Job Opportunity: Incumbent

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Centered in Christ Jesus and led by the Holy Spirit, the St Alban’s congregants strive to embrace change and new ideas that nurture a diverse array of spiritual needs. While remaining committed to Anglican and Lutheran worship traditions, we also seek to satisfy the spiritual hunger of a younger generation through fresh expressions. We are a good work-in-progress in celebrating diversity and becoming a welcoming place for all. To this end, steps toward an intentional hospitality program are currently underway. Rooted in faith and anchored in the Anglican and Lutheran tradition, we are active and engaged in reaching out to the wider community.

St. Alban’s is located at the foot of Main Street and Water Street on the shores of the majestic Lake of the Woods. It has been a focal point in Kenora’s downtown district for more than one hundred years. This location is our center for worship, outreach programs and community services.

The current church building was erected in 1917 and is built in a gothic style from local granite. The building is accessible and well maintained with an exterior renovation in 1995 and major interior remodeling in 2017.

We are financially viable but realize that this could change in the foreseeable future.  A comprehensive Stewardship program is planned for the fall of 2024; this plan, along with fundraising endeavors, is expected to carry our financial viability forward.

St. Alban’s was the former cathedral church in the Diocese of Keewatin. When that Diocese closed in 2014, and the new Diocese of Mishamikoweesh was formed, St. Alban’s joined the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, retaining the honourary title of “Cathedral” as part of its name, even though it is no longer the cathedral of the Diocese.

Our liturgy is both traditional (BCP) and contemporary (BAS) and we have implemented innovations to be inclusive and user-friendly.

As the doors of Bethesda Lutheran Church closed, this parish was blessed with their decision to choose St Alban’s as their new home. The inclusion of Lutheran prayers and hymns in liturgies enriches our overall worship experience.

Current challenges revolve around an ageing and declining congregation. Despite this reality, we are blessed with energy and enthusiasm.  Our new priest will need to offer leadership that nurtures the sense of community that has been developed. Perhaps our greatest challenge is exploring and discovering what is needed to become an irresistible place of worship and ministry for all. We recognize that this requires an openness to new possibilities.  

Applications for this position will be received until 4pm on Thursday, August 1^st, 2024. For further information and the full application package, contact The Rt. Rev. Geoff Woodcroft, Bishop of Rupert’s Land at bishop@rupertsland.ca .