Who We Are

Minister – Rev. Amanda Henderson-Bolton

Our Minister is the spiritual and organizational head of the church. She leads worship services and presides during the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. She is the Moderator of the Kirk’s Session, its senior decision making body, and is an ex officio member of all Session committees. As our Teaching Elder she leads select Christian Education activities. Rev. Amanda is our clergy representative on the PEI Presbytery, where she serves as Moderator, and also serves on the Presbyterian World Service and Development committee of the national church. Rev. Amanda is warm, compassionate, pastoral, dedicated, courageous and full of good humour.

Rev. Amanda was born and raised on a farm in rural Nova Scotia. After completing her B.A at St. Stephen University (officially the smallest university in Canada!) she took some time to travel and work overseas. Upon returning home she completed her M.A Theology and M. of Divinity at Acadia Divinity College and then did her final year of study at Presbyterian College in Montreal. Amanda is married to Chad Bolton and together they share the manse with a spoiled golden retriever, a very bossy cat and their son Grayson. While she loves reading, summers on the east coast, and crafting, nothing brings her greater joy than working with the congregation at the Kirk. She has long felt like the luckiest person in the world to get to share daily life with these incredible people.

Church Administrator – Amy Holloway

Amy is the organizational force behind our office, keeping all of the Kirk’s records in order. She prepares correspondence and documents, keeps financial records, answers inquiries from the public, prepares mailings and responds with efficiency and kindness to innumerable requests for assistance from the congregation.

Amy was born and raised in Charlottetown, PEI and graduated from Colonel Gray Senior High School. She then went to New Brunswick Bible Institute to earn a diploma and then to CompuCollege to earn a Diploma in Executive Office and Computer Applications. She started working at the Kirk in April of 2004 and has been blessed to work there ever since. She has been married to her husband, Wayne, for over 20 years and they have three daughters.  Her hobbies include reading, baking, camping and spending time with family and friends.

Director of Music – Frances McBurnie

A remarkably talented musician, Frances is both our Choir Director and Organist, playing our 1957 Casavant Freres’ organ with verve, skill and subtlety and leading our Senior Choir in harmonious songs of praise. Where numbers warrant she leads our Junior Choir as well, instilling a love of music in our youth. She also mentors our Choral Scholars, a number of University of PEI voice students who dedicate time to the activities of our choir while also pursuing their academic studies.

Frances has degrees from Mount Allison and Western Universities. Previous church positions include St. John’s Presbyterian, Belfast, PE, and Sackville United, Sackville, NB. For many years she taught elementary music and intermediate mathematics in the school system. She continues to teach piano, theory, and to collaborate with many artists.

SESSION

Session is the senior decision making body of the church. It is composed of twelve Elders, elected by the congregation, and is chaired by the Moderator, our Minister. Session oversees the general running of the church, ensures that Session committees are functioning well, appropriately resourced and meeting their mandates, approves requests for weddings and baptisms, maintains the membership roll, and provides leadership for congregational events. Members of Session are elected for six year terms, with one third of Session being elected every two years. In addition to serving on Session, Elders, both active (on Session) and those no longer serving on Session, serve Communion, act as ushers during church services, and bring pastoral care needs to the attention of the church leadership.

Elders on Session 2018

Rodney Dekker

Rodney has attended the Kirk since 2011, when he moved to Stratford with his new bride Sharon. He previously had served as an Elder at Summerside Presbyterian. Rodney has worked as a public servant for over 20 years, and enjoys various sports, music and travel.

Linda Evans

Linda was elected to Session in 2018. She and her husband Clint moved from Manitoba to Prince Edward Island 1974. Here their four children were born. In 1985, Linda and Clint transferred membership to the Kirk of St. James where the whole family enjoyed being actively involved for many years – Clint served on many committees and was a member of Session, Linda volunteered in the Sunday School, the Nursery  and the annual Ceilidh. A retired teacher and grandmother to nine, Linda continues to enjoy church involvement, outdoor activities and spending time with her family.

Jocelyne Lloyd

Jocelyne is a member of the Kirk choir, where she has been singing with the contraltos since 1999. She volunteers with the church’s special activities like the Kirk Ceilidh and serving at the Upper Room soup kitchen, and convenes the Worship committee. A newspaper editor by profession, Jocelyne has an honours degree in Journalism from the University of Kings College in Halifax. She attends the Kirk regularly with her husband, Simon, and two teenage children.

Douglas Macmichael

Doug is a retired Orthopaedic Surgeon, retiring back to PEI in June 2015. His training was at Dalhousie and University of Toronto obtaining his fellowship in 1979.

He worked in Charlottetown from 1980 to 1984, Saint John N.B. from 1984 to 2001, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 2001 to 2009, Maine, USA from 2009 to 2011, and finally Hamilton, New Zealand, from 2012 to 2015.

Doug and wife Georgie started attending the Kirk in the summer of 2015. HIs interests involve singing in 4 choirs, learning to play the piano and sports like cycling, kayaking, golf and tennis. He is a member of the Charlottetown Royalty Rotary club and serves on their Board as a Director.

He and Georgie enjoy taking care of their property on Tracadie Bay and look forward to having friends visit.

Georgie Macmichael

Georgie and her husband, Doug, of 47 years, moved back to the Island to retire in 2015. They previously lived on PEI from 1980-1984.

She is a mother of two adult children, Charles (Calgary, AB), and Heather (Budapest, Hungary), one grandson and one new grandchild due in July 2021.

Georgie is a retires teacher of special needs children, worked as an office manager for her husband’s medical practice, and has served as chair of numerous fundraising endeavors over the years. She is presently working part-time taking care of seniors in their homes. She loves her gardens and crafts. Georgie is always glad to lend a helping hand wherever needed.

Glenda Montigny

Glenda is happy to be a newly elected Elder at the Kirk. Her educational background consists of obtaining her RN designation from the PEI School of Nursing in Charlottetown and degrees from the nursing faculties at Grant MacEwan and Athabasca Universities. These led to her becoming a Nurse Educator. She is a mother to four adult children and has eight beautiful grandchildren who bless her life every day.

Jennifer Moss

Biography to be added soon.

Constance Robinson

Constance is a member of Session. When her two girls were younger, she taught Sunday School and served on the Human Resources Committee for the Kirk. Now she enjoys singing in the choir. In addition to family and church activities, she is currently serving with the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

David Robinson

David is a 19 year veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, with service in both the Regular and Reserve forces and serving for much of the period as a Personnel Administration officer. He was for ten years the speechwriter for Commanders of Canada’s Navy and was the navy’s first Heritage Officer. He served for a number of years at Veterans Affairs Canada as a commemoration officer, communications officer, strategic planner and project manager. He has been married for over thirty years and has two adult daughters and a son-in-law. His hobbies include gardening, cooking, art and writing historical fiction.

Tim Rose

Tim worked for over 20 years as a social worker in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. His social work focused on counselling the disabled, indigenous people, cancer patients and their families, veterans and the elderly. In 1997 he came to Prince Edward Island to work as Senior Policy Analyst, in mental health and rehabilitation, with Veterans Affairs Canada. Tim has been married for over forty years and has two adult sons and a daughter-in-law. His interests include music, hiking, gardening, environmental advocacy and writing fiction.

Ian Scott

Ian enjoyed Scouting when he was younger and was recruited as “Hawkeye” for the Beaver group that his sons attended at the Kirk. He serves on Session, as well as the Heritage, Christian Education, and Pastoral Care committees. After retiring from the provincial Department of Education, he started making pottery in the family business, along with three family members. He enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with his grandchildren.

Valerie Toms

Valerie has been a member of the Kirk since 1997. She is a retired math teacher and has been very involved in the lives of her two granddaughters. Now that they are in school she enjoys having more time for activities at the Kirk including helping out at Sunday School and serving as an Elder. Her favourite hobby? – her grandchildren.

Action Clerk of Session – David Robinson

The Action Clerk of Session is an Active Elder and the congregation’s senior lay leader, making sure that the affairs of the Session, the church’s senior decision-making body, are in order. He ensures that Session committees are functioning and provided with necessary support. He helps set the agenda for various church activities and provides support and advice to the Minister, as appropriate. David is also the Elder representative to the PEI Presbytery and serves on the Presbytery’s Ministry committee.

See biography above.

Recording Clerk of Session – Tim Rose

Tim worked for over 20 years as a social worker in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. His social work focused on counselling the disabled, indigenous people, cancer patients and their families, veterans and the elderly. In 1997 he came to Prince Edward Island to work as Senior Policy Analyst, in mental health and rehabilitation, with Veterans Affairs Canada. Tim has been married for over forty years and has two adult sons and a daughter-in-law. His interests include music, hiking, gardening, environmental advocacy and writing fiction.

See biography above.

Committees of Session

Christian Education

The Christian Education committee is responsible for ensuring that the ongoing and evolving educational needs and interests of the congregation are met. It provides a staffed Nursery for children from newborn to three years of age; a Sunday School program for children ages four to twelve; and a variety of learning opportunities for the adults in the Kirk family. Christian Education also ensures that Membership classes are available to teens and adults who wish to profess their faith in Christ and formally join the congregation.

Co-Convener: Adult Christian Education – Ian Scott

See biography above.

Co-Convener: Sunday School Superintendent – David Robinson

David is a 19 year veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy and also worked in a variety of roles for nearly a decade at Veterans Affairs Canada. In his Halifax church he staffed an active Nursery. He and his wife began to teach Sunday School at the Kirk in 2000. After a few years’ break, David began to teach the Kirk Sunday School again in 2017 and is energized and blessed by the children he shares Sunday mornings with.

Mission and Outreach

The Mission and Outreach committee organizes and coordinates our activity in the community. It organizes our Fa!th in Action weekend of community outreach activities each spring; our Community Thanksgiving Dinner, our Christmas outreach programs like Helping Hampers and the Upper Room Gift Bags; and coordinates our monthly provision of a meal at the Upper Room. Mission and Outreach also supports non-recurring events like our recent support for an Iraqi refugee family. Recently, and also falling under the Outreach banner, we have organized a series of workshops at the Kirk where instruction was offered in making Christmas centerpieces, Easter wreaths, rug hooking and rug braiding.

Acting Convener: Mission and Outreach – Michele Coles

Michele was born and raised in Charlottetown. She is the fourth generation of her family to worship at the Kirk. She graduated from Colonel Gray High School and Holland College and worked for a number of years as a legal secretary and then as a home and auto insurance agent. For the past ten years she has been an Administrative Assistant in the public schools system. She taught Sunday School at the Kirk for many years and spearheaded many Mission and Outreach projects as well. She was elected an Elder in 2012 and at the same time became Chair of the Mission and Outreach committee, a role that she continues in at present in an acting capacity. She also serves on the Fellowship committee. Michele is married to Douglas Coles and they have five adult children between them as well as a granddaughter and a grandson. Her interests include yoga, camping, beaching, gardening, biking, travel and volunteering.

Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Care committee provides outreach and support to those in the congregation facing a particular need due to age, infirmity, bereavement or personal hardship. It makes regular visits to members of the congregation living in nursing homes or those who are unable to leave their homes for a variety of reasons. It also celebrates Christmas with shut-ins and marks their birthdays.

Co-conveners: Pastoral Care – Linda Evans and Glenda Montigny

See biographies above.

Heritage

Having a 140 year-old Sanctuary, a century old Church Hall, and nearly 200 years of history as a congregation, means that we have a rich heritage to celebrate and preserve. The Heritage committee supports and encourages an appreciation for the unique architectural heritage of the Kirk; ensures that Memorials are properly recognized; helps to mark special historical dates in the life of the congregation; and assists in the archiving of relevant documentary evidence of the Kirk’s rich collective life.

Convener: Heritage Committee – Ian Scott

See biography above.

Worship

The Worship committee supports the Minister and the Director of Music in planning worship services. It receives and vets suggestions for special services. It ensures that the liturgical colours and banners appropriate to the calendar are displayed in the Sanctuary. The committee also organizes Scripture readers for weekly worship services. It supports work to decorate the Sanctuary for services throughout the year. As appropriate, it supports the Music Director in organizing special music for services like Easter, Remembrance Day, Christmas Eve and during the summer season when the choir is less active.

Convener: Worship committee – Jocelyne Lloyd

See biography above.

Fellowship

The Fellowship committee organizes a roster of hosts for the Kirk’s post-worship fellowship time. It also organizes and hosts three congregational lunches each year; one to mark the annual congregational meeting in February, one to celebrate the Fa!th in Action weekend in June; and one in December held in connection with the visit of Santa Claus. The committee hosts the Kirk Levee, held on December 31st. This committee also organizes the purchase and display of memorial poinsettias in the Sanctuary each Advent season.

Convener: Fellowship committee – Barbara MacNevin

Barbara (Worth) MacNevin was born in Charlottetown, and attended local schools and Prince of Wales College. She graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Secretarial Certificate in 1961, and from UPEI with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1978. She taught at Prince of Wales College for nine years, and for the last 25 years of her teaching career, she worked at the intermediate school level with students with learning difficulties. Barbara transferred her membership to the Kirk from St. Paul’s Anglican church when she married her husband David in 1968. She has served in the Kirk church school, and is currently active in the Senior Choir, Presbyterian Women, and the Fellowship Committee.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN

The Presbyterian Women have a long history at the Kirk. In 1972, the Association of Presbyterian Women of Saint James (the Presbyterian Women), was formed by the amalgamation of the Women’s Missionary Society and the Kirk Auxiliary, which was itself made up of a number of constituent sub-groups. The association pursues both mission work and a variety of initiatives which are designed to support the life and community of the Kirk. It is represented within the PEI Presbyterial of the Atlantic Mission Society, and hosts an annual Mission Awareness Sunday at the Kirk. It organizes the annual Kirk Ceilidh fundraiser, donating much of the proceedings to the Management Committee of the church. The Presbyterian Women provides refreshments following some funerals and after events like the Royal Commonwealth Day Service which is traditionally held at the Kirk. The association keeps in touch with senior and shut-in members through telephone calls, visits and greeting cards. They welcome newborn members of the congregation with gifts. They are an integral part of the Kirk family.

President: Presbyterian Women – Christy Ashby

Christy was born in St. Lambert (south shore of Montreal), Quebec, and attended St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church growing up. She became a registered nurse, training at The Montreal General Hospital and worked at The Montreal Children’s Hospital until her husband Dave and she moved to PEI in 1977. They started to attend the Kirk, where they both became Elders. They have 3 children, all living in PEI, and 9 grandchildren. Christy has taught Sunday School, was the Sunday School Superintendent for a number of years, has served on many church committees including Session, and is active in the Senior Choir.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Management committee and its sub-committees are responsible for financial management, property and human resource matters within the Kirk. They ensure that offerings are accounted for, bills are paid, staff are compensated, building maintenance is done and personnel matters are professionally managed. The Management committee also oversees any rentals or leases of the Kirk property.

Chair: Management Committee – Philip Champion

Philip has been a member of the Kirk for over 20 years, and chair of the Management Committee for several years. He grew up in the Presbyterian Church in Kensington. His day job is as a medical oncologist at the QEH. He appreciates the spirituality, fellowship and atmosphere of the Kirk, its great music, and the challenge of looking after an historic building as a member of the Management Committee.

Treasurer — Wayne McMillan

Wayne retired from his role as President and CEO of HR Associates Inc. (now known as HR Atlantic Inc., a leading labour relations and human resource consulting firm serving clients throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond), in 2013, after having started the company in 1997. Prior to that, Wayne served as a Deputy Minister with the Province of Prince Edward Island for almost ten years following his service in several senior positions in Education and Treasury Board, a public service career that lasted twenty three years before moving on to his private sector career. Wayne has served on a variety of charitable organizations and is a retired Elder and Management Committee Chair at the Kirk. He is the Treasurer at the Kirk, a role that he has served in for over forty years.

Human Resources committee

This committee directly oversees the work of all Kirk employees, with the exception of the Minister. Members of the committee meet at least once a year with all employees to review job performance and address their concerns, needs and aspirations.

Chair: Human Resources committee – Constance Robinson

See biography above.

Property committee

The property committee deals with both ordinary and extraordinary maintenance requirements for the Kirk complex. This includes building repairs, snow removal, lawn maintenance, minor carpentry, lighting and heating issues.

Chair: Property committee – Robertson Burnett

See biography above.

TRUSTEES

The Act Respecting St. James Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown provides for Trustees, “who shall be the signing officers for the corporation in relation to the sale, transfer, encumbering and conveying of the real or personal property vested in the corporation.” The Act states that there shall not be more than three Trustees, that they be Professing Members of the Kirk, and that they act on the direction of the Session. They serve for terms of one year.

2018 Trustees:

Don MacKenzie, Chair

Wayne McMillan

Shauna Sullivan Curley

See biographies above.