Rev. Deborah Laing’s daughter, Aylish was beginning Grade 1 when the family moved to Rimbey.
Now her daughter has graduated from high school and Rev. Laing is moving on.
Rev. Laing has served as pastor of the Rimbey United Church for 14 years. She moved to Rimbey with her husband Joe Anglin and their children, Aylish and Thomas.
It turned out to be a good move for the family and Laing said Rimbey will always have a special place in her heart.
“I needed a place to raise my kids,” she said. “I never saw them (while working in Vancouver) “Rimbey has been a wonderful place.”
Laing was serving as a pastor to a busy congregation in North Vancouver when she came to Rimbey.
Now she is going back to Vancouver to serve as a pastor.
“I’m going to a newly algamated church,” she said.
Laing’s role at the church will include inreach and outreach education and pastoral care.
Laing is excited about her new position, although she is sad to be leaving the community she has called home for many years. However, she believes the experience she gained here will be helpful to her in her new role.
“Rimbey has taught me a lot about community,” she said.
She said Rimbey has a great sense of community and of caring about each other.
“Whatever they have; time, money and skills, they offer it to the community. They are not afraid of hard work and they see what needs to be done and they just do it. And they meet their problems with grace.”
Laing is grateful for the years she spent in Rimbey and recalls many highlights of her time in the community.
She recalls the number of people who pitched in and helped during renovations at the church.
“The people who helped out were wonderful.”
She said a course she taught at extended care at Rimbey Hospital on death and dying was a meaningful experience for her.
“It was very touching,” she said.
She also loves that she lived on the parade route and every year she has her ‘chair ready’ so she can enjoy the colourful display of floats and vehicles and horses and children.
She enjoys the weekly Farmers Market at Pas Ka Poo Park and notes how it is a great gathering place for the residents.
She is pleased that West Country Outreach School offers an alternate way of learning and is happy that her children both graduated from that school.
“I appreciate that school and the staff there,” she said.
Laing’s father was also a United Church minister, but she said she never expected to follow in his footsteps.
“I’ve always been interested in helping people, though.” she said.
It will be hard to leave, she added.
“I’m sad to be leaving. A chunk of my life was here, but I think it’s the right time.”
A farewell was held for Rev. Laing at the Rimbey Drop-in Centre on Mon., July 23 hosted by the Rimbey United Church.