Pacific Mountain Regional Council of The United Church of Canada

09/12/2026

We are thrilled to announce that The Rev. Dr. Stephen Harper has been hired as the Growth and Stewardship Animator for Pacific Mountain Regional Council and will begin this new role on December 1, 2026. Stephen is currently serving as the minister for Springbank and Southwood Pastoral Charges in Calgary, Alberta. Stephen has worked in both team and solo ministry, in a variety of settings and cities, including Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

Stephen holds a Doctorate from Golden Gate Theological Seminary, which focuses on envisioning creative ways to connect people with God in the 21st century. He is a church growth and vitality specialist and is always excited to help communities of faith discover how they can best connect to the communities around them and help them share what makes their church so special.

The creation of this role is part of the Toward 2035 commitment to increase supports to Communities of Faith in their witness and ministry in their local context and is made possible by the General Council 45 decision direct Mission and Service Funding to the work of growth and support of Toward 2035. Hiring is currently underway for Animator positions in Antler River Watershed, Eastern Ontario Outaouais, and Conseil Regional Nakonha:ka Regional Councils.

When Stephen begins his new role there will be an update announcement about how to get in touch.

09/09/2026

Community Connections 🍃 Around the PMR, this September 9, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/united-church.ca/community-connections-september-9-2026

09/02/2026

Community Connections 🍃 Around the PMR, this September 2, 2026 - https://mailchi.mp/united-church.ca/community-connections-september-2-2026

08/21/2026

On Thursday, we had some extra-cute visitors at the PMRC office! Lisa Munro, our colleague from First Third Ministry, fosters pregnant cats and cares for their litters and she generously brought some of her kittens in for a visit.

There was plenty of kitten cuddling, playing, and general delight as we took turns enjoying some very adorable company. And, because apparently kittens weren't enough, we also shared a pizza lunch together. A pretty great day at the office!

08/18/2026

Back again over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, our Pacific Mountain Region Intercultural Family Retreat is OPEN FOR REGISTRATION! An Intercultural Christian Community for all ages and ways of being a family, we invite you to join us at Camp Fircom for rest & renewal, nature-focused activities, worship & singing, and conversation & connection.

MORE INFO & GET REGISTERED HERE: firstthirdministry.ca/interculturalpmr

08/18/2026

08/15/2026

Amid a difficult few weeks of wildfires that have destroyed homes and impacted communities across our region, we want to pause and say thank you to Naramata Centre for showing us what it looks like to love your neighbour.

As wildfires have forced people from their homes across the Okanagan, Naramata Centre made a remarkable choice to cancel all planned summer programming and accommodations and instead open their rooms to people who had nowhere else to sleep. They have welcomed evacuee families, even in the middle of the night, created free programming for children and youth, and opened a food pantry for evacuated households in the area.

Loving our neighbour is not always an abstract idea. Sometimes it looks like opening a spare room. Sometimes it looks like making breakfast for a family who has lost their home. Sometimes it looks like giving children a place to laugh and play while their parents have a moment to breathe. And sometimes it means giving up something we had planned so that someone else can have what they need.

Naramata Centre has been a place of hospitality, community, spiritual life and connection for generations. This summer, they are living that purpose in a particularly profound way.

And this response comes with a real cost. Cancelling weeks of programming and welcoming evacuees means a significant financial impact for the Centre at a time when its long-term sustainability already matters. If you are able, we encourage you to support Naramata Centre and their wildfire response with a donation.

Thank you, Naramata Centre, for reminding us that loving our neighbour is something we do- even when it means setting aside our own plans to make room for someone else in need.

If you would like to support Naramata Centre's wildfire response, you can make a donation here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/148515

08/14/2026

With thousands fleeing their homes, Naramata Centre, Oasis United Church and other congregations are offering shelter, food and comfort

08/13/2026

Dear Pacific Mountain Region,

It is in the spirit of care, comfort and concern that I write to you. I can’t imagine the deep fear and distress the hundreds of wildfires now burning in your region must cause, for congregations and communities nearby. The emotional and physical distress, property damage and loss of habitat, homes and wildlife is incalculable.

I have been praying for your region, especially for the families who are under threat of evacuation, or who have left their homes and possessions behind to flee the destruction. I think especially of communities near Bradley Creek and Quilpituk Creek, and the Okanagan Indian Band reserve near Vernon, and other First Nations communities who have lost their homes to fire. I also think of the most recent evacuations in Summerland, where the whole community, including one of our own churches, is under threat of destruction by fire.

And now as wildfires threaten Metro Vancouver, the sheer density of people could take this climate disaster to another level. I pray for the firefighters who are stretched to their limit, and that no harm comes to them or to residents living in proximity to these fires.

I have also been praying for those who care for physical, emotional and spiritual needs through this, including clergy and regional staff. May you and the congregations in your care have the strength to accompany them as they recover, heal and rebuild.

I also pray for a future free of these kinds of climate-crisis-induced disasters. While fires consume our homes and other things that are important to us, they cannot burn away God’s promise of new and renewed life.

I pray for peace of mind to return in its time. And for you and the congregations in your care to walk together to lighten the load. If there are fundraising opportunities for the wider church to engage in, please know you have our support.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. –Psalms 34:18

In the hope of resurrection,

The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath
Moderator

08/08/2026

Dear Friends,
Today I, and all of you, are holding in prayer all those affected by the wildfires burning across British Columbia, and especially the people of Summerland and surrounding communities. Our hearts cry out for the people and communities affected, and for the earth we share and are called to cherish and protect.

We pray for those who have been evacuated or are waiting anxiously to know what comes next; for firefighters, emergency personnel and all those working to keep people and communities safe; and for those who are facing loss and uncertainty.

I am grateful, too, for the many ways people are stepping up to care for one another. Within our church and across the wider community, neighbours are helping neighbours, offering shelter, food, practical support and simply being present. In moments like these, we are reminded of the strength and generosity that emerge when we recognize our responsibility for one another.

And even as we respond to the immediate crisis, we cannot ignore the larger reality in which these fires are happening. We are living with the consequences of a changing climate, shaped in part by the choices we have made as human beings. Our faith calls us not only to care for one another, but also to care for the earth that sustains us.

May this be a time not only of prayer and compassion, but of renewed commitment to the stewardship of creation and to the choices, large and small, that honour the world entrusted to our care.

For all who are in harm’s way tonight, and for all who are responding with courage, generosity and care: you are in our prayers.
Blessings, Treena