Page 18 - Presbyterian Connection – Spring 2021

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PRESBYTERIAN
SPRING 2021
presbyterian.ca
Marking a
Connection
RECOGNITION
Retirement at
Kincardine
By Barb Stuart, Elder, Knox Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, Ont.
The year 2020 at Knox Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, Ont., star ted with the announcement that our inspiring and beloved Minister of Word and Sacrament, the Rev. Kathy Fraser, would retire at the end of Feb- ruary. The Rev. Kathy preached her last service on Feb. 23, 2020, with a full sanctuary of well-wishers, in- cluding her family, visitors from her former congregations and many friends. It was a wonderful way to celebrate her new life in retirement.
The Presbytery of Grey-Bruce- Maitland appointed co-interim mod- erators, the Reverends Bob Ged- des and Peggy Kinsman. Little did they know when they accepted the positions that only two in-person worship services would take place before the COVID-19 lockdown star ted.
Within two weeks, online services were filmed and made available on
By Cathy Gale, Elder, Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alta.
So much has changed with pandem- ic life, and even a year into it, some occasions remain daunting... “How do we do this in a pandemic?!” Many such times are the marker moments of life, meaningful for the change and transitions they bring us as individu- als, and for those who care for us. They are opportunities for spiritual growth, and, in the best of circum- stances, are celebrations.
For the last three and a half years, Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church (VAPC) in Calgary, Alta., has been blessed to have the Rev. Dr. Peter Coutts as our minister. We knew it would be a brief ministry, as he shared his retirement plans with us early on, but still, it snuck up on us, and the pandemic sure didn’t help. The question became twofold: how to celebrate Peter’s long, rich, min- istry, while showing our gratitude for our time together? And how to do this when we can’t be together? Rec- ognition and gratitude for the fruitful ministry was the easy part!
Seeds for Peter’s life in ministry were planted through the faithful ex- ample of his mother, key family friends in youth, and time in nature, at camps and at sea. Naval service on the west coast preceded his education at Knox College, and on graduation in 1987, Peter was once again called west, with wife Sheri, to his first charge at Saan- ich Peninsula PC as founding minister. Subsequent calls took him to Oakridge Presbyterian Church in London, Ont., and St. Andrew’s in Calgary. At both of these churches, Peter guided and oversaw building projects, as he had at Saanich.
Growing interest in organizational leadership and preparing churches for change led to Peter’s doctoral studies at McCormick Seminary in
Chicago. Out of this passion, his book Choosing Change was writ- ten; it spawned further work as a consultant and workshop leader for congregations and organizations across Canada and the U.S. Leaving his call at St. Andrew’s in 2013, to begin a brand-new type of ministry in the PCC, as General Presbyter of the Presbytery of Calgary-Macleod, was a ground-breaking and creative step. It was from that position that he came to Varsity Acres PC in the summer of 2017, for congregational ministry once more.
This leads to the “how to” part of the question. One thing we have all learned this past year is how God richly blesses us with creativity when we put our collective minds to it. Pe- ter’s 10-month example of pivoting quickly and creatively to online wor- ship, meetings and studies helped us realize and believe that we could do it, too. Having had plenty of prac- tice, our community went online to plan, prepare and celebrate Peter’s retirement. A live-streamed program, blended with pre-recorded elements, came together as many VAPC folk shared talents and gifts. With an ac- tual audience limited to Peter, Sheri and minimal in-person contributors, it was enjoyed by many in Calgary and even across Canada, on Peter’s last Sunday at VAPC on Jan. 10, 2021.
The program began by sharing some of Peter’s ministry path through a photo slideshow set to Lenny Gal- lant’s song “Peter’s Dream,” sung by the Lost Pilgrims. The Lost Pilgrims has a number of Presbyterian min- isterial connections, including one of Peter’s former classmates, the Rev. Stephen Kendall. Peter received many tributes in both video and writ- ten formats, from former and cur- rent colleagues, Sessions and con- gregants, and representatives of the
broader church, including Knox Col- lege and Canadian Ministries. Only a selection of them could be shared in the program due to time constraints, but all were given to Peter for later re- flection. These tributes spanned the length of Peter’s life and ministry.
Our Faith Formation and Youth groups put together several spe- cial videos, acknowledging Peter’s unique ministry to them. In addition, a number of choir members created, recorded and sang a rendition of “Be Thou My Vision,” especially for Peter.
One gift presentation came as a result of numerous observations that his current home office chair was very squeaky—it was as clearly pre- sent at online meetings as Peter was! After the program, Peter and Sheri were treated to lunch followed by an enthusiastic farewell car parade. Topping it all off was the car sport- ing the nautical “Blue Peter” flag, a nod to Peter’s navy years. The Blue Peter stands for the letter P, and when seen atop a ship at port, it indicates an intention to leave soon, and that the crew should get on board. A fit- ting flag to prepare for retirement!
Fare ye well, Peter. Thank you for creatively guiding VAPC to God’s next destination for us. May God continue to guide and bless you and Sheri richly!
Safely planning and preparing for the big event.
our YouTube channel. Not only did the co-interim moderators show their flexibility and determination, but also a cast of willing musicians and production people put forth their best efforts to make the services happen. The congregation at Knox, Kincardine, is grateful for the hard work of all these people!
While the weather was warm, we had some small group activi- ties such as walking the labyrinth in the peace garden at one of our local parks. In September, we celebrated the ministry of the Rev. Fraser with an afternoon gathering on the front lawn of the church. Although this was a very pared down version of the retirement par ty that had been originally planned for May, it was a celebration nonetheless and enjoyed by all who attended.
Through online Session and Board of Managers meetings, the work of the congregation continues. We raised over $14,000 to buy seed for grandmothers in Malawi. Want- ing to put some “fun” back in fun- draising, a vir tual bazaar was held in November. For the last two weeks of Advent, our music leader, Andy Fraser, played Christmas carols on the organ and amplified the music outside for people to hear as they passed by the church. During the last few months of 2020, volunteers from the congregation updated and painted the manse in preparation to welcome our next minister. We look forward to the time when we can worship together and resume inter- active events in the community.
Read more about events in Kincardine on p. 15.
The retirement of the Rev. Dr. Peter Coutts, minister of Varsity Acres Presbyte- rian Church in Calgary, Alta., and his wife, Sheri.
The Rev. Kathy Fraser retired from Knox Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, Ont., in February 2020. PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE CHREPTYK
Retirement of the Rev. Dr. Peter Coutts in Calgary