Mission & Vision
The work of Pacific Mountain Regional Council executive council, sub-councils, and staff is directed by the Mission and Vision of the PMR executive council:
Healthy Communities of Faith and Ministries, Effective Leadership, Faithful Public Witness.
President
The Rev. Dr. Simon LeSieur: President-PacificMountain@united-church.ca
President Duties & Terms
The President chairs the region's executive council, oversees and chairs the regional council annual general meeting, and represents the regional council at significant events and functions. It is a 4-year term; year one as President-Elect, years 2 and 3 as sitting President, year 4 as Past-President.
A Welcome Message
Click to read this greeting from President The Rev. Dr. Simon LeSieur to Pacific Mountain region. Simon was installed as president of Pacific Mountain Regional Council on June 2, 2024 at St. Andrew's-Welsey United Church, Vancouver BC.
President-Elect
Thea Sheridan-Jonah
Past President
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We Are The Church
People and Place
Pacific Mountain Regional Council (PMR, or PMRC) is both a geographical region covering most of BC, and Yukon, and a council of membership within The United Church of Canada. PMR is one of the 16 regional councils of The United Church of Canada.
An Affirming Regional Council
Where Everyone’s Humanity is Fully Accepted
In June 2022, Pacific Mountain Region was named as an Affirming ministry by Affirm United / S'affirmer Ensemble.
"Pacific Mountain Regional Council of The United Church of Canada acknowledges and laments that the Church, its traditions and teachings have caused great harm to members of the 2SLGBTQAiP+ communities. ... We affirm that someone’s gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation is sacred, will be celebrated, and will not be a barrier towards full participation."
An excerpt from Pacific Mountain Regional Council Affirming Ministry Statement
Living Presence
The PMRC’s communities of faith, and buildings and ministries are situated on the Tradition, Ancestral and Treaty territories of more than 350 Indigenous communities that traverse one province and one territory in Canada.
- Get to know Indigenous Ministry in the Pacific Mountain Regional Council here.
- Connect with The Archives of the Pacific Mountain Regional Council.
Reconciliation & Indigenous Justice
The United Church of Canada was formed in 1925 in a union of Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and Methodist people. Since that time, the church has grown to include Indigenous and Non-Indigenous communities of faith, ministries, and sub-councils. For more information on The United Church of Canada, colonialism, and reconciliation, please engage with the national Indigenous Ministries website.
Ministry and Advocacy
Staffing, finance, advice, advocacy, and resources for communities of faith and ministries are provided by the PMRC office, to enhance the work and life of communities of faith and ministries.
The PMRC’s focus is on supporting ministry personnel in their roles, and in maintaining good relationships between communities of faith and ministries and their personnel, in alignments with the PMRC Mission and Vision.
The regional council supports over 150 Non-Indigenous and Indigenous communities of faith and ministries including camps, social service agencies, ministry with people in the first third of life (birth to 36 years), leadership development, new ministry initiatives, property development, affordable housing and care facilities, chaplaincies, education centres, and the work of General Council (the national council of The United Church of Canada).
We Are the Church
The beautiful 'We Are the Church' artwork and Pacific Mountain Regional Council's logo was created by artist Emily Thiessen (copyright PMRC).
- Download the full colour poster to hang in your church buildings!
- Download the line-drawing version to share as colouring pages!
Declarations
A New Creed, below, is a brief and well-loved affirmation of faith used widely in The United Church of Canada worship (1968; rev. 1980, 1995). The 20 Articles of Doctrine, A Statement of Faith (1940), A New Creed, and A Song of Faith are recognized as standards subordinate to the primacy of scripture in the Doctrine section of the Basis of Union.
- See the introductory pages of The Manual (united-church.ca/handbooks-and-guidelines)Â to read these texts.
A New Creed
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.