by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
PEMBROKE — A celebration occurred in Calvin United Church in Pembroke on Sunday, May 29, 2016 that affected church-goers in Beachburg and Foresters Falls.
Kevin Moratz, pastor for St. Andrew’s United Church in Beachburg and Trinity United Church in Foresters Falls, became officially known as Reverend Kevin Moratz as he was ordained as a United Church minister, alongside Evelyn James from Havelock United Church. Jacqueline van’t Voort of Omemee United Church was commissioned. This event was at the conclusion of the three-day Bay of Quinte Presbytery Conference that occurred in Pembroke.
The pews were filled with parishioners from various churches as they watched the solemn event occur mid-way through the two-hour church service.
“Jesus Christ came into the world to be the servant of God and all people,” said convenor Sheryl McLeod, as the candidates were invited to stand to begin the special celebration. “As Servant Lord, Jesus calls the church to a ministry of worship, witness and reconciliation.
“In order that this ministry of the whole church may be fulfilled, God has given the ordained ministry of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care, and the diaconal ministry of Education, Service and Pastoral Care. It is the responsibility of the church to seek, train and set apart those whom God calls to serve.”
Reverend Dr. Bill Smith asked Ms. Van’t Voort a series of questions regarding the Vow of Commissioning while he also asked a series of questions to pastors Moratz and James regarding the Vows of Ordination.
It was at this special moment each of the candidates enjoyed a few minutes as they were ordained or commissioned into the United Church of Canada.
As they each knelt on their knees, people they chose to participate in a solemn vow stood around them, each one placing a hand on the candidate’s head. For each candidate, Rev. Smith then said a short prayer of commissioning or ordination.
Prior to Rev. Moratz standing, Dr. Rev. John Young placed a stole around his neck. He was then presented with a variety of symbols for ministry – a bible, a chalice, prayer shawl and paperweight.
Once each of the candidates’ laying of the hands was completed and the symbols presented, the regular service for the special event continued, followed by an opportunity to socialize after the service.
A day later, Rev. Moratz talked about his journey to the ministry after many years working at Bombardier in Toronto.
He grew up in Golden Lake then moved to Toronto to work. In 2002 he returned home and worked for various companies. In 2009, after much discussion with many people, he was entering his fourth vocation.
An active member of the church throughout his life, Rev. Moratz said Reverend Walter Von Boetticher, as well as many others, said he would make a good minister.
“Rev. Walter used to say you should think about ministry,” he recalled. “It was the support and encouragement of people who kept saying you have a gift for ministry that helped me decide.”
Looking back, he said, “I can truly say that I had no idea what God had in store for me when I began my ministerial journey. When I sat down in 2009 with six dedicated individuals to complete my one-year discernment on whether ministry was something I wanted or could pursue, they told me that this vocation would take me down many unexpected paths and they were right.”
He entered the Master of Divinity/Bachelor of Theology program at Queen’s Theological College in 2010, where he studied “under the finest professors and forged some of the greatest friendships a human can ask for.”
Upon graduation, he then took the summer course of Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kingston.
Rev. Moratz said then he was ready for his two-year internship, under a Supervised Ministerial Education site, which he was happy to get near home.
In October 2013, Rev. Moratz began his internship with the Beachburg Pastoral Charge, which is the United churches in Beachburg and Foresters Falls.
He was then informed, at the end of his internship and completion of all ordinational requirements in October 2015, the parishioners of the two churches put out a call they wanted him to be their full-time minister.
“I will gratefully accept, as I have been blessed with two affirming congregations who have gone out of their way to lighten my load and make this, my ministerial journey, truly a happy one,” Rev. Moratz said.
He will be busy with the two parishes, as there are about 150 parishioners in Beachburg and just under 100 in Foresters Falls.
Rev. Moratz believes there will always be a need for churches, even though there will be more church closures, especially in the rural areas. But, it’s not only because there are not as many church-goers as there used to be due to the aging population, but also because of the lack of ministers. He noted that last year 14 ministers retired while only one was ordained.
But, he said, there are many united churches due to amalgamations of various churches in 1925 and again in 1968.
“There are so many churches so close together,” he explained.
In this area alone, he noted there are four united churches in Pembroke, and one in each of Foresters Falls, Beachburg, Cobden, Westmeath and Greenwood.
Speaking about Sunday’s service, Rev. Moratz said, “It was nice having a full church,” noting there was close to 500 people.
“There was a lot of people from my congregations who came out to support me, and that was very touching,” he said.
The laying on hands during the event is symbolic of the passing of the Holy Spirit onto the student, he explained. The people he chose to participate in this special event were his fiancée Michele Smith, Reverend Walter Von Boetticher (retired) and Rev. Young.
Rev. Moratz explained each of the symbols. The bible is to be used for daily readings. The prayer shawl is used during mediation and was made by Liz Hobden of Eganville. The chalice is used during communion and was made by Ben Zettler of La Passe. The paperweight was from the youth, which was the first time they have participated in this ceremony, he said. When the paperweight was presented, the youth said, “Every time you look at it or use it, may it remind you of the courage to dare to find joy and delight in your everyday ministry.”
No longer a student since he was ordained, Rev. Moratz believes some people will see him in a different way.
“The best thing about being a minister is the people opening up to you,” he said.
However, he did admit, “It’s not all rosy. You’re always on call. You never know when the phone rings, you don’t know if you are getting called out to go to the hospital.”
Rev. Moratz said as a minister he’s there to listen and offer whatever support he can.
“I enjoy bringing comfort to people,” he said. “Hopefully you feel the presence of God there with you.”
