Photo by Karl Fredrickson
What is community without church?
Who Needs Church? is the story of an urban church community in Ottawa, Canada, fighting to keep its doors open despite a dwindling congregation. This process leaves church-leaders and the broader community pondering the question, "is the church a necessary part of our modern lives and community?”
Upcoming Screening
Saturday, March 23, 2019
7:30-9:00 pm
Southminster United Church
15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa
All Welcome!
7:30-9:00 pm
Southminster United Church
15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa
All Welcome!
Danielle Rolfe & Ed Kucerak
Who Needs Church? is written and directed by Danielle Rolfe and co-produced with Ed Kucerak of Kublacom Pictures. Kublacom is an independent Ottawa-based production company in Ottawa, Ontario. The production of Who Needs Church? was also partially supported by a JumpStart grant from SAW Video Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Reverend Trisha Elliott
Rev. Trisha Elliott is a "transitional" minister who helps congregations navigate change. She is in her twentieth year of ministry with The United Church Of Canada and has served congregations in both urban and rural communities. Aside from being a United Church minister, Trish has contributed to three books, is an accomplished religion writer and has won dozens of Canada and North America wide awards for features published in The Observer (now Broadview) magazine. She was recently awarded with the Queens University School Of Religion Theology Alumni Achievement Award. Read one of Trish's articles here: Spirituality is on the Rise and Religion is on the Wane
Patrick Langston
Patrick Langston is an Ottawa journalist who has written widely for the Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Magazine, Diplomat Magazine and other publications. A graduate of Carleton University, he explored the fate of older, downtown Ottawa churches for Ottawa Magazine in November, 2016. Read that article here: Altared: Renovating the House of God
Reverend Dr. Tom Sherwood
Tom Sherwood was commissioned by the United Church of Canada to find a way to hear the voice of thoughtful, spiritual, ethical young adults who reject the religious institutions of their families. They are the “Echo Generation” – the children of Baby Boomers, the Echo from the Boom. But they do not echo their parents’ opinions or values. Sherwood conducted a national research project in which 722 young adults from across Canada offered their perspectives on such topics as religion, spirituality, sexuality, the environmental crisis, family, God, gods, suffering and the sacred. Tom Sherwood is a United Church minister, award-winning university teacher, and former university chaplain. Like the young adults he describes, he is realistic about the challenges our world faces yet deeply hopeful about the future. Learn more about his book here: Listening to the Echo.