As I enter my 30th year in service in the inner city of Winnipeg, it is becoming easier for me to reflect upon how God’s call for me to enter and continue in diaconal ministry was a perfect match for the gifts that our Creator had granted me.
But it wasn’t a straight line. I was first a Grade 4 school teacher in rural Saskatchewan, then worked for a large pharmaceutical company as a medical representative. And then my minister mentioned Ewart College to me, which in the 1970s was our denomination’s college for training women and men for a life in the field of professional Christian education.
God knew what and where He wanted me to be. I was trained to work in a church setting, so I sent about 75 resumés to larger churches in our congregation. I received no interest at all. But an opportunity came up to work not in a church but at an inner city mission in Winnipeg. Even though it wasn’t really the kind of work I was trained for, I accepted it because it involved working with children and it was back in the West, a day’s journey from Regina, my home.
God knew that He had given me a gift for hospitality. One of the first things I noticed when I came to work at Flora House was the transient nature of the people who lived in the neighbourhood. It didn’t take very long before God was using me to welcome people, to help them feel comfortable, affirmed and safe. I love to tease in my style of humour. The pleasant put-down type of humour is the aboriginal fashion. I, therefore, was able to smile and laugh with new First Nations friends. We joked and built relationships together.
God knew that my first passion was to teach children. I was taught at Ewart to train teachers. The work at Flora House was after school, which made it nearly impossible to get people to come in and run programs. This meant that staff were planning and directing programs for between 60 and 80 children. There was lots of hands-on work for me to do. I also recognized that people in the surrounding community needed assistance with some basic needs such as food and clothing. Therefore, a clothing room and food bank was opened for the community. This outreach required sensitivity and warmth in the manner that it was operated.
In 2003, the boards of Flora House and Anishinabe Fellowship Centre amalgamated. The two missions joined to form the Winnipeg Inner City Missions of the Presbyterian Church. This move allowed the staff of both missions to share their talents and gifts. I became the program director, responsible for the various programs at both locations. Eleven months ago, WICM opened a third facility just south of Anishinabe Fellowship Centre.
Anishinabe Place of Hope is the first one of its kind in Canada. It is a 20-suite residence for single men and women aged 30 to 55. They receive provincial employment and income assistance and have dealt with any addiction and judicial problems in their pasts. All residents must indicate that they are eager to return to work. They sign a contract to be part of WICM’s First Steps to Employment Project, a pilot program to help people understand the things that have kept them from gaining employment. They also receive counselling and encouragement from our parish social worker, who is in charge of the program.
In this building, we also offer a drop-in service of coffee, fellowship, and monthly food assistance. Counselling and medical support are provided by our parish social worker and parish nurse, spiritual assistance by our outreach minister, and spiritual emergencies are handled by our pastor.
Throughout the summer of 2007, God was calling WICM’s executive director to take a reflective look at her gifts and mine. After a discussion with me, we agreed that with my gift of hospitality and educational expertise, my title and job description would be changed to outreach minister/education consultant.
As I’ve worked with this new job title, I realized that, except for the hospital visiting, I’ve been doing most of it all the while that I’ve been working as a diaconal minister. I also believe that it’s a ministry that is a throwback to the calling of the early deaconesses. It’s a service of advocacy for people who are trying to adjust to the life and challenges found in a large city. It’s help for people who are struggling for identity in an environment of poverty, and it’s companionship for the sick and dying. I’m also helping in the same manner that I remember the deaconess who started the first church I was associated with led worship service and recruited membership. I help provide worship leadership, I work with teachers, and I examine educational materials. My ministry is all about service with a smile.
