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CONGREGATIONAL NEWS
The Moderator’s Visit to Atlantic Canada
30
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2021
presbyterian.ca
The Moderator and the Rev. Roger MacPhee at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Belfast.
The Moderator and the Rev. Andrew Hutchinson.
The Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Scott (left), at Summerside Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Brad Blaikie and Clerk of Session Nancy Harvey.
By John Barrett, Clerk of Session, Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Shortly after the confirmation of the Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Scott as nominee for Moderator of the 146th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Presbytery of Prince Edward Island extended an invitation for him to attend the 200th Anniver- sary meeting of that church court in September 2021. Presbytery was ec- static to learn that this invitation had been accepted and that the Rev. Dr. Scott had decided to take further ad- vantage of this oppor tunity to extend his stay in P.E.I. and New Brunswick during which time he had the pleasure of visiting numerous congregations.
Arriving on Saturday, Sept. 11, the Rev. Dr. Scott spent the afternoon at Summerside Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Brad Blaikie and clerk of Session, Nancy Harvey. Both of these individuals are former mod- erators of the P.E.I. presbytery, so he was able to not only learn what was happening in their vibrant congrega- tion, but was also given some insight into the denomination throughout the province.
On Sunday, Sept. 12, the Rev. Dr. Scott was a guest at Zion Presbyte- rian Church in Charlottetown, and delivered the sermon entitled, “Com- missioned,” taking the text from Mat- thew 28:18–20. The congregation was delighted to have the moderator in their midst and, through the good fortune of relaxed Covid protocols on P.E.I., he was able to chat with many in attendance following the service, including a former classmate, the Rev. Andrew Hutchinson. After en-
joying a quick lunch with Zion’s lead minister and clerk, he was off to Cal- vin Mermaid Church (a preaching point of Zion) to attend the annual Memorial Service.
Keeping up with his own congre- gational, teaching and moderato- rial responsibilities, the Rev. Dr. Scott spent most of Monday morning in various online meetings before head- ing off to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Moncton, N.B., to meet with the lead pastor, the Rev. Dr. Martin Kreplin, along with past and current members of Session. On the way to Moncton, the moderator had the distinct pleasure of meeting elder Dale Waddell at North Tryon Presbyterian Church and enjoyed the welcoming and historic nature of this special Island country church.
The moderator was especially anx- ious to attend St. Andrew’s in Monc- ton and meet with those present to address the many questions and concerns they had for him regarding the future of our denomination. This was an extremely worthwhile visit with the hopeful conclusion that by listening, we can all benefit from our expressions of divergent opinions.
Tuesday was another morning of Zoom meetings and preparation for the meeting of presbytery later that evening. Following lunch, the Rev. Dr. Scott had the opportunity to meet the Session of St. Mark’s Presby- terian Church in Charlottetown and spend time in discussion with the Rev. Dr. Tom Hamilton and the Rev. Paula Hamilton. St. Mark’s is some- what unique in our denomination as the congregation is led by a married couple who jointly serve the needs of their membership. Their love for one
another as well as for their congre- gation was most evident during the moderator’s time with them and shed yet another perspective on the diver- sity of styles and approaches that ex- ist across the presbytery.
Following his visit, the moderator was off to visit the Rev. Dr. Kay Di- viney, interim moderator at the Kirk of St. James in Charlottetown, the clerk of Session, David Robinson, and mu- sic director, Frances McBurnie. (Lead minister, the Rev. Amanda Hender- son-Bolton is currently attending to her newborn child and will return to the Kirk following her parental leave). Again, the moderator was treated to one of the most beautiful and historic churches on Prince Edward Island and was impressed to see that the congregation has been faithful in maintaining the physical structure of their church as well as their commit- ment to living God’s Word.
These visits were followed by an exceptional evening of celebration as the moderator attended and partici- pated in the 200th anniversary meet- ing of the P.E.I. presbytery. One in- teresting component of that evening was the opportunity for three mod- erators of The Presbyterian Church in Canada to have some time together: the Rev. Dr. Daniel Scott, the Rev. Dr. John Cameron, Moderator of the 116th General Assembly, and the Rev. Douglas Rollwage, lead minister of Zion Church and Moderator of the 142nd General Assembly. This was certainly a unique opportunity for all three gentlemen to “compare notes.”
The Rev. Dr. Scott’s final day on Prince Edward Island was no less busy with visits to Wellspring Church
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The Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Scott, the Rev. Dr. John Cameron and the Rev. Douglas Rollwage.