In May 2004, Teri was ordained by the United Church, and received her Master of Divinity at VST. For the past 6 years she has been the Minister at St. Andrew's United Church in Quesnel, part of the Cariboo Presbytery of the B.C. Conference.

Teri has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology from SFU. She has also had an abundance of specialized training in various areas including, but not limited to, "Healing Pathways"; a "Clinical Pastoral Education Unit" related to hospital chaplaincy; "The Psychosocial Care of the Dying and the Bereaved" related to hospice work; as well as "Transitional/Interim Ministry" and "Student Supervision" training through BC Conference.

The position description in the amended JNAC Report states that one of the major areas of focus for this position is Spiritual Formation with children, youth and families. Before being ordained Teri was trained as a Youth Ministry Worker through Naramata Centre, and she was a Youth Minister at Penticton United Church. She has also led Youth Ministry at West Point Grey, West Vancouver, North Burnaby, Deer Lake, and South Burnaby United Churches. Since taking on the Ministry Leadership position in Quesnel, Teri has worked with the Youth Group as needed, and developed a Youth Musical Team. She also has an interest in Godly Play, which has recently been introduced at KUC.

The position description identifies the second major area of focus as Community Outreach. In Quesnel Teri is also the Co-Chaplain of the Quesnel and District Hospice & Palliative Care Association with responsibilities as a 'Spiritual Care Provider' providing support for the wider community of Quesnel. She also has had training for Youth G.A.T.E. (Global Awareness Through Experience) and was part of the coordinating team for the first G.A.T.E. experience for young adults in Mexico City, 1992. She has lots of experience providing spiritual and pastoral counselling for people inside and outside the congregation and enjoys meeting people from all walks of life.

Thirty percent of the time the person in this position will be occupied in Worship Leadership and Teri comes highly recommended for her skills in this area. Our 2009 Ministry Plan sets a goal to have new innovative ways to meet spiritual needs including alternative Worship Services and Teri is well equipped to meet this challenge. Her skills include singing, playing guitar and percussion instruments, as well as writing poetry, plays, songs and stories. In addition she has an interest in drama, has participated in musical theatre and does Christian Clowning. Teri has presided over numerous special services including healing, Taize, pet blessings, home & office blessings, and outdoor services.

Teri has an abundance of experience actively working with Church governance bodies including the many different Presbyteries that she has been a member of, and BC Conference itself.

Teri is joyful about Ministry, she feels it is a gift filled with faith, inspired by love and needs to be shared. She is also passionate about Social Justice issues. She thinks good communication is essential and believes in an 'open door' policy. She plans to bring new energy, ideas, and fun to KUC and is excited about the challenges facing our congregation.

Teri has many more skills and qualities that the congregation will discover on the faith journey that we are just about to begin with her. The Joint Search Committee is very excited about Teri joining the KUC team, and we feel we will all be blessed to have the opportunity to work and grow with a person of such calibre.

Respectfully prepared by:

Diane Stuart, Chair, Joint Search Committee