North Thompson Ecumenical Shared Ministry

THE NORTH THOMPSON ECUMENICAL SHARED MINISTRY is a two-point parish consisting of the Church of St. Paul in Barriere and Trinity Shared Ministry in Clearwater.

As an ecumenical shared ministry we relate to three denominations - the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the United Church of Canada. As such, we seek to honour the traditions and practices of all three denominations by finding common ground and creating our own unique blend of customs. For instance, each Sunday our worship is comprised of elements from all three church traditions and changes on a regular basis as a way of ensuring all denominational customs are included and respected.

In 2008, members of The Anglican Church of the Redeemer, Barriere United Church, and people in the Barriere area connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada began worshipping together and exploring what it might mean to become an Ecumenical Shared Ministry. May 23, 2010 saw the coming together of the three denominations to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The name St. Paul was chosen as a witness to this joining together; it is an acronym which stands for Serving Together as a Parish of Anglicans, Uniteds, and Lutherans.

The Women of St. Paul operate a Thrift Shop in the back of the church. Gently-used second hand clothing as well as home furnishings and such are available for reasonable prices. It is open on Thursday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Trinity Shared Ministry came into being officially as an Ecumenical Shared Ministry on September 24, 2015 when a new Ecumenical Shared Ministry agreement for the entire parish was signed by representatives of all three denominations and each of the two congregations. This was the culmination of a process that saw the former Clearwater United Church (which had been in existence since the 1950’s) embrace the Anglican and Lutheran traditions.

Trinity Shared Ministry sponsors a community choir, the Voices United Choir, which performs a Christmas cantata every December, raising funds for local community based charities.

Both churches are involved in their local community and support various organizations like the food banks, hospice society and extended care facility, as well as supporting charitable organizations further afield like First United Church in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and Emerald House in Kamloops. Trinity Shared Ministry has been involved with refugee sponsorship as well. The parish office is located at the Church of St. Paul in Barriere.

We are currently served by the Rev. Bruce Chalmers, an Anglican priest.