The United Church of Canada/Église unie du Canada
Mizheekay nindoodem/Anishinaabe niizh-manidoowag Mishomis/Nookomis endow
(Turtle Clan/Anishinaabe/Two-Spirit Grandfather/Grandmother)
Rev. Evan Swance-Smith is ordained in the United Church of Canada and has been serving at TUNM since 2004. Evan completed an undergraduate degree in 2009 from The University of Toronto specialising in Women and Gender Studies and Sexual Diversity Studies. Evan graduated from Emmanuel College within the Toronto School of Theology at The University of Toronto in 2013 with a Master of Divinity.
Prior to TUNM Evan was the Student intern at Christian Island United Church (Beausoleil First Nation), the Community Builder Minister at Bloor Street United Church in Toronto and the Director of Youth Programming at First United Church in Mississauga and Stoney Creek United Church.
Evan is passionate about serving people who live on the margins and this compels their work on the front lines doing pastoral care and harm reduction with sex workers, LGBTQ2A youth, families, people who are incarcerated and street-involved folks. Evan describes themself as a Traditional Person following Jesus’s teachings. Evan is a Parent, a Grandparent, an Auntie, a Pipe Carrier, a carrier of Birth Teachings, and uses their healing work to encourage people’s spiritual health through the practice of both Traditional Spirituality and Christianity.
Evan serves on the Office of Vocation Indigenous Candidacy Board and is serving a second term as the moderator’s appointee to The United Church of Canada Foundation Board. Previously Evan was a chaplain with Scouts Canada, represented the World Student Christian Movement at the Global Christian Forum in Indonesia, was the Emmanuel College Delegate to the CANAAC/CANACOM Theological Institute in The Dominican Republic and spoke about the use of electronic music in ministry at the Relevance-LEAD United Methodist Conference in Las Vegas.
In addition to ministry, Evan volunteers as a Doula and is a leader with Girl Guides Canada.
Pronouns: She/Her/He/Him/Ze/Hir