Honouring our Ruling Elders

Orland Harrison

At the Pre-Assembly Workshops (PAW) 2009, the Elders’ Institute discovered that Orland Harrison of Alexandra Presbyterian Church in Brantford, Ontario, had served as a ruling elder for 50 years. We honoured his many years of service with a gift certificate and enlisted his co-elder Pat White to interview Orland to profile him in the Elders’ Institute’s fall 2009 newsletter and here on the website.

As follows are the results of that interview along with comments from others at Alexandra Presbyterian Church who have witnessed and benefitted from Orland’s service.

Interview with Orland Harrison:
50 years of continuous service as a ruling elder
Ordained May 3, 1959

Pat: Orland, congratulations on being a ruling elder for 50 years. Have you served all of those years at Alexandra? Have you had any significant or meaningful interactions in your role as an elder over those 50 years?

Orland: Yes, all of my service has been at Alexandra, Brantford. For many years I was the youngest man on the session. This changed in the late 60’s. I remember my being involved with the national stewardship program called The Sector Program where Alexandra's session played a leading role in the Brantford area, and I spoke to various groups in the church including one that surprisingly became the morning sermon. Years later, I chaired the Live the Vision leadership team at Alexandra, raising over $70,000.

Pat: Has anything remained the same in those 50 years, and what major changes in the role of ruling elder have you experienced?

Orland: Very little has remained the same at Alexandra. Women now play a major role in the work of session and the life of the church. With the demise of the Board of Managers (50’s to 80’s) and the emergence of more active session committees, elders now get more involved with church finances, personnel matters, and property maintenance etc. One of the things that hasn’t changed is our fear or reluctance to talk about money and its place in Christ’s church of the 21st century. I get the feeling that many sessions would like to see such things as national church allocations (Presbyterian Sharing), Presbytery dues, etc. disappear. Struggling congregations are preoccupied with their own financial survival. Perhaps this has always been the reality and I’ve just failed to notice it. When session minutes were handwritten, we had no access to printed summaries etc. and little communication with the clerk or the minister. With the advent of computers, email, etc., session members are now kept in the loop and can be more aware of matters that need immediate attention. I am probably the only member of session who doesn’t have a computer and access to email.

Pat: Do you have any words of wisdom for new elders in the Presbyterian Church in Canada? What experiences have you had that would help other elders?

Orland: Not many words of wisdom, but I think new elders should ask more questions, read more, and take every opportunity to learn more of the history of our church in Canada. After 50 years, I have just recently become involved with presbytery work (rep elder), and I have never attended a meeting of General Assembly. This is a mistake that others should avoid.

Pat: If you were in your 20’s again and asked to serve as an elder, knowing what you know now, would you accept the challenge?

Orland: Yes! But with some conditions. I think term or rotational membership schemes would help. Rust and burnout are bound to take their toll if long periods of service are imposed. More training or in-service workshops would also help but may discourage those who try to avoid more meetings in their daily lives. Maybe new elders should share a district with an experienced elder for a year or two. Some may have some valuable guidance to offer new elders.

Pat White’s comments about Orland:
Orland has lived all of his life in Brantford, has been married to Pat Harrison for 58 years and they are blessed with 3 children: 2 daughters and 1 son. He has a memory extraordinaire of many, many families in the city and knows the relationship of each family to where they lived and to whom they are related. Orland was a member of our Alpha team this last year. Also, he was involved with a window restoration project that lasted 3 years and the window has just been re-installed in the church sanctuary.

Comments from Tom Carmichael (elder at Alexandra):
Orland is always helpful. He shares the produce of his garden with the congregation. No complaints have ever been heard about Orland…just a great guy.

Comments from Paul Kormos (Alexandra clerk of session):
At Alexandra Presbyterian Church in Brantford, we are very proud of the dedicated service Orland has given to our church and community. He has fulfilled his duties as an elder through his commitment to the congregation and to the church. He communicates extremely well to his district through his regular visits and telephone contacts regarding session decisions, communion and other special church activities. He has shown competent leadership as chairperson of our Alexandra Master Trust (Investment and Endowment Funds). Orland belongs to A.R.K. (Alexandra Repair Krew) a group of senior men who perform regular maintenance of the church building (cleaning, painting and minor repairs). He is also a member of the church choir. In our regular session meetings, Orland is an active contributor and also serves as a church historian regarding past events and family histories. His strong Christian faith has spread to the Brantford community as a volunteer. Orland is the type of person who thrives on volunteer work which helps many people who are less fortunate in our community.

Community volunteer achievements and contributions:
In 2008, Orland was nominated as one of the candidates for citizen of the year for Brantford. As follows is a list of some of Orland’s volunteer activities:
• Volunteers for the Canadian Cancer Society.
     o Drives cancer patients to the Hamilton treatment centre.
     o Has participated in and done fundraising for the Relay for Life since its         inception.
• Delivers Christmas baskets to the needy.
• Has served as president and volunteers in many charitable endeavors for   the Kiwanis Club.
• Helps with the Brantford Food Bank • Heads a specific section of the   United Way.
     o The Brantford program has been renowned in Ontario for making or         exceeding its objective.
• Serves at the biweekly Food Cupboard ministry and the monthly   community breakfast at Alexandra Presbyterian Church.

Comments from Doug Hunt (member of Alexandra):
When you want something done, get a busy man! Orland continues to fulfill this role very unselfishly. Since his retirement some 20 years ago from the teaching profession, Orland has devoted a great deal of his leisure time to community and/or charitable projects.

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Putting a FACE to Ruling Eldership Project