Weaving a Community

One of my colleagues commented last week that she has a completely different position now and she stayed with the same congregation! There is some truth to that, some of the skills ministers need are different, and we need to be conscious of those in our faith communities and beyond who do not have access…

12 Reasons for the President of Maritime Conference to Attend the Annual Assembly of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada!

How’s that for a title? I spent Thursday-Saturday on the beautiful, HILLY, campus of Acadia University as an ecumenical observer to their annual meeting. Prayer – Extemporaneous prayer was threaded through almost everything, there was no hesitation from clergy OR lay people to offer prayer before, during or after a presentation or discussion. Passion and…

My Week with an Agnostic

I am sure most people have had the experience of feeling immediately connected to someone and it was that way with Liz and me. While she had moved to Victoria not long after we met, we kept in touch through Facebook; as an insomniac, Liz would often be on-line when I got up and we…

Lenten Photo-A-Day: Restore

After a very difficult time in my journey to ministry, the presbytery asked me to spend some time intentionally debriefing my internship with the presbytery chaplain, a retired United Church minister. I knew the Rev. Stew Clarke from my home congregation and had a great deal of trust and respect for him and so was…

Unfriending or Unfriendly

Over at A Church For Starving Artists, Jan Edmiston, writes about the challenge of making friends after a certain age, especially when you are in ministry. I agree, having been ordained at the age of 45 and sent to a village, 1800 kilometers away from friends and family, it IS a challenge. While not geographically…