From Rev. Dana’s Desk
October 8, 2026
My final weekly email, a little later this week due to the move and getting connected again. Thank you for the amazing send off last Sunday and for your generous farewell gift. As we discover things we need in the new house it has been a blessing and will remind us of you.
I want to leave you with the “Parable of the Trapeze,” which has been attributed to various sources. It is a story that I first heard many years ago in relation to transitions in pastoral leadership. I have found it applicable to life’s transitions in general. Transitions have also been described as times when everything “unfreezes” from what has been, allowing for wonderful new things to happen. While they typically occur during pastoral transition, it also happened during the pandemic, and I look back on all the positive changes that came out of that time. I hope this current transition is as fruitful for you.
The Parable of the Trapeze
Sometimes, I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I’m either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments, I’m hurdling across space between the trapeze bars.
Mostly, I spend my time hanging on for dear life to the trapeze bar of the moment. It carries me along a certain steady rate of swing, and I have the feeling that I’m in control. I know most of the right questions, and even some of the right answers. But once in a while, as I’m merrily, or not so merrily, swinging along, I look ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see?
I see another trapeze bar looking at me. It’s empty. And I know, in that place in me that knows, that this new bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart of hearts, I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on the present well-known bar to move to the new one.
Each time it happens, I hope—no, I pray—that I won’t have to grab the new one. But in my knowing place, I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moments in time I must hurtle across space before I can grab the new bar. Each time I do this I am filled with terror. It doesn’t matter that in all my previous hurdles I have always made it.
Each time I am afraid I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless basin between the bars. But I do it anyway. I must. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call faith. No guarantees, no net, no insurance, but we do it anyway because hanging on to that old bar is no longer an option. And so, for what seems to be an eternity but actually lasts a microsecond. I soar across the dark void called “the past is over; the future is not yet here.” It’s called a transition. I have come to believe that it is the only place that real change occurs.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing, and the bars are the illusions we dream up to not notice the void. Yes, with all the fear that can accompany transitions, they are still the most vibrant, growth-filled, passionate moments in our lives. And so transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to “hang out” in the transition zone — between the trapeze bars — allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens.
It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening. Hurdling through the void, we just may learn to fly.
Blessing and Peace as you enter into this time between trapeze bars. May you trust in God as you reach out for the next bar, thanking God for God will do as you move forward into your step on the journey.
October 4, 2026
The Kenny Chesney song, “Don’t Blink” came up on my play list, and is stuck in my head because it describes
some of what I’m feeling right now. The song is about how life can seem to pass in a blink of an eye, from being 6
years old to getting married, to your children becoming moms and dads themselves and suddenly you have been
married 50 years. As I look back over the last almost 10 years it feels like it has passed in the blink of an eye, while
at the same time, like it has been much longer. As I prepare for my final two Sundays at Trinity, and especially the
celebration and farewell on October 4 th , I find myself leafing through my mental scrapbook of memories,
moments that are etched in mind. So let me share some of them.
March 1, 2017 was my first day, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday, so in my very first service I told
people they were dust and would return to dust, that they were sinners in need of repentance. It was definitely a
memorable beginning.
My first Christmas – First, I was handed the baby Jesus from the Nativity set, but only later did I learn about the
tradition of placing Jesus in the creche at the end of the family service. Second, I planned to do what I had done
for almost 10 years in my previous parish, which was an impromptu pageant with all the children who came on
Christmas Eve. The problem was there were only a few children so adults quickly stepped into roles. It was the
first of many times that adults were invited to be kids again. I learned an important lesson in both cases about
traditions and expectations, that every place and person has their own. We’ve created new traditions and now
you get to share them with someone else and learn about theirs.
Advisory Board in the rectory living room. This was the night I realized that the church and house are on different
power grids. The power had gone out at the church, but the power to the house was still on. So I stood in my first
door inviting people over as they arrived and we pulled out every chair I owned, and a few people sat on the floor
(who we knew could get up again).
August 2018, Carrot Fest – assisted by Lynn Woods, we had a booth on Friday night. When we arrived to set up,
we realized we were in front of the Village Inn, which Stewart pointed out was the perfect place, exactly where
Jesus might have hung out. It was also a very rainy night, and we and everything we had with us was absolutely
soaked by the end of the night. It was still a fun night and we continued to have a booth most years.
Blink and it was March of 2020 and we were learning how to sanitize our hands while singing “Happy Birthday”
and nodding to each other instead of shaking hands as we passed the peace. Then suddenly late on Friday March
13, Bishop Andrew officially suspended all in person services. Only 36 hours later I was sitting in the Bell Tower
with Stewart holding my phone as we launched our first Facebook Live. Quickly with the help of friends and
experimentation we grew our online ministry and I began a televangelist with Stewart as producer (who could
silence me at will).
December 2020 was the “Bradford Drive Up Nativity” hosted by various churches throughout town. Each church
depicted a scene from the Nativity Story, and we were the final scene, the arrival of the Magi or Wisemen, in our
case though, “The 3 Wise Women of Trinity” (along with Patti Kergon and Barb Jones). That evening 100’s of cars
drove through town experiencing unique Nativity scenes.
November 2021 marked our first “Homemade for the Holidays,” as a new spin on church bazaars of days gone by.
It started in part because I had learned to make jams, pickles and more and wanted to offer them as a fundraiser
alongside baking and knitting. It turned into a successful and more importantly fun time.
Another highlight from those years was the pandemic baptisms, which began with a Zoom baptism, when Klara
was baptized at home by Father Bill (her grandfather), I was in the church and over 30 people participated from
their home. That one was unique, but due to gathering restrictions, baptisms for a few years happened in small
services outside of Sunday morning worship. Unable to be there in person, prayer blankets became symbolic of
the congregation’s prayer and support of the newly baptized. Eventually, when restrictions were lifted, we hosted
an All Saints celebration of all those who had been baptized, complete with a costume contest. The blankets
became a tradition we have carried on as we continue to wrap the newly baptized in our prayers.
“Anything Goes 5th Sundays” became an opportunity to explore faith in new ways from making tea biscuits as the
sermon on “Recipes for Life,” to a bible study of the 23rd Psalm, to Carols in our PJs, to a congregational vacation
bible camp Sunday, when the congregation acted out Jesus calming the sea, pretending to be the wind, and being
in a boat rocked by waves.
The last few years we have hosted a Maundy Thursday dinner. It has become one of my favourite services, with
the intimacy of gathering around a table as Jesus and the disciples did, and of washing feet. Something always
happens during those services that becomes a moment of sacredness, whether it was the visitor helping to strip
the church or a few years later two young girls who insisted on helping, carrying candles that were bigger than
they were or this year as children’s laughter accompanied our communion celebration, making me think perhaps
it was like that the original evening as well.
The last 10 years have passed in a blink of an eye. The toddlers are now tweens and teens, and the children of
Sunday school and the youth group are now in university and working. There are also the empty seats of those
who have passed and the new faces that are now leaders, and more new faces who bring their gifts and energy.
“Don’t blink or you just might miss…” Thank you for the memories.
August 23, 2026
Siblings in Christ,
This morning at the end of the service, I announced that I have been appointed as the Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of Bobcaygeon, Dunsford and Burnt River, effective October 15. My final Sunday at Trinity Bradford will be October 11, Thanksgiving Sunday. Knowing that many of us, including myself, have other commitments that day because it is Thanksgiving, I have recommended to the wardens that we have a celebration of our ministry together and a farewell lunch on the previous Sunday, October 4.
I am very thankful for these 9 ½ years of ministry with you. Together we celebrated some wonderful moments, weathered some very trying times, welcomed many and said good-bye to others. Our time together has shaped us individually and as a community. I take with me all that I have learned from serving you and alongside you as I embark on this new ministry. In some ways this move is a going home for me, closer to where I grew up, closer to Stewart’s mom, but also to a parish where I was the summer student 25 years ago, so they helped shape me for you, you have helped shape me for them, but in a far more significant way. You represent nearly half of my ordained ministry, so you have been a significant part of my formation personally, spiritually and as a leader. Thank you.
While I know there will be sadness at this parting for all of us, I want to focus the next seven weeks on celebrating the last 9 years, our lives together and all the wonderful, funny, even challenging moments we have shared. I recently saw a post “What the caterpillar sees as an ending, the butterfly sees as a new beginning.” We are in a transition that is both an ending and a new beginning, for all of us. As Ecclesiastes says, “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,” (Ecclesiastes 3:4), let us weep and laugh together, and maybe a little dancing, as we mark an ending that is a new beginning for all of us.
I expect there will be questions and concerns about what is next, and while we the leadership team do not have all the answers right now, the wardens will be reaching out to you shortly. You are blessed to have a dedicated and caring leadership team who will help to guide you in what comes next. I encourage you to help them in whatever ways you can, as together you move into the next stage of who and what God is calling you to be and do.
I will be praying for you, as I have done since I first accepted this call, and I ask you to pray for Stewart and me as we move into what God has called us to next.
Rev. Dana
August 27, 2026
I suspect by now most people have heard that I will be leaving Trinity after Thanksgiving. As I said in my email to the parish this is a bittersweet move. I do not want the next six weeks to be filled with sadness but an opportunity to celebrate all we have done together and who we are together.
Over the last few years, in various conferences and meetings I have been asked numerous times to say something about my context, the congregation which I serve. One of the first things I often say is the congregation’s willingness and openness to trying new things, to exploring new ideas, while also respecting the traditions and what has come before. Before I even officially started, I found Trinity to be a willing partner in trying new things and exploring new ideas. This is not always true. There is always the temptation, especially in times of uncertainty and transitions, to hold tighter to what is and even revert to what was. The more unsteady the ground is, the more we crave stability and normalcy. The willingness to embrace new experience with openness and wonder, shows adaptability, which is essential in our ever-changing world. It takes courage to step out and do new things, and you have done that over and over again. It is a trait that helped us weather the pandemic together. This was not the case of all congregations, some of whom just wanted things to stay the same, including in person gathering when it was not reasonable or safe. Some have credited Stewart and me with transitioning the parish to streaming, but without your willingness to try this new thing, it would never have worked. We could have broadcast, and no one watched, no one participated. Distanced worship and streaming might not have been our preferred option, but it became a lifeline for many and remains a vital way that we connect as a parish and with the wider world.
When we look at scripture we read so many stories of people with an adventurous spirit, who were willing to venture forth without really knowing where it would lead. People who adapted to their circumstances, making course corrections as needed. From Abraham to Moses and Israelites in the wilderness, to the prophets called away from the lives they had planned, to the exiles in Babylon, to Mary and Joseph and the Wise men from the East and in the early Church. Scripture highlights the importance of adaptability as you respond to God’s call and direction for you. Imagine for a moment if any of these people had not adapted, imagine how differently any of their stories might have turned out.
I thank God for your willingness to do the hard things when it comes to adapting and pivoting as needed. This will be essential as you adapt to whatever is next, because the way I did it or the way we did it together may not be the way you do it in the future. As soon as we start thinking there is only one way, we limit our possibilities, with a likelihood of decline and even death. Adaptation is a gift you have demonstrated, it is one you have shown over and over again. May you continue to embrace change with wonder and curiosity, with a willingness to see how it goes. I rejoice at the joy and laughter we have shared, may you continue to laugh and play, to become like little children filled with wonder and awe.
September 1, 2026
As I am writing this, today September 1, is the first day of the Season of Creation which runs from September 1 to
October 4. The end date is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi who was known for his connection to creation. The
Season of Creation is not like other seasons in the Church like Advent or Lent, but rather it is an intentional time
of prayer and reflection on creation. As well, at General Synod last summer a resolution was passed to recognize
the Feast of the Creator on September 1 or a Sunday during the Season of Creation. The Feast of the Creator
draws our attention to God as the Creator. As a friend who was part of the General Synod last year said, whereas
most feast days focus on Jesus and events in his life, death and resurrection, Pentecost focuses on the Holy Spirit
and Trinity Sunday on all three. This is a feast day solely dedicated to God the Creator, the first member or person
of the Trinity.
I must admit that in all of the chaos of the last few weeks and the fact that the Feast of the Creator had not yet
made it onto the Church calendar, I missed it until colleagues started talking about it. So rather this year we will
be using some of the resources from the Feast of the Creator on Sunday September 6, for the prayers like the
collect, prayer over the gifts and prayer after communion, as well as creation centric Eucharistic Prayer, but not
the readings. As well though, on September 27 when we mark National Truth and Reconciliation we will use a
Eucharistic Prayer that was included in the resources because it comes from Indigenous Anglicans in British
Columbia, that focuses on our connection to the land and all creation.
For Anglicans the Season of Creation is a fairly new focus, but it has deep roots in the Orthodox tradition and
been adopted more ecumenically through the World Council of Churches as we become more aware of the
importance of creation, our connection to creation and lack of responsible stewardship at times especially in the
past. As we read scripture, we see numerous references to the deep connection that is supposed to exist
between humanity and the rest of the created order. God continually calls us into faithful stewardship and care of
all creation. But more than that, God reminds us that our existence is tangibly linked to the rest of creation. When
we neglect or exploit creation, we are harming ourselves and when we care for creation, we are enhancing our
lives. As we confess in our Litany of Penitence on Ash Wednesday (and often the 1 st Sunday in Lent), our waste
and pollution of [God’s] creation and our lack of concern for those who come after us. We recognize the harm we
have done and there is a movement to not only stop what we have been doing, but to reverse some of the
damage we as humanity have done to the earth and all creation.
The Season of Creation takes on added importance in the face of greater climate crisis denial. There have always
been people who have said it was not a climate crisis but the cyclical nature of weather patterns. I remember
years ago a political candidate who said it wasn’t climate change but part of God’s plan, who would never let the
earth be destroyed. We are seeing a resurgence of climate crisis denial, as more people, including international
leaders, express doubts about climate change, questioning ecological policies and initiatives that have been put in
place. There are those who have called for or even reversed these policies because they see them too financially
restrictive, a luxury for better economic times. But climate change is also financially costly, as severe
environmental related disasters cost people their homes, livelihoods and even their lives. Whether it is
hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, flash floods or wildfires, there is irrefutable evidence that they have been
made more extreme by climate change. While some would say it is too hard or costly to make the substantial
changes required, we are also hearing good news stories about the financial benefits of sustainable energy. Spain,
The United Kingdom and Ireland all saw electricity prices drop with increased renewable energy sources like wind
and solar. So not only are they reducing their ecological impact, but it is financially beneficial as well.
As we begin the Season of Creation, let us give thanks to God our creator, who calls us into relationship with God
and with all creation, by recommitting ourselves to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain
and renew the life of the Earth, as we promise in baptism. Let us seek ways to minimize our environmental
footprint and to encourage international leaders to do the same.
