About Us

The Reverend Taylor Croissant, M.Div.

Rev. Taylor was raised in Medicine Hat. His faith journey has taken him all the way to Korea where he served as an ordained supply minister with the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea before returning to Canada. After spending some time in Northern Alberta, he was happy to settle at Southminster United Church in Lethbridge in 2020. In his spare time, Taylor prepares a delightful kimchi and is happy to share his wide knowledge of hockey. Rev. Taylor is married to Rev. MiYeon Kim, who is the minister for Fort Macleod and Granum United Churches.

Taina Arnell, MSc.(Econ.)

Born and raised in Finland, Taina puts her communications and marketing background to good use in the church office. She keeps the congregation informed about upcoming church events and other happenings, and books and manages our busy rentals. 

She has called Lethbridge home since 1996. She is a good cook and a bad curler and enjoys both!

Christina Whittmire MSc.(Biol)

Born and raised on a farm on the Canadian prairies close to McCord, Saskatchewan, Christina splits her time between instructing university science classes and working at Southminster. 

In her free time, she enjoys curling and long walks with her dog. Lethbridge has been home to Christina since 2002.

 Kade Hogg, B.Mus., MEd.

Our Music Director, Kade Hogg, was born and raised in Cardston, Alberta and moved to Lethbridge in 1998. He received his Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Lethbridge in 2008. He received his Master of Education degree in 2016. Kade is a multi-talented singer, pianist, organist, and teacher. He teaches social studies and psychology courses at Winston Churchill High School during the day and enjoys conducting weekly choir practices and leading our worship music on Sunday mornings at Southminster.

Christopher Litchfield-Dittmann, BMus.

Chris was born in Lethbridge, raised in Cardston, and graduated with a degree in Music (piano performance) from the University of Lethbridge. Music has always been a large part of his life, from singing in choirs to travelling the world as an accompanist for a girls’ choir. He is proud to be the organist/pianist at Southminster on Sunday mornings and happy to play at weddings and funerals as well. 

Chris teaches piano lessons to people of all ages and has called Lethbridge home since 1998.

Baz Skinner (she/her)

Adopted by proud Newfoundlanders and raised in Blackfoot territory (Lethbridge), Baz is a queer, indigenous and mildly hilarious MDIV student at St. Andrew's College. 

She works in Piiksinaasin (Faculty of  Fine Arts), and loves to build things, play board games, crush some Mario Party and hang out with her huge family, many pets, and exceptional friends. 

Shona Archibald

Shona keeps the building secure and safe for both rental events and the Sunday morning worship time. 

In her spare time, Shona enjoys spending time with her new granddaughter, travelling, watching American football, and playing golf.

Shona has called Lethbridge home since 2006. 

We are fortunate to have Shona on our crew, and she likes working all different events at the church, including concerts, markets, workshops, and receptions.

Don Huxley

Don is the muscle behind Southminster's stage set ups. 

In his part-time role, Don makes sure the set up of our Sanctuary and Hall changes to the requirements of our rental groups, concerts and worship events. 

When not working at his day job at the college or doing sets at Southminster, he stays fit by practicing Taekwondo.

Sandra S

Sandra  looks after the tidiness of the building and keeps us up-to-date about any repair needs. 

She is a wonderful asset to our staff with long experience in her field, and we appreciate her knowledge and hard work which help us keep our historic building presentable. 

The Reverend Dr. Tadashi (Tad) Mitsui. B.A., BD., STM,  D.S.T 

We are truly blessed to have Rev. Tad as our Minister Emeritus. He has a long history in ministry and international experience in World Council of Churches.    

Rev. Tad was ordained in 1959 by the B.C. Conference; worked at Vancouver Japanese United Church 1959 – 1968; University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland, 1968 - 1975 as Lecturer and Dean of Students; World Council of Churches, Switzerland, and Canadian Council of Churches in Toronto 1965 – 1989; Executive Secretary, United Church Conference of Montreal and Ottawa, 1989 - 1995; Retired Supply, Howick United Church until 2000. Lethbridge has been home to Rev. Tad since early 2000.

Hilary Squires (she/her)

Hilary leads our weekly Children's Time on Sunday mornings with a fun and relatable message geared to the younger members of the congregation. She is passionate about making children feel comfortable—in the physical church space, in the Southminster community, and in their individual faith experiences.

Hilary has recently completed the Licensed Lay Worship Leader program, which means she's qualified to fill the pulpit and lead the entire worship service in the absence of our regular ministry staff. 

Born and raised in Ontario, she has called southern Alberta home since 2006. A lifelong member of the United Church of Canada, Hilary has always found a home in Christ's warm embrace.

Trish Purkis

Our Church Archivist Trish is a third generation Southminster member. 

She is interested in local history, and has gathered information on a large variety of topics. Some of her materials have been bundled into books, including The early hotels of Lethbridge, Grocery stores of Lethbridge, Community bands of Lethbridge, and Ministers of Southminster. 

When not working on a historic project, she uses her imagination to write fictional stories.