The vote in January is to elect a new Diocesan Bishop. Our General Synod, which will be voting on changing the Marriage Canon, will meet in June of 2019.janura

Happy thanksgiving, Reverend Andrea Brennan says, greeting me with a warm smile and a hug. Dressed in black jeans and earthy tones, the Fernie church minister matches the fall colours around downtown. The neckline of her loose-fitting poncho reveals the white of a clerical collar.

She pushes open the heavy wooden doors to the old stone church, revealing a long traditional hall filled with pews. Heavenly light from colourful stained glass fills the room.

Brennan is one of the most recognizable faces around town for one particular reason - sheB次元官网网址檚 always smiling. For almost three years she has served as the minister of the Christ Church Anglican in Fernie.

Behind the everlasting smile is a person confident in what they believe in and not afraid to challenge the status quo.

Aside from breaking the stereotype by being a female minister, Brennan is also openly queer. She is also serving at a time when her denomination is considering marrying same-sex couples.

B次元官网网址淲hen I came out to my Bishop, I donB次元官网网址檛 think he had ever had anybody come out to him before,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 of course, polite above all else, and he said, B次元官网网址榃ell, I know that you will manage the mission field as best appropriateB次元官网网址�, which is Bishop speak for, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to do an altar call, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to stand up on a Sunday morning and say, B次元官网网址楪uess what! IB次元官网网址檓 queer!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Something that Brennan doesnB次元官网网址檛 understand is when people say that being homosexual is against God. She believes it all boils down to love. She admitted that there are several letters in the chapter of Paul where the prophet mentions, B次元官网网址楢 man should not lie with another manB次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淭aken out of context, you can make that as an argument against homosexuality,B次元官网网址� said Brennan. B次元官网网址淏ut within context, thatB次元官网网址檚 not what he was getting at, at all.B次元官网网址�

Brennan lives her life openly and has accepted that she is known as B次元官网网址榯he weird one in that church over there that doesnB次元官网网址檛 wear shoes, sometimes with pink hairB次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淚 am who God made and for people that will tell me that I donB次元官网网址檛 have a seat at the table, theyB次元官网网址檙e not going to say that to me simply because of my sexuality. TheyB次元官网网址檒l also say that to me because of my gender,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

B次元官网网址淏ut I keep having a seat at the table because God has called me to be there.B次元官网网址�

BrennanB次元官网网址檚 very first homily (reading of scripture) in Fernie began with an apology. This triggered some laughter in the congregation.

B次元官网网址淚 said, B次元官网网址榣et me explainB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 do anything in a small manner, thereB次元官网网址檚 nothing small about me. Not my heart, not my mouth, not my backside. Everything I do is full on, and out there.

B次元官网网址淪o IB次元官网网址檓 going to say things that are offensive, most of the time it wonB次元官网网址檛 be intentional. Every now and then IB次元官网网址檒l push you intentionally to make you uncomfortable, to start a conversation.B次元官网网址�

Her speech concluded with an offer of private conversation, if someone is offended or upset by something she has said.

She recalled one day, a church goer who always sat with her arms folded, approached Brennan and invited her for tea at her home. Despite dreading a possible lecture, she agreed.

In conversation, the woman said, B次元官网网址淚 really didnB次元官网网址檛 want to like youB次元官网网址�.

The women went on to explain that she didnB次元官网网址檛 like that she was coming from the east or that she was a woman. But when Brennan walked through the doors for the first time, the woman admitted it challenged all her preconceptions.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 talking to me and sheB次元官网网址檚 watching me very carefully, and sheB次元官网网址檚 measuring her words very carefully,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

B次元官网网址淚 said, B次元官网网址榮o how do you feel now?B次元官网网址� And she said, B次元官网网址榳ell, I love you. Because I didnB次元官网网址檛 realize that I really needed somebody to make me feel uncomfortable and to make me question why I do what I doB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�

The woman further explained that hearing Brennan say to them that they had permission to question why things were the way they were, opened up doors that had been closed shut for years.

From a young age, Brennan has been called to serve in some capacity and has always enjoyed helping others. As she grew older and finished her high school education, she decided to pursue a career in teaching. Almost finished university, Brennan discovered that she didnB次元官网网址檛 have the grades to enter teachers college. Instead, she decided to study English and philosophy.

Now an educated woman with a resume to pursue a multitude of careers, Brennan froze, unsure what she wanted. During this time, she attended church again and realized how much she missed it. After some time she became a layperson, with a new goal of becoming a lay-minister. When she approached her Rector about becoming a lay-minister, he instead encouraged her to consider priesthood.

B次元官网网址淚 started laughing, I didnB次元官网网址檛 realize he was serious,B次元官网网址� said Brennan. B次元官网网址淎nd I said, B次元官网网址榥o, I want to be a lay person, I donB次元官网网址檛 feel that God would have a use for me any more than thatB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�

Acknowledging this, her Rector told her to keep it in the back of her mind.

While on a retreat at a convent, Brennan spent five days in silence, pondering what she should do. She left feeling encouraged and returned a year later for another five days, with a new idea of pursuing monastic life.

On the second retreat and after much discernment (meditation), Brennan approached her Reverend Mother and told her that she was thinking of becoming an Anglican nun.

B次元官网网址淪he said, B次元官网网址業 canB次元官网网址檛 see you coming to us as a sister, as a nun, but I can see you coming back to us as our priestB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

Brennan rejected the idea at first but realized after leaving the retreat that her Reverend Mother was right B次元官网网址� seven years without privacy, as an extremely introverted person, was not the path for her. Not having materialistic wealth didnB次元官网网址檛 bother her and neither did a limited wardrobe, but not having a place to be alone bothered her tremendously. It was at this point that she decided to apply to Seminary.

What ultimately cemented her decision to serve was something Brennan experienced while in meditation on the second retreat.

B次元官网网址淚 was sitting on the ground and I heard a male voice call my name,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 looked around and there was nobody around, and I thought, thatB次元官网网址檚 weird. So I continued where I was with my eyes closed in a time of prayer and meditation and then I heard, B次元官网网址榊ou will serve meB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 got up and ran because I thought, thereB次元官网网址檚 some strange guy around here.B次元官网网址�

Writing down what she heard on a piece of paper, a sister confirmed that there were no other men on the grounds. Frightened and confused, Brennan returned to the same spot for several days, and waited.

B次元官网网址淚 waited and I said, B次元官网网址榦kay, if in order for this to happen I need to surrender, then thatB次元官网网址檚 what IB次元官网网址檓 doingB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Brennan. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址� and then I heard again, B次元官网网址榊ou will serve meB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淧art of me was elated to hear it again and part of me was really annoyed because now I have to do something about it.B次元官网网址�

Making that decision and surrendering her life to that, Brennan explained, was very hard to do. But she said once she did, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

Brennan was ordained in October of 2007 at St. PaulB次元官网网址檚 cathedral in London, Ont., the same cathedral where she was baptized 40 years earlier.

Before coming to Fernie, Brennan worked at the Anglican Diocese of Huron in southwestern Ontario in a small town called Dorchester.

Asked about her drive to help people, Brennan said that in order for the world to be a better place, we have to have relationships with each other.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easy to say things that are hateful and negative about somebody that youB次元官网网址檝e never met or somebody that you donB次元官网网址檛 know. But if you have a relationship with that person, weB次元官网网址檙e far more likely to be kind to each other,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

She added that if we could stop looking at our differences and start looking at our similarities, and see each other through the lens of love, then we can change the world.

B次元官网网址淭he world is a broken place, a very broken place,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd we can get caught in (the mindset that) everything is so broken, I donB次元官网网址檛 know what to do, or we can take our own corner of creation with our own selves and say, B次元官网网址榯oday I choose to live from a place of loveB次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址�Included in that love is that weB次元官网网址檙e all the same in GodB次元官网网址檚 eyes.B次元官网网址�

In saying this, Brennan also explained that her congregation is a safe place for anyone to come.

B次元官网网址淢y congregation is so loving and welcoming to people who are same gender to people who are transgender to people who are divorcees, to single moms, single dads, to folks that are tattooed and pierced.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hey called a priest who is tattooed and pierced,B次元官网网址� continued Brennan, referring to herself.

Sometimes, Brennan says she has to explain to people why she has a certain piercing or tattoo behind her ear.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a matter of conversation,B次元官网网址� she said.

Currently, the marriage canon for the Anglican Church says that the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. June of 2019 will go down in history for the denomination when church leaders consider allowing same-sex marriage.

They will be voting to change the definition of marriage to B次元官网网址榯wo eligible peopleB次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淚 truly believe that love comes from God,B次元官网网址� said Brennan. B次元官网网址淪o if God sends someone for me to love thatB次元官网网址檚 not traditional, does that make it any less valid than if God sends me someone who is traditional?B次元官网网址�

Christ Church, Brennan explained, is known as an affirming congregation. Brennan cannot, as stated by the doctrine of the Anglican Church, marry two same-sex people. However, if they were to be civilly married, their marriage could be blessed at the church.

B次元官网网址淢y great hope is that we change the canon,B次元官网网址� said Brennan, adding that changing it requires a tremendous amount of work.

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada meets once every three years. In order for the canon to be changed, the motion has to be approved at two successive Synod meetings, requiring a minimum of six yearsB次元官网网址� time.

Since 2002, when gay marriage was legalized in Canada, the Anglican Church has been discussing changing the canon.

By comparison, the ordination of women into the Anglican Church took 18 years to complete.

Forty years ago, female lay-leaders started a movement to change the canon and allow the ordination of women. Brennan explained that this took some time because, according to scripture, a woman must remain silent and a woman must defer. Brennan noted that although it took 18 years, it was the male clergy who voted in favour of this.

B次元官网网址淲hen the marriage canon changes, I donB次元官网网址檛 think for a second thereB次元官网网址檚 going to be a line up of people banging on the door saying, B次元官网网址榩lease, can you marry us nowB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Brennan.

B次元官网网址淏ut it will be one more way that we can show we are open to all of GodB次元官网网址檚 children, regardless.B次元官网网址�