Rev. John c. Perkin
Born in England, John has studied History, Philosophy, and International Relations earning Bachelor and Graduate degrees at universities in Nova Scotia, Ontario and England. He completed his Master of Divinity in preparation for ministry at McMaster Divinity College. Baptised in Wolfville Nova Scotia, he was ordained into Christian ministry in Paris Baptist Church in Ontario; He has ministered in churches in Winnipeg and southern Ontario.
John moved to Sackville, New Brunswick to work at Mount Allison University in 1993, where he was Chaplain and Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies for twenty-seven years. He also served terms as Dean of Students and Director of Leadership. As Chaplain and Adjunct Professor, John provided spiritual direction and pastoral care to the University community and taught a wide range of courses, the most popular of which was apocalyptic studies. He taught in Japan for a sabbatical semester, and supervised the Mount Allison study program in India several times.
Active in his community wherever he lives, John has served with Palliative Care groups, Corrections Canada, Parent-School Advisory committees, and on a District Education Council. He helped coordinate a community refugee response organization which he co-founded with his wife Dodie, in Sackville NB. A frequent spokesperson for religious topics in the media, he has been published in several newspapers and journals. Married to Dodie for over thirty years, they have two children, Wray & Joanna; both are Mount Allison graduates and still live in Sackville.
Ministry, counselling, scholarly activity, and community enagagement are John’s professional passions. He is pleased to now take up duties as Minister of First Baptist Church Ottawa.
Shawn Potter, B. Mus., M. Mus. Director of Music
Shawn Potter holds a master’s degree in organ performance from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, where he studied organ with Hans-Ola Ericsson and John Grew, and harpsichord and continuo with Hank Knox. Originally from Nova Scotia, Shawn graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in music from Mount Allison University, where he held a Canadian Merit National Scholarship. He has held numerous grants and fellowships including a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant, allowing him to pursue a wide variety of interests, ranging from 17th century North German repertoire to the organ works of Olivier Messiaen.
Winner of the 2013 Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Organ Competition, Shawn has performed extensively within Canada, with performances at the Montreal Bach Festival, the Sackville Early Music Festival, and the RCCO National Convention. Upcoming engagements include performances for Pro Organo (Ottawa) and ORGANIX 14 (Toronto), as well as a series of eight concerts comprising the complete organ works of Dieterich Buxtehude (Ottawa). Shawn has held organ scholar positions in Montreal at both Christ Church Cathedral and the church of St. John the Evangelist, and is currently the Director of Music at First Baptist Church, Ottawa.
Patti Linn, B.A. (Hon), B. Ed. Church Secretary
Patti Linn has been Church Secretary at First Baptist Church since February 2000. She also teaches on a part-time basis at Good Shepherd School, of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, in her Blackburn Hamlet community. Patti teaches piano from her home to a large roster of young students, and has served as a Girl Guide leader in her neighbourhood for the past decade.
Her philosophy in brief is that we all have the capacity to add something positive to the lives of those around us. We just need to identify our gifts…and use them!