Our Minister: Rev. Robert McCarthy

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Rev. Robert McCarthy was born and raised in North Sydney, Cape Breton.  He received his BA from St. Francis Xavier University in 1997 and his M. Div from the Atlantic School of Theology in 2002.  Robert was ordained by Maritime Conference in Truro, NS in 2002 and was settled to the Glassville / Juniper Pastoral Charge in New Brunswick where he served until 2006.  In 2006 Robert accepted a call to the Annapolis / Granville Pastoral Charge in Annapolis Royal, NS where he served until July 2012.  While in Annapolis Royal Robert married his wife, Jessica, who called and still calls Annapolis Royal home.  Before Robert and Jessica were married a year, they made the trek from Annapolis to Kensington as Robert accepted a call to be our minister in August of 2012.  Their very first wedding anniversary was celebrated on the island! 

In the spring of 2018 Robert and Jessica added to their family by adopting their twin daughters, Addyson and Amanda, who were 7 years old at the time.  Life for the McCarthy’s is busy here on PEI; with church, Jessica’s work at Kinkora High School teaching and as the school counselor, and of course the girls have had them playing catch up since the day they arrived!


Our Minister Emeritus:  Rev. Jack Spencer

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The congregation voted unanimously to confer the honorary title of Minister Emeritus to the Rev. Jack Spencer at the annual meeting held in January 2016.  This honour was accepted and celebrated with a special service on April 10th 2016.  The congregation honored Jack’s 33 years of ministry and his ongoing commitment to Kensington United Church 

Jack Spencer was born and raised in Halifax, NS. He attended school and university there graduating from Dalhousie University in 1968 with a BA and from Pine Hill Divinity Hall in 1971 with a M. Div. degree. He was ordained by the Maritime Conference of the United Church of Canada in May of 1971 and settled in the Souris and Bay Fortune Congregations in July of 1971. He remained there until he was called to the Kensington Pastoral Charge on July 1, 1979 and served there until his retirement on June 30, 2012.

He and his wife Donna continue to live in Kensington. They have two sons, Jeff and Stephen. Jeff and his wife, Angela, also live in Kensington, while Stephen and his wife, Julie, live in Riverview, New Brunswick. Jack and Donna have six grandchildren: Micah and Adam, who live in PEI, and Bryan, Brent, Ellery, and Everson, who live in New Brunswick.

Jack has been involved in the wider church and has held many offices at the Presbytery, Conference and General Council levels of the United Church of Canada and is now involved on the Executive of the Fundy, St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council.


Our Choir Director: Sandi Clark

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Sandi Clark was born in Annapolis Royal, and grew up in Bridgewater, on Nova Scotia's beautiful South Shore. She attended Dalhousie university, graduating in 1977 with the degree of Bachelor of Music Education. After teaching in the Halifax school system, she moved to Prince Edward Island, and continued to teach music in the public school system for several years. For the past thirty-eight years, she has been teaching the Music for Young Children program from her studio in Kensington. She has been part of the music team at Kensington United Church for forty years. 

Sandi is married to Ken Clark, and their lives have been blessed with two children... Lindsey and her husband Taylor, and Jamie and his wife Jaclyn, and with grandchildren Farrah, Jude, and Barrett.


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Our Organist: Bethany Dawson

Bethany grew up in Central Bedeque and never moved too far from home; moving to Cape Traverse.

She studied music at UPEI and has been teaching piano and been an organist since she was 15 years old. Bethany has been a permanent fixture at Kensington United for the past 31 years.  She has enjoyed working with Sandi and both ministers along with a very supportive congregation and choir.

Bethany has been married to Paul for 30 years and they have three grown boys. She loves to travel with Paul and explore many adventures!

 

Ministers since church union (1925)

Rev. Dr. J. R. Saint: 1926-1931

Rev. W. S. Loring: 1931-1935

Rev. B. C. Salter: 1935-1940

Rev. A. D. Sterling: 1940-1944

Rev. Lewis M. Murray: 1944-1965

Rev. Gordon MacBeth: 1965-1969

Rev. Boyce Elliott: 1969-1974

Rev. Donald C. Boothroyd: 1974-1979

Rev. Jack R. Spencer: 1979 - 2012

Rev. Robert McCarthy: 2012 - present