Looking Ahead Together to 2025

As we reflect on 2024, we, at the CBWC, are grateful for the ways we, as churches, ministries and partners, walk alongside one another—grateful for each person those groups represent. Looking ahead, we invite you to continue to connect both online and in person through these upcoming events: 

Kurios Gratitude Gala 

This online event is a celebration of all that God has done and is doing through KURIOS. Join us January 26 for:

• LIVE from Guatemala with this year’s participants
• Musical Performances
• Prize Draws
• Partnership Updates and Opportunities
• Kurios House Art Installation Reveal
• Alumni Testimonies
• And much more….

Learning from One Another, Online!
The Theology for the Ordinary Book Club continues to meet several times a year via Zoom, and the invite is always open for new participants! The next meeting is Wednesday, January 8 at 6pm PST, discussing Lucy Peppiatt’s The Disciple: On Becoming Truly Human. RSVP to heartland@cbwc.ca.

Making Disciplemakers, a 5-session practical Zoom cohort designed as a place to bring your stories, roadblocks, listening ear, and hard questions about how to make disciples who make disciples, kicks off January 14, hosted by the Church Planting Resource Team.

On January 28 at 5:30pm PST, we are pleased to invite Jodi Spargur (Red Clover/CBM) and David Nacho (FBC Vancouver) for Doctrine of Discovery: Exploring Its Hidden Roots. This free webinar will provide an hour of teaching on the Doctrine of Discovery, its historical arc, and what it has to do with us as Baptists. We will also hear from Indigenous voices speaking on the impact the Doctrine of Discovery still has on them today. Register here. 

Using Ai Basics and Why it Matters to the Church. Watch for more details soon on a webinar coming February 13th about using AI in ministry. 

And speaking of online resources, we’ve got a growing series of free 5-minute videos to play in your Board or Elders meeting to help with various important aspects of leadership and administration of a CBWC church. Download or stream Board Essentials here. 

Ministry Retreats
Heartland ministers and spouses, you have until next Monday, January 6, to register for this year’s retreat taking place January 20-22 in Russell, MB, with guest speaker Layton Friesen. Get the details here. Ministers in the Mountain Standard Region, your retreat is taking place February 3-5 at Gull Lake Centre with Dr. Cory Seibel—and you’ve got until January 10 to sign up.  

Ministers and Spouses across CBWC can save the date for Banff 2025 Retreat: November 10-13 at the Banff Springs Hotel.  

CBWC Assembly: In Person in 2025
Our association of churches enjoys face-to-face time with others every second year at our Assembly in Calgary, AB. On May 22-24, 2025, we’ll connect through meaningful worship, engaging keynote speakers and workshops, meals and free time, while also participating in the annual business meetings. Shaped around the Lord’s Prayer, our 2025 Assembly will feature keynote speaker Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. 

Online Registration opens February 1, 2025. More information: cbwc.ca/assembly 

SERVE Whitehorse 2025 

Each summer, youth groups from all around CBWC descend on a community for a week. The goal is to demonstrate the love of Jesus through active service, in partnership with a local CBWC congregation. Past locations have included Yellowknife, Flin Flon, High River, Kamloops, and Prince Albert. SERVE is like the best parts of summer camp combined with the best parts of a short-term service trip. During the day the youth engage in service projects and in the evenings, they gather to share stories, worship, play wild games, and hear from a dynamic speaker.

This year, SERVE is taking place in Whitehorse, YT. Join us July 6-12 for this unforgettable event! Registration is now open: cbwc.ca/serve 

Visit our website for details on these events and more! We look forward to seeing you. 

A Time to Pause and Reflect with Tim Warkentin

By Hannah Hamm

A new year has begun, and with it perhaps mixed feelings. Traditionally, January is a good time to reflect on your patterns of living; how do you feel about your work/ministry/relationships? This is a time for “choosing what you did not choose,” to borrow a phrase from Skye Jethani. No matter where you find yourself, whether it is where you would have chosen to be or not, how can you choose to flourish there?

Are you willing to take a few moments and ask yourself: What gave me LIFE this past year? What did the opposite? What can I STOP doing in order to embrace true life this year?

At our Banff Pastors and Spouses retreat in November, Tim Warkentin gave a TIMtalk on something he calls a Sacred Pause. There is increased expectation in the world to achieve more with the time that we have, and even in the church we are always pushing ourselves to do ministry more efficiently and with greater results. Tim (and our other 2 main speakers) challenged us to pause and reflect, release what is holding us back, rest in the acceptance we ALREADY have from our Creator and then return to the work of the Kingdom with open hands.

The arrival of January 2025 affords us a window of time to do just this. The Advent and Christmas busyness is behind us. The lights, decorations and bling are put back in the church basement. Is there a brief moment here where “all is calm?”

About a month after Banff, Tim and I met to consider how to support you in this. Our desire is that you could welcome God into where you actually are. Let go of what’s distracting you. Rest comfortably in His Presence. Experience God’s full embrace.

Some of you likely know what works for you already—what brings you to this place we are describing. Let this be an encouragement to lean into those patterns that come to mind.

Others may appreciate this invitation into practices you didn’t have to research or prepare for someone else. Our prayer is that you will look at the following ideas with an open, prayerful heart and see what might jump off the page for you. Think of these as ways to tend your own garden, or at least to prepare the soil for the Spirit to bring life to you.

Please accept this invitation to consider your physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual health and perhaps embrace (or release) one thing for the year ahead.

Physical:

• Assess your physical health. What’s working and what isn’t? Go see a doctor, book that physical exam, don’t ignore that symptom…
• Ask yourself, what is one thing you may want to stop or start consuming?
• Move your body regularly (if needed, choose a reward that might actually motivate you).
• Think about something active your friends do that you could join. Or perhaps joining an activity will be a way to make a friend outside of your congregation.
• Intellectual:
• Spend a bit of time with someone outside of your demographic. Learn about what matters to them, stretch your mind.
• Get a recommendation for a blog or a podcast from someone “younger.”

Emotional:

• Write an appreciation note to someone.
• Think of the three strongest feelings you’ve had in the past 24 hours.
• Write a letter to your past self. What would you say to yourself when you were just starting ministry about how to care for your interior world?
• Read the opening chapter of Scazerro’s Emotionally Healthy Pastor.
• Consider viewing the Sanctuary Course.
• Consider using your extended health therapy benefits.

Spiritual:

• Ask Jesus how He sees you and wait for His answer.
• Experiment with a new prayer practice.
• Consider a daily Scripture podcast or reading plan. Maybe try a different translation than you’re used to?
• Book a retreat at a local retreat centre (anywhere from a few hours to a few days away).
• Write out your own Beloved Charter (as Carolyn Arends encouraged in Banff), exploring specific Scriptures and making them personal.
• Ask God to show you where His script might be more flexible than yours (as Skye Jethani showed using the story of Moses and Jericho in the wilderness).

We heard an unexpected theme emerge in Banff through Carolyn, Skye and the TiMtalks, about living and ministering out of a place of grace and belovedness. What would it look like to explore this further? The point of this article is not to motivate us to add another item to our to-do lists. The point is to engage living well, where we are. What does this mean for you? Is it time to release something on the to-do list in order to make space for something that brings life? Or time to explore a fresh practice which will help you sense the movement of God in your life? Regardless, this is about engaging in something that is helpful, that opens up room to encounter God in a fresh way and that takes all of us deeper into God’s love. May you find a new sense of God’s unique, full life laid out before you this year.

Contact Tim at tim@timwarkentin.com 604-562-4906

 Partner Spotlight: Hopehill

She’s more than a happy renter. She volunteers at our weekly teatime, and she talks to people about how happy she is to be with us. If someone is curious about Hopehill and wants to talk to a resident I send them to Marie. Why? Because we are more than just low-cost rent for low-income seniors. We are a community building trajectory. How can we help low-income seniors live well? Body, soul, and spirit. It’s what we do.  

We open our next 64 unit building in March 2025. We are looking for 4 young couples who want to live as “floor hosts” to interact with seniors, helping to build the Hopehill community, and in turn, be blessed for their service. If interested, please contact office@hopehill.ca. Move-in date would be March 2025.   

Here is our latest update on our building project for December 2024. View video update.

Rev. Jamey S. McDonald
Chief Executive Officer

CBWC Camp Spotlight

Our CBWC camps are a valuable extension of the local church. Not only do summer camps offer lifelong memories, but they serve as a place of interactive discipleship for our church members. Camp has always been a beautiful gateway to the church and to a life in Christ. Here is a little spotlight on what’s going on in our CBWC camps heading into 2025.

Katepwa Lake Camp, SK

Originally founded as Katepwa Baptist Kamp in 1949, KLC has become a place to belong. Some people call it home, others call it family, some call it their legacy. We celebrate with KLC that they have reached the milestone of 75 years of ministry!

Registration is now open for KLC Winter Camp, February 17-21, 2025.

Mill Creek Camp, AB

This Spring, Mill Creek is embarking on a large scale renovation of their electrical and water systems. Their fundraising campaign is called “Love the Lodge” and can be accessed at https://millcreekcamp.org. Also consider participating in their Travelling Book Sale!

Gull Lake Centre, AB

Gull Lake summer camps and leadership programs were full in 2024, and they also launched a second leadership training program high schoolers called Faith, Experience, and Discipleship, as well as a leadership program in Kenya. They’re rolling right into 2025 as well, with Winter Camps January 31-February 2 for Jr. and Sr. High students, and February 21-23 for grade 4-6 students.

Summer Camp registration for Gull Lake opens January 9. They increased prices by $100 for most camps, but they have a $50 early bird discount, and a $50 CBWC discount. So, if you attend a CBWC church you can attend camp for the same price as last year. Register here.

Keats Camps, BC

Keats Camps, which is entering its 99th year of ministry, recently welcomed Cheri Tubbs as Camp Director to oversee the summer and shoulder seasons. They also upgraded one of their staff accommodations and added a Wibit play structure to the waterfront.

Keats summer hiring is already in motion. Staff applications are open, and the first round of interviews will take place in the first few weeks of January. Camp registration and LEAD applications will open on Saturday, January 11. Register here.

The Quest at Christopher Lake, SK

The Quest was founded in 1945, giving it over 75 years of ministry and camping experience. Every year Quest has a variety of employment and volunteer opportunities in order to run facilities and summer programming. This is a great way to learn new skills, while having fun and making a difference in the lives of kids! Staff positions will be filled beginning in February. Summer camp registration opens January 2: questcl.ca/summer-camp

Camp Wapiti, AB

Camp Wapiti, south of Grand Prairie, is all about connecting with God in nature, operating since 1963. They strive to provide quality programs—encouraging growth, great community, and a lot of fun!

This past summer, Wapiti had over 300 campers attend camp. They have begun the process of gearing up for summer 2025. First on the list is to hire a director: fulltime, May-August with the possibility of staying parttime in the fall. Summer registration will open February 1: campwapiti.ca.

HeartSmart HR: New Year, New You!

By Louanne Haugan

I always find the beginning of a new calendar year an opportunity to get my literal and proverbial house in order—purging that which is unnecessary and getting back on track that which is life-giving and helpful. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Philippians where he wrote, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” 

I am not sure if issuing charitable giving receipts and maintaining good record retention practices are the first things that pop into your mind when you think of noble or lovely, but striving to be excellent in all we do should be. 

Issuing Charitable Giving Receipts 

Providing timely donation receipts is crucial for good donor stewardship, as it shows appreciation for the gifts received from your donors. Most donors expect an immediate receipt without requesting one and failing to provide one can negatively impact your relationship. If there is a situation in which you do not provide a receipt, you should make sure your donors are fully informed.  

Your church must issue charitable giving receipts to donors so they can claim tax credits or deductions on their annual income tax returns. To facilitate the process, the CRA recommends issuing receipts by February 28 of the year following the donation. You can issue receipts periodically throughout the year or provide a cumulative receipt for all cash donations at year end. Each non-cash donation requires a separate receipt. A general practice is to issue a receipt for one-time gifts within 30 days (including any securities and other gifts-in-kind) and to issue a receipt for recurring/pre-authorized gifts once a year.

Receipts for cash gifts must have the following:

• a statement that it is an official receipt for income tax purposes
• the name and address of the charity as on file with the Canada Revenue Agency
• a unique serial number
• the registration number issued by the CRA
• the location where the receipt was issued (city, town, municipality)
• the date or year the gift was received
• the date the receipt was issued
• the full name, including middle initial, and address of the donor
• the amount of the gift
• the amount and description of any advantage received by the donor
• the eligible amount of the gift
• the signature of an individual authorized by the charity to acknowledge gifts
• the name and website address of the CRA

Record Retention 

January is a great time to go through your files/records to determine what can be destroyed and what must still be held by law. The following chart provided by the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC) provides some common examples of records and suggested retention periods. They have made every attempt to give accurate information in this schedule. You may wish to check with your lawyer or other professional advisor for information specific to your situation. 

CRA Retention Periods for Financial Books, Governance, Operations, and HR Records

For more information on other subjects related to good governance and operations, please visit our Board Essentials page, or contact the following: Victor Ku (Finance), Jerry Wang (Operations), and Louanne Haugan (HR & Benefits).  

Happy New Year!