INNISFAIL – After close to a decade, Kathy Calkins has said goodbye to Innisfail.
The 58-year-old pastor at Innisfail’s Peace Lutheran Church gave her last sermon on Feb. 3 with her final day on Feb. 11.
She begins her new role as pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Lethbridge on March 1.
"The people here are very loving, caring, committed and faithful. I couldn’t ask for a better congregation,” said Calkins. “Then we joined up with Bentley and I found it was the same there."
In September 2017, Calkins also took over duties as pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Bentley.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience as a first-time pastor,” she added, noting Innisfail was her first placement after being ordained.
Calkins studied a four-year program at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon from 2006 to 2010 and was ordained as a minister in 2010.
Her calling brought her to Innisfail.
“I’ve had a passion and a heart for rural ministries and smaller communities,” said Calkins. “The sense of bonding, family and commitment is not only there in the congregations but is also in the communities.
“People in a smaller community often know how to work together and know the importance of working beyond their own little circle to the larger community,” she added. “That’s so important for the vibrancy and life of the community.”
It’s that community focus for nearly nine years that has helped Calkins contribute to the town in various ways.
That included her work with the Innisfail Ministerial Association, the town’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) board, the Canadian Lutheran World Relief Sweaters for Syria project in Innisfail, and helping spearhead the Welcoming Communities committee that just brought the third Syrian refugee family to Innisfail.
After close to a decade in Central Alberta, Calkins said she feels the Holy Spirit is calling her elsewhere.
“At some point in time, it’s a time to move on. I really feel strongly that time is now for me,” she said. “Personally for a number of reasons, but primarily because I think that people need to hear a different voice after a while. It’s a fresh perspective for change and growth.”
She noted how the move to Lethbridge will also provide more diversity and opportunities for her in a larger city.
“I’m just looking to grow and change and get some of that experience as well,” said Calkins.
It’s a future where she feels will embrace both the opportunities and the challenges.
“Sometimes you have to move beyond comfortable to see something new that God is doing and calling us to,” said Calkins. “It’s exciting. There’s a mix of emotions. Particularly (since we’re) leaving a community, the relationships and the people that we have really grown to love and care for here.”
