Subject: Staff Profiles

Leanne Benoit, Minister of Pastoral Care and Shared Worship

By: Brian Shields | March 22, 2011

 

Leanne Benoit

Leanne Benoit joined our Ministry Staff at First†Met on July 1st, 2011. Her depth of spirit and gifts for ministry are well-suited to the position here.  Her background includes considerable experience and service within the United Church and broader community. 

Leanne completed her studies for diaconal ministry at the Centre for Christian Studies in 2009. She was commissioned as a Diaconal Minister of the United Church of Canada at a ceremony in Penticton in May of this year. During her diaconal ministry studies, she served at Clive United Church, AB, First United Church in Kelowna, BC, and Winfield United Church, BC. For the past two years she has served as part of a 3-person ministry team at Trinity United Church in Vernon BC.

Prior to commencing diaconal ministry studies, Leanne completed a Business Administration program in 1989 at Red Deer College and a Voluntary Sector Management program in 2004 from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. She had been employed as a Regional Program Coordinator for Junior Achievement in Alberta.

Leanne and her husband Harvey have three grown children and one grandchild.

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Megumi Matsuo Saunders, Children, Youth, Young Adults and Family Ministry

By: r.a. paterson | September 9, 2011

Born as a third generation Christian in Nara, Japan, Megumi (pronounced: Meg-oo-me) has lived across Canada over the last 35 years. Her focus here is on Children, Youth, Young Adults & Families Ministry. She has trained as a teacher and a Christian educator. She loves being with children and youth and those who are interested in nurturing young people.

Megumi likes to use popular education as an important teaching method including drama, music, games, crafts, etc. She believes children’s faith journey begins at a very early age. She seeks to nurture their spirituality, sharing biblical stories and the teachings and life of Jesus. This helps build their own identity and faith – which will sustain and encourage them in their life journey.

Besides this ministry, Megumi is involved in women’s issues in the global context. She has traveled widely (e.g. Kenya, Sudan, China, India and Malaysia), representing the United church of Canada and the Women’s Inter-Church Council of  Canada, serving as its national president.

She believes her role is a bridging ministry, helping people from different backgrounds to see things from the perspective of others (i.e. Lay and Ordered ministers, different generations, cross-cultural, male and female, ecumenical, inter-spiritual, sexual orientation.

She loves reading in Japanese and English, traveling, good food and company, and her early morning quiet meditation time.

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Allan Saunders, Lead Minister

By: r.a. paterson | June 11, 2009

Allan delights in stories — the stories of people’s lives. Stories of unexpected turns, challenges encountered, tough decisions made, love and friendship offered, lives renewed. He listens to those stories for hints of insights gained about the nature of our souls and the nature of our God.

Allan believes in a God who is full of surprises and full of grace.  He values a church grounded in the way of Jesus – a church that celebrates an awesome God, the wonder of creation and the diversity of people.

His involvement in the broader community has included serving on the Boards of The James Bay Community Project, The Prostate Centre, and The Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria.  He is a founding member of the planning team for “More Franchises,” a biennial conference on church leadership held inToronto.

Allan came to First†Metropolitan following 22 years of ministry in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  He had been President of the Conference of Manitoba andNorthwestern Ontario. Highlights of his term included coordinating the church’s response to theRed River “Flood of the Century” and an all-day festival to mark the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women, attended by 3000 persons.

Allan studied for the ministry at Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology (University of Toronto), which later presented him with an honorary doctorate.  He was a Visiting Scholar at Andover Newton and the Boston Theological Institute and initiated a study and support group of six United Church ministers in the S3 program at Columbia Theological Seminary inDecatur,Georgia.  In 2008, the Interdenominational Theological Center of Atlanta invited Allan to join a group of African-American pastors in going on pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Allan was born in Winnipeg and has lived in Vancouver and Toronto.  He ministered in Manitoba and Saskatchewan prior to coming to FirstMet.  His musical preferences are eclectic – including 60s rock, roots, classical, electric blues and mellow jazz.  Other interests include nature, hiking, art, a good mystery, current affairs, travel, and drama.

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Frances Pollet, Minister of Music

By: r.a. paterson | April 11, 2011
Photo of Frances Pollet

Frances Pollet’s goal is “to reach the highest levels of performance standards in a variety of choral repertoire.” This goal is expressed in the artistry of the church choir, the Pringle Bells and the First†Metropolitan United Vocal Ensemble. In addition, she and the First†Met Music Team inivte a variety of guest artists, from within the congregation and in the community, to participate in worship and music events.

Fran has been Minister of Music and Organist at First†Metropolitan since the amalgamation of First United with Metropolitan United. Previously, Fran was Director of Music at St. Matthias Church for 18 years, Music Director for Grassroots Theatre Company for seven years, and coordinated and directed the Empress Hotel’s Christmas festivities for an equal length of time. In 2007, she resigned as music director of the Linden Singers, having worked with the choir since 1979.

Most recently, Fran has introduced and led monthly Celtic worship sessions based on the liturgy and music developed by the Iona Community at First†Metropolitan. Fran is very well-known and respected in the Victoria music scene and is a former executive member of Music United (formerly the United Church of Canada Association of Musicians), a diverse association of people passionately committed to furthering the cause of music within the United Church of Canada.

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Emily MacDonald, Health and Wellness Advocate

By: r.a. paterson | October 11, 2011

Emily has worked in the community for most of her career. For the past 11 years, she was a home care nurse, case manager, manager and clinical leader for the Vancouver Island Health Authority. Most recently, she was the clinical leader at the Victoria Health unit for the Quick Response Team, the Regional Resource for Adults with Disabilities Team and the Wound Care Clinic. Emily has a Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Victoria.

She has been a member of Pilgrim United Church for the past 10 years where she was chair of the Ministry and Personnel Committee, an alternate representative for Presbytery and a teacher of Godly Play. Over the past several years, Emily has travelled to Haiti three times as a member of a work team that provided care and services at Hope Home, a group home for 25 mentally and physically challenged children and youth.

In her free time, she walks her Labradoodle named Lucy Lu, does silversmithing, kayaks, hikes and camps. She also participates in two book clubs – one that reads theology and one for fun books.

 

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Program Staff Profiles

By: r.a. paterson | June 11, 2009
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