Almost a year to the day after Holy Trinity in Edson confirmed its new identity as a shared Anglican-Lutheran ministry, it celebrated the induction of the first full-time rector to oversee the combined work. Representatives of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada signed an Ecumenical Shared Ministry Agreement on November 1, 2018. On Saturday, November 2, 2019, both groups were present to celebrate the licensing of the Rev. Johnny Pooten.
To Rev. Pooten, the service is an important marker for the parish:
“It reminds both the pastor and the congregation of their unity as they journey together in caring and shepherding the needy in their community. My limited knowledge of being commissioned as new Rector/Pastor of the Holy Trinity Parish was more than I could imagine. The weight of responsibility from the word of God that puts me into this new ministry is indescribable and yet with full of hope, encouragement and joy.”
And it reminds him of the wisdom he has encountered in rural ministry.
“I was once told by a farmer that one of the criteria of a good Priest/Pastor is the quality of care they do for their sheep. He had the experience of selling the cattle he raised and the buyer would always ask about the health of his cows before they bought one. The quality of the cow reflected the kind of care he had for his animals. He continued to say that as a Priest/Pastor, you wear a lot of hats, but the most important thing is to determine the way you care for the souls under your charge. To me, this is one of the most brilliant encounters I had, relating the work of a farmer and what they do for a living with how a Priest should consider shaping the spiritual growth of the flock entrusted to his care.”
Holy Trinity is the combined ministry of the former St. Catherine’s Anglican parish in Edson, and Grace Lutheran Church. Services are held at 10:00am on Sundays; first and second Sundays at St. Catherine’s, third and fourth at Grace, and fifth Sundays, when they occur, at St. Columba-McLeod Peers.