Volunteer for GC45 and showcase our Region’s hospitality!

    By Sue Brodrick, Chair, Local Arrangements team

It’s wonderful to see many of you sign up to volunteer to welcome the 45thGeneral Council of The United Church of Canada to the Telus Convention Centre, downtown Calgary, from August 7-11, 2025.

We still need additional volunteers to help make GC45 a great experience for all commissioners, global partners and guests. We particularly need volunteers for Stewards, Book Room, Tech Table and opening day registration.

Our Region is privileged to have this opportunity in the United Church’s centennial year.

With the holiday season over, we hope you will look at your calendar for August 2025 and volunteer to help make the meeting a great success. You can volunteer on your own or consider organizing a team of people from your community of faith to do a shift together. Please share this communication with your community of faith (promotion artwork linked below).

The Local Arrangements team, chaired by Sue Brodrick, has been meeting since last spring and have identified all the areas that volunteers are needed.  Now it is your turn to sign up and help make this happen. Descriptions of each role is listed below. We hope many of you will sign up for more than one shift and may want to help in different roles over the 5 days.

When you volunteer, you are giving to the church in a significant way, helping those who come together to do the business of our National Church.
Without your help, Chinook Winds Region will need to look out to other Regions for volunteers, and I know we are proud of our Region and can make this happen.

 Questions? If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch with  Rev. Maria Szabone Berces, volunteer coordinator, or Sue Brodrick.

Download promotional material to use in your congregation

GC45 Volunteer Descriptions

Below are the volunteer roles that need to be filled.
You can sign up HERE.

Airport Welcoming

            Just 1 more volunteer needed for August  7, 2025 to welcome commissioners and guests upon arrival at the airport and direct them to shuttle to downtown hotel.

Stewards
            Require 12-14 people to be responsible to hand out anything required from the business table to the participants tables, keep the participants’ tables tidy at the end of each day, and may be required to gather and count votes if electronic voting isn’t working.

Registration Desk
            Require 9-11 more volunteers for August 7; then 1 volunteer for morning shift on August 8. The duties will be to hand out registration packets to all commissioners and guests. On August 8 you will also be the information desk.

Book Table
            Require 3 people each shift to look after the book table, August 7 – 11, 2025; knowledge of books and possible retail experience is an asset. You will be handling money. We would like to have a couple of people to come on Wednesday August 6 to set up book tables, and on August 11 in the afternoon to pack up what hasn’t sold.

Tech Table/Charging Stations
            Require 3 people for each shift. You need to be comfortable with electronic devices – laptops, tablets, and cell phones, and related Apps being used. Need to be able to assist people in trouble shooting.

Information Desk
            Require 1 more volunteer for Monday, August 11. Give out late registrations, answer any questions coming from commissioners and guests; such as how to find places, chaplains, other commissioners, etc.; collect any announcements that people need to be shared to the plenary; have a small first aid kit for commissioners use, be able to direct to emergency first aid for the convention center; and other such duties to make the council comfortable.          

Tech Person
            Require 1 tech person to sit at the business table and help them with any technical issues throughout CG45. This person would be required for the duration of GC45 which starts at 5:00 PM August 7 and goes until 5:00 PM August 11, 2025.

Chaplains – All positions are filled!

      You can sign up HERE.