OUR TEAM old

STAFF

Rev. Emma

Emma was ordained as a United Church Minister in 2018. She studied Visual Arts at the University of Western Ontario and she completed her Masters of Divinity and Masters of Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College in Toronto. She truly enjoys working in ministry. 


Emma has a passion for music, social justice and meeting new people. She appreciates when people create spaces of equity, vulnerability and peace keeping. It is her dream to live in a world where structures and systems of oppression are questioned and brought down. She strives to be genuine in her faith by offering a hopeful yet realistic interpretation of religious past, present and future. She celebrates when friendships are formed between many faith communities and greatly appreciates being invited to speak in interfaith spaces.


Emma recently ended her 5 year term sitting on the Affirm United/S’Affirmer Ensemble (https://affirmunited.ause.ca/)

council and seeks to keep finding ways to draw the circle wide. This is a non profit organization affiliated with the United Church of Canada that works for the full inclusion of people who identify and Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ folk. This also means finding intentional ways to publicly, explicitly and intentionally show others that God's love is not kept away from anyone. 


Emma enjoys being an alumni of the Student Christian Movement and you can also find her at camp in May annually, helping at the SCM Cahoots: Festival of Faith, Justice & DIY(Do It Yourself Activities) cahootsfest.ca She loves this because it is like God's mini Kin-dom.

Emma spends her spare time singing, drawing, enjoying God’s creation, eating sushi, and spending time with family and loved ones. While enjoying being active in the church on Sundays, Emma finds meaning and purpose in social justice, environmental protection and creative arts. Emma loves her Mom, family, friends, hiking, singing, swimming and nature and of course her two cats Grace and Gus and her family dog Gwen. Woof!


Rev. Emma can be reached via contacting the church phone or email.

Rev. Heather Stevenson is delighted to be joining the ministry team at Caledon East United Church and Knox Caledon United Church.


Heather’s journey to ministry began as a volunteer Sunday School leader and led her to various staff positions in Children’s and Family Ministry before her ordination in May 2019. Heather continues to be passionate about “nextgen” ministry and how each of us can share our faith with the next generation.


Heather loves to learn and has a Master of Theological Studies Degree from Tyndale Seminary and a Master of Divinity Degree from Emmanuel College/University of Toronto. She continues to study - ask her about her current courses at Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo!


She lives in Brampton with her husband Dean and cat Squirt. Her daughter Jessica attends Western University, studying nursing (with her cats cat-Kirk and Figment). Heather is involved in the wider United Church as a Commissioner from Shining Waters Region to the 44th General Council, which will meet online in summer 2022.


Outside of church life, Heather loves all things Disney, loves to read and loves attending live theatre. Heather is passionate about making church a place where everyone feels welcome, where everyone can ask questions, and where we can grow in faith together. 

Rev. Heather can be reached via email at: [email protected]

Music Director Jennifer Smele M.Mus., B.Mus., A.Mus., A.R.C.T., R.M.T.


Jennifer is very active in the greater Toronto area as both a performer and teacher. She holds her Master’s degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Toronto where she studied with master piano pedagogue Dr. Midori Koga. Prior to this, she completed her Bachelor of Music (Education) at the University of Western Ontario, her A.R.C.T. Performer’s diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and her Associate Teaching diploma with Conservatory Canada.  Throughout her studies, Jennifer was the recipient of several academic awards including the prestigious Ontario Graduate Scholarship.


Jennifer is an active member of the Royal

Conservatory of Music’s College of Examiners and

runs a professional studio in Brampton where she offers piano and theory lessons in both Classical and Popular genres.  She has been a guest clinician at the University of Toronto, presenting graduate student workshops on a variety of pedagogical topics, and she enjoys adjudicating music festivals throughout Canada. 


Her workshop, “The Art of Teaching Transfer

Students” has been received by O.R.M.T.A. groups with positive acclaim and she offers workshops to Classically-trained teachers/students seeking greater ease in lead sheet interpretation and improvisation. She is excited to be introducing a new teaching workshop entitled, “The Power of a Picture: Using Imagery and Imagination to Inspire Piano Progress. 


Jennifer is a versatile, professional, vocal and instrumental accompanist and soloist.  She

performs regularly at a variety of venues including nursing homes, receptions, weddings, yoga

studios, and churches throughout Ontario. She has pursued studies in the field of Early

Childhood Music Education under the direction of Mary Stouffer and collaborative piano studies

with Dr. Chris Foley of Oakville, Ontario. She spent July 2013 completing a collaborative piano

internship with Music Theatre Bavaria in Oberaudorf, Germany and studied mindfulness practice and performance with Madeline Bruser from New York.


Jennifer continues to study Dalcroze Eurythmics, combining her passions for movement, music

education and improvisation and completed the musician mentorship program with the Canadian

National Ballet, training as a dance accompanist. In her spare time, Jennifer loves to ballroom

and Latin dance and practices yoga.

Grace Garcea-Giusti, Church Office Administrator


Hello I’m Grace Giusti-Garcea

I am thrilled to be a part of this beautiful church family , it’s an absolute honour to be working here at Caledon East United Church.    I’ve been a part of large corporations in previous years, but nothing compares to the gratification you receive when working for a small, local place of worship.


I live for my family….immediate and extended.  Love gatherings and to entertain.  I am a very proud mother of 3 beautiful children, they surely keep me on my toes and have inspired me to become the person I am today.  They complete me!  I have been known to be the crazy cat lady, we share our home with 3 cats, Willow, Rosie, and Ellie each with their own unique purr-sonality.   Our dog Milo is a true blessing to our family since day one, he is a dream!


In my free time I  love to spend time outdoors with our dog Milo, take walks, and experiment with new recipes, but most of all, my favourite thing to do is gardening.  Being outside with nature fills my heart!

After years of suffering with anxiety and depression, I have turned a new leaf…it’s ME time and embrace positivity, happiness, and gratitude in all I do.


May God Bless you, today and always.
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