The Melita Presbyterian Church is bidding farewell to their beloved minister, Reverend Barbara Alston. After 34 years of devoted service to the Church and the surrounding communities, Barb is retiring at the end of December 2021. She will continue to enjoy the blessings of rural life, staying on at the farm near Hartney with her husband Tom Alston. Barb started out on her life path studying for her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, later switching to an Arts degree when she chose to take her studies in a somewhat different direction. She spent three years at Presbyterian College in Montreal, which included two years at McGill University, graduating with a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) as well as a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Presbyterian College. With these studies behind her, Barbara was ordained a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Carleton Place, Ontario on June 21, 1987. In September of that same year, she came to Hartney, Manitoba, to take up her position at the Hartney and Melita Pastoral Charge. During her first years at Hartney, Barb met a great many people in the area. One of those was her future husband, Tom Alston, a dairy farmer at the time. Tom and Barb were married Aug. 21, 1990 in St Andrew’s, Carleton Place, Ont. The couple has continued farming, with a small cow-calf operation, until just a few years ago. Barb greatly enjoys the pleasures of rural life, working with animals, being close to nature, and spending time with family. Over the years she has also expressed her creativity in photography and in writing articles which have been featured in local papers. In 1995, Barbara became half-time minister at Melita Presbyterian, serving not only the congregation, but so many others in the larger community. Her spirituality, warmth and compassion have brought peace and hope into the lives of many, whether Church members or not. Due to the limitations imposed by COVID-19 restrictions, the Presbyterian congregation of Melita will recognize Reverend Barb Alston's retirement with a quiet dinner, later this December. Those in Melita and the surrounding communities who wish to honor Barb for her years of service and spiritual guidance may do so in a number of ways: 1) Send cards or letters to: Melita Presbyterian Church, Box # 959, Melita, MB, R0M 1L0, Attention Reverend Barbara Alston. 2) Email to melitapresbyterian@gmail.com., with Retirement in the subject line. Also, connect on Facebook. 3) Check our Facebook page in the next few weeks for details on the Reverend Barbara Alston Scholarship Fund and how to donate. The congregation of Melita Presbyterian Church is truly saddened that Reverend Barb Alston is leaving us, but we are also joyful as she embraces retirement. We will cherish the memory of her time in our midst. The Presbyterian Church, a significant part of Melita for 129 years, will continue on under the guidance of Interim Moderator Reverend Henry Hildebrandt, as we seek the ways in which we will thrive.
