The Record sent a handful of questions to each nominee for moderator of the 2014 General Assembly. They took some time during the busy Advent season to respond by email. Here is Rev. Stewart Folster’s response in full.
I hope we will have many opportunities to get to know one another. I was raised by my paternal grandparents on a small Ojibwa Reserve in Manitoba. My grandfather was a church elder in the Anglican church on our reserve and we attended the worship service with him every Sunday. On some Sundays, I remember that there were only four of us in church (the minister, my grandparents, and myself). However, the young minister (Captain David Gray), could relate really well with the young people and he kept us interested in the faith and on the right path. He had a four point charge and was able to provide joint programs for the youth from all four charges.
I studied Physical Education at the University of Manitoba and minored in Native Studies and my goal was to become a Phys-Ed teacher, however, the science requirements in that faculty was more than I could handle and I dropped out after four years of study and began to look for full time work. I managed to find work at the Winnipeg Friendship Centre, as a recreational director of their evening programs. However, the funding for that program ran out, and I found myself out of work and out of school in the fall of 1981. But God was looking for me. And so he sent the director of the Anishinabe Fellowship Centre, in Winnipeg, to the Friendship Centre in search of someone who would be willing to work with the inner city youth and assist in their after school programs. I had no idea what God had in mind! I didn’t know how to run Bible studies or how to write prayers but I knew how to direct recreational programs and how to play the guitar for the Sunday school teacher.
God was patient with me and he sent me a faithful wife (Terry), who had studied theology at Presbyterian College [in Montreal]. She was able to tutor me in Presbyterianism and in Bible study and in sermon writing. So, after a lot of prayer and support from Terry and from my good Christian friends at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, I decided to begin my studies in Theology in 1990.
The theme I would choose, if I am elected moderator, would be Spirituality. My grandfather, Jim Folster, taught me a lot about spirituality. He taught me that it is ok to follow the spirituality of my ancestors and to follow Christ at the same time. I don’t believe in blending the two faiths. I follow them equally and at the same time and I see no reason why I should do anything differently. Of course, it does help to be First Nations, I think. If I am elected, maybe I can say more about that on my travels.
The ministry that I am mostly interested in or drawn to, is Native Ministry. I feel that I have to be connected to Native Ministry in some way, in order to feel spiritually complete. My passion is Native Spirituality and how that can be an added strength to the healing balm that Christ has to offer. My people have been on a tough journey in the last 600 years, and I think it is time to turn things around for them.
My vision for the church would be to have many strong and healthy Native leaders in the church and to eventually have strong and self-sustaining Native congregations. We need to walk our journey of faith together, not just First Nations and Caucasians, but Koreans and Afro-Canadians, and all nations. But hey, I don’t have all the answers! I don’t know how we are going to do this. I just know that it has to happen. And we have to work together in order to make it happen.
The last thing I would like to say to the Church is something that I read somewhere. If you think you have no purpose in life, think about this: the greatest purpose in life is to bring people to Jesus Christ. Through kindness, love, sharing, friendship, prayer, through small gestures that show you care, through whatever it takes, bring people to Jesus Christ.
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