My goal as a Christian minister is to work with congregations and individuals as they (and I) continue on our faith journeys. The meaning of “church” continues to change as our society changes, and I really enjoy working with people as they discover what faith means for them today.

To me, faith is more about asking questions than it is about having answers. I help people feel safe enough to ask deep questions.

I came into professional ministry in mid-life, after a successful career in environmental science. For me, the transition from science to ministry was not as difficult as you might expect. Advanced science is actually quite speculative, and the line between fact and belief is often blurred. That is true of our faith too.  

Ministry, of course, offers much better opportunities than science to be with people, and to provide pastoral care in difficult situations. I have learned that I like people more than I like numbers. I find people fascinating.

I love to wonder. For me, “wonder” is usually an invitation to explore a question, rather than an answer. If I ever say to you, “Have a wonderful day”, I do not mean, “have a great day”, I mean that I hope you have a day full of wonder. To me, that is one of the best blessings we can offer each other.

And there are lots of things to wonder about in the church today. How are we to be church? How are we to be with each other? How are we to integrate our faith in responsible ways in our multi-cultural and multi-faith world? What does faith mean to me? To you? To us together? How are we going to walk this journey we call “life” together?

I try to preach to people’s curiosity, not to their ignorance. Preaching often involves some education, but the point is to connect with people in ways that they care about themselves. And that means helping people and congregations as they travel their own journey.

I am an open-minded, caring, creative, organized, and intelligent person. I work well in teams. I respect people. I am a life-long learner.

I am currently the minister at Sydenham-Heritage United Church in Brantford, Ontario.

I enjoy spending time with my family, travel, squash, scuba diving, and bicycling.