The Fear of Fear

By CBWC Mountain Standard Regional Minister, Dennis Stone

All of us are aware of what ‘fear’ is. We learn it as a child. At first it might have kept us close to our mothers. After experiencing pain in a few different ways, we learned to stay away from hot stoves, snarling dogs, dark spaces, or situations that would offend siblings. Overall, it might be safe to say that the emotion of fear has helped us, taught us, and protected us, so it is not in itself a bad emotion.

There is another level, however. In 2015 an article appeared in ‘Psychology Today’ by Gregg Henriques entitled, “Fear and the Fear of Fear.” The short article goes on to express how this can possibly be measured on an ‘anxiety sensitivity index’ (ASI). Further down in the article, it speaks of ‘affect phobia’, or the fear of negative feelings.

A question for church ministry coming out of this is, Does our preaching and teaching feed those who fall easily into the ‘fear of fear’? Do we cater more toward comfort and protectionism than toward faith in the face of adversity? It is much easier to cleave to what feels safe than to put ourselves into a place of the unknown, a place where fear might entangle us.

My grandparents came from Sweden in the early 1900s. This meant leaving family behind, knowing they would never return, crossing a country that spoke a foreign language, and setting up house in a culture largely unfamiliar to them. They knew no one and had to develop relationships from the ground up. It took courage and hope in a future that promised to be more exciting than their past.

The fear of fear can (and has) set back the ‘church’ quite severely. Where is the preaching on ‘go into all the world’? In our Western world church of today, we are far less likely as a whole to cross the street, to make friends in new places, to give out of resources that might pad our retirement, to leave our comfortable surroundings, or to welcome immigrants whose culture we do not understand. If we are waiting for society around us to welcome Christian truth openly, allowing us to feel safe in sharing… that time is not likely to come before Jesus does. The fear that holds us back from being or doing whatever the Lord wants us to be and do is paralyzing.

Scripture points out the ‘love casts out fear.’ We need to be more enveloped by Jesus’ love and have Him as our firm foundation. If fear is our foundation, or the fear of fear, we might be stuck for good…like in the concrete out of which many foundations are made. Let us break out of the mold that holds us back.

“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” – 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT.

Your co-worker,

Dennis Stone

CBWC Mountain Standard Regional Minister

New Pastors

Hiring of pastors across the CBWC during COVID-19 restrictions has slowed down quite dramatically. Without face-to-face meetings by churches and their committees, it has been difficult to continue proper process of assessing candidates or helping a whole church come to consensus. Even with these challenges, a few churches in the Mountain Standard Region have been able to call new Senior Pastors.

Zoom Meetings Dominate

During these COVID-19 restrictions, so many have become familiar with Zoom, a program they may not have been exposed to before. For myself, as many others, I have attended board meetings, executive staff meetings, church business meetings, candidating interviews, conflict resolution discussions, a moral failure redemptive/restoration committee, ministerial, constitutional review committee meetings, processing future changes to the CBWC Protocol Manual with a team, and even time with my administrative associate, who is the only one in the regional office space at Taylor Seminary. Even the upcoming annual Mountain Standard Region Gull Lake Ministry Retreat will be on Zoom this year on February 9th. We can get screen fatigue, but at least we can connect in a meaningful way and help the Kingdom grow.

Screenshot of a CBWC Edmonton ministerial.

This regional newsletter is published quarterly within the CBWC’s monthly newsletter, Making Connections. Have a story idea? Want to tell us how great we’re doing? Or how terribly? Email our senior writer, Jenna Hanger: jhanger@cbwc.ca

The Call to Serve

A note from BCY Regional Minister, Larry Schram

We are servants.

Jesus repeatedly reminded His disciples that the pathway to success in His Kingdom was not by power, authority, or striving for entitlements. Instead, to be His follower, you needed to become a servant, humbly laying aside your rights, and taking up His call to serve. 

Many Biblical passages communicate this expectation and many churches in our family of faith have taken the truth to heart and acted accordingly. Serving the needs of those close to home and around the globe have led many of us to give time, skills, and money in sacrificial ways. To make the point, two stories from the BCY region of our family of churches follow.

Jesus calls us to serve in His name and, like Mary, we can embrace the role of being the Lord’s servant and yield to His will (Luke 1:38). The challenge before us, however, is as simple as it is ancient. The Scriptures warn to not let the world around us squeeze us into its own mould (Romans 12:2). How do we know if we are being squeezed? I believe that one of the signs, among many, is when we forget that we are called to serve, and instead start fighting for our own needs to be met at the expense of serving the needs of others.

Jesus calls us to do what He did and willingly lay down our rights and sacrificially serve. The culture/world around us, on the other hand, calls us to fight for our rights and protect ourselves. Are you ready for the hard question? Which one of these forces is most evident in your life right now?

As we enter this year to come, let us embrace it as servants until we are known for what our Lord is known for: sacrifice and service.

WRBC Trunk or Treat Event

Submitted by White Rock Baptist Church

The first annual WRBC Trunk or Treat event was a huge success! People from all over the lower mainland attended and had a great time! There were approximately 500 guests who received 12,000 treats–mini-chocolate bars, candies, treats, chips, wagon wheels and more! The parking lot had lots of fun decorations and hanging lights strung throughout, along with 22 cars, each decorated with different themes. A fog machine, music, and movies playing on the outside walls added to the fun. Parents were able to enjoy hot chocolate and coffee. All for free! We look forward to having another free community event soon.

Loving Thy Neighbour

Southside – Edmonds
By Shelley Roxburgh

Southside Community Church, a multi-neighbourhood community of Christ followers, started in in the Edmonds neighbourhood of Burnaby. From the beginning in 1992, until today, we

continue to have opportunities to proclaim the good news of Jesus and His kingdom through being in, with and for our neighbours. We are privileged to be with those who are impoverished and underhoused.

There are several opportunities to be with these neighbours regularly. Monday evenings, we work with others to serve a hot meal to 75-80 neighbours as we build relationships and eat together. We also use the opportunity to distribute food hampers for the week. On Thursdays, we host the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby, who work with sometimes up to 150 people who need assistance as a result of being homeless. Foot care, hair dressing, and other health-related services are provided, and there is help for tax forms during tax season. Once again a warm meal is provided. Throughout the week, when temperatures run close to zero, our building turns into an Extreme Weather Shelter (hosted by Lookout Society). A recent clothing drive will provide warmth for many without adequate clothing.

God continues to give us opportunities to be with neighbours who have been hit hard by COVID-19 and other circumstances in their lives. As we see more and more of the congregation engaging in times together with these neighbours, we are learning much from them. We are grateful for the chance to see flourishing beginning to happen as a result of God’s work in and through us in this place. More to come…

This regional newsletter is published quarterly within the CBWC’s monthly newsletter, Making Connections. Have a story idea? Want to tell us how great we’re doing? Or how terribly? Email our senior writer, Jenna Hanger: jhanger@cbwc.ca

Kurios Gratitude Gala

KURIOS is completing its first year and there is much to be grateful for. On Sunday January 31, 2021, you are invited to a special, “ONE NIGHT ONLY” online event. This celebration will include:

– KURIOS Participant Testimonies
-Reflections from Baptist Leadership Training School and Ascent alumni
-“KURIOS Crew… Who Knew?” Gameshow
-Special Live Musical Performance
-KURIOS Reimagined Highlight Video
-Month-Long Giving Campaign Launch
-Prize Draw for KURIOS Merch

And more…

Everyone is welcome. You do not need a paid ticket to attend the KURIOS GRATITUDE GALA, but registration is required. Only one registration per household is necessary. Once registered, you will be sent a web link, giving you direct access to the event.

To register, click here. 

Curious what Kurios is all about? Below is a firsthand student account about Kurios 2020!

Kurios Experience

Hello, my name is Abigail Arthur, and I had the immense privilege to be a part of the first group of Kurios Students. I wanted to take this time to share my experience of how God brought me to Kurios and the incredible journey that I went on with Him. I graduated in 2019 and my plan was to take a singular gap year and do a Capernwray Bible School Program in Costa Rica, but as it often happens when we make our own plans, God turns them upside down with a greater-than-expected outcome. I have been very blessed to have grown up in the church, but as I reached adulthood, I had this longing to take all the head knowledge that I had accumulated about God and transfer it to my heart and then into my hands, making my faith my own and really living into it. On February 3, 2020, I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica and spent an incredible 7 weeks immersed in Christian living and Bible study. March 22nd marks the day I had to fly home to Canada, 10 weeks earlier than expected. I was fairly devastated, but I knew the God that went with me to Costa Rica came home with me. Fast-forward to summer 2020, where I spent 8 weeks at Gull Lake Centre (a camp affiliated with CBWC), working on the maintenance team. At that point, I was planning on heading back to Costa Rica on September 26th, 2020. The Director, Steve Roadhouse, mentioned that there was a Bible Gap Year Experience happening at the camp in September. I can’t explain it other than the Holy Spirit, but I had a feeling that I should have a Plan B for the fall. So, I got some contact information but didn’t think about it much more than that. On September 5th, I got a phone call saying that the school in Costa Rica was cancelling their Fall semester and, once again, I was very upset. That afternoon, I recalled the email address that I had gotten and sent an email off to the Director of Kurios Reimagined, Steve Simala Grant. Eight days later, not entirely sure of what I was getting into, I stepped through the doors of Kurios’ home base, excited for what God had in store. 

The first evening I met the group of people that I would spend the next 6 weeks with and, already, I knew that the 5 students and 2 staff were handpicked by God for a very specific reason. We asked the standard get-to-know-you questions, trying to find common ground, and it wasn’t long until we felt like we had known each other for years. During the first evening prayer we participated in, we were gathered around the fire and Steve spoke about his heart for our group’s experience based on Deuteronomy 6:4-5. We followed this with a time of personal prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit. I got an incredibly clear picture that I was standing on the edge of a cliff face, that I had been in this spot for a while, too scared to step out. Growth is incredibly daunting. There is always the unknown of whether you’ll be flying or falling. That night, I knew in faith that I could step out to experience the fullness of life that God had planned. There would be times where I fell, but God would be there through it all. 

One of my favourite portions of the in-person experience was our time in the mountains of Kananaskis, AB. It was one of the first things that we did as a team, and it moved us from 7 strangers with different backgrounds to a family unit growing together in faith. Setting up tents in the dark requires a lot of teamwork and communication. We shared our testimonies, which is incredibly vulnerable but also an incredible, bonding experience. It is so beautiful to see how God works in others’ lives and to hear how, through highs and lows, He meets each one of us where we are. We can learn so much about the character of God from others’ stories.

I found myself in awe of God every single day of that trip, exploring His incredibly intricate and beautiful creation. We went on some breathtaking hikes where the mountains reminded me of God’s strength; the wind called attention to His steadfast love, and the waterfalls put in mind of His everflowing mercy. Standing on top of a mountain with my good friend Blaise Evans, a fellow Kurios participant, after climbing the steepest incline I have ever experienced and with the rain absolutely pouring down, the world unfolded before us, and the only thing I could do was praise God for how good He is. Even now, writing this, I am tearing up, thinking about that experience and how close God felt to me. God has given us such a gift with His creation, and in it we get to know His character and love for us. 

We were blessed throughout our experience to have multiple, fantastic teachers come and share with us. I could go on forever talking about each one of them and the lessons that stuck with me, but I do not have the word count for that. Pamela Reichenback’s conversation on Prayer was one that I desperately needed. She highlighted prayer as being a conversation with God, building our relationship with Him, but also as an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to be present, interceding for us. I’ve struggled with prayer. It has often felt like a one-sided, poorly-scripted conversation. Prayer is a vulnerable thing that brings healing and is our most powerful tool against the enemy.  There is so much emotion around prayer, and God wants all of it. This session was one of our first, and it was beautifully coordinated because built into the Kurios schedule is morning and evening prayer, so we got a lot of practice at it. It was incredible to see the space our scheduled prayer time created and how evident it was that God was moving. We were able to worship God in glory together and reflect on where we had seen Him during the day. God is so present during our daily lives, and getting into the practice of reflection is so beautiful, and it gets us into an attitude of thankfulness. His hands are evident everywhere, but when we focus too much on our busy lives, we lose sight of the blessings that God has given each one of us daily. Some of our evening prayers were hard. There were tears shed and hearts left vulnerable. Living in fellowship with one another means we walk alongside each other and are supported with prayer, pointing back to Christ. There was a lot of growth in these times, and the Holy Spirit brought healing to situations.  

It would be easy to write an entire book on my Kurios experience because I’ve barely scratched the surface. I didn’t have a chance to mention the ways that God provided when our van broke down on our way to BC, or share the numerous inside jokes that were centered around awful puns, and the beautiful way we were able to walk with each other and know each other’s stories. We each grew a little more into the people that God has created us to be, to share His light and love into His Kingdom. The gratitude in my heart for this experience is more than I could ever put into words. On the last night we had together, we discussed what we had learned and how we were feeling about transitioning back home. We prayed over each other and, once again, I had a very clear image of one of those inflatable carnival structures where you’re tethered in and try to run as far as you can and place a beanbag before you get bungeed back. This represented my life up to this point. I’ve had routine and safety and I knew my boundaries. Now, I can cut my tether and run freely. The question, of course, is what direction I will be running, but with God I am figuring it out. Kurios has equipped me to be a confident leader in Christ’s Kingdom. I know the depth of Christ’s love and my identity in Him. I’m continuing on my journey to know God fully in my heart and have that translate into my hands, living each day for Him, but the support from Kurios was immense. Thank you for supporting our team in prayer and encouragement.

Re-Missioning: Tradition Innovation

By Rev. Shannon Youell

As I read church history and stories of God’s faithful people moving missionally throughout time and space, I am often surprised how innovative and creative people are in their love for God and His mission; how they adapted to the culture, context and time that they found themselves in for the benefit of those who did not yet know the God of all creation and the saving work He accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Often they stepped outside what was considered ‘traditional’ to innovate and map out a new pathway of being disciples, so that others could find their way to following.   

There is a difference between tradition and traditional. Tradition is really about our why—why we believe what we do. We look upon the ancient scriptures of the people of God and the new scriptures that tell of Jesus and His ushering in of God’s kingdom. We rely on the early translators and interpreters and our contemporary translators and interpreters. We live into and share values and ethics that have been passed along for centuries. Traditional, however, is usually the way we do things. You’ll hear families, around Christmas traditions, complain when something changes with a loud, “But that’s traditional!” In the church, we often say, “Well that’s the way we’ve always done it!” 

I’m with the Maori—we must always look to our past. It has formed us and gives us a foundation. We still believe God is the creator of all things, that He created humans as His co-labourers to steward the earth, that He called a people His own to be both salt and light so that other peoples could see the glory and love of God lived out through them and extended to others. We believe that God so loved the world that He sent His Son…. 

But we always walk with these things in sight, into a future for the coming generation and for the current society and culture we live within. This means taking a good look at our traditional ways of being church and having open hands and empty tables to let go of things we may hold dear but are no longer effectively equipping us as we serve God’s mission of His kingdom of shalom into all the places and spaces of our human experience. 

The people of God have always adapted and pivoted as their mission field changes and evolves. To be local missionaries we must know our particular mission field. And when our particular mission field demographic shifts, we must revisit and re-mission ourselves to it or become irrelevant or obsolete ourselves as missionaries. It is a humbling experience to recognize that and to do the hard work of re-missioning.

As Josh Hayden—pastor, author and re-missioning coach—notes,

 “Re-missioning established churches with movemental practices and missional theology is some of the most difficult and needed work in North America.” 

There is no doubt this will be difficult for us to do, and it’s not that we discontinue all those things. What we do with each activity, each program, each element of our worship and witness, in both our gathering and our scattering, is to discern together and  continuously evaluate the things we do and the impact they have, not only on ourselves, but on the world into which we have been sent. 

Like the Maori, we do not dismiss our past but embrace our past, allowing it to inform us as we move into innovating, missional practices that take us into fields that are ripe with harvest—right where we live, work, play and pray.

A version of this article was originally published here: https://churchplantingatcbwc.wordpress.com/2020/11/27/re-missioning-tradition-innovation/

Pastoring the Pastor Update

and led by specialists in the fields of psychology and mental wellness, conflict management, digital ministry, and church leadership. More than 247 registrants had the opportunity to take part in these webinars that were offered across the CBWC Regions and Territories. One additional webinar is scheduled for January 26 entitled “The Church after Covid: Allowing the Spirit to Re-Orient us around the Mission of God.” Click HERE for more details and to register for this important resource.

The CBWC Executive Staff continue to virtually engage with and walk alongside our Pastors by:

• Hosting regional ministerial cluster meetings
• Offering 1 on 1 check-ins with local pastors
• Pulpit supply and Board leadership support
• Gathering COVID-19 provincial guidelines and updating website with resources
• Crisis care through the Canadian Baptist Benefit Plan
• Developing meaningful and relevant resources for pastoral leadership in the local church

We look forward to creatively and passionately serving CBWC pastors and their churches in the coming year!

Congratulations to our 2020 Ordinands!

Scriptural authority and view of ordination practices.  Time was also spent discussing pastoral resiliency, emotional health, and spiritual practices for prevention of burnout and ministry failure.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, we did not hold the Ordination Examining Council in May as planned, and instead interviewed the candidates in an online OEC in October. Our goal was that every candidate would do well before the Ordination Examining Council (OEC), and indeed, all candidates who went before the council were recommended for ordination! Two of our candidates were previously ordained and therefore did not appear before the OEC but were recognized on completion of OPW by the Ministerial Credentials Committee. We look forward to the ongoing, fruitful ministry of all our ordinands for many years to come.

Brian Carnahan is pastoring at Bethel Baptist in Sechelt, BC since 2018 and came to us from the Fellowship Baptist in Ontario. Brian received his M. Div. from Tyndale Seminary and was ordained in 2014. He and his wife, Joanne have two children, Brandon and Alicia.

Brian Munro is pastoring at Kitimat First Baptist. He is married to Susie and they have three grown boys—Duncan, Matthew and Steven. He is a graduate of Taylor Seminary and pastored 15 years in Saskatchewan before accepting the call to Kitimat in 2018.

Aaron Hansen is an associate pastor at Cranbrook Baptist Church with a focus on mission and youth. Aaron hails from Cranbrook along with his wife, Robyn and came out of a Pentecostal background and served with Young Life before coming to us in 2008, first in administration while starting his M. Div. work at Carey.  They have two children, Paige and Payton.

Chris McClure is married to Myrna and they have three daughters—Kaylie, Janaya and Tianna.  They served in ministry and mission in Kenya before completing his studies at Trinity Western University. Chris was called to serve at Brightview Baptist Church near Falun, Alberta in 2011 and has had an impactful ministry there.

Doris Kung-Poon is serving at Trinity Baptist in Vancouver in their multi-cultural outreach ministries. She is a graduate of Taylor Seminary (2005) with an M.A. in Intercultural Studies and has a Doctorate in Worship from Northern Seminary. Multi-lingual in language, Doris is a gifted evangelist and is strong in discipleship.  She is married to Joe and has one daughter.

David Ohori pastored in Port Alberni in the role of youth pastor before returning to his hometown of Prince George in 2011 to serve at First Baptist there. He and Carmen have six children. Recently, David received a call to pastor at Kaleden in the Okanagan, and so his ordination process began in Prince George but was affirmed and completed at Kaleden. He is a graduate of Carey.

Dean Haugan is well-known as a pastor’s kid, having grown up in the CBWC family. He is a graduate of Ambrose University and has served at both First Baptist in Calgary and now at Leduc as Associate Pastor of Youth. He is currently completing his M. Div. at Carey and is married to Jenna. They have 2 young daughters, Daidrie and Maya.

Peter Anderson is our American son from Wisconsin.He came to study at Regent College and became the Youth pastor at Westpoint Grey Baptist in Vancouver.  He served there for 11 years before he felt God calling him to a new ministry, which fortunately for us turned out to be Director of Next Gen Ministries with the CBWC. He and his wife, Brianna, enjoy their three sons—Lincoln, Everett and Levi.

Reymus F. Cagampan is a church planter in Winnipeg, first pastoring in the Philippines, then coming to Canada to serve at Maples Evangelical Church in Winnipeg, and then called to work with Greenhills Christian Fellowship in 2011. He completed his M.A. at Canadian Mennonite University in 2017. He and Angie have a daughter and a son.

Tyler Hagan serves as Discipleship Pastor at Westview Baptist in Calgary for the last 6 years. He and Charity are parents to Noah and Tilia. He is a graduate of Briercrest, where he met his wife and life-partner in ministry. Tyler has a high view of Scripture and a deep love for God’s people.

The Small Stuff

By Jenna Hanger

But this year all her plans, and back-up plans, and back-up-back-up plans were blown to bits. For the first time in her life, Julie’s calendar was mostly empty. She tried to do some things with the youth while things were shut down. They did a few virtual events, and she met up for a six-feet-apart coffee with as many as she could, but there was no getting around the fact that there just wasn’t much to be planned.

So now, Julie was baking even though she was not a baker and had very little experience making anything that didn’t come out of a package. It was a simple enough recipe, her mom assured her, even she could handle making sugar cookies. They used to make them together when she was a child at Christmas time. Julie mostly watched, waiting until it was time to slather them with icing and sprinkles. She would lick her fingers clean, sneaking gobs of green, white and red icing out of the bowls when her mom wasn’t looking. Almost as much or more ended up in her belly instead of the cookies, but that was half the fun. To her, sugar cookies-cut in a variety of bells, angels, stars and pine trees- were linked to the sweet aroma of hot chocolate and lights twinkling against the black night. Just the smell of them brought to mind snowflakes falling in heavy waves and presents wrapped in bright crinkly paper stacked under a tree.

Julie looked at the rows of cookies now, waiting to be decorated. A pile of angels lay crowded together with their crumbling edges overlapping, breaking all the social-distancing rules. She should draw little masks on them… but maybe that would be too depressing. Funny, but depressing. These were supposed to boost morale, to make the receivers think about tinsel and carols, hot drinks and colourful lights. All the wonderful small things of Christmas.

Her dad used to tell her not to sweat the small stuff. He said it often, worried about his little planner and her overly detailed notes. But Julie liked sweating the small stuff. Small stuff she could control; it was the big stuff that she couldn’t. Like a global pandemic, like all church events having to go virtual or be cancelled. Those were the big stuff. 

The small stuff was feeling the icy sting of the night air as you admired the neighbourhood lights and leaving homemade jam on the doorstep of your favourite display. It was thoughtfully buying presents and sending Christmas cards to let people know you were thinking of them. And it was baking cookies to add to goodie baskets that would be dropped off at her youth kid’s doors.

It was possible that the small things were how they were going to keep the Christmas spirit alive this year when everyone was spread out and alone. The small stuff made you smile, pause and appreciate. This Christmas, there might not be the big events she loved to plan like Christmas concerts, banquets and large Christmas eve services. But there were still small gestures, small moments, and it would be more than enough. It would be beautiful.

Humans of CBWC

In a year of isolation and social-distancing, connecting with others has been a challenge that we’ve all had to face. One of the best ways to connect with others is through storytelling. This past year, we have been privileged to share stories from different members who make up our CBWC family under the hashtags #humansofcbwc and #weareallcbwc. Being able to hear the stories of these folks has been such an honour. Modelled after Humans of New York, these mini-bios have been a hugely successful campaign that many people have been inspired by and felt a connection to. We’ve had an artist, a chaplain, retired and active pastors, a camp program director, a teacher, retired missionaries and more submit their stories to us, and we are excited to continue growing our list of contributors! If you would like to check out their stories, visit our Facebook page.

If you know someone from the CBWC family who might have a story to share, please pass their contact information to jhanger@cbwc.ca, and please help spread the word to your church (maybe even include a notice in your bulletin!) This is a great way to stay connected during this time of social distancing, and it’s also a wonderful way to get to know the many faces that make up the CBWC!