Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church
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Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church
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Reverend Paul M. Britton, Pastor Pastor Paul has served Gloria Dei since 1994. Prior to answering our call, he was Pastor at Staten Island's Christ. He's also served as Pastor at Grace-Farrell in PA and Advent in Elmont, NY. He graduated The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; he also holds degress in Religion & Philosophy from Wagner. Pastor has served as Dean of the Western Suffolk Conference of the Metro NY Synod. For many years he was the Chairman of the ELCA Metro NY Synod Archives Committee. Among his many accomplishments at Gloria Dei, Pastor Paul has expanded our worship schedule to include: Taize Prayer the first Friday of each month at 7:30 PM; a Sabbath worship service the second through fifth Friday evenings at 7:30 PM; an early Sunday morning service at 8:00 AM. During the summer months Pastor Paul holds services in our outdoor worship area. He's also initiated mid-week Lenten and Advent services. He's a learned student of the Bible, and he promotes and leads many Bible study groups: Monday evening; Wednesday morning; and Friday morning. Pastor Paul also leads several book groups and a movie night (following the viewing of a film, discussion is held). Weekly Pastor displays his ability to extemporaneously devise a children's sermon. Each week one of the Gloria Dei children is selected to gather several possessions from home and bring them to church in Pastor's Sack. Pastor skillfully weaves together a lesson based on these articles. Another congregation favorite that Pastor Paul has introduced is the Annual Blessing of the Animals. Congregation members are invited to bring their pets to receive a blessing. Pastor and his wife Margaret have been married 40 years. They have two sons Tieg and Wren. Tieg, his wife Jane, and their two sons, Aiden and Calan, live in Minnesota. Wren, a graduate of the Fashion Institute, lives in Queens, New York. Margaret is an active Gloria Dei member. Among her many contributions to our church is her gift for crafts. She leads a weekly stained glass workshop. This workshop has produced two beautiful murals that adorn the windows between the narthex and the sanctuary, three transoms, decorations for the Sanctuary Christmas trees, and many items for our Harvest Fair sales. Gloria Dei is indeed blessed in having Pastor Paul as our spiritual leader, and Margaret and their family as part of our church community. We pray that Pastor Paul's service to God at Gloria Dei continues for many years.
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Gloria Dei
Evangelical Lutheran Church |