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Columnists

Reginald Smith

Rev. Reggie Smith is the director of Office of Diversity. Before his current position, Rev. Reggie led Roosevelt Park Community CRC on the southwest side of Grand Rapids, Michigan for twenty years. He has been president of the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association (RPNA) board for 18 years. Through collaboration between the church and RPNA, the neighborhood has built and owned its library and arts academy and decreased gang violence. The church started Roosevelt Park Ministries, a nonprofit ministry that sought to equip children with mentors, translation service, and ESL services, for almost two decades. Dr. Smith has taught urban ministry and urban development courses at Calvin Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. [Image from A. Cantrell Photo]

Patti Victor

Patti Victor is Stó:lō living on the traditional ancestral unceded territory of Xwchíyòm First Nation where she enjoys her children and grandchildren. She and her late husband Gary are the founding pastors of a thriving First Nations Church in Stó:lō territory.

As the Stó:lō leader at Trinity Western University, Patti teaches Indigenous perspectives; mentors Indigenous students; builds relationships with other First Nation communities and organizations; and provides opportunities for TWU community to understand Indigenous perspectives in education, spirituality, community, history and reconciliation.

Patti's passion is to create place and space to build good relationships with our neighbors. 

Rachel  Vroege

Rachel Vroege is privileged to live with her husband Russ and four children on the Stó:lō unceded traditional territory of the Pilalt, Semá:th and Ts’elxwéyeqw tribes. She is the Western Canada Regional Developer for Diaconal Ministries Canada and works to equip CRC deacon teams in justice, benevolence, community and stewardship ministries.

For the past 7 years, Rachel has led the Kairos Blanket Exercise for church groups and in the Chilliwack public school system for Grades 4-6 in partnership with Indigenous teachers and is committed to supporting reconciliation in Canada through these learning opportunities.

 

Mike Walker

Mike Walker is a Canadian theologian and advocate for people with disabilities who has worked in Toronto, Chicago, and Ottawa. He’s currently a LEAD (Leading Equitable and Accessible Delivery) Facilitator through the Abilities Centre Durham, in Whitby, Ontario. Mike loves reading, writing, working out, dancing, and playing games. He’s currently based in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city; if you’d like, you can reach him at michael.walker9@gmail.com

Faye Yu

Faye Yu is a Taiwan born American living in Malawi working with World Renew. Her introduction to God’s heart for justice and those living in poverty stem from her time interning for International Justice Mission and a campaign to end Sexual Trafficking. Through exploring what God had to say about justice and poverty, she realized that if she really believed that was what God’s heart ached for, her life needed to reflect a bit of that as well.  This led her to work with the homeless population in northern Virginia and with those living in poverty and disability in Malawi, Sierra Leone and India. When not working, she loves being outdoors and eating good food.

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