Saint Columba Presbyterian Church in Saint John, NB

Location: 1454 Manawaganish Road

Phone number and email address: (506) 672-6280

Appointed Leader: Rev. Erik Kraglund

Was there adequate parking? Yes, there was plenty of room to park if you're travelling in your car or truck. We didn't bring the RV to church, but we could have.

Is the buiding accessible?The front door of the church is totally accessible with a wide entrance. Everywhere you need to go in there is ground level so it's accessible throughout.

Review of facility/Curb appeal: Saint Columba has a neat little pipe organ that the roof was structured to accommodate, leaving the building with a very unique shape. The look of the building is appealing and the inside is clean. It is a mash up of traditional accents with semi-modern furnishing.

Were we able to find (accurate) information about service times online? Surprisingly, no. The Facebook page only lists the hours the church is open: 9:45am-1pm Sundays, but doesn’t mention the exact start time of the service. However, previous services are listed under “Events” and all have a start time of 11am, which is the accurate ongoing time.

Atmosphere and First Impressions:

(Kelli) This wasn’t my first impression of St. Columba because I attended there for a few years. We came back to visit this Easter so we could be with my step-father, since this is his home church. I hadn’t been back in a few years and it was great to see familiar faces. Everyone is very friendly.

(Bill) The warming feeling I got from the church started at the breakfast table. I had the honor to start the day with Rev. Donald Shephard, as we kept the RV on his homestead. So the warm feeling had been well established before I even arrived. Shortly after arriving, I had a chance to spend some time chatting with Brian Smith before the service started. After Don, Kelli, and I were sitting in our pew, the service seemed to flow quite nicely, given that it was the Easter service. The music could have been more upscale, but after all the churches I've attended over the years, it seems to be a common denominator to not have "adequate" music. The music got into second gear this time, better than some events we've attended, but it definitely didn't make it into overdrive.

Were refreshments served before or after the service? Tea, coffee, and sweet treats were served after the service, to give those in attendance the chance to socialize before going home.

Do they have a band? There was an organist and a nine-person choir.

Describe the music: The music was pretty well all hymns, with some iinstrumental organ music before and after the service. The choir sang with heart.

Congregation Demographics: Good mix of all ages. This congregation has several younger families who attend regularly, as well as a strong presence of seniors.

Seating: Traditional pew set-up, wooden pews, lots of unused seating

It's funny that we don't look nearly as exhausted as we felt in this picture! The "shakedown run" with the RV (first of the year) was no small feat. We both have full work schedules at our personal jobs and prep time came down to one day to get it all done and we pulled it off so we could be in Saint John with family over Easter! It was wild and crazy in a rain storm and so, so much fun! All that shows is how happy we were to be there :)

Do they have Sunday School or child care during the service? There was nothing specific mentioned

Prayers: Prayers are read and many are responsive (where the congregation has a part of the prayer to read)

The main reason we chose Saint John is to visit with Kelli's step-father, Rev. Don Shephard, pictured below as he delivers the Easter Sunday scripture readings.

Offering: Offering plates are left at the back and members place their tithes there before the service, on their way in to sit down. The plates are carried to the front at the appropriate time during the service and a prayer is said over the offering.

Who runs the service? Revered Erik Kraglund (pictured below)

Was there a baptism performed? No

Was communion served? Communion was served – it was grape juice and bread cubes.

(Bill) The communion seemed to flow and was respectful considering the importance of Easter on the Christian calendar. The breaking of the bread and drinking the juice is a classic ceremony that is repeated at many different locations we've both attended. It's a sacred time to embrace and give thanks for the time Jesus spent with us and his great sacrifice, so we can come forth and repent.

How much standing (or kneeling) was required to participate in the service? No kneeling. There is a fair amount of standing, as they stand to sing every song and for some of the prayers. If you can't, simply don't.

Did the service begin and end promptly?  Yes, it ended shortly after twelve, so just over an hour.

Recommended Attire: We attended on Easter Sunday, where people tend to dress up more than the rest of the year, so “church clothes” are appropriate—dresses, skirts, suits, dress pants, dress shirts, etc. This congregation is pretty informal, in general, but dressing up for this church is not out of place. According to Bill, a suit is never out of place!

How many washrooms and are they accessible?: There are two washrooms on the main level with standard residential-sized doors and they are accessible.

Local attractions: Saint Columba overlooks the Irving Nature Park, which can be accessed by car. The park has roads and trails with beach access, as well as natural gas barbeques available so the public can cook food (for free) in the summer! Also, the famous "Reversing Falls" is only a few kilometers from Saint Columba and is well worth checking out. Saint John, if you are not familiar, is filled with and surrounded by natural beauty, beaches, and a ton of history. Whether you walk around in Uptown Saint John to explore the City Market and the countless shops, or you explore around the peripheral where there are malls and outlet stores galore, there is no trouble to find ways to enjoy a full Sunday!

Nearby (must-try) restaurants: The Cask and Kettle Irish Gastropub or The Saint John Ale House.

Our Top Three Pros and Cons:

Pros:

1. Friendly, welcoming, and easy-to-talk-to people in congregation. Such a pleasure.

2. Building structure stands out for its unique appearance and location at the top of a hill, overlooking the harbour.

3. It was easy to listen to the message

Cons:

1. Songs were hard to follow because of the original arrangement of certain hymns.

2. Slight difficulty following along with the service through the handout

3. The difficulty we had to find service times online could make it challenging for someone who didn't know what to expect.
   

 Visit https://presbyterian.ca/ for more information on the Presbyterian Church of Canada, or access the Presbyterian church finder here: https://presbyterian.ca/church-finder/.

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Any opinions expressed by Bill and Kelli are meant for informational and entertainment purposes only and are not meant to represent the opinions or beliefs of the various organizations involved.

Please feel free to email us at Bill@godwilling.me or Kelli@godwilling.me with any questions or concerns about the service we attended.

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