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SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, DECEMBER-7, 1978 [Second Section Pages 1A 71 2A]
'77 r".777,T
Ally at once
Fo ur new ministers. in Seaforth area
Since May, four new ministers have
come to the Seaforth area. It's 'a rare
cO-incidence, about as close as we'll come
to a complete turnover in spiritual
leadership. The. Expositor asked freelance
writer Elaine Townshend to talk to' them all
and get their opinions on the area.
By Elaine Townshend
Rev. James Broadfoot. was ordained as a
deacon in the Anglican Church in May and
was sent to the parishes of St. Thomas
Anglican Church, Seaforth and St. Paul's
Anglican Church, Clinton.
Coincidentally, Seaforth is his ancestral
area. His father and grandfather lived
here, and many of the people in his
Seaforth congregation went to school with
his father, William Earl Broadfoot.
Mr. Broadfoot was born in Seaforth, but
his family moved to Stratford when he was
young. He obtained his B.A. ' from
Waterloo University and worked for
several y ears in Goderich, London and
Ottawa before deciding to enter the
Ministry. He received his MaSters of
Divinity degree from Huron College.
London, in April of this year.
ais wife Mary and two children are
residing in Clinton. Having lived in cities
most of his life, he wondered what to
expect from small towns. W. Broadfoot
'has discovered lifestyles are different, and
he feels people are friendlier. ,
"Both parishes (Seaforth and Clinton)
have their own unique characteristics," —he
adds, "and the people have been beautiful
to work with."
• He points to bazaars and suppers'held by
rural churches as examples of how people
work together and how people from
neighbouring communities help to make
the events successful. They show the spirit
of the community and fellowship in the life
and work of the church.
Mr. Broadfoot feels visiting is an
important part of his ministry, especially
with the elderly people of the parishes,
because "the minister brings a sense of the
church into the home."
. Be said attitudesVave changed since the
days the minister was taken into the
parlour. which was only used on special
occasions, Now Er minister sits at the
kitchen table, drinks a 'cup of coffee and
meets the people "where they're at."
People face a whole new set of problems
in today's society. It's important to be aRle
to talk' about these problems, and a
minister is capable of listening.
Family
In rural areas, emphasis is still placed on
family. but in society in general family
relationships are changing, he said.
The Anglican Church recognizes the
need for pre-marital counselling. For.
example. St. MatethewS Church in London
is a centre with a fulltime priest giving
' pre-marital counselling. Rev. Broadfoot
believes married couples can also benefit
from courses, such as "marriage en-
counter" and "marriage enrichments."
Mr. Broadfoot isn't overly alarmed by
the drop in church attendance. The people,
who remain committed to•the church, know
why they remain. For them. church
provides spiritual fulfillment rather than
social fulfillment. He thinks the dee hie in
attendance, has now stopped and an
increase in attendance may soon begin.
Mr. Broadfoot also feels new turns are
being taken in theology, worship and other
aspects of church life, and he is excited to
be in the ministry at this time.
In July, Rev. James, VanSlyke .,b,ecarne
minister of the two point charge of
Northside United Church, Seaforth, and
CaVen United Church, Winthrop.
Originally from DortheSter, Mr.Van-
'slyke obtained his B.A. at Western
University 'in London and studied theolOgy
at the University of Toronto. He served
three years in Manitoba. five Art the
Chatham area and eight in Rodney before
potting to Seaforth. He and his Wife and
Rev. James G.
Vanslyke
son are still finding their way around and
getting to know people, but they have
already discovered the community is
friendly.
The church and society has changed over
the years, Mr. Vanslyke notes, especially
in communities that are becoming more
urbanized, the church is less of a focal
point in many "people's lives. They are
becoming more involved in other organi-
zations. He adds many concerned Chris-
tians are spearheading projects in service
clubs and other organizations as well as
local governments, and he feels "the spirit
of service they bring to their jobs is an
outgrowth or the fruit of their Christian
faith.' '
Fellowship.
Some people are searching for oppor-
tunities for fellowship beyond what they
find at a purely social level, and they find
them in church. Every generation has
people who don't have as much time for the
church, but the ones who remain are the
ones most dedicated to it. he said.
Mr. Vanslyke believes interest in
religion is growing. evidenced by the
immense circulation of modern translations
of the Bible, and renewed participation in
Bible study. The media is airing more
Subjects of a religious nature, such as the
- drama "The Word - shown recently by a
U.S, television network.
He also senses a closer spirt of co-oper-
ation between the different denominations
of the church than existed ten or fifteen
years ago. Worldwide Communion Sunday
is one example of this spirit. In .Seaforth.
4,1
all denominations took part in' the
Remembrance Day service showing Co-op-
eration exists among the churches of this
community as well. '
Families are• becoming smaller, the
minister said. A few years ago many
families consisted of six, seven or eight
children. Now an average, family inchides
one or two children, and some couples are
deciding not to have children. This change
is reflected in the declining number of
children in schools and churches.
Seniors
Senior citizens now make up a large part
of the population. Mr. Vanslyke sees this
trend, which will continue 'for several
years, posing powerful implications for the
church and organizations in the com-
munity, as to what they will focus on and
how they will meet the needs of the
increasing senior citizen population.
Rev. Robert McMullen began his
ministerial duties at Brucefield United
Church and Kippen United Church in
August. Raised in Toronto, Mr. McMullen
received his B.A. from the University of
Waterloo in 071, and for two years, was a
youth worker at St. Paul's United Church.
Orillia. While studying theology at
Emmanuel College in Toronto. he served
as student minister at the Millbank
Pastsoral Charge. 1-le graduated in 1976,
and his first placement was the Boiestown
Pastoral Charge in New Brunswick.
Rev. and Mrs. McMullen and their
one-year-old daughter are living in Brttee-
field. People have been receptive to them,
and this has helped them in getting settled.
A new minister heeds a year's cycle of the
church calendar to ,become familiar with
the habits • and annual events of each
congregation, Mr. McMullen said.
The conoept.of family life in society has
changed but not as drastically in rural
areas as in urban areas. In farming
communities, strong committment to
family responsibility is still necessary;
everyone must carry his or her own share
of the workload in i„ family relationship, he
said.
Mr. McMullen senses a keen interest in
church activities in the Brucefield and
Kippen area, and he sees this as a sign of
both "a sense of committment to famkly as'
well as a sense of committment to the
church and one's faith."
In his training, he found little emphasis
on pre-marital counselling, perhaps
because the church feels the person is
better equipped to help in this field after he
has graduated and has gained experience
in the ministry.
To benefit from pre-marital counselling
a couple must commit a certain length f
time, and Mr. McMullen points out is
probably the last thing an enga couple
thinks about. Usually the minister is not
asked to counsel! a couple until after the
wedding date is set, and he can talk to
them only as time allows.
A minister is expected to be capable as a
counsellor, visitor, pastor and preacher.
Some large churches have come up with
the concept of a team-ministry, in which
one person specializes in each field, but in
rural communities, this is impossible for
financial and personnel reasons. Thus the
minister of a rural charge has a variety of
responsibilitiess Mr. McMullen said.
The most recent newcomer to Seaforth,
Rev. Thomas A.A.Duke of First Presby-
terian Church, Seaforth, and St. Andrew's
Presbyterian Church, Clinton, came to the
area in early September.
Originally from Port Carling in the
Muskoka area, Mr. Duke attended the
University of Toronto and studied theology
at Knox College in Toronto. He has been in
the ministry for thirty-five years serving
sixteen years in the Maritimes, eight years
in New tiskeard in Northern Ontario and
eleven in London.
Rev. and Mrs. Duke have a family of
three; their daughter attends high school in
Seaforth. Mr. Duke says they are "happy
to be here", Moving from the city, they
notice the neighbourliness of the small
town.
He has witnessed many changes in the
church in his 35 years in the ministry. One
was the adoption of contemporary
language in the' church and in church'
worship. Another is the smaller number of
families that attend church as a unit.
Mr. Duke isn't pessimistic about the
decline in church attendance because he
feels the people who attend are the ones
most dedicated to the church.
Many young people used to go to church
because .it was the cultural or social thing
to do or because there was nothing else to
do. Although fewer young people attend
today, Mr. Duke feels those that come are
"more serious about it".. He finds young
married couples and older teens becoming
deeply involved in the church, because it
has becotte a "religibus part of their lives
rather than a cultural or soc01 one."
The church is reaching into the
community in different ways. A recent
phenomenon, for example, is the involve-
ment of some denominations in the owning
and/or operating 'of senior citizens
housing. The church has also become more
involved in the chaplaincy of institutions.
• An aspect of the church, that Mr. Duke
feels is important and that he has worked
toward, is closer co-operation between
denominations. He believes they are closer
now than they were a few years ago, and he
rise's the World Day of Prayer and the
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as two
signs of the growing to-operation among
the denominations of the church
Rev. lames
BrOadfoot
Rev. Robert
McMullen
Rev, Thomas
A.A.Duke
•