Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral
         Charge Profile
                   For
      For Hillcrest United Church
     Fort Nelson, British Columbia

              April 2021
Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Table of Contents

                                                                Page

Background …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

The Community ………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge……………………………………………………………………. 8

Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12
Hillcrest United: Our Church Building …………………………………………………………………..12
Hillcrest United: Manse ……………………………………………………………………………………….13

Financial Profile …………………………………………………………………………………………………..14

Position Profile …………………………………………………………………………………………………...17
       Position Requirements …………………………………………………………………………….17
       Skills requirements ………………………………………………………………………………….18
       Terms ………………………………………………………………………………………………………20

Testimonial …………………………………………………………………………………………………………21

Hillcrest United Church
5108 Sunset Drive, PO Box 687
Fort Nelson, BC V0C 1R0
(250) 321-1605
office@hillcrestunitedchurch.org
www.hillcrestunitedchurch.org

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Background

Hillcrest United Church is located in Fort Nelson, BC in the Northern Spirit Region of the United
Church of Canada.

A brief story of Hillcrest United can be seen in the document “The Story of Hillcrest United
Church, 1961 – 2021”. Our church building was moved from the airport, where it had been an
Airbase Chapel, in 1961. The first service was held in Hillcrest United church on December 10th,
1961.

In the past fourteen years Hillcrest United has had five (5) ministers. Each brought their own
skills, passions, and ideals to be shared with the congregation.

              Figure 1 Moving Church from Airport to Present Site in 1961

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
The Community

   Introduction
Fort Nelson is located in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) situated in the
northeast corner of British Columbia, on Mile 300 of the Alaska Highway. The Municipality covers
approximately 10% of the province – larger than Nova Scotia or Austria. Incorporated in 2009,
the NRRM is the first and only Regional Municipality in BC. It combined the former entities of the
Town of Fort Nelson and the Northern Rockies Regional District. This makes the NRRM the only
single tier government in BC. The intent of the incorporation was to establish a more effective
and less cumbersome form of local government that reflected the unique characteristics of the
community and the region.

   Location
Fort Nelson is a somewhat remote community in the northeast corner of BC on the Alaska
Highway, 380 kilometres north of Fort St. John, our nearest neighbouring community.

Fort St. John, a city of approximately 20,000, is growing as a result of oil & gas, forestry, regional
hospital, tourism, and the construction of the nearby Site C Hydro Dam.

Fort Nelson is established at Mile 300 of the
world-famous Alaska Highway, near the
confluence of the Nelson, Muskwa, and Prophet
Rivers. Fort Nelson has a population of
approximately 3,500. There are various smaller
communities such as Toad River, Muncho Lake
and Liard located to the north of Fort Nelson
along the Alaska Highway. Much of the rural area
is sparsely populated and supports various
resource-based industries and businesses with
the tourism sector expected to grow in                 Figure 2 Aerial View of Fort Nelson
importance over time.

   Economy
Fort Nelson is a very resilient resource community that has been very dependent on natural gas,
forestry, and tourism. The NRRM contains some of the largest shale gas reserves in North
America as well as a huge underutilized mixed forest resource of aspen, spruce, and pine. Fort
Nelson serves as the key service centre to industry within the region. Fort Nelson has struggled
economically since the closure of our two forest industry mills (PolarBoard OSB and Tackama
Plywood) in 2008. There has also been a downturn in the natural gas sector over the last seven
years. This has put severe pressure on local businesses and families. Residents have left and are
leaving the community to pursue work elsewhere. All this has been highly acerbated by the Covid-
19 pandemic.

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Recently, there has been positive news with regard to forestry. The province approved the Fort
Nelson Community Forest in July 2019. This is a partnership involving Fort Nelson First nation and
the NRRM. This is the largest community forest in BC in both volume (185,000 m 3) and area. In
addition, the allowable annual cut (AAC) for the Fort Nelson Timber Supply Area (FN TSA) was
increased by 59% to 2,582,350 m3 on July 16, 2019. Our forests are healthy and green. This is the
only TSA in BC to receive an increase in AAC over the last few years. The community has worked
extremely hard to promote and encourage both of these announcements. These are two very
important building blocks for forestry in Fort Nelson. The official Fort Nelson Community Forest
agreement was signed by the Ministry in June 2020.

There is serious investment interest from Peak Renewables to build the largest pellet plant in
Canada (600,000 tonnes) here in Fort Nelson. Pellets will be exported to Japan for power
production that is replacing nuclear power.

Fort Nelson has also been seeing serious interest from a number of up-highway Liquified Natural
Gas (LNG) suppliers. One of these, Cryopeak, is building a mini-LNG facility just south of Fort
Nelson near BC Hydro and North River Midstream. The plant should be operational in Q2-2021.
At least two other mini-LNG players will likely do the same. These mini-LNG plants will supply
mining and power customers in the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

  Amenities
Many amenities and services are located in Fort Nelson.

               Transportation
Central Mountain Air provides air transportation to Prince George in a twice weekly service. The
Alaska Highway (Highway 97) is very well-maintained year-round with destinations north to
Whitehorse and beyond or south to Fort St. Fohn, Grande Prairie and Prince George. Northwestel
provides high speed internet and cable services.

                Recreation
There are first class recreational facilities and
opportunities in Fort Nelson. Our state-of-
the-art Recreation Centre has two ice
surfaces, curling club, community hall,
swimming pool, walking / running track,
climbing wall, and Visitor information
Centre. There are groomed cross-country ski
trails in the Demonstration Forest, 9-hole
golf course with grass greens, snowmobile
trails, 150 seat Phoenix Theatre, Library, and Figure 3 Recreation Centre
the Rotary Water Spray Park. In addition, Fort
Nelson has a paved, 3m wide, community walking trail which circles much of the town and is
suitable for walking, cycling, and jogging. Many local clubs and organizations utilize these
services, and work to provide countless programs available for all ages and interests.

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Tourism
The world-famous Alaska Highway, Fort Nelson’s
main street, provides transportation to thousands of
tourists enjoying the beautiful Northern Rocky
Mountains, sublime wilderness opportunities
provided by the Muskwa-Kechika Wilderness Area,
unbelievable hot springs at Liard River, and un-
paralleled opportunities to see wildlife including elk,
black bears, deer, boreal caribou and moose.
                                                          Figure 4 Northern Lights

               Housing
There are many good housing choices at the moment due to the downturn in the economy.
Hillcrest United Church does provide a manse for ministers.

   Public Education
School District #81 delivers “Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12) education through a
secondary school, a middle school and two primary schools in Fort Nelson proper, and a K-12,
one-room school in Toad River.

Fort Nelson First Nation operates Chalo School, a successful K-12 institution which, in addition to
delivering the provincial curriculum, offers students access to training in pre-trades and trades
instruction.

The local campus of Northern Lights College (NLC) currently provides a full-range of industry-
oriented training and ticketing as required. In the past, for example, it offered instruction in
Power Engineering and Welding, by special arrangement with industry. The College has also
offered local training in Heavy Equipment Operation. NLC has also cooperated with the University
of Northern British Columbia and Simon Fraser University to allow students to proceed to degrees
in a variety of academic and professional disciplines.

    Public Healthcare
The Fort Nelson General Hospital is a 25-bed facility which is equipped to provide general care,
emergency care, and stabilization, basic laboratory and radiology services and long-term care.
Maternity services are limited to care to within two weeks of baby delivery since these services
are linked to the availability of qualified specialist physicians. The local Airport Way Medical Clinic
is staffed by five (5) general practitioners with a range of sub-specialties.

The community also provides access to a variety of mental health and addiction counselling
services locally. Residents have access to two private dental clinics as well as an integrated,
primary care model (public health and home and community care).

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Summary
The spirit of Fort Nelson is vibrant and tangible despite the economic downturn and the
pandemic. The community is a long way from larger centers, so people reach out to create
familial relationships. People living here enjoy the lifestyle that Fort Nelson has to offer and
always welcome a challenge.

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge

                                         Mission Statement

           “Hillcrest United Church is a welcoming family of faith united and guided by our
             belief in God, revealed in the Holy Scriptures and in the life of Jesus Christ.
                   Accepting everyone with grace, we come together to worship God.
                Empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, we journey, sharing music. love,
                  laughter, and tears, as we meet the challenges within ourselves, our
                                       community, and our world.”

Hillcrest United celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. It is a small, mature, dynamic
congregation. We are adventurous, and willing to take on new challenges. We feel called to be
in pastoral care, and to be of service to the community and God’s world. Our congregation
currently consists of approximately 20 – 25 adults and at time
as many as 8 children. We continue to seek ways to increase
family membership and our presence in the community. Like
most churches, the pandemic has caused us to look at new
ways to worship. We went from an in-person worship service
in March 2020 to Zoom services. At time of writing this we are
still meeting through the Zoom format.

In June of 2019 the congregation met in five, “cluster groups”
to discern what Hillcrest is and what it might become. We
started with looking at “Who We Are? What matters to us?
and Where we are going?” This is summarized in a PowerPoint
presentation and three reports all located on our website
(www.hillcrestunitedchurch.org).
                                                                        Figure 5 Cluster Group Dotmocracy

Our vision in the congregation is lived out by ministering to each
other through:

   ❖ Worship and music including traditional and contemporary music;
   ❖ Fellowship before and after our Zoom worship services;
   ❖ An active “Faith Journey” study group that meets weekly at certain times of the year. In
     the past we have looked at “Living the Questions” Parts 1 to 3).
   ❖ Alternative times for services. For the past few years, we changed our traditional, summer
     Sunday services to Wednesday evenings. These services were more relaxed and took on
     themes such as The Parables or Paul’s writings. In an area where quality summertime is
     limited, it provided the congregation with a wonderful opportunity to experience God’s
     world outside of a Sunday morning spent inside church walls.
   ❖ Sunday and special services such as an early morning Easter sunrise service at the Fort
     Nelson Cemetery.
                                                      Figure 6 Easter SonRise Service

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
Our vision in the community is lived out through congregational leadership in:

Active involvement in Hospice;
Hospital worship and Christmas Hampers
through the Ministerial Association;
Various community activities including
Remembrance Day, and volunteer activities
around organizations such as Lamplighters;
Annual Community Christmas Dinner on the
Saturday closest to Christmas Day; and
Community Choir leadership.

Our vision in the world is lived out through
involvement in:
                                                 Figure 6 Sunday School Volunteers
   ❖ Fundraising for M&S. We have
     consistently met or exceeded our “stretch” M&S Annual Budgets;
   ❖ Hosting the Texas 4000 Riders for Cancer Awareness that have come through our
     community and been hosted by Hillcrest for six (6) years; The riders are offered a place to
     sleep in our local high school and a reception dinner followed by a hearty breakfast the
     next day for the 30 riders;
   ❖ Awareness of the broader United
     church of Canada issues through
     involvement with the Northern Spirit
     Regional Council;

Our “vision” for future growth and nurture of
the congregation includes:

Grow the sense of community through:
   ❖ Bible/book/movie study groups both as
      a church and in small group settings;
   ❖ Coffee/discussion groups with focus on
      scripture;
   ❖ social events outside of Sunday.            Figure 7 Texas 4000 Riders

Grow the church through programs for young
families and children;
   ❖ strong children/youth programs both on Sunday and weekdays – where children and
        youth can learn about who we are as a faith community.

Continued focus on opportunities for Local Outreach;
   ❖ Help more with Food Bank;

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Fort Nelson: Hillcrest Pastoral Charge Profile - For For Hillcrest United Church Fort Nelson, British Columbia - April 2021
❖ Community involvement – known in the community as “safe, helpful, and good” not
     forcing Christianity on the community, e.g. parade involvement, sponsor movie, free
     swim – keep a positive image in the community;
   ❖ Continue to identify ourselves in the community through things like signage;
   ❖ To become a more visible church in the community.

Continue to be relevant.

The Cluster Group discussions decided on a second combined Vision and Mission Strategy
according to the following:

Vision and Mission: Micah 6:8

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly
with your God?”

How does it work?

The intent was that doing Justice, Loving Kindness, and Walking Humbly would become the
three lenses through which we would act in our community and in the world.

“Doing Justice” would become the frame for our community activism work.

“Loving Kindness” would serve as the frame for our congregational/community outreach work.

“Walking Humbly” would help direct our spiritual renewal, small groups, and personal
development programs.

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Figure 8 Allen & Lisa's Wedding

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Resources

Hillcrest United: Our Church Building

Hillcrest United is one of five Christian churches in Fort Nelson. The others are as follows:
Alliance Church (no minister at present);
Anglican Church;
Pentecostal Tabernacle;
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.
Located in a residential area on a double lot with a picturesque view from its front doors;
Wood frame structure (2,160 Sq. Ft.);
Bult for the U.S. Army in the 1940’s and moved from the airport to its present location in 1961;
Basement area (with kitchen facility) that is used for meetings and social gatherings;
Roof was replaced in the summer of 2015 and the vestibule re-insulated with new drywall in
2016;
Comfortably accommodates 70 – 80 people;
Includes office, complete with modern computer system, high speed bandwidth internet, copier
and large, wall-mounted TV;
Sound system is installed for electronic media usage;
Very warm interior with all the natural wood that has been used.

               Figure 9 Beautiful Hillcrest United

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Hillcrest United: Manse

Three-bedroom home;
Panoramic view of the entire community and distant mountains;
Basement bedroom, bathroom and meeting room completed in 2014/2015;
Large double lot close to all amenities in a quiet, friendly part of town;
Less than 10-minute walk to church;
Large, fenced yard with developed garden space;
Enclosed carport with deck above. Deck and railings replaced in 2009;
Basement has a private, outside entrance;
Livingroom and kitchen have a bright, southern exposure;
Understood, that due to the size of the manse it may not be suitable for everyone. Alternate
arrangements or a housing allowance could be considered.

        Figure 10 The Manse 2015

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Financial Profile

A presentation of our 2020 financials and performance to budget and the proposed 2021 budget
are shown on the next three pages.

Hillcrest United is proud of the fact that we have met or exceeded our target for “Mission &
Service” donations on a regular basis. In 2021, Hillcrest sent over $9,000 to the UCC M&S Fund.

When Hillcrest has had a fulltime minister, we had been receiving a Mission & Service Grant from
the UCC. In 2020 the grant was for $25,000. Hillcrest has reduced its dependence on this grant in
the past but ultimately the grant returned to the $25,000 level. In 2021, our balance sheet looks
healthy and due to the lack of a fulltime minister the M&S Grant will only be received for Q1. In
2020, Hillcrest took advantage of the Federal Wage Subsidy Program.

The pandemic has hurt our ability to fund raise. In spite of this we have maintained our bottle
recycling fund raiser which has contributed over $4,000 in 2020.

            Figure 11 Bottle/Can Recycling Volunteers

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Hillcrest United Church
                                               2021 Budget
                                         2020 Actuals                      2020 Budget                2021 Budget
Revenue
Mission Support Grant                              25,000.00                   25,000.00                   6,250.00
Local Offerings                     33,170.00
PAR Local Offerings                     3,000.00
Loose Offerings                          175.85
Donations in Kind                        288.60
Total Local Offerings                              36,634.45                   45,600.00                  30,000.00
M&S Offerings                           8,760.00
PAR M&S Offerings                        275.00
Total M&S Offerings                                 9,035.00                    7,500.00                   7,500.00
Misc. Revenue                                       1,088.38
Local Outreach                                       875.00
Celebration Jar Proceeds                             236.60
Bottle Recycling                        4,759.60
Total Fundraising Revenue                           4,759.60                    6,000.00                   5,000.00
Bank Interest                                           1.96
School District Revenue                              750.00                      750.00                     750.00
Sunday School Donations                                -8.19
CEWS - Canada Emergcency Wage Subsidy              16,281.60                                               4,000.00
TOTAL REVENUE                                      94,654.40                   84,850.00                  53,500.00

EXPENSE

Payroll Expenses
Wages & Salaries                    40,775.50                  40,839.00                   9,357.30
Continuing Education                    1,092.66                1,500.00
Remote Manse Allowance                  2,550.00                2,599.00
Travel Expense                                                  1,200.00
EI Expense                              1,281.30                1,290.00
CPP Expense                             2,099.22                2,083.00
Group Pension Pak                       8,960.77                8,645.00
ADP Payroll Service                      254.30                  300.00                      40.00
Total Payroll Expense                              57,013.75                   58,456.00                   9,397.30

General & Admin. Expenses
Advertising                                                                      350.00                     350.00
Northern Spirit Assessment                          1,395.00                    1,395.00                   1,395.00

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Internet                                      2,563.92               1,430.00        2,500.00
Northern Spirit Rep Expense                                          2,000.00        2,000.00
Office Expense                                1,062.86                500.00         1,100.00
Photocopy Expense                                                     250.00
In Kind Office Expense                          47.58
Church Web Maintenance                                                500.00          500.00

                                   2020 Actuals                 2020 Budget     2021 Budget
Accounting                                                            800.00          800.00

Bank Charges & Interest                         41.50                  36.00           40.00
*M&S Payments*                                                       7,500.00        7,500.00
Local Outreach - Pastoral                                            1,000.00        1,000.00
Ministerial Events                                                    200.00
Observer                                       129.75                 360.00          130.00
Insurance-Church & Manse                      4,634.00               3,564.00        4,634.00
Taxes-Church                      2,075.72               2110
Taxes-Manse                       1,749.09               1965
Total Taxes                                   3,824.81               4,075.00        3,834.00
Repairs - Church                                         1000
Repairs - Manse                                          1000
Total Repairs                                                        2,000.00        5,000.00
BC Hydro-Church                    645.88                 636
BC Hydro-Manse                     653.03                 500
Fortis BC-Church                  1,839.35               2000
Fortis BC-Manse                   1,290.20               1000
Water&Sewer-Church                 225.00                 300
Water&Sewer-Manse                  720.00                 720
Total Utilities                               5,373.46               5,156.00        5,156.00
Worship & Nurture                                                    1,200.00        1,200.00
Honorariums                                                           900.00         7,370.00
Ministerial Association                                               200.00
Misc. Expense                                  601.00
GST Expense                                     16.49
Total General & Admin. Expenses              19,690.37              33,416.00       44,509.00

TOTAL EXPENSE                                76,704.12             91,872.00        53,906.30

NET INCOME                                   17,950.28              -7,022.00         -406.30

Generated On: 02/15/2021

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Position Profile

Hillcrest United Pastoral Charge is seeking a fulltime Minister who will lead our congregation
forward during this time of uncertainty due to the pandemic as well as uncertainty in our
community, our church, and the wider United Church of Canada.

The community has benefitted from Hillcrest’s presence in it. The foundation of our church is
stable and overall, in harmony. This is or strength but obviously our weakness too. We believe
that we can attract new members. The United Church offers the kind of liberal worship that
resonates with those who call themselves spiritual but not religious. Hillcrest needs the critical
mass necessary to be a key part of the spiritual life of our Community and avoid the current
members being “burnt out”.

Hillcrest sees our new Minister working with us
to develop a plan and strategy that will lead to
modest growth in our numbers into the future.
We obviously need to see the end of the
pandemic and get back into our church
building. Having said this, though, Hillcrest will
incorporate our Zoom learnings into our
renewed church presence.

The United church can have a significant
“chaplaincy” role in Fort Nelson.
                                                     Figure 12Unique Signage
        Position Requirements

Applicants for this position at Hillcrest United should expect to:

Continue to move Hillcrest forward through the Cluster Group “Dotmocracy” decisions. We know
who we are and where we would like to be in the future. Hillcrest needs to relentlessly pursue
these goals.

Provide inspired leadership and be involved in the Ministerial Association and the Community.

Provide continuing effective, dynamic, meaningful, and relevant worship services. Link scripture
to issues relevant to us today. A monthly communion service is very important to the
congregation.

Be cognizant of, and in tune with, the UCC’s recognition that we are in a time of change if there
is to be a future for the United Church.

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Continue with Faith Journey, Christian education opportunities. There has been an interest in this
and the resulting fellowship is widely appreciated. It is important that our journey of faith be
supported, encouraged, and enlightened.

Continue with as well as promote our tradition of lay involvement in worship services.

Continue to support our sense of community. Both Fort Nelson and Hillcrest United have unique
“northern” inspiring histories. There is a need to be reminded of this as we grow both our
community and our church.

       Skills Requirements

Hillcrest United is seeking an Ordained Minister. The congregation was involved in determining
the specific skills that it is felt Hillcrest requires.

The following is a summary of suggested skills for ministry with us at this time on our journey of
faith:

    Personal Skills
   • Possess strong organizational skills and be self-motivated and self-directed.
   • Be a transformational leader.
   • Heart centered and flexible.
   • Effective interpersonal skills.
   • Ability to empower, encourage and identify and bring out the best in each other.
   • Passionate about the United Church presence in our Community.
   • Computer skills including Word, PowerPoint, and familiarization with electronic media.
   • Awareness of the necessity of self-care. The Minister must have the ability to maintain a
       healthy balance between work and personal life. Fort Nelson and surrounding area has
       much to offer with regard to personal and spiritual renewal and we also encourage on-
       going education and study.
   • “Independent people” and “northern spirit” are synonymous with people in Fort Nelson.

   Teamwork Skills
   • Practice a collaborative and supportive style of leadership when working with the Board
      and Worship and Nurture Committees and support the outcomes.
   • Important to support and enhance the strengths of the congregation.
   • Welcome congregants who may not regularly attend Sunday service but participate in
      Bible Study or fellowship (for example potlucks and manse work).
   • Enthusiastically challenge and support our community of faith, and work with us to fulfill
      our hopes, expectations, and dreams for Hillcrest United Church.
   • Maintain our commitments and continue to inspire us to want to do more community
      outreach and involvement.

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•   Think outside the box in order to have creative Ministry. Continue to participate and
       provide leadership in Northern Spirit Region activities. This may include travel in the area
       to provide Ministry support.

   Worship Service
   • Provide a variety of expressions of worship such as special
     seasonal services, music (contemporary and traditional), as
     well as the use of resources provided by electronic media
     such as YouTube.
   • Encourage family participation, specifically children’s time
     and guiding young parents to introduce United Christian
     upbringing values.
   • Lead the journey to discover a deeper spirituality both within
     and beyond the church.

                                                                         Figure 13 Daffodil Adorned Easter Cross
       Special Note:

       Please look carefully at the pictures of our congregational work in our report – they speak
       clearly, far more than words could ever describe, of who we are and what we value.

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Terms

The employment terms for the ministerial position at Hillcrest United are as follows:

Annual Salary: Minimum Salaries & Reimbursements for Ministry Personnel (2021)

Housing: A manse can be provided. In addition, heating costs over $800 per year will be covered.

Remote Manse Allowance: For 2021, $2,656

Moving Expenses: Reasonable moving expenses for a family of four plus household effects will
be covered by the congregation.

Continuing Educational and Learning Resources: Up to $1,500 per year

Travel Allowance: UCC guidelines (presently $0.41 per kilometer)

Medical Allowance: BC medical premium - equivalent to single coverage cost.

Telephone: Basic telephone cost, excluding long distance - to be discussed with congregation
–could be basic cell phone cost.

Vacation: One month each pastoral year (including five (5) Sundays): negotiable time. One week
off following Christmas.

Study Leave: Three weeks (21 days), including three (3) Sundays within each pastoral year and
an additional two days of travel time for a total of 23 days.

Secretarial Support: Volunteers are available for church bulletins, newsletters, and other help as
needed.

   Expectations

   •   Discussion regarding how congregational and community members will access Minister’s
       service.

   •   Vacation, study leave and other time off as per the United Church Guidelines will be
       requested from the Ministry and Personnel Committee who then will bring information
       forward for final approval from the Board (We are a very flexible congregation around
       holidays and required time-off).

   •   M&P committee will meet at least semi-annually with the Minister to review any issues
       or opportunities that are preventing us (both parties) from being successful on our

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collective journey of faith. If issues are identified there may be further discussion with
       the Board.

Testimonial

“To the serious applicant for the position of Minister at Hillcrest United Church, greetings.

Should you find yourself being called by God to consider serving with Hillcrest United Church, I
offer you my sincerest congratulations.

The congregation, for the most part, is very welcoming, open, compassionate, and participatory.
They aim to be a caring community of faith, and they do a remarkable job of reaching their goal.
They are very intentional about being a church family. They enjoy each other’s company.

About half the congregation has participated, as time allowed, in various Christian Educational
activities.

Hillcrest is “mission-alive”, supporting both Mission and Service enthusiastically, as well as
engaging in local service and mission activities.

With a very few exceptions, the Hillcrest congregation is quite flexible about most matters
concerning worship, worship space, and liturgical tradition. That being said, whatever they do,
they try to do as well as possible.

The committee structures are in place and functioning. Leadership is collegial.

Fort Nelson is a very active and pleasing community in which to live.

In short, if I were a few years younger, you would not be receiving this testimonial”.

Yours in Christ,
Jim Patterson,
Minister (February 2014 – June 2016)

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Figure 14 Sunrise at Hillcrest United

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Figure 15 Hillcrest Kids

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Figure 16 Easter SonRise Service

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