My name is Matthew McKay and I am a Minister of Word and Sacraments of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. I am currently serving as Minister of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in beautiful Aurora, Ontario Canada. Aurora lies within the Presbytery of Oak Ridges and the Synod of Toronto and Kingston.

My hometown is the glorious city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan- "Queen of the North." I am very proud to be a gratuate of Aden Bowman Collegiate Institute ('97). Go Bears! Go Blades! Go Huskies! Go Riders!

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A) University College, University of
Toronto.

Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Knox College, Toronto School of
Theology, University of Toronto.

ORDAINED:

I was ordianed to the Ministry of Word and Sacraments on January 28th, 2005 (Feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas) in my home church, St. Andrew's Saskatoon by the Presbytery of Northern Saskatchewan.

MY FAMILY:

I am the eldest of four children, but I am by no means the tallest. I stand at a mere 6'4, which is only average height when one considers that my brother and two sisters stand at 6'6, 6'1, and 6'0 respectively. My mother is a high-school teacher with a passion for teaching and my father is also a Presbyterian Minister with a passion for ministry. In July of 2003 I married my beautiful wife Rachel who is an elementary school teacher and a native of Ottawa, Ontario.My family lives in Saskatoon in the "land of living skies."

AREAS OF INTEREST:

I am extremely interested in systematic theology-the art and science of what we believe and why. I am particularly interested in liturgy, worship, and the sacraments, as these things are intimately tied to issues of justice. I care deeply about living an inclusive faith that seeks understanding and dialogue.

I believe that God is to be found in all things and that (as Douglas John Hall has said) "nothing is foreign to theology." Art, science, the humanities, literature, music, economics, beauty, theatre, and a host of other wonderful things proclaim the glory of God. As the great poet and Anglican Priest George Herbert once wrote, "It is an ill mason that refuseth any stone."

The Catholicity of the Church is also something that is a great passion of mine. Catholicity simply means embracing the "universality" of our faith in all of its many expressions. We must remember that the whole of the Christian experience is ours regardless of denomination, and that the rich storehouse of God's treasure is available to us all.

To this end, I am eager to see Presbyterians reclaim the sense of sacrament that has been absent from our lives for too long. I agree with James F. White (an eminent Methodist theologian and liturgist) who says that the Reformed Churches must reclaim the critical unity of Word and Sacrament. The Eucharist (or Holy Communion) joins the preached word in both nourishing us and proclaimimg God's reign of justice and peace.

Protestents need not be afraid of the mystical and spiritual side of faith. Spirituality is simply practicing the presence of God and living mindfully. We are called to taste and see that God is good and open ourselevs to all the rich goodnes of God. Indeed, restoring Word and Sacrament and thoughtful faith were key goals of the Reformers and it is wonderful to see many working for renewal and rediscovery.

One might ask, What does it mean to be a theologian? Quite simply, it is the joyful vocation of "thinking about everything all the time." If this is so, then a Christian is someone who lives deeply in the world and loves in a big-hearted way. It concerns me that too often the most dominant religious voice is angry right-wing fundamentalism. I believe that a Christian is someone who does justice, loves kindness, and walks midfully with God. On my spiritual journey, the one I am called to follow is the poor man from Nazareth--he never stops challenging me, nor does he ever cease in calling me to increased consciousness. The Jesus I meet in the gospels calls us all to relationship and deep communion with God and each other--not ignorant and cruel "biblicism."

I also believe that doubt, questioning, and intellectual honesty are essential companions on the journey into God. Christians would do well to embrace the ancient Jewish tradition of struggling with God and always asking, searching, and knocking. Study and scholarship are profound gifts of God and priveleged paths into communion with God.

I try at all times to remember something that the eminent literary critic Northrop Frye once said, "Sophistication is the ability to greet culture with the least amount of anxiety." This greeting of culture is a holy virtue and is one of the many callings of the Church as it witnesses to the God of love in the world.

I think that the church must always be reforming its doctrine and theology according to the Word of God while seeking to articulate what it believes to a post-modern 21st century world. A person should not have to deny modernity and reason in order to worship God and participate in the life of the church.

I hope that this tells you a little bit about who I am.
I wish you every blessing on your journey into God.

Shalom,
Matt+

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Check out "A Protestant Worship Manifesto" by Prof. James F. White of the University of Notre Dame. Click on the link below.

READ THIS!

	MY GRADUATION PICTURE FROM SEMINARY Matt McKay A PICTURE OF ME COMING SOON! THIS LITTLE CORNER IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

Theologian and reformer Hans Kung

Marshall McLuhan

The great Jewish theologian, Martin Buber

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Bishop Victoria Matthew's of Edmonton.

Prof. Karen Armstrong

Prof. Elaine Pagels

Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh

Author of, "Living Buddha, Living Christ."

Prof. Douglas John Hall of McGill University

"Think and minister with the mind and heart you have, not the one you are supposed to have."
-Karl Rahner, S.J