A Saskatoon pastor is taking a page out of Charles Schultz’s classic “Peanuts” comic strip, by offering spiritual advice and a glass of fruit punch at a roadside stand in his neighbourhood.
Pastor Mark Kleiner, of Christ Church Anglican in Saskatoon, says the stand is part of a parrish initiative to participate more in the community.
“We want to really have ministry that engages with the people around us,” he told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.
The stand is strikingly similar to the one where Lucy often counsels Charlie Brown in the “Peanuts” comics. An overhead sign on the booth promises spiritual help for 5 cents, while another sign on the front of it reads: “The pastor is IN.”
Kleiner says the fruit punch is free, and that he’ll take an IOU for those who don’t have a nickel to pay for his spiritual advice.
“It’s really not so much a money-making proposition as it is a nod to Charles Schultz and Lucy of ‘Peanuts’ fame,” he said.
Kleiner has faced a wide range of questions, from big ones like the meaning of life to smaller ones about the intricacies of individuals’ personal faith.
“A really common one is, ‘How do I find time for my own spiritual growth?’” he said.
The pastor says he tries not to be a know-it-all with his advice.
“Oftentimes it’s just holding that space to listen,” he said. He also acknowledged that other people’s problems can seem easy to solve for an outsider, but it’s not so easy when you live those situations yourself. “I can’t walk that walk for you,” he said.
