Dear Friends in Christ across Western Canada,
Our geography and distance so often prevents us from coming together which is part of the reason we only get together every two years. The CBWC family of churches will be joining together with the BCY Assembly this July 1st weekend in Vancouver. We are doing this for four simple reasons:
1. We want to worship together at First Baptist Church, Vancouver with their new senior minister, Darrell Johnson, and celebrate a church that attracts a large and diverse group of people and sends them out into the community and the world.
2. We wish to celebrate with the BCY Regional churches their annual gathering.
3. We want to learn from a myriad of education opportunities.
4. Finally, we wish to celebrate the incredible unity we have in Christ and the unique diversity that the Holy Spirit has created in each of our churches and indeed each of our lives.
We want to thank Jan Paasuke, our CBWC President and Glenn Rabuka, CBWC VP of Personnel and Programme for their vision, encouragement and hard work. I commend to you their comments which are listed below. Consider them an invitation to Vancouver this summer.
Warmly
In Christ,
Jeremy
I would like to personally invite you to our celebration this summer. The Gathering is an opportunity for our CBWC friends to come together to experience family life as it is enjoyed in our Vancouver and area churches. This is not a coming together for business but rather to increase our awareness of some of the ways God has allowed His people to be a part of creative ministry in a particular section of our constituency. We will give thanks for His goodness and celebrate His generosity. It is also a time to enjoy our friendships as we fellowship and participate in the hospitality shared with us. In that sharing we may be encouraged in our own particular ministries. We hope it will become a jewel in our memories of CBWC Assemblies – an opportunity to be treasured. Your presence with us will make the experience more memorable
Jan. Paasuke, President, CBWC
As both a member of the BCY and CBWC Boards’ planning committees for our Gathering set for the July long weekend, I invite you to make Vancouver part of your summer holidays with attendance at our Gathering in the Vancouver area. As you will see from the brochures that will soon be available, activities are planned to suit a large variety of needs and tastes. I am excited about the sharing of special Ministries that are going on in the Lower Mainland; one in particular is the emphasis that is evident in the area of cross-cultural ministries. To highlight this, a dinner featuring ethnic foods will take place at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Richmond on the Friday evening. Good transportation facilities are in place with special vans and the city’s urban transit system.
I hope to see you there.
Glenn Rabuka, VP Personnel and Programme, CBWC