At almost 5 feet 11, she usually towers over the wooden pulpit at the Bowen Island United Church but today Reverend Shelagh MacKinnon delivers her sermon from a more humbling height of her wheelchair - a true testament of her dedication to, and love for, her congregation. She's been doing it for over a month; just three weeks after she suffered an unfortunate fall that resulted in a broken femur on December 15, the feisty and spirited Reverend returned to her beloved Little Red Church, as it is fondly called by many , to lead Sunday services. What's a little break in the femur? It just happens to be the largest bone in the human body and has the ability to support up to 30 times the weight of an adult. No big deal. At least not to Rev. MacKinnon who says her work with the church is a motivating factor, "I have the best job in Canada. I really do," proudly claims the 55-year-old. It is the sense of community and belonging that inspires MacKinnon to share her message with the 75 families in the congregation, " I love spending my time thinking about how to tell people that they are not alone and that, no matter what and where, there is something to sustain them," she says.
MacKinnon, who has a masters in divinity from Queens University in Ontario, arrived on Bowen Island in the spring of 1998 and says the island - and the Little Red Church captivated her heart and imagination. "It was so distinctly different from the previous three churches I'd been at," says MacKinnon, who worked at St. Andrew's Wesley United and two other locations in Saskatchewan before laying eyes on the small red building that is home to her now; "I saw it and thought that this little church could be such a wonderful spiritual resource. I immediately fell in love." And the congregation fell in love with her. How could they not? MacKinnon wears her heart on her sleeve and her love for the work she does emanates from her smile and flows from her words as she encourages her parishioners to celebrate life's miracles - including being behind the pulpit only three weeks after a major surgery.
The Little Red Church is easily accessible by wheelchair, making MacKinnon's life much simpler and thanks to the generosity and kindness of her friends at the Church, MacKinnon is never in short supply of helping hands. "People are so good with their time to me, it's a real gift," says MacKinnon adding that she was amazed at how everyone pulled together to organize services in her absence, "I adore this community and being here for 12 years I have seen my relationships with people grow deeper."
And hence, when she broke the femur MacKinnon had a hard time believing that she would be out of commission throughout the Christmas season. She recalls with a smile the moment she diagnosed herself to the paramedics attending her after the fall; "I told them it had to be torn ligaments - no biggie. Little did I know another plan had unfolded." That plan includes 16 weeks in the wheelchair and a couple of months of physiotherapy to get back in shape; "healing a broken femur requires patience, and you know me...I can't sit around," she says through laughter.
So despite being confined, MacKinnon refuses to slow down and keeps a schedule worthy of a busy-bee. When she is not thinking up clever ways to modernize spiritual principles for her sermons, the Reverend works closely with people with alcohol and drug problems helping them discover an easier, softer path. She travels when she can yes, she recently soaked up a week's worth of sun in Hawaii from her wheelchair, spends quality time with her family, friends and three dogs as well as - wait for it ...she is trying to master the worthy craft of knitting. All considered, you may agree, there is little time in her schedule to feel sorry for herself.
MacKinnon plans to be back on both feet by the summer, but for now she jokes, "I will still be at the pulpit doing my best stork impression as I stand on one leg for as long as I can before I have to sit down and speak from the wheelchair."
