Rev. Helen Chandler to leave Yarmouth
Last active day in Holy Trinity parish is Oct. 7.
Many will be sad to see Rev. Helen Chandler and her husband, John Overton, leave Holy Trinity Church this fall.
Bishop Sue Moxley appointed Chandler as rector of the Anglican parish of Yarmouth and Tusket on Jan. 1, 2014.
“She said, ‘If it weren’t for the ferry returning, I’d be sending you to close the parish,’” said Rev. Chandler. “The parish had been in ‘survive’ mode for some time and I knew we needed to shift into ‘thrive’ mode.”
For her that meant they had to live up to Archbishop William Temple’s statement: “The church is a unique organization in that it exists primarily for those who are not yet part of it.”
Becoming more engaged with the community included more public events like Café Wednesday, Holy Trinity Arts with exhibitions and workshops for all ages, monthly seniors’ afternoons with interesting guest speakers, labyrinth walks, prayer walks and weekly prayer gatherings in seniors’ homes, offering student placements for the high school, recreating presence at St. Stephen’s in Tusket, and Rev. Chandler’s participation with the Spiritual Care team at the hospital as an on-call chaplain.
A small Brunzema baroque organ was moved from Wolfville and rebuilt at Holy Trinity.
“This was a project that brought us together with others from all over the province, and internationally, as well as locally,” Rev. Chandler said.
“John (Overton, Holy Trinity’s former music director) offered concerts in the summer inviting other musicians to join him. One person came to listen, saying, ‘This isn’t my kind of thing, but I thought I should see what you are up to.’ He then came to every concert.”
The church building and the hall are used as concert venues for visiting musicians. Complimentary tickets are offered to those who cannot normally afford to attend these events.
The century-old bells, which can be heard throughout the town chiming on Sunday mornings, are “desperately in need of repair,” Rev. Chandler said. Fundraising continues for this.
Some of the more unusual fundraisers organized by Rev. Chandler in the past include a snake show in 2014 and psychic event in 2016, both of which were held in the hall.
“I probably wouldn’t have done something like this in the church, but it is going to help maintain the church,” she said. “I think that’s what has to happen these days. We’re renewing how we approach the institution of church.”
Rev. Chandler says she leaves with a rich palette of memories from privileged personal moments with individuals to unexpected conversations on the street, at the liquor store, or at Heritage Brewery.
“These include getting to know and understand more deeply some of the struggles people encounter in their lives,” she said. “The rich diversity of people who join us at Café Wednesday has taught me to trust more, to love more, to allow others to inspire me, and to know that people are inherently good, as God told us He made us.”
“My hopes for the future of the community are that Yarmouth thrives on the edge of everywhere and lives up to that vision; that Holy Trinity’s doors are always open with a warm welcome waiting for anyone who crosses the threshold; that people live a life of faith and see that it offers more fulfilment than consumerism and a life of “doing”; that we become more human beings and less human doings.”
Rev. Chandler says the ultimate answer to what draws them away is always that they follow God’s call.
“The human me feels it is time to hand over to the next parish clergy leader to further the work we have been engaged in over the past five years. My body and psyche crave sun and city. My ministry is not over; as they say, ‘priests never really retire.’”
Rev. Chandler has applied to be part of a group of clergy and lay people in this diocese who are drawn to missional leadership.
In the meantime, she and Overton are headed to Brighton, U.K. and then to Crete, Greece.
Overton has children and grandchildren in Sweden, where he lived and worked most of his adult life, and Rev. Chandler has a son who lives in Yarmouth.
“We are both originally from England. We leave Yarmouth with just two suitcases to engage in a nomadic next phase to our lives. I leave with an outpouring of gratitude to all the people at Holy Trinity and their willingness to step outside their comfort zone to serve God more in new and innovative ways,” Rev. Chandler said.
There is no word of a replacement at this time for the parish, but Rev. Chandler says there likely will be an interim rector appointed.
Her last active day in the parish is Oct. 7.