Fr. Neil has been rector of Holy Trinity since May 2003. He moved to White Rock from Vancouver's West End where he had been at St. Paul's Church since 1988. During that time he served as both associate priest and rector as well as chaplain to the Anglican patients at St. Paul's Hospital. Prior to that, he worked at a number of parishes in London, England. He was trained for ordained ministry at St. Stephen's House, Oxford.

As a priest, Neil places a very high priority on the liturgy. "I agree with Matthew Fox, the theologian, that it is a great sin to bore people to death for an hour on Sunday morning and call it worship!" He says "We try to make our time together a really positive experience - involving as many people as possible with a balance of ages and gender as we equip ourselves by word and sacrament for our ministry". Growth was one of the priorities named by the parish when it produced its profile in 2002. This happens, Neil believes, when a Christian community meets two specific needs of its members. "People are increasingly clear about their reasons for choosing a church - they need help with the spiritual life and want to be part of making the world a better place. We need to look at how effectively all the things we do as a church help meet these goals".

Quite a lot of Neil's time and energy goes into helping people identify their gifts and talents and then encouraging them to use them in the service of the Kingdom. Holy Trinity is a church that sees itself as a ship with no passengers - all crew!

The Rector is in the office most mornings and is easily contacted at other times. Monday is his day off. He looks forward to meeting you and doing what he can to help and support you.

RECTOR’S REPORT 2011

For me, the highlight of 2011 was the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of our parish.  We have a proud history of our service to our local community – which began, of course, long before our current building was constructed.  For over 20 years, our home was a modest wooden frame building on Victoria Avenue, but before that we worshipped in a school room, on the end of the pier and even on the beach.  A church is so much more than bricks and mortar, so during October we focused on our purpose and programs, rather than on our physical plant.

It was wonderful to welcome our Bishop, Michael Ingham, to inaugurate our festivities on September 25th.  As well as a powerfully inspiring eucharist (complete with a brass quintet!) we enjoyed a special parish lunch catered by Semiahmoo House Society – one of our local parish partnerships. Bishop Michael reminded us in his sermon and at the lunch table that whilst it is appropriate to reflect upon and rejoice over our achievements in the past, we need always to be vigilant about discerning God’s will for the future.  We certainly took this message to heart in the way in which, on each of the Sundays in October, we focused on the particular aspects of our work and witness.  The first of these, appropriately, was outreach, as this is an increasingly prominent part of what we do.  We highlighted as many of our projects as possible – the space we make available for the Guides, Brownies and Pathfinders, our practical support of the Mission to Seafarers, the PWRDF and VST and the ongoing relationships with Semiahmoo House Society and A Rocha.  We also took part in a wonderful “visual aid” for our ministry with the Food Bank, as we all proceeded to the altar with a record amount of non-perishable food.

On October 16th, we spoke about the pastoral care we try to provide for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  We stressed the importance of ensuring that those people who cannot worship with us regularly are still made to feel an essential part of our community.  We gave thanks for our teams of home visitors, prayer shawl knitters, lay eucharistic ministers and flower deliverers, as well as the informal network of phone calls, visits, e-mails and the provision of rides.  The personal testimonies of one of our shut-ins and her visitor were powerful witnesses to the vital importance of this ministry.

We concluded our celebrations on the Feast of All Saints, when we showcased our work with young people – not only our Sunday School, but also the Nursery and our “Journey to Adulthood” programs.  It was beautifully timely for us to have one of our congregation going through her Rite 13 ceremony on that very day – marking the transition from childhood to a more adult understanding of faith and responsibilities.

Throughout October, we listened to a number of people share with the congregation the things that are important to them about their membership of Holy Trinity.  Although people have a great variety of different reasons for their involvement here, one common theme was the importance of being part of a community that functions very much as a family.  One individual spoke about being “enveloped with love and compassion” as the people here supported her through a difficult time.  In this regard, it is great to have an updated parish photo-directory to help us connect names, faces and addresses.  This is an invaluable community-building tool and I encourage you to make good use of it.

Another thing that was mentioned in several of these individual testimonies was the seriousness with which we take our formation as Christian disciples – in other words our worship and study.  I was personally grateful to hear this as I try to make these two activities my priority.  With regard to worship, a number of things have happened to enhance and enrich our experience – the revitalization of our choir (especially on Good Friday and during the Christmas season), the addition of two “junior” acolytes and the purchase of new BAS’s and Bibles for the pews.  It was also a great privilege for me on Trinity Sunday to admit several of our young people to the status of communicant. 

With regard to study, I am always impressed by the enthusiastic way in which our courses during Advent and Lent are attended.  It is the hallmark of a healthy parish that people are willing to make time for learning, discussion and spiritual growth.  These should underpin all that we take on as disciples.

When I wrote my report for 2010, our assistant priest, Janice Lowell, was facing a rather uncertain future.  I am happy to record this year that she is happily settled in her new position!  She is both assistant priest of St. Francis-in-the-Wood, West Vancouver, and priest-in-charge of St Monica’s, Horseshoe Bay.  A priest with Janice’s enormous energy and enthusiasm would not be satisfied with only one job!  I greatly miss her – she brought a warmth and vitality to everything she did here.

A long list of individuals singled out for acknowledgement is awkward and invidious.  It is also unnecessary in a parish where people contribute so generously of their time and talents - more importantly, they see what they undertake as real Christian ministry – it is part of their baptismal responsibility.  One group must, however, be mentioned – our Corporation – Peter Johnson, Linda Ingham and Sean Latimer, our wardens, and Helen Davison, our treasurer.  They are a great team to work with, each with individual passions and talents and also the commitment to help implement the decisions that they make.  I value the way in which they support and encourage me.  Linda Ingham has decided not to seek re-election as a people’s warden, and so I want to express my personal gratitude for her zeal, faithfulness and “nous”.

Respectfully submitted,
Neil Gray