We met 18 years ago. I was new to the neighbourhood of Parkdale and he was not. I remember him schooling me on everything related to Parkdale Neighbourhood Church (PNC): the different people who held leadership over the years, the way he and his wife Doe would make food for the drop-in that used to be held in a storefront on Queen, the names of those I “should really meet”. He wasn’t always around in those early days, but he made a strong impression.

Peter Lamb, I would later learn, spent time at Yonge Street Mission’s Evergreen way back in the day where he got to know Rick Tobias. Rick became a connecting point for us. Peter loved that I counted Rick a mentor and would regale me with tales about their relationship. “Did you know that Rick used to let me make the coffee at Evergreen?” he would tell me during nearly every one of our conversations.

When PNC became The Dale and my role shifted to what it is now, Peter told me that though I was a reluctant leader, he believed I was called. His words meant a lot to me. He began to phone me with frequency to offer encouragement. Those calls became a way to catch up on our days, often talk theology, and pray. When I was ordained, Peter was one of a small group of people to pray over me during the service. And sure enough, I received a call shortly after he got home from the service to pray yet again.

I will admit that I could not always spend as much time on the phone as Peter would have liked. Which is why I felt so grateful to Rick, who understood why I couldn’t, and was quick to step into the gaps. Rick called Peter just about every day until his death in 2022. As Peter would say, “Rick always reminds me to keep my eyes on Jesus”. I was the one to tell Peter that Rick was gone. Together we wept. It was such a gift for me and Peter to participate in Rick’s funeral by co-reading Matthew 25:31-40, an invitation extended by Rick himself.

Peter was a very faithful regular at The Dale’s Sunday Service. When we moved into the sanctuary of Epiphany and St. Mark, Peter found a spot at the front that accommodated his wheelchair and never left it. He loved to sing and would choose the same songs from our little songbook week after week. Every passing of the peace he would say the same thing to me, “Oh Erinn, peace to you and your household. God bless you and Dion and Cate. God bless The Dale. Thank you for loving me”. To which I would say, “Peace to you Peter. God bless you and Little Bits (his beloved cat). You are so loved. And thank you for loving me”. Other community members would always comment on Peter’s capacity to pray, and how his loud voice and faith would always fill the room.

There were times of great struggle for Peter. He mourned the loss of Doe. He grieved the way his body required dialysis and that walking ultimately became too difficult, always clinging to the hope he might be healed. He could experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, all in a day. He felt deeply conflicted about certain issues and could cope with that by making sweeping statements. I, together with The Dale team and other community members, would do our best to be present to Peter in his pain. We never gave up on him, nor he us.

It was strange to not hear from Peter much since the big snowstorm around mid- February. We became worried. Joanna was the one to discover he was in hospital. The first day we walked into his room, my heart sank. I recognized the state he was in as being close to death. We got to visit a number of times, always praying and singing for our friend. On Wednesday I anointed Peter with oil. When we arrived the next day, we learned that he had died in the night.

Peter, I am so grateful for you. I will miss hearing you laugh, especially when you got giddy and couldn’t stop. You were very generous, sometimes giving so much that you didn’t have enough for yourself. You shared your gifts of encouragement and prayer readily. Thank you for providing a new home to Chevy’s cat, Little Bits (even though you liked to give too many treats!). I’m glad that we could disagree and talk through things without losing sight of our love and care for each other. I don’t think I’ll ever sing Shout to the Lord or Faithful One without thinking of you. Please say hi to Rick and all the others we missed together over the years. I love you.