We warmly invite you to join us in the spiritual quest.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Gabriola Ecumenical Society is to encourage and nurture spiritual questing.
Our programs invite exploration of traditional and contemporary ideas found in the wisdom of religious traditions, spiritual paths and the sciences.
The Gabriola Ecumenical Society fosters inclusive community where all people explore challenges of our times with imagination, creativity, and with respect and compassion for all creation.
Gabriola Ecumenical Society is an open, grassroots spiritual organization that welcomes like-minded people to participate as we reflect upon the traditional and contemplate the unknown.
- We are an evolving community, respectful about our diversified spiritual experiences and quests.
- We are an inclusive community seeking to encourage and enrich spiritual life on Gabriola.
- We are open to new ways of seeing and being and we welcome and invite others who also seek new visions.
- We are characterized by our desire to foster a safe and flourishing environment to nourish one's spiritual quest.
“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey but rather we are spiritual beings on a human journey”
~ Teilard de Chardin
Programming
Through our programming we strive to
- evolve into community respectful of our diversified spiritual experiences
- welcome and be open to new ways of seeing and being
- foster a safe and enriching environment that nourishes each person’s spiritual quest
Monthly Events
Through our monthly events we hope and strive to:
- nurture our connectedness through spirit and community.
- provide opportunities for people to broaden and deepen their spiritual and faith experiences.
- strengthen compassion and empathy for the world we live in.
Input for new programs comes from the interests of our members.
Ecumenism
We currently embrace the following definition of Ecumenism:
Universal, whole, spiritually inclusive, open and collective
Our programming includes
musical events, celebrations, workshops, a yearly forum, book studies, film discussions and social events
Reports of our programming throughout the years can be found on the Past Events page.
Since 2004 we have
- explored different faith traditions, including Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, First Nations, Jewish, Unitarian and others, through presentations by members of these faiths.
- held discussion groups that poke and prod the challenges presented in selected books and films
- delved into different practices of meditation and spiritual paths
- held vibrant and joyful communion through the experience of Taize, chanting, music, drumming, sing-a-longs, shared food and invigorating conversation.
- nourished the creation of living ritual inspired by the contemporary and the traditional.
- gratefully developed and expressed our reverence for our natural world
Annual Themes
2022-2023
Embracing One Truth… Many Paths
2021-2022
Nurturing Spiritual Awareness in times such as these
2020-2021
Spirit in Action in times such as these
2019-2020
Spirit in Action: Healing Ourselves, our Community, and our Earth
2018-2019
Spirit Flows Freely
2017-2018
Lifting the Spirit … living in ceremony
2016-2017
Fire of Transformation … and the greatest of these is love
2015-2016
Walking on the Mystical Side
2013-2014
Bridges for the Spirit
2011-2012
Spirituality without Borders
2005-2006
Searching Spirituality
2004-2005
A New Beginning
History
Founders of GES at a board meeting in 2004
Lynn Holden, Shelagh Huston, David Soy, Del McCarthy, Anne Sims, Vic Wiebe, Alex McConnell, Imelda Cuthbertson (missing from photo)
The Gabriola Ecumenical Society emerged from an Ecumenical Roman Catholic and Anglican worshiping community. When this community was dissolved in 2004 many wished to continue the ecumenical encounter that they had been gifted with for 13 years.
In April 2004 our status as a Society was approved and the Gabriola Ecumenical Society was formed.
By 2007 we recognized that we were expanding to include many other faith traditions. Our mission statement became Spirituality Without Borders. Unity in Diversity.
In 2013, after a decade of working and growing together, the Gabriola Ecumenical Society formed a Visioning Committee to review our past and consider our future. We recognized that what we want to achieve and who we want to be have changed over the years. To express our discernment the new Mission Statement was adopted.
At our 20th Anniversay event we introduced the identity Spirit Quest Gabriola, creating a clear definition of what GES is about.
Our Society continues to evolve and has become more than we could have dreamed of initially. This is manifested by a rich and diverse program which includes themes for each year.
We are a registered non-profit society run by volunteers
Table of Officers
Del McCarthy
Lisa Millard
Marnie Strong
Catherine Woodward
Debra Trca
Spirit Quest Events
Debra Trca
Del McCarthy
Catherine Woodword
Janis Power
Kes Arends
Frances
Communications
Colleen McCarthy
Kes Arends
Membership
Marnie Strong