About Us

I am the volunteer executive director of Open Table Communities and am passionate about providing nurturing environments for individuals navigating the complexities of faith deconstruction. I advocate for creating safe and inclusive spaces where individuals can freely wrestle, wonder, and evolve in their faith journey. After two decades of pastoral ministry serving in multiple church communities, I left a pastoral career to walk with individuals, engaging in the Christian tradition differently than the predominant Western interpretation of Jesus and the Bible most often found in modern evangelicalism. I currently work as a registered psychotherapist (qualifying). I maintain a deep appreciation for theology and spiritual community, always encouraging those in my orbit to explore the full breadth of the Jesus story with all its beauty, mystery, and hope. Healthy spirituality for me includes living with a clear mind, open heart, and grounded body anchored in the Jesus tradition. I live in Cobourg, Ontario (the feel-good town of Northumberland County) with my wife of 21 years and three children.

I am a retired IT professional who finally listened to the call to spend time helping people evolve their faith on their Christian spiritual journey. Initially, my ministry focussed on seniors and palliatives and has in recent years, expanded to help those who are questioning. My faith is grounded in the Jesus story, which led me to write children’s books, telling familiar Bible stories from an animal’s point of view. That led me to serve as a worship leader with the United Church for the past two years. I currently serve as a priest with The Community Apostolic Episcopal Church of Canada and am passionate about Progressive Christianity and sharing the love taught by Jesus.

I am Darryl Bowman and have the pleasure of serving as treasurer of Open Tables Community (OTC). I am married to my wife Michele since 1989 and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. I was brought up in the evangelical church and faith has always been part of my life. As a part of my journey, I served as a pastor in an evangelical church and even after leaving full time ministry I was very involved in leadership in any church I attended. My experience in the evangelical world caused me many times to question how our beliefs and doctrines often led to harmful treatment of people, both inside and outside the church. These experiences ultimately led to me leaving the church with a real desire to seek a better way. OTC has provided me the space to ask questions, to wrestle with my doubts, and to formulate new ways of seeing my faith. I am convinced that Jesus would call us to be inclusive as a faith community, just as he was in his ministry. Any time doctrines do not lead to the flourishing of people I say people win over doctrine. OTC is a place where we are in love with the Jesus story and long to live out our lives according to the example that Jesus gave us.

Volunteering with Open Table Communities and serving on their board of directors has allowed me to compassionately engage with people who are questioning and evolving their faith experience. I desire to help create caring and accepting communities for people journeying together to find a healthy spiritual life based on the Jesus tradition. OTC is a community where people can find the freedom to wrestle with their faith issues and feel that they are seen and heard as they evolve their faith to fit within their present-day experiences. I am a retired Marriage and Family Therapist. I have an M.Div degree with a counselling focus and I am an ordained Deacon with the Community Apostolic Episcopal Church of Canada. I enjoy being present with people as they walk through their life journey.

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I grew up as a pastor’s kid in a Baptist Convention which has had a history of theological battles and a diversity of thought. Having discerned a call to vocational ministry I attended a seminary which also had a history of theological battles and a diversity of thought. Therefore holding a mix of conviction and humility has been natural to me, and important! Also significant in my spiritual growth was my time pursuing an undergraduate degree in English literature and Classical Studies which cemented for me the idea that if Christianity was real, it would be reasonable and would be able to stand up to scrutiny. It has and my faith has grown stronger over the years. Yet I have also seen how we Christians through what we believe and how we express it have often not been reasonable, or loving, and indeed have caused harm. Therefore Open Table Communities has become important to me as a space where healthy spiritually is nurtured. Having served as a Baptist pastor for twenty-six years I am now serving as a chaplain in the Royal Canadian Navy. My wife Sandra and I have three grown children and are enjoying life on the East Coast.