Welcoming our new Minister

Our Joint Search Committee, including Bethany Muir, Kristian Doerken and Diane Greenhalgh-Vosding, are excited to announce that Reverend Michael Shewburg has officially accepted the call to serve as our new minister! His appointment was approved by the Pastoral Relations Commission of Western Ontario Waterways Regional Council on April 15th. Rev. Shewburg will begin his ministry with Westminster and Wesley United Churches at the start of June. We look forward to welcoming him into our church family! 
Reverend Michael brings with him over 25 years of rich, diverse experience in church
leadership—experience that has been honed through service as a lay person, staff
associate, designated lay minister, and now as an ordained minister of the United
Church of Canada, following his ordination at Regional Council in May 2024. His
journey through these various roles reflects not only a lifelong commitment to the
ministry of Jesus Christ but also a remarkable adaptability and depth of understanding
of our Church’s mission in today's world.
Those who have worked alongside Reverend Michael know him as a collaborator, and a
connector—someone who listens deeply, leads with humility, and invites others into
meaningful ministry. His references were glowing and noted his ability to discern who is
not at the table and, simultaneously, draw the circle wide. His skill in developing and
executing collaborative ministry plans has already borne fruit in other contexts, and we
are confident it will be a blessing to Westminster and Wesley United Church as well.

Rebecca Whiting
STUDENT MINISTER​

Rebecca Whiting is the new Student Minister here at Westminster. She is joining us in the role of Minister of Christian Development. This role will be focusing on serving our children, youth, and families, as well as creating opportunities for our community to continue doing equity, diversity, and inclusion work for all ages. Rebecca started following her call to ministry in January 2020 and is training to become a minister through the Designated Lay Ministry stream. She is one year into this three-year program, which involves concurrent education and experience through her position at Westminster.
Rebecca had previously pursued a Bachelor of Music Therapy, and worked in this field for a year before answering her call to ministry. She then worked remotely at Leaside United in Toronto as the Child and Youth Program Lead in 2021.
Rebecca has been a part of the United Church her whole life and is deeply passionate about doing justice work through the church. She enjoys spending her time in walking in nature with her dog, reading, making music, spending time with her nieces and nephew, and practicing self-care. 

Alison Hill
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

I'm thrilled to join the Westminster United Church team. My family moved from Copenhagen, Denmark into the Beechwood community in the summer of 2020. After almost nine years in Denmark, we felt that it was time to be closer to our family in Canada. Since the move, I've been a very active volunteer in my boys' school, helping out with many events and committees. I love connecting with people and being engaged in my community. I have a Master of Education and several years of experience working in diverse research, administrative, and coordination roles. In my free time, I enjoy baking, reading, playing board games, and building LEGO with my two young sons.

Contact Alison

Cynthia Hiebert
PIANIST

I've been privileged to hold the position of pianist at Westminster United Church since 2006, and I enjoy having my students perform in the church's lovely sanctuary for my studio recitals each December and June. I pursued a Masters of Music degree as well as a doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I moved back to Waterloo in 2002 and have been active performing as a harpsichordist while teaching piano at the Beckett Conservatory at Laurier. As a harpsichordist, I perform both solo and ensemble music of earlier eras, as well as music of today. 

A 2002 album, Gathered Evidence, contains my performance of Peter Hatch's harpsichord solo In a Vernacular Way. Memorable concerts were combining the harpsichord and the zheng with renowned zheng player Mei Han for the Open Ears Festival in 2005, and improvising on French unmeasured preludes with shakuhachi player Gerard Yun in 2012 for The Congress of the Humanities.

​A profoundly meaningful experience for me was collaborating with cellist Ben Boldt-Martin in 2016 to create a concert based on the music of Arvo Pärt and my friend John Parcell. My most important collaborations, however, have been with my children Gabriel and Isabelle and my wonderful husband Ludwik.

Steve Boothby
CHOIR DIRECTOR

I am a travel enthusiast, Piano Teacher for all ages and, since 2006, the Choir Director at Westminster United Church. While teaching for the Waterloo Region District School Board for 30 years, I worked as a Music Department Head, conducted Concert Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Choir, Ladies Chorus and Men's Chorus, and planned and led school music tours in North America and Europe. I continue to work as a Piano Teacher and am a RCM Certified Advanced Specialist in Piano. From 2002 until 2006, I was the Music Director for the Waterloo Region Police Men's Chorus.

Since retiring from teaching in 2006, I indulge my passion for travel by working as a tour manager with Ellison Travel and Tours of Exeter, leading tours in Europe.  I can also be found in the south for several weeks in the winter and maybe even the Rockies with boards on my feet.  My wife and I enjoy being involved in our sons's lives with one in each of Billings Montana, Tokyo and K-W.  

Working in my gardens and in the Kitchen are very rewarding in my retirement.  Beautiful flowers and Jams, Jellies, and Pickles for my family and friends are all part of a "calendar year" for me.

 I earned a MUS.BAC. (Honors), an A.Music in Piano Performance and a B.Ed from The University of Western Ontario, studying Music Performance and Teaching. I also studied Piano Performance under Marion MacLennan and Lubka Colessa and choral conducting under Deral Johnson.