Former missionary new paster at Palermo By CHERYL ELLIOT Special to the North News ou can easily miss Palermo United Church on the boundâ€" ary of northwest Oakville and Burlington if you are not lookâ€" ing for it. It‘s the wellâ€"worn red Mondays Tuesdays 10â€"4 Wednesdays Thursdays 1â€"4 Saturdays 11â€"4 irTt *~, §27â€"5111 Classes begin week of April 5th. Reglster by mail or in person. ** 560 Bronte Rd. Oakville brick building located at the juncâ€" tion of Hwys. 5 and 25. The Methodists built the main section of the present building on this site in 1867. It became a United Church in 1925 and, although it lost some of its elegance as the highway was widened to its BJ ranthaven Homes presents their newest community of fifteen 2â€"5 acre estate residences â€" "SADDLEWOOD" in Kilbride. [#llaces In The Heart Arrived at historic church last July Last July, Reverend Ruth Holm, and her family, moved into the manse next door to the church. Holm transferred from Renfrew where she served as minister of three rural churches. She considers this current assignment "a move up" because she is only ministering at two churches now; Nelson United Church in Burlington, as well as, Palermo. STUDIED SEVEN YEARS It has been a long and meanderâ€" ing path to Palermo United Church for Holm whose forthright and engaging manner would as easily fit into a boardroom as it would into a chapel. She took seven years to complete a degree, did a threeâ€"year doorstep, it still keeps a small but faithful congregation. lan Oliver, Publisher Bob Glasbey, Advertising Director Mark Yesford, Advertising Manager Norman Alexander, Editor Geoff Hill, Circulation Director Teri Casas, Office Manager Tim Coles, Production Manager The Oakville North News is published every Friday by the Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd. Oakville, Ont. L6K 384. Editorial inquiries should be directed to the Oakville North News Editorial Coâ€"ordinator, Wilma Blokhuis. Phone: 845â€"3824, Fax: 845â€"3085, Classified: 845â€"2809, Circulation: 845â€"9742 North‘News Serving Glen Abl;éy, River Oaks A\Troqums Ridge Oakville w# Country Estate From The Mid 500‘s THE OAKVILLE BEAVER stint as a missionary in Brazil, and coped with helping her young daughter recover from a serious car accident. She continued to pursue her studies as she moved from one assignment to another with her husâ€" band, and four universities later accomplished her goal. However, it was not until the last year of her studies that Holm decidâ€" ed to become a minister in the United Church. Holm started a degree program in theology 16 years ago when her husband Svend â€" chaplain at Credit Valley Hospital â€" was completing his final year of university in Saskatchewan. "This is the woman‘s way of doing it," Holm contends. . es 19 20â€"23 Coming Up . . . North ......... 8 Entertainment................... 18 TTAVEL::: m en ie e ies 18 "It seemed like the most logical step," she said. "I felt that I could do a good job of ministering to peoâ€" ple." Her vast background, compared to many of her colleagues at that time, was invaluable to her vocaâ€" tion, she believed. Living in a Third World country and motherhood helped her understand "where peoâ€" ple were coming from" and how best to serve their needs. Part of that life experience was working in South America in the midâ€"‘80s. The Holms, with their twoâ€"yearâ€"old daughter in tow, were missionaries in northeastern Brazil for three years. Svend was assigned to the United Methodist Church of that country. ‘LIVING ADVENTURE‘ Why the United Church? "Because I needed a liberal, radical setting to live in," she replied. "For the amount of life that I had lived to that point," said Holm, "I had really experienced a lot." Holm recalls her period in Brazil as a "living adventure" where she learned much about different ways people related to each other in another setting and the sensitivities towards people of different races. "I was exposed to social justice being lived out in a new way," said Holm, "and an understanding of who the oppressed were in any sociâ€" ety. Holm believes the church in Brazil tries to work "in solidarity" with the poor and has a better sucâ€" cess rate than the Church in Canada. "The Church is pretty alienated from the poor here," she said, "but my Brazilian experience has taught me that the Church here can be aware of the issues of the sufferâ€" ing." In Brazil, the Holms, in addition to their traditional pastoral duties â€" ran a literacy school, started a food bank, and a lace cooperative for people in their community. In 1985, their daughter was involved in a serious car accident and this prompted their premature return to Canada. Svend went back to school in Toronto and studied to be a chapâ€" lain, "because no one wants to hire a missionary" according to his wife. A baby boy was a new addition to the family, and along the way Holm completed her degree at Queen‘s University and was ordained, and assigned her first ministry in Renfrew. Then on to Oakville where she took the reins of a "very quiet charge" at Palermo United Church with a Sunday congregation of 40 to 75 people, ranging in age from early 30s to 70s. (See ‘Church building . . .‘ page 3) St. Patrick‘s Day Baby! New addition to the staff at Blazer for Men Brian ‘and Tracy Lalonde are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Shanley Dee on Wednesday March 17, 1993 weighing 7 lbs., 4/ ozs. Proud grandparents are Jerry and Lynn Cleaver of Coniston and Gerard and Beulah Lalonde also of Coniston. Many thanks to Drs. Block and Taylor and all the O..M.H. nursing staff.