No doubt, if you have spent any time around Edmonton Christian High School or Edmonton Christian West School, you have seen this woman. She isn’t a teacher. She isn’t a student. She isn’t an educational assistant, bus driver, a custodian or a guidance counsellor. You don’t see her working in the cafeteria or in the West School office. What DOES she do at ECHS and ECWS?
Her name is Pauline Klok and her official job title is Spiritual Care Leader. This job is a new, part-time position created by the ESCE Board. (A similar position is held by Myrna Wilson at Edmonton Christian Northeast. We will meet her in a later blog.)
“At West school, I am mostly helping them in prayer and spiritual exercises and making sure that the prayer room is the place that they can access. I want people at West to know we have a prayer room and we have parents coming to pray . . .and there’s that presence in the school.”
That awareness is slowly growing. She shared the story of an elementary student who came into the prayer room recently. “I was just brokenhearted. Within minutes she’d shared about her broken home or broken story. She just couldn’t wait to sit and fold hands and have someone pray with her.”
And at the high school?
“I’m supposed to basically be in charge of chapels. I find relevant topics and organize them and make sure they happen. At first I thought ‘I’m not really into that’ but actually as I am doing it I’m enjoying it. I enjoy trying to find something that I think will be meaningful for them.” After some thought, she continues, “I’m surprised at how much I actually enjoy organizing the chapels.”
In addition, Pauline is available for one on one conversations with students and staff. She says that that part of her role isn’t really counselling as much as it is “companioning with somebody on their spiritual journey.”
Pauline and Myrna lead staff in guided prayer at recent PD Day
“That part is coming slower,” she says “because they have to learn who I am.”
Pauline has life experience and training that fit her role at Edmonton Christian Schools. She, and husband Ron, pastored a church for years. More recently she completed a two year Spiritual Formation/ Spiritual Direction program at Providence Renewal Centre. She works as a spiritual director for private clients and together, the Kloks hope to open a School of Spiritual Direction in conjunction with a local university.
Big ambitions for a quiet, sincere, fun person who is becoming more and more valued as she plays her role in God’s story, here at Edmonton Christian Schools.
