65 Years of Faithfulness — and the Journey Continues
Banners and Bishops, organ pipes and a trumpet, acolytes, pastors and people--all gathered under the cross to celebrate 65 years of ministry and mission on the North Shore.
It was a wonderful day of giving thanks for God's faithfulness through the decades, re-connecting with old friends and sharing stories: stories that brought us here, stories of how God met us here in times of trouble or sorrow, and stories of joy and laughter. A particularly poignant moment for me was the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the Squamish language by elder and Deacon Rennie Nahanee. It was a reminder that long before the story of Gloria Dei began, the forests waters and shorelines held the stories of Indigenous peoples who inhabited these lands, and that the Creator has walked with them on their journeys, too.
Our Festival Eucharist and luncheon gave us a wonderful opportunity to give thanks for all that has brought us to this present day. But as Bishop Kathy highlighted in her sermon, this milestone in our congregation's journey is not only a time to look backward but also a time to look ahead and ask: where is God leading us now? This is a question I am inviting all of us to bring prayerfully before God in the coming weeks and months. It is not a question to be pondered only by the pastor or Church Council but by all who consider Gloria Dei their spiritual home.
And as we bring the question before God, et us ask it with curiosity expectancy and hope. As we do, may we remember Bishop Kathy's encouragement to continue to engage in ministry and living out our baptismal call to:
Keep listening, keep opening doors, keep learning and graciously inviting others to do so, too. Keep listening to Indigenous voices and to those whose stories the church has not always heard. Keep setting up tables where there is always room for one more. And keep bravely venturing out into the community beyond these walls. The One who has been building this spiritual house for 65 years is not finished yet.