Every year, every season, thousands upon thousands of Canadian Baptists in Western Canada volunteer for ministry in our churches, communities, throughout our land and around the world.
Canadian Baptists Ministries (CBM) has been so very helpful down through the years providing volunteer opportunities in other parts of Canada and in such places like Kenya, Bolivia and Rwanda. Many of our churches have created unique and significant trips with a myriad of organizations. In recent years more of our folk are expressing an interest in these ministry opportunities. CBM works hard and has greatly expanded its opportunities for Western Canadians but those placements remain limited to one or two hundred people. We remain committed to CBM as the primary international service opportunity provider for our churches. While we will encourage partnerships between churches through CBM and, if necessary other groups, our primary interest is short term ministry opportunities in Western Canada.
To facilitate, promote, plan, train and build community in service amongst our churches, the CBWC has appointed Nadia VanderKuip as our Short Term Ministry Coordinator for one year starting January 1st, 2008.
Nadia has spent the last 8 years working in Vancouver’s Eastside as a youth pastor at Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. She was also part of the founding team of UrbanPromise Ministries Vancouver, which provides afterschool and summer day camps for inner-city children and youth. At UPV, Nadia directed the Intern and Workgroup programs, providing short-term ministry opportunities for youth and young adults from around the world. These opportunities included working within the camps with kids, work projects, bible studies and discussions around social justice, poverty and community. Nadia has a couple of degrees in marketing, a BRE and is (very) slowly working on her MPM at Carey.
Nadia is married to Jeff (Keats camp director) and has two beautiful daughters, Kiara (4) and Rori (2). They live in the Commercial Drive area most of the year and summers at Keats. Nadia attributes her path in life directly to a short-term missions internship that she did 12 years ago in Camden, NJ, working with UrbanPromise Ministries.
“I just think that if people are willing to let go of their agenda in life and be open to giving a week, a summer or a year into a ministry, their lives would be radically changed by the people they encounter and by God’s own spirit teaching them. I am looking forward to seeing this attitude encouraged within our denomination“
Nadia is spending her first weeks developing STM orientation curriculum, becoming familiar with several church and ministry partners and doing some planning. Nadia will liaise with Dennis Shierman of CBM to see what national partnerships we should explore next. Nadia will also look at 6 projects in Western Canada for this year. If you are a church that would benefit from having a STM group come or a church that wishes to participate in a STM, please contact Nadia as soon as possible at nvanderkuip@buwc.ca.
I am delighted to have such gifted and experienced individuals such as Nadia with us as she leads the development of this work amongst us in the West; open, generous people willing to serve.
Thanks be to God.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy