There may be more parts to this Chapter as it is all about the old pulpit revisiting road tour!

It’s hard to fully quantify just how many pulpits I’ve preached in over my lifetime, especially since I’m just an ordained ruling elder but inactive (and have been for over forty years).

In terms of my time as a offspring of the manse, later in life I’ve been invited into the pulpits of eleven of the thirteen congregations (in eight pastoral charges) of my father’s ministry. In fact the only churches I never preached in – Knox Bassano and Gem (in Alberta)!

I myself, while a Certified Student Minister for the PCC, had four Mission Field appointments totaling six congregations (between 1962 & 1966). Furthermore during those school years I also preached in at least three additional churches in Alberta, one in New Brunswick and several in Ontario including Lakefield, Fowler’s Corners, Omemee, Creemore, Dunedin, Hornings Mills & East Notawasaga, St. Andrew’s (Windsor), Knox (Leamington), Guthrie, Oro Central & Oro Station, St. Andrew’s (Huntsville), First (Penetanguishene), St. Andrew’s (Fenelon Falls).

Then there are the numerous congregations that I have been a member of through my many different residences over the years. The ones I actually preached in include: Eastminster in Edmonton, St. Andrew’s (Penticton), Richmond Presbyterian, First (Regina), St. Andrew’s (Saskatoon), Central (Vancouver), First & Callingwood Road (both in Edmonton), Zion (Charlottetown) – I never preached in Rosedale (Toronto), Westminster (Minneapolis), Dayspring (Edmonton), St. Andrew’s (Ottawa) & Knox (Vernon).

But it is under the label or reference point of interim lay minister (including pulpit supply, regular/scheduled Sunday) that the numbers almost jump off the charts:
• BC over the years includes Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Fort St. John, West Vancouver, Summerland, Cranbrook & Creston
• Alberta includes Spruce Grove, Lloydminster & Ganton (in this millennium)
• Saskatchewan, primarily in the 80’s, includes Parkview, Calvin-Goforth, McKercher Drive (all of Saskatoon), Norman Kennedy & St. Stephen’s (both of Regina), St. Mark’s (Moose Jaw), Knox (Briercrest), Knox (Weyburn), St. Andrew’s (Indian Head & Qu’Appelle), Rosetown, St. James (Melfort), St. Andrew’s (Tisdale), St. Paul’s (Prince Albert), Bekevar (Kipling), St. Andrew’s (Moosomin), Knox (Whitewood), North Battleford, Sylvannia, Dore Lake, Beauval, Grenville.
• Ontario includes St. John’s (Bradford), Knox (Van Kleek Hill), St. Paul’s (Hawkesbury), First (Brockville).
• PEI includes The Kirk of St. James & St. Mark’s (Charlottetown), Calvin (Mermaid), Clyde River & Canoe Cove, St. Columba (Marshfield), Murray Harbour Parish, Summerside, & Tyne Valley Parish, Kensington & St. John’s (New London).

The question then arises: How many pulpits would an ordained minister preach in during a life time? Maybe as an interim lay minister, one actually gets to meet more of the church? And how many of those were smaller congregations that ordained teaching elders (i.e. ministers) shied away from? And, thus how many are now just history?

Perhaps I should mute my biting criticism of the PCC – after all it permitted and at times actually encouraged/invited a sinner into the pulpit – maybe even their First Sinner (according to some of their pronouncements, especially the Presbytery of Edmonton which de-certified me as a Student Minister and then falsely tried to take me out of the pulpit for good early in this millennium)!! In any event, stay tuned, I will give some updates as the tour unfolds…

Reflectively
g.w.