Back in the Saddle... Again!?

May 11, 2008

Today it was announced in St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Winnipeg, that I have been appointed as their “Interim Priest.” It is a two year full time job, effective June 1, 2008.

St. Luke’s church in winter

To all intents and purposes, I have returned to the life of a Rector (the primary pastor in an Anglican congregation). However, there is one major difference: the appointment is short term, and deliberately transitional. My duty will be to help the parish prepare to invite a new full-time and long-term pastor into their midst, not to lead the parish according to my own lights and priorities.

The appointment is somewhat unusual. Heather and I have been attending St. Luke’s as members of the congregation, and when the current Rector announced his retirement, the normal expectation is that a priest who is completely outside the parish would come in and guide the congregation through the process of preparing for a new Rector. However, the Bishop didn’t have a lot of qualified people to choose from, and the parish leadership was adamant that I be given the assignment, so after a considerable delay, the bishop concurred.

I could have declined, of course. But with a lot of prayer and soul searching, and some important advice from family and friends, I decided that this is what I am supposed to be doing, indeed, it is what I am “called” to be doing.

Of course, this means that as of June 1^st I will no longer be a law office clerk (okay, okay, I was supposed to be finished in January, but I kept on going)! I’m sad about that, because Heather and I have really enjoyed working together (although I confess, I heartily dislike the actual duties! If I never see another 30 page Standard Charge Mortgage Terms document, that will be too soon).

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