Ministry
Since the fall of 2021, we have engaged retired UU minister Rev. Debra Faulk to provide monthly services. Rev. Debra Faulk retired in 2021 as Minister Emerita with Calgary Unitarians. She received a BA in psychology and anthropology from UVic and a Masters of Divinity from Vancouver School of Theology. She has been a chaplain at Vancouver General Hospital, Director of Religious Education in Victoria and Parish Minister to congregations in Alberta and Ontario. She served on the Boards of the Calgary Interfaith Council and the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, working to collaborate with labour and non-profits to address social change in the city. She is currently on the Board of the UU Partner Church Council, recently completed a term on the Collegial Development Team of the UU Ministers Association and previously served as Minister Observer to the CUC Board. She currently serves as on the CUC Board of Trustees as co-president. Debra raised two adult children as a single mom. They have blessed her with 5 grandchildren. She is excited with the new adventure of co-ownership of her new home in Victoria and being close to her grandchildren.
David Belrose has been contracted to provide ten monthly services. David has been a member since 2005 and has served in a variety of positions in the Fellowship, including lay chaplain, Board member and president, and Sunday Services Worship Team. In addition, we are looking at bringing in visiting ministers on a regular basis.
We at the Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship (LUF) believe in the celebration of a variety of religious and philosophical ideas from different cultures. We believe in the never-ending search for truth and encourage individuals to develop their own personal theology.
Throughout the majority of our history since 1959, LUF has been lay-led. As a result, this has led to a strongly developed sense of the importance of shared ministry.
Ministry is the act of serving. Shared ministry is what we do to serve our congregation and the broader community, individually and together. Each individual brings unique gifts to contribute. It sinks in that here one brings all of one’s self in the door on Sunday morning. It happens when newcomers, as well as longtime members, bring questions like “What am I doing with my life” or “I wonder who else cares about world issues as I do”, and they discover that others are living those questions as well. It happens also when we recognize that each of us in our way supports and nurtures those close to us in community.
As we at LUF move forward after 65 years, shared ministry is important. We involve active lay participation along with visiting ministers to help us move along the path of shared ministry, working together to enhance our spiritual exploration, helping us ask the questions that lead to further questions, and encouraging us to be the best we can be.
We draw on many sources for our ministry. Our theme ministry from 2017 – 2024 was been based on the Touchstones project. In 2024-2025 we are working with the Meaning Making Project. Another essential resource is the Unitarian Universalist Worship Web Library.