new church life: march/april 2016
A highlight of the wood-working job was getting to restore some of the
teak doors for the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. Also in College he got a job as an
educational intern at Glencairn Museum where he loved doing tours and
teaching children during the summer festivals. He was able to continue as a
graduate intern for a year while deciding what to do after college.
Meanwhile any assumptions that he would grow up to be a minister like
his father competed with various other ideas: zoo keeper, math teacher, soldier,
computer programmer.
He enjoyed programming in college but was quickly convinced by the
“Dot-Com-Crash” in the ‘90s that this would not be a sure-fire road to success.
That forced him to think about what he would actually enjoy doing as a career.
“I have always enjoyed learning stories from the Word and reading the
Heavenly Doctrin e,” he says, “but my experience teaching and leading tours
at Glencairn helped me realize that I really enjoyed teaching about religion. In
my junior year in college I realized I wanted to pursue the ministry and started
switching my classes from a strict math/computer science focus to Theological
School prerequisites.”
While in Theological School he did his candidacy in Toronto. Since his
graduation and ordination in 2009 he has been working at the Carmel New
Church in Kitchener, so his whole career so far has been in Canada.
“I enjoy serving here,” he says, “since I get to teach and interact with
people of all ages, including small children in our K-10 school and up to adult
study classes.” He has also been a visiting pastor for Toronto, Dawson Creek
and Grande Prairie, Ottawa, Parry Sound, Montreal and London (Ontario)
circles and groups.
“One rewarding project I have been involved in running is our youth
weekends. Canada sponsors two New Church Teen Weekends each year
for 7-12th grade youth in
Canada and the Midwest.
It is really fun to interact
with these young people
who are positive about the
Church and interested in
learning about the Heavenly
Teachings.
“I do have to give credit
to the other ministers who
helped get them going: the
Revs. Coleman Glenn and
Calvin Odhner, as well as the
Canadian and Midwestern
The Cole Family
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