OUR TEAM

■ Lauren Umbach, MA

– Interim Director of Research and Program, Jaffray Centre

Lauren is the Interim Director of Research and Program at the Jaffray Centre for Global Initiatives. She has worked at the Jaffray Centre since 2016. Prior to that she managed two cafes in Laos with a Business as Missions focus for three years and spent a year in Vietnam teaching English. Lauren has a Master of Arts in Intercultural Ministries from Ambrose Seminary, a Certificate in Intercultural Studies from UBC, and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). When she is not busy connecting and networking with people, she enjoys trying out new coffee shops with her husband.

Lauren can be reached at jaffray@ambrose.edu or (403) 407-9459.

■ Sadiri Joy Tira, DMiss, DMin

– Convener of the Jaffray diasporaNet Research Initiative and Diaspora Missiology Specialist as well as Sessional Intercultural Studies Professor at Ambrose University 

Sadiri Tira, more commonly known as Joy, is a missions practitioner who travels extensively around the globe mobilizing Christians in diaspora, particularly the globally scattered Filipinos to help fulfill the Great Commission. Born and raised in the Philippines, Joy and his wife Lulu immigrated to Canada in 1981 and are now naturalized Canadians. They are based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — one of Canada’s top destinations for new immigrants and foreign workers. Joy serves as the Lausanne Movement‘s Senior Associate for Diasporas. He can be contacted at jaffray@ambrose.edu.

■ Majd Alajji, MDiv

— Convener of the newComers Initiative

Majd AlAjji is the Regional Manager of Ethnic Churches at the Canadian Bible Society. His focus is reaching out to diaspora churches and coming alongside them by resourcing their ministries in literature in their own languages. Majd AlAjji worked with refugees prior to his current position is several cities in Lebanon and Canada. He was overseeing for the private sponsorship program for the Canadian Baptist denomination and brings extensive first-hand experience in dealing with the Syrian diaspora in Western Canada. Majd holds an undergrad degree in English Literature and a Masters Degree in Divinity. He can be contacted at jaffray@ambrose.edu.