Land Acknowledgement
These lands on the shore of Lake Ontario, the lands of the Anishinabek to the Attawandaron, the Haudenosaunee, and the Metis, are steeped in Indigenous history. As we gather on these treaty lands upon which we learn, live, work and play, we are in solidarity with our Indigenous sisters and brothers to honour and respect the four directions, lands, waters, plants, animals, and ancestors who walked before us. We acknowledge and thank the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation for being stewards of this traditional territory.
Oakville falls under Treaty 14, the Head of the Lake Purchase.
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We are all about people.
Not crowds of people, but individuals - people connecting to God and to one another through worship services, programs. and events. We strive to help one another to grow in our faith and support one another through life’s high and low points. We welcome families, young and old, respect their views and encourage their participation.
We are a mixed, intergenerational congregation. We believe we have something for everyone, and we are always open to new ideas. Our goal is to feed the mind, body and soul.
In addition to our worship services, we have many small groups, which meet regularly and numerous special social events throughout the year.
Please see our 2019 Community of Faith Profile, which helps describe our community.
We have great leadership and staff.
Deborah Laforet, Lead Minister
Our Diaconal Minister of Christian Education, Social Justice, and Pastoral Care, joined the staff at St. Paul's on July 1st, 2012. She began as the full-time Christian Education minister and, in January of 2019, moved into the Lead Minister position. In this position, Deborah gets to follow her passions of worship and preaching and community outreach. Deborah lives in Burlington.
Deborah grew up in Michigan where she attended the only church in her neighbourhood which was Roman Catholic. She joined the United Church after struggling with the role of women in the Catholic church and being introduced to a United Church where a woman was preaching, and doing it well! During her maternity leave with her second child, Deborah discerned a call to ministry and has never looked back.
Deborah loves to be in community, whether it be the church softball team, singing with the praise band, or hanging out with the youth of the church. She also enjoys her work with Regional and National Church organizations. Joining others in community as they dream and vision and works toward’s God’s kingdom is where Deborah loves to be. All that being said, Deborah also loves to just sit at home with a good book, biking in Oakville while listening to a good podcast, or out on a trail experiencing God’s creation.
tracy mitchell, children’s programming coordinator
A lifetime member of St. Paul's, Tracy began her role as Children's Programming Developer in September of 2019. She grew up in Oakville and now resides in Burlington with her husband Scott and daughter Lena. She loves learning and has earned multiple certificates and diplomas in the creative arts. She has been a Girl Guides of Canada Association volunteer at various age levels and has always enjoyed working and learning alongside the young people of St. Paul’s.
As a recent participant in Godly Play Certified Storyteller training, Tracy has learned that we can enable today's children and youth to develop a personal relationship with God. This can be achieved by providing a nurturing environment where each child is encouraged to ask wondering questions and find their own answers through thoughtful play and activities. Tracy looks forward to spending time with the children of St. Paul’s as they explore God's wonderful world together.
TRACY CHIPPENDALE, OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Our Office Administrator Tracy is in the office Monday to Friday. Tracy joined St Paul’s in April 2023. She does a number of administrative duties from weekly accounting to maintaining records, answering of phones, directing inquiries, greeting of visitors and generally keeping things running smoothly.
Catherine Arcand-Pinette
Although she is a long time member of St. Paul's, Catherine Arcand-Pinette joined the staff team as the Director of Music in June of 2020. A professional classical singer, Catherine is a well respected Oakville vocal teacher, clinician and adjudicator. A graduate of the Masters In Performance and Literacy Program at Western University, she has enjoyed a diverse musical career from exploring her love of Early Music through the ensemble Musikay, to performing throughout Southern Ontario as a part of the jazz trio, Trio Bella, to singing Broadway favourites in recital, to singing and playing the keyboards in the cover band "Tonight's Band". Catherine is currently the Voice Department Specialist and co-director of the Enriched Voice Program at the Merriam School of music where she has taught for the last 20 years. At St. Paul's she has previously led the Youth Choir, GLOW, as well as the Worship Band and is excited to bring her upbeat style and energy to the music at St. Paul's. Catherine believes that her job as the Director of Music is to facilitate the congregation's ability to experience a profound and spiritual connection to the divine through music, and she strives to accomplish this each week by accessing her love of diverse musical styles and making intentional choices. Catherine is so blessed to be able to share the gift of music each week with the community that encouraged, watched and nurtured her own musical journey as a child, teenager and into adulthood.