{"id":22019,"date":"2025-02-10T08:26:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T08:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=22019"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:45:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T10:45:51","slug":"reykjavik-church-family-come-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/reykjavik-church-family-come-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Reykjav\u00edk Church Family Come Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

12 February 2025| Vigd\u00eds Linda, [Reykavik, Iceland]<\/p>\n

On the final Sabbath (Saturday) 0f 2024, December 28, the Reykjav\u00edk Church at Ing\u00f3lfsstr\u00e6ti 19 was filled with gratitude and joy as all congregations gathered for a unique joint service. The occasion marked a dual celebration\u2014giving thanks to God and honouring the remarkable 40-year ministry of Pastor Eric Gu\u00f0mundsson and his wife, Laila Panduro, in Iceland.<\/p>\n

The service was a moving tribute, enriched by the presence of talented musicians who created an atmosphere of reverence and beauty. Sandra Mar Huldud\u00f3ttir and Harpa Theod\u00f3rsd\u00f3ttir delivered heartfelt speeches, sharing personal memories of working alongside Eric and Laila.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Members and friends at the Reykjav\u00edk Church at Ing\u00f3lfsstr\u00e6ti 19.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ivo K\u00e4sk, the newly appointed president of the Iceland Conference (IC), expressed deep appreciation on behalf of the members, for the couple\u2019s dedication and commitment to serving the Lord over the four\u00a0 decades. Of those 40 years, Gu\u00f0mundsson devoted 18 as President, guiding the church with steadfast faith and commitment. As a token of gratitude, flowers and a special gift were presented to the couple.<\/p>\n

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Ivo and Angelika K\u00e4sk expressing appreciation for Eric and Laile Gu\u00f0mundsson’s 40 years of service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following the service, the celebration continued in the adjoining hall, where a communal meal brought people together over delicious home-cooked food, culminating in a beautifully decorated festive cake.<\/p>\n

The event drew around 130 guests from all congregations\u2014a diverse gathering of young and old, Icelanders and foreigners, longtime friends and new acquaintances. Some had not seen each other in 40 years, but their reunion added to the day’s spirit. The occasion provided an opportunity to transcend differences, uniting those who felt deeply connected to the church and others who had drifted away, those who had once disagreed but found reconciliation, and even some who carried lingering tensions.<\/p>\n

Yet, above all, the day was a testament to the power of faith, service, and unity. As the community honoured Eric and Laila\u2019s selfless dedication, a quiet but unmistakable longing filled the air\u2014a longing for healing, renewed fellowship, and for the church to move forward as one family, embracing the promise of brighter days ahead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Featured image & photos of couple: Frode Jakobsen.
\n[Photo of the congregation: Ivo K\u00e4sk].<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Eric and Laila Gu\u00f0mundsson celebrate 40 years of service<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":22027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1587,7],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-22019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iceland","category-news","tag-iceland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22019"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22045,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22019\/revisions\/22045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}