We are a community of Christians, who gather together for worship, to pray,
sing, laugh and grow spiritually together. We are informal in tone and
dress, but not casual or careless in our intentions or responsibilities. We
enjoy the noise and spontaneity of children (and adults!), but respect the
need for times of order, quiet and reflection. We are exploring the
boundaries of faith and worship, while respecting the Christian story of
God’s love and the traditions of the Anglican church.
We are joyful. We
care about each other. We are family. All people are welcome in our varied
lifestyles, ages and religious backgrounds. We are all part of God’s
creation.
We understand that leadership is everyone’s responsibility, not just our
priest's, and understand that our strength as a community comes from
encouraging and supporting the diversity of our members, their interests,
their talents and the richness of their spiritual beliefs.
We strive to preserve the caring and learning that has marked our journey
and want to make a difference throughout Oakville and in the larger Anglican
church.
Canon
Terry
DeForest,
Priest-in-charge
Who am I? The bald facts are I was born and
baptized in Toronto; raised in Oakville from the age of one as the eldest
of four siblings; attended Morden Public School and (the now closed)
Purdue High School; liked Scouting, softball, and school; worshipped,
learned, was confirmed, served, led and preached (at 13) at St. Aidan’s,
Oakville; got excited about my faith at Niagara Youth Conference (although
back then it was “Leadership” rather than “Youth”); studied Philosophy at
Huron College; wed Connie; graduated with a M.A. (Philosophy) from Western
and an M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, MA; was
ordained deacon and priest; served in Burlington; Guelph; Hamilton; and
Ancaster; began doctoral studies at Trinity College, Toronto in
philosophical theology; trained for and took up Interim Ministry where I
have served several parishes in Hamilton, Oakville, Fort Erie, Burlington
and Stewarttown; and, quite recently, chaired the coalition which led the
Community Justice Camp 2010. Somewhere in there Connie and I became proud
parents of two (now adult) daughters and one recently and happily acquired
son-in-law! Also along the way I have enjoyed the privilege of engaging
my passions for and interests in social justice ministries, spirituality,
visioning and strategic planning, pastoral ministries, teaching and
learning, preaching, worship renewal, facilitating baptismal ministries,
fostering the ministries of children and youth…. My story continues as I
enter into partnerships in ministry with the people of Church of the
Incarnation, Oakville, write my doctoral thesis on the truth of religious
narratives, and engage the specific adventures into which those vocations
lead. Terry can be reached at
905-825-2851 or 905-802-8295 or
rector@incarnationchurch.ca
Charlene Pauls, Music Director
Charlene Pauls has recently taken on the music director
position at the Church of the Incarnation. She has had an international
singing career as a classical soprano and is currently working on her
doctorate in voice at the University of Toronto. Charlene is also an avid
voice teacher working with a wide range of students, currently teaching at
Tyndale University in Toronto and with the Oakville Children’s Choir in
Oakville. Her teaching interests have also allowed her to be part of a current
project with Sick Kids Hospital this fall teaching voice to hearing impaired
children.
Before changing her focus to singing,
Charlene completed an undergrad degree as a piano and religious studies major
while in Winnipeg. During her years in Winnipeg, Charlene was also the music
director at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, leading both the adult and
children’s choirs there. Other church associations have included singing with
St. James Cathedral in Toronto, St. George’s Anglican in Montreal and St.
Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Angela Barraclough, Administrative Assistant
Angela has been Incarnation's office "guru" since 1998. She keeps the place
running smoothly and is always there to help with answers to everyone's
questions.
History
Our official history began with a commissioning service in January
8, 1987,
with regular services starting that September 27, 1987. We met in the library of
St. Ignatius of Loyola High School.
We slowly grew in numbers, and in 1988
we were deemed a parish in the Diocese of Niagara (a regional body linking
all Anglican churches in the area). At that point, we received our name, The
Church of the Incarnation. Incarnation refers to seeing God in the world
around us and especially in the humanity of Jesus.
By 1992, we’d outgrown
the school’s library and moved into the cafeteria, and in August 1995, moved
our office from our priest’s home into rented commercial space. We opened
the doors of our church building, our home amongst the trees, in January
2000. (Find out more about our history - the first ten years - in our
Looking Back, Together archival series. >> Incarnation
- a
bit
of
history
Since then, we have continued to
grow as a parish, both in numbers and in spirit.
