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Columnists

Priya Andrade

Priya Andrade is a member of the Christian Reformed Church's Canadian Indigenous Ministry Committee (CIMC), a committee of CRC members from across Canada who provide lay leadership to the CRC on Indigenous justice and reconciliation. Priya is a Goan-Canadian mother, emerging artist, and Do Justice columnist. She serves as elder at All Nations CRC in Halifax and strongly believes that our personal welfare is intrinsically intertwined with others, a message she seeks to spread this message through art. Priya intersects her experience on CIMC with her art practice and work with children and youth in Nova Scotia. You can follow her practices on Instagram at @rednsmountain.

Mae Elise Cannon

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.

Colin Conrad

Colin Conrad is a member of the CRCNA's Committee for Contact with the Government (CCG), the supporting committee of the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue, where he focuses on climate action and theology. He is also an Assistant Professor in Information Management at Dalhousie University and a member of All Nations Christian Reformed Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Jeremiah Damir Bašurić

Jeremiah Damir Bašurić is a Pastor at mosaicHouse Church, a multi-cultural Reformed church plant in Edmonton. He also educates the general public on the issues of poverty and homelessness as a Community Engagement Coordinator at an organization called The Mustard Seed. Jeremiah has also studied Environmental Studies at the King’s University and desires to see God’s kingdom invade all creation. From his Croatian father he has developed a love for soccer. From his Filipino mother he has developed a love for singing. When he is not eating Filipino food or playing music, you can find him hiking in the mountains with his Canadian-Dutch-Frisian wife Sarah, who is a registered nurse. 

Richard Killmer

Richard Killmer works with the Climate Witness Project for the Office of Social Justice of the CRCNA. He is a retired Presbyterian minister and has worked for various national denominations and ecumenical organizations, including founding or co-founding Shoulder to Shoulder, the Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, and the Muslim-Christian Initiative on the Nuclear Weapons Danger. He received the Climate Protection award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency during the Bush Administration for his work while at the National Council of Churches. Mr. Killmer and his late wife, Dr. Margaret Killmer, were married for almost 49 years and are parents of four daughters: Karin, Candace, Megan and Holly.

Fiorella Kuczma

Fiorella has been working in the Ontario Public Service for 12 years. She began her career in Victim Services after graduating from the University of Ottawa with an Honours degree in Criminology. She has held a variety of positions within various ministries and is currently with the Ministry of the Solicitor General, Correctional Services Recruitment and Training Centre. Here she designs, writes and revises training curriculum as well as leads training for correctional professionals.

As a survivor of Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Fiorella has always been passionate about helping to stop commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Fiorella believes in education and awareness as a tool for prevention and shares her story openly with others. Fiorella has led training throughout her career on self-care and resilience, vicarious trauma, grief counselling and mental health. She shares her story of re-living the trauma when she began her career with victim services, overcoming the challenges and isolating feelings of being a survivor while working in this space, reclaiming your voice and most importantly fostering resilience moving forward.

Terry LeBlanc

Terry is Mi’kmaq / Acadian. He and his wife Bev are in their 49th year of marriage. They have three adult children – twin daughters and one son. He is the founding chair and current Director of NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community (NAIITS). 

Terry holds a PhD from Asbury Theological Seminary, specializing in Theology and Anthropology. He serves as adjunct professor at Acadia Divinity College, Sioux Falls Seminary, the University of Divinity in Melbourne, and Tyndale University College and Seminary. Terry has over 42 years of Indigenous community-based experience as an educator in theology, cultural anthropology, and community development practice. 

Terry has won several awards for his varied writings. In 2010, for his work on the creation of NAIITS, Terry became the 28th recipient of the Dr. E.H. Johnson Memorial Award for Innovation in Mission. In 2015 Terry was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Acadia University. In 2019, Terry was awarded a second honorary Doctor of Divinity from Knox College at the University of Toronto, where he also presented the Founders Convocation 175th anniversary lecture.

Agnes Mastin

Agnes Mastin is a member of the Christian Reformed Church's Heart’s Exchanged Initiative, a journey designed to equip Reformed Christians to engage with Indigenous people as neighbours and fellow image bearers. Agnes is a student at Taylor Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta, the founder and director of IndigenousChristian.org, and new columnist at Do Justice. Born to the Tse’khene Nation of McLeod Lake, BC. Agnes came to Christ in the early 2000s and immediately began her journey to find where her culture and Christian faith can meet. Agnes believes that the Triune God is bigger than culture and loves to be worshiped and served in all kinds of ways by people wearing different clothes and hair styles, speaking different languages and playing different instruments. God is bigger than culture and created people of different cultures because he loves diversity in all things. Agnes invites you to walk with her as she shares the findings of her journey into contextualized Christianity.

Joseph Mutebi

Joseph Mutebi was born in Kampala, Uganda. In his role as program consultant for World Renew Uganda, Joseph provides consultancy services through trainings, resource mobilization, program development and enabling partners have good relationships through linkages and collaboration. Joseph holds a Master of Arts from Uganda Christian University (UCU) in partnership with Development Associates International (DAI) in Organizational Leadership and Management (MAOL) and has five children: Joshua, Emmanuel, Paul, Joyce, and Emmanuel.

Jonathan Nicolai-deKoning

Jonathan Nicolai-deKoning lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he and his wife Sarah are grateful to get to spend time with marginalized communities through their work at an inner-city community. Jonathan is currently the Program Director at The Micah Centre at The King’s University, which helps students to grow a vision for justice and renewal. Before his work at The Micah Centre, Jonathan spent almost 10 years as a chaplain and support worker at The Open Door Program, journeying with folks leaving federal prison. Jonathan lives in Edmonton’s Sherbrooke neighbourhood with his wife and young children. 

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