Summer Fruit for Souls 2026

Summer Fruit for Souls returns this year! From July 21 to 24, The Lay Readers Executive will host Summer Fruit for Souls at Queen's University in Kingston.

Our Keynote Speaker, The Reverend Canon Scott Gunn, is executive director of Forward Movement, a discipleship ministry of the Episcopal Church. When not traveling widely as preacher, speaker, and retreat leader, he serves as priest associate at Christ Church in Glendale, Ohio. Author of several books, his most recent is “Easter Triumph, Easter Joy: Meditations for the Fifty Days of Eastertide”. Prior to serving at Forward Movement, Scott was a parish priest in the Diocese of Rhode Island. Before that, he had a career in information technology. Scott was educated at Yale Divinity School, Brown University, and Luther College. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his spouse, the Rev. Sherilyn Pearce. Scott’s topic will be Discipleship for Leaders. In the Body of Christ, even leaders are followers, that is, leaders help the whole church follow Jesus Christ. To be a leader is to be an exemplary disciple of Jesus Christ. Scott will explore some of the spiritual disciplines that nourish healthy church leaders: prayer, scripture study, generous offerings, servant ministry, and Gospel witness. He will also share some ways in which Christian leadership may differ from what conventional, secular wisdom teaches about effective leadership. We will have teaching, group conversation, and personal reflection in our time together.

The Reverend Canon Dr. Gordon Maitland studied divinity at Trinity College, Toronto and was ordained for the Anglican Diocese of Niagara in 1990. He moved to the Diocese of Huron in 1996 and convocated with a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2018. He has taught Christian Worship and Church History at various colleges and is a past member of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation. Gordon is married to Archdeacon Jane Humphreys, executive officer of the Diocese of Ontario, and retired from active ministry when they moved to Kingston. Gordon’s workshops will centre on the Liturgical Aspects of the Lay Reader’s Ministry, including a brief history of the BCP in Canada, the historical background of the BAS, an examination of other liturgical resources, the differences between the Divine Office and so-called Liturgies of the Word, the mechanics of the Revised Common Lectionary, and a discussion of the theological principles behind the performance of liturgical rites and how those principles affect how one should vest, stand, and carry out liturgical gestures.

Kaleena Hanoski, BAH, BEd, MTS is a mixed-Mohawk neurodivergent leader from Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory). In their day job, Kaleena is an enthusiastic educator and administrator with a broad employment and philanthropic background. They currently serve as a lay reader in the Anglican Parish of Tyendinaga, where they are discerning a call to ordination. Kaleena carries in their bundle a Master of Theological Studies from Wycliffe College, along with ongoing learning and lived experience focused on Indigenous theology, Christian pedagogy, and creating inclusive church spaces. They are passionate about lifelong learning and fostering holistic well-being and growth through joy and positive practices in both education and faith. This has led them to share their knowledge through speaking engagements across Canada. In Commitments Old and New, we will work together to create personal wampum strings as we examine the history of treaties and agreements in relation to the church, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, and how an understanding of these can be used to further genuine reconciliation efforts within our Church. Together, we will explore what it looks like to commit to creating more welcoming spaces, inclusive liturgical practices, and respectful relationships.