A Dying Church Reborn
It was back in April 2016 when our Bonnie Doon Baptist Church in Edmonton decided to end services and pass their building on to the CBWC. The pastor and much of their small congregation were in their eighties at that point in time. A quick study shows the church’s rich 104-year history and recalls the influence of many highly regarded CBWC pastors and ministers in its wake. At the last meeting of the church, they appointed Dennis Stone, Sam Breakey, and Sue Hunter as trustees of the church.
The church building is situated in the French section of Edmonton. With a developing Haitian church in the area, there was a French-speaking congregation in need of a building, without the financial resources to obtain one. The CBWC does not wish to lose its inner city buildings because once they are gone, they are truly gone. Therefore, the CBWC board agreed to take a loan against the value of the building in order to make some necessary repairs. The CBWC would then rent the building out at a reasonable rate to the Haitian church and possibly another CBWC church plant in order to repay the loan. To date, the building has received a new roof, new windows, drainage work, and interior paint. Further repairs will mean new steps, new carpet, improved parking, and more.
Another significant step has also been completed. This new Haitian congregation has adopted the constitution of the existing Bonnie Doon Church. On September 8th Dennis, Sam, and Sue witnessed the church bring 52 new people into membership. The congregation is Haitian and French speaking. That night they appointed deacons and other officers to take over the functions of the church. They also appointed a new pastor, Jonas Seide (pronounced “saw-ee-de”). Dennis, Sue, and Sam were also voted out of their trustee positions as new ones were appointed.
Now this church on a Sunday morning has vibrant music, numerous kids, and excitement about the way forward. It is a church plant that has not had to take the tedious steps required to gain recognition by the CRA. It is now, in fact, part of the continuing story that is Bonnie Doon Baptist Church. Praise be to God!
FBC Calgary Manse Fire Rebuild
The manse at First Baptist in Calgary experienced a fire some months ago. As you will see in the accompanying pictures, it has now been newly refurbished. The manse will become the new office spaces for the church staff and will fulfill some other useful purposes. The rebuild maintains the classic and historical look of the building on the outside, but much of the inside also has the bold and sturdy wood look of the architectural period. Pictures show some of the CBWC Calgary ministerial looking through the facility, which is scheduled to open in just a few weeks.
Photos
Executive staff met for an annual retreat at Gull Lake in early September
This September, Clinton Pigeau started as Trinity Baptist’s new Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adults in Sherwood Park, AB.
Dennis and Sue packed up their worldly belongings … well, the ones they had in their old office anyway… and moved to the Taylor Seminary campus as of July 1, 2018. Come visit Dennis in his new office!
Ministerial meetings: Central Cluster, Edmonton and Calgary
Settlement Report
To see open positions, visit our Careers page: https://cbwc.ca/careers/
New Hires
- Rebecca Thornber, Minister of Discipleship and Community, FBC Vancouver, BC
- Brian Munro, Senior Pastor, Kitimat First Baptist, BC
- Brian Carnahan, Senior Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church, Sechelt, BC
- Don Oddie, Interim Pastor, FBC Brandon, MB
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 editor Zoë: zducklow@cbwc.ca or the BCY office: bcarea@cbwc.ca