Message from Bev Buckingham
Interim Supply Pastoral Care Minister
November 2022
This message was submitted by Ministry and Personnel to Welcome Bev Buckingham, who herself has provided much of the background information for this article.
We are pleased to report that Bev Buckingham has joined the Parkdale staff, as of November 1, 2022, as a part-time interim Supply Minister of Pastoral Care. Bev will be with us until a permanent replacement can be found to replace Alcris’s position of Pastoral Care Minister.
Bev is a United Church of Canada Recognized Designated Lay Minister (DLM)-Retired. Bev started her career with the United Church of Canada in 1984 and has vast experience from a number of calls at various churches across Ontario. Bev has been providing Supply Ministry in a number of churches since she retired in 2017.
Bev is no stranger to some in our congregation as she ministered at Parkdale from 1990-1994, early in her career. She was ministering to our Youth, Children & Young Families then. I have fond memories of Bev from that time.
Bev describes herself as follows:
I am a retired DLM who likes herself and enjoys others. My strengths include the ability to talk to almost anyone (either initiating the conversation or responding to another); a genuine liking of people; the ability to “think well on my feet” and to be able to share ideas in a brainstorming manner as well as building them into successful programs with room to accommodate the ideas and needs of all those involved. I enjoy crafting Sunday morning worship in collaboration with others and using my weekly opportunities to meet and chat with congregational members to help inform the service content. I enjoy meeting congregants in their homes and getting to know them and listening to their life stories as well as offering prayer and comfort to those in need.
Bev goes on to describe her time at Parkdale from 1990-1994:
I spent 4½ years in ministry at Parkdale in the early 90’s and enjoyed my time with you offering leadership with the volunteers in your church school programs and midweek groups.
I have wonderful memories of time spent with your children and young people, notably the travel and exchange trips that the youth put together and their creative ways of raising funds for their activities. One example is the ski trips that they organized taking a small percentage of fees and rentals and getting to enjoy skiing while putting money away for fun of their own – they completely financed a trip to Mont Tremblant the Christmas I was leaving – my last outing with them. I have fond memories of little children who I have reencountered over the years as adults and adults whose memories have stayed with me as I look back on activities with other “young women” (we were in our 40’s!) in study and social settings – meals prepared together, out-reach projects completed and service provided through a wide variety of activities. I walked with some through illness and grief and shared joyful moments with so many.
It has been a privilege to serve all of the communities of faith that I have been part of over the years and I continue to be guided by the Spirit as I follow God’s call into new opportunities to provide leadership and comfort, support and encouragement.
Bev lives in Kemptville. She has two daughters, Erin and Shannon, who were teenagers when they were at Parkdale in the early 90’s.
Bev, welcome to Parkdale! We are so pleased that you are back at Parkdale while we search for a permanent Pastoral Care minister.
Blessings to you as you join the Parkdale family in this interim period.
Submitted by Judy Hamley,
Chair of the Ministry & Personnel (M&P) Committee
