Mardi Tindal
Encyclopedia
Mardi Tindal is the current Moderator of the United Church of Canada
, only the fourth layperson to take the post since the church was formed in 1925. She was elected to the position on August 14, 2009, at the 40th General Council of the church after five ballots, and was installed as Moderator the next day.
Tindal was raised in the rural village of Victoria Square, Ontario
, and earned a MA in psychology from the University of Toronto
. Before her election, Tindal was already well-known within the United Church of Canada as the co-host of a United Church television program, Spirit Connection. She was also an adult educator, author, video producer, led pilgrimages to Iona
(Scotland), was involved in continuing education in Jamaica, and just prior to her election, was Executive Director of Five Oaks Centre, one of the United Church’s education centres.
In her remarks to the Council following her election, Tindal spoke of entering into a covenant with the church “as we live into ministry together.”
Meeting with reporters afterwards, her first wish was to support the church in its desire to live in covenant relationship with God and with each other in a caring stewardship of Creation. “I am committed to encouraging young leaders... I am deeply committed to [a] right relationship with creation, in and beyond our faith community... I will be inviting the church to imagine new ways of caring for creation ... We are called to portray the integrity of creation." Speaking about the United Church's current struggles with declining membership and depleted financial resources, Tindal said, "What's most important is to discern what's faithful, set a course, trust in God's abundance, and invite people into it."
Tindal currently lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband. She has two children, Chris, a candidate in the 2010 Toronto municipal election, and Alex, a member of sketch comedy group The Sketchersons
.
Moderator of the United Church of Canada
The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the presiding leader of the United Church of Canada, Canada's largest Protestant denomination. The church is highly decentralized and non-dogmatic and the moderator has only limited power...
, only the fourth layperson to take the post since the church was formed in 1925. She was elected to the position on August 14, 2009, at the 40th General Council of the church after five ballots, and was installed as Moderator the next day.
Tindal was raised in the rural village of Victoria Square, Ontario
Victoria Square, Ontario
Victoria Square is an unincorporated community in Markham, Ontario, Canada.The community was formed in the early nineteenth century. The first church was built in 1830s on the east side of 4th Line, where the cemetery is still located. The Wesleyan Methodists built a wood-frame church south of the...
, and earned a MA in psychology from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. Before her election, Tindal was already well-known within the United Church of Canada as the co-host of a United Church television program, Spirit Connection. She was also an adult educator, author, video producer, led pilgrimages to Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
(Scotland), was involved in continuing education in Jamaica, and just prior to her election, was Executive Director of Five Oaks Centre, one of the United Church’s education centres.
In her remarks to the Council following her election, Tindal spoke of entering into a covenant with the church “as we live into ministry together.”
Meeting with reporters afterwards, her first wish was to support the church in its desire to live in covenant relationship with God and with each other in a caring stewardship of Creation. “I am committed to encouraging young leaders... I am deeply committed to [a] right relationship with creation, in and beyond our faith community... I will be inviting the church to imagine new ways of caring for creation ... We are called to portray the integrity of creation." Speaking about the United Church's current struggles with declining membership and depleted financial resources, Tindal said, "What's most important is to discern what's faithful, set a course, trust in God's abundance, and invite people into it."
Tindal currently lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband. She has two children, Chris, a candidate in the 2010 Toronto municipal election, and Alex, a member of sketch comedy group The Sketchersons
The Sketchersons
The Sketchersons are a sketch comedy troupe based in Toronto, Ontario. They are winners of the 2007 Canadian Comedy Award for best Sketch Troupe, an award they had been nominated for each of the 3 years prior...
.