Dear friends,
I attended West Point Grey Baptist Church in Vancouver this past Sunday and was taken by some teaching on time (amongst many other themes) beginning this Fall by being stewards of God’s time and indeed his timing in our lives. Matt Kitchener was very helpful especially when he described the anxiousness or almost panic we can experience when engulfed by tasks. Matt used one of the depictions of the Greek mythological god Kronos. In one of his depictions he is shown frantically fleet of foot on tip toes with winged feet… in a hurry… you get the idea. Kronos’ hair (as Matt brilliantly described) is fallen forward in front of him so you have to grab Kronos (also known as the bestower of opportunity) by the hair as he approaches because he is bald in the back and there is no hair to grab hold of. The lesson? Time is fleeting. Grab the opportunity for if you don’t you lose. How sad, against grace and the prompting of the Holy Spirit whose role in our lives as Jesus promised us is to teach, comfort, guide, and companion us. It is the urgency that we feel is prompted by the Spirit not the schedule that should seize us. That is an engagement framed from within and with others. This encourages us to see time from God’s view and see our time as he makes us better stewards; not fearful but see all time as holy and wholly God’s.
This last section was to be a paragraph but the themes of time and our use of it are more “elastic” than a paragraph. Here are some exciting things the CBWC Board will be engaging as they meet on September 23rd and 24th.
- Preparing for Assembly 2017 in Calgary on May 25-27, 2017, around various themes including Renewing the Church in Canada with Gary Nelson and Sam Breakey.
- Establishing a new way of covenanting with churches in healthbefore a church faces challenges (with work from Sam Breakey and Faye Reynolds). In addition, what to do about those challenges when they arise.
- Reporting back on a new plan for benefits for retired staff and pastors.
- Faye Reynolds and Mark Doerksen are working on a support network for staff and pastors (formerly called Clergy Care but more expansive than that).
- The Board will continue to pray through and engage our strategic plan as we listen to the Lord and each other.
That’s a beginning.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy