St. Martin's United Church

10/19/2026

Prayers of our community to Wainwright.🙏

10/16/2026

A warm welcome to Grace-Westminster United Church who will be worshipping with us this Sunday, October 18.

We are grateful for the opportunity to gather together at St. Martin's as one community of faith, united in worship, friendship, and God's love.

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at St. Martin's United Church 🍂🍁

​​As we gather to celebrate this season of gratitude, we give thanks for the blessings of community, connection, and the beauty of creation. We are grateful to be a community where everyone is welcome just as they are, bound together by radical love and kindness.

At the same time, as settlers living, gathering, and worshipping on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, we recognize that Thanksgiving is not a day of celebration for everyone. For many Indigenous neighbours, it carries deep pain, loss, and the heavy legacy of colonial history.

We pause to honour and thank the Indigenous peoples who have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial, and we pray for healing, justice, and right relationship

May this time be filled with warmth, connection, and peace!

10/11/2026

Happy Clergy Appreciation Day to our lead minister Rev. Keith Hall and our CDM Murray Tempel!

​We are so truly blessed to have such special, wonderful ministers guiding our congregation. From leading inspiring worship to offering support in quiet moments, they do so much to help us learn and grow together in faith and love.

​Thank you for your warmth, wisdom, and dedication to our church family. We appreciate all that you do for St. Martin’s every single day! 💛🕊️

​(Leave a comment below to share a note of appreciation!)

10/11/2026

Happy Thanksgiving Sunday!🍂🍁

10/08/2026

28 years ago today, Matthew Shepard was found by a bicyclist at 6:22 PM.

He was a son, a brother, and a friend, just trying to live his best life and find his own happiness. Stolen from the world entirely too soon, Matthew was only 21 years old, a mere 50 days shy of his 22nd birthday. He stood just 5’2” and weighed around 100 pounds.

When he was discovered the day after the brutal attack, tied to a remote fence on October 7th 1998, the cyclist initially mistook him for a scarecrow or a Halloween decoration, and the first responders on scene thought he was a 14-year-old child.

Matthew was brutally attacked and targeted specifically because he was gay. He wasn’t hurting anyone or committing any crimes; he was a victim of pure hatred. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries six days later, on October 12th.

The following year, in October 1999, the Angel Action Network was formed and put into motion at his murder trial. The movement was originally created to block out the venomous protests of the Westboro Baptist Church. After seeing them disrupt Matthew's memorial service the year prior, his close friend Romaine Patterson was deeply disturbed and resolved to act. She envisioned and created a physical and visual blockade of angels to completely shield out the hate.

For decades, Matthew did not have a permanent final resting spot, largely out of fear that a traditional grave would be targeted by vandalism.

As the years passed, his legacy reshaped the law. Thanks to the fierce and tireless advocacy of his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law on October 28, 2009.

Finally, on October 26, 2018, twenty years and 14 days after his passing, and 9 years after the hate crimes act was enacted, Matthew Shepard was laid to rest at the Washington National Cathedral. This month will mark his 8th year resting peacefully in the cathedral, safe, honored, and never forgotten.

It is this enduring legacy of love and the memory of Matthew Shepard that ultimately brought the wings to our own city of Spokane.

We stand, we remember, and we protect.

RIP Matthew Shepard.

10/04/2026

A little Holy Humour…when we all need a laugh! 🤣