Former firefighter Jan Latham helps St. John the Evangelist honour local emergency responders through an annual community luncheon
When St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Schreiber hosted an Emergency Service Workers Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday, June 4, the event was simple on its face: a free hot lunch for police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency personnel serving the North Shore communities of Schreiber and Terrace Bay.
But behind the pulled pork sandwiches, homemade salads, desserts, and warm hospitality was a story about how God often works through the experiences we carry with us.
For the Rev. Jan Latham, Incumbent, St. John’s Church Schreiber and St. Mary’s Nipigon, the luncheon grew naturally out of a lifetime of connections to the people it was meant to honour.
“A little bit of history,” she explains. “I served as a volunteer firefighter in Marathon for 12 years and worked closely with paramedics and members of the O.P.P. My husband Greg served 27 years in Marathon and when we moved to Nipigon he joined the volunteer fire department here and is now in his 29th year of service.”
That experience has left a lasting impression.
“Although these men and women are sometimes hailed as heroes, they often are also met with criticism,” Jan says. “Of course, their very lives are often at stake when performing their duties. I know and understand first-hand the horrors of motor vehicle accidents, water rescue on Lake Superior, and structure fires.”
That understanding found expression in a simple act of hospitality: inviting emergency responders to sit down, share a meal, and, above all, to know they are appreciated. While living in Marathon, Jan had organized similar appreciation lunches annually at Trinity Anglican Church. After joining St. John’s in Schreiber, she suggested the event to fellow parishioners.
“The parish loved the idea and jumped on board right away,” she says.
Invitations were extended to members of the Ontario Provincial Police, volunteer firefighters from both Schreiber and Terrace Bay, and local paramedic services. Children from Schreiber Public School contributed handmade artwork and thank-you messages, offering a heartfelt reminder that the work of first responders is seen and appreciated by the youngest members of the community as well.
“What better way to say, ‘We see you, we know how valuable you are, we appreciate you,’ than with an invitation to a free hot lunch?” Jan says.
“Every parish is made up of people whose work, volunteer service, family histories, and life journeys have brought them into contact with different corners of their communities,” says Archbishop Anne Germond. “Those experiences become part of their faith story, shaping how they recognize needs and where they see opportunities for ministry.
This luncheon was yet another reminder to us in Algoma that Christian service often begins with recognizing the needs and gifts already present in our communities.”
Jan says that St. John the Evangelist hopes to make the luncheon an annual tradition.