Jeff Rock

Last updated
Jeff Rock
Born1983or1984
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Education McGill University
Religion Christian
Church Metropolitan Community Church (2017-2023)
United Church of Canada
Congregations served
Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

Jeff Rock (born 1983or1984) [1] is a Canadian clergyman, who succeeded Brent Hawkes as the pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto in fall 2017. [2]

Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, he came out as gay in high school. [3] He studied microbiology and immunology at McGill University, initially with the career goal of becoming an HIV/AIDS researcher, although he decided during his studies that he instead wanted to become a minister. [3] After completing his seminary studies, he became the pastor of Gaetz Memorial United Church in Red Deer, Alberta, [4] where he worked with organizations such as the Central Alberta AIDS Network, the local Truth and Reconcilaition Commission, the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society and the Red Deer Interfaith Network. [2] He ran as a Liberal Party of Canada candidate for the electoral district of Red Deer—Lacombe in the 2015 election, against incumbent MP Blaine Calkins. [1]

He gave his first sermon to Toronto's MCC congregation on July 9, 2017, at a service dedicated to the memory of former Toronto City Councillor Pam McConnell. [1] He officially succeeded Hawkes on October 1. [1] Resigned from his position on January 18, 2023 after a two month leave of absence.[ citation needed ]

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election : Red Deer—Lacombe
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
Conservative Blaine Calkins 43,59970.71-6.72$75,006.35
Liberal Jeff Rock9,23514.98+11.41$16,605.92
New Democratic Doug Hart7,05511.44-2.85$5,541.40
Green Les Kuzyk1,7732.88-1.84
Total valid votes/Expense limit61,662100.00 $224,841.10
Total rejected ballots1760.28
Turnout61,83871.40
Eligible voters86,609
Conservative hold Swing -9.07
Source: Elections Canada [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Community Church</span> International LGBT-affirming Protestant Christian denomination

The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. There are 222 member congregations in 37 countries, and the fellowship has a specific outreach to members of the LGBTQ community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetaskiwin (federal electoral district)</span> Federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada

Wetaskiwin was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Hawkes</span>

Brent Hawkes, is a Canadian clergyman and gay rights activist.

Reverend Walter George Brown was a Presbyterian Church in Canada minister who opposed the formation of the United Church of Canada and was a United Reform Movement MP in the House of Commons of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacombe, Alberta</span> City in Alberta, Canada

Lacombe is a city in central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and 125 kilometres (78 mi) south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area. The city is set in the rolling parkland of central Alberta, between the Rocky Mountains foothills to the west and the flatter Alberta prairie to the east.

Red Deer was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

The Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto is a congregation of the worldwide Metropolitan Community Church movement located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is a welcoming congregation openly affirming lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual and transgender people. MCC Toronto was instrumental in changing the law on same sex marriage in Ontario, when two same-sex marriage ceremonies performed at the church on January 14, 2001 initiated the process leading to the Halpern v Canada (AG) decision of 2003.

Blaine F. Calkins is a Conservative member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada. He has represented the riding of Red Deer—Lacombe in Alberta since 2015, having previously represented its predecessor, Wetaskiwin, since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Puffer</span> Canadian politician (1861–1948)

William Franklin Puffer was a Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1905 until 1917. Born in Ontario, he came west and settled in Lacombe, where he operated a butchery, among other interests. He was elected to the legislature in Alberta's first provincial election, and returned to office in each of the next two before being defeated in the 1917 election. He subsequently made two unsuccessful attempts to reclaim his seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independence Party of Alberta</span> Separatist provincial party in Alberta, Canada

The Independence Party (TIP), also known as the Alberta Independence Party from 2001 to 2019 and the Independence Party of Alberta after 2019, is an Albertan provincial political party.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Canada. For a broad overview of LGBT history in Canada see LGBT history in Canada.

Raymond Frank "Ray" Prins is a Canadian politician and was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Lacombe-Ponoka as a Progressive Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer Transit</span>

The Red Deer Transit Department is part of the Community Services Division of the City of Red Deer, which lies midway between Calgary and Edmonton in the province of Alberta, Canada. The city took over operation of the public transit system from private operators in 1966. In 2009 transit service was extended to Springbrook and Gasoline Alley in Red Deer County. In 2014 transit service was extended to Blackfalds and Lacombe to the north. In 2019 transit service was extended to Penhold and Innisfail. In mid 2019 the City of Red Deer announced plans to engage in improvements to the transit network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Dreeshen</span> Canadian politician

Earl Dreeshen is a Canadian politician, serving as a Member of Parliament with the Conservative Party since 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michener House Museum and Archives</span>

The Michener House Museum, located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, is a museum that is owned and operated by the Lacombe and District Historical Society. The house is the birthplace of former Governor General Roland Michener. The Michener House Museum is the oldest standing residence in the City of Lacombe

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Fox</span> Canadian politician

Rodney M. "Rod" Fox is a Canadian politician who is a former elected member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Lacombe-Ponoka.

Gordon Edwin Dirks is a Canadian educator and politician, who has held political office in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Deer—Lacombe</span> Federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada

Red Deer—Lacombe is an electoral district in Alberta. It was created in 2012 from the more urbanized southern portion of Wetaskiwin (51%) and the northern portion of Red Deer (49%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artur Pawlowski</span> Polish-Canadian political activist

Artur Pawlowski is a Polish-Canadian evangelical street preacher and political activist. He is pastor of the Cave of Adullam congregation in Calgary and previously led the Kings Glory Fellowship (KGF). Pawlowski is also founder and pastor of Street Church Ministries (SCM), a group no longer recognized as a religious or charitable organization by the Canadian government.

Robert Wolfe was an American clergyman with the Metropolitan Community Church, most noted as the founding pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rock moves on to take up new ministry in Toronto". Red Deer Advocate , July 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Rev. Jeff Rock to lead Toronto LGBTQ congregation" Archived 2017-07-19 at the Wayback Machine . RDNews Now, July 13, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Meet Jeff Rock, the scientist who became a Toronto pastor". The Globe and Mail , July 14, 2017.
  4. "Local church embraces LGBTQ community". Red Deer Advocate , March 24, 2017.
  5. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Red Deer—Lacombe (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  6. "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-02-02.