The Election Episode (Tim Schindel interview)

As we approach Canada’s federal election with political fever running high, I interviewed Tim Schindel to talk about the spiritual realities we hold onto, regardless of how the country votes.

Tim Schindel is a visionary leader and strategic influencer dedicated to equipping and supporting leaders in Canada’s political and business communities. As the Founder and National Director of Leading Influence, he has built a nationwide network providing chaplaincy, mentorship, and faith-based leadership support to elected officials across Canada. Since launching the organization in 2006, Tim has expanded its reach, fostering a culture of integrity, encouragement, and service among political leaders. With nearly 40 years of experience in ministry, leadership development, and executive coaching, Tim is known for his ability to cast vision, build high-impact teams, and drive meaningful change.

 Links:

Leading Influence

https://leadinginfluence.com/

Previous interview:

Season 2, Episode 18

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/tim-schindel-providing-spiritual-care-for-politicians

Road Home For Prisoners (Peter Ochs interview)

Today I am having a conversation with Peter Ochs and Steve Fox. We are going to have a conversation about Peter’s creative response to helping prisoners get established in a new life.

Peter Ochs is a lifelong faith-driven entrepreneur. His 30-year journey has been dedicated to building prosperous businesses God’s way. Pete’s life mission is to inspire and equip business leaders worldwide to live with a purpose greater than themselves, leveraging their businesses to make a Christ-centered impact on the world. He is author of High Impact LIFE and High Impact Business.

Peter is a friend of a friend. Steve Fox is my friend and a 30-year veteran of the church I pastor in Windsor. Steve was initially invited to join me as a core member for this new church plant that became New Song Church. His six-month trial turned into thirty years where he served in many capacities.

Links:

Enterprise Stewardship

https://www.enterprisestewardship.com/pete-ochs

Peter Ochs Books:

https://www.enterprisestewardship.com/events-and-resources

Kingdom Advisors

https://kingdomadvisors.com/

The Shift Every Decade (Bob Gal interview)

Bob Gal has been an iconic figure in my life for 40 years. From my first recollections of his speaking at youth retreats and leading street ministry outreaches, he has been a man that has followed the cloud by day and fire by night.

He and his lifelong sweetheart Karen live in Edmonton, Alberta where he serves as our oldest Mission Canada urban worker at the age of 74. Today I want to hear Bob’s reflections as we review his relationship with Jesus and the nuanced perspective shifts for each decade.

Links:

Mission Canada Profile

https://paoc.org/donate/bobgal

Lovedmonton Chapel

https://lovedmonton.com/

Healing Spiritual Cataracts (Tim Meisenheimer)

Timothy Meisenheimer has spent decades on the streets with beatitude vision, first in Ottawa and now in Windsor, Ontario. This was his session at the Our City Windsor 2024 conference. Tim takes seriously the path of Jesus in his sidewalk vision of the Kingdom of God.

Links:

Urban Cry School of Mission

https://www.facebook.com/urbancryschoolofmission

Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative

https://www.dwcc.ca/

Capital City Mission

https://capitalcitymission.com/

The Ottawa Mission

https://ottawamission.com/

From Organized Crime To True Religion (Alan Campbell interview)

Years ago, I worked as a federal chaplain at a halfway house. I learned so much about the value of faith-based community friendships for men and women returning to the community.

Alan Campbell has devoted his adult life to Jesus-inspired care for people being released from jail. He is humble and virtuous in his approach and remains focused on the mission. l am grateful to know ‘Refuge Ministries Canada’ and to serve them when I can.

Alan shares his story of conversion from incarceration for his involvement with the Toronto Mafia, God’s call to help prisoners and the role of suffering in his ongoing transformation.

Links:

Refuge Ministries Canada

https://www.refugeministriescanada.com/

Refuge Freedom Stories

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/refuge-freedom-stories/id1524349333

Youth At The West Edmonton Mall (Braden Brodeur)

Braden Brodeur is a youth worker at Marketplace Chapel at the West Edmonton Mall. The chapel is staffed by Christians and provides spiritual and religious care to shoppers, employees, and wanderers. He is in process to become a Mission Canada urban worker.

The West Edmonton Mall is the 2nd largest mall in North America at 5.3 million square feet.

West Edmonton Mall has over 800 stores and services including nine attractions, two hotels and over 100 dining venues in the complex, and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 24,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives about 32 million visitors per year; it attracts between 90,000 and 200,000 shoppers daily, depending on the day and season.

 Braden currently interacts with 100 youth on a weekly basis.

Links:

Marketplace Chapel

https://www.lovedmonton.com/

West Edmonton Mall

https://www.wem.ca/

Mission Canada Profile

https://www.paoc.org/canada/workers/bradenbrodeur

Bring Back The Village (Sileen Phillips)

Rev. Sileen Phillips is the children’s minister at The Church of St. Peter and St. Simon The Apostle Anglican Church in Toronto. In this session at ‘Our City Toronto 2023’ she brings her insights from working with the vulnerable sector in government institutions and the community.

Links:

The Church of St Peter and St Simon-The-Apostle

https://stpeterstsimon.ca/

Our City Toronto

https://www.ourcitytoronto.ca/

David Fisher: Friend Of The City

David W. Fisher has been an organizer since his teen years when he ran a neighbourhood racing car fan club, the Eliminators Car Club. He later organized Couriers for Christ, in which young people helped run weekend crusades. He ran a local bookstore and helped start the Kawartha Church Slo-Pitch League. He founded the Epistle Sports Ministries, a charitable organization which over thirty years or so provided chaplaincy services to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Peterborough Petes, and other sports organizations.

In 2003, he went to Slovak Republic to teach children how to play baseball. In 2009, with his wife Carol, he founded the Kawartha Komets Special Needs Hockey Program, which now has three teams providing opportunities for over fifty players. His counseling energies are channeled through Friends Peterborough. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, a the highest honour bestowed by the International Rotary Club. His lifetime of experiences has depended upon his organizational skills, confidence and willingness to help others.

A true gentleman in the traditional sense, David Fisher is a selfless and humble servant of the Lord.

Links:

https://friendspeterborough.com/

Jesus Loves Montreal

My guests today are ‘Patmos People’, a term I coined to describe people that remind me of John the Revelator. From their embedded history in a city, they are uniquely poised to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in their location.

Just as Jesus expressed his love through John to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, these Patmos People are living messages of Jesus’ love for Montreal.

Patti Miller is the lead pastor of Evangel Church, a historic Pentecostal church in the heart of downtown Montreal. Their church is presently developing a multi-story building around the corner that will provide main floor retail, upper church and community spaces and housing units available across the socio-economic spectrum.

Cal and Chrissy Krahn are involved in French language training for ministry and are Mission Canada urban workers.

Jenna Smith is the Innovation Youth Director for Christian Direction, an agency that works at the intersection of faith, community and urban development.

Links:

Patti Miller

https://evangel.qc.ca/home

Cal & Chrissy Krahn

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/cckrahn

Jenna Smith

https://www.direction.ca/

Univer-City Life (part 2)

This is part 2 of my conversation with John Engels, Kelly Johnson, Jazelle Johnson and David Ritz. We talk about the effects of deconstructing faith and how university campus leaders are engaging in meaningful conversations. Many students are experiencing an awakening of conscience and sorting through what to believe about right and wrong.

If you haven’t yet listened to part 1 of the interview you can find it here:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/univer-city-life-part-1

Univer-City Life (part 1)

It is no secret that public education finds its roots in the Christian faith. Study the roots of any historic university and you will find that clergy and prominent Christian community builders believed that education held the keys to greater wisdom and understanding. Christian faith is built on curiosity and wonder about all of Creation and unveiling its mysteries.

But today if you walk onto the campuses of Canadian universities, you may need to look harder to find a place for Christian faith.

Building on a history of campus chaplaincy, Christian outreach, and discipleship groups we are seeing a resurgence of gospel witness and Christian community emerging as Heaven’s counterculture in the midst of an often-hostile environment.

In this episode I have a conversation with John Engels, Milly Li, Kelly Johnson, Jazelle Johnson and David Ritz.

Links:

Serve Campus Network

https://paoc.org/serve-campus

Serve Campus YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7cP5T3DKgpd2zRWg5lR9Q?app=desktop

Serve Campus Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/servecampusnetwork/

Milly Li @University Campus Ministries

https://ucmsfu.ca/about/#leaders

Kelly Johnson

https://paoc.org/donate/kellyjohnson

Jazelle Johnson @Lifeline Ministries

https://www.lifelineministries.ca/

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/jazellejohnson

David Ritz - Montreal

https://www.paoc.org/donate/davidritz

David Burke - Lifeline @Ryerson University interview

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/post-secondary-lifeline

Bedside Manner - Paul Sharrow interview

Paul Sharrow has been my friend for 35 years. Little did we know when we first met where our lives would lead us and where they would intersect.

To summarize his work life from then until now is a rabbit trail of God’s unfolding grace.

We met in Exeter Ontario when he was working for Compassion Canada travelling with music artists and speakers all over North America. Then he moved to Paris Ontario and worked for a short time with Crossroads Communications.

As I left my ministry post in Exeter and moved to Windsor, our friendship remained intact. After some time, Paul and his family joined us in Windsor. At that time, there was a strong leaning to establish missionary efforts in Bulgaria and the hope was that we would be his home church and sending body.

But then, Bulgaria began to fade and an urban vision for Windsor emerged. Paul found work with St. Leonard’s House helping men from prison find housing in the community. Then, Paul helped Antioch Christian Ministries establish an urban church called The Lazarus Commission.

Then came a season of clinical pastoral education leading to hospital chaplaincy in downtown Detroit and then Windsor. A few years were spent as chaplain at Hospice.

So, from hanging out with Christian rock bands to caring for people in crisis, Paul’s life has been filled with pastoral care.

Scott Couper Is A Bridge

The population of street-affiliated people in Peterborough, Ontario has sky-rocketed. Many are homeless, unemployed and without hope. As a Mission Canada worker, Scott has responded to God’s call to go. With 30 years of pastoral ministry in PAOC churches, Scott has stepped into a new season and calling as a “Street Level Advocate” in Peterborough’s city core, where a population of over 80,000 reports more than 300 homeless individuals (Peterborough Social Services, July 2021). Unemployment, food insecurity and inadequate housing are all serious issues which are often compounded by mental health challenges, addictive behaviours, loneliness, and lack of purpose in life.

Scott is intentionally present among individuals who need to see God’s love demonstrated toward them. He knows that it is through kindness expressed in non-judgmental ways, that hope can be realized (Romans 2:4) and the love of Christ experienced. Utilizing his many connections with church leaders, social services and local police, Scott builds relationships and connects individuals to helpful services and resources. His deepest desire, however, is to be a human bridge, seeing people restored to right relationship with a Heavenly Father who loves them and has a good plan for their lives.

As followers of Christ, God calls us to care for those who find themselves in the gaps of society. As a “Street Level Advocate”, Scott’s mission is to:

CONNECT people to their Heavenly Father as kindness, respect, hospitality, and patient listening is lived out. As trust and friendship is built, hearts can become open to the message of hope found in the person of Jesus Christ.

BE A BRIDGE between the local church and those in the urban core so that the Church can partner to reach out and advocate for an individuals’ physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

NETWORK street-affiliated people with resources that already exist for their help and benefit. Many are unaware of services available to them or how to access their assistance.

BRIDGE THE GAP of communication between the local police service and those on the streets of the city. Through his role as volunteer police chaplain, Scott is well positioned for meaningful conversations and connections.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

Links:

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/scottcouper

Pandemic And Poverty - Timothy Meisenheimer (part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with Timothy Meisenheimer from Ottawa. In this episode we discuss some of the challenges for the poor brought on by pandemic restrictions.

Also, the spiritual formation that can take place when people experience grief and loss.

Links:

Ottawa’s Heart with Ears - Timothy Meisenheimer interview (part 1)

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/ottawas-heart-with-ears-timothy-meisenheimer-interview-part-1

Capital City Mission

http://capitalcitymission.com/

Ottawa Mission

https://ottawamission.com/

Ottawa's Heart with Ears - Timothy Meisenheimer Interview (part 1)

Timothy Meisenheimer is a lover of Jesus in each person he meets on the street. For more than twenty-two years God’s grace and mercy has given him wisdom as an Urban Missionary.

As the founding director of Capital City Mission in Ottawa and more recently as the Senior Manager of Chaplaincy Services at Ottawa Mission, Tim is a heart with ears walking in the path of Jesus.

In this interview segment we talk about some of the heart-wrenching realities in the lives of street affiliated people.

Links:

Capital City Mission

http://capitalcitymission.com/

Ottawa Mission

https://ottawamission.com/

Tim Schindel - Providing Spiritual Care for Politicians

We are 5 days away from a federal election in Canada. I don’t know how political you are, but the Bible does have some things to say about kings, governors and those who hold positions of authority in nations that we live.

Throughout Scripture we see God’s people living under political systems from the elders at the gate of your city, to kings and queens of nations and as conquered people living under slavery. There are examples of God-fearing politicians and of oppressive despots.

Paul was writing his letters to the churches while the Roman government was in power. The same government that would crush, torture, and execute good people like Jesus, the disciples and many in the early church. And yet, we hear a message of another government called the Kingdom of God. It’s a system that grows in seed form globally through all time and it does not go to war against its enemies. It is a government that does not originate in the world as we know it.

In Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy, he said:

1 Timothy 2:

First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them. Give thanks for them. 2 Pray for kings. Pray for everyone who is in authority. Pray that we can live peaceful and quiet lives. And pray that we will be godly and holy. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior.

Have you prayed for the politicians of your nation asking God to help and bless them? Have you given thanks for them today?

My guest today has something to say about praying for leadership. I’m talking to Tim Schindel from Victoria, British Columbia. I met Tim several years ago as his vision for chaplaincy was in its early stages. The last time we were together in 2018, we had lunch and a tour of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia along with Jason Goertzen, the chaplain there.

Seeing the need and an opportunity to serve, Tim founded Leading Influence in 2006 to fulfill the vision of providing excellence in pastoral care to politicians across Canada.  Under his leadership, Leading Influence has grown to a national ministry with a chaplain team that reaches from Victoria, BC to Quebec City.  Tim serves as the National Director for Leading Influence and serves as the Ottawa chaplain.[1]

Links:

[1] https://leadinginfluence.com/chaplains/