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13 August 2024

 Dear Friends,

I imagine that many of you have heard the news regarding the fire at Kamloops United Church the morning of August 12th. Happily, all in the building were able to evacuate safely. While much of the building remains untouched by fire, the sanctuary at KUC was badly damaged. Both the fire, and the efforts to put out the fire, have left the sanctuary completely unusable. Kamloops United Church was also the center of many community initiatives; it is not known at this time how those programs will be affected.

The Territory office has reached out to the parish, and the Pacific Mountain Region Area Minster, expressing our support and prayer.

 

As fellow Christians, we feel deeply the loss of worship space. We know that “church is the people, not the building” yet we cannot deny that our church sanctuaries matter to us. They house celebrations and our mourning; they are the places we go to pray, to connect, and to fellowship. And so, our hearts go out to the congregation as they face the daunting task of arranging for worship in locations that do not feel like home.  Please include the people of Kamloops United Church in your prayers, both private and corporate.

 

Almighty God,

We pray heartily for the people of Kamloops United Church, who now mourn the loss of their sanctuary.  Be with their clergy, The Reverend Dr. Michael Caveny, and the Reverend Andrew Macpherson, as they provide pastoral support to a community in grief. Place your wisdom upon the church council, as they discern how the community will worship in the future. May all the people of the parish know the grace of your unyielding presence. We pray all this in the name of the one who journeys with us in good times and in bad, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.