St. Luke's - Notice of Ministry Opportunity

Notice of Ministry Opportunity in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land
Full Time Incumbent
St. Luke’s Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba

St. Luke’s Parish is located at 130 Nassau Street North in the Fort Rouge area of the City of Winnipeg. Fort Rouge is a mixed community of both wealth and poverty, but the Church itself is a “destination church” with parishioners located across the city. It has a total of 671 persons on the Parish roles. Average Sunday attendance is approximately 125, with about 20 attending the 8:15 service and just over 100 at the 10:30. The Parish was created in 1897, and the church itself, which is built in a traditional processional style with an east-facing altar, was constructed in 1904.

Three surveys and two parish meetings over the past year showed that St. Luke’s parishioners:

strongly embrace the Christian beliefs contained in the creeds and the liturgy;
identify a sense of God’s peace in their hearts, and their individual spiritual journeys, as the most important things that they realize from church attendance;
see the act of worship – communion, prayer, and the worship of God – as the most important aspect of their church lives, enabling them to live compassionately and peacefully;
value the way tradition, music and the setting provided by the building enhance the quality of their worship; and,
value and support the outreach and mission activities of the Parish as an essential part of what they do.

As a whole, the Parish sees itself as socially and theologically “moderately liberal,” accepting of gender equality and gays and lesbians, but being moderate in its advocacy of social causes, focusing rather on worship and the sacraments.

The Parish’s goals are:

To continue to celebrate the mystery and majesty of God through formal and dignified worship and the best Anglican musical repertoire.
To provide the worship experience that enriches our lives.
To continue to combine the best of the old and the new in liturgy in ways that provide for our spiritual needs.
To maintain an accomplished choir and musical tradition.
To continue our Mission and Outreach work.
To bring children and young people into our church community, introduce them to Anglican worship, and give them the opportunity to participate fully in the life of the Parish.
To preserve and upgrade our building.
To resolve our financial problems.
To enhance pastoral care for parishioners.
To increase the size of our congregation.
To provide educational opportunities for the Parish and the community.

Overall, the Parish places a high value on a dignified liturgy which embodies the traditional features of Anglican worship, including the sung liturgy and processional styles that are consistent with the architecture of St. Luke’s. Through a long history of liturgical experimentation, the Parish has developed a delicate balance between new and old liturgical practices that accommodates the spiritual needs of all its members, and parishioners overwhelmingly support the continued use of both pp. 185 and 230 of the BAS in their worship services. While most parishioners prefer the high altar to the nave altar, both a high altar and nave communion rail are used at the Eucharist and parishioners strongly support the continued use of both to accommodate individual preferences.

The parish seeks an Incumbent who would lead the Parish in the following ways.

Gives priority to worship matters, and is committed to achieving a high level of reverence, dignity, energy, quality and meaning in our worship practices with thoughtful and challenging sermons, maintaining balance between traditional and modern liturgical practices.
Seeks new ways to attract and involve children and youth into the life and worship of the Parish.
Desires to maintain and encourage the English cathedral style of music that is a hallmark of worship at St. Luke’s parish.
Supports the Mission and Outreach work, including the local expression of this as it relates to the Tuesday ‘muffin’ hospitality.
Develops a strong pastoral care program for all of our parishioners, particularly those in need.
Supports Christian education for both adults and children.

You will possess the following specific training, skills and experience:

Sound theological education that has been augmented by a continual commitment to further education and spiritual development.
Good administrative and management skills.
Ability to provide strong, collaborative leadership, including good communication skills and the ability to relate to all members of the parish, including youth and seniors.
A desire to love the members of this parish and embrace its challenges and strengths.

Interested persons may request a complete parish profile and the procedure for making an application from:

The Bishop’s Office
935 Nesbitt Bay
Winnipeg, MB R3T 1W6
204-992-4212 or e-mail: ssuppes@rupertsland.anglican.ca

The deadline for receipt of applications for the position of Incumbent of St. Luke’s, Winnipeg, has been extended to 12:00 noon, January 8, 2010.