Russ has been a minister for more than thirty years, and served churches in Toronto, Halifax, Quebec’s Eastern Townships, and outport Newfoundland. He has also taught at three theological colleges and worked on truth and reconciliation processes in Canada, South Africa, and Fiji, where he was UCC overseas personnel for several years.  Much of his ministry has been shaped by what you might call 'intersectionality' - the points of connection between the mainline church and other kinds of communities: Indigenous communities; Muslim and Buddhist communities; communities of refugees in the Middle East; and racialized communities. He has published two books, one on reconciliation in South Africa, and one entitled Turning Ourselves Inside Out: Thriving Christian Communities, which he co-authored with Dr. Robert Fennell of the Atlantic School of Theology after they spent five years researching churches in Canada and the US that found a way to revitalize after a period of decline. Russ and his partner, Virginia, enjoy adventure travel and outdoor sports and hope that they will keep them fit enough to keep up with their growing and very energetic clan of children and grandchildren.