Chatham-Kent in Southwest Ontario Canada was the location of the 2025 Rural Chaplains Association Focus Event. The Reverend Eric Skillings and the four churches he pastors in the area hosted the event which focused on collaboration in ministry and in the workplace. 24 Rural Chaplains and guests from as far west as Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada and Longmont, Colorado, as far south as Alabama and as far east as Massachusetts and North Carolina gathered in Chatham for the 3-day event.
While there, we learned of the work of Greenfield Global, an ethanol plant in Chatham. At the plant they process approximately 400 acres of corn daily into ethanol. That equals about 200 million liters of ethanol annually. They produce four different grades of ethanol at the plant: Fuel grade, higher purity ethanol, food and alcohol beverage, and pharmaceutical grade alcohol. One of the by-products of the distillation process is C02. Greenfield Global is in partnership with Truly Green to provide C02 to heat the 90-acre greenhouse across the street from the ethanol plant. Truly Green raises tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables year-round in the greenhouse. It is an example of how working together can benefit both companies, the community, and the environment.
We also heard of the experiences of Hector Delanghe, owner of Delhaven Orchards. The orchards and the fruit growers work collaboratively with the Canadian government to provide jobs for seasonal migrant laborers who enter the country for up to eight months at a time to work in the agricultural field. In addition to their pay, the workers get plane tickets to and from Canada, housing, and medical care while in Canada. Hector is proud of the fact that some of the laborers return to Delhaven yearly, with some even being recognized for 25 years at the orchard.
A major focus of collaboration is the work of the four churches that Eric serves. When he began his ministry there, he had two smaller-membership churches. As has been the case in rural communities in both Canada and the United States, the numbers in the churches were declining and the churches were looking for ways to thrive and be sustainable in their areas. Laity in one of the churches contacted members of a nearby church that was looking for pastoral leadership and suggested that they find a way to work together. There was interest shown, so Eric, the three churches, and a leader from the judicatory were able to reach an agreement to add the church to the circuit. Things were going well in the three churches following the change, and later, a fourth church was added. The efforts to change were lay instigated and lay led. Today Eric serves St. Luke’s United Church of Canada, Darrel S. Moffat Memorial UCC, St. Andrew’s UCC, and Talbot Street UCC. There is a Transition Team that includes members from all four churches that continue to meet to see that things run smoothly and the needs of the churches, as well as Eric and his family, are cared for.
On Friday, we were able to tour the Buxton National Historic Site near Chatham. BNHS is a site where the Underground Railroad ended for many slaves fleeing slavery in the United States. The community was founded by Rev. William King, who inherited slaves when he married. Rev. King did not believe that slavery was right, so in 1849 he brought all nineteen of his slaves to Canada, where he freed them. He then helped them become self-sufficient landowners and businesspeople. Rev. King also helped found a school in North Buxton that provided a “classical” education to the students. Studies in Latin and Greek were a part of the education, and the school was integrated from the start. For over one hundred years the school operated. Descendants of the original settlers of the community continue to live and farm in the area.
The Communications, Partnerships, and Recruitment Work Groups met on Friday to hear reports from the previous year and to plan for 2026. At our closing service that evening, the Rev. Lynn Allin, a retired United Church of Canada Judicatory leader, preached, led Holy
Communion, and assisted in the certification of four new Rural Chaplains – Doug Locklear (North Carolina), Janice Locklear (North Carolina), Phyllis Lester (Alabama), and Frances Weaver (Alabama). Plans for the 2026 Focus Event are in process to meet in September in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church. Details will be provided as they become available.
Roger Grace
Rural Chaplain
