Pastor’s Pen - A Tribute to Nicola Lupton Administrator, Eastminster United Church

Nicola was born in the industrial city of Sheffield in England. She moved to Canada with her parents at the age of five years but was always proud of her British heritage. She loved ‘all things British,’ never held anything but a British passport, and British television programmes, such as Doc Martin, were a frequent topic of conversation.

I first met Nicola in early 2017. When I arrived at Eastminster a few months earlier, the office was in a bit of disarray. Quick transitions of ministers and the Administrator in the years before I arrived left Eastminster with little administrative memory. Indeed, it was difficult in those early months even to write a cheque or pay the bills. Towards the end of February, Nicola Lupton walked into the office.  Within a week, I felt as though a great load had been taken of my shoulders. Suddenly the office began to function.  Bills were paid, tax receipts went out, regular financial reports started to appear. Nicola brought her familiarity with United Church practice and soon had us up and running again.

As time went on, Nicola took on more duties in terms of Easy Worship, office-management, human-resources, and troubleshooting faulty office hardware. She learned new software and discovered how to make certificates, posters, and other forms of advertising. Nicola oversaw Eastminster’s web-site upgrade and when COVID hit, she willingly learned video-editing and helped keep us online and connected during lockdowns. She was very much a team-player and was one of those capable people who was both committed to her work and found ways to make things work. We have all benefitted from Nicola’s work-ethic and her feeling that Eastminster was not just a place of employment but also as a place of ministry and worship.

In the years since 2017, Nicola also became a good friend.  Her warmth and sincere love for others touched many lives at Eastminster and beyond. She had a tremendous gift in her ability to connect with people at deeper levels. Our small staff all benefited from that whether during a coffee break or a lunch-time chat. A few of us met together half-a-dozen times a year for a late Friday afternoon meal.  The laughter and support that we felt in those times always lifted our spirits.

During 2021, Nicola began to feel unwell. It was months before the diagnosis came that devastated us all. She immediately had to undergo treatment. The first months were challenging but last summer, Nicola had a spiritual experience that buoyed her for the rest of her time in this physical world. It changed Nicola’s outlook immensely in a number of areas. One day last summer, for instance, at the end of a conversation, Nicola said to me, “David, don’t take this the wrong way, I don’t mean it in a romantic sense, but I love you.” “Right back at you,” I said, and from then on, at the end of every conversation, she would utter those words. Others have shared with me that she said the same to them.

 Nicola’s last months were months of serenity, hopefulness, and love. She loved her family, her friends, and with that has left us a tremendous legacy. Nicola loved individuals prior to her spiritual experience last summer, but that experience of the Divine, took that love to another level. It has reminded me that God is love and in that love, Nicola now abides.

 In the words of Henry Francis Lyte,

I have no fear with You at hand to bless;

Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;

Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory?

I triumph still, if you abide with me.

Dr. David McMaster

With help from Diane McKay