It seemed a grand adventure to a little boy of seven.
After a chance Sunday-morning visit to the church in Lytton, B.C., young HaroldB次元官网网址檚 father decided heB次元官网网址檇 found home.
Eric Munn left his cushy posting as a priest in Victoria, packed up his family and moved to the rough, rural area.
B次元官网网址淚 could ride my bicycle everywhere, there were trains all over the place and I loved trains,B次元官网网址� recalls Harold Munn, now rector at St. John the Divine Anglican Church.
What he didnB次元官网网址檛 understand at the time was the sacrifices his parents made, or the calling his dad felt to look after the congregation in the decrepit church.
Eric regularly left on multiple day trips on horse back, visiting the remote villages in the Fraser Canyon without road access.
B次元官网网址淗e drank water out of mosquito-infested barrels, because the people did,B次元官网网址� said Munn. He watched his father take the concerns of First Nations people very seriously, in an era when few did.
B次元官网网址淭he result was that I grew up taking such people seriously because I thought that was normal,B次元官网网址� he said, breaking up in a hearty laugh at his naive perspective.
Munn brought these lessons to his own ministry, first in the Yukon, then in Edmonton and finally in Victoria.
He expressed interest in the opening at St. John in 1998 due to its reputation as having a very active congregation.
Munn helped take this social engagement to the next level.
B次元官网网址淚n the late 90s, homelessness was becoming a visible issue and St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 was at the epicentre,B次元官网网址� he said.
While the church always operated a food bank, it began opening its space as a homeless shelter.
Other outreach programs included an evening drop-in centre for street youth serving dinner; a mentoring program matching people newly released from prison with volunteers, and others.
ItB次元官网网址檚 about putting faith into action.
B次元官网网址淚 think that faith is about becoming more and more aware that there is a deep goodness underneath the universe,B次元官网网址� said Munn. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 prove it but it makes a huge difference if you start trusting that.B次元官网网址�
Since human society is intended to be good, the logical consequence is that everybody deserves inclusion and dignity, he explained.
To have faith but not act on it, is like believing in air B次元官网网址渂ut deciding weB次元官网网址檙e not going to breath,B次元官网网址� he added.
B次元官网网址淗arold has a passion for social justice that he has extended in a very holistic way into the community,B次元官网网址� said Kathleen Gibson, the rectorB次元官网网址檚 warden and involved with the church for 50 years.
Last September, Munn organized a conference called City Street Church. It brought together government, social agencies and the faith communities, with the goal of partnering in a common cause.
B次元官网网址淚t was the first time that the church had been acknowledged as an equal player,B次元官网网址� Gibson said.
Rev. Brenda Nestegaard Paul, of Grace Lutheran Church, got to know Munn through the Victoria Downtown Churches Association, which she now chairs.
B次元官网网址淗e is a very humble person B次元官网网址� but he is not shy to speak when he needs to speak, and when he speaks you listen because itB次元官网网址檚 not something that he does constantly.B次元官网网址�
When homelessness is on the doorstep, you can shut the door or you make the decision to advocate, said Nestegaard Paul. B次元官网网址淗arold chose the latter.B次元官网网址�
On Sunday, Munn will hold his last service at St. John the Divine.
People from his many circles are invited to attend.
Munn, who is married with two adult sons, is moving to Vancouver where he will work part-time at the University of B.C. teaching theological students preparing to be ordained.
His son may be one of his students.
A few years ago, Munn gave his son a glimpse into his late trailblazing grandfather, Eric.
The two went back to Lytton. They visited a village, now with road access, and saw the abandoned church, complete with ramshackle addition built to house Eric when he spent the night.
B次元官网网址淲e stood in that village and thought, B次元官网网址楬oly crow B次元官网网址� he came here in the 1950s B次元官网网址� unbelievable.B次元官网网址� I would imagine no white person had ever volunteered to go to that village, except for the RCMP,B次元官网网址� said Munn.
The next morning, they went to the only restaurant in town serving breakfast.
Soon, First Nations people started filing in.
B次元官网网址淎fter a while, I began to realize they were looking at me, expecting me to make some contact,B次元官网网址� Munn said.
B次元官网网址淭hey knew where I would have to have breakfast, so they turned up (and) started telling stories about my dad.B次元官网网址�
rholmen@vicnews.com
