Manning Memorial Chapel

Rev. Debbie Simmonds

The Reverend Debbie Simmonds hails from the community of East Preston where she grew up and currently lives. She comes from a family of thirteen. She has been married to her soulmate Hank Simmonds for 39 years and they have three grown children and five grandchildren.

In 1983, She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into her heart. and made a promise to her Savior that she would serve the Lord with all she has because of the sacrifice He made on the cross for her.

Since then, she has been active in service to the Lord serving The East Preston United Baptist Church in various capacities. In 2010 she was called to serve as Deacon and was ordained in Feb 2011.

In 2013 Debbie answered the call to ministry at her home Church. In 2014 she pursued Christian and Ministerial studies and graduated from The Acadia Divinity College in 2020.

In 2017, Debbie retired from the Nova Scotia Health Authority after 40 years of service to Food and Nutrition Services. In October 2020, the East Preston United Baptist Church called her to serve as Minister of Evangelism, Outreach and Multimedia. She was ordained in Nov. 2021. Reverend Debbie is a member of the African United Baptist Association where she currently serves on the executive as chair of Evangelism and outreach. She is an Alumni of The Canadian Baptist of Atlantic Canada (CBAC). She is also a board member for The Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC)

In keeping with her desire to serve God, Church and community in Dec. 2022 Reverend Debbie accepted a part time position as Food Hub Coordinator for the newly formed Preston Area Food Network.

Reverend Debbie wants everyone to know that she loves and trusts the Lord with all her heart. She knows that she can do all things thru Christ who strengthens her. Philippians 4:13. God has proven this to her time after time. To God be the Glory.

Amy Rockwell

A Dalhousie nursing graduate, and nurse of 23 years who has had the privilege of working in critical care (ICU & ER), perioperative care (OR/PACU), chemotherapy, women's health, cardiac rehab, trauma/surgical, chronic pain, community health in rural Indigenous communities, IV & Injection therapy for those with autoimmune and rare genetic conditions, palliative care, and in nursing education. I  have also had the pleasure of  working as a NSQIP (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) Surgical Clinical Nurse Reviewer in our Perioperative Surgical Program reviewing patient charts, following up with patients and families, and developing Quality Practice Initiatives & Clinical Education for staff and surgeons.

I have been involved in nursing education at various institutions over the past 20 years in various capacities, and now as full-time Nurse Practice Educator here at Acadia (CBU satellite). I also continue to work as a part-time Staff Nurse at Valley Regional Hospital, mainly in the Perioperative Program. I also remain a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE nurse) for the Western health zone .

I am interested in studying, learning, and teaching faith and spirituality in nursing curriculum, including exploration of moral and ethical distress in nursing students and nurses across the spectrum of care specialties and experiences. I am currently completing a Master of Adult Education (MAdEd) at St FX with a keen eye and curious heart focusing on the role and impact of faith and spirituality on resilience in clinical practice.

My most important and favorite job of all has been and will always be being a mom to two amazing boys who are 14 and almost 10 years old. They are full of love and light, and they are a constant beacon of all that is possible in faith and humanity.

David MacPhee is a registered social worker working at the Acadia Counselling Centre as the Case Manager. Before his career as a social worker, David was in ministry with the Catholic Church from 2003 to 2015 and studied theology at Saint Paul’s University in Ottawa, ON. He is a husband and father of 2 children. Faith and spirituality has always been an important aspect of David’s life and continues to inform his relationship, his work as a therapist, and especially with his family.

Dr Haase attended medical school in Jamaica then trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases here in Canada. He is now retired after 34 years of academic and clinical practice at Dalhousie University and what is now Nova Scotia Health. He remains involved in multiple community organizations and was past President of the Health Association of African Canadians, and past Co-Chair of the Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS) Advisory Committee.

He is presently Co-Chair of the Black Physicians of Nova Scotia group, a member of the Advisory Committee for Black Public Health, a member of the Black Health and Wellness Initiative for the Black community, and a Board member of the Jamaican Cultural Association of Nova Scotia (JCANS).

Although fully retired from clinical medicine he has a keen interest in the health of our Black communities. As a result, his passion is to support the training, recruitment, and retention of more African Nova Scotian physicians. He is presently involved in the process of encouraging vaccination of all types in Nova Scotian Black communities.