Our Staff

Rev. Gayle MacDonald

Rev. Gayle MacDonald

Gayle is a Retired Ordained Minister with the United Church of Canada. She has a B.A. in English Language and Literature and a Master of Divinity from Queen's Theological College. She has training in Spiritual Deepening and Guidance. Most of her continuing education was concentrated on courses relating to congregations in transition.


Gayle first came to Carlisle as an Ordained Supply for 6 weeks in 2023. In December of 2024 she was covenanted as a Volunteer Associate Minister. Currently, Gayle is serving as their Transitional Minister as Carlisle United Church engages in the process of discerning their future.


Gayle enjoys spending time with her family: her two sons and their families, her sister, and her nephew and his family. Gayle's leisure reading is mainly fiction, especially murder mysteries. Gayle also enjoys art and writing poetry.


She is in the office most Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm.


Contact information: [email protected]

Church phone: 905-689-8630

Office Administrator

Andrea Osterroth McRae

Andrea has been a member of Carlisle United Church since 1999. She comes with a corporate background in quality assurance and regulatory affairs in the biopharmaceutical sector. For the past 10 years, she has been overseeing most aspects of her own business.  

She started volunteering with Carlisle United many years ago, and a switch to administration was a natural fit when the long-time administrator retired in 2023.  

Andrea enjoys music, reading, learning new things, and can be found behind the computer at the back of the sanctuary most Sundays providing some form of technical entertainment.

Office hours for Andrea are Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact information: [email protected]
Church phone: 905-689-8630

Music Director

Dr. Heather Olaveson

Heather is one of our local musicians who recently returned to this area after studying at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and the University of Victoria, where she obtained master's degrees in English and music composition, respectively.

She has been playing piano for over twenty years. As the story goes, when she was six she started talking about taking piano lessons and, when they finally got tired of hearing about it, her parents gave in and signed her up at a music studio. Of course, she's never looked back! She particularly enjoys collaborating with other musicians as an accompanist.

Heather provides music direction at Carlisle United Church by rehearsing with our chancel choir weekly and by playing music during Sunday and special services.

Besides enjoying collaborating with other musicians as an accompanist, Heather also loves teaching, editing, experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes, poking about in old historical places, reading extensively, and doing anything "artsy".

Contact information: Leave a message at the church office 905-689-8630 or [email protected]
Contact information: Leave a message at the church office 905-689-8630 or [email protected].