Gneid remembers either attending or participating in World Day of Prayer services as a little girl. It helped her feel connected with women and girls around the world in a special way. She appreciated that the Spirit of God doesn’t have a postal code and it connects us worldwide. The work done by WICC has given her a deeper understanding of how our faith stories can be affected by the blessings and challenges we experience because of where we live. She appreciates how important it is that we find unity in and with God, while in fellowship with one another, especially in the face of injustice.
Gneid grew up in ecumenical military chapels and, even as a youth, looked forward to hearing the chaplains preach. She doesn’t know if she appreciated then just how unique it was to hear sermons from so many denominations in one chapel: one Sunday Lutheran, another Baptist, another United, Anglican, and so on.
After graduating from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, NS, Gneid now leads the Hillview Pastoral Charge in Newfoundland as a United Church minister. As a reverend, who leads worship, she likes to make deeper ecumenical connections through justice work and explore how we can encourage others to do so both worldwide and locally. As a WICC board member, Gneid is now learning what it takes to work behind-the-scenes to keep the Board and World Day of Prayer going for future generations.
We are grateful that God has brought Gneid forward at a time such as this to serve as an elected member to the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada board for the United Church of Canada.