A little bit on how decisions are made:

Emmaus Community has a Chapter (the monastic word for decision-making body) made up of Covenanted Members of the Community.  Coventanted Members have done at least 2 years of formation, and take vows for a period of time.

Decision-making is made by consensus involving all Covenanted Members at regular meetings.  Between these meetings, a smaller Council may convene to keep the common life of the community going and deal with the minutae.  Council is made up of our Priors, a Formation Director, Cellarer and an elected member-at-large.

We regularly elect 2 Co-Priors who are spokespeople and figureheads to represent Chapter, a Formation Director to guide our discerners - and a Cellarer, who keeps an eye on community finances and sustainability.   

 

Our Current Leadership:

 

-Matt Humphrey, EC (he/him) - Prior.  Matt is a writer, priest and educator who lives, works, and plays on Songhees territory, in the Cecilia Creek watershed, (Victoria, BC).  In addition to his work for the Emmaus / AbbeyChurch, he is currently a partner of the Local General Store.  He is an ordained priest with The Anglican Church of Canada.  Matt has taught University courses, worked for A Rocha Canada, a faith-based environmental organization, and is currenly shepherds three young children, a brown Labrador, a cat named Wendell, a fondness for wild landscapes and a fascination with Gods grace as the bedrock of our existence.  

-Rob Crosby-Shearer, EC (he/him) - Celllarer.  Rob has worked in vocational Christian ministry for the last 20 years. He's has been part of the Emmaus and Jeremiah Communities (New Monastic) and he lived for 5 years in Zacchaeus House, a Catholic Worker community house of hospitality. He served as music director at the campus-based Wine Before Breakfast, was National Youth Coordinator with justgeneration.ca/PWRDF, directed the the Nidus Festival with the Canadian Council of Churches in 2006, worked in campus and congregational ministry in the Anglican and United Churches of Canada, was involved for over a decade at Parkdale Neighbourhood Church (a Baptist ‘street church’ in Toronto now called “The Dale”). In addition to planting the AbbeyChurch , Rob is also the Regional Minister for Church Planting with the Pacific Mountain Region of the United Church - and is ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church. He has co-owned an organic bakery, made all kinds of music, loves hiking, brewing beer, cooking and coffee! He is spouse to Meagan and a daddy to Amaya and Zion. In 2020-2021,

-Meagan Crosby-Shearer, EC  (she/her) - Novice Director and Interim Formation Director. Meagan has a rich and varied life experience. Born in Victoria, she has a passion for creative liturgy and prayer, social justice and engaging ways of telling our faith story. She has been involved in musical theatre, gospel choirs and loves reading and the beauty of the West Coast! She served in the Philippines for a year as an ‘ecumenical-intern-in-mutual-mission’ with the United Church of Canada. She is trained as a Registered Nurse and is a priest in The Anglican Church of Canada. She also serves at St. Matthias Church. She a mother to Amaya and Zion. Meagan works with our Novices to come alongside them in their discernment and to integrate them into the life of the wider community.

The current chapter of Emmaus Community is made up of Meagan Crosby-Shearer, Marilyn Gough, Rob Crosby-Shearer, Margot Spence, Kirsten McMenamie, Sue Patterson (designated prayer intercessor), Matt Humphrey and Roxy Humphrey (on leave).  In addition, the community has a number of Companions, Discerners and (less formally) many friends...

The Revd's Meagan Crosby-Shearer, EC, Rob Crosby-Shearer, EC and Matthew Humphey, EC are all ordained clergy who serve the community. Rev. Katherine Brittain is also a United Church minister with AbbeyChurch who develops and informas a UCC ethos in our community.

The Emmaus Community elects Community Visitors (this is a monastic tradition which helps tie us to the wider church) for a one-year, renewable term. These are leaders from our denominations who hold up a mirror to our community and who also advocate for us.  Our current Visitors are The Rt. Rev. Dr. Logan McMenamie (ACC) and Rev. Gail Miller (UCC)