(The Officers, Bulletin Editor, Committee Chairs and Members-at-Large are the voting members of the CABF Council and Directors of the CABF Society under the Societies Act of NS.)

 CABF COUNCIL

Officers

President - Rev. Dr. Marlene Knowles (2025), Wellington, NS

Marlene grew up in Yarmouth County and after receiving a BPE (UNB) and a BEd (MSVU) she taught for several years before answering the call to Christian Ministry. Marlene received her Mdiv from Acadia and was ordained in Windsor Baptist Church in 1998. A life-long learner, she earned a MTh and a DMin (Acadia), the latter in 2022. Marlene served at Bayers Road, Windsor, South End Dartmouth and Sackville Baptist Churches and Chaplain at Oakwood Terrace Nursing Home for 5 years. In retirement she enjoys hiking, skiing, family times, road trips and travel. Marlene is a Mom of two and a grandmom (nana) of seven. As President of CABF Marlene chairs the Council and participates in the work of various Committees. She also convenes and chairs an Oridination Council when requested.

 

Past President - Lee Nicholas-Pattillo (2025), Halifax, NS

A Human Resources professional, Lee brings a great deal of wisdom and experience to her various volunteer activities. Although she grew up Roman Catholic, Lee has been a member of First Baptist Church Halifax for several decades and has served as a Deacon and as Chair of CE. She has been a member of CABF since the early 90’s, is a Past Secretary and Past President. Presently (2021-2023) she is on the CABF council as the CABF Past President. She feels blessed to be among the many who share and enjoy CABF membership! Lee was instrumental in the transition from the ABF to the CABF, and facilitated the recognition of the CABF as a religious body with the NS Department of Vital Statistics. In addition to her work with FBCH and CABF, Lee also served a term on the Board of the Alliance of Baptists.

 

 

Vice President - Rev. Hugh Kirkegaard, (2025) Bedford, NS   

Hugh is an ordained minister with the Canadian Association for Baptist Freedoms (CABF). He presently represents this national denominational body on the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches.  Hugh has been involved in correctional chaplaincy since 1978, when, as a university student, he began working as a volunteer in Dorchester Penitentiary.  He served as a prison chaplain in Dorchester, Springhill, Atlantic and Westmorland Institutions; and worked with the development of Community Chaplaincy in Moncton and Saint John. While working as Toronto Community Chaplain in the 1990s,  Hugh co-founded Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) for high-risk offenders. From 2000 he worked with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) as Regional Chaplain for Ontario and Nunavut and taught in the Restorative Justice Program at Queen’s Theological College in Kingston, Ontario and in Durban, South Africa.  Since 2008 he has served as Regional Chaplain in the Atlantic Region for CSC.  He is based in Halifax and attends First Baptist Church.

 

 

Secretary - Rev. Dr. Mandi Hecht, (2026), Saskatoon, SK

Mandi is a prairie girl, born and raised in Saskatchewan.  She felt a call to vocational ministry in her youth, which she pursued in a circuitous way.  She graduated with a BSW in 2001 and worked in this field for a short time before the birth of her first child.  She began to pursue her theological education alongside being “mom” to her family which soon stretched to 3 children. She graduated in 2011 with her MDiv from Carey Theological College, and was ordained in a church in Wakaw, SK in 2003.  Her love of learning led her to pursue additional education at Northern Seminary, and she graduated with a D.Min in New Testament Context in 2018.  She currently serves as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Saskatoon and is discovering with joy membership in the C-ABF.  In addition to ministry, she is leaning into what it means to be a leader who writes, and continually listening for and learning her place as an uninvited settler on the Canadian prairies.  She is married with 3 kids and 3 cats.

 

Treasurer - David Allen (2026), Mahone Bay, NS

David has a life-time of experience in Baptist Churches having grown up as a "preacher's kid." A retired educator and administrator, he brings his organizational talent to the work of Treasurer and has initiated our ability to receive funds electronically. David and his wife, Joyce, herself a member of the CABF Council, are active in the Mahone Bay United Baptist Church and love to spend time at the cottage in Port Joli, NS.

 

Council Executive

At its meeting on December 11, 2024, CABF Council passed a resolution to formalize the Council Executive, which has been operating on an informal basis for a number of years.  The Executive will be composed of the Officers of the Association, with the power to add by resolution of Council.  Intially, this will be by establishing the Executive as an Ad Hoc Committee of Council, but when the work of the Special Project to Update the CABF Governance Structure is complete, establishing the Executive of Council on a permanent basis will be one of the amendments proposed to By-Law #2.  The purpose of the Executive is to plan and facilitate the work of Council and to reduce the number of Council Meetings requires to deal with routine matters between Council Meetings.  Terms of Refernce for Council Executive are being developed for inclusion in the Policy and Procedures Manual.  

Bulletin Editor

Rev. Dr. Scott Kindred-Barnes (2025), Wolfville, NS

Scott was an amateur boxing champion before attending university. He completed BA and MDiv degrees from Acadia and MTh and PhD degrees from the University of Toronto. From 2011-2018 Scott served as the Minister at First Baptist Church Ottawa, before moving  to Wolfville where he now serves as the Senior Pastor of Canada’s oldest continuing Baptist Church. Scott and his wife, Kerry, have two children.

Members-at-Large

Martin Roy (2026), Petite-Rivière-de-l'Ile, NB

My name is Martin Roy. I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Chicoutimi, province of Quebec, and I moved to New-Brunswick for almost 20 years now where I work as a redactor for l'Acadie Nouvelle newspaper. I'm currently attending the Église chrétienne évangélique En Chemin, based in Montreal with a large number of members external to the area, so we can easily attend the services virtually by Zoom or other technologies. It's important for me to say that I'm openly gay. As I am the only French speaking member of the council, my goal is to bring my francophone voice to enriching our association, and maybe, in a longer term, developing a French ministry within the Association, because I know many francophone believers around the country could be interested by our approach. Finally, what brings me joy, apart the wonderful Love and Word of our God, are my six female cats Mia, Moumouche, Namoure, Poupoune, Lumina and Mousseline. I also enjoy a lot classical music, especially my idol the Russian-Austrian soprano Anna Netrebko who the most beautiful voice at the moment! God bless you all!

 

Edward Colquhoun (2025), Amherst, NS

Ed has been an active member and contributor to the life of the CABF and its predecessor, the ABF, having served as a Council Member, as Editor of the Bulletin, as a frequent contributor to the Bulletin with reviews on interesting books, and twice as our President. A retired educator and high school principal, Ed takes a very active part in First Baptist Church, Amherst, and in his community.

 

 

  Rev. Dr Ida Armstrong-Whitehose (2026), Tantallon, NS

The Rev. Dr. Ida Armstrong-Whitehouse (B.A., M.Div., M.Th., D.Min.) was born in the Annapolis Valley, NS, close to Acadia University where she enjoyed both the beauty of the land and sea and the nurturing environment of that university.  In 1976, Ida was grateful and humbled to be one of the first 10 Baptist Ordained female pastoral ministers in Canada.  In the late 1970’s, Ida became involved in ABF, the forerunner of CABF.  She felt supported in this group when there was a movement within the Baptist Convention to rescind the ordination of all ordained Baptist women in the Atlantic provinces. Thankfully, that motion was defeated.  In 2016, after 40 yr. in pastoral ministry, Ida semi-retired and felt called to part-time hospital chaplaincy.  She has been a volunteer RCMP Chaplain (27 years), served on the HURBA Chaplaincy Committee (21 years) and on the Board of Directors for Coverdale Justice Society (7years).  Ida has been married to Gregg for 49 years. They have two adult children and three grandchildren. Ida loves being with her family and travelling the world to see more of God’s handiwork in people and places.

Committee Chairs

 

Constitution and Governance - David Gibson (2025), Halifax, NS

David is a retired provincial civil servant who brings his expertise in governance and administration to the work of the CABF. Having grown up as a "preacher's kid" and belonged to many different Baptist Churches, he offers his experience to various levels of Baptist life, including First Baptist Church Halifax, the Halifax Baptist Hospital Chaplaincy and the CABF. David is known for his attention to detail and his knowledge of constitutional processes and helps keep all of us on the "straight and narrow" as we navigate this time of growth. David and his wife, Grace, life in Halifax, NS.

 

 

 

 

 

Credentials - Rev. Dr. Rusty Edwards (2026), Halifax, NS

Rusty immigrated to Canada from the United States in 2017 to become Senior Minister at First Baptist Church Halifax. Rusty earned his BA in Religion and Baptist History from Carson-Newman University, a MDiv from Baylor University, a MTh with a concentration in liturgy and Christian formation from Duke University, and a DMin in preaching, also from Baylor University. He is more prone to talk about orthopraxis (right practice) than orthodoxy (right belief). To that end, he values involvement in the community as he strives to put his faith into action and live out the love of God for all people. That might find him serving on the board of a local nonprofit, getting hands dirty in a community garden, or advocating for the rights of those too often marginalized. As Chair of the Credentials Committee Rusty leads the CABF in the crucial area of ministerial accreditation and has been busy facilitating the ability for us to offer credentials to ministers in other Canadian provinces. Rusty, his wife, Jenny, and their daughter received their Canadian citizenship in August 2022.

 

                                     Finance - Chair OPEN

 

                                     Membership - Joyce Allen (2026), Mahone Bay, NS

Joyce is an Acadia graduate in sociology whose initial career was in child protection with Family and Children’s Services, first in Kings County and later as a supervisor in Lunenburg County. After raising her family she re-entered the work force in the insurance business, eventually becoming office manager of five locations. Joyce has been active in the Mahone Bay UBC as Clerk and in the WMS, and has served on the executive of the Acadia Alumni and the Insurance Bureau of NS. Now retired, Joyce brings her organizational skills to the CABF as Membership Chair and is usually seen registering participants and signing up members at our various functions. Joyce and her husband, David, have two grown daughters and enjoy being grandparents.

 

Nominating - Lee Nicholas-Pattillo (2025), Halifax, NS

A Human Resources professional, Lee brings a great deal of wisdom and experience to her various volunteer activities. Although she grew up Roman Catholic, Lee has been a member of First Baptist Church Halifax for several decades and has served as a Deacon and as Chair of CE. She has been a member of CABF since the early 90’s, is a Past Secretary and Past President. Presently (2021-2023) she is on the CABF council as the CABF Past President. She feels blessed to be among the many who share and enjoy CABF membership! Lee was instrumental in the transition from the ABF to the CABF, and facilitated the recognition of the CABF as a religious body with the NS Department of Vital Statistics. In addition to her work with FBCH and CABF, Lee also served a term on the Board of the Alliance of Baptists.

 

                                   Program - Chair OPEN

 

                                   Publications – Chair OPEN 

                               

Website - Rev. Jenny Eisener (2025), Enfield, NS

Jenny is originally from Southwestern Ontario; she came to Nova Scotia in 2014 and is happy to call NS home. Jenny was the first person to be ordained through the CABF (2015, First Baptist Church Halifax). Although currently serving a United Church of Canada congregation, she maintains her Baptist calling by serving on the website committee.

 

 

 

CABF COMMITTEES

(The President is an ex-officio, non-voting member of all committees.)

Constitution and Governance

David Gibson, Halifax, NS, Chair
Martin Roy, Petite-Rivière-de-l'Ile,  NB

Credentials

Rev. Dr. Rusty Edwards, Halifax, NS, Chair
Rev. Dr John Churchill, Port Williams, NS
Rev. Anne Baxter Smith, Surrey, BC
Rev. Dr. Ryan Sato, Edmonton, AB
Rev. Mandi Hecht, Saskatoon, SK
Rev. Jeremy Keay, Edmonton, AB

Finance

Open, Chair
David Allen, Mahone Bay, NS, Treasurer
Jim Stanley, Halifax, NS

Membership

Joyce Allen, Mahone Bay, NS, Chair
David Allen, Mahone Bay, NS

Nominating

Lee Nicholas-Pattillo, Halifax, NS, Chair
Rev. Dr. Ida Armstrong-Whitehouse

Program

Open, Chair
Paul Burton, Paul Burden, Port Williams
Lana Churchill, Port Williams, NS (for Port Williams events)
Rev. Arla Johnson, Halifax, NS
Lee Nicholas-Pattillo, Halifax, NS

Publications

Open - Chair
Rev. Dr. Scott Kindred-Barnes, Wolfville, NS, The Bulletin Editor
J. Adam Boyd, Wolfville,  NS

Website 

Rev. Jenny Eisener, Enfield, NS, Chair
David Gibson, Halifax, NS
Rev, Jeff White, Amherst, NS

CABF REPRESENTATIVES

Alliance of Baptists - Rev. Jeremy Keay, Edmonton, AB

Canadian Council of Churches - Rev. Hugh Kirkegaard, Bedford, NS