Dear friends,
Tomorrow night we are gathering together at our online Assembly in order to be able to celebrate what God is doing amongst us and to encourage one another and build community. At the present there are over 70 churches registered and almost 200 participants including guests. I would like to thank those who have worked so hard at putting this together. In particular, Laura Nelson, our President, who will chair the event, and Jill Schuler who has planned and will be coordinating it. As we finish this Gathering, Kayely Rich will continue her planning for the Gathering in Calgary in May 2017. We will hear financial statements and reports from the CBWC, the CBWC Foundation, and Carey Centre, including comments by their respective auditors. We will also be hearing about the encouraging ministry of each of those organisations. In addition we will hear about work on the following:
- Refugees
- Church Health & Planting
- SERVE (In Victoria in 2016, with more than 250 participants already signed up)
- A progress report on our work with Ambrose University
- The Legacy Gift Planning Ministry led by Bob Webber
- New Leaders Orientation
- The challenge of intergenerational ministry
- And a very interesting national survey on prayer by Angus Reid which has very strong implications for us in terms of our work with the young.
Please be in prayer for us tomorrow at 5:30pm PST (6:30pm MT, 7:30pm CT)
Quote of the week: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” G. K. Chesterton
Notes from the Family: I would like to particularly remember chaplains this week. We spoke extensively at Ordination Examining Council about chaplains in many contexts but this coming week from Monday to Friday there will be a training session for Canadian military chaplains in Cornwall, ON, which will include over 20 Baptist chaplains from across the country. I would like your prayers for the group and Major Derrick Marshall who is head of the caucus.
On a personal note, I would like to mention a family member who died in the Battle of Jutland on May 31st-June 1st 1916. He was an able seaman on the Queen Mary. His name was Percy A. Tucker. My grandfather was named after him. He was a devout Christian and his parents quite naturally struggled with his passing the rest of their lives. As we mark these anniversaries from many conflicts and wars, from Europe to Rwanda to the Pacific and sadly wherever the footprint of humanity has trod, we do well to remember individuals not simply statistics. Bless you.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy Bell