Bruce Middleton, ODNW

 The Citation as recorded in the Permanent Register of the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster

 Born into an Anglican family, Bruce spent most of his first 19 years attending church services or Sunday Schools in Vancouver, Victoria, CFB Borden and CFB Petawawa. After leaving the church for a few years, he and his family began attending St. Catherine of Alexandria at the beginning of the 1980s. Bruce has been an integral part of the parish ministry since his arrival. Bruce has two passions that ingrain him to the parish: Christian education for young people and Bible study. Bruce’s patient approach to bringing the bible to life and making the stories relevant has been appreciated by his students from the 1980’s to now. Bruce has attended nearly all the parish Bible studies, Lenten and Advent programs (and has also led several), and Disciple 1 and 2. As study leader, he quietly presents his thoughts and nudges people along, moving forward together on their spiritual journeys. Bruce’s stability, grounding in the Anglican faith and dependability make him a respected parish leader. He has a quiet voice and thinks of others and how any actions may impact them. He has served on Parish Council as Warden, Synod Delegate and Member-at-large where his reflective approach to the discussion is appreciated, as are the times when he speaks his mind, usually reflecting the views of the many ‘silent’ parishioners in the pews. Bruce has also worked with the Diocese on the Stewards in Action project and an Evangelism project in the late 1990s through 2005. Bruce is caring and compassionate as is evident on Wednesdays where he helps serve coffee and befriends the guests at the food bank and Paul’s Place. In addition, he visits shut-ins and has been a member of the parish’s pastoral care and prayer teams. Bruce models his concern for the life of the parish, its parishioners and visitors through participating in worship and parish life. Bruce continues or has been Lay Administrator, reader, intercessor and greeter. Bruce shares in the preparation of Sunday morning coffee, and was an early member and now leads the book club and helped decorate May Day parade floats. Through all these ministries Bruce models a sense of caring and worth of each member of the parish. And he is able to identify gifts in individuals to encourage them to get involved in more of the life of the parish. Bruce seldom says no to giving a hand to support parish activities or assist a parishioner. Also, Bruce identifies where work or ministry is needed and gathers the resources needed to complete the task. Apart from his active involvement in parish life, Bruce enjoys walking with his wife Nancy, searching for geocaching treasure, gardening, watching hockey and reading.