Get to know our Minister, the Rev. Laura T. Kavanagh
I seek to passionately participate in God’s radical love for the world through a meaningful relationship with others. I see my ministry through a lens of connection – a living web. I bring all that I am to ministry – my Canadian identity, my socio-political history, my family of origin, my life experience, my family, my faith, my hope, my desire.
One of my favourite tasks each week is to prepare services of worship that weave together prayer and praise. I am always looking for innovative ways to intertwine God’s grace-filled message with our attempts at response. The services I plan are thematic, cohesive and balanced; containing elements of the contemporary and the traditional, the contemplative and the expressive, the conventional and the creative.
Preaching is a way for me to make connections between the scripture and life lived; connections between the hopes of the congregation listening in the pews and the gospel message of the Old and New Testaments; connections between local and global issues, between God and the world, between Christ and stumbling follower. My goal is to link the pastoral and the prophetic, the comforting and the challenging, what we live and what we believe. In this way, I believe we can draw together knowledge and experience, faith and the journey.
Learning is so important to the ongoing health and vitality of the community of faith. It is very close to my heart. I approach this task with a sense of exploration – hoping to ask and engage questions – to wrestle with scripture and doctrine as we seek to follow faithfully. To this end, I offer and participate in several study opportunities throughout the year.
As I serve through my presence among the congregation I look forward to hearing the needs and hopes and hurts of each person, to provide counsel and referral and resources. Staying connected involves seeing those who remain unseen at home or in hospital, visiting those unhappy and discontent with the world or the church, knowing those often in the pews and those with infrequent attendance.
My ministry is about the relationship with Jesus, the risen Christ, God’s revelation in Holy Scripture and the action of the Holy Spirit among the gathered community. It is my prayer that as we gather in Christ’s name, accepting God’s love and living God’s love with one another, we will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I am a former teacher with a B. Ed. from the University of Alberta who taught elementary and special needs students for nearly twenty years with Edmonton Public Schools. I served as a ruling elder and in several leadership roles in the church and community before my theological studies at the Vancouver School of Theology. The experience I gained as Representative Elder to Presbytery, Church School Superintendent, and Worship Convener at Dayspring Church in Edmonton, as well as Board Member at Braeside Presbyterian in St. Albert continues to influence and inform my ministry.
I try to serve the church in various capacities as my talents and time allow. In the past, this has included: Synod Executive, the Board of Management for St. Andrew’s Hall, the Vancouver School of Theology Board, and on-call chaplaincy for VIHA. I served on the Presbyterian World Service and Development (PWS&D) national committee for six years. In that time I visited the development and relief work of our church in Guatemala, Malawi, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. I then served as the PWS&D representative to KAIROS.
I am now the Presbyterian Spiritual Care Provider (Chaplain) at the University of Victoria as part of the Multifaith Centre team.
I am married to Steve Sturgess. We have two wonderful adult sons, Tristan and Ian.