You might see her walking through the streets of Fergus wearing her clerical collar and talking to community members, running the service at St. James Anglican Church or working with community LGBTQ+ initiatives.
For years, Rev. Ann Turner has been an openly out priest with St. James Anglican Church in Fergus and has been a staple in the community while bridging the gap between marginalized communities and faith-based organizations.
Turner grew up in Windsor, Ont. in an Irish Roman Catholic family. She said her upbringing shaped her faith, but made her feel misplaced.
“It wasn't long before I kind of left town and headed out on my own to do university and work in a bigger city centre … to find room in the world for myself really,” Turner said.
She left the Roman Catholic Church in her late teens largely because of sexuality and gender exclusion issues. She’s since found her home with the Anglican Church and is using her position within to create an inclusive environment for people of all sexualities, genders and race.
She also felt the best way to bring about change was to work on the inside of the institution.
“I think my call to be in the ministry was a call to try and bring about change in terms of justice in the church,” Turner said. “My real kind of work has always been about building good neighbourhoods, building good communities and finding ways for us to be healthy, kind and compassionate as a community.”
Turner said she was happy to help build community inclusivity through various initiatives, like Renegade Rainbows, an initiative that encouraged community members across Centre Wellington to draw chalk rainbows on their sidewalk.
“There were little kids out drawing rainbows, there were seniors drawing rainbows and everything in between,” Turner said. “That was something absolutely anybody could do and it made a statement to those folks who might feel like they are outside the community.”
The St. James Anglican Church also flies the pride flag during the month of June.
“We also have the rainbow on our sign and rainbows on everything that's attached to us, and all our programmes to make sure folks know that there's a spot and there's a safe place that’s out there,” Turner said.
In addition to working with the LGBTQ+ community, Turner has a strong commitment to reconciliation. The church hosts an event called Lunch and Learn, a monthly education piece that looks at various pieces of the Truth and Reconciliation commitment and actions proposed.
Turner also starts every service and community gathering with a land acknowledgement
“I think the thing that touches me each week as we do it is the closing sentence of it, ‘In the spirit of reconciliation we seek to respect the history, spirituality and culture of indigenous peoples, and seek a new relationship with the original piece of people of the land’,” Turner said.
Turner said her work in the community is identifying the needs, and planning how the church and the community can make a difference. This translate into work with the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous community members, seniors and other members of the community who can benefit from inclusive programs and services.
Turner said that it doesn’t matter if you’re religious and want to join the church, she said it only matters if you want to make a positive difference in the community.
“There is a place for you, there's a place for BIPOC, there's a place for indigenous, there's a place for LGBTQ+ (community members),” Turner said. This small town is changing. The small town the state of it, and the heart of it is changing to realise that the world was a different place and that we're only richer because of the diversity that's moving into our communities.”
