George Patrickson
leaves full-time ministry
after 35 years

SURREY, British Columbia, Canada—Due to budget constraints, George Patrickson, Western Canada regional superintendent, was laid off after 35 years of service. 

Mr. Patrickson grew up in County Durham in northeast England. It was there, in 1960, that he first heard The World Tomorrow on Radio Luxembourg.
    George & Luann Patrickson

He was baptized in 1963 and enrolled at Ambassador College in Bricket Wood, England, in 1964. The following year he met fellow student Luann Kalber of East Brunswick, New Jersey, who later became Mrs. Patrickson.

In 1967, Mr. Patrickson was transferred to the Ambassador College campus in Pasadena, where he was student body vice president. Luann Kalber transferred to the California campus in 1968, and they were married on June 1, 1968, after graduation.

From 1968 to 1974 the Patricksons lived in Vancouver while Mr. Patrickson worked at the Canadian Office, helped in the Vancouver congregation, and also pastored the Victoria, British Columbia, congregation. He was ordained an elder on Oct. 7, 1968. During this time their sons Ronald (1969) and Edward (1971) were born.

In 1974 the Patricksons moved to Victoria to pastor that congregation full-time. After three years in Victoria the Patricksons moved to Pasadena in 1977 to attend Ambassador College under the ministerial sabbatical program. After a year in Pasadena, they moved to Calgary, Alberta, where Mr. Patrickson was the area coordinator of Alberta and British Columbia.

In February 1981, the Patricksons moved to Edmonton, where he pastored the Westlock and Edmonton North congregations.

In July of that same year the Patricksons moved to the Vancouver area when he became assistant to Colin Adair, regional director, and later to Frank Brown, when he became regional director.

In 1996, Mr. Patrickson was named district superintendent for Western Canada. He also pastored the Castlegar and Abbotsford, British Columbia, congregations for a short time.

Mr. Patrickson said, “The church’s understanding of the new covenant, the spiritual impact this has had in the lives of members, and the transformation of church services have certainly highlighted the last few years of my ministry.”

The Patricksons plan to continue to live in their home in North Vancouver. They are looking forward to spending more time with their sons’ families and two grandsons, who live in the area.

Words of praise

From: Randal Dick,
superintendent of missions.

George and Luann have been and continue to be pillars of the Worldwide Church of God.

They are known and loved around the world for their love, their patient and gentle spirit, as well as their commitment to serve the brethren.

From Gary Moore,
Canadian regional director.

“George balances stability with flexibility. He has wonderful common sense and wisdom. He is a gifted manager with a pastor’s heart. I have highly valued his contribution while in full-time service to the church in Canada, and will certainly miss working closely with him.”

From Frank Brown,
Canadian regional director, 1990 to 1997. 

I first met George Patrickson in 1964 on a baptizing tour through Britain. We next met in Ambassador College in Bricket Wood and from time to time over the years in Pasadena. I have always considered him a friend and confidant. In 1990 I became regional director in Canada, and George and I worked happily and productively together for the next seven years.

From the first time I met George I was impressed by his willingness to serve others. He has never lost that characteristic, and it was demonstrated often in the Canadian Office.

He maintained a warm and friendly relationship with everyone, and he and his wife, Luann, were good friends with my wife, Sharon, and me as well as many others in the ministry.

So far as his ministry was concerned I was also impressed by the fact that he would spend time with people who, to me at least, appeared intractable and difficult. George would patiently work with them with the desire to help them solve whatever problems they might have.

At the times of the doctrinal changes in the mid-’90s this was a great service to the church and helped enormously in smoothing out many of the problem areas we were faced with at that time. He was also a wise counselor to me personally, who understood, far better than I, the Canadian way of doing things.

His record was one of service and helpfulness for which I, and others in the Canadian church, will be always grateful.

From Bill Hall, pastor of the Battleford and Kindersley, Saskatchewan, and Lloydminster, Alberta, churches.

In the 22 years I have had the privilege to work for or with George Patrickson I have appreciated his support, guidance and encouragement. George always would take a moment out of his busy schedule to listen to my concerns and offer me positive advice.

I still remember the time when I told him that I was planning on asking my future wife to marry me and how later that same day he took me aside in excitement to tell me that the local jeweller was having a sale on engagement rings. George was more than just my boss, he has truly been my friend and mentor.

From Doug Smith, pastor of the Toronto West and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, churches.

George and Luann’s many contributions to the ministry in Canada for 35 years speak for themselves. Personally, what I will miss the most is George and Luann. I will miss their presence in our ministry, at our meetings and during our relaxing and fun times together. They have continually given of themselves in every way and have added a great deal to the church in Canada.

Their love for and service to the brethren as a pastoral couple as well as their concern for and support of the pastors during George’s administrative years will be deeply cherished and long remembered. Thank you George and Luann for 35 wonderful and memorable years of service to God’s people in Canada. Our prayers are with both of you during this new stage of your journey.

From Mike Feazell,
National Publications director.

George is one of those men who can rightly be called a pastor’s pastor. He has certainly been a source of great encouragement and inspiration to me over the years. His faithful devotion to God, his strength of character and his gentle and supportive manner have been a blessing to many people, and I count myself among them.

From the first time I met him in the 1980s, I was deeply impressed by his example of taking a calm and respectful approach even toward people who were at the time in sharp disagreement with him. I have come to know him as a true man of God, a devoted husband and father, and the kind of person anyone would be honored to call a friend.

From Ron Kelly,
controller.

George and Luann are true friends to my wife, Norva, and me as well as hundreds, if not thousands, of members of our fellowship. Their faithful years of service have been a source of inspiration.

Together they faithfully and loyally assisted several regional directors in the Canadian national office, and thus in many ways were part of the glue that held everything together. When the WCG began its long transition to grace and truth, they were supportive and enthusiastic about how they could contribute. We’ll miss them terribly in annual meetings, where their presence and personalities were a constant source of stability and joy.

Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2003