Pastor Ilze Kuplēna-Ewart, of Latvian descent, will retire on 31 December 2020 after 23 years of ministry at St. Andrew’s congregation.
On 13 December a celebration was held in honour of Pastor Ilze Kuplēna-Ewart in gratitude for her ministry at St. Andrew’s congregation and her work in the wider Latvian community and church.
The celebration was filmed and is available on YouTube:
Pastor Ilze Kuplēna-Ewart, “Pastor Ilze”, has served at St. Andrew’s congregation in Toronto since 1997. Before that she served in Germany, mainly at the Latvian gymnasium in Münster. She earned a master’s degree in theology at the University of Oxford, was ordained in England, and began her ministry at the Latvian congregation in London.
Pastor Ilze is married to Pastor Ron Ewart, who is the head of the Toronto United Church Council. They have three grown-up children and two grandchildren. Alongside her ministry at St. Andrew’s congregation, Pastor Ilze has held prominent positions in the Latvian Lutheran church, as well as in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC).
“In tending to her spiritual life, attending to her relationship with God is the foundation of Pastor Ilze’s work. There she draws strength for her ministry in a large congregation, where difficult situations sometimes arise, as well as the creative energy to explore further where the Spirit is leading her as the pastor of this congregation. She also loves to indulge in gardening, her especially affectionate little dog, and to spend time at Sidrabene, our congregation’s country property.” (St. Andrew’s Latvian congregation in Toronto)
On 20 January 2021, the congregation’s newly elected pastor, Dāgs Demandts, will begin his ministry as the next full-time pastor of St. Andrew’s congregation.
Source: St. Andrew’s congregation in Toronto