New Yukon bishop: Blessed beyond Measure
By Sue Careless
EVEN AS A little girl the new bishop-elect of the Yukon felt God calling her, but to what she wasn’t quite sure.
Born in Windsor, Ontario, Lesley Wheeler-Dame was taught by her mother, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Huron, that even though their family struggled financially they were still “blessed beyond measure.”
On May 4th the Ven. Wheeler-Dame was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Yukon at an electoral synod held at Christ Church Cathedral in Whitehorse. She was elected decisively on the first ballot, with the required two-thirds majority in both orders of clergy and laity.
The bishop-elect considers herself “a Christian first and an Anglican second.” Her vision is to “raise up local leadership to live out the mission of Matthew 28:19-20.” She wants to encourage congregations to discern who among them, even someone as young as ten, God might be calling to eventual leadership.
No date has been set yet for the Bishop-elect’s consecration but it will be after General Synod, which she will attend as a clergy delegate.
Wheeler-Dame will succeed Bp Larry Robertson who retires at the end of August. Bp Robertson has served as the Bishop of Yukon since 2010 and before that was a suffragan bishop for eleven years in the western region of the Diocese of the Arctic.
The Diocese of Yukon extends beyond the civil boundaries of the territory and includes parts of northern British Columbia and eastern Alaska. Ven. Wheeler-Dame is currently priest and has been for 2 1/2 years at St Mary Magdalene in Fort Nelson, B.C., a parish within the Diocese of Yukon.
She was first a social worker and moved to the Diocese of Yukon in 1996, serving initially as a lay minister. She was ordained as a deacon in 2003, then as a priest in 2005. She covered St Aidan’s, Telegraph Creek in B.C. (also part of the Diocese of Yukon) for ten years. Then she ministered for six more in the parish of Northern Lights in the Diocese of Athabasca. (That particular diocese encompasses the northern half of Alberta.)
Wheeler-Dame said she would “definitely continue and hopefully expand” the Ministry of Presence program, which Bp Robertson established, “to become the presence of Christ in a community.”
Over a thousand Anglicans are on parish rolls in the diocese with 30 clergy and lay ministers serving in 13 active parishes. According to Bp Robertson, it is a very “volunteer-driven” diocese with only five stipendary (salaried) clergy.
Although financially assisted by the Council of the North, the Diocese has limited funds and only a small clergy pool yet must serve a sparse population that is scattered over a vast mountainous region.
And the challenges are more than geographical. The 2011 National Household Survey found that 49.9% of territorial Yukoners reported having no religious affiliation, the highest percentage in Canada.
Ministry of Presence is a volunteer program for lay ministers or clergy to serve for one year in the diocese. They would receive a small honorarium, housing and basic moving expenses. Ministry costs would be covered but because the Diocese could not afford to pay their health insurance, retired people who are physically fit with adequate pensions and medical insurance, as well as a vehicle, would be the ideal candidates. They would be expected to lead regular Sunday services and then use their skill set to meet the needs of their parish.
The hiring process requires not only episcopal but also parish approval and candidates would be interviewed via Zoom by diocesan and parish reps.
Currently there are two parishes being served by such volunteers. Two more – – Old Crow, a fly-in Gwich’in settlement, and Haines Junction on the Alaska Highway – – are seeking such volunteers.
The Bishop-elect hopes that those who come north “to assist us and minister alongside us would help us raise up local leaders.”
Ven. Wheeler-Dame raised three children as a single parent and is now married to Eric with whom she has another child. She has six grandchildren and one living great-grandchild. (Sadly, one died last year.)
Bp Robertson served not only across the diocese as bishop but also locally as rector at Church of the Northern Apostles in Whitehorse. What will he miss most? “Without a doubt, the people!” But he will continue to pastor in the fall as interim priest in a parish in Athabasca while they seek a permanent minister. As a priest, “You can’t stop being who you are,” he said. TAP
