Joy in the Journey
Shared Ministry in the Upper St. John River Valley
Following is a description of the process of developing a shared ministry
for the Upper St. John River Valley, written by the parish clergy who facilitate the endeavour: the Rev. Deacon Fran Bedell, the Rev. Bonnie (Bonita) LeBlanc, the Rev. Bob LeBlanc and the Rev. Amanda Longmoore. (Photos of Ms. Bedell, Ms. LeBlanc and Mr. LeBlanc appear here. A photo of Ms. Longmoore was unavailable.)
In the beginning …
Bishop Claude Miller called a clergy team together and asked: “Is a shared ministry possible in this region? If it is, how could it happen, and what would it look like?” We thought it was possible and likened the process to weaving a cloth or making a patchwork quilt.
As we find our way, it looks like four clergy serving five parishes:
• the Rev. Deacon Fran Bedell, with a long-time ministry in Edmundston (Parish of Madawaska);
• the Rev. Amanda Longmoore, brought from the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to the Parish of the Tobique;
• the Rev. Bonnie LeBlanc, moved from the Parish of Kingston to the Parish of Andover;
• her husband, the Rev. Bob LeBlanc, moved from the Parish of Central Kings to Denmark, Madawaska and Grand Falls.
The bishop gave us the mandate to design a plan for shared ministry. We began that journey in May of this year. It is unique to this area. We are pioneers. We share a vision of re-connection with the diocese, with other communities within our cluster, and with wider communities.
What we look like …
In addition to four clergy in five parishes:
• we have 10 regularly used church buildings;
• we measure about 150 kilometres end-to-end, from Edmundston to Perth-Andover.The Rev. Bonnie LeBlanc
• we cope with the issues and influences of our rural/agricultural/seasonal nature.
Conversation and commitment are the foundation of community, they strengthen, change and transform. Individuals and congregations come together to build a sense of community … ours is a work in progress.
