Dear Folks,
Many of you have probably noticed with rye amusement the airline emergency instructions that tell
passengers to grab the proffered oxygen mask and place it on themselves before helping someone
else. Bear with me I have one other story. In 1996, in Victoria, there was a snowstorm that dumped, as
I remember, between 2 and 3 feet of snow on the city. A cousin by marriage of mine who was a nurse
had to be picked up by army truck to get to work…you get the drift (bad pun). Some friends decided
that they would organize a block party. Everybody got out with shovels and a festive atmosphere and
cleared the street of snow, including as I remembered sidewalks and the tops of cars. This was made
more unusual by the fact that after they had done this, there was nowhere to drive because the rest of
the city was snow bound. The whole situation was made even more ridiculous by the fact that while my
friend was out organizing others…helping them, encouraging them, and “making it all work”, his whole
back porch, some of his exterior wall and I think part of his kitchen caved in because of the weight of the snow on his roof. The resulting damage was catastrophic and the renovation was stunning.
The point is that in order to help others, you need to first prioritize some form of personal care. The
two above stories are particularly true of the CBWC when church contributions flat lined from 1995 on;
we lost over $600,000 in 2012 dollars in ministry resourcing and purchasing power. We are seeking to
encourage churches to contribute at inflation base when they look at their budget. We are also asking
individuals and churches to contribute over and above an inflation base increase – between $1,000 and
$3,000 a year – from now on, so that over the next three years we can make up that $600,000. That
obviously comes as 300 gifts of $2000, or 200 gifts of $3000, etc. – you get the drift, and you know the
math.
We’ve talked about churches; let me talk a moment about individuals.
We have decided to gather together those who have contributed to the denomination over the last
couple of years for a dessert and coffee evening. We will also begin to contact those who attended
the Celebration Dinners and indicated they wanted more information. We will meet in seven or eight
areas of Western Canada and will share with them the whole idea put forward in our Partnerships and
Possibilities Catalogue; that of having a personal relationship with the denomination through contact,
prayer or financial support. The first dessert party was held in late May. It was a great encouragement
to be able to talk with each other, share some news, and discern together the appropriateness of
support. The initial one was held in Calgary, and the remainder shall occur this fall in a variety of
places with the energy of Bob Webber, Heather Thomson and those of us who are sharing. I am looking
forward to this new venture in sharing our lives together as a family of churches.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy