Leadership: Rev Susan Wilson

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Pastor - Anglican Church of Canada

Diocese of Niagara

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The Rev’d Canon Dr. Susan Wilson is passionate about the Good News of God and sharing the stories of our faith ... but she is even more passionate about encouraging others to encounter the God of love through the spiritual practice of learning and telling scripture by heart. She has recently earned a Doctor of Ministry degree exploring this very practice. Susan is convinced that anyone can learn and tell scripture by heart and she is eager to show you how.

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She's a Teller
The first time Susan encountered this transformative practice was in 2007 and she hasn’t looked back since. She became part of the leadership team of the Network of Biblical Storytellers CANADA two years later until she stepped aside to focus on her doctoral work in 2019. An avid supporter and participant at the NBS International, she earned her Certificate in Biblical Storytelling from the Academy for Biblical Storytelling in 2015. She participated in the Epic Telling of the entire Gospel of Mark in Toronto in 2014, and coordinated the same for Holy Week 2015 in Hamilton, ON. This presentation of the gospel included 29 tellers from southern Ontario.

 

She's a Teacher
Susan has taught Scripture by Heart at Renison College in Waterloo, ON and also through the Henry Budd College for Ministry in The Pas, MB. She is a frequent presenter at conferences including the Lutheran/Anglican National Worship Conference, Liturgy Canada, Huron/Niagara Cursillo and throughout the Niagara region.

 

What She Brings

In her doctoral work, Susan proposed that learning and telling scripture by heart was a spiritual practice that anyone could learn, and that engaging in the practice would positively impact spiritual formation. She undertook to teach and coach nine individuals over four two-hour sessions. These nine folks were from various educational and cultural backgrounds, ranging in age from 29 to 67. Each person learned a scripture passage of their choosing and successfully told it by heart in a public setting. The participants kept learning journals to reflect on the process and every one of them described some kind of positive effect on their spiritual growth! With the completion of her thesis, Dr. Susan is even more passionate about teaching and sharing this practice with anyone who wants to learn.