Credentials

The Clergy Support Memorial Church Board was in full agreement to certify the Rev. Irene Eaves to the Office of Appointed Designated Minister – Ministry of Art, on February 25, 2021. Being a caring member of the community has always been a distinctive characteristic of Irene’s life, as she has, and continues to, tirelessly volunteer in her community for the last 21 years. She is also in love with Art and she finds God’s love and grace expressed in the human expressions of art. Rev. Irene is no stranger to human adversity, even in her personal and family life, so she understands all too well the value of human dignity. Having dedicated her teaching career to special education, she feels more a member of the human race regardless of ability, race, background, etc., and she feels called to a journey of life-long service and growth.

Academic Credentials

• Graduate Certificate – Canadian Ministers Institute, April 2021
• Set Designer/Decorator – Capilano College, 2010
• Bachelor of Education (Spec. Ed.) – University of British Columbia, 1983

Awards

• Louise Hay Spiritual Card Award
• Spiritual Art Contest for Best Media Representing HOPE in the Pandemic, 2021
  

Membership

• The Community Living Society
• The Autism Society
• Students for special Education
• Multiple sclerosis Society
• The Harrison Theatre Group

Pastoral Care

While not quite in a street ministry scenario, Irene works with those facing difficulties in life, be it medical, developmental, end of life challenges, and crisis support to anyone who asks her. She is comfortable working in support of her people in private homes, hospitals and Long-Term Care facilities.

Given her ample experience with personal and professional accompaniment of others in need, Rev. Irene now facilitates, leads and incorporates private and group sessions, workshops and retreats.

Thoughts on her Spirituality

Irene can be described as believer in a God that is far beyond human understanding. She believes that God manifests in every different religious expression, and she is comfortable in every religion and faith tradition she has encountered, Christian, Buddhist, Bahai, Sikh, to name a few. She states that “Most religions have beautiful, soulful beliefs and I have always felt the presence of God in all of them.” Most recently, Rev. Irene has delved in Native Spirituality where she continues to learn and participate in healing rituals and further spiritual practices. She also finds God in the non-religious, loving and serving without judgement.

Personal Growth

When permitted, Irene enjoys her newly found love for travel, as it allows her to make a real connection with the peoples and places she has only read about. These new encounters with other places, cultures and practices solidify her notion that we are all the same.

Hobbies

Rev. Irene enjoys gardening as it keeps her close to the earth and connected to God in nature. She is also an avid reader, and she somehow finds time to go sailing, which also connects her with the water as an expression of life and nature, as well as being a physically demanding hobby that keeps her active.

Closing Words from Irene

“I believe community and helping each other is one of the most important virtues and practices of our humanity. In the [time] of COVID-19 nothing has been clearer than this fact, and how much we are actually social beings. I love how much we are all different and believe this should not cause fear or division, but love and unity instead. I also believe that it is our contract to love one another with no judgement, and that the path to peace is love.”