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.

Alyssa Esparaz

Keynote, Panelist

Alyssa Esparaz is a communicator with a passion for inspiring and equipping Christians to live compassionate lifestyles. As a young person in the church, Alyssa loves seeing her generation bring Christ’s hope to this messy and broken world. She serves as a Writer and Communicator at Compassion Canada, one of the world’s leading child development organizations. She also studies International Development at the University of Toronto. She blogs at alyssaesparaz.ca and is a regular contributor to Love Is Moving magazine. When she is not doing any of the above, Alyssa can be found cheering for the Raptors, dreaming about traveling on an airplane, or eating way too much ice cream.

Andy Smits

Panelist, Workshop

Andy grew up in Ottawa, and married his high school sweetheart, Loni, while they were college students in Ottawa. They volunteered with Power to Change in Ottawa, before joining staff with P2C in 2003. In 2004, they moved to Montreal, where they have worked on a team launching student ministries in the city. Andy spent 9 years as the Quebec Director for Power to Change before stepping into the role of National Director this summer. Andy & Loni have 4 kids, ranging from 7 years to 14 years old, and love being part of the vibrant city of Montreal. Andy is a passionate volleyball player and coach, is proud of being able to speak both of Canada’s official languages, and loves helping people discover the relevance of faith to all of life!

Carmen Man

Panelist, Workshop

Carmen is the National Field Ministry Director for P2C-Students. She also coaches staff that care for our students on campuses where we don’t have a full-time staff team. Carmen currently lives in Winnipeg with her husband Josh, and has previously been based with P2C-S in Hamilton and Montreal. Traveling to new places and trying new things are some of her favourite experiences.

Cheryl Bear

Keynote, Panelist

Cheryl Bear, from Nadleh Whut’en First Nation, is well known as an important and respected voice on behalf of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. As a speaker and teacher, she has traveled to over 600 Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States, sharing her songs and stories. She also visits non-Native communities (schools, government, churches, and businesses) holding workshops to raise awareness and understanding of Indigenous issues.

She has released three albums sharing stories of Indigenous life: Cheryl Bear (self-titled), The Good Road, and A’BA. Cheryl’s albums have received three Indigenous People’s Choice music awards, two Covenant Awards and a Native American Music Award.

Cheryl is a founding board member of NAIITS, an Indigenous learning community. She is also an Associate Professor at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Cheryl has an earned Doctorate from The King’s University in Los Angeles, and a Master of Divinity degree from Regent College.

She has written two books, Introduction to First Nations Ministry and a children’s book called The Honour Drum.

She is currently serving as a Strategic Associate to the Indigenous Relations Specialist with Canadian Baptist Ministries.

Eric Humphrey

Panelist

Eric is married to Dawn, and they have 2 wonderful children, Bryce and Ella. Over the past 16 years they have together built a ministry to students through discipleship, media development, and communications work. You can find him in a movie theatre watching awesome movies, listening to amazing podcasts or having real conversations with people. Eric loves sharing stories with others about all aspects of life.

Gabe Salazar

Panelist, Workshop

Motivational youth speaker Gabe Salazar overcame poverty, gang influence, and homelessness to become a successful entrepreneur. He’s a highly sought-after keynote speaker who has been inspiring teens, families, teachers, and school administrators with a message of hope and dreaming big for more than 15 years. Popular Hispanics Magazine recognizes him as America’s #1 Latino Youth Speaker. Gabe lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Nancy, and four children.

House of Worship

Artist, Panelist

House of Worship is a ministry with a vision to see people live a life of worship in every community. The movement started in 2015 in Montreal with students gathering in homes to worship together. Over the following years it grew with a deep love for Jesus, His presence, and the city. House of Worship now has ministries in 5 Canadian cities and is celebrating its second year of partnership with Power to Change – Students. House of Worship’s mission today is to invite people to encounter, dwell in, and be changed by the presence of God together through musical worship and the arts.

Jacqueline Eboh

Panelist

Jacqueline Eboh graduated from McMaster, where she did her undergraduate degree in Justice, Political Philosophy and Law. Since graduating, Jacqueline has had the opportunity to both research and work with victims of human trafficking. Jacqueline is now a first year law student at Windsor Law School, where she hopes to focus on Criminal Justice pertaining to sexual exploitation, abuse, and human trafficking.

James Kelly

Panelist, Workshop

James Kelly is Founder and CEO of FaithTech, a global community of tech enthusiasts for Jesus. The work of FaithTech has been mentioned in The New York Times, Wired Magazine and Christianity Today. James has spoken live over 350 times, from remote villages in South Sudan to Google HQ in Silicon Valley. He has been featured on 100 Huntley, The 700 Club, and Faith Today. James is married with two young children and lives in Waterloo, Canada.

Jen Pollock Michel

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want and Keeping Place. Her third book, Surprised by Paradox, released in May 2019. It traces four themes in the Bible—incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament—as a way of discovering some of the surprise of God’s story. Jen writes widely for print and digital publications and travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats. She holds a B.A. in French from Wheaton College and an M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University.

She is an American living in Toronto. Her husband Ryan and five children moved to Canada in 2011, planning on a two- or three-year adventure. They are still here and quite naturally finishing their sentences with “eh?” Their family attends Grace Toronto Church. As part of her volunteer work with her local church, she is the lead editor for Imprint magazine.

You can subscribe to her monthly newsletter at jenpollockmichel.com.

(Pronunciation Guide: Pollock = Paul-luck (like Jackson Pollock, painter) Michel = Michelle (like the woman’s first name).

Johanna Kelly

Panelist

Johanna has experienced personal healing and restoration from a past of abuse, family dysfunction, and addiction through Celebrate Recovery. God called Johanna into ministry in 2014. She is currently the Associate Pastor at Lakeside Church (Downtown) located in Guelph. The church operates within the context of Hope House – a community seeking to alleviate poverty. She has been married for 12 years and has two precious daughters. Her desire is to see ALL people find the abundant life God promises!

John Sundara

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John D. Sundara is a minister in the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of Dallas. He currently ministers at Church of the Incarnation through regular preaching and teaching, and is in charge of discipleship and formation. He is also part of the Racial Reconciliation Commission in his diocese. Originally from India, John immigrated to Vancouver when he was 13, and got involved with P2C at UBC as a student. He later served on staff with P2C for 9 years in Vancouver and Toronto, was involved with our global partnerships to North Africa and South Asia, and trained new staff.

John loves to read the Bible and contemplate theology, desires for skeptics and the curious to engage with Christ, and often wonders about the intersection of faith, politics, and justice. John’s passion is for Christians to echo Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

He has a degree in Biology from UBC, and an M.Div from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. He is married to Naomi, and they have a son, Daniel and a daughter, Emma.

John Van Sloten

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John Van Sloten is a pastor, teacher, and writer who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His passion is to know God more (and to read everything he’s written). For the past 20 years, John has been exploring a worldview that seeks to discern God’s voice in all things: the Bible, the arts, sport, science, film, music, literature, history, mathematics, nature, and human nature. His first book, The Day Metallica Came to Church: Searching for the Everywhere God in Everything, listened for God’s whispers in pop culture. John’s second book, Every Job a Parable; What Walmart Greeters, Nurses, and Astronauts Tell Us about God, listens for God’s words at work. John has taken part in three John Templeton Foundation sub-grants to explore the intersection of faith and science in the context of preaching, and just finished draft one of his third book, God Speaks Science.

Jon Corbin

Keynote, Panelist

Jon Corbin is a Canadian hip-hop artist, spoken word poet, speaker, band leader, writer, and DJ based in Milton, Ontario. Since 2001, first under the name The Runaway, Jon has blessed stages big and small with lyrical themes of faith, love, family, social justice, and personal growth.

Corbin is a veteran artist who has quietly carved a niche in Canada’s hip-hop community, collaborating with multiple Polaris Music Prize nominee Shad, Juno Award winner Caroline Brooks of The Good Lovelies, and many other revered emcees on both sides of the border.

As a speaker, Corbin speaks passionately on topics of identity, race and racism, mental health, and community connections.

Jon is signed to LSTNFND music. You can find links to his work on the LSTNFND site.

Jon Tyson

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jon Tyson is a widely respected church planter and pastor in New York City. He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden is Light.

Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon moved to the United States two decades ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church. His preaching is known for the rare fusion of passion and depth. He regularly speaks at large events around the world including Q Conference and Catalyst.

Jon lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood of Manhattan with his wife and two children. Visit him at churchofthecitynyc.com.

Khevna Dave

Panelist, Workshop

Khevna Dave lives in a MoveIn patch in Scarborough with her husband, foster teens, and two kittens named Mango and Sticky Rice. She loves meeting people over coffee or bubble tea, discovering new foods in the city, and planning events. She is an outgoing individual who has high energy levels for getting multiple tasks done, and cares deeply about learning and engaging in different cultures. Khevna worships at Grace Fellowship Church East and is currently working as a Mobilization Coordinator at the Missions Hub, located inside Knox Church. She spends most of her time interacting with students at the University of Toronto and, as a past Campus for Christ/Power to Change alumna, loves seeing the way God is at work in campus ministries. Khevna also graduated from the University of Toronto, where she studied Global Health, Bioethics, and Christianity & Culture. Fun fact: she’s spent time in 28 different countries, starting with being born in Kenya!

Melodie Francis

Panelist, Workshop

Melodie serves with Fellowship International at Casa Hogar, a Christian children’s home that provides a safe home environment for children at risk (orphans, abandoned children, severe neglect, abuse, and extreme poverty situations). A third culture kid who grew up in Spain, Melodie trained as a social worker in Quebec. She has been caring for the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of these at-risk children since 2006. Melodie has been married to Geoffrey since 2016.

Prayer House Worship Rwanda

Artist, Panelist

Amanda Fung Kavutse: Amanda Fung Kavutse is a worship leader, songwriter, and youth pastor with the Prayer House in Kigali, Rwanda. Having lived and served on four continents, Amanda is passionate about using her gifts to empower youth around the world to discover Jesus and fulfill their God-given potential. When not actively serving at the Prayer House, Amanda can be found managing marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and a full-time job providing strategic advisory to Rwanda’s leading businesses and government institutions.

Olivier Kavutse: In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Olivier Kavutse was left without parents. Subsequently raised in his half-brother’s home, he suffered from neglect and was denied the privileges other children enjoyed. As a result, in his teenage years, he chose to rebel, following his peers into drug and alcohol abuse. This path led him to face only further rejection from his family and friends. In February of 2003, he encountered Jesus in a high school fellowship and decided to become a Christian. Soon after, Olivier discovered that he had a gift in songwriting. The art form became therapeutic, giving him a means to release the anger and bitterness he harboured in light of everything that had happened to him. In this process of healing, God entrusted him with a vision of writing songs that would encourage others who had endured similar experiences. His songs quickly took off. They could be heard on the radio, in schools, and in churches across the country. From there, his vision grew. He began writing songs not only for the nation, but for the region, with his vision eventually expanding to the farthest reaches of the world. The impact God made in his life during his teenage years left Olivier with a special affection for youth and young adults. Today, Olivier is the founder of NGO Beauty For Ashes Rwanda and the Prayer House, which share a mission of releasing a generation to lead full and productive lives. Oliver is the leader of the Beauty For Ashes band and a singer-songwriter for Prayer House Worship.

Guy Alain Muhire: Guy Alain Muhire is a Rwandan contemporary worship pastor and songwriter. His ministry began in 2007 during his days in university, but he received his calling in 2012. Since then, he has been actively involved in worship ministry. Guy Alain is among the founders of the Prayer House, where he serves as a Core Leader and a Worship Leader, while providing direction to the Creative Department. He also serves as the Worship Pastor of New Life Bible Church in Kigali, Rwanda, where he heads the Worship and Creative Arts Department. In addition, Guy Alain is the lead singer of Alive+Freed Music, a contemporary Christian rock group based in Kigali and known for its debut album “Sound of Freedom”. Guy Alain loves food and travelling.

Sel Ina

Panelist, Workshop

Sel has been on staff for the past 12 years and two of those years were spent interning in Desert Rain. She loves to travel with her Hello Kitty, climb mountains, swim in oceans, and eat good food. She now works at Ryerson University and on the Global Missions team.

Shelly Spithoff

Panelist

Shelly Spithoff is a wedding photographer and former P2C staff. She learned about the importance of rest the hard way by burning out in her first semester on staff. She lives with her husband and two kids in Hamilton, ON. They own a fish, a cat, and a dog; named Chicken, Tikka, and Masala respectively.

Shireen Spencer

Panelist

Rev. Shireen Spencer is a Church of the Nazarene credentialed minister who has served since 2005, working to connect people to God through the Word, worship, and working relationships. Shireen has pastored in two different churches working with youth, families, and couples; leading worship and choirs; and preaching. She is expanding her ministry to work with churches and Christian organizations in the areas of speaking, worship leading, and working with couples. She currently serves on staff with FamilyLife, a ministry of Power to Change.

Sue Carr

Panelist

Sue Carr is the Director of 541 Eatery and Exchange, a not-for-profit cafe in Hamilton; and pastor of The Meeting Place. Originally from the UK, Sue and her husband have lived in Canada for the past 33 years.

Tiffany Lou-Hing

Panelist, Workshop

Tiffany Lou-Hing was born and raised in Hong Kong and now lives in the bumping metropolis that is Guelph with her husband Tyler and her super cute cat, 芝麻 (“Jima” or sesame in Cantonese). She enjoys passionately engaging in discussions about race, sexuality, Indigenous issues, Asian culture, and identity. She works with Power to Change – Students as a Marketing and Brand Manager for Global Missions. She loves that this role combines her creative and strategic planning skills with her passion for global missions, even though it is not related to her BA(Hons) in English and Drama, nor to her BEd from Queen’s University. In her free time, Tiffany loves trying new restaurants, traveling, cooking without a recipe, experimenting with makeup and fashion, and collecting cute toys for her desk.

Tim Gonsalves

Keynote, Panelist

Tim works as the National Youth Director for Alpha Canada and is passionate about empowering youth workers and students to share the good news of Jesus everywhere they go. He also pastors at Southgate, serving through youth ministry, media, and worship. Tim lives in Langley, BC with his incredible wife Chanel and their daughter Ellie Elizabeth (and with another one on the way)!

Trish Walker

Panelist

Trish was born and raised in Jamaica. She moved to Canada in 2012 and now lives in downtown Toronto with her husband, Jade. They serve together in their home church with the youth ministry. Trish works as a Financial Associate. She enjoys painting, reading, and writing poetry. Her current challenge: learning the piano.

Wendy Stringer

Panelist, Workshop

Wendy Stringer lives in Toronto with her husband, Kiernan, their seven kids and a big black dog named Seamus. She loves growing food, bird watching, drinking strong coffee and waking up while the house is still quiet. She and her family worship at Grace West. She works for Grace Toronto Church as director of discipleship; shaping, leading, and teaching in discipleship ministry.

Hashtag Hope

Artist

Mark Stromenberg: As someone who battles mental illness himself, Mark 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 works for Youth For Christ/Youth Unlimited in Guelph, Ontario.

Nick Pegg: This is a bio about Nick Pegg. He once spent all of his money to live in his car, travel the country, and try to prevent young people from killing themselves. He made t-shirts to help fund his travels and wrote words to try to inspire hope. He will give you a free sticker if you want one, and wants you to know that life is undoubtedly worth living.

House of Worship

Artist, Panelist

House of Worship is a ministry with a vision to see people live a life of worship in every community. The movement started in 2015 in Montreal with students gathering in homes to worship together. Over the following years it grew with a deep love for Jesus, His presence, and the city. House of Worship now has ministries in 5 Canadian cities and is celebrating its second year of partnership with Power to Change – Students. House of Worship’s mission today is to invite people to encounter, dwell in, and be changed by the presence of God together through musical worship and the arts.

Prayer House Worship Rwanda

Artist, Panelist

Amanda Fung Kavutse: Amanda Fung Kavutse is a worship leader, songwriter, and youth pastor with the Prayer House in Kigali, Rwanda. Having lived and served on four continents, Amanda is passionate about using her gifts to empower youth around the world to discover Jesus and fulfill their God-given potential. When not actively serving at the Prayer House, Amanda can be found managing marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and a full-time job providing strategic advisory to Rwanda’s leading businesses and government institutions.

Olivier Kavutse: In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Olivier Kavutse was left without parents. Subsequently raised in his half-brother’s home, he suffered from neglect and was denied the privileges other children enjoyed. As a result, in his teenage years, he chose to rebel, following his peers into drug and alcohol abuse. This path led him to face only further rejection from his family and friends. In February of 2003, he encountered Jesus in a high school fellowship and decided to become a Christian. Soon after, Olivier discovered that he had a gift in songwriting. The art form became therapeutic, giving him a means to release the anger and bitterness he harboured in light of everything that had happened to him. In this process of healing, God entrusted him with a vision of writing songs that would encourage others who had endured similar experiences. His songs quickly took off. They could be heard on the radio, in schools, and in churches across the country. From there, his vision grew. He began writing songs not only for the nation, but for the region, with his vision eventually expanding to the farthest reaches of the world. The impact God made in his life during his teenage years left Olivier with a special affection for youth and young adults. Today, Olivier is the founder of NGO Beauty For Ashes Rwanda and the Prayer House, which share a mission of releasing a generation to lead full and productive lives. Oliver is the leader of the Beauty For Ashes band and a singer-songwriter for Prayer House Worship.

Guy Alain Muhire: Guy Alain Muhire is a Rwandan contemporary worship pastor and songwriter. His ministry began in 2007 during his days in university, but he received his calling in 2012. Since then, he has been actively involved in worship ministry. Guy Alain is among the founders of the Prayer House, where he serves as a Core Leader and a Worship Leader, while providing direction to the Creative Department. He also serves as the Worship Pastor of New Life Bible Church in Kigali, Rwanda, where he heads the Worship and Creative Arts Department. In addition, Guy Alain is the lead singer of Alive+Freed Music, a contemporary Christian rock group based in Kigali and known for its debut album “Sound of Freedom”. Guy Alain loves food and travelling.

Sana’ Watts

Artist

Sana’ Watts is a staff member with Power to Change at York University. She has an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University in Psychology and Chemistry. She has the privilege of coming alongside students in knowing, loving, and following Jesus; and experiencing the abundant life in him. She is passionate about how faith and mental health intersect, and that comes out in her poetry. Sana’ is learning what it means to be fragile and yet still loved and valued. She is happily married to Desmond Watts and they are members of Hope Church Mississauga.

The AirBears

Artist

The AirBears are an eye-opening rock band who write with passion and creativity about personal and profound realities.

The Color

Artist

2018 Juno award winners, The Color are a Christian Pop band from Southern Manitoba. Bona fide road warriors, the band has toured Canada extensively for the past 8 years and have garnered great success across North America with their singles ‘Surprise’ and ‘The Kind Of Man’, which both charted in the Top 50 on Billboard’s CCM Audience Airplay (Surprise at #27 & The Kind Of Man at #42). Boasting an energetic live show and songs that emanate hope, The Color’s mission is to share the love of Jesus through every song and connection.

AC

Panelist, Workshop

AC was born in Canada but at the age of 4 moved to California where he grew up as a die-hard 49ers and Golden State Warriors fan. After graduating from university, he worked for several years in Silicon Valley as a software engineer before pursuing a cross-cultural ministry calling to love and serve Muslims in least-reached areas of the world. He met his wife Michele while in seminary. He loves his three kids and enjoys spending time explaining the finer points of strategy for Plants vs Zombies. In addition to his kids, he also loves ice cream, bubble tea, Apple Arcade, and playing sports (probably in that order).

Ali Meyerink

Workshop

Ali Meyerink is the International Projects Coordinator at The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, where she does exactly what her job title describes—coordinating the ministry’s international projects to equip and encourage the persecuted Church. She is a recent graduate of the University of Guelph, where she was involved with Power to Change. She served on the Desert Rain mission trip with P2C in the summer of 2018, where God grew her love for people who have not heard of the Good News. It was also on this trip that God gave her a first glimpse into the true cost of following Jesus, which Christians living in persecuted countries must pay. In her free time, she enjoys knitting and eating way too much chocolate.

Alison Buchan

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Alison is a recognized skilled social worker who, for over 15 years, has had the privilege of providing counselling support to clients. She focuses on a wide range of concerns in the areas of mental health, trauma, and addictions.

In the field of social work, Alison has served for 12 years in a hospital addictions & mental health program; participated in community development in partnership with Northern Ontario First Nations communities; and managed research projects with The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto.

Alison earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at McMaster University and also continues her studies at the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.

Amanda Fung Kavutse

Workshop

Amanda Fung Kavutse is a worship leader, songwriter, and youth pastor with the Prayer House in Kigali, Rwanda. Having lived and served on four continents, Amanda is passionate about using her gifts to empower youth around the world to discover Jesus and fulfill their God-given potential. When not actively serving at the Prayer House, Amanda can be found managing marriage, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and a full-time job providing strategic advisory to Rwanda’s leading businesses and government institutions.

Andy Smits

Panelist, Workshop

Andy grew up in Ottawa, and married his high school sweetheart, Loni, while they were college students in Ottawa. They volunteered with Power to Change in Ottawa, before joining staff with P2C in 2003. In 2004, they moved to Montreal, where they have worked on a team launching student ministries in the city. Andy spent 9 years as the Quebec Director for Power to Change before stepping into the role of National Director this summer. Andy & Loni have 4 kids, ranging from 7 years to 14 years old, and love being part of the vibrant city of Montreal. Andy is a passionate volleyball player and coach, is proud of being able to speak both of Canada’s official languages, and loves helping people discover the relevance of faith to all of life!

Anton Lim

Workshop

Anton has been working with Power to Change – Students for 11 years in addition to the 4 years he was a student leader at McMaster University. Anton and his wife Roslyn (whom he met on his first day at McMaster) live in Barrie with their two boys Phinehas and Degory. Anton is currently the leader of the NEXT Program, helping high school graduates transition well into their post-secondary career.

Carmen Man

Panelist, Workshop

Carmen is the National Field Ministry Director for P2C-Students. She also coaches staff that care for our students on campuses where we don’t have a full-time staff team. Carmen currently lives in Winnipeg with her husband Josh, and has previously been based with P2C-S in Hamilton and Montreal. Traveling to new places and trying new things are some of her favourite experiences.

Charlotte Martin

Workshop

Charlotte has served as managing editor of P2C-Students’ small group resources. She now works with the Global Missions team, mobilizing students to missions. She is a recent graduate from the Arrow Leadership Program. Charlotte lives in Elmira ON. She enjoys listening to CBC radio, hanging out with her family, and serving in her local church through a care ministry.

Desmond Watts

Workshop

Desmond is a Guyana-born, Toronto-raised twentysomething. He first got involved with P2C while studying at the UofT. Desmond joined staff with P2C to travel across Canada and pioneer new campus ministries. He now serves at York University. Desmond loves his beautiful wife (Sana’), listening to podcasts (Popcorn Theology), writing poetry, watching sports (especially cricket!), and having deep life chats.

Dr. Steve West

Workshop

Dr. Steve West is a professor at Heritage College & Seminary and Toronto Baptist Seminary, as well as the lead pastor at Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, ON. He has taught courses and lectured on five continents on topics related to biblical studies, theology, ethics, and apologetics. Steve has written several books, most recently co-authoring The Righteous Will Flourish: Living Christian Ethics with Danielle Gignac.

Erik Jensen

Workshop

Born in Akron, Ohio, Erik felt a call to ministry way back in 2005. Since then he, along with his wife Austen and their four children, have planted five churches. He currently serves as the campus pastor of Renew Church in Cambridge, ON, a church they started just over a year ago. He is passionate about introducing people to Jesus and inviting them to journey through life towards Jesus, becoming more like Him along the way. Erik is into funky music and even funkier cheeses… good coffee, great friends and reading the nerdiest of sci-fi and fantasy novels.

Erin Ford

Workshop

Erin Ford serves as the Editorial Manager for P2C-Students. Her days are filled with coaching students, leading a team, editing, creating content for Instagram, and publishing. Her white girl status was recently upgraded when she married a Hong Konger in October 2019, who also serves on staff with P2C. She calls the most wonderful city in the world, Guelph, home.

Esther Wong

Workshop

Esther serves as the National Staff and Development Director with P2C. Esther connected with P2C as a first year student at the UofC. It was in university that she started to follow God around the globe and see Him do great things! Esther has served with P2C for the last 18 years, first in Vancouver, then in East Asia, and now in Guelph, where she lives with her husband, Silas.

FC

Workshop

God interrupted FC’s plans and goals for life during her time in university, revealing a bigger picture of His work worldwide. Since then she has been engaged with efforts to make Christ known in communities where He is not, both in Texas—where she grew up—as well as in the Eastern world. One of FC’s greatest joys is helping people allow God to interrupt their plans and discover how their own gifts and interests can be used to see His kingdom expanding. FC has been married to AC for 12 years, 11 of those spent in the Eastern world.

Felix Chan

Workshop

Felix has worked for 8 years with P2C-S at UBC in Vancouver. He has the joy of leading a team of staff and students. He is passionate about seeing the Gospel impact all areas of life, especially in understanding race and identity. In his downtime, he enjoys hiking in the mountains, listening to podcasts (The Lowe Post), and reading books by Tim Keller. But above all, he loves to spend time with his beautiful wife Jessica and two wonderful daughters.

Gabe Salazar

Panelist, Workshop

Motivational youth speaker Gabe Salazar overcame poverty, gang influence, and homelessness to become a successful entrepreneur. He’s a highly sought-after keynote speaker who has been inspiring teens, families, teachers, and school administrators with a message of hope and dreaming big for more than 15 years. Popular Hispanics Magazine recognizes him as America’s #1 Latino Youth Speaker. Gabe lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Nancy, and four children.

George Simopoulos

Workshop

George works with Ultimate Questions, a ministry of P2C helping people wrestle with life’s biggest questions. Having become a Christian through self-study and curiosity, George loves engaging different perspectives in respectful dialogue. He works on campus at the U of T, either working towards his Master of Divinity at Wycliffe College or sparking conversations with students about the meaning of life.

Glenn Duncan

Workshop

Glenn has been married to Sheila for 31 years. The Duncans came to Peterborough to pastor Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church in 1991 and continued in that ministry until early 2004. After resigning from Gilmour Memorial, Glenn took on the role of Facilitator for Church in the City, which is a covenant relationship of congregations and ministries across denominational lines in Peterborough and the immediate area. At present there are 25 congregations and 12 ministries, such as Kawartha Youth For Christ, where Glenn is a staff member providing spiritual mentoring for other staff. In addition, Glenn and Sheila lead Kawartha House of Prayer, which calls people to join together to pray for God’s blessing on all aspects of life in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Glenn serves as the Leadership Development Coordinator of Life Action Canada with focus on ministry to Canadian revivalists and pastors/leaders at large with a view to fostering the message of revival in a consistent context as it pertains to Life Action Canada.

James Kelly

Panelist, Workshop

James Kelly is Founder and CEO of FaithTech, a global community of tech enthusiasts for Jesus. The work of FaithTech has been mentioned in The New York Times, Wired Magazine and Christianity Today. James has spoken live over 350 times, from remote villages in South Sudan to Google HQ in Silicon Valley. He has been featured on 100 Huntley, The 700 Club, and Faith Today. James is married with two young children and lives in Waterloo, Canada.

Jay

Workshop

Originally from Toronto, Jay and his wife are church-planters in the Arab world, living in a city where fewer than 0.00001% of the population have ever heard about Jesus, and where it is very difficult to live openly as a Christian. Professionally, they work in the fields of education and design/marketing, with the goal of sharing the good news of Jesus with those among whom they live. Their main ministry is teaching and training within their local church, along with evangelism and discipleship. Jay is an avid martial arts practitioner and instructor, as well as an amateur quail farmer. His wife is a freelance photographer and designer, and also has a pretty mean roundhouse kick.

Jen Pollock Michel

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jen Pollock Michel is the award-winning author of Teach Us to Want and Keeping Place. Her third book, Surprised by Paradox, released in May 2019. It traces four themes in the Bible—incarnation, kingdom, grace, and lament—as a way of discovering some of the surprise of God’s story. Jen writes widely for print and digital publications and travels to speak at churches, conferences, and retreats. She holds a B.A. in French from Wheaton College and an M.A. in Literature from Northwestern University.

She is an American living in Toronto. Her husband Ryan and five children moved to Canada in 2011, planning on a two- or three-year adventure. They are still here and quite naturally finishing their sentences with “eh?” Their family attends Grace Toronto Church. As part of her volunteer work with her local church, she is the lead editor for Imprint magazine.

You can subscribe to her monthly newsletter at jenpollockmichel.com.

(Pronunciation Guide: Pollock = Paul-luck (like Jackson Pollock, painter) Michel = Michelle (like the woman’s first name).

Jen Watt

Workshop

Jen has 20+ years of experience creating safe spaces for discovery and vulnerability in conversations on mental health and spiritual growth while working within a Christian non-profit community setting. Her work has predominantly been in establishing emotionally healthy mentoring contexts for young adults and leaders in Christian ministry. Jen completed her Honours BA degree at the University of Toronto in Chinese studies and currently is completing her Master of Arts in Counselling. Her particular topics of interest are attachment, trauma, and interpersonal relationships. She is eager to support clients in their journey toward mental and emotional health by coming alongside them, providing the support and frameworks necessary for the process. Outside the therapy realm, Jen enjoys spending time with her family and thrifting for good finds.

Jerusha Ricketts

Workshop

Jerusha Ricketts is from Mississauga and is a newly appointed Fellowship International missionary, serving in Medellín Colombia. She tenaciously holds to her personal mission statement: ‘Live to know and love God and people, and connect those whom I love.’ This concise, clear, and focused purpose leads Jerusha into mission wherever God takes her.

Jessica Chan

Workshop

Jessica lives with her husband Felix and two daughters. She’s an artist and an art teacher. For the past 10 years she’s been working with P2C at the University of British Columbia, and she spent a year with P2C at the Universidad de Panamá. In her spare time she can be found chipping away at a novel she’s writing about her family history during the Russian Revolution.

Jill Manubay

Workshop

Jill works with P2C at York University in Toronto, where she loves helping students learn how the gospel intersects with and informs the realities of life. Jill grew up in British Columbia and likes to recharge by going for a walk; reading good writing; or cheering for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Toronto Raptors, Vancouver Canucks, and Toronto Blue Jays. She blogs intermittently at everseriousjill.com.

John Sundara

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John D. Sundara is a minister in the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of Dallas. He currently ministers at Church of the Incarnation through regular preaching and teaching, and is in charge of discipleship and formation. He is also part of the Racial Reconciliation Commission in his diocese. Originally from India, John immigrated to Vancouver when he was 13, and got involved with P2C at UBC as a student. He later served on staff with P2C for 9 years in Vancouver and Toronto, was involved with our global partnerships to North Africa and South Asia, and trained new staff.

John loves to read the Bible and contemplate theology, desires for skeptics and the curious to engage with Christ, and often wonders about the intersection of faith, politics, and justice. John’s passion is for Christians to echo Peter’s words, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

He has a degree in Biology from UBC, and an M.Div from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto. He is married to Naomi, and they have a son, Daniel and a daughter, Emma.

John Van Sloten

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

John Van Sloten is a pastor, teacher, and writer who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His passion is to know God more (and to read everything he’s written). For the past 20 years, John has been exploring a worldview that seeks to discern God’s voice in all things: the Bible, the arts, sport, science, film, music, literature, history, mathematics, nature, and human nature. His first book, The Day Metallica Came to Church: Searching for the Everywhere God in Everything, listened for God’s whispers in pop culture. John’s second book, Every Job a Parable; What Walmart Greeters, Nurses, and Astronauts Tell Us about God, listens for God’s words at work. John has taken part in three John Templeton Foundation sub-grants to explore the intersection of faith and science in the context of preaching, and just finished draft one of his third book, God Speaks Science.

Jon Fuller

Workshop

Jon grew up in a tribal village as a Third Culture Kid. He and his wife returned to missions, serving as church planters in the Muslim context of the southern Philippines from 1988 to 2000. They went on to join the OMF Canada team in the Personnel and Mobilization Department. In mid-2005 the Fuller family returned to Asia where Jon served as the International Director for Mobilization (IDM) at the OMF International Centre in Singapore. As IDM, Jon worked with OMF’s mobilization teams in eighteen different countries, and with potential partners globally, helping them understand and get involved with the needs and opportunities amongst East Asia’s peoples. Jon is currently on OMF’s International Leadership Team, responsible for OMF’s involvement in North and South America, and enjoys helping OMF explore global partnerships.

Jon Topping

Workshop

Jon Topping enjoys the intersection of philosophy and faith. He works as an apologist for P2C in the Ultimate Questions Apologetics Team. He is also a youth pastor at his church, and a professor at Master’s Bible College. Jon and his wife live in Port Perry with their one-year-old daughter Laura; their dog Lt. Reginald Barkley; and their two cats, Dr. Danial Jackson and Spot.

Jon Tyson

Keynote, Panelist, Workshop

Jon Tyson is a widely respected church planter and pastor in New York City. He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden is Light.

Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon moved to the United States two decades ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church. His preaching is known for the rare fusion of passion and depth. He regularly speaks at large events around the world including Q Conference and Catalyst.

Jon lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood of Manhattan with his wife and two children. Visit him at churchofthecitynyc.com.

Justin Chan

Workshop

Justin’s family of five lives in Victoria, BC and have served as Canadian missionaries with P2C-S for the past 14 years. Justin gives leadership to PRAXIS, an initiative of P2C-S which grows whole people. PRAXIS facilitates the process of integration for one’s spiritual formation and missional engagement. Justin is a horology enthusiast and once led an Air Canada pilot to faith, not while flying.

Katharine Hayhoe

Keynote, Workshop

Katharine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters to us here and now. She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize and the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication She has been named to a number of lists including Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Thinkers, and FORTUNE Magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders.

Katharine writes and produces the PBS Digital Studios series, Global Weirding, and serves on advisory committees for a broad range of organizations including the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the Earth Science Women’s Network, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is currently a professor and directs the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. She has a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Toronto, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Illinois.

Khevna Dave

Panelist, Workshop

Khevna Dave lives in a MoveIn patch in Scarborough with her husband, foster teens, and two kittens named Mango and Sticky Rice. She loves meeting people over coffee or bubble tea, discovering new foods in the city, and planning events. She is an outgoing individual who has high energy levels for getting multiple tasks done, and cares deeply about learning and engaging in different cultures. Khevna worships at Grace Fellowship Church East and is currently working as a Mobilization Coordinator at the Missions Hub, located inside Knox Church. She spends most of her time interacting with students at the University of Toronto and, as a past Campus for Christ/Power to Change alumna, loves seeing the way God is at work in campus ministries. Khevna also graduated from the University of Toronto, where she studied Global Health, Bioethics, and Christianity & Culture. Fun fact: she’s spent time in 28 different countries, starting with being born in Kenya!

Kristen Bonney

Workshop

Kristen lives in a MoveIn patch in Kitchener, where she has lived for over 5 years. She first moved into her neighbourhood as a student of the University of Waterloo. She’s passionate about mobilizing the next generation to engage in the mission of God, bringing the gospel to the least reached. She currently serves on the MoveIn Vision Team as a member of the Canadian Leadership Team and regional representative for Kitchener Waterloo.

Laurie Armstrong

Workshop

After serving for many years with French P2C-Students, followed by a variety of administrative roles in Ontario, Laurie currently works as an editor and “filler in of holes” with Creative Communications. She is passionate—but still learning—about prayer, and enjoys leading regional P2C days of prayer. She lives in Guelph, ON. In her free time, Laurie enjoys knitting and embroidery, reading, hanging out with friends, Moroccan mint tea, summer gardening at the family cottage on her beloved Georgian Bay (despite weeding having previously ranked among her most despised chores), and is a knitting teacher and wanna-be fibre artist.

Lucas Burton

Workshop

Lucas is a follower of Jesus whose deepest passion is to help people understand, live, and share the incredible story of Jesus and his Kingdom. After completing his Masters of Divinity, he moved to Copenhagen for a year-long missionary placement. Today he co-leads IMAGO, a national project of Power to Change – Students that examines the intersection between the gospel and human identity.

Mandy

Workshop

Mandy is the owner of a calligraphy and design studio, Mandy Calligraphy & Design. Her passion for the arts and love for people have led her to working with many wedding couples and international brands/events such as MaxMara and the Toronto International Film Festival. She has been interviewed by Manuscript Pen Company from London, UK; and her work has been featured on Global News, WedLuxe Magazine, and many more. As a way of giving back, Mandy teaches calligraphy to students at her studio. On International Women’s Day, Mandy partnered with Partners International Canada where the proceeds from the workshop went to buying sewing machines for women in Nepal. This gift helped women to build sustainable businesses for themselves and their families. Mandy lives in Toronto with her husband, Andy. Together, they enjoy bouldering, exploring new hiking trails, and building up a church plant in the Scarborough area.

Mark Stromenberg

Workshop

As someone who battles mental illness himself, Mark 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 works for Youth For Christ/Youth Unlimited in Guelph, Ontario.

Melissa

Workshop

God used Melissa’s passion for missions and travelling to serve overseas with ELIC for 1 year in East Asia as an English teacher at a college, ministering to students, teachers, and the local community. In 2016, Melissa joined OMF Canada as the Missions Mobilization Coordinator. She is passionate about getting people excited to be part of God’s mission both locally and globally. She also loves adventure and the outdoors, and is an avid traveller, rock climber, and boulderer.

Melodie Francis

Panelist, Workshop

Melodie serves with Fellowship International at Casa Hogar, a Christian children’s home that provides a safe home environment for children at risk (orphans, abandoned children, severe neglect, abuse, and extreme poverty situations). A third culture kid who grew up in Spain, Melodie trained as a social worker in Quebec. She has been caring for the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of these at-risk children since 2006. Melodie has been married to Geoffrey since 2016.

Mike Mileski

Keynote, Workshop

Mike Mileski is a husband, dad, pastor, musician, and lover of most things Star Wars. He joined Power to Change as a student at the University of Guelph where he met his wife Heather. A retired school teacher, Mike’s focus these days is on making disciples through Benediction Church, which he and his team planted in early 2017, in downtown Hamilton.

Nadine Watson

Workshop

Nadine Watson is a lawyer at a community legal clinic in Ontario. She serves low income clients experiencing mental health and addiction issues. Nadine holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from York University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa. She is happily married to Tristan and they are members of Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto.

Nick Pegg

Workshop

This is a bio about Nick Pegg. He once spent all of his money to live in his car, travel the country, and try to prevent young people from killing themselves. He made t-shirts to help fund his travels and wrote words to try to inspire hope. He will give you a free sticker if you want one, and wants you to know that life is undoubtedly worth living.

Oliver Kavutse

Workshop

In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Olivier Kavutse was left without parents. Subsequently raised in his half-brother’s home, he suffered from neglect and was denied the privileges other children enjoyed. As a result, in his teenage years, he chose to rebel, following his peers into drug and alcohol abuse. This path led him to face only further rejection from his family and friends. In February of 2003, he encountered Jesus in a high school fellowship and decided to become a Christian. Soon after, Olivier discovered that he had a gift in songwriting. The art form became therapeutic, giving him a means to release the anger and bitterness he harboured in light of everything that had happened to him. In this process of healing, God entrusted him with a vision of writing songs that would encourage others who had endured similar experiences. His songs quickly took off. They could be heard on the radio, in schools, and in churches across the country. From there, his vision grew. He began writing songs not only for the nation, but for the region, with his vision eventually expanding to the farthest reaches of the world. The impact God made in his life during his teenage years left Olivier with a special affection for youth and young adults. Today, Olivier is the founder of NGO Beauty For Ashes Rwanda and the Prayer House, which share a mission of releasing a generation to lead full and productive lives. Oliver is the leader of the Beauty For Ashes band and a singer-songwriter for Prayer House Worship.

Peter Davis

Workshop

Peter and his wife Michelle felt the call from God to leave the comforts of the corporate world in 2006. It took them three years to come to terms with this calling, sell almost everything, raise financial support, and move to the USA to serve at the Life Action Family Camp in Buchanan, MI. Their heart for revival grew during this time and they felt a burden growing for the growth of Life Action in Canada. In 2014 they returned to Canada to launch Life Action Canada, a grassroots startup. Peter and Michelle look forward to the message of revival increasing here in Canada at a time when so many people have drifted so far from God. Peter serves on the Leadership Team of Life Action Canada with focus on vision, strategy, development, and operations.

Sandra Mejia

Workshop

Sandra Mejia joined The Voice of the Martyrs nine years ago. She feels it an honour and privilege to be serving God and his persecuted church in her role as the Manager of Office Administration. She also enjoyed leading a few prayer group discussions at the women’s ministry retreats for The Voice of the Martyrs. Over the years, the Lord has placed it in Sandra’s heart to serve him on mission trips to Cuba and Honduras, while also leading the missions ministry team in her home church. One of Sandra’s passions is to share the gospel. She finds great joy in encouraging others in their journey of faith, and when given the opportunity, in speaking of God’s love and grace in different churches and in her community.

Sarah Trouborst

Workshop

Sarah is wife to Tim, who proves he is much more gracious by still playing board games with her when she wins 90% of the time, and mama to Espen, who takes after her way too much being a big extrovert with even bigger emotions. She loves helping others thrive and making connections between the gospel and everyday life.

Sel Ina

Panelist, Workshop

Sel has been on staff for the past 12 years and two of those years were spent interning in Desert Rain. She loves to travel with her Hello Kitty, climb mountains, swim in oceans, and eat good food. She now works at Ryerson University and on the Global Missions team.

Susanna Muntz

Workshop

Susanna is passionate about mobilizing the Canadian Church for God’s global mission. She has enjoyed equipping people to read and teach the Scriptures in Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Canada, and carries with her stories of God’s work around the world. Her best day includes a sunny lake and a red kayak.

Theresa Quann

Workshop

Theresa Quann has been a successful Real Estate Broker and entrepreneur in Ottawa for over 37 years. Over the last few years, she has felt called to refocus and align with societies least recognized groups of people – the marginalized. She works for Connecting Streams Ministry as a City Team Lead. The ministry connects the church with broken and often forgotten individuals. When trained teams of volunteers befriend and share life with them, doors of opportunities are opened to present the gospel, promote discipleship relationships, and help them fully experience the Holy Spirit’s transformational power.

Tiffany Lou-Hing

Panelist, Workshop

Tiffany Lou-Hing was born and raised in Hong Kong and now lives in the bumping metropolis that is Guelph with her husband Tyler and her super cute cat, 芝麻 (“Jima” or sesame in Cantonese). She enjoys passionately engaging in discussions about race, sexuality, Indigenous issues, Asian culture, and identity. She works with Power to Change – Students as a Marketing and Brand Manager for Global Missions. She loves that this role combines her creative and strategic planning skills with her passion for global missions, even though it is not related to her BA(Hons) in English and Drama, nor to her BEd from Queen’s University. In her free time, Tiffany loves trying new restaurants, traveling, cooking without a recipe, experimenting with makeup and fashion, and collecting cute toys for her desk.

Veronika Flores

Workshop

Veronika has been serving with P2C-S for 10 years. She is currently splitting her time between training new staff and working with students, and lives in Toronto. She studied Kinesiology and Psychology at York University. It is important to note that she likes dogs, books, and sushi!

Vince Olfert

Workshop

Vince specializes in helping business owners and their employees build and protect their wealth. With his years of experience, he understands the financial and emotional issues that come with managing wealth. He was highlighted in Advisor’s Edge magazine for his work with pensions and group retirement services. Vince continually strives to find new ways to communicate complex financial concepts so they are easy to understand for his clients. He spends his spare time with his wife and kids, coaching community sports, and volunteering with local youth programs.

Wendy Stringer

Panelist, Workshop

Wendy Stringer lives in Toronto with her husband, Kiernan, their seven kids and a big black dog named Seamus. She loves growing food, bird watching, drinking strong coffee and waking up while the house is still quiet. She and her family worship at Grace West. She works for Grace Toronto Church as director of discipleship; shaping, leading, and teaching in discipleship ministry.

Wesley Huff

Workshop

Wesley Huff was born in Pakistan and spent his childhood in the Middle East. He has a BA in Sociology, an MTS in Christian foundations, and is currently a PhD student in New Testament at the UofT. His areas of interest include inter-faith dialogue between Islam and Christianity, primarily in the textual histories of the Bible and Qur’an. Wes lives in Toronto with his wife Melissa.