Lunch and Learn
Lunch(Virtual) & Learn
We are celebrating that Bill Egnatoff is now free of the Covid Virus!!!! You are re-invited to a ZOOM presentation on June 14, 2022 by Bill – on “Praying With Eyes Wide Open”
The invitation to speak on my faith journey sent me on a personal quest of how faith informs what I think and do. I begin with a prayer offered in word and music, expressing confession and anguish, awe and wonder, gratitude and joy, and aspiration and hope. I then expand on this prayer as I share what I see as elements of faith embodied in my experience with an upbringing within Christian churches, scientific study and practice, music-making, philosophical musing on cosmos and self, and involvement with communities of faith, community service, and family.
I draw on writings of Ivan Illich, Ursula Franklin, and, more recently, Richard Kearney, whose thoughts have guided my quest. I end with yet unanswered questions concerning whether and how it is good and right for me to continue participating in a community of faith.
The ZOOM presentation will start on Tuesday June 14, 2022 at 1 p.m.
(note time change)
Signing into ZOOM will commence at 12:45 pm for a time of visiting. At 1:00 pm we will have announcements and then introduce our speaker.
Everyone from Sydenham St., Chalmers and Faith United Churches and friends are invited to attend.
If you wish to attend this event, please contact Meikle Turner at 613-542-7744 or for the ZOOM link, preferably by Sunday evening June 12th . The Link will be e-mailed to participants on Monday June 13th.
Biographical Note – Bill Egnatoff
Bill Egnatoff was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan in 1947. There his family worshipped with the Melfort United Church. Its junior choir director laid the foundation for his lifelong interest in choral singing. At age 7 1/2, he began another lifelong musical interest–playing the flute. In 1958, his family moved to Saskatoon where the family joined First Baptist Church, the congregation of his paternal grandparents. Bill was baptised at age 12. In 1960-61, his family spent 10 months in Nigeria, where his father served as a technical advisor in teacher education and founded the Rotary Club of Lagos. On returning to Saskatoon, Bill continued musical activities including four summers with the National Youth Orchestra, 1963-66. He completed an Honours B.A. in physics at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Toronto. After two years teaching science and math at the Canadian Junior College in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he also took up cycling and cross-country skiing, he returned to Saskatoon, working for seven years as a professional musician. In 1979-80, he obtained a teaching certificate and developed an interest in the use of computers in teaching and learning. After two years of high school teaching 1980-82, he married Joan Storey, completed two years of doctoral study in education at the University of British Columbia, and joined the Faculty of Education at Queens in the field of computers in education, retiring in 2013. That work included research on international collaboration between schools and peace education work in rural Sierra Leone.
While Bill’s two children grew up in Kingston, his family was active in congregational life at First Baptist Church. About 15 years ago, Bill and Joan left that congregation, moving to Sydenham Street and Chalmers United Churches. They have worked closely together in leading music in worship and have also enjoyed involvement with Cantabile Choirs of Kingston since its foundation. Bill has maintained his interest in many aspects of the flute world. In 2005, the year his father died, Bill became a Rotarian, which has brought much joy, especially in youth work. In the past year, he has served on a restorative practice team at Chalmers working towards establishing a more collaborative and participatory form of congregational life.