Page 18 - Presbyterian Connection Fall 2025

18 FALL 2025
ConnectionP R E S B Y T E R I A N
presbyterian.ca
The Rev. David Sturtevant (right), Moderator of the Presbytery of Newfound-
land, with Pat and Tim on Signal Hill.
Members of all three churches attended the Narratives of Hope workshop.
Moderator Visits
Presbytery of
Newfoundland
By Lynne Allan, Clerk of the
Presbytery of Newfoundland
Less than two months before the
end of her term as Moderator of
the 2024 General Assembly, the
Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls
and her husband, Tim, travelled
coast to coast from their home in
British Columbia to visit the Pres-
bytery of Newfoundland. It was
the first time in many years that
a Moderator from outside New-
foundland and Labrador visited
the province.
With only two days to fit eve-
rything in, Pat’s stay was limited
to St. John’s, where two of the
presbytery’s three churches—St.
Andrew’s and St. David’s—are lo-
cated. The third church—St. Mat-
thew’s—is in Grand Falls-Windsor,
430 km away.
While in the province’s capi-
tal, Pat had the opportunity to
learn about the history and mis-
sion work of St. Andrew’s and St.
Matthew’s through presentations
made by church members. With
St. David’s celebrating the 250th
anniversary of its congregation, an
in-depth history was presented at
The Rooms, the province’s largest
public cultural space. A presenta-
tion titled “the Dissenter’s Path”
took place and Pat was able to
examine a model of an early meet-
ing house of the Congregational
Church of St. John’s during a re-
ception afterwards.
A visit to Bridges to Hope, a
Pat and Tim at Bridges to Hope food bank.
food bank supported by both St.
Andrew’s and St. David’s, was an-
other highlight. Both Pat and Tim
are involved with food banks in
British Columbia and enjoyed the
chance to discuss and exchange
ideas with staff and volunteers.
Pat’s visit also gave her the op-
portunity to present a Narratives
of Hope and Possibility workshop,
which was attended by members
of the three churches and proved
to be an enjoyable learning experi-
ence.
There wasn’t much time for
sightseeing, but Pat and Tim did
get to Signal Hill, a national historic
site famous for its role in Canada’s
military and communications his-
tory. There they saw Cabot Tower
and met Sable Chief, a Newfound-
land dog named after the one
that served as mascot of the 2nd
Battalion Royal Newfoundland
Regiment during the First World
War. Pat also visited Quidi Vidi, a
neighbourhood of St. John’s that
remains an active fishing village. It
snowed, of course. It was April in
Newfoundland.
Before Pat and Tim’s departure,
presbytery members thought it im-
perative they experience a seafood
supper, and they tried cod tongues
for the first time. As a parting gift,
a Labradorite pendant was pre-
sented to Pat in appreciation of her
visit, as was a bar of Newfound-
land-made chocolate. The wrap-
per featured the Newfoundland
saying, “God Love Your Cotton
Socks,” which means thank you
or bless your heart.
Pat and Tim in front of Cabot Tower.
Over 46 Years of Service in Ottawa
By Carol Ann Joiner,
Westminster Presbyterian Church
in Ottawa, Ont.
Ian Firth has been actively involved
in the life of Westminster Presby-
terian Church in Ottawa, Ont.,
for over 46 years, and he still is!
The church Session officially ac-
knowledged his retirement from
the Finance & Maintenance Team
(1978–2024) this past March, al-
though he remains active working
the camera for our online services
every Sunday and helps with the
Finance team periodically. He now
has more time to enjoy riding his
motorcycle, travelling and spend-
ing time with his family.
Ian’s involvement with West-
minster started when a work
friend, who also immigrated from
England, invited Ian to come to
church with him. That was in
1978. Ian, his wife, Celia, and
their two boys soon became in-
volved in church activities. Ian
started out as a general member
of the Finance & Maintenance
team, then became our church
rental/accommodations coordi-
nator and gradually took on more
roles within the Finance & Mainte-
nance Team, including vice-chair
and then chairperson (back when
they had 24 members). In 1997,
he became the church treasurer
and continued in that role for 15
years until 2012. When he re-
signed from that position, he did
not step off the team but rather he
took on two smaller roles: reports
manager and payroll manager.
The rest of the treasurer’s roles
needed to be divided into six parts
and six people! Of course, Ian
stayed active (and was a great re-
source for the team) from 2013 to
2019, and in 2020 he took on yet
another role—that of secretary.
In December 2024, he officially
stepped down, while remaining
active within the church.
Celia has been by Ian’s side all
this time, and has been active in
her own way, including being on
our Prayer Chain and taking part
in church bazaars and other fund-
raising events.
We give thanks to Ian for his
46-plus years of service, commit-
ment and dedication to Westmin-
ster. He took on jobs many of us
would have had a hard time doing
or wouldn’t want to do, including
presenting and balancing budg-
ets, paying church bills, keeping
track of financial matters, and so
much more! We are grateful for all
that Ian has done and continues
to do. May God continue to bless
Ian and his family!
Ian Firth retired from his position at
Westminster Presbyterian Church in
Ottawa after more than 46 years of
service.