Board Governance - Trinity-St. Paul's United Church

Governance at TSP

Our Governance Structure

Decisions about the life and work of Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church are supported by three separate, yet related, governance structures. The Church Board is the governing body of the Trinity St. Paul’s United Church congregation. In conjunction with the Church Board, the Building Management Board and Board of Trustees manage the assets and resources that are vital to TSP life. Learn more about each of these governance structures, and the various circles and committees which make up the life and work of TSP, below.

The Church Board

The Church Board is made up of a group of volunteers who donate their time and energy to making decisions which guide the spiritual, pastoral, stewardship, and social life and responsibilities of the congregation. It also provides a forum for discussion and planning of the life of the congregation. The Church Board makes final policy decisions and ensures their implementation.

With the exception of the work of the Board of Trustees and the Building Management Board, the Church Board is ultimately responsible to the congregation for decisions affecting the life and work of TSP.

Minutes from past Board meetings are available to members and adherents of Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. Please contact our Communications and Administration Coordinator for access.

Board Executive:

Chair: Ashwin Ranjit – ashwin@chadhu.com

Secretary: Linda Padfield – tsplindapadfield@gmail.com

Treasurer: Bob Savaria – bsavaria@sympatico.ca

TSP Committees

The Church Board delegates some of its responsibilities to committees. There are currently six committees at TSP. Many of these committees have “teams” of “groups” or “working groups” that carry out specific tasks for their umbrella committee. These committees operate under the umbrella of the Church Board, with guidance from our pastoral leadership.

Finance Committee

This is a new committee as of September 2024. It will coordinate the preparation of annual budgets and provide advice and information to the Board and the congregation about those budgets. It will also provide support to the church treasurer and provide quarterly updates on TSP’s finances to the congregation.

Co-Chairs:
Del Doucette – doucette@furgiuelelaw.com
Deepak Ramachadran – deepak1.ramachandran@gmail.com

Ministry and Personnel Committee

The United Church of Canada requires that a congregation have a Ministry and Personnel Committee, whose role is defined in the UCC Manual. This committee provides support to our ministerial and other personnel and is the interface between the congregation and those who work for and with us

Co-Chairs:
David Fallis – davidfallis408@gmail.com
Gillian Graham – gillian.graham@alumni.utoronto.ca

Nurturing Committee

This is a new committee as of September 2024. It will provide leadership in and coordination of (i) fellowship and hospitality and (ii) communication (both within the congregation and to the outside world), tasks that were previously carried out by two separate committees. Historically, the “Nurturing Community” Committee has been responsible for welcoming newcomers and planning community luncheons and events.

The Nurturing Committee is “under construction” – and an ad hoc group has been formed to consider how this committee’s tasks can best be carried out and what teams might be needed to carry them out. Two teams/groups that are already in place and that will continue to do their work under this committee are the Pastoral Care Team, who provides support during difficult life transitions, and the LGBTQ2+ Group. Volunteers to lead and participate in this new committee are required.

Pastoral Care Co-Chairs:
Lois Kunkel – tsploiskunkel@gmail.com
Paula Nieuwstraten – paulanieuwstraten@gmail.com

Public Witness & Social Justice

This committee does its work on a variety of social justice issues through the following groups, each dedicated to a particular form of public witness: the Anti-Racism Working Group; the Climate Justice Group; The Indigenous Rights Solidarity Group; and the Middle East Working Group. Learn more about the work of our Public Witness groups here.

Chair: Janet Haddock – haddock.janet44@gmail.com

Anti-racism Working Group: Janet Haddock – haddock.janet44@gmail.com

Climate Justice Group:
Jeanne Moffat – jeannemoffat@gmail.com
Ann Russell – russell.ann73@gmail.com

Indigenous Rights and Solidarity Group: Marjie Calla – marjiecalla@gmail.com
This working group is a joint group with Bathurst Street and Bloor Street United Churches.

Middle East Working Group: Barbara Lloyd – barblloyd@rogers.com
This working group is a joint group with Bathurst Street and Bloor Street United Churches.

Stewardship of Volunteer and Financial Resources

This committee is charged with informing the congregation of our volunteer and financial needs and to encourage and coordinate volunteer and financial gifts to fill those needs.

Chair: Del Doucette – doucette@furgiuelelaw.com

Worship and Faith Formation ("WAFF")

This committee is engaged in planning worship and children’s church on Sundays. It also encourages and supports other ways in which faithfulness can be deepened, such as Bible study and less formal and more contemplative forums for thoughtfulness throughout the week. As needed, it also provides support for special services, including baptisms, weddings and funerals. You can read more about our worship life here.

Chair: Thomas McKechnie – atmckechnie@gmail.com
Children’s Church Teacher: Jeorgina Hidalgo – rosenkim@yahoo.com

Board of Trustees

The United Church of Canada requires that a congregation have trustees who “are responsible for holding all congregational property for the congregation as part of the United Church” and who “must give the same care and attention to congregational property as a reasonable person would give their own property”. The Board of Trustees is this responsible for the care of our liquid assets (trust funds) and our building (real estate).

Chair: David S. Craig – david@davidscraig.com

Building Management Board

The United Church of Canada allows delegation of authority “to appoint one or more United Church members as a commission to take on a specific delegated task and make decision on it’s behalf”. The management of our building has been delegated to our Building Management Board, who are developing a sustainable model for our building, signaling our commitment to congregational and community use of our space for decades to come.

Chair: Lorna Niebergall – lorna.niebergall@sympatico.ca