IRCA Americas covers active groups in both the USA and Canada and is working on connections with Central and South America
Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry:
Working with rural churches to build healthy rural communities
United Methodist Rural Advocates, a fellowship which aims to “To advocate, educate, inspire, and influence the United Methodist Church around rural issues”.
IRCA Americas Team
Contact person: Eric Skillings
Papa Dave Ruesink, USA, is IRCA Leadership emeritus and historian. Dave was involved in the inauguration of IRCA in 1998 in Durham, England and has been actively part of the leadership ever since, including terms as Secretary and Treasurer. His interest in rural ministry linked to his eldership in the Presbyterian Church and lecturing and researching in Rural Sociology at Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas.
Dave has continued his passion for rural churches and communities taking a leading role with the Rural Church Network and travelling with his wife Lou Ellen to rural communities around the world.
Rev Inba Joshua Inbarasu, USA, is minister with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and serves a small Swedish immigrant congregation in Iowa along with three other shared ministry/ co- operative parishes. He also trains ministerial candidates who are serving in their synod rural congregation with clinical pastoral education with special focus to the rural ministry emphasis.
Rev Eric Skillings, Canada. Eric has been secretary since 2010 and was re-appointed Secretary/Treasurer at the conference in 2026. He is married to Annette (who shares his passion for Rural Ministry), and they have two children and 3 grandchildren. Eric was born and raised on a dairy farm and grew up in the local rural church.
He has been engaged in Rural Ministry in South Western Ontario in Canada for 25 years and is committed to Rural Ministry, connected to Rural Ministry across Canada and the United States.
Eric enjoys meeting new folks and hearing their stories.
Rev Catherine Christie, Canada, is a retired minister of the United Church of Canada (35 years in service). She has lived in many areas of this wide country, studying in Ottawa (BA) and in Halifax (M.Div), and serving in congregations on the prairies. She was married for 25 years and has two grown children (Tim and Sue) and two grandchildren (Rebecca and Stanley).
