In this edition:
Jasper Update
From Rev. Roy Nickel of Jasper Park Baptist Church

Esther 4:14 ” For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Since writing this month’s MSR newsletter article, a “monster” wildfire (300+ foot wall of flames) swept up our picturesque Athabasca Valley and destroyed 30% of the town of Jasper. We feel so fortunate – the flames did not reach the center and north parts of town, so the original “Little White Church in the Rockies”, our manse, as well as the brick church deeded to us by the Lutherans survived the fire. Kurios house was also undamaged – we are SO grateful, and KURIOS will go on this fall! One of the main couples of the church lost their home, yet their generous hearts are already looking for ways to give to bless others! We’ve been absolutely floored by the generosity of people around the world, with their gestures of caring, support and prayer.
Our members’ meeting last night was SO encouraging as everyone was enthusiastically looking for ways to serve our community! We’ll offer the churches who lost their buildings (Anglican and United Church) the use of our building. We can provide some space in the white church for accommodation. We can offer the old sanctuary as a place to donate/receive donations of furniture, clothing and other essentials of life (not everyone carries home or tenants’ insurance). There are other possibilities for ministry and service. Please pray for wisdom for us as we move forward. Pray that the fire (still out of control) doesn’t double back on the town. Pray for physical, emotional and spiritual strength – the road ahead will be daunting! Thank you for your generosity, prayer and encouragement! Clearly, God brought us to this position “for such a time as this”!
Upcoming Events
Theology for the Ordinary: September 4 at 6 pm PST using zoom. We will be discussing Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? by Timothy Keller. All welcome!
Earlybird Registration for Banff Conference: September 10
CBWC Board: September 19-21
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation: September 29
Banff Conference: November 11-14
Coming Soon—Board Development Essentials Video Series! We hope you’ll schedule a few minutes into each of your 2024/2025 Church Board Meetings to engage these brief primers on practical elements of church leadership and administration.

Creating “A Community of Belonging”
How Active in Mission helped one church bring dignity and connection to its community
You may have been hearing a lot about Active in Mission from us over the past few months and be wondering what all the fuss is about. Active in Mission 2024, Feeding Hope, is in full swing to raise funds for ministries like The Neighbourhood Church’s community pantry, which we’ll hear about below. Help us address food insecurity in Canada and through CBM’s global partners by donating at activeinmission.ca!

For many years, The Neighbourhood Church (TNC) has been running a food hub for those in Burnaby, BC, who are food insecure. With help of several grants, including a 2023 Active in Mission grant made possible by the hard work and fundraising of churches and individuals across the Canadian Baptist family, TNC recently transitioned from a food bank to a community grocer-style ministry.
Now, people come for more of a scheduled shopping experience, giving them dignity and worth and avoiding the long lineups that they’re used to at the food bank.
Some who come for food are altogether homeless, and others are just struggling to make ends meet. Many are from war-torn countries or are new to Canada. And at the pantry, they are finding not only physical support, but emotional and spiritual support as well. TNC Outreach Coordinator Shelley Roxburgh explains, “One of the really beautiful things is that someone in the church built the extra-long table where we can sit and be with one another, and hear a little of their story as they wait to go into the pantry.

“We are now providing food for about 750 to 800 people per week,” Shelley says. “Obtaining food for that many people is really challenging. And so, we are constantly looking for donors and using our financial gifts and grants to secure more food. And we just thank God for people that He brings to us each week. Our goal is that this pantry will really help create a community of belonging.”
Our aim is to raise $100,000 across the country. Won’t you join us in Feeding Hope? Activeinmission.ca
Partner Spotlight: Carey Theological College

Guided by Faith: Carey Builds to Expand Community and Discipleship
Sam Nakai, VP Operations & Registrar, Carey Theological College
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know Me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.” This passage from Isaiah 45 vividly tells the story of Carey Theological College’s current building project.
Our story began over two decades ago when Carey’s main building was constructed with the intention of further developing the campus on the northeast corner of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. There were numerous attempts to initiate the current building project with various uses and partnerships proposed, but none succeeded in moving forward. As time went on, Carey faced financial strain due to the changing landscape of theological education, that almost brought Carey to bankruptcy. The urgency to construct the new building to generate revenue and “save Carey” became critical, especially as it started borrowing money to meet payroll obligations.
Throughout this challenging period, the board and management team at Carey remained faithful, trusting that God is Lord and that His good and purposeful plans would, in time, come to fruition.
A new management team was brought in, and they embarked on a journey to alleviate the financial strain independent of a new building. This helped to ensure that when the new building was constructed, it would be based on a stronger foundation of financial stewardship. Initial positive results encouraged the board to make the bold decision to take time and raise the necessary funds for Carey to construct the new building on its own to solely support its mission. With the support from key donors, including the CBWC Foundation and board contacts, Carey was introduced to a stellar team of project managers, a lead architect, financing advisors, and up to 30 consultants to tackle the monumental task of designing and constructing the new building amidst rapidly rising interest rates and skyrocketing construction costs post-pandemic. Despite these immense challenges, God equipped Carey’s dedicated consultants. The work which the team is doing beautifully illustrates how God moves in the hearts of those who know Him and those who do not. I believe it’s because every person working on this project set aside their egos, allowing God’s invisible hand to move through the project—patiently waiting at times, actively overcoming at others, and systematically softening hearts when needed.

Construction progress since July 2024
But for what end? Carey’s ministry throughout its 65-year history has focused on one single goal: that people may know from the rising of the sun to the west that there is none beside God; that He is Lord, and there is no other. Thousands of student residents have been impacted by God through Carey’s student residence program. Each year, they speak about the community they are proud to be a part of, the lifelong friendships they are forming, and the spiritual growth they experience living with other Christians. Ultimately, they sense God’s presence when they walk through Carey’s doors. This story continues as the all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present God brings people together from all walks of life to fulfill His purpose for His people to relate towards others so that they commit to live for Christ and to live like Christ—the Great Commission.
Carey asks for your prayers as it approaches the completion of construction in the spring of 2025. We request that you prayerfully consider donating to provide a welcome package for students, sponsor a Bible verse for a prayer path, or furnish a student room or community space. You can contribute by following this link. Thank you for your generous prayers and support.

Carey’s original prayer path located outside our building. The verse reads: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” – Joshua 1:9
Resources for Observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024
By Jodi Spargur

Canadian Baptists across Canada are marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in their Sunday services this September 29th. A national working group has been hard at work to make your job in planning for that Sunday as easy as possible.
There is a whole service outline available online with prayers, songs, and even a couple of recorded message options from Ray Aldred or Terry LeBlanc. There are resources for children’s and youth engagement, as well as ideas for learning in your own communities.
Often, when I am speaking with pastors or parents, they will say something like, “Our kids are learning so much about the legacy of residential schools in school. They are learning way more than I ever did. But I am afraid that they will grow up to hate the church because of what they are learning.” One of the best responses to this fear can be ensuring that we talk about this legacy in church. We need to teach children the tools of our faith that equip us and them to face hard things.
What are those tools, you ask? There are many, but let’s start with three:
Lament: Learning to lament what has gone wrong. To allow our hearts to break with the things that break God’s heart. (Jeremiah 9:20)
Solidarity: In Jesus’ parable answering the question, “Who is my neighbour?”, He tells the story of the Good Samaritan, who saw the suffering of the man beaten and left on the side of the road. The Samaritan cared for the injured man and went to great expense to see him returned to health. (Luke 10)
Justice: Where oppression is still ongoing, or has maybe changed shape slightly, the prophets remind us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8) Doing justice might look like loosing “the chains of injustice.” (Isaiah 58:6)
Over the past few years, I see more and more people wearing orange shirts to church on the Sunday closest to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A year ago, I was standing outside of a church after the service had wrapped up, and I noticed an Indigenous woman who had stopped on the sidewalk and was watching people come out, many had on Orange shirts. “What is that group?” she asked me. “That is a church that meets in that building,” I said. “And they are wearing Orange shirts?” she asked. “Looks like it,” I replied. “Hmm, there might be something to this reconciliation thing after all,” she replied, and walked off with a smile on her face.
The path of healing and justice is more than a day and more than an orange shirt or the affirmation that “every child matters.” But what we do on the one day, of September 30th, might make a bigger difference than you realize.
Check out the website: www.agoodway.ca and share with us a story of what your September 29th worship service looked like.
Lament and Comfort in the Valley

This reflection is adapted with permission from Pastor Deb Judas’ book Cultivating Shalom in order to bring attention to CBWC’s Banff Pastors and Spouses GIVE and GO campaign, a clergy care initiative to help as many pastors as possible to join us at Banff Pastors and Spouses Conference this November. Support clergy care today: cbwc.ca/clergycare
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
How do you tend to respond to the dark valleys of life?
Psalm 23 provides us with a different lens through which to view life. We have already established that David seemed to have accepted that stuff happens, and his response to hardship was to place his trust in his Shepherd who was leading him.
So many of the writings are a crying out to God, questioning Him, and wondering where He was in the pain and suffering. The beauty of Psalms and Lamentations is that they are vulnerable and raw—but then consistently and remarkably turn a corner, moving from lament to praise. They give us a template of sorts with which to work through our own pain.
Looking at Psalm 23 in particular, we see that hardship is a normal part of life and that the dark valley, though extremely difficult, is also a necessary part of life. It is not easy to hear this, but the reality is that there is some growth and learning that can be accomplished only in difficult times. It is in the dark valley that trust is deepened, resilience and spiritual muscle are built, and wisdom is gained if we remain open to the work of the Spirit in our life. Through the analogy of sheep in Psalm 23, we discover that the valley is where the richest nutrients in the grass and the freshest water is found. It is where sheep are most vulnerable, but are also most closely watched by their Shepherd.
Grief and lament are necessary for healing. Our pain, left unchecked, will consume us. Prayers of lament are an invaluable way of placing our fears and disappointment in front of us and before God. This allows us to address the issues that threaten to take over. Placing our anguish and grief before God stops them from hovering in the background and tormenting us. Lament is a practice that releases us from the power our fears and emotions hold over us. The dark valley and how we respond to it is all part of our formation, for better or for worse. Importantly, it is also another invitation to deepen our relationship with Jesus by growing our faith and developing our confidence in God’s trustworthiness. Lament helps us grieve in a healthy way, moving us forward through the valley to the other side of pain, grief, and suffering.
The prayer of lament is also a way of reaching for God, drawing closer to Him, and finding words to articulate our pain. Sometimes there are no words at the beginning, only emotion. When we offer a genuine response to what has happened to us, the layers are peeled back and laid open and raw before the Lord. In this way, we can enter into an authentic conversation with God, as well as experience an unearthing of what we actually believe about Him.
For Christ followers, this means the dark valley is where profound intimacy can grow between us and the Lord.
Maybe you are reading this now while you’re in a dark valley. I would imagine that these words cut to the core. I get it. It is not my intention to make light of a situation or downplay the pain and suffering anyone is experiencing. We cannot sugarcoat the fact that suffering hurts. It can be devastating and has the capacity to overwhelm and destroy us. The wounds that suffering leaves behind can stay with us for years. I think it’s important to state that our great hope in Jesus does not take away the pain and anguish, but hope does provide the strength to get through one more day when we are hanging on by a thread.
For David, it was in the shadow of death and during times of suffering and failure that he discovered the compassionate and gracious love of God. The same is true for many of us when we look back on our most difficult seasons in life.
Let’s be honest. When we are at the end of our rope, all we have left is God and ourselves. If we are going to come out the other side, then we have a choice to make. Will we trust that God will come through even when we can’t seem to find Him in the darkness?
Shalom awaits us in the presence of the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
- What are the places in your life where you feel God is silent?
- If God is actually walking with you through the valley, how will you know where He is?
- How do you cultivate shalom in times of disruption?
- Where have you experienced God’s peace that passes all understanding?
Summer Recipe Ideas
By Jenna Hanger
After complaining for all of May and June about the cold, windy days, the summer heat as landed with a heavy, relentless thump. While I am thrilled to finally be able to use our little pool and put away the sweaters, I am less thrilled to be struggling to keep my house at a liveable temperature!
I don’t know about you, but the last thing I feel like doing in a sweltering house is cooking, and there are only so many times a person can eat a hot dog! For my own sanity and yours, I have compiled a few recipes that are easy, quick and BBQ and camping friendly!
Tinfoil Dinner
You will need:
-Ground Beef
-Potatoes sliced thinly
-Carrots sliced thinly
-Onion (I like yellow onions)
-Seasoning salt
-Butter
-Tinfoil
-Ketchup

Take your large piece of tinfoil (you will be folding it over and sealing it to cook, so make sure you grab enough). Smear a generous amount of butter in the middle of it. Take some ground beef, and smash it down. Beside the meat, place potatoes, carrots, and onions (these can be placed together). Put a little more butter on the veggies. Season the whole thing with seasoning salt. Fold the tinfoil over, and roll the edges to seal in the food. Make sure it is sealed—you don’t want the juices falling out as you flip it on the fire or BBQ. It is also important to keep your food as flat as possible to make cooking faster. It is better to make a couple, instead of making a lot in one.
Let it cook on one side for a few minutes, and then flip it once to cook again. As soon as the meat is cooked, you’re good to go—but keep it on the heat for a few minutes to crisp up potatoes. Open, add ketchup if you like, and enjoy!
Some people like to add egg, onion soup mix, BBQ sauce, etc. to the meat. Think of a meatloaf recipe. I personally think it tastes awesome with just seasoning salt and butter. There’s something about how it all cooks together with the juices that makes everything very tasty.
Shrimp Wrap with Sweet Chili Mayo
This is a great meal for a hot day. It also can be made ahead of time and brought on a camping trip.
You will need:
-Shrimp (I like the already cooked, tail off shrimp to make it fast and easy)
-Coleslaw
-Wraps
-Rice Noodles
-Lime juice
-Rice Vinegar
-Sweet Chili Sauce
-Mayo
-Sesame oil
-Salt pepper
Essentially, what you will do is combine your shrimp, coleslaw, and sauce ingredients in a bowl, then mix it all up, and serve it in a wrap with rice noodles. Some recipes call for cooking your shrimp first, with cornstarch and oil to make them crispier. You will want raw shrimp for that. If your shrimp is already cooked, you can crisp it up quick in a pan with a bit of butter or oil, pepper, and garlic salt. Don’t overcook, or the shrimp will be rubbery. For measurements of the sauce, I like to use this recipe for reference: https://whiskitrealgud.com/shrimp-lettuce-wraps/
If you are packing for camping, I would combine your sauce ingredients in a Tupperware. Then, combine it with the shrimp and coleslaw right before serving, so your coleslaw doesn’t get too mushy. Leftovers are good for a couple days, though. It tastes great cold!
Marinated Chicken Thighs
My sister started making this, and it’s honestly so tasty and amazing. It’s a recipe for smoking chicken thighs, but we have BBQ’ed them too, or popped in the oven—and they were delicious. My sister lets them marinate for a full day or overnight—the longer the better.


You will need:
-Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use other types, but this is my favourite)
-Honey
-Soya Sauce
-All Spice
-Cayenne Pepper
-Cinnamon
-Ginger
-Onion
-Garlic Cloves minced
-Brown Sugar
-BBQ Rub
-Cornstarch
The recipe she uses is here: https://ohsweetbasil.com/marinated-smoked-chicken-thighs-on-the-traeger-recipe/ . These are great to serve with fries, salad, potatoes, rice—whatever you want! If you serve with rice the extra sauce is amazing to use on top.
Peanut Butter Chicken Wraps
This is another great summer recipe and my husband’s favourite meal. You can cook the chicken and make the sauce ahead of time if bringing camping.

You will need:
-Chicken breast
-Lettuce or coleslaw
-Rice noodles (or rice, I like rice noodles best)
-Peanuts (optional)
-Green onion (optional)
For sauce:
-Peanut butter
-Honey
-Oil
-Rice Vinegar
-Soya sauce
-Sesame Oil
-Pepper and salt
-Crushed red pepper flakes (add depending on how spicy you like it)
-Grated ginger (recipe says fresh ginger, I just use ground and put in less than what I would if it was fresh)
-Garlic cloves, minced
Cook your chicken and cut into small cubes. Combine sauce and whisk well. I like to pour the sauce in with the chicken on a pan and heat up quick, but you don’t have to do that. You can just combine with chicken. Then you make your wrap with your rice noodles, lettuce or coleslaw. Throw some peanuts on for crunch, and green onion because green onion is good on pretty much everything. For the sauce, I like to use this recipe: https://www.simplywhisked.com/asian-chicken-wraps/ . They make their wraps a bit different then I do, combining the sauce with the coleslaw—but I like combining it with the chicken. You can also add bell peppers if you like for more veggies. It’s a flexible wrap!
Watermelon Salad with Cucumber, Mint and Feta
My mom just introduced this salad to us at a family BBQ. It is so refreshing and different, a perfect addition to any summer meal!
You will need:
-Watermelon
-Cucumber
-Mint and Basil Leaves
-Feta
For Dressing:
-Honey
-Lime Juice
-Oil
-Salt
This is a very fast, straightforward recipe. Found here: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/watermelon-salad-with-cucumber-feta/ Perfect for camping or as an addition to any of the shared recipes above!
Attention All CBWC Retired Pastors: You are invited to BPC!
We are getting very excited about the upcoming Banff Pastors and Spouses conference taking place this November. We are still accepting gifts to our Give or Go campaign to help subsidize conference costs so as many pastors as possible can attend. Donations will be matched up to $25,000—this due to a generous gift from a CBWC supporter earlier this year who understands the role this conference plays in promoting clergy health & wellness. To learn more about this initiative and to donate to Give or Go, please visit Clergy Care – Canadian Baptists of Western Canada (cbwc.ca)
We are also excited to announce, for the very first time in the 50-year history of the Banff Pastors and Spouses Conference, that we are offering all CBWC retirees an invitation to attend this year’s conference at a substantially reduced rate–- 30 percent off! For many, retirement has provided new opportunities to encourage our body of believers. Like Barnabas who recognized the grace of God at work in the church and stayed to cheer on those in the faith, our retirees bring with them a lifetime of experience and godly wisdom to be shared. We look forward to welcoming them as an act of ongoing clergy care and an extension of our deep appreciation for their faithful ministry. To receive the discount code and for more information, please email Esther Kitchener at ekitchener@cbwc.ca.
Career Opportunity: BCY Regional Minister
Click HERE for info!
Notice of Voluntary Disaffiliation:
The CBWC wishes to express its gratitude to Emmanuel Baptist Church in Saskatoon, SK, in honour of our shared history and ministry together. The CBWC was notified of their voluntary disaffiliation effective July 4, 2024.
Emmanuel Saskatoon was incorporated in 1960. We pray God’s blessing upon this congregation as they move forward in embracing a new beginning and alignment elsewhere.
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Making Connections is the monthly newsletter of the CBWC.