LAC LA BICHE - After 27 years of bouncing around community spaces to worship, the Lord of Glory Lutheran Church has finally settled into a permanent space while continuing to do service work in the community.
The new facility located along 95 Avenue and 99 Street in the hamlet of Lac La Biche held a celebration on Dec. 4 that drew roughly 30 parishioners and a few congregation affiliates from across Alberta and the Northwest Territories, said Anita Polturak, chair of the church’s council.
Originally hosting their first Sunday service on Nov. 6, the recent grand opening was an opportunity to celebrate the long road to build the site, she added.
“We’ve had the lot space for quite some time, and we got the set of trailers that we’ve renovated for our needs, and we are debt free,” she says. It’s a fortunate situation that is due to years of donations, financial contributions and sound planning, Polturak, explained.
Additionally, the new configurations were unveiled alongside new religious-themed stained-glass art, with music and refreshments offered during the morning event dedicated to religious teachings and giving.
“It was very joyful, everybody in the congregation worked hard to make this come to fruition… We’ve dedicated the church to our mission, service work to the community and God,” said Polturak.
Accessing the church
Polturak says over the years operating out of spaces inside other facilities and churches has been challenging for the local congregation.
“Being out of the hamlet… although we had signage and talked about it, people didn’t know where we were or in the community.”
Compared to the most recent operating location inside the Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute, roughly 5 km northeast of the new facility, the new location will be more accessible to people.
“We’ll be more visible for people to see, we’ll be able to be more active in work that we want to do for the community,” she says, which is one of the foundations of the church’s values. “This will give us a greater opportunity to give back.”
The new church also has separate rooms that will allow clubs and social groups like the Rotary Club to meet.
“That’s part of how we partner in the community,” to support groups as they look ahead at expanding services in the future, she said.
The local church is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, with provincial bodies that share similar values, said Polturak.
“There is a national body, but our church specifically is part of the Alberta and Northwest Territories Synod." All members follow a similar doctrine around Lutheranism.
