Under the Same Moon: Shelley's Creston Farewell

Delight in knowing the incredible spirit of people around the whole of Kootenay Lake and elsewhere has given me energy to re-invent myself as a minister numerous times, over 30 years. A little review to re-mind myself that 'Godness' and the 'Kin-Dom have been evident in all this time of ministry.

🐑 Saskatchewan, Shell Lake, Chitek Lake, Glaslyn... Hours of violet evening skies, so much to learn

about First Nations and early farmers lives. The sense of belonging to a place was deep.

🐑 St.Andrew's Wesley and merging Northrup Frye's ideas of the relationship of mythology and the bible with fairy tales

🐑 Fairview Baptist Peace Radicals in Vancouver...incredible fireside chats, and the first huge peace march

🐑 Langley United team ministry with Wes Bray alias Santa Claus.....tender and hilarious worship together toward healing, and the little girl who was late for church because it was so hard to get her doll's dress on backwards, like me, the woman minister.

🐑 World Council of Churches in Vancouver helping at the Well, a relief station for women. My first traumatic wasp sting, forever grateful to the doctor at White Rock United for realizing the danger and saving my life.

🐑 Kooyenay Slocan Pastoral Charge....where I travelled to Procter, Kaslo, New Denver and Silverton across the mountains, met and married Dan, and where our hearts wrapped around two little girls. A very dear community soon incorporated both sets of our parents. Full time parenting eventually led to early childhood support and literacy work. Hospice and restorative justice work in Kaslo broadened my contacts north along kootenay lake. I did a story for the Procter story-telling festival about Rev. Kinney (1910- 30's )who travelled by boat to minister around Kootenay Lake, and it seemed seemed like historical encouragement to carry on the travelling ministry.

🐑 Two years in China with our little girls and a new cultural learnings about tenderness and care through death and dying.

🐑 Communities in Faith Pastoral Charge of the United Church... Living in Nelson meant going further afield to work in ministry. I started in Rossland then helped put together the relationship between Salmo, Fruitvale, Trail and Rossland. Women's retreats, great music, and service projects were part of the fun with partners, Kent Israel, student Keith Simmonds, and Louise Skibsted.

🐑 Back to Kaslo with Dan as principal of the school gave me time to work on various housing projects, help Mom and Dad move, and be around for Mom and Dad before Dad died. We journeyed to New Hampshire to be part of Frank Miles life before he died which was part of the grace of that time.

🐑 Trinity United Church...involved living 5 days a week in Creston while being part of a vibrant church community there. Food pours out of that place as steady as the Kootenay River flows and many people call "community support work and activism" a lifestyle - fine mentors all. I wish for them a continually evolving sense of ministry and thank them for a joyful end to my paid accountable ministry.