If the Vineyard was a place for "dried out Baptists and burned-out Pentecostals," the latter was certainly true for Gordie who grew up in a bi-vocational Pentecostal church planter's home in Alberta. After he experienced a call to preach through a significant God encounter as a teenager, he attended Melodyland School of Theologyin Anaheim, California for a season. He returned to northern Alberta where he met and married his life partner, Kathleen Ross, a school teacher who was teaching on a Metis colony and involved in the Catholic Charismatic movement. They met at a Catholic Charismatic Retreat where Gordie's father had been invited to teach on the Holy Spirit.

In the 1980's, Gordie and Kathleen served as youth and associate pastors at a rapidly growing Charismatic church in Calgary. Then, Gordie began to travel across Canada speaking in youth conventions and rallies.  This all came to a grinding halt when Gordie suffered a severe burnout that took him out of ministry for five years. While on medication and in recovery, Gordie, along with Kathleen and their two young children, spent some time in Kelowna where they were first introduced to the Vineyard through New Life "Baptist" church. They were then hosted in England through the generosity of a network of churches that was also influenced by
John Wimber and the Vineyard.

Sensing a call from God to begin all over again in East Vancouver, the Lagores moved back to Canada from England in 1991. Within a few months, they had connected with the newly planted Vancouver Vineyard, led by Joe and Charmain Kelder, who provided such a generous and gracious welcome. After five years, the Kelders commissioned the Lagores to be lead pastors of the renamed, Vancouver Eastside Vineyard (VEV).

During their 25 years as lead pastors with countless God stories of beauty amidst brokenness, the Lagores also served on the BC Regional Team for 16 years, including a season as Regional Team leaders, two years on the National Leadership Transition Team, followed by four years on the Vineyard Canada National Team.

A significant part of their journey in Vancouver included a 26-year relationship with the Indigenous community of Lower Post near the BC/Yukon border, the site of one of BC's most notorious residential schools. Frances Carlick, a residential school survivor who currently attends VEV, introduced VEV to Lower Post. She is presently part of the Indigenous delegation going to Rome this month for a Papal audience.

The Lagores adore their neighbourhood and neighbours in East Vancouver where they have lived, worked, and worshiped within walking distance for the past 30 years. They have enjoyed a steady stream of international homestay guests from all parts of the world as Kathleen's passion is teaching English as a Second Language. Kathleen also helps with children's literature and phonics in Montessori and More, the preschool housed in the church building, founded and led by the Lagore's daughter, Danielle. Gordie has found a love for cooking while singing to Coldplay with their homestays. The Lagores are also very passionate about their four grandchildren aged 9 to 17, who now live minutes away after having had to visit them previously for 7 years in Switzerland!

It only took 20 years, but in 2013, Gordie completed his Masters in Spiritual Theology at Regent College which has led him into the field of Spiritual Direction. He completed three more years of training with Soulstream and now enjoys offering spiritual direction to directees locally and in the region.

The Lagores are currently working with their amazing leadership team on a process of transitioning from lead pastors over the next five years to "resident elders," with a focus on spiritual direction, mentoring, and grandparenting, while continuing to host international homestays and tending to their relationship with Lower Post!