Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was a child of a family involved in ministry, so very much like military families, we moved a lot. I was born in South Texas. I remember part of my childhood in northern Indiana, the outskirts of Chicago, Ill., and a little bit of time in Great Falls, Mont. Then junior high in Surrey and high school in Vanderhoof. I came to UVic originally in '86. After finishing my undergraduate here, I by then had met Jackie who had become my wife at that point and we went off to Nova Scotia, where I went to seminary.
How many people are in the congregation?
Anglicans see ourselves as one big family, so people will sometimes make one parish their primary home, but they might also drift in from other places from time to time. But I'd say about 150 families or households are part of St. Mary's.
How does the church actively engage with the Oak Bay community?
In a number of ways, that started in the earliest incarnation by asking, 'How do you use a big building that's empty most of the week?'
For over 25 years, St. Mary’s has been a home for community choirs, including the Newcombe Singers, Victoria Philharmonic Choir, and Ensemble Laude. We consider them part of our family. Our St. Mary's Presents concert series also showcases emerging performers, reflecting our commitment to supporting music and culture.
Then we're sitting in the Churchmouse bookshop, and this thing started 10 years ago ... that was my first year here. We decided to actually go big or go home and made it into a full partnership with the wider community, entirely by donation. All the books have been donated, and all of the donations go primarily to the three main charities we've partnered with in town and our work that directly benefits nurturing community and connection. It went from $6,000 raised the first year to $45,000 last year – all completely done by donations and volunteer effort. At least half the volunteers would not probably call themselves "members" of St. Mary's.
We're also founding members of the Reconciling Action Oak Bay Network ... and we're actively looking for ways to help educate the wider community, engage in active relationship building, and work with the District Council.
Sunday's the tiniest little piece of what we do here.
Do you have a motto? How do you approach leadership?
There's a quote from the novel Howards End: "Only connect." How much can go wrong when you don't make connections? When you don't understand the person you're working with or pieces of who you are and who the wider community is? If things we're doing or not doing are barriers to making those connections with one another, then those things need to change dramatically sometimes.
I think "outside the box" is another key phrase. I think the box is a comfortable and yet dangerous place to be because once you get into a box, you don't want anyone else to get in with you.
What's the most rewarding aspect of your role?
Being invited into people's stories. When I visit folks, whether they're in hospital or at home or just for coffee, whether it's because they're in a time of crisis or a time of celebration, just being able to share in them ... Because we often want to keep our story to ourselves and that's understandable. When relationships of trust are built, I think that's a very treasured thing.
What did you want to be as a kid?
I totally wanted to be an astronaut. Even when I was in church, my dad was up there leading, I would draw and my drawings were always about spaceships. When I came to UVic, I came to study engineering because I absolutely did not want to be a minister like my dad did. You're under a magnifying glass. You can imagine growing up as a kid in a family where a lot is expected of the family. I'd support my faith in other ways, but I would do it from a position of engineering. But vocation and calling grab you by the shirttails and sometimes pull you in a different direction.
What are you listening to these days?
The Wailin' Jennys. A lot of the lyrics of Wailin' Jennys songs are full of beauty, full of sorrow, full of all the things that are part of the human experience.
What's something unique about the history of this church?
We found photos of when this building was first built – the stained glass on the sides wasn't in yet. Then over the years, people donated – you'll see "in loving memory" of various people who had been part of the church. What's lost to time (if any of the readers know, please get in touch with me) is what motivated the choices of some of these images? ... We have an armadillo in our stained glass window ... Another fascinating one involves interactions between settlers and Indigenous people.
What brings you joy?
Sailing, cooking, brewing craft beer, flyfishing, making stuff, and dreaming – with friends.
This article is from the spring edition of Tweed.
