Following God's call

For Rev. Bev Shepansky, it took a single comment from a woman to change the direction of her life.

Shepansky, who used to work as a teacher in Val Marie, a village 120 kilometres south of Swift Current, was helping run a service at the Presbyterian church in Swift Current when she was approached by a member of the congregation.

"She said, 'Bev, you missed your calling,' and she just walked away," Shepansky said as she sat in her office in the basement of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. "I wondered if maybe she was right."

Now she's the interim reverend at St. Paul's, where she was also ordained in May. She takes over for Rev. Sandy Scott, who will be heading to Afghanistan with Canadian troops in the next few weeks.

Born and raised in New Westminster, B.C., Shepansky entered the Vancouver School of Theology in 2004 and graduated eight months before her appointment to St. Paul's.

She said she received quite a bit of support from her two children, Peter and Sarah, who live with their families in B.C. and Alberta, respectively.

"When I told Sarah, it was in person, and she said, 'Go for it, Mom!' " Shepansky said.

"They were both here for my ordination."

Shepansky said she spoke with Scott last year about the potential of taking over his ministry while Scott was in Afghanistan.

She told him she would, if she didn't find another position somewhere else. But after eight months of fruitless searching, she decided to move to Prince Albert and take over the congregation of St. Paul's until April 2010, when Scott is expected to return.

"That was God's way of telling me to go to Prince Albert," she said.

Since her arrival in February, Shepansky said the congregation has welcomed her openly, with her congregation looking in on her and making sure she gets out and meets more people.

Although she knows the job can be a challenge, Shepansky said she believes she is on the right road for her, saying that personal parts of the job, such as working with families on funeral services and visiting members of the congregation, give her the feeling and knowledge that she is doing the right thing.

kjarvis@paherald.sk.ca