Spirits High as Love South Dundas Ends

 

Baby is a real charmer. She was found tied to a pole. A purebred Pomeranian, about one year old, she is not likely spayed. A timid little girl with lots of love to give, she has a great personality.

 

 

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“When I came here to interview for the Iroquois-Matilda pastoral charge, I just felt welcomed,” said the Reverend Valerie Vande Wiele, who took up her duties in her three point pastoral charge on September 22, 2013. We are sitting in her office in Iroquois United Church.

“When I met the people, heard their stories, learned who they were, I knew that I could walk with these people. It felt right.”

Reverend Valerie has been in Canada since 1996.

She was born in Belgium, “in the south, the French part,” (she is fully bilingual) and spent the first 29 years of her life there: then  she made the decision to immigrate. To come to Canada alone was an important, life-changing decision for her, and one that was not undertaken lightly.

“Immigrating to North America gave me the chance, I believe, to discover who I really was.”

For several years she had worked in a bank in Belgium, in the position of a debt collector.

“It was tough. I feel I was very green at that point in my life, and I needed to grow up. I needed to learn that the world could be a tough place. 

(In my position at the bank) I faced situations, and had to enter into people’s lives as part of dealing with their finances. Confronting the realities of divorce, mental illness, poverty, illiteracy, well, these all made me grow up in a hurry.”

Gradually, these experiences cultivated in her new feelings and attitudes.

“Cemented in my mind was the idea that I wanted to walk with people, to be there for them, rather than extracting money from them.”

She does not regret the time she spent in a difficult job.

“I feel I needed that experience to arrive at where I am today. It taught me compassion and caring and to see there are other points of view. But in that bank position I had to be someone I wasn’t, and that made me unhappy.”

Making a complete break with her old life, and undertaking the “adventure” of immigrating, gave her time to begin the process of finding herself. And as that process continued, what became louder and louder for her was a call to the ministry.

“I settled in Quebec City and studied to be a secretary, working for different companies for five years. But when my last secretarial job ended, I understood that I had just been hesitating, unwilling to make the leap of faith. Losing the job gave me the impetus to start studying for the ministry.”

She earned her bachelor of theology through McGill University, and her Master of Divinity in 2008, from the Montreal School of Theology.

How did the United Church of Canada become her spiritual home?

“I had been raised in the United Protestant Church of Belgium. In Quebec I tried several Protestant denominations, but I ultimately chose the United Church because it was the church, I felt, that allowed me to be who I was. It was the church I felt welcomed me with everything I am, and without judgement.”

She was ordained and served in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and for five years in Richmond.

Although it was a hard decision to leave her Richmond church, she applied to the Iroquois-Matilda pastoral charge, interviewed and was invited by the congregations of Iroquois, Brinston and Hulbert Valley to become their spiritual leader. 

“I am the first minister of this new pastoral combination,” the Rev. Valerie said.

“My view of the ministry is that it is co-operative, minister and parishioners “walking together for the coming of the kingdom.”

I asked her about her hopes for the future.

“We need to cement the new pastoral charge, to build links among the three congregations. Through those links, we can celebrate who we are, respecting our differences. This is a primary goal for me. And we can have fun together,” she added with a laugh.

“A second goal for me is to help people discover and enjoy scripture, to see that scripture is still very relevant today.”

As the Reverend Valerie Vande Wiele settles into her new home, she is very much looking forward to her life in South Dundas.

“I hope to learn from my congregations as I am walking with them. Sometimes, I think, we will walk down some interesting side roads together.”

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South Dundas seniors are finding they have a bit more leisure time on their hands now that the J.W. MacIntosh Senior Support Centre summer student is out and about helping them in their homes/apartments and gardens.

For close to 20 years, the Centre has employed a summer student to roll up his/her sleeves to help seniors with tasks around their home.

This can mean anything and everything from mowing lawns to pulling weeds, to washing windows and performing housework  to a bit of painting.

This year’s student is Sherry-Lynn Harbers, who has just completed her first year at Brock University in St. Catharines where she is studying Recreation and Leisure.

“I heard about this job through my parents, and I thought it would be a good experience because I might work with seniors later on,” said Harbers as she completed some gardening Friday morning at the home of Lillian Noon in Morrisburg. “I also like working outdoors, so it was appealing in that way too.”

A graduate of Seaway District High School, Harbers is hoping to develop her social skills. In addition to dealing one on one with her clients, she works in a group setting at the Adult Day Program which runs on Wednesdays at the Centre in Williamsburg.

“It is nice that what I do is helping them to be on their own in their homes,” says Harbers.

“We’ve had a real variety of students over the years,” says Janet Levere, Executive Director of the Williamsburg Non-Profit Housing Corporation. “Many use the opportunity to gain experience in their selected careers. We’ve had nursing students and some who were studying to be teachers.”

Levere explains the student position is made possible, thanks to a partial government grant and by a donation from the Park Lane Crafters that helps to cover travel costs. “Our student services all of South Dundas, so there is a bit of travel. As well, there is a small charge to the clients of $8 per hour.”

“Gardening tends to be high on the list of seniors’ needs,” says Levere. “But they might want help cleaning out a garage or a basement.”

“We have received some really good feedback from our seniors over the years. In fact, before Sherry-Lynn started in mid-May, we were getting calls asking if we would be having a summer student this year.”

“Sherry-Lynn is a good worker, and she is learning quickly. She is very pleasant, and we always advise our students to leave a little time for a visit or a little chat with the client.”

Now, just a few weeks into the job, Harbers has contacted the seniors who made use of last year’s summer student. She has introduced herself at the Centre’s Day Program and at the Community Meal Program.

Seniors living in South Dundas, who may be interested in getting help with their chores in their homes and/or gardens, are invited to contact Sherry-Lynne at the J.W. MacIntosh Senior Support Centre in Williamsburg at 613-535-2924.

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