The Reverend Canon Dr David Barker, Rector
The Reverend Andrea Budgey, Honourary Assistant
Robin Davis, Director of Music
Paul Faulkner, Rector`s Warden
Spencer Higgins, People`s Warden
Colin Bird, People`s Deputy Warden
The Reverend Canon David’s spiritual awareness began as a young child. Brought up in a family devoted to their faith, both at home and at their church, David’s foundation in faith goes back to his earliest memories.
As a young teen, David heard God’s call to ordained ministry in the Anglican Church and set his course, graduating from Trinity College, Toronto, in 1975 and receiving ordination later that year.
David has been the rector of St Simon-the-Apostle since March of 2007. He came to St Simon’s after serving in the parishes of St Timothy, North Toronto (1998-2007), St Mark’s, Midland (1985-1998), the Parish of Washago (1980-1985), the Parish of Minden (1977-1980), and the Church of St Wilfrid, Islington (1975-1977).
Over the years, David’s keen interest in the art of preaching led him to the preaching program at Seabury-Western in Chicago, where he received the Doctor of Ministry (in Preaching) degree in 1995. He believes that every Christian is called upon to share the message of reconciliation presented by Christ, and seeks through his ministry to encourage and enable people in that shared ministry.
In 2003, he was named a Canon of the Cathedral by Archbishop Terence Finlay.
Sharing this journey with him has been his wife Shirley, whom he met in Sunday school at St James, Orillia. Over 25 years David and Shirley together presented Marriage Encounter weekends across Canada and the United States.
David and Shirley rejoice in their children (three sons) and grandchildren (three, with more coming).
In order to stay fit for the challenges of church life, David trains throughout the year for the summer racing season, when he enjoys competing in triathlons (swim, bike, run, eat, sleep).
Contact David:
Tel: 416-923-8714 Ext 202
Email: davidbarker@stsimons.ca
The Rev’d Andrea BudgeyAndrea started at Saint Simon’s in 2006, as lay pastoral assistant, and became Assistant Curate after her ordination the following year. In January, 2009, she was appointed Humphrys Chaplain to Trinity College and the University of Toronto, and has continued her association with the parish as honorary assistant. Her M Div is from Trinity College, and she also holds an M Mus in performance and an MA in medieval studies from U of T. She is particularly involved in outreach and ecumenical projects at Saint Simon’s, and is also a member of the diocesan Social Justice and Advocacy Committee, and an occasional chaplain to McEwan House, a LOFT agency for people with HIV/AIDS. As a member of the SINE NOMINE Ensemble for Medieval Music, Andrea sings and plays harp, fiddle, recorder, and percussion.
Robin DavisRobin Davis (BMus) has recently come to St. Simon-the-Apostle as Music Director (Lent 2011), having previously served as Organist and Choir Director at St. John’s York Mills Anglican Church. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto in Organ Performance, where he studied with John Tuttle. Robin’s studies included organ and conducting in Wupertal, Germany, under Prof. Hartmut Klug. Concert performances include guest organist for the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony with the Oshawa Durham Symphony Orchestra, and as conductor, Bach’s St. John Passion with tenor Mark DuBois, the Mozart and Durufle Requiems and Bach’s Lutheran Mass #4. Robin is past chairperson for the Royal Canadian College of Organists, Durham Region Centre. He is active as a freelance organist, accompanist, harpsichordist, choral conductor, and organ consultant.
Paul FaulknerI was born in England, immigrating to Canada in 1957. My grandfather was a lay Methodist minister. Lorraine and I were married in Christ Church, Scarborough but most of our church attendance when the children were young was the United Church in Cloyne, Ontario not far from our cottage. We decided to find a Toronto church and liked St Simons – as much for the music and the welcoming congregation.
Although we were regular givers, preferring direct deposit, often we would be away at the cottage. Eventually, I became involved with the finance committee which ultimately led to my appointment as Rector’s Warden by our previous rector, Fr. Robert Club. This also led to my appointment to St Simons shelter Board.
I sit on my Condominium board and I am a recently retired elementary school teacher.
My focus for St Simons is finance (hence my reference above to direct deposit). These are challenging financial times for St Simons and I feel that I can help make a positive difference by being involved in the day-to-day operation of the church. I have met many wonderful, committed Christians at St Simons and this makes it a pleasure to work with the many volunteers who help in making St Simons a vibrant church community.
Spencer HigginsFollowing a Master of Architecture in Urban Design at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto, in 1980, Spencer received his Certificate of Architectural Conservatism after studying architectural conservation in Rome. His specialty is architectural conservation related to masonry structures.
In 1999, Spencer’s firm was engaged by St Simon’s to address accessibility issues, visibility of the church from Bloor Street and improvements to both administrative / service facilities and St Simon’s shelter for the homeless in the lower parish hall.
The design, with its new north-side entrance blends the original arts-and-crafts church and parish hall with modern amenities. Architectural elements including stained glass, windows and carved stonework from the original buildings were salvaged and re-used in the new facility.
Spencer sits on the Board of Reaching-Out-Through-Music, a not-for-profit organization providing musical instruction to children from the St. James Town area. He is an avid sailor and serves on the Archives Committee of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.
Colin BirdHe has always been an active member of the church. In his teens he was a member of the Anglican Young People's Association (AYPA). He is still a server. He is also a past Warden of the church and currently is a Deputy Warden and a member of the Sidespersons Guild. He enjoys taking an active part in the organization and day-to-day operation of the church.
A semi-retired renovations contractor, during his non-working hours Colin enjoys traveling locally and globally, attending concerts, singing in a large community choir and flying and building airplanes.
