Celebrating Linda and Bruce Hutchinson

On Saturday March 7, in Kingston, Ontario the staff and Board of Directors of Affirm

United/S’affirmer Ensemble gathered to celebrate Linda and Bruce Hutchinson. Linda

and Bruce have been part of Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble since 1999, both were

on the Board of Directors, serving in many leadership roles. Over the last 10 years

Bruce was the support of Linda’s leadership in Affirm United/S’affimer Ensemble,

accompanying her to meetings in Toronto and around the country. Linda more recently

coordinated all the celebrations until 2024. If you look at your certificate up to August

2024, you will see her signature. Linda also was the guiding presence for many

congregations who journeyed to become affirming, as an Affirming Ministries Program

Coordinator, and she did all these roles as a volunteer. In November 2025 she retired

from Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble.

In gratitude for Linda’s many years at Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble, we have re-

named the Volunteer Award to the Linda Hutchinson Volunteer Award. We cannot think

of a better way to honour someone who so selflessly gave many, many hours of her

time for Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble. We miss her kind, wise presence in our

meetings and we wish her and Bruce well in the coming years. We are so thankful for

the Hutchinsons who have helped shape Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble into the

what it is today, a place that works to create communities of faith that offer the 2S and

LGBTQIA+ communities that publicly, intentionally and explicitly create safe places to

bravely be themselves.