Page 29 - Presbyterian Connection

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FALL 2024
Recognizing the
Rev. Ritchie Robinson
By Charles Greaves, Bethel Presbyterian Church in Sydney, N.S.
Born and raised in Cape Breton, Ritchie Robinson grew up in Eng- lishtown, attending St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church. He was very much a child of the church and looked toward ministry as a career, having heard the Call of Christ at a young age. His stud- ies prepared him to attend The Presbyterian College in Montreal and McGill University, receiving a Bachelor of Theology from the lat- ter and a Master of Divinity from the former.
After he graduated, Ritchie accepted a call to serve as Min- ister of Word and Sacraments in Boularderie Island, serving the two churches of Knox and St. James. There, he was first ordained and became “the Rev. Ritchie Robinson.”
Not long after, he met and married his lifelong partner, Nancy, who has been a source of strength, guidance and music in his life.
Ritchie served those congrega- tions for approximately 13 years. He then took up the congregation of St. Giles in North Sydney, where
he remained until his retirement. In the last few years, St. Giles became a part of what is now called the Northside Presbyterian Pastoral Charge, and St. Andrew’s church in Sydney Mines also came under Ritchie’s leadership.
Ritchie was also an able pres- byter whose guidance was often sought out during presbytery meetings. He has served a variety of church courts and committees. He is active as a historian as well as cleric and is well known as a man of wit and wisdom.
The Rev. Ritchie Robinson, in many respects, is an exemplar of
At the congregational dinner on June 15.
what it means to be a minister in and from Cape Breton, and to be an individual with a keen sense of one’s own roots, a clear view of one’s world, and an ever-present hope in the Good News Christ brings, as well as a willingness to laugh, especially at oneself.
A service acknowledging Ritch- ie’s years of dedication and his retirement was held in St. Giles Presbyterian Church in North Sydney on July 7, with members
of his congregations and friends, and lead by the Cape Breton Presbytery. We thanked Ritchie for his devotion to his call and wished him well as he moves into the next stages of his life and his work in new fields in the church.
The Rev. Ritchie Robinson and his wife, Nancy.
At the retirement service with presbytery members on July 7.
Retirement of the
Rev. Dr. Sandy McDonald
whom he mentored from Knox College. The congregation’s retire- ment gift to Sandy, a painting of one of the stained-glass windows in St. Andrew’s, was a symbol of our deep respect and apprecia- tion for his service; the artist was Guillermo Ortiz from Calvin Pres- byterian Church in Toronto. The gift was presented by senior elder Wade MacDonald. Isabelle Young, another one of our elders, present- ed a bouquet of roses and a gift to Christine from the congregation.
On Sunday, May 5, 2024, the Presbytery of Halifax & Lunen- burg held a service to give thanks for Sandy’s ministry. The service was conducted by presbytery moderator the Rev. Tom Sum- mers, the sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Iona MacLean, and the Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald celebrated the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The moderator of the Synod of the Atlantic Provinc- es, the Rev. Brad Blaikie, brought greetings and words of gratitude. And the Rev. Don Muir, Deputy Clerk of the General Assembly, brought greetings from the Gen- eral Assembly Office and gave thanks for Sandy’s many years of dedicated service to The Presby- terian Church in Canada.
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PRESBYTERIAN
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By Cheryl Weeks, Clerk of Session, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Dartmouth, N.S.
On Easter Sunday, the Rev. Dr. P.A. (Sandy) McDonald conduct- ed his last service as minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Dartmouth, N.S., having served as minister for 56 years.
Sandy was born in Stratford, Ont. He received his B.D. from Knox College in Toronto, in 1968. He was ordained at Knox Presby- terian Church in Stratford on May
Sandy and his family.
31, 1968; the Rev. William Weir, minister of Knox, gave the Charge, and Professor David Hay of Knox College preached the sermon.
During his 56 years at St. An- drew’s, Sandy also served at Iona Presbyterian Church in Dart- mouth for six of those years. And for 44 of the 56 years, he served at Musquodoboit Harbour Pres- byterian Church. Sandy was the Moderator of the 2003 General Assembly, a member of Assem- bly Council for six years, served in the Life & Mission Agency for
12 years and spent 12 years on the Knox College Board. He re- ceived his Honorary Doctor of Di- vinity from Knox College in 1996. Over the years, Sandy was active in the N.S. Branch of the Canadi- an Bible Society, the Ecumenical Council of Atlantic Canada and the Halifax-Dartmouth Council of Churches. He served 18 years as a Police Chaplain in Dartmouth. He was Chair of the Synod of the Atlantic Province’s Camp Ged- die Committee for over 20 years and is currently serving in that
The Rev. Dr. P.A. (Sandy) McDonald.
capacity. Sandy continues as clerk of the Presbytery of Halifax & Lunenburg and has served in that capacity since 1970. Sandy and his spouse, Christine, have three children—Ian, Heather and Laura—and five grandchildren.
During the service on March 31, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was celebrated, and Sandy presided at the reception of three new members by Profes- sion of Faith, two of whom were Sandy’s granddaughter and son- in-law. As clerk of Session, I gave an address on behalf of the con- gregation and expressed heartfelt thanks for Sandy’s many gifts of ministry over the past 56 years.
During the reception, Sandy received seven video messages from ministry students, four of