All Who are Thirsty

As a student minister doing my first VST Field Education project, I served a church in rural England with the intention of “learning how to be a spiritual leader in a traditional ministry context.” 

For three months I worked in the coffee shop that congregation ran out of its narthex during the weekdays, and every Sunday following worship, the vicar and I would work our way down the congregational list of about 50. We would select a neighbourhood and “pop in” on the half-dozen or so congregants who might be home (we left a business card for those who weren’t, just so they knew we’d been by!). These visits took up hours of an already long day, the coffee shop patrons were mostly uninterested in conversing about God, and I confess to being itchy at first about using my time that way. It didn’t take much more than a week, however, for me to learn that a cup of tea and the assurance of being seen was an integral part of spiritual care. 

This was my first introduction not only to pastoral work, but also to the importance of congregational life. 

The following year, back at VST, I was in a rituals class with Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan-Kaplan and we were encouraged to introduce a ritual from our own community of faith. When my day came, I brought in carafes of tea and coffee, placed them down with some mugs and said to the class, “Hi! How are you?” A laugh came over the room as we joined one another in conversation about the significance of simply “doing life together” as a faith community. These conversations inevitably led to deeper friendship, communal prayer, and a sense of the sacred. It is no surprise to me that thanks to these experiences, I have continued to be called to congregations who list hospitality as a value. The sacred work of seeing and being seen, loving and being loved, knowing and being known, has remained at the core of my heart for congregational ministry. To welcome the stranger is to welcome Christ. 

Come, all who are thirsty. 

Andria Irwin is a United Church of Canada minister living in Calgary, Alberta. She has previously served as a church planter, a digital church consultant, and most recently as the associate minister at Hillhurst United Church. In 2020 Andria authored Following: Embodied Discipleship in a Digital Age alongside Rev. Dr. Jason Byassee. Andria earned her MDiv from VST in 2020 and is the 2024 TEG Award recipient.