Happy Birthday to all family members born in March!
May God’s abundant blessings, joy, and peace fill your new year of life.
Rejoice in His love today and always!

March

1 – Kyler Storm

11 – Jason Assam

19 – Candace Storm

28 – Mike Engelbert

Last Sunday Gloria Dei hosted an Ecumenical Service of Prayer for Peace in Ukraine, and the response from the community was deeply encouraging. More than 125 people gathered, filling the sanctuary with prayer, music, and a shared longing for peace.

We were honored to welcome nine clergy representing congregations from the United Church of Canada, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Baptist traditions, along with Father Mykhailo Ozorovych, our guest preacher from the Ukrainian Holy Eucharist Cathedral. The service began with the hymn “God, Our Help in Ages Past,” accompanied by the majestic sound of the pipe organ. Its familiar words and soaring music set the tone for an afternoon grounded in faith, remembrance, and hope.

Together we prayed in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who continue to endure an illegal war and defend their freedom.   We joined our hearts with Druzhba (Friendship) vocal ensemble as they sang Lysenko's "Prayer for Ukraine".  At the same time, we held the people of Iran in prayer as they suffer a war they did choose. A particularly moving moment came at the end of the service when the Iranian Vanchoir offered a patriotic song of hope, “I Will Build Again My Country for You,” a powerful expression of resilience and longing for freedom.

The service concluded with “This Is My Song, O God of All the Nations,” sung to the tune of Finlandia, reminding us that people everywhere share the same hopes for peace:
“So hear our song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine.”

We are also grateful for the generosity of those who attended. The freewill offering totalled $2,903, which will support therapeutic camps for children in the Carpathian Mountains, helping bring healing and hope to children affected by war.

We give thanks for everyone who participated and for the powerful witness of Christians and neighbors standing together in prayer for peace. May the prayers offered that afternoon continue to echo—bringing comfort to those who suffer and strengthening our commitment to work and pray for a just peace for all peoples.

"For generations, the Bible has been employed by settler colonial societies as a weapon to dispossess Indigenous and racialized peoples of their lands, cultures, and spiritualties. Given this devastating legacy, many of these people want nothing to do with it. But is it possible for the exploited and their allies to reclaim the Bible from the dominant powers? Can it serve as an instrument for justice in the cause of the oppressed, and even a nonviolent weapon toward decolonization?"

Explore these questions and more in our Lenten book study led by Jim Berger. The group meets over Zoom on Wednesday evenings to study, "Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization." The book has many chapters written by Canadian Indigenous Christians and is edited by Steve Heinrichs,  the Director of Indigenous-Settler Relations for the Mennonite Church Canada.

Notice is hereby given that Gloria Dei Lutheran Church will hold its Annual General Meeting on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in the Church Hall immediately following the 10am worship service.

All members of Gloria Dei are invited to attend.

The Annual General Meeting will consider the following:

1. To review and accept committee reports for 2025
2. To review and approve the Budget for 2026
3. To elect members for Church Council for 2026.

Rolly French, Council Chair