Our Leadership
REv. Dan Sheffield | Lead Pastor
Dan came to lead our congregation in 2017, following 15 years serving as part of the National Leadership Team of The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Dan is passionate about equipping disciples and congregations for ministry in our post-Christian society. He has a Masters degree from McMaster University and is an adjunct lecturer at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto.
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Dan's early years were spent in the rugged landscape of Northern Ontario, before moving as a teenager to rural eastern Ontario. He completed a BA in Biblical Studies at Providence College, near Winnipeg, before he and his wife Kathy set out to explore the world, specifically Egypt and South Africa. They were involved in theological education, church planting and community development. Since then Dan has spent extensive time in other parts of Africa and Asia providing leadership development and coaching national ministry leaders.
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Dan has been married to Kathy for more than 35 years and they have two adult children, Jamila and Jared.
Dan has written two books: The Multicultural Leader, Conversations That Change Us.
His academic writing can be found here: https://tyndale.academia.edu/DanSheffield
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Jannieah akanwari | Ministry Assistant
Jannieah joined our office team in Spring of 2023. She provides operational support for the various ministries of our church. Jannieah grew up in Ghana, but came to Canada with her husband, Jerry, a Ph.D. student at Brock U. Jannieah and Jerry live in the Grapeview neighbourhood of St Catharines.
official board
Grapeview Church is overseen by a governance body that we call our Official Board. Congregational members are elected to serve terms of responsibility by church partners at our annual meeting. They are tasked with vision-casting and oversight of Ministry Teams who act upon the church’s vision and ministry plan. Board leaders are nominated from church partners who demonstrate a spirit of humility and dependence upon God. They are spiritually mature individuals who live exemplary lives in personal and public spheres. Their worldview and lifestyle are in harmony with the Scriptures and the teachings of the Free Methodist Church.
2023-2024
Dale Srigley (Board Chair)
Dale has been connected to Grapeview for more than 25 years. He is a retired auto industry worker with regular work now as a self-employed house painter and small repairs. Besides serving as the Chair of the Official Board, Dale leads one of our Worship Teams and with his wife Debbie, leads our North CONNECT Group.
Jennifer Wright (Vice-Chair)
Jennifer has been a part of the Grapeview family since birth! Jennifer is an ESL teacher with the Niagara Catholic District School Board. She and her husband David served as missionaries in Niger for 12 years.
Diana Owusuaa (Secretary)
Diana has been involved at Grapeview since 2014, when she came from Ghana to study in St Catharines. She works for the federal government. Diana is a member of one of our worship teams, and serves with her husband, Felix, as a CONNECT Pastor. Diana and Felix have two children.
Edward Anderson (Treasurer)
Edward has been a part of the Grapeview family for more than a decade. He serves as Music Director for our worship gatherings. He works as a Financial Analyst for the provincial government. Edward is married to Cindy and they have two children.
Sarah Kennedy (Member)
Sarah has been involved at Grapeview for a number of years, attending with her husband Tanner, and their two daughters. Sarah works as an ICU nurse in Welland.
Peter Sekyere (Member)
Peter has been connected to Grapeview since he came to study at Brock U a number of years ago. Peter is currently engaged in PhD studies at U of Toronto in Political Science. Peter is a lay preacher in our congregation. He is married to Nana Ama and they have two daughters. The Sekyere family live in Welland.
Jimmy Ashimadi (Delegate)
Jimmy has been a part of the Grapeview family since he came to study at Brock U a number of years ago. Jimmy works in the financial services sector. He is married to Jane and they have two children. The Ashimadi family live in Welland. Jimmy serves as our delegate to our national Free Methodist community.