Making Connections November 2024

Standing Shoulder to Shoulder

By Military Chaplain Troy Dennis

Serving communion while deployed in Latvia 2019

Remembrance Day forms one of my earliest memories. While in Beavers, I was chosen to bear a flag and followed the careful instructions to “dip the colours” at the appropriate time. I wasn’t old enough to understand what giving the supreme sacrifice meant, but the solemn nature of the ceremony was impressed on my mind. Since then, I have almost always attended a Remembrance Day event. I am compelled by a sense of duty, that being a good citizen means honouring those who serve our country. I have always held this in equal priority with praying for our leaders; that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life…” (1Tim 2:1-4). After all, the cost for a peaceful and quiet life is often paid in blood.

Since joining the Canadian Armed Forces (CF) in 2014, Remembrance Day has taken on a whole new depth of meaning, mainly because it has become much more personal.

My role as a CF chaplain puts me shoulder-to-shoulder with our amazing military members. While I conduct religious ceremonies and give prayers or reflections at important events, I am primarily an advisor at all levels on compassionate and ethical matters, as well as moral and personal issues. I am fully embedded. I go where my unit goes, and I “eat the same dirt.” Together we train, live in austere conditions, eat, attend meetings, exercise, bunk down, do tasks, etc. In 2019, I deployed to Latvia for six months. I get to know a lot of our members and walk with them through life’s ups and downs.

As a result, I know people who have been injured or died while serving. I have visited in the hospital, done funerals and unit memorials, comforted loved ones, and listened to their stories. On Remembrance Day, the names carved in stone remind me that these soldiers, sailors, and air crew were spouses, children, parents, and friendsjust like the comrades I serve beside today. Remembrance Day is very personal, not only for me but for every CF member.

We live in a day and age when many customs and traditions are being set aside. Many are uncomfortable with parts of our history. Anything that smacks of institution can seem suspect.  Some crave the open road of new experiences, not rearview reflection. And so, many people are simply “moving on” to establish lives disconnected from the past.

It would be a shame to forget the people who gave their lives serving our country. I’m all for building new traditions when the old don’t make sense, but Remembrance Day has to be a keeper. The price for a peaceful and quiet life is just too high.

This Remembrance Day, I invite you to attend in person or tune in to a ceremony. And most of all, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the people willing to pay the price for a world where we might live peaceful and quiet lives.

(Major Troy Dennis is a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces, serving at CFB Edmonton. For 20 years he was a pastor with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada before becoming a chaplain in 2014.)

Baptists on the Move: Active in Mission Update

Thank you to all the churches and individuals who participated in Active in Mission this past summer.

From White Rock to Winnipeg, CBWC folks laced up their shoes and opened their wallets, joining Baptists across the country to address issues of food security in Canada and around the globe. Riverdale Baptist in Whitehorse and Argyle Road in Regina both blew past their fundraising goals, garnering over $1300 each in donations. The national donation count has not yet been finalized, but close to $38,000 has been confirmed so far with more on the way.

CBWC’s Staff Team worked together to travel 3877 kilometers. Executive Minister Rob Ogilvie and his wife Bonnie participated during their holidays in Europe, cycling 300km in 5 days. Heartland Regional Minister Mark Doerksen walked in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Washington State, and BC, while Communications and Church Planting Assistant Cailey Morgan preferred moving on the water—paddleboarding in lakes, bodyboarding in the ocean, and even going for a river paddle on a rainbow pool floatie.

CBWC Foundation VP Chris Reid stuck closer to home—getting her miles in on the spin bike and treadmill—as well as chasing her new puppy, Murphy. “We spent a lot of time walking, hiking and playing with baby Murph!” Chris says. “We honestly never stopped moving!”

Louanne Haugan, Peter Anderson, Victor Ku, Tim Kerber, and Esther Kitchener rounded out the team with running shoes, bikes, golf clubs, and kayaks.

Watch for details in the coming months on how the funding will be distributed to ministries addressing food insecurity.

 Partner Spotlight: CBM

A Story of Hope

Lily comes from a small village in Nagaland, India. Because her parents struggled financially, they sent her and her siblings to different homes, where they worked as domestic helpers. Lily’s vulnerability led to her being abused, which cause emotional and mental trauma. “I felt my life was without hope and meaning,” she says.

CBM’s partner, Miqlat Ministries, came alongside Lily and invited her to take part in tailoring training. “I am very happy that I am undergoing training, and I want to stay at Miqlat,” she says. “I am exploring my potential. Besides the tailoring training, I am learning to cook, socialize with others, to read the Bible, and manage my temper.” Her participation in the program has helped her develop holistically, and since coming to Miqlat, she’s received love, support, encouragement, and friendship.

This is just one of the many stories featured in this year’s Hopeful Gifts for Change catalogue.

As the Christmas season approaches, we will all inevitably feel the pressure to find the “perfect gift” and be inundated with endless options of what that perfect gift could be. As decision fatigue sets in, we may even be tempted to think of gift catalogues in the same way we do any shopping tool, asking ourselves “What can I buy for the person I love?”

But what if we shift our mindset from “What can I buy?” to “What can I give?”

Through Hopeful Gifts for Change, you can help girls like Lily build brighter, more hopeful futures through rehabilitation and spiritual care. Children in Rwanda with disabilities and their caregivers can receive much-needed support and education to improve their quality of life. As the church continues to grow in the Middle East, passionate church leaders can be equipped through mentorship and training to share the gospel in their unique contexts and communities.

Just like the faithful who have given over the past 150 years to support Canadian Baptist Ministries, you, too, can have generational impact by giving on behalf of someone you love.

“Thank you for the prayers and for the opportunity to learn skills that empower and strengthen me.” – Lily

For more information, please visit: hopefulgifts.ca 

BCY Regional Newsletter

November 2024

Giving Tuesday Tackles Food Insecurity in 2024

December 3, 2024 marks the third year in which CBWC has actively participated in the National Day of Giving, known as Giving Tuesday. The first year, we raised funds for our Ukranian church in Manitoba to help with the influx of refugees. Last year, our focus was on collecting donations to go towards disaster relief.  This year, we are excited to support three churches—one from each region—with their Christmas food programs!

Dauphin First Baptist Church provide meals twice a month through their hot meal program. As part of their program, they make a large Christmas meal with all the fixings and feed around 300 people.

The North Okanagan Community Chaplaincy, in partnership with Vernon First Baptist Church, has a regular street ministry. On December 15, they will host a Christmas dinner and hand out “Blessing bags” with food, personal hygiene items, toques, mitts, socks and hand warmers.

With the devastating effects of the fire in Jasper, AB, we have decided to support the work that Jasper Park Baptist Church will be doing in helping those struggling with food shortage come December. 

Speaking of Jasper, we’ve raised over $3000 in fire recovery funding, but they could still use more help.

To support either of these important initiatives, visit cbwc.ca/donate and follow the Designation Fund dropdown menu to GivingTuesday Take Steps to End Hunger or Jasper Fire Recovery. Together we can make a difference!

Introducing our new Editor & Writer, Hannah Hamm

I’m honoured, and thankful, to have started in August 2024 with the CBWC as the Senior Editor/Writer, following the lovely Jenna Hanger. The Communications team has been very welcoming.

I’ve been a BC girl for most of my life, having grown up in Kamloops where my dad, Rev. Ray Parker, was the prison chaplain. My stint in Alberta began when I studied Education and Theology at Prairie Bible College, receiving my BRE in 1995.

And yes, for those of you who’ve guessed by my last name, it was there that I met a certain Albertan, Randy Hamm. We were married in 1996 and, after a couple of years of full time camp ministry at SABC, we moved to Vancouver to study at Regent College.

During our time in Vancouver, we had 3 kids who are now 14 (Lucia), 19 (Miranda), and 20 (Brendan). I started a music business out of our home and taught 100 kids a week—in parent-participation/group classes—for 15 years. Randy was pastoring and doing ‘freelance marriage ministry,’ and we were both very involved in church, as well as being intentional about taking time for spiritual retreat. Rivendell Retreat on Bowen Island became an integral place in our journey, as well as Barnabas Landing on Keats Island.

It was in 2011 that we found ourselves settling into lay leadership in a lovely Vancouver CBWC church for the first time (after a work transition) and we have been blessed to be part of this denomination ever since.

In 2017, we felt the timing was right to move to the interior of BC, to simplify the life of our family. Randy began seeking out a small CBWC church for us to serve in, and God clearly led us to First Baptist in Vernon, BC. We’ve been serving here for seven years now. I am especially thankful for friends and co-ministers at FBC, Dan & Sharon Watt who pastored there just before us, Grace Wulff, Laurie MacKay and Chuck Harper. As well as ministering in the area of worship and music at FBC Vernon, I work as a teacher at a local school. Most recently, in Kindergarten! (Pray for me).

I look forward to new and continued relationships in this denomination which I love. I’m pleased to be able to serve in this new way.

Dwelling in the House of the Lord

This is the final installment of the Psalm 23 reflections we’ve been offering as a way to reset our focus on the Kingdom of God and His invitation to each of us to enter His shalom. These articles are adapted with permission from CBWC Pastor Deborah Judas’ book Cultivating Shalom. We invite you to purchase the book for use in your personal devotional practices or as a group study. This reflection is brought to you by CBWC’s Banff Pastors and Spouses GIVE and GO campaign, a clergy care initiative to help as many pastors as possible join us at the conference. If you’d like to participate, visit cbwc.ca/clergycare.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing… and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever (Psalm 23:1,6)

These two bold statements frame Psalm 23. They are like bookends with all of life lived in between. We have examined life with God through the metaphor of a Shepherd caring for His sheep, traversing all sorts of terrain, and encountering different circumstances in an effort to give His sheep the best possible life. He does all of this because of His goodness and love for us.

Now we come to the end of Psalm 23 and read the psalmist’s final statement of hope, the culmination of a life lived closely with his Shepherd.

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

David makes both his opening and closing statements with confidence. The Psalm 23 picture is not only for the future but also for today and for all the days of our lives. We, too, can live with the same confidence as the psalmist when we begin with the belief that we lack nothing because God is with us. This is our baseline from which everything else flows and overflows!

What a beautiful and good life we have been given. It is not always an easy life, but it is one that is encompassed within God’s goodness, love, and mercy. When all is said and done, we have a choice before us. We can keep Jesus at an arm’s length, understanding that He is necessary for our salvation but not actually desiring Him as someone we walk closely with. Or we can begin to see our life through “God with us” eyes and discover the beauty of traveling the road with Jesus, enjoying the green pastures and still waters, and committing to the right paths. We do battle, trusting that the Lord is at our side as we grind through the dark valleys and face our enemies with confidence. And we feast at the table as we celebrate all of life.

Now, we face the biggest leap—from theory to action. We must choose to move from knowing to doing, living out this life while trusting that God is with us in all things. You might be wondering how one gets started. The best place to begin is with who you are and where you are right now. It’s appropriate to start with your true self because this is who God created and whom He wants to bless.

From there, we embark on the journey to transformation. We don’t merely drift into transformation. Life with Jesus is an intentional life, uniquely given to each of us for a particular purpose. Again, through awareness, disciplines, and practices, we create the conditions where the Holy Spirit can transform us.

It is also a journey of discovery as we give the Holy Spirit our attention. There is so much to learn and experience and enjoy! We know that not everything is certain. However, we have a good life not because of what does or does not happen but because God is good, and our souls are intimately connected to Him. This is how we step wholeheartedly into our lives. This is how we embrace all aspects of life and live it to the full! This is how we are sure to discover that God’s goodness and love does indeed follow us all the days of our lives.

This is an ordinary life filled with extraordinary power.

May the fullness of shalom be upon you today and every day until Lord’s return, when His glory will fill the whole earth. May you flourish in all you are and everything you do.

May you feel the welcoming delight of God over you. May joyful wonder flow out of your spirit inspiring the world around you.

May you be faithful to your calling and experience the joy of serving and loving others.

May you live confidently in the goodness and love of God, and may you be restored to wholeness as you walk with your Shepherd. Amen.

Join us in prayer for rest, restoration and shalom for all our clergy, and especially those joining us at BPC November 11-14. Watch for highlights from the conference in next month’s Making Connections!

HeartSmart HR: Year End Updates & Reminders

It is hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of 2024—the year has flown by! Last November, I wrote an article about how a good compensation package rooted in Christ-like attitudes demonstrates how well churches care for their staff, and in turn, how this impacts the church’s effectiveness and reputation. As churches are now gathering to approve 2025 budgets and wrap up the end of the fiscal year, here are a few updates and reminders for consideration:

• Last year, the CBWC joined forces with CBM and the CBOQ to create customized accounting software that could be utilized by all partners, allowing us all to operate more cost effectively. We are joining forces again in 2025 by bringing the administration of our Canadian Baptist Group Insurance Plan in-house. AGA Benefits Solutions (formerly J&D Benefits) and in particular, Linda Bissonnette, has done a wonderful job enrolling, invoicing, and caring for our churches and members since we moved to the national plan in 2017. We are thankful for their many years of service to us. By collectively hiring our own benefits administrator, we are able to bring our plan administration costs down while adding “exclusive” member service. Details of these changes will be shared in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

• This fall, our Regional Administrators emailed the updated 2025 Salary Guide along with the COLA Letter to churches. The CBWC provides churches with an annual recommendation for cost-of-living adjustments to salaries in keeping with Canada’s rate of inflation. The salary grid assists our churches in determining fair compensation for their pastor(s).

• Preparations should be made to issue new Clergy Residence Deduction (CRD) forms, the T1223, for ordained or credentialed pastors and staff. For those requiring deduction at source, the T1213 must be issued. The T1213 should be completed by mid-November each year, as it may take the CRA up to 4-6 weeks to approve applications.

• As soon as the fiscal year ends, T4 slips must be issued to staff. Please remember to include taxable benefit amounts for staff enrolled in our Canadian Baptist Benefits Plan who have group life insurance. AGA Benefits Solutions will be issuing a taxable benefit report to each church along with the December billing, with each member’s benefit amount to be included in Box 40 of their T4.

• If your church uses a third-party payroll company, you will need to reconcile any special payments or adjustments that were made to staff payroll with the payroll system. Also, please check to ensure that the year-end (YTD) payroll and statutory deductions for CPP, EI and federal taxes reconcile with your payroll journals. You want to make certain that accurate T4 information is correctly filed with CRA to avoid a PIER notice (Pension and Insurable Earning Review) being issued. As always, please be sure that T4 and T4A slips are filed on time, preferably by the end of January.

If you have questions or need clarification related to Human Resources or closing out your church’s year-end, please contact the CBWC office for assistance. We remain incredibly grateful to those of you who minister to and serve the church by carrying out these critical duties.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

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Making Connections is the monthly newsletter of the CBWC.

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