Dear Folks,
Bob Webber has been the Director of Ministries for the Canadian Baptist of Western Canada for a
little over two years. He grew up in First Baptist Church, Calgary, and he and his wife Faye has been
strongly committed to Brownfield Baptist Church for many years. Bob’s first job out of university was
as the Director of Gull Lake Baptist Camp. He has subsequently been in the agriculture and advertising
business, responsible for one particular and easily recognizable brand in Alberta for several years.
Bob brings great care, thought and a high degree of strong relational skills to his work amongst us as
he coordinates over two-dozen core relationships (from camps to a variety of committees) and stays
in touch with over thirty less core organizations that we have some kind of connection to. Bob has
been enormously helpful in leading us through communications, particularly in his authorship of the
Partnership and Possibilities catalogue, along with a whole variety of well thought out, evocative modes
of telling our story. Bob was also extremely helpful when he took charge of Administration and Finance
in the transition time from when David Holten left to when Victor Ku assumed his responsibilities. Bob
has been a great source of personal encouragement to me and I delight in his company. He is a farmer,
writer, and prayerful organizer and leader, for whom we are very grateful.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy
1. Many folk have different personal, vocational, and faith journeys…could you share with us
those journeys?
I began my faith journey as a youngster growing up in a wonderful extended biological family
and in the faith family that is First Baptist Church in Calgary. Both were wonderful and a gift
to me. My family had loving parents, grandparents, siblings and a slew of cousins that related
around my grandparent’s, and later, parent’s hardware business. At church I grew up under the
wonderful teaching of Howard Bentall, Harold Mitton, Norman Archer, Roy Bell, Richard Coffin
and many others. My own decision to follow Jesus came through a hiking camp ministry of Gull
Lake Baptist Camp in grade ten.
I began my working career as the first year-round director at Gull Lake in the first summer of
our marriage. Not recommended! It was however, a wonderful time of ministry, we made great
friends and loved the wonderful kids that we got to share summers with. After camp we moved
to Saskatoon to return to university and there I received my degree. In Saskatoon, we attended
Emmanuel Baptist Church, which is an outstanding church that welcomed us so generously into
their life. We had our children there, started working with Flexi-Coil in agricultural marketing
and created some of our deepest lifelong friendships in that fellowship.
I later joined an agricultural advertising agency that grew into one of North America’s largest
farm communications firms. There I learned communications and marketing over 17 years,
serving companies such as Caterpillar, UFA, Dow Agri-Sciences and many others.
Later I started my own communications consulting agency.
2. How long have you been in this position? Please let us know about where you are living and
maybe one eccentric detail of life?
I have been two years in the Position of Director of Ministries. It hardly seems that long!
I live in Brownfield Alberta and attend the venerable Brownfield Baptist Church!
I have many interests, but most of them revolve around farm, family and land. After years
of trying, I can lay a decent welding bead and drive a tractor reasonably straight for field
operations, things farm boys mostly learn by age 14! Faye and I recently became beekeepers.
3. What is the basic makeup and description of what you do?
I provide both encouragement and facilitate accountability to the CBWC Board for the ministries
we do as a family of churches. There are many, such as camps, the Mustard Seed ministries,
Youth work… about 28 ministries in all and then with Jeremy Bell, I try and support another
25 groups, committees or sub groups that facilitate specific ministry and events like Assembly,
Banff Pastors, Evangelism and Justice Ministry to name just a few.
4. Who are the people that you primarily serve and how do you connect with them?
I relate directly to the camps through the Camping Committee and then through other Executive
Staff and Staff for the other ministries. I see Executive staff every other month in person and
then do a lot of my connecting through phone, Internet and at gatherings such as Ministry
Networks, Assembly, Banff Pastors and Celebration Dinners. I also relate to the Communications
and Stewardship group where I am a staff resource.
5. What have been the challenging parts of this last twelve months?
Helping through the change over from David Holten to Victor Ku was stretching for me. I have a
large role to begin with and those extra tasks made me feel like I was behind in life before I ever
got to my office each day. Thankfully that is past and I am refocusing on my main role.
6. What have been some of the times of celebration over these last twelve months?
There are so many great folks doing great ministry in our fellowship. I am so blessed with the
Camp Directors we have, the amazing heart for ministry of our senior staff and the working
relationship we have with our partners, Carey, CBM and so many others.
7. What are some of the things you have felt were accomplishments this year and what are
some of the ongoing challenges that you will face as you go into the fall?
We launched the Celebration dinners and the Ministry Networks gathering this year and they
have been amazing. I love to meet with people from the churches and hear how God is at work
– literally everywhere around us. A challenge this fall will be with a series of dinners where we
will be asking people to help us fund our ministries together.
8. Apart from Executive Staff, who are some of the people that you work most closely with
month over month?
I do a fair bit with Ceal McLean who is our committee chair on Communications and
Stewardship, our web team leader and editor in chief. Her tireless efforts inspire me. I also work
with several staff – Calgary team – Julia, Natalyia, Kim, Victor, David Holten and the Vancouver
crew – Shelby, Naomi, Nadia. Heather Thomson has a key role in Celebration dinners and events
and she and I will be working together a lot in the coming months. I also enjoy time spent with
board members.
9. What kind of Sabbath and renewal and break are you going to experience over the
summer….for how long?
I will take two weeks for a road trip to Virginia with Faye and I will also take a week to harvest at
the farm which is so much fun for me.
10. How might we pray for you?
I always need help while working on events, tasks and structure, with the grace to focus on
people and ministry that God calls us to.
11. Is there some kind of blessing or encouragement that you would like to share with us?
I wish every person in our family of churches could have a chance to listen in on our Executive
Staff meetings. While some details are of course confidential, the part I would want them to
hear for themselves is the hearts of the staff after Christ. There is a spirit in this group that is
unified, committed, winsome and graceful that makes attending meetings, even ones with
difficult agendas and time pressures, a joy to me. I consider it a high privilege to work with this
group of people and respect each one deeply.
12. Are there any questions that we have not covered that you would like to comment on?
I will really miss both Brian Stelck and Stu Dinsmore this fall. It won’t be the same without them.
Both exemplify servant leadership at it’s best.
I am married to Faye, and have three grown children who are all married and have 7
grandchildren.