Leadership and Staff

Rev. Jill Marie Turnbull
(613) 331-6664
jill.turnbull08@gmail.com

Jill Turnbull was born August 8, 1982. She was baptized in the Anglican Church in Vancouver BC and at the age of 5 at a Vacation Bible School at Westminster Presbyterian Church, led by Mary Nicol, she accepted Jesus into her life.

She attended Sunday School at Westminster Presbyterian Church, alternatively with the Portland Anglican Church. In her teens she attended and participated in various different Church Denominations, attending Smiths Falls Free Methodist Church, Teaching Sunday School at the Portland Anglican Church, playing hand bells with the Portland United Church, attending St. John’s Catholic High School, and taking a leader in training course at Camp IAWAH, an interdenominational camp in Westport.

She completed a four-year degree in Physical Education, with a minor in History and immediately applied to Griffith University in Australia for a Master of Teaching. She spent a year in Australia, came back to Canada to complete the 14-week internship in a Canadian school. Upon return she landed a well paying job in an environmental organization. This work gave her time to talk with her minister (Rev. Jim Patterson) about ministry and to begin to acknowledge that was where she had always been called.

She spent the next three years at Queen’s University completing a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Restorative Justice. During the summer of 2010 and 2011 she led worship across the border at Millen’s Bay Union Church. The church is non-denominational, has no electricity or running water, and is where she began to feel a pull towards congregational ministry.

In the fall of 2010 she completed field placement at Portland and Elgin United Church. During her last year at Queen’s she completed a Clinical Pastoral Education Course, and during many of the sessions she was challenged to accept that although Prison Ministry still had a pull on her, Congregational Ministry is where God was calling her at this time. In August 2012, Rev. Eric Muirhead the previous minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church passed away due to complications with ALS. She was asked by the clerk of session, Carolyn Fraser, if she would consider offering Pastoral Care as well as leading worship on Sundays, which she had been doing since October 2011 when Rev. Eric became to ill to lead worship.

During the fall of 2012 she attended a Sumac Retreat with many ministers from the Presbyterian Church and was encouraged to take the next step towards becoming a Presbyterian Minister. In November 2012 she became a Candidate for Ordination and was connected with the Education and Reception Committee, which recommended she take three courses, Canadian Presbyterian Church History, Reformed Theology, and a Field Placement Course with one of the Presbyterian Colleges. In January 2013 she had signed a contract with Westminster as their Lay Minister. In the Fall of 2013 she began her studies at Presbyterian College in Montreal and was able to do her Field Placement at Westminster, while still working as their Lay Minister. Her Convocation was held on May 8, 2014 in Montreal with 21 members from Westminster Presbyterian Church in attendance. She was Called and Ordained to Westminster Presbyterian Church on June 20th, 2014 and continues to love the work she has been called to do.

(613) 283-7527
westminstersmithsfalls@gmail.com

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