Reverend Douglas duCharme
Minister
Mikey Zahorak
Director of Music
Nancy Gordon
Faith Community Nurse - Volunteer
Nancy Gordon has been a member of Bloor Street United Church since 1974.
After graduating as a registered nurse in 1976 from Ryerson (now called Toronto Metropolitan University), she worked in oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital, palliative care at the Toronto Grace Hospital, and general internal medicine at UHN Toronto Western Hospital. She has recently retired from palliative care nursing at Kensington Hospice.
Nancy completed her training in Parish Nursing (now called Faith Community Nursing) in 2002 with InterChurch Health Ministries in association with Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. Since then, she has been the faith community nurse in a joint ministry with Bloor Street United Church and Bathurst United Church.
Nancy is also a member of the Bloor Street Choir and enjoys quilting, cycling, and hiking in her free time.
To reach Nancy: 437-431-3039 or [email protected]
Martha Reyes Huependo
Refugee Outreach Program Co-ordinator
Martha is the lead staff person for the Refugee Outreach Program. This social justice and pastoral care activity of the congregation welcomes newcomers and helps people build a sense of community in their new country.
Martha helps refugees and newcomers with finding resources and dealing with problems. On Saturdays there are English conversation groups for adults and English or Spanish language groups for kids. Contact Martha if you want to improve your English skills in a beginner or advanced conversation group. If you are fluent in English and want to help newcomers learn a new language, volunteer with the Refugee Outreach Program to lead conversation groups – good talkers and good listeners are all welcome.
To reach Martha:
Tina Edwards
Pastoral Care Connector
Tina has been a member of Bloor Street United Church since 1989 and has held several staff positions including Church School Teacher and Office Secretary. As Pastoral Care Connector, she connects regularly with members and adherents of the BSUC community to maintain social contact, support community-building and identify any pastoral concerns to be addressed by the Minister and/or Faith Community Nurse. That is an official role; but she considers herself one of many doing what connectors do.
To reach Tina: 437-432-6407
[email protected]
Amanda Christie
Congregational Communications Coordinator
Amanda (they/she) is the Congregational Communications Coordinator for Bloor Street United Church. Amanda is responsible for congregational and external communications, including BSUC’s website and social media pages.
To reach Amanda: 437-580-1560 or
[email protected]
Miguel Fernandez
Hispanic Church Lead
Born in Colombia, South America, Miguel Fernandez is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in Colombia, where he dedicated 22 years (1995-2017) to full-time ministry.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Psychology, a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, a Master of Divinity (earned in Colombia), and a Doctorate of Ministry from the American Baptist Seminary of the West in the United States.
As a preacher, Bible researcher, and scholar, he has had the opportunity to visit 22 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
Miguel is the father of two wonderful children who reside in Colombia. Among his notable accomplishments is his 12-year service in a town and church ministering to individuals affected by leprosy.
He arrived in Canada in December 2019 as a political refugee and has since been engaged in construction and renovation work.
Currently, his foremost aspiration is to establish a Hispanic church under the spiritual guidance of BSUC, to the glory of God.
To reach Miguel: 647-676-0178 or
Christopher Chan
Soloist
Christopher is a singer-songwriter born and based in Toronto. Discovering his love for singing at a young age, Christopher has since surrounded himself with every opportunity to perform and pursue his passion for music. Holding a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Humber College, he has had the privilege of studying with many of Toronto’s prominent jazz musicians, and now writes and performs his own brand of indie rock, receiving grants from FACTOR and Ontario Arts Council to support his projects. He was also a vocalist in the Toronto All-Star Big Band, and has sung in other choirs such as Dr. Elaine Choi’s Babel Chorus and Datsuzoku. Christopher is excited to sing and be a part of the welcoming St. Matthew’s/Bloor St. United community.
Daniel Meeks
Soloist
Maria Milenic
Soloist
Canadian mezzo-soprano Maria Milenic is an up-and-coming artist who “displays a rich, full sound” (LudwigVan Toronto). Originally from Newmarket Ontario, Maria has established a strong musical presence in Toronto, Canada. She is a Serbian-Croatian heritage speaker with a Balkan soul, and is fluent in French, following her language studies at the University of Toronto, where she majored in both voice performance and French language arts. She also holds an Advanced Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School. Maria’s singing career began at the age of five, belting Canadian pop icon, Avril Lavigne’s hits in her bedroom. She has now progressed to the Koerner Hall stage, moving audience members to tears with her recent performance of the role Minskwoman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight. Maria made her international debut at the Berlin Opera Academy as Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel. Other stage highlights include Mrs. Mc.Lean in Floyd’s Susannah, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, Ljubica in Ana Sokolovic’s Svadba, Ada in Ivan Caryll’s The Shop Girl, Mrs. Hildebrand in Weil’s Street Scene, and Javotte in Massenet’s Manon, among others.
Maria has been a featured soloist with the York Symphony Orchestra, the Arcady Ensemble, and has performed with the Dior Quartet. She recently performed with the GGS New Music Ensemble, a part of the 21C Festival, where she premiered Chaya Czernowin’s piece The Habekhi (The Crying), written for mezzo-soprano, ensemble, and electronics: “Maria Milenic is required to make weird outwardly sounds somewhere between singing and crying. Given how prescriptively the score was written, this makes Maria’s performance all the more remarkable” (Operaramblings). Maria is a strong advocate for contemporary music, and collaborating with new music composers is what fuels her artistic pursuits. Maria regularly tours with her duo partner, Christ Habib, guitar-virtuoso, with whom she commissions contemporary pieces for voice and guitar. You can keep up with Maria’s upcoming projects on her Instagram: @maria_milee.
Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan
Soloist
Rev. Dan Benson
Voluntary Associate Minister
Bloor Streeters may remember Dan as student minister, minister, clockmaker, bookseller and publisher, chair of property and worship (albeit not at the same time), choir member, coordinator of those historic rummage sales, and a plethora of other roles and activities in and around 300 Bloor St. W. Dan is retired from Intentional Interim Ministry at East End United and has joined BSUC as a VAM. He lives with his husband Grant and their wonder-dog Keeley in a small house with many clocks in Leslieville(ish).
Rev. Michael Blair
Voluntary Associate Minister
Rev. Dr. Martha ter Kuile
Voluntary Associate Minister
Born in Quebec City, Martha grew up in Toronto and Montreal. After studying music and African history at Victoria College, she began a career in international development. She worked for CIDA and the UN, living with her husband and children in Kenya, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Guatemala, eventually returning to a farm outside Ottawa. An M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph led her to focus her work on agricultural research for developing countries.
In 1992, Martha began preparation for ordained ministry with an M. Div. at Queen’s University, and served at Zion United Church, Apple Hill Ontario and Bells Corners United Church, Ottawa before coming to Bloor Street in 2007. She continued her theological studies at Saint Paul University with an M.A. in Christian Ethics, on the history of Christian ideas about poverty. Martha completed her PhD in Theology at Saint Paul University, University of Ottawa. Her dissertation developed a Christian Realist Virtue Ethics, based on Reinhold Niebuhr and Martha Nussbaum. Martha retired in 2022.
