St. Andrew's Woodhaven

 The Reverend Liz Richens Incumbent The Rev. Liz Richens has been a priest in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land since 2009, during which time she has served in several churches, including the successful merger of three churches into a new parish and mission center.

She received a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Winnipeg, followed by her Master of Divinity at Trinity College, University of Toronto.  She continues to study, attending conferences and reading on a regular basis in order to keep up to date on contemporary theology.  She also has been increasing her knowledge in the secular sectors with courses on communication, physical and mental first aid, as well as project management.

Rev. Liz has been married to her husband Andy, a tattoo artist, for 13 years and has an eight year old son named Sydney.  Their home also includes a canine companion named Harley.

She has travelled extensively, notably throughout Canada, Israel and Japan.  Although she hasn’t travelled too much recently, their family normally hosts international students and they enjoy meeting the people and having the experience of this ministry of hospitality.

Rev. Liz is also a Scout leader with the Cub Scouts, including her son, and together they spend time planning adventures, paddling and camping.  Their family also goes camping throughout the year.  Other hobbies and activities Rev. Liz enjoys are gardening, reading in her hammock, baking, and a variety of needlework.  During COVID she has spent the majority of her time homeschooling her son, expanding her garden and completing a variety of sewing projects. 

 Catherine Atkin began her employment with St Andrew Anglican Church in December, 2019.  Catherine has 25 years of experience working in the position of Office Administrator for a variety of churches in the Diocese of Rupert’s Land. 

Catherine enjoys supporting people as they explore their personal ministries and growth in the parishes where they worship. Catherine has a daughter and a son.  She also has two granddaughters who she loves spending time with! 

Catherine loves to travel and with family now on both the east and west coast she looks forward to many trips in her future.  Her past travels have taken her to Alaska and the Yukon, California, Cancun, Cozumel, and Playa del Carmen and most recently Italy, Austria and Switzerland.  She hopes to make her way back to Europe in the near future.  

Catherine spends her free time trying new recipes (usually Italian), knitting, sewing, walking, cycling and being a member of a book and knitting club   

 Lynne & Gord moved to St James in 1968 and immediately became members of St. Andrew’s Woodhaven.  During the early years Lynne remained in the background while Gord was actively involved in the church’s activities. They raised four wonderful children and now have nine amazing grandchildren.

Upon retirement from the Child Guidance Clinic (where Lynne worked as a School Psychologist) Lynne became more involved in church life.  She developed and manages the church website, was active on the church’s 100th Anniversary Committee, was the Vestry Clerk for 5 years and now is the Rector’s Warden.

Lynne’s love of animals is well known and she laughs at how her two dogs Bronson and Elvis make her get up every morning.  Whenever she has the chance she loves to tell you about her wonderful Icelandic horse Vilja and her experiences riding through the trails in Riding Mountain National Park. 

She is very involved with the Clear Lake Cottage Owners’ Association and has been their Executive Director for the past 21 years. 

Lynne’s latest passion is her volunteer work with the Winnipeg Lost Dog Alert – she always has a story or two about some amazing reunite that has just happened.

The church has always been a focal point for the Tovells and the church family has been a great support especially in recent years.  Lynne appreciates the friendships that have developed through her involvement with the church and is quick to share how much enjoyment she gets from working with the Corporation and Vestry.  She feels very blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church community.