By Valerie Posthumus
The Haldimand Press
DUNNVILLE—David Whitecross felt God calling him to the ministry from a young age. While he is happy to have pursued a life in the church now, Whitecross was a “reluctant pastor” and found his first decades of ministry fraught with doubt as he struggled with his own identity.
“Even from teenage years, I was always afraid I was gay. I figured when God was calling me to the ministry, He knew what He was calling,” said Whitecross, “but I was 50-some-odd years in denial and fighting it. In the closet, in secret, in quiet, and struggling internally.”
“God has plans for peoples’ lives. Not just ministers, but other peoples’ lives, and sometimes He makes those plans obvious and some people stumble across them as they go. The right doors open and the right doors close,” continued Whitecross. “I didn’t want to go into the ministry. I studied math and science. If it had been up to me, I would be working in the science field somewhere. Astronomy – I love astronomy, but some things happened. Events, doors opening, doors closing, opportunities that led me into the ministry. There was a call and since I’ve been in the ministry, I’ve served four churches. I’ve had a great time; I had successful ministries everywhere I went.”
Whitecross studied Statistics and Actuary Science at the University of Toronto and then continued at the same school to achieve a Master of Theology. Whitecross has now had a 30-year career as a minister. He was at a church in Fergus when he was “outed” for being gay, which ultimately led to him leaving the church.
“I think the church in Fergus would have been supportive, but there was a faction there that wouldn’t have been, and I didn’t want to divide them,” explained Whitecross. He went on to apply to a number of other churches and would become the pastor at Knox Presbyterian Church in Dunnville in November 2019. “This congregation was brave to call me. Lots of churches wouldn’t even look at me because the church hadn’t quite embraced LGBTQ2+ people yet.”
Realizing how lonely ministry can be, Whitecross said he “saw how important it was to have somebody. I thought well ok – we’re going to open that door and we’ll not hide and see what God brings into my life.”
Between leaving Fergus and coming to Dunnville, Whitecross met his now husband, Aldo, who was in Canada studying English at the time. They had to decide whether or not they were going to build a life together – and they have done just that in Dunnville. While it was a difficult journey here, Whitecross believes it was for the best since he is now confident of his own identity: “I think I can be a better minister now that I can be authentic all the time.”
Whitecross recognized the importance of having someone advocate for you and share your experiences after he became the chief caregiver for each of his parents, who have since passed away. This is a lesson he holds close in all aspects of his life.
Whitecross only had a few months in the Dunnville church before COVID-19 shut everything down. Since then, his messages have been sent out via snail mail, email, and by posting church services to the church’s Facebook page. The church’s Facebook message sums them up as a “friendly, welcoming, open, inclusive, LGBTQ2+ affirming, and supportive community of faith.”
Whitecross’ hope for the church is “to promote love and kindness, acceptance, and grace in the church and to help people find wholeness and purpose in their lives. My goal is to promote that message out into the community…. So I’m hoping to have good worship services, good ministries to the community, outreach ministries to the community, letting people know that you can come as you are and God loves you as you are, and there’s hope, there’s life, there’s joy, and there’s friendship here.”
If you would like to connect with Knox Presbyterian Church, they are located at 223 Lock Street West, Dunnville. You may also call them at 905-774-5970 or find them on Facebook.
