Newsletter for July-August 2026
90th ANNIVERSARY
The planning is all coming together to celebrate the 90th anniversary of our church. There is a sign-up sheet to volunteer if you’d like to help. Bill Casey will organize the ushers, but we need two more greeters (thank you Shirley and Reta), a few to set up and clean up (thank you Darryl) and a few for the luncheon part of it (thank you Gary).
There are extra invitations on the table in the Narthex. Please help yourself to one or more and feel free to hand them out to past members you may run into
We are looking for a photographer in the congregation who has a digital camera so we can download pictures after the celebration and put them in a photo album.
We have a number of photos from the past 90 years but are always looking for more. If you come across old photos, please submit them and we can scan them and get them back to you.
We are hoping to display the confirmation pictures after the celebration. We are getting quite a few but there are so many we don’t have. The oldest we have is when my dad confirmed, so 1957 or so, then nothing until 1973. If it helps, the years we have are: 1957(ish), 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. If you have any to add, please bring them in.
Feel free to reach out to Dorothy Gummer at 780-986-6012 with any questions or ideas.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Dorothy and Reta are finishing up with the interviews. If you haven’t had a chance to get your information in, the deadline is July 15. However, if you are desperate to get your information in and missed the deadline send it to the office and I can add it if there is time.
A booklet will be available for the 90th anniversary in September. Stay tuned for more information.
LETTER FROM THE BISHOP
Summer 2026
Grace and peace to you in this summer season.
Summer arrives and with it a change of pace! In a culture that often measures our worth by productivity, summer can remind us that God also calls us to rest, delight, and attention. Creation itself teaches this rhythm. Seeds grow without hurry. Rivers keep their steady course. Birds sing without agendas or schedules. Even Jesus stepped away to rest, pray, and be renewed.
Be encouraged this summer to live into a gentler pace. Make room for sabbath moments. Sit on a deck with your morning coffee and notice the breeze moving through the trees. Walk beside a lake or river and pray. Watch children play. Share meals slowly. Read Scripture outdoors. Let wonder interrupt your routines.
As you rest and travel, I also encourage you to remain connected to your faith community in creative ways. Summer schedules can scatter us, but community continues to matter deeply. Our congregations are relationships that sustain us, pray for us, and help shape our life together in Christ.
There are many simple ways to stay connected:
• Attend worship when you are in town, even if your summer routines are different. Remember your offerings through the summer,
• When travelling, visit another congregation to experience something new. Send a postcard to your congregation. Congregations could give space on a bulletin board to share summer experiences. Check in on social media,
• Join an outdoor worship service, Bible study, or campfire gathering,
• Share dog walking or pet sitting. Share favourite summer recipes,
• Connect by offering childcare, yard care, home maintenance,
• Spend time at one of our church camps.
Summer does not ask us to abandon our faith practices. It invites us to carry them differently. A little more barefoot. A little more attentive. A little more alive to grace unfolding around us.
May the steadfast love of God accompany you wherever these summer days lead.
In Christ,
Bishop Trish Schmermund
Synod of Alberta and the Territories, ELCIC