Reverend Andrea Allan
PASTOR

Andrea Allan is new to Westminster, having just joined the congregation in April 2019. She previously serviced Knox United Church in Embro, Ontario. Following graduation, Andrea worked as an ordained minister at Killam Pastoral Charge, Alberta. Moving closer to home, however, has been a blessing: “Our daughter Gillian was born in Alberta (May 2011), and we needed to be closer to our families. I am so thankful that God has led us all back to this area near our family and friends.” As an Emmanuel student, Andrea took part in an integrated learning course following her internship and credits this experience with helping her develop lasting relationships with fellow Emmanuel alumni, with whom she is in regular contact: “We keep in touch throughout the year and meet annually for three days in January. We continue to learn from each other, sharing our thoughts, experiences, and resources! There are so many wonderful professors and support staff at Emmanuel who helped to shape me into the minister I am today; the people I interact with closely have given me the greatest gifts."

Rebecca Whiting
STUDENT MINISTER​

Rebecca Whiting is the new Student Minister here at Westminster. She is joining us in the role of Minister of Christian Development. This role will be focusing on serving our children, youth, and families, as well as creating opportunities for our community to continue doing equity, diversity, and inclusion work for all ages. Rebecca started following her call to ministry in January 2020 and is training to become a minister through the Designated Lay Ministry stream. She is one year into this three-year program, which involves concurrent education and experience through her position at Westminster.
Rebecca had previously pursued a Bachelor of Music Therapy, and worked in this field for a year before answering her call to ministry. She then worked remotely at Leaside United in Toronto as the Child and Youth Program Lead in 2021.
Rebecca has been a part of the United Church her whole life and is deeply passionate about doing justice work through the church. She enjoys spending her time in walking in nature with her dog, reading, making music, spending time with her nieces and nephew, and practicing self-care. 

Sara Lynn Cleave
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

I am Sara Lynn Cleave, and I am very honoured to be working with Westminster United Church since 2012. I have a background in education, special event planning and volunteer management. I taught at the elementary level with the Waterloo Region District School Board for five years before leaving teaching to pursue a career in the not-for-profit sector with Skills Canada – Ontario, coordinating skilled trades and technology competitions, as well as other special events and conferences, at the regional, provincial and national level. I consider myself very fortunate to live on a beautiful farm just outside of Ayr, Ontario with my husband and two very active kids.

Contact Sara Lynn

Cynthia Hiebert
PIANIST

I've been privileged to hold the position of pianist at Westminster United Church since 2006, and I enjoy having my students perform in the church's lovely sanctuary for my studio recitals each December and June. I pursued a Masters of Music degree as well as a doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I moved back to Waterloo in 2002 and have been active performing as a harpsichordist while teaching piano at the Beckett Conservatory at Laurier. As a harpsichordist, I perform both solo and ensemble music of earlier eras, as well as music of today. 

A 2002 album, Gathered Evidence, contains my performance of Peter Hatch's harpsichord solo In a Vernacular Way. Memorable concerts were combining the harpsichord and the zheng with renowned zheng player Mei Han for the Open Ears Festival in 2005, and improvising on French unmeasured preludes with shakuhachi player Gerard Yun in 2012 for The Congress of the Humanities.

​A profoundly meaningful experience for me was collaborating with cellist Ben Boldt-Martin in 2016 to create a concert based on the music of Arvo Pärt and my friend John Parcell. My most important collaborations, however, have been with my children Gabriel and Isabelle and my wonderful husband Ludwik.

Steve Boothby
CHOIR DIRECTOR

I am a travel enthusiast, Piano Teacher for all ages and, since 2006, the Choir Director at Westminster United Church. While teaching for the Waterloo Region District School Board for 30 years, I worked as a Music Department Head, conducted Concert Band, Concert Choir, Jazz Choir, Ladies Chorus and Men's Chorus, and planned and led school music tours in North America and Europe. I continue to work as a Piano Teacher and am a RCM Certified Advanced Specialist in Piano. From 2002 until 2006, I was the Music Director for the Waterloo Region Police Men's Chorus.

Since retiring from teaching in 2006, I indulge my passion for travel by working as a tour manager with Ellison Travel and Tours of Exeter, leading tours in Europe.  I can also be found in the south for several weeks in the winter and maybe even the Rockies with boards on my feet.  My wife and I enjoy being involved in our sons's lives with one in each of Billings Montana, Tokyo and K-W.  

Working in my gardens and in the Kitchen are very rewarding in my retirement.  Beautiful flowers and Jams, Jellies, and Pickles for my family and friends are all part of a "calendar year" for me.

 I earned a MUS.BAC. (Honors), an A.Music in Piano Performance and a B.Ed from The University of Western Ontario, studying Music Performance and Teaching. I also studied Piano Performance under Marion MacLennan and Lubka Colessa and choral conducting under Deral Johnson.