A Community Exploring Faith, Seeking Justice, and Living with Respect in Creation

All mail and deliveries are to go to the office at: 165 Avenue Road, Unit 402, Toronto ON, M5R 3S4

Weekly Sunday Services on Zoom and in person at 10:30am at 729 St. Clair Ave. W

Bloor Street United Church Transition Team

To introduce you to the members of our Bloor Street Transition Team, we’ve got bios for each person! Read them here.

Estelle Chen

Estelle is a Manager, FinTech Partnerships at TD Investments and Partnerships | External Ecosystems. Prior to joining the banking industry, Estelle spent several years on the corporate side accumulating experience in both the public and private sectors.

Curious and active in her community, Estelle has been mentoring young leaders and entrepreneurs since 2014. She is also involved in several non-profit organizations, as a board member, speaker and advisor. She attended the Bloor Street Courage to Lead retreat in September 2023.

Jay (Jen) Gordon

Jay is a sixth year PhD student in a combined MASc &PhD program with the Mine, Water and Environment Lab in CivMin Department. Before grad studies she worked in the urban forestry renewal department at the City of Toronto, restoring habitat in the urban centre.

In their spare time, Jay reads queer sci-fi, volunteers, and paints with oil. A lifelong member of Bloor Street United Church, Jay attended the Courage to Lead retreat in September 2023.

Don Payne

Don has attended BSUC since 1958 when he was a university medical student.  After his internships, he worked as a family doctor for two years at the United Church Hospital in Baie Verte, Newfoundland.  He then came back to Toronto to train in psychiatry and had a practice in community psychiatry.  He was the volunteer coordinator of the Health Network of Amnesty International in Canada for more than 30 years, was involved in medical-legal reports and treatment of torture victims through the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) and was associated the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) in building heathy communities in rural East Africa.  He retired five years ago. 

Don has four adult children, and enjoys photography, travel, nature and biking.  He has been on the BSUC Council and is presently involved in the Lectionary Group and the Book Club.

Ellen Schwartzel

Ellen Schwartzel had an Ontario public service career in environmental policy before retiring in 2018. She is Past President of the Toronto Field Naturalists, and frequently leads walks to connect people with urban nature. 

Ellen has co-led Bloor Street’s Design Advisory Committee since about 2012, and is also on the congregation’s Redevelopment Steering Committee. Ellen lives in east Toronto with her husband Paul. Their two kids grew up attending Bloor Street United Church, where Ellen was always involved in projects and committees, including Council.

Mary Louise Work

Mary-Louise has had a very satisfying career in public service with both the provincial and municipal governments, most recently as a Director of Strategic Human Resources Planning (now retired) with the City of Toronto.  She transferred her United Church membership from Calvin United in Pembroke to Bloor Street in the last century and since then has participated in a wide variety of special projects and various committees, choir, and has served as chair of Council twice.

Currently she is a trustee, co-chairs the Design Advisory Committee with Ellen Schwartzel and is a member of the Redevelopment Steering Committee. Mary-Louise is a member of the Togogos, is an avid reader and handcrafter, plus she plays French horn in the Bloor Street band. She was born in Etobicoke, and lives with two cats and her husband Bill Mowat in North York.

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