Happy Birthday to Our June Celebrants!

We extend our warmest birthday wishes to all those celebrating their birthdays in June.

May God bless you with good health, joy, and peace throughout the coming year. May His love, grace, and guidance be with you each day, and may you continue to experience His abundant blessings in your life.

The following members are celebrating their birthdays in June:

June

5 – Ralph H

6 – Reza Pahlavani

7 – Ken Parkinson

11 – Genevieve Miller-Elsner

28 – Nataliya Zaliznyak

30 – Lorraine M

Happy Birthday, and may God bless you abundantly!

SAVE THE DATE!  - October 25  - 65th Anniversary Festival Service at 10am followed by a catered lunch.  

Here is how we are celebrating: 

Bishop Kathy Martin will be our guest preacher at our Festival Service of Holy Communion.  We have invited Kevin Evans to be the Master of Ceremonies. Our program during the catered lunch will feature Bishop Susan Johnson as guest speaker. There will also be special music and a video retrospective. 

If you keep in touch with former members who you think will enjoy attending please contact Lorraine Maclean or Sue Englebert. We will need their address and/or phone numbers. 

Susan Engelbert on behalf of the Planning Group:  

George Haughn, Lin Parkinson, Maureen Kerfoot, Lorraine and Gaire Maclean, and Ken Parkinson. Pat Shaw, Sonja Koruga and Rollie French. 

National Bishop Larry Kochendorfer is inviting the church to join in prayer and advocacy following an urgent request from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

In a June 3 letter to the church, Bishop Kochendorfer shared Bishop Haddad’s concerns regarding Natalie Abuddayeh, a youth member of the ELCJHL, who was detained alongside three other women from her student apartment in Birzeit. Abuddayeh is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Beit Jala, a graduate of Talitha Kumi Lutheran School and a media and journalism student at Birzeit University.

“Our prayers and actions for justice are always intertwined,” Kochendorfer wrote. “We join in prayer for our siblings in Christ.”

The ELCIC invites members to read Bishop Kochendorfer’s full letter to the church, join in prayer for the ELCJHL and consider contacting their Member of Parliament and/or the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Read Bishop Kochendorfer’s letter to the church

Read Bishop Kochendorfer’s letter to Minister Anand

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From Pastor Vida: For further reporting and analysis see https://persecutedchurchalerts.substack.com/p/persecuted-church-alert-four-female

June is National Indigenous History Month - a time to honour the histories, cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. We are celebrating by dedicating a beautiful Indigenous Art Quilt for our worship space. The quilt was designed and sewn by Riva Nelson, using authentic Anishinaabe motifs Riva is a member of the Capiliano Quilters and a former member of Gloria Dei. She will share a few words with us about her creative process and the meaning behind the piece.

On the morning of June 14, we invite everyone to gather in the narthex at 9:30am., where the quilt will be unveiled on the Art Wall. Cari K. will offer a blessing through a smudging ceremony, and together we will further bless the quilt with a responsive litany. Riva, along with representatives from the Capilano Quilters have been invited as our special guests for this meaningful occasion.

FOLLOW-UP

Thank-you to all who made donations to the SAGE Transition House on the occassion of the ELCIC National Day of Action. Thanks to each of you, we surpassed our goal and raised $1200. A special thanks to LaDonna and Lin for organizing this initiative and to all who stopped by to say hello at our table at Lynn Valley SaveOn Foods.

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On Saturday, May 31, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church will participate in the ELCIC National Day of Action by hosting a fundraising and awareness table in support of SAGE Transition House and the North Shore Crisis Services Society.

We invite our church members, neighbours, and community friends to join us in helping raise $1000 to support women and children escaping domestic violence here on the North Shore.

The need is urgent. Across Canada, nearly 1 in 2 women experience intimate partner violence during their lifetime. Every night, approximately 6,000 women and children seek refuge in shelters because home is no longer safe — and tragically, around 300 are turned away because shelters are already full. We also know that 70% of children are in the same or next room when abuse occurs, carrying emotional wounds that can last a lifetime.

SAGE provides safe and confidential housing, outreach services, counselling, and practical support for women and children rebuilding their lives after violence. Their services include emergency shelter, support lines, culturally informed outreach programs, and counselling support for children and youth who have experienced or witnessed abuse.

As part of our Day of Action, Gloria Dei volunteers will offer free lemonade and cookies while sharing information about the work of SAGE and inviting donations in support of their programs.

We believe even small acts of compassion can become signs of hope and healing in our community.

If you would like to support this initiative, donations can be made through our Canada Helps page or by e-transfer to office@gloriadei.ca.

Together, we can help create safety, dignity, and hope for women and children in our community.

Click on the "Read More" button which will take us to our webpage post where you can view the video sermon by Bishop Larry Kockendorfer. 

You Are Invited
We invite you to continue a journey that began last year - a journey of connecting, reflecting, and growing together as we explore the yearnings we share for the future of our church here in BC.

We will gather June 5-7, 2026, at King of Life Lutheran Church, 1198 Falcon Dr., Coquitlam

This gathering is an opportunity to:

Connect deeply with friends in Christ from across the province

Reflect on the initiatives we began last year—celebrating what has flourished and learning from our experiences

Grow new possibilities rooted in the yearnings that call us forward
 

Who Should Attend
Each congregation is invited to send up to four representatives, their called or interim pastor included. This gathering is for anyone who cares deeply about the future of our church in BC. We especially welcome those who attended last year and those who wanted to come but could not.

Important Notes
This gathering builds on the foundation laid in 2025, but it is not simply a status report. It is an invitation to continue co‑creating the future of our church through Spirit‑led collaboration rooted in genuine passion and shared responsibility. BC Synod will cover the costs of the event (gathering program and on‑site costs).
 
Registration
REGISTER HERE 
Registration deadline is April 24, 2026. We cannot guarantee accommodations after that date. 
Accommodation will be arranged at Executive Plaza in Coquitlam. This includes parking and breakfast. Since we have to confirm our group booking early, other accommodations will not be reimbursed. Travel costs will be covered by the synod. If air travel is required, please book your air fare early. 

Our own Sue Engelbert will be singing with the North Shore Community Singers in their upcoming concert, Spring into Summer 2026, on Sunday, June 14 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Stephen's Church in West Vancouver.

Please see the attached poster for more information. We wish Sue and the choir a wonderful performance!

But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

June 6 is the birthday of poet Maxine Kumin, born in Philadelphia in 1925. Growing up, she was an avid swimmer, and trained to become an Olympian as a teenager. She also loved writing poems, and eventually became a major poet and teacher of poetry.

And here’s a glimpse of her teaching style: she would routinely ask her students to memorize 30 to 40 lines of excellent poetry a week, the better to internalize what great verse feels and sounds like. “The other reason,” she said, “as I tell their often stunned faces, is to give them an internal library to draw on when they are taken political prisoner. For many, this is an unthinkable concept; they simply do not believe in anything fervently enough to go to jail for it.”

Here’s ”Morning Swim,” one of her distinctive masterpieces, bringing together her interests in swimming and spirituality.