LVUC champions dual social justice initiatives

This past weekend, Lynn Valley United Church was proud to support two different social justice causes that directly align with our core values of hospitality, empathy, and acceptance for all.

On Saturday afternoon, several volunteers, led by our Director of Faith Formation Vicky Poyser, represented LVUC at the 2026 Pride at the Pier celebration at The Shipyards in North Vancouver. The team celebrated alongside participants with the theme "Freedom 2 Be", encouraging attendees to live fully within themselves and who they are, as well as to extend this support and acceptance to those around them. Everyone enjoyed a fun-filled day featuring music, drag performances, and other fun pride-themed activities, and our volunteers were proud to be able showcase the church and its social justice goals for the community.

That same evening at the church, LVUC hosted chef Izzeldin Bukhari for our Food as Resistance event. This special event combined Palestinian food, history, and storytelling, motivated by our social justice goal of fundraising and raising awareness for the conflict in Gaza. We also hosted volunteers from Amnesty International and the BC Chapter of Apartheid Free Communities to help educate and inform guests while they enjoyed the food and culture. Over 50 guests were in attendance, and we're pleased to say that we raised over $1,600 for the Gaza Soup Kitchen, Gaza Online (which provides eSIMs to people across Gaza so they can stay connected to their families), and Gaza Sunbirds (which utilizes bicyclists and paracyclists injured by the bombing to deliver aid around Gaza)! We were so pleased to be able to welcome chef Bukhari and all the new faces who attended, and we thank them for our role in helping us support these incredibly worthwhile charitable organizations!

Be sure to check out the photos from both events to see what an incredible social-justice focused weekend we had!