St. David’s United Church

Reverend Dan Chambers

In August of 1999, my family and I moved from Berkeley, California to Vancouver to serve the St. David’s congregation.  I was drawn to the warmth of the community, the vibrant children and youth program, and the open-hearted/open-minded disposition of the people of this church.

I have a passion for authentic and dynamic worship, meaningful programs in spiritual formation, pastoral care and congregational renewal through service and outreach.

At St. David’s, we believe church is about lives changed so significantly the richness and blessing cannot be contained in these walls and spills over in the transformation  of the world.   In a very brief phrase, our vision statement expresses the purpose of this church, as we exist for Changed Lives, Changed World.   Here, we hope and believe people will come and be changed, for good.

If you have come to this web site with questions of faith or have an interest in finding out more about the church, I would be happy to receive your call or e-mail.

Blessings and Peace.

Dan

Background:

In addition to his Masters of Divinity, Dan completed a Masters of Arts degree in Comparative Religion, focusing on Buddhism and Christianity (his Master’s thesis is titled, Immanence and Transcendence: The Ordinary as Sacred).   After graduating from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley in 1993, Dan was ordained and served a church in Southern California. He also taught two classes at a nearby university, “The Life and Times of Jesus,” and “The Living Religions of the World.” He then returned to Berkeley where he served the First Congregational Church for three and a half years. Both congregations nurtured and supported his ministry with their generous spirit and active involvement.

Prior to seminary, Dan taught English in a public high school in Japan for two years, and prior to that, Dan was studying and working in San Diego as tutor, waiter, and pedi-cab driver.

Colleen Blair

St. David’s has been my faith community since the late 1980’s,  starting out as a lay person and then joining the staff in 1995 for children, youth and family ministry.

I grew up in the Roman Catholic tradition but came to St. David’s after a period away from church and when our children were young.  I love the United Church of Canada because I value the openness and freedom to pursue personal faith exploration amidst the inspiration and support of a wonderful faith community. There is very real respect for all people and solid encouragement for living out our faith, questions and all.

The  philosophy underlying children and youth ministry at St. David’s, is to help children and youth have an experience of God that gives meaning to their lives…an experience that helps them know themselves as beloved and which encourages them to respond to others with compassion and love.

In my spare time, my soul is replenished by time with family and friends, making soup in my kitchen and being in the garden. And in a very real sense, my soul is nurtured, challenged and blessed by the people at St. David’s.

blessings to you,

Colleen

Marsha Goold

I joined the fabulous team at St. David’s United Church in July 2008.  Raised back east by a United Church minister father, I carry with me the knowledge and appreciation for the deep traditions of the United Church yet I have no hesitation to ‘go where no man has gone before’.  My Bachelor of Music from McGill and my Master’s studies at University of Toronto certainly gave me a solid grounding to help me shape the music program at St. David’s but I have to say that my experience as an entertainer in clubs and concert halls has prepared me equally well!  My theatre training hasn’t hurt either.  You’ll have to come to a Sunday service to see what I mean!

We have a great group of young people at St. David’s.  We started a rock band last year.  And we wrote and presented a musical drama about saving the environment.  We are always open to fresh ideas and welcome you and your kids to get involved in new projects.  There’s a place for everyone here!

If you like to sing or play a musical instrument, St. David’s can offer you plenty of opportunities to express yourself musically.  We have various groups that meet to prepare music.  We also offer opportunities for solos, duets, trios, quartets - all kinds of options!  Here at St. David’s, we are very open-minded and welcome all styles of music in our worship service.  If you’re passionate about music and wish to be embraced by a warm and welcoming congregation, you will feel at home here.  Please feel free to be in touch with me directly about all the possibilities!

Oh, when I’m not at St. David’s, I enjoy working as a Feldenkrais® Practitioner (www.feldenkrais.com).  I basically help people find out what they really want to do and show them how to do it!

I hope you’ll visit us.  We would be blessed by your presence.  I can’t wait to meet you!

Marsha