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The Little Current Pastoral Charge is pleased to announce that as of July 1st, 2017 we welcomed Paul J. Allard, Designated Lay Minister.
Paul writes:
Paul writes:
I was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario on Oct. 11, 1965 (Thanksgiving Day). My father was a miner for over 40 years and my mother was a home maker. I am the oldest of three children (one brother & one sister). I grew up a French Roman Catholic in K.L. and was educated in the French separate school system. I then went on to Northern College in K.L. and obtained two engineering technology diplomas, one in electrical and the other in electronics. I then started work in local broadcast radio as an assistant engineer and part time radio announcer. A year later I was hired by Ontario Northland Telecommunications where I spent the next 24 years as a telecom tech. While stationed in Timmins, I met my wife Karen, who also worked for Ontario Northland, and we married in 1994 at the Swastika United Church (her home church). We were unable to have children of our own, so we filled our life together with pets, lots of them over the years. In 1999, after my wife left Ontario Northland, we moved to the Swastika area to be closer to her aging parents and that's when I started attending United Church services. In 2000, I left the Roman Catholic denomination and joined the much more progressive and justice oriented United Church of Canada where I became involved at the local church level.
On August 1, 2013 I quit the telecom industry to answer God's call and started my vocation at St. Paul's United Church in Cochrane as a full time Designated Lay Minister (DLM) -in-training. I have just recently completed the DLM Program based at St. Andrew's College in Saskatoon, SK, and was formerly recognized as a DLM by Spirit Dancing Presbytery in April 2017. Personally, I am avid walker, a big sports fan, particularly hockey, football and curling. I am also a lover of 60s and 70s pop/rock music, and all pop culture associated with those times such as movies and TV shows. My wife and I are both vegans and have been for some time due to our moral and ethical beliefs. We are animal lovers, and hold a deep reverence for all of creation. You could say I am a closet hippy of sorts, excited and motivated to communicate God's word and offer God's love as a United Church minister in the 21st century.
Paul Allard July 1st, 2017 to June 30th, 2020 - Good Luck in your new post in Alberta.
