Meet your new Board!

The CBWC Board had their first meeting of the year at the end of January. There’s a few familiar faces, some who’ve entered new roles, and a few people who just joined the Board last summer. Here they are!

Kayley Rich, President 

Kayely is a business owner, consultant, counsellor, and ordained minister. She joined the CBWC board in 2013 as a Heartland Representative and served as VP of Personnel & Program before beginning her term as President in 2017. She is very grateful for the support of her husband and young kids as she seeks to serve our denomination. Kayely and her family live in Regina, SK where they enjoy being part of the First Baptist family.

 

Nora Walker, VP of Personnel and Program 

Nora has been an active member of First Baptist Victoria since 2001. For the past nine years she has served as Board chair. She also serves on the BCY Regional Board and The Mustard Seed Community Board in Victoria. She loves coordinating the BUMs (Baptist Union Ministers) lunches for Vancouver Island, as well as the Vancouver Island prayer chain. She is always looking for ways to connect our family of churches together. By praying for each other and fellowshipping together, we build relationships in Christ that deepen our walk with Him and one another. Coming into her new role as VP of Personnel and Planning she is excited to meet and serve more of our amazing CBWC tribe.

 

Herb Ziegler, VP Finance

I was raised in Stettler, Alberta where my parents and I attended Stettler Baptist Church until I was about 17 years old. I then moved to Edmonton to attend university where I obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering. This led to a career in the Alberta oil and gas industry for 36 years. My wife and I both retired in 2010. In 1982, I married my wife, Karen, and we raised three children that have been on their own for about six years now. We have two grandchildren so far.

For about the last 20 years, Karen and I have been attending Trinity Baptist Church in Sherwood Park. My wife Karen started and ran Trinity’s preschool program. Following retirement, I have become much more active in the work at Trinity. I am now on Trinity’s Council, Finance Committee, and the Property Team.

Now that I am retired, I keep occupied with church work, operating our ranch, maintaining our acreage and rental properties. We also like to go fishing, quadding, snowmobiling and camping with friends at our lake property.

 

Steve Simala Grant, VP Planning

Steve loves God, his family (Joanne and Thomas), and the church—in that order. He spent a decade leading youth and family ministry in the 90s, another decade as a lead pastor, and is back in his happy place in family ministries half-time at Laurier Heights Baptist Church in Edmonton. In the other half-time, he drives a bobcat and builds cool outdoor stuff. He is also pretty happy in a kitchen showing love through cooking. His dream and deepest prayer is that kids, teens, and families experience the incredible transforming love of God, and then experience the great joy of God using them to help others experience that same love. This is Steve’s first year being on the CBWC Board.

 

Cal Malena, BCY Regional Representative

Cal is presently attending First Baptist Church in Prince George, B.C. After starting out in the oil patch as a chemical engineer, he attended Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, and later did his doctoral studies through Golden Gate Seminary in San Francisco, CA. Cal served at First Baptist Lethbridge for three years and then 26 years at Emmanuel Baptist in Saskatoon, before going to Prince George in 2010. Cal has been very involved with Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM), serving on the Board for ten years including a term as President. Cal is married to Joanne and they have four adult children. For fun, he likes to run, play golf, and build robots.

 

Greg Sumner, BCY Regional Representative

Greg was born and raised in Western Canada. He received his High School and College training in Ontario where he met his bride (a westerner named Colleen). They married in 1973 and moved back out west to Alberta. Greg started his career in Marketing and property development for a junior oil company for 7 years. They then partnered in a family auto parts business for 10 years in Dawson Creek, B.C. It was there where they both came to the Lord at 30. They then moved their young family of three back to Ontario in 1990 to get further training at Tyndale (formerly OTS/OBC). They were in church planting in Oakville, ON for 14 years with AGC. Upon graduation (a late bloomer at 45), he became the Executive Director of a Christian Retreat and Conference Centre (Presbyterian). As their last child left the nest, they moved back west to Vancouver Island where they could be close to Greg’s aging parents. He worked at Camp Qwanoes (FEBC) for a year as their Development Director and then was called as a Pastor to New Life Community Baptist in Duncan. After 8 1⁄2 years, they were called to Vernon, BC from 2010 to 2013 to assist two churches (Alliance and EFCC) in their merge and building program. They thought they would eventually retire in the Okanagan, but God had other ideas. New Life called Greg and Colleen back to the Island to take on the role of Transitional Pastor. Once their lead Pastor was called, Greg was asked to stay on half time as their Congregational Care Pastor. They love Duncan and the Island so much, they sold their house in Vernon and have permanently taken out their citizenship on Vancouver Island. The West won!!

Greg’s business and church background with a variety of denominations and other not-for- profit board positions enables him to bring a variety of perspectives to the table. In his semi-retirement years (do Pastors retire, or re-tread?) Greg looks forward to serving together on the CBWC Board as a way of giving back to the denomination that has helped him so much in many years of his 25 years of ministry. As the song goes, see you in September.

 

Callum Jones, BCY Regional Representative

Callum was born and lived most of his life just northwest of London, England. He became a Christian during a Russian language lesson at High School in 1981 and was baptized in July 1982. When he finished seminary training at the London School of Theology in England in 1989, he pastored a Baptist church not far from his home town for over ten years. In 2001, he was invited to become Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church, Penticton, BC. Two years later he became Senior Pastor. In 2017, Callum became Senior Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, where he especially enjoys Trinity’s rich cultural diversity. Callum comes from a rich musical background and enjoys playing jazz piano, though he wishes he’d practiced more when younger. He loves to meet new people, read, travel, watch movies, study theology, and explore how the Gospel of Jesus Christ relates to everyday life. In 2015, he and his wonderful wife, Catherine, welcomed a boy and girl into their lives: Dakota, who will soon be 13, and Skylyn, who is 10. This year he and Catherine celebrate their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary. Callum holds a PhD in Western Canadian Baptist history.

 

Jason Johnson, Alberta & NWT Regional Representative

Jason currently resides in High River with his wife Jana and their three girls, where he serves as Senior Pastor with High River Baptist Church. He has also pastored churches in Calgary and Brownfield, AB over the last 15 years. Originally from Vancouver Island, through the years he has served in various roles at the CBWC including Alberta area committees, OEC member, retreat planner, and a student at Carey College. He has a passion to see churches healthy in all matters of justice, truth, mercy and worship standing on His Word as the embodiment of the hands and feet of Christ.

 

Linda Rochow, Alberta & NWT Regional Representative

Linda is married, has three adult children and a plus one, son-in-law. She is a proud Grandma of one little one. Linda is a lay leader at Altadore Baptist Church in Calgary in which she has been involved with leadership, administration and spiritual care over the last 30 years. She is an advocate for the ministry of camp and currently sits on the Gull Lake Camp Board. Linda is an organizer of people and of things. She has a real heart for coming alongside people in their journey. As this is Linda’s last term on the board, she is looking forward to being part of future direction for CBWC under the leadership of our new Executive Minister/Board.

 

Connie Shalagan, Alberta & NWT Regional Representative

Connie is involved at McLaurin Baptist Church in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She is married to a wonderful man, Dylan, and is currently staying at home with her 3 young boys, Hudson Mason and Dawson. She is on the board for Camp Wapiti and is heavily involved there. Prior to children, she did her theological training at Vanguard College and then was the Youth and Young Adults Pastor at McLaurin Baptist Church, and has kept involved with the denomination when able. She enjoys crafting and creating things, and enjoys relaxing with a book or movie or some good food.

 

Ravi George, Heartland Regional Representative

I have been attending Broadway First Baptist Church Winnipeg since I was eight years old. My family and I were refugees from Laos, and were sponsored by BFBC May, 1980. I was on the Deacon’s Board for three years and serve on the Hospitality Commission. I met my husband Kefin in college in 1992 and got married in 1996. We have two boys, Dylan, 14 and Rhys, 12. I have worked in the Financial Service Industry since 2002. I love going out to eat and trying new food, and enjoy sharing it with my family and friends.

 

Loralyn Lind, Heartland Regional Representative

I’m a pastor serving in Dauphin, Manitoba. I’ve been a wife for 32 years, a mother for 26 years and the owner of a really cool 1974 Bowler trailer for a couple of years now. When I wrote this bio a few years ago, I did so after spending the day reading my Bible, some Henri Nouwen and a beautiful poem in my Books and Culture magazine. I am completely content. I live in the moment.

 

Sandra Goetz, Heartland Regional Representative

Sandra was born and raised in Edmonton. She married her high school sweetheart, Joshua, in 1995. They have three boys, Benjamin, Nate, and Samuel, and one daughter, Rebekah. Their oldest, Benjamin, is heading off to Bible College—which happened far too quickly. Sandra has lived in Asquith, Saskatchewan since the fall of 2006 and has been the office administrator at Asquith Baptist Church since 2008. Sandra attended North American Baptist College and earned a Certificate in Biblical Studies in 1994, and Office Administration from NAIT in 1995. She is an avid reader, loves to travel any chance she gets, and loves spending time with her family and watching her kids compete in football, basketball, and volleyball.


This article was published in the February 2018 issue of Making Connections. Subscribe to the Making Connections monthly newsletter here.

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