Commissioning and Introducing Jolene - September 15, 2022

Hi Church,

On Sunday we will celebrate the ministry roles of all of us at Mountainview in a commissioning service.  A particular part of that service will be the commissioning of Jolene Veenstra as our Pastoral Care Intern.  This is a fitting combination, in my mind, because when we add staff it is always with an eye to helping engage more people in ministry.  Jolene will be working with our pastoral care teams to help us all continue to grow in our ability to minister to one another.  She will be preaching on occasion as well.  ES

Here is Jolene's self-introduction:

"I love creating spaces where I can support people spiritually and emotionally, and where we can hold and explore stories and struggles together, with the help of God's gracious presence. I appreciate that Mountainview is a community composed of smaller communities and that this allows many stories to combine into a beautiful narrative of some of God's work in Grimsby. Over the next eight months, I hope to hear more about how these stories weave together, to hold and witness the pain and the joy we inevitably encounter in all stories, and to be a part of this larger narrative for a time. 

As for my backstory, I live with an incredibly supportive group of people--my husband of 17 years, Timothy, our two daughters, and my mother-in-law. They have supported me through seminary, counselling training, a congregational counselling internship, and a hospital chaplaincy internship over the past four years. I will always be grateful for how they have lovingly and steadfastly upheld me over the course of this discernment journey."