Knowing that his work as Church Treasurer is vital to the organization, and makes a difference in the community, is satisfying, even fun, Says Allan Davis. Committed to Trinity’s success, to live into the faith the congregation professes, he believes that fiscal responsibility and accountability are of paramount importance. With the kind of outreach that has happened within the organization, it takes a detail oriented brain and ethical conscience to keep it all straight. Allan provides that.

With his eyes on the bottom line and his desire to be about God’s work, he estimates that Trinity United Church is surviving and will continue to thrive as it works through this pandemic, due to the outstanding generosity of its members. Having been present for every virtual service during the pandemic, Allan sees the value of continuing to offer an online presence, and in particular make the Sunday worship services available live on the internet even after the danger of the virus has passed. He has already volunteered to learn a new skill set to help make this happen.

It might be the influence of her husband Steve, and his life long work in journalism that encouraged her, but for many years Brenda has been writing a little report for the local newspapers about the Trinity church service. She is always careful to name the people who take part, knowing how much children (and adults) like to see their names in print. What folks might not know is that this act of communicating is usually done from a distance!

Long before the congregation began to meet by zoom during COVID-19, Brenda listened to recordings of the service, scanned the bulletins for detailed information, and wrote a report accordingly. It was quite a commitment to undertake this task every week. She is doing her little part to extend the mission of the church to the wider community.

That kind of commitment fits into her regular routine of keeping in touch. Lyme has left her with limited mobility, now relying on her husband to get her to the places she loves.That character has become the backbone of her life. Trinity is very grateful to Brenda for supporting as she is able, from a distance and is proud to call her a woman on a mission.

After returning to Pictou County in 2015 with adventure still in her soul, Cathy was looking for something to occupy her. She and Dave both went to the initial meeting of Pictou County Safe Harbour at the Wellness Centre that September, and that evening was the genesis of life changing activity. With the first wave of Syrian refugees, Cathy started helping with English instruction, then setting up houses for newcomers and eventually helping the teens with homework. Her work naturally moved to the places her skill set could support, and soon she was helping young people apply for student loans so the they could attend university and helping with some newcomers apply for citizenship. Dave taught three of the newcomers how to drive and has helped with moving the families, numerous times.

Although she never thought of herself as a part of the congregation at Trinity, suddenly the way this church reached out to welcome and support the newcomers and the community at large was affecting her. Trinity people were becoming her family. Five years have passed since that first meeting and now the habit of dropping in and chatting with Lynne and Donna seems as natural as it once seemed strange. “Being involved with the PCSH volunteers and newcomers has definitely enriched our lives” says Cathy. “We have found our community, our church, and our family here.”

Matthew, the gospel writer was on to something when he recorded so many examples of Jesus living out his faith by feeding and eating with the people. When you break bread with others around your table, both body and soul are being fed. The theological rationale is not hard to follow. Perhaps that is why feeding people is so important in many communities of faith.

It was to relieve the sense of isolation Elaine Russell felt while providing full time care to her aging mother that brought her to the Shepherd’s Lunchroom, a community soup kitchen that has been hosted for a couple of decades by Trinity United Church in New Glasgow. Though many would have sought other ways to find respite, Elaine quickly discovered that joining with like minded individuals and knowing what she did mattered, offered the perfect outlet for her energy. She quickly put to use the 18 years of experience as Food Services Supervisor at the Aberdeen Hospital, as it wasn’t long before some quick thinking volunteers asked her to take over as coordinator and eventually to Executive DIrector. The operation is so seamless and involves so many community, business and church groups in Pictou County that it might have been easy to take it for granted.

You may recognise Eoin Dewar. He generously offers his talents to our community through the ministry of music, so his face and voice are familiar to us. What you see, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. He has more depth and understanding of vulnerable sectors in our world than one might imagine and he’s not afraid to speak his truth to anyone who engages in the conversation. Once married and father to three wonderful children, Eoin identifies as a gay man. That is his truth but that is not his whole identity. Eoin believes that once you listen to the stories of people’s lives, especially the challenging ones, your whole perception can be altered. He was challenged personally after a heart attack, which brought into focus the gaps in health care and his own mortality, but he has had other experiences that altered his world view.

He is well aware that he’s a product of white privilege. At one point in time he claimed to not be racist, but he has grown to understand that his life’s work includes challenging his assumptions, those learned in a privileged childhood in Cumberland and Pictou counties. Raised in a kind and loving family, Eoin is one of two sons born to Rev. Edgar and Marjorie Dewar. He speaks fondly of his early years, yet has come to realize how comforts and conscience are sometimes at odds with each other. His adult life provided many opportunities for growth and advocacy. When asked if religion needs to be political, Eoin answered, “Everything is political! We make conscious choices but sometimes we do not understand the consequences of the choices made. Do you think Canadians realize the working conditions of the people working in the Maquiladoras, not to mention living conditions or the implications of profit in water or silver to the people of Guatemala? Communities have been massacred for greed and profit and its the Indigenous populations that have been wiped out. Blatant environmental racism happens all around the world. It's happening right now in Digby County.”

On a Sunday morning, you might wonder where the projection is coming from.

Behind the computer, in the front row of the balcony, you might see Jane Cameron, cuing the videos, or advancing the slides.

Using a screen for worship words and images is not a new thing to Trinity. Jane was part of a team from Trinity who attended a workshop on new ways to worship back in the early 90’s. She remembers pondering the idea about the “world wide web” in those early days and wondering how it might be used to enhance worship.

Projecting images and words so people would lift their heads up out of a book brought new life to Sunday morning, expanding the possible resources available and the way the congregation interacts with them.

Not so much interested in committee work, but fascinated by team work, Jane is quick to volunteer for anything that will keep her church moving in a forward direction.

The possibilities open to us with virtual worship are another new territory to explore, and Jane is ready.

For Kailee and Thiv, meeting new people is second nature. Their circle of friends has grown at breakneck speed, and includes people of many cultures and races, ages and ethnicity, long time residents and newcomers. Their home has become a place of welcome and an extension of their offices. Their cars have made many trips to “the city” in support of friends and in satisfying a need for a bigger place to hang out every once in a while.

That youthful energy has been a great gift in the employment world. Currently, Kailee works with the Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network in rural resettlement and Thiv is Director of Community Development for the town of New Glasgow. Busy as they are, both find time to volunteer at Trinity and serve on committees in their areas of interest. They have brought a ray of light into our congregation and on Sunday mornings, by zoom or in person, they can be found taking their place among us. They are definitely a part of the family, and we are the richer for it.

Often, it’s her infectious laugh that can be heard in the halls of Trinity Church. Before long though, on any given day, the sound of beautiful music fills the air and you know that Karen Crowley is doing what she loves. Karen began taking music lessons at the age of five and clearly remembers dreaming that one day she would be a famous piano player. With a laugh, she adds, “I also dreamed I’d be a church organist! How geeky is that?” Some people might think “geeky” but more likely, Karen is recognized as one who uses her gifts and talents as her calling, an expression of her spirituality.

Her formal education includes many years of training at piano, and receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University and Master of Music degree in Piano Performance (Accompaniment and Chamber Music) from the University of Western Ontario in London ON. She is part of the staff at Trinity, but Karen has been employed in several other congregations, in various capacities, grounding her in congregational participation and involvement, making her a natural leader for church music.

Being the Director of Music at Trinity church is her main gig, but she’s a musician in demand. In these parts, she is famous! Much admired for being prepared and professional she brings a level of competence to accompaniment, directing, teaching and solo work. Karen works with a variety of groups, including the choir and music teams at Trinity. She accompanies the Carillon Singers, and for the past few years, the singers in the annual Rotary show. She is really in her element when she and some other musician get lost in the beauty and art of making music together.

It is not unusual to find Lynne’s desk littered with receipts, or invoices, or immigration paperwork, as she sorts through the details to be certain the money is accounted for, the paperwork is properly filed, the information is stored where it can be easily retrieved for future reference. Often, in the midst of it all, Lynne comments about the overwhelming generosity of the people of Trinity, saying the response to requests for help are often “mind blowing”. None of us could have known how much the work of Safe Harbour would impact the role of the church administrator. Being able to do her part though, far beyond the job description or expectations, has been an essential piece of its success. Her response to that work is that “it is fulfilling to be able to help in a concrete way in a global crisis”. Assisting newcomers as they settle into our community and supporting the volunteer efforts of many of our congregation members in that endeavor, has been a privilege.

Our minister remembers that on her first day here, Lynne said “It is my job to make your job easier.” No truer words have been spoken. Certainly, our minister and our music director would be far less efficient and the workplace would be far less pleasant without her collegial support. The church treasurer would say the same. She just knows where everything is, and if she doesn’t have the facts in her head, she knows exactly where to find them. Trinity is proud and fortunate to have a person who approached the work of administration as a ministry in itself.

Knowing that food and friendship are essential parts of Christian hospitality, makes it easy for Rod Stevenson to continue to give back to the community in that way. Rod is among the regular volunteers in a ministry called “Helping Hands”. An outreach project, shared with neighbouring churches, is designed to offer a hand to folks in need. The program encourages deep listening, careful consideration of the request and a little financial help for a few groceries.

Rod says that being in a position to help, having the opportunity to do so, is really rewarding. It is but one of the ways that members of the congregation of Trinity United are able to exercise their beliefs. Physical exercise supports good health, but so do acts of kindness and generosity. His support of this and many other ministries of Trinity United church is palpable.

An image offered by Sue noting the statistics for global refugees continue to rise at alarming rates, is that “the world is hemorrhaging.” Moved by the poignant image of little Alain Kurdy washed up on the beach, Sue eased naturally into a vital and vibrant role in refugee sponsorship. Having complementary personalities has been a great thing for this couple and for the community. Sue’s warm heart has earned her the title “Mama Sue” in the Syrian community who now call New Glasgow home. Bruce is supportive of her emotional investment and contributes his own good judgement and wisdom to be sure decisions and responses are best for all.

A highlight of the CBC’s production of an episode of their national program, Land and Sea, was filmed in the fall of 2019, in New Glasgow at Trinity. It shared the story of refugee resettlement. The congregation and the community organization it supports, Safe Harbour, were featured.

For our faith to continue to be relevant in this divisive and challenging world, the MacIntoshs are adamant that we must continue to find ways to put our faith into action. This calling demands of us an outward vision, looking beyond our church walls.