RECTOR’S GUEST BLOGSPOT

From: The Rev. Canon Carolyn Tomlin

My husband, the Rev. John Ferguson and I joined the Parish of St. Paul’s in the summer of 2017. We are both retired clergy of the Diocese, he having served the parishes of Alberton, PEI and Eastern Passage, and I in the parishes of Musquodoboit, Arichat with Port Hawkesbury, Western Shore and St. Luke’s Dartmouth.

Many years ago we rented a cottage at St. Peter’s Harbour and loved it so much that we began to dream of buying a property there and spending 6 months in Halifax and six months in the Harbour in retirement. And through the grace of God, it worked! So we freeze from May 1 till June 15 every year, sweat from mid June till late October, then freeze again till we go home at Hallowe’en.

We also needed to find a church family, and naturally gravitated towards St. Paul’s since I knew your Rector John since before he was ordained.  John and Teresa had always been warm and welcoming and we hoped their church was, too.

And of course, it is. We were immediately embraced by you; welcomed, appreciated, and in time invited to take roles in worship. My John covered last summer’s sabbatical leave and will be doing some services later this summer. I cannot do things which require speaking because of past vocal cord damage, but I do function here as a Eucharistic Minister, as does John. We are hoping to be tour guides later in the summer.

Your welcome of us was exceptional. There are congregations where people are too preoccupied to notice the stranger among them. But not you.

There are congregations full of shy, introverted people who do not know how to welcome the stranger, so they don’t.

There are congregations full of desperate people who pounce on newcomers  and cry “Aha! Someone to run the confirmation class!” on the visitor’s first day. But not you.

You gently brought us in, got to know us, brought us alongside and up to speed, all in our own time, and for that we thank you.

Now we have St. Peter’s Harbour to love as home, and St Paul’s as family to love as well. Life is good!